Well here we are. No biggie. Nothing riding on this one!
With 50+ % of projected votes cast and counted, it's expected a large initial lead for the Democrats that slowly declines over the night.
102million already cast early voting or absentee. We'll see.
Pennsylvania and Ohio. If Biden wins there it gets hard for Trump.
I think Biden is going to lose.
Ok. Only 15% of the vote counted thus far in Michigan and 35% of the vote counted thus far is early vote. Those %s will end up closer to 60% of the total. So it's not as doomsday as I thought
This country man. Virginia going red. Breaking my heart.
@approxinfinity isnāt only like 30% reported? Iāve seen several places calling Virginia for Biden
I hope so. It was 300k lead, but what's confusing is that Fairfax isn't fully in, which is a populous County that goes blue and what's more confusing, it seems the early votes are being counted late, which is opposite of what my impression of how it would happen was.
Jeez!
Patience. Right now weāre at 233-232 Biden. We have AZ, GA, MI, PA, WI out. As of now, I canāt say Trump is any kind of favorite to get to 270.
I do think Rās keep the Senate at 51-52.
Should add. My lord Trumpās speech was disgraceful. We will count the ballots.
@FarmerJayhawk heās always disgraceful!
Guess we found the missing ballots?š¤·āāļøš„ŗ corruption! Oh JOY
Did Michigan and Wisconsin save America?
@FarmerJayhawk what site are you using to see 233-232? I have a few up and none are calling that many yet.
Biden can get to 270 with Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada (and Maine). They are all way too close for comfort. He might have a chance at Pennsylvania. Longshot at Georgia.
Legal battles to follow all of this. I will be aging many years in the next few months.
Michigan should be a comfortable margin of victory given the demographics yet to be counted..
He's been hovering around a margin of +32k in Michigan for a while. Hopefully that widens today.
Wisconsin is looking pretty good.
Fingers crossed, but this is pretty optimistic:
What Votes Are Left in the 7 States That Will Decide the Election https://nyti.ms/3oXUkaA ā
Thereās not 270 out there for Trump. Enjoy your day, folks. This one is ovaaaaaaa
Yay, drawn out legal battles, Washington gridlock with Mitch and Lindsey still doing their thing, and QAnon supporters, D-bag trolls ā and covid casualties posthumously winning office for the GOP.
It could be worse. But the two party system is failing us, social media and search algorithms are creating echo chambers of opinions and thought, and the Democrats are losing a culture war they don't understand.
Trump is suing to stop ballot counts in Michigan? Gtfo of here with this bs.
If the current AP tracker holds, it would end up 270-268 in favor of Biden and that's with Pennsylvania and Georgia going to Trump.
I would also expect Trump to call for a recall in Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Georgia if those results end up in the legal range to be able to call for a recall.
If all goes as it should, itāll end up 279-259 or 290-248. Talked to one of my friends in the RNC orbit and PA looks like itāll go Biden by 70-100k. Wisconsin already called. Michigan will only get bigger for Biden (though hopefully not big enough to beat John James), and I donāt have a great feel for AZ.
@FarmerJayhawk The AP has already called Arizona for Biden. They currently have Biden leading by about 100k votes with 84% reporting.
The only states the AP hasn't called yet are Alaska, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
The current totals as of about 2:30pm Central Time have Trump leading Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania and Biden leading Michigan and Nevada.
Only chance Trump has is to hold all 4 of those states, he'll win Alaska and probably North Carolina, and flip Nevada, but Pennsylvania will almost for sure flip to Biden once the votes are in.
I think it's going to end up at 290-248 Biden with Joe taking Michigan, Nevada, and flipping Pennsylvania and Trump winning Alaska, Georgia, and North Carolina.
@Texas-Hawk-10 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk The AP has already called Arizona for Biden. They currently have Biden leading by about 100k votes with 84% reporting.
The only states the AP hasn't called yet are Alaska, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
The current totals as of about 2:30pm Central Time have Trump leading Alaska, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania and Biden leading Michigan and Nevada.
Only chance Trump has is to hold all 4 of those states, he'll win Alaska and probably North Carolina, and flip Nevada, but Pennsylvania will almost for sure flip to Biden once the votes are in.
I think it's going to end up at 290-248 Biden with Joe taking Michigan, Nevada, and flipping Pennsylvania and Trump winning Alaska, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Arizona has come to play with Trump - -something more on the votes - this whole thing is jsut crazy/ugly lawsuits - -recounts - - people saying ballots shouldn't be counted that was post marked to late just insane.
Knew this was coming
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Trump is suing to stop ballot counts in Michigan? Gtfo of here with this bs.
it's happening
@approxinfinity In Pennsylvania too. Which probably bodes well for Biden's chances of taking PA.
@jayballer67 unless I'm not understanding precedent here, which is entirely possible, I assume you can file suit for a REcount, but filing suit to stop the actual counting is an attempt to subvert democracy. There is no indication of wrong doing here, this is just more Trump bullshit exceptionalism.
The AP call of Arizona looks premature to me. There are still over 600k ballots outstanding there, and Trump needs about 58% to win the state. He was running a little over 60% in late ballots last night, so itās doable. Though not super likely.
@FarmerJayhawk 400k in Maricopa country which is blue :man_shrugging:
@approxinfinity they wonāt be as Democratic given what we know about how many were mailed, dropped off, and come from the rural parts of the state and county. I think it was smart to hold off, like most other news organizations and aggregators like DDHQ have.
Wish CNN would get a token Republican that had a little more integrity than Rick Santorum for their panel.
I donāt think you can call Arizona yet. But Trump trying to claim MI right now is ridiculous and insane. Even more insane than calling PA and GA for himself
@Kcmatt7 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
I donāt think you can call Arizona yet. But Trump trying to claim MI right now is ridiculous and insane. Even more insane than calling PA and GA for himself
That tweet was gold!
![alt text](!<a href="https://i.imgur.com/oyb2Zz1.png" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bcb2f2c4-a9cf-4248-ad08-bc125c7df506-image.png ā</a> image url)
Heh
Really looking like Georgia is going to be insanely close.
Biden down 46k votes.
Looks like Biden could pick up another 30k votes in Atlanta. Another 10k out of Columbus. And another 6k from Augusta.
Talk about a photo finish.
But there are small counties left that Trump could pick up votes in too right?
Also, theres this.. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/trump-campaign-files-lawsuit-in-georgia-to-pause-ballot-count ā
Trump and crew strategy: F with USPS, then sue when delayed unprocessed absentee ballots are allegedly processed after 7PM.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@jayballer67 unless I'm not understanding precedent here, which is entirely possible, I assume you can file suit for a REcount, but filing suit to stop the actual counting is an attempt to subvert democracy. There is no indication of wrong doing here, this is just more Trump bullshit exceptionalism.
I'm just ready to get past this bullshit , it's like twiddle dee - -& twiddle dum, If it was turned around it would be exactly the same song 2nd verse.
I just wonder now how long it will be after Biden is elected before you see the insane shit - - Kim Chun - raise up and test Biden , He probably has his Nation worshipping him big time tonight cause the guy that didn't take no shit from him is no longer in office.
You can take it to the Bank he will challenge Biden - -I'm still waiting for a DECENT PICK for president again - -been to long
@approxinfinity Correct.
The fact that Trump's support was so deeply underestimated speaks to the fact that this is the blueprint we can expect for the future. Douche it up, cheat, scratch, claw, lie, defame, encourage crazies, refuse to denounce reprehensible activity, weaponize everything and anything. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is out of bounds.
And this is ok, right? Republicans are good with this. I mean not publicly, when asked for polls. But when they're standing there looking at the ballot... well that's between them and their God, right?
Character is what you do when nobody is watching.
Under 40k now in GA. Most recent batch came in at 72% Biden. If he keeps that pace he wins GA.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
The fact that Trump's support was so deeply underestimated speaks to the fact that this is the blueprint we can expect for the future. Douche it up, cheat, scratch, claw, lie, defame, encourage crazies, refuse to denounce reprehensible activity, weaponize everything and anything. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is out of bounds.
And this is ok, right? Republicans are good with this. I mean not publicly, when asked for polls. But when they're standing there looking at the ballot... well that's between them and their God, right?
Character is what you do when nobody is watching.
I think you have to wait for the mid-terms to see where the Republican party is going to go. I don't think continually nominating a douche is going to be a good long-term strategy though.
Related observations. Iām always amazed how awful Democrats are at non-Presidential politics. They spent $200 million to lose by 35 points combined to Cocaine Mitch and Lindsey Graham. Well done folks!
Cocaine Mitch is the all time greatest. Keeping the Senate majority is massive. And I firmly believe if you shot Biden up with truth serum, heād rather have ML McConnell than Schumer. They can make deals and Biden can blame McConnell for anything. And heād be happy to take the barbs.
The GOP picked up state legislative seats nationwide, which has big redistricting implications.
There was an EPIC polling failure in JoCo and Kansas broadly this year. Someone in the party showed me a poll that had Dās picking up 10-15 House seats and 5 Senate seats. The GOP expanded their supermajority in the state legislature, including a big upset in knocking off Sen. Hensley, whoās been Minority Leader longer than Iāve been alive. Canāt blame anyone but themselves. The GOP just outhustled Dās.
I think Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer should step down from leadership, especially if Senate Rās keep 52-53 seats. They flat blew it.
@FarmerJayhawk you don't think having Trump at the top of the ticket had the most to do with the turnout? what makes Mitch the greatest?
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk you don't think having Trump at the top of the ticket had the most to do with the turnout?
Also, what makes Mitch the greatest? Winning?
I do not. Down ballot candidates ran pretty far ahead of Trump in a ton of districts Dās thought they had in the bag. Like in JoCo, Marshall and Adkins ran a couple points ahead. Legