Patterico's Pontifications

11/6/2020

Day 42 Election-Post-Election Open Thread

Filed under: General — Dana @ 4:05 pm



[guest post by Dana]

Time for a fresh thread:

It’s like talking to a small child: Your big lead disappeared as the days went by because more ballots were counted. There’s nothing miraculous about it. It’s simply the process at work.

There’s always someone or something to blame for anything bad that happens in Trump’s world. After all, losing is for losers. And you know who doesn’t like losers…

Strike while the iron’s hot:

President Trump is racing to raise money for an “official election defense fund.” But the fine print on the solicitations tells a different story: Half — or more — of any contribution will be used to retire debt from his re-election campaign.

With Democratic nominee Joe Biden ahead in several battleground states as the vote count continues, the Trump campaign is filing lawsuits in at least four states, including Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Starting early Wednesday, the campaign and the Republican National Committee have been sending dozens of daily text messages and emails saying they need financial support to challenge voting procedures.

“We must PROTECT the Election!” says one campaign text Friday signed by Mr. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. “My father’s calling on YOU to help bolster our critical Election Defense Fund.”

Clicking through to the donation page, potential givers can review a disclaimer that 50% of any contribution will be used for general election campaign debt retirement and 50% for the campaign’s recount account.

*The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to questions about the financing structure for the defense fund, and how much debt the campaign is facing.

*Sounds like a little grift is happening…still.

–Dana

102 Responses to “Day 42 Election-Post-Election Open Thread”

  1. This week is the fresh hell.

    Dana (6995e0)

  2. The much nicer Dana wrote:

    This week is the fresh hell.

    Yes, of course it is, because President Trump lost.

    I know, I know: I’m in the minority on that here, but over the next four years, you guys will come to rue your votes.

    The Dana in Kentucky (45337e)

  3. The ‘process’ should really be permitted to play out.

    70 million Americans did not vote for ol’Joe. And the ‘count’ isn’t complete… yet tonight, Biden is going to address the nation from a Wilmington parking lot— and there’s supposedly going to be afireworks display as well??

    ‘Fireworks’ before the final vote count is tallied and a victor declared is less a unity move and more just rubbing noses of those 70 million voters in the poop.

    Truly hope he tells his people not to light them off.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  4. Fresh Hell 2.0 will start soon, when Biden supporters start blackballing from “polite society” any Trump supporters or donors.

    I can feel the Biden “healing” already.

    Hoi Polloi (66077a)

  5. https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1324807776510595078?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

    No problem, AOC, your friends are on it:

    https://twitter.com/emabrams/status/1324801501177499648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1324850335182163968%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Face.mu.nu%2F

    Next up: Trump badges. But certainly not in any way related to Jewish badges.

    Biden is going to bring us all together. I can feel it already.

    Hoi Polloi (66077a)

  6. mr. 47.8% of a president donald trump, who will not try to understand the new york times’ effect of men, … ah … ahem … erm … hmm …

    nah, i ain’t got nothing

    and neither does he

    nk (1d9030)

  7. Perhaps these leads will return as our legal proceedings move forward!

    Perhaps? That sounds defeatist to me. It matches the tone of his speech last night.

    norcal (a5428a)

  8. “Next up: Trump badges. But certainly not in any way related to Jewish badges.”

    You’re ridiculous.

    Davethulhu (097dec)


  9. Emily Abrams
    @emabrams
    ·
    We’re launching the Trump Accountability Project to make sure anyone who took a paycheck to help Trump undermine America is held responsible for what they did.

    Join us and help spread the word.

    http://Trumpaccountability.net
    __ _

    Jennifer ‘Count Every Vote’ Rubin
    @JRubinBlogger

    Any R now promoting rejection of an election or calling to not to follow the will of voters or making baseless allegations of fraud should never serve in office, join a corporate board, find a faculty position or be accepted into “polite” society. We have a list.
    __ _

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
    @AOC
    US House candidate, NY-14

    Is anyone archiving these Trump sycophants for when they try to downplay or deny their complicity in the future? I foresee decent probability of many deleted Tweets, writings, photos in the future
    __ _

    Nation’s healing pretty fast…..
    _

    harkin (7fb4c9)

  10. @10 Literal fascism.

    whembly (c30c83)

  11. You’re ridiculous.
    Davethulhu (097dec) — 11/6/2020 @ 4:43 pm

    To make a point. But this isn’t ridiculous, it’s downright scary:

    Any R now promoting rejection of an election or calling to not to follow the will of voters or making baseless allegations of fraud should never serve in office, join a corporate board, find a faculty position or be accepted into “polite” society. We have a list

    I guess Democrats, who have fought to make gender identity as a protected class, somehow don’t feel the need to do the same for political beliefs. I wonder why.

    Maybe I’m ridiculous. Maybe not. We shall see.

    You just let me know when the Biden healing begins.

    Hoi Polloi (66077a)

  12. harkin,

    I don’t do Twitter, but I appreciate the “Talk Soup” roundups of Twitter from you. That stuff is often very witty!

    norcal (a5428a)

  13. “I guess Democrats, who have fought to make gender identity as a protected class, somehow don’t feel the need to do the same for political beliefs. I wonder why.

    Maybe I’m ridiculous. Maybe not. We shall see.

    You just let me know when the Biden healing begins.”

    So much for the tolerant left.

    Davethulhu (097dec)

  14. I like Presidents who don’t lose to Democrats and NeverTrumpers.

    nk (1d9030)

  15. Anderson Cooper’s quote was the funniest, most perfect thing I’ve seen all day!

    “That is the president of the United States. That is the most powerful person in the world. We see him like an obese turtle on his back flailing in the hot sun, realizing his time is over,” Cooper said.

    https://www.businessinsider.com/cnn-anderson-cooper-trump-obese-turtle-flailing-election-video-2020-11

    norcal (a5428a)

  16. Day 42? Time sure flies…

    qdpsteve (8d496a)

  17. I added a little something to the post because grifters gonna grift, lawsuits cost money, and debt is hard to pay down.

    Dana (6995e0)

  18. “We must PROTECT the Election!” says one campaign text Friday signed by Mr. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. “My father’s calling on YOU to help bolster our critical Election Defense Fund.”

    I want to help President Trump so much that I’m gonna wait for a “723553 TIMES MATCH!!!!” offer before I donate…

    Dave (1bb933)

  19. I seem to remember some non-Trump republicans who had bad things happen to them from the R side, like they maybe lost a job because they didn’t love Trump *looks at the banner at the top of the page.* I suspect some of them feel that a bit of vengeance might be theirs.

    Nic (896fdf)

  20. I also made a small edit because I was annoyed I had to explain the obvious to him:

    It’s like talking to a small child: Your big lead disappeared as the days went by because more ballots were counted. There’s nothing miraculous about it. It’s simply the process at work.

    There’s always someone or something to blame for anything bad that happens in Trump’s world. After all, losing is for losers. And you know who doesn’t like losers…

    Dana (6995e0)

  21. Nic,

    I think about the federal employees who loved their country and stood up for what was right, and were driven out of their jobs or it was made difficult by Trump for them to remain. Not to mention the Americans about whom the President of the United States said should be prosecuted for telling the truth. That’s POTUS threatening citizens with the power of the government.

    Dana (6995e0)

  22. Imagine donating money to a billionaire.

    Davethulhu (097dec)

  23. @23 Too true. Not to mention the harassment that happened or people whose reputations were ruined for just trying to do their jobs effectively.

    Nic (896fdf)

  24. I suspect that the campaign debt Trump wants to retire are loans he himself made to his campaign. I suspect it very strongly. In 2016, his big money donors did not allow him to do that and forced him to turn his loans into outright contributions early on before they kicked into the pot, but I strongly suspect that he got away with it this time.

    nk (1d9030)

  25. Just 74 more days of this. He’ll still rage tweet of course, but from Trump Tower. DJT will continue to spoon feed the narrative, and his sycophantic sheep will continue to follow. I just wonder how much of an influence he’ll have when he leaves office, and the extent of his pull on the GOP as a former president. He won’t be a quiet former president, and that given the number of Trumpists there are, doesn’t bode well for the future. I hope I’m wrong.

    HCI (92ea66)

  26. Where is the line that Trump cannot cross without risking impeachment and removal even at this stage? Certainly ordering the military to seize the ballots in PA would do it, or putting tanks in the streets, but just how much of a temper tantrum would we allow before the hammer came down?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  27. Too true. Not to mention the harassment that happened or people whose reputations were ruined for just trying to do their jobs effectively.

    “viva le resistance”

    Cue the world’s smallest violin.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  28. @23: Who are you talking about, Dana? Name someone.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  29. This week is the fresh hell.

    Soon to come semi-weekly. “Hell! Hell! Get your Fresh Hell here!”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  30. Cue the world’s smallest violin.

    That’s the spirit!

    nk (1d9030)

  31. What happened to the Wicked Witch’s flying monkeys after Dorothy melted her?

    nk (1d9030)

  32. Any R now promoting rejection of an election or calling to not to follow the will of voters or making baseless allegations of fraud should never serve in office, join a corporate board, find a faculty position or be accepted into “polite” society. We have a list.

    If this McCartyism is the way that the Democrats govern it’s going to be a hard 2 years until the midterms.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  33. *McCarthyism

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  34. “That is the president of the United States. That is the most powerful person in the world. We see him like an obese turtle on his back flailing in the hot sun, realizing his time is over,” Cooper said.

    This sounds like a recounting of a mischievous experience the gay lad did as a teen out on Fire Island.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  35. What happened to the Wicked Witch’s flying monkeys after Dorothy melted her?

    Nothing. That whole melting thing was a hoax to cover Elphaba’s escape.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  36. 33, note taken, but who has the balls to fling the bucket of water (or its modern metal equivalents)?

    urbanleftbehind (b83b4e)

  37. A jumped-up barmaid and a couple of second-rate opinionatrixes is not the governing Democrats, Kevin. But if that’s what gives Trump supporters goosebumps ….

    nk (1d9030)

  38. @29 Noted. You do not care that innocent civilians were harassed in ongoing ways for doing their jobs, but you cry for political actors being proved to make non-factual statements (as long as they are on your side).

    Nic (896fdf)

  39. I think about the federal employees who loved their country and stood up for what was right, and were driven out of their jobs or it was made difficult by Trump for them to remain.

    No tears for bureaucrats.

    Ever.

    Learning how to survive in the private sector should be a great education for ex-feds.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  40. @33 You know, I don’t remember. I have the impression that they flew off somewhere, but it’s been A Very Long Time since I read the Oz series. (Yes, I read the Oz series, well, the first 10ish anyway.) 😛

    Nic (896fdf)

  41. In public for an hour or two; hidden away for several days… wonder how many transfusions/week Joe gets?

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  42. You do not care that innocent civilians were harassed in ongoing ways for doing their jobs, but you cry for political actors being proved to make non-factual statements (as long as they are on your side).

    Why don’t you cut the BS and just name someone, Nic?

    As for political actors, how did they get there? Your unnamed “innocent civilian” wasn’t elected. Maybe it sucks, but they serve at the behest of the elected. And, unlike them the elected can become unelected. It would suck way worse otherwise, so deal with it.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  43. @44 Why? You already stated your position.

    Government workers aren’t elected, they are hired, just like you are hired, and I am hired and the guy who works at the business down the street is hired. None of us deserve harassment for doing our jobs. Why exactly is a virologist working for the NIH more worthy of harassment than one who is working at Pfizer?

    Nic (896fdf)

  44. It ain’t over till it’s over, Dana. There are still a lot of votes left to count.

    Generally, most states follow a process. Early and in-person on-day ballots are tabulated first. mail-in and absentee ballots are tubulated second, after the polls close. Then provisional, military and overseas ballots are tubulated third.

    Different states have different rules for how these ballots are to be properly filled out and when the county board must receive them in order to be counted. But there are security measures in place to ensure than only legitimate ballots from registered voters, properly submitted and received on time, will be tabulated.

    At this time, Biden is winning on average in 78% of mail-in votes. If that trend continues, and it most likely will, he may increase his vote tally by tens of thousands. He’s already won more votes than any other candidate in history. In which case, his victory is all but assured. Trump may chip away at the margins as the provisional, military and overseas ballots are tabulated, but there aren’t enough votes there for him to take the lead. Thus, it appears a Biden presidency is inevitable.

    Howbeit, the states will not certify their final tallies until all the votes are counted, which must be done by Dec. 8, so electors can be selected. A lot can happen between now and then, much recrimination, wailing and gnawing of teeth, litigations, accusations of fraud and electoral theft, demands for recounts, calls for invalidating the popular vote so state legislatures can appoint electors, who knows how desperate and deranged Trump will become. If his unhinged speech at the briefing room yesterday is any indication, I expect the next month will be a wild and crazy ride down a rough and bumpy road.

    It won’t matter much though, as bothersome and infuriating as it may be. The states will count all legitimate votes, then submit their final tallies by or on Dec. 8. Electors will be chosen. The electoral college will convene on Dec. 14 and vote. The newly elected Congress will certify the vote on Jan. 6. Then the election will be decided, and only then will it be over.

    That is what is going to happen. This is the process, this is the system, this is American democracy in action. Nothing is going to disrupt it. The American people will not allow interference in free and fair elections, and the peaceful transfer of power. They just won’t, never have, never will.

    It doesn’t matter what the media says. It certainly doesn’t matter how much Trump whines and complains. Dec. 8, Dec. 14 and Jan. 6 are set in the calendar. The courts cannot change the calendar, and not even the Supreme Court wants to get involved in a temper tantrum thrown by an impetulant man-child, a wannabe king, in a furious fit.

    Give him a time-out, have him drug kicking, screaming and crying out of the Oval Office. Toss him out on the street and leave him for state prosecutors to charge him with tax, bank and wire fraud, self-dealing, illegal campaign finance contributions, everything, while he cries on the concrete, awaiting a balloon payment of $460 million in loans from foreign creditors due, which he can’t pay.

    Trump is a disgrace as a man, a failure as a businessman and CEO, an abject failure as a president, and a heretic as a Christian. A total fraud, the worse that befalls him, the better. He deserves everything he has coming to him.

    What sickens me is how few Republicans repudiated him. For all their talk of principles–limited government, fiscal responsibility, individual rights, lower taxes, less regulation–they turned on a dime one Trump was elected. And he only paid them a dime, he sued and they settled for 70 cents.

    So, yeah, I voted for Biden. I certainly wasn’t going to vote for Trump. I didn’t in 2016, why would I in 2020? I see him for who he his, a total fraud (from a real estate perspective), and illiterate (from an educational perspective), a total fraud and incompetent.

    I just hope Biden can draw the Democratic party more to the center.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  45. I just hope Biden can draw the Democratic party more to the center.

    Might be better to just hope he wakes up in the morning.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  46. Why exactly is a virologist working for the NIH more worthy of harassment than one who is working at Pfizer?

    Who said they were? I said it sucked. But, anything else you have it mind sucks worse. And I also said deal with it.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  47. *have in mind

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  48. My reading of the UNC re-vote in the CD in 2018 says the issue was that there were fraudulent ballots in a 900-vote win. There was no proof of absolute numbers involved in the cheating, but the NC elections board demanded a re-vote.

    It seems to me Nevada would easily meet this standard, given the out of state voting and the margin will be significantly closer than currently reported.

    What about some of the “statistical impossibility” arguments for the turnout in WI? Same for metro Detroit? I know John James will be all over the latter.

    I note the NC precedent was not judicial. But, I’d be interested in hearing what y’all’s threshold for a do-over would/should be.

    Ed from SFV (f64387)

  49. I note the NC precedent was not judicial. But, I’d be interested in hearing what y’all’s threshold for a do-over would/should be.

    The passage of four years when both candidates will be eligible to run again.

    nk (1d9030)

  50. What about some of the “statistical impossibility” arguments for the turnout in WI?

    Turnout was highest in Trump counties (93.8% in one, many over 90%).

    You think they should redo an election he lost because his supporters committed fraud?

    Dave (1bb933)

  51. @48 What exactly do you think I had in mind by expressing sympathy for the people who were harassed just for doing their job.

    Nic (896fdf)

  52. Now comes the SCOTUS order. If the Commonwealth cannot prove to Alito’s satisfaction that her guidelines were not followed, the hundreds of thousands of ballots potentially affected easily meet a reasonable threshold to order a re-vote. But, Roberts is soooooo not inclined to help the Orange Man.

    Ed from SFV (f64387)

  53. “After telling his supporters not to use mail in ballots, Trump can’t understand why he is getting so few mail in votes.” — Some person somewhere

    nk (1d9030)

  54. Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows CV positive…

    Dave (1bb933)

  55. “Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows CV positive…”

    Guy didn’t get the memo. Coronavirus is fake and we’re supposed to stop talking about it now that Biden has won.

    Davethulhu (6e0d47)

  56. Something to reflect on after this particular experience:

    I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally.
    This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed, but in those of the popular form it is seen in its greatest rankness and is truly their worst enemy.
    The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual, and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.
    Without looking forward to the extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.
    It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.
    There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true, and in governments of a monarchical cast patriotism may look with indulgence if not with favor upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

    George Washington, on Party, Farewell Address, 1796

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  57. Something to reflect on after this particular experience:

    I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally.

    This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed, but in those of the popular form it is seen in its greatest rankness and is truly their worst enemy.

    The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual, and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

    Without looking forward to the extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

    It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

    There is an opinion that parties in free countries are useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty. This within certain limits is probably true, and in governments of a monarchical cast patriotism may look with indulgence if not with favor upon the spirit of party. But in those of the popular character, in governments purely elective, it is a spirit not to be encouraged. From their natural tendency, it is certain there will always be enough of that spirit for every salutary purpose. And there being constant danger of excess, the effort ought to be by force of public opinion to mitigate and assuage it. A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.

    George Washington, on Party, Farewell Address, 1796

    (now with whitespace)

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  58. Guy didn’t get the memo. Coronavirus is fake and we’re supposed to stop talking about it now that Biden has won.

    Biden talked about it in his speech too.

    The guy is a gaffe machine!

    Dave (1bb933)

  59. I think Meadows should return to work, maskless, in his maskless office. Otherwise the terrorists win.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  60. “We’re not going to control the pandemic.”
    – Mark Meadows (October 25, 2016)

    Dave (1bb933)

  61. @59 Priceless, Kevin. Thank you.

    How could Mark Levin, who loves referring to the Constitution and the Founders, read Washington’s farewell address and not see himself engaging in the same behavior Washington warned us about?

    Irony abounds.

    norcal (a5428a)

  62. Mark Meadows strikes me as a decent guy. I wish him well.

    nk (1d9030)

  63. I think we all liked him, Meadows, in the pre-Trumpian era. Trump made everything dirty:

    O’er in New York City
    Where the sewer rats grow so mean
    Lived a man, that I swear to the world
    Made the sewer rats look clean
    Short-finger Donnie, daddy left you lots of money
    Everybody said it was a shame
    That he wasn’t working on a chain gang
    It can still happen you know

    nk (1d9030)

  64. Is that an original, nk?

    norcal (a5428a)

  65. Mark Meadows (October 25, 2016)

    Really? Prescient.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  66. @60.The guy is a gaffe machine!

    He sure as hell is, Davey:

    “A mandate or action.”

    That’s a line he copied off on a Men’s Room bathroom stall- or plagiarized from Lindsey Graham.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  67. “A mandate for action…”

    Jaysus…. Joe Biden will turn 78 years old in just 13 days.

    Are there odds in Vegas for him attending his inaugural?

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  68. I really liked Glenn Reynolds up until Trump, too. But I’m not sure I’ll ever trust the man again. It’s not that he supported Trump, lots of people found that necessary, it’s that he did so with a will and a blindness that knew no caution.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  69. Biden and Harris have attended more coronavirus meetings this week than Trump and Pence have in months.

    Dave (1bb933)

  70. I really liked Glenn Reynolds up until Trump, too. But I’m not sure I’ll ever trust the man again. It’s not that he supported Trump, lots of people found that necessary, it’s that he did so with a will and a blindness that knew no caution.

    Yep.

    I’ll go even further – I admired him.

    Dave (1bb933)

  71. Is that an original, nk?

    Heh! “Polk Salad Annie”, 1968, Tony Joe White.

    nk (1d9030)

  72. @71. Davey: Swamp Creatures excel at going to meetings, making plans… and doing do nothing.

    Some, for 47 years.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  73. Biden has wasted no time in claiming a mandate and asking everyone to stop being so partisan and come together behind his programs. I find this disingenuous and insulting and a poor foot forward.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  74. @73 nk, that song was a little before I came online, but I loved it! I’ve always thought the 70s had the best music, but the 60s fans can make a good case.

    I’ll bet the majority of the people here think 60s music rules.

    norcal (a5428a)

  75. @75 You have to know that’s silly, every newly elected president claims a mandate.

    Nic (896fdf)

  76. Biden has wasted no time in claiming a mandate and asking everyone to stop being so partisan and come together behind his programs.

    I was disappointed that he’s still offered few hints whether the party’s line will be Socialism in One Country, ala Stalin, or a more Trotskyist Internationalism. How are we supposed to practice Democratic Centralism if the Inner Party won’t tell us what to think?

    But seriously, Kevin what do you think he should have said?

    “I have no plans to pursue any policies that Donald Trump and his supporters might disapprove of?”

    I think he’s saying exactly the right things, so far.

    Dave (1bb933)

  77. I’ll go up to up 1984, if pressed, 😉 but some songs are timeless: Here’s the same song from
    1937, Robert Johnson, original, and
    1992, Eric Clapton, cover.

    nk (1d9030)

  78. I’ll go up to up 1984

    Saturday, August 1, 1981

    Dave (1bb933)

  79. @81

    Alternative title: “Incompetent election officials in overwhelmingly Republican county briefly screw up Trump’s total.”

    I think the Supreme Court should just award Michigan’s electoral votes to Trump.

    Dave (1bb933)

  80. @81 I’m sure that if Trump wants a recount in the states that are close, he will ask for a recount in states that are close.

    Nic (896fdf)

  81. Kevin M — why would you think that Mitch McConnell would lift a finger to stop Trump from doing anything? *Even now* he’s not standing up and being counted.

    aphrael (4c4719)

  82. > If this McCartyism is the way that the Democrats govern it’s going to be a hard 2 years until the midterms.

    I wouldn’t go so far as to say they should be drummed out of polite society, denied tenure, or fired from corporate positions including boards … but, yeah, anyone who is promoting baseless allegations of fraud or suggesting that the government should ignore the will of the voters is *per se* unqualified for public office, in my book. Willingness to respect the will of the voters, and a refusal to raise spurious allegations that threaten systemic legitimacy, are baseline qualifications for public service jobs.

    aphrael (4c4719)

  83. @79 Love the blues. Thanks, nk.

    norcal (a5428a)

  84. NJRob (eb56c3) — 11/6/2020 @ 10:25 pm

    This is yet another example of Trump screaming FRAUD! but all his minions can find is errors and mistakes, not ill intent.

    Paul Montagu (e23dcb)

  85. I have to say, I feel better than I did 24 hours ago, because there is no GOP groundswell behind Trump’s bogus fantasies and he appears increasingly isolated.

    The seditionists like McCarthy, Gaetz, Graham, Cruz, etc who chose Trump over America (again) have marked themselves forever, and their betrayal will never be forgotten.

    Dave (1bb933)

  86. Not surprising:

    Donald Trump may not attend Joe Biden’s inauguration as president if the Democrat challenger ends up winning the election, it was claimed.

    New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman claimed President Trump could make history by avoiding the January 2021 ceremony after claiming his mounting losses are the result of vote-rigging.

    Haberman tweeted: ‘People close to the president question whether he will invite Biden to the WH before inauguration.

    ‘Or if he’ll go to the inauguration himself. He does not care about the norms of the office. But no one I have talked to thinks he will refuse to leave.’

    There’s only one way to avoid living the rest of your life as the single-term loser beaten by Joe Biden, Mr. President.

    Dave (1bb933)

  87. Scrolling through the comments in this and other threads, I’m amazed at all the accusations of “hatred” of Trump. Trump, you know, the guy who could never open his mouth without spewing some vile, hateful insult at someone, but I’m the “hater.” First on the cultural left–and now, apparently, on the right–“hate” has turned into a word of opprobrium when nothing else works. If someone is murdered, the crime is somehow compounded if the murderer “hated” the victim, almost as if the hate were worse than the murder itself. If someone is going to kill another person, the criminal’s affective state ought to be beside the point. “Hate” is irrelevant to my opposition to Trump.

    Roger (83ed7d)

  88. Mr Polloi wrote:

    Fresh Hell 2.0 will start soon, when Biden supporters start blackballing from “polite society” any Trump supporters or donors.

    I can feel the Biden “healing” already.

    The ever-lovely Jennifer Rubin has already started that:

    Any R now promoting rejection of an election or calling to not to follow the will of voters or making baseless allegations of fraud should never serve in office, join a corporate board, find a faculty position or be accepted into “polite” society. We have a list.

    The Dana in Kentucky (45337e)

  89. DCSCA wrote:

    I just hope Biden can draw the Democratic party more to the center. (The Ghost of Mr Gawain)

    Might be better to just hope he wakes up in the morning.

    Conservatives have been put in the awkward position of praying for Mr Biden’s continued health and a return to lucidity.

    But the notion that a 78 year old is going to drag the Democratic Party closer to the center seems far-fetched; there have to be more than a few of the Democrats who hopes that he drops stone-cold graveyard dead on January 21st.

    An obvious question is: is Joe Biden really more of a centrist? Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris Emhoff all put forth plans calling for all new vehicles to be sold in the US to be ‘zero emission’ by 2030; the more moderate Mr Biden set the date as 2035. Is ‘moderation’ or ‘centrism’ defined as adopting leftist positions, but just taking longer to get there?

    The Dana in Kentucky (45337e)

  90. The much better-looking Dana wrote:

    I think about the federal employees who loved their country and stood up for what was right, and were driven out of their jobs or it was made difficult by Trump for them to remain.

    Are you referring to Peter Strzok or Lisa Page?

    The Dana in Kentucky (45337e)

  91. Shunning is older than America.

    15 If your brother sins against you, go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. — Matthew 18:15-17

    There’s nothing particularly revolutionary about the Tampon Earring crowd.

    nk (1d9030)

  92. aphrael asked:

    Kevin M — why would you think that Mitch McConnell would lift a finger to stop Trump from doing anything? *Even now* he’s not standing up and being counted.

    If there’s one thing that the Majority Leader understands it’s how to count votes.

    Mitch McConnell is the savviest politician in the country. Given the inevitableness of Hillary Clinton’s victory in 2016, it took someone either very smart or very stupid to deny any consideration of Merrick Garland’s nomination, given that incoming President Hillary Clinton would have nominated someone less a stealth liberal than Judge Garland, and more an outright leftist. Justice Elizabeth Warren, anyone?

    Mr McConnell can be a bit of an [insert slang term for the rectum here] himself, but he was not a supporter of Donald Trump early on. Once it was obvious that Mr Trump was going to win the nomination, Senator McConnell did his duty and supported the nominee. Once Mr Trump was elected President, Mr McConnell continued to do his duty and supported the President as much as he could in the Senate.

    Senator McConnell did his duty the way his constituents wanted him to do his duty: despite his opponent spending 60% more than Mr McConnell, the Majority leader was re-elected by a 57.77% to 38.23% margin, his largest victory over a non-serious opponent. The only one who had a bigger margin in the Commonwealth was President Trump, who beat Mr Biden 62.13% to 36.17%.

    He knows that President Trump has lost, so he’s shifting gears; he knows that he has to lead a smaller Republican majority — assuming he has one, a 50/50 tie is still possible — in a way which preserves the majority in the 2022 elections and frustrates the Democrats’ agenda as much as possible.

    The Dana in Kentucky (45337e)

  93. Trump knew this was going to happen. For months he has been criticizing the mail in ballots and the day before the election he said the first thing we will do is send out our lawyers. It’s common knowledge he doesn’t think very highly of losers but now must face he is a LOSER !

    Knickerbocker Slobberknocker (27d313)

  94. For Trump, I see big progress in his use of the word “perhaps.”

    David Pittelli (9b8381)

  95. but, yeah, anyone who is promoting baseless allegations of fraud or suggesting that the government should ignore the will of the voters is *per se* unqualified for public office, in my book. Willingness to respect the will of the voters, and a refusal to raise spurious allegations that threaten systemic legitimacy, are baseline qualifications for public service jobs.

    “Trump Russia Collusion” would seem to disqualify a ton of folks. “We have a list.”

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  96. Biden and Harris have attended more coronavirus meetings this week than Trump and Pence have in months.

    No doubt the virus is impressed.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  97. For those complaining about how long this is taking remember that this is what the Republicans wanted.

    If Republicans had not blocked requests by Michigan, Wisconson, and Pennsylvania to count the mail-in votes early to ensure a smooth election night process, Trump would have *never held a lead in those states.*

    The GOP blocked those requests because they *wanted* this outcome.

    Biden is leading by more in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania than Trump did in 2016, but media outlets who were happy to call it at midnight Tuesday 2016 are now too scared of Trump and the GOP to make the obvious call now.

    Victor (4959fb)

  98. Biden is leading by more in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania than Trump did in 2016

    Because unlike in 2016 your “anti vote suppression” party kept the Green Party candidate off the ballot.

    beer ‘n pretzels (042d67)

  99. Vladimir Putin
    @NyetVladimirVladimirovich

    Look, kid, I – how much you weigh, son? When you weighed one hundred and sixty-eight pounds you were beautiful. You coulda been another Ru Paul, and that Slovenian we got you for a handler, she fed you too much.

    Donald Trump
    @UnrealDonaldTrump
    It wasn’t her, Vladimir, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, “Kid, this ain’t your night. We’re going for the prize on the coronavirus.” You remember that? “This ain’t your night”! My night! I coulda taken Biden apart! So what happens? I get blamed for the Chinese virus! Biden gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my Control, Vladimir, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit so I wouldn’t have had to let the coronavirus decimate America for the short-end money.

    Vladimir Putin
    @NyetVladimirVladimirovich

    Oh I had some bets down for you. You saw some money.

    Donald Trump
    @UnrealDonaldTrump

    You don’t understand, I could have had class. I could have been a contender. I could have been somebody…instead of a bum…which is what I am. Let’s face it… It was you, Vladimir.

    nk (1d9030)


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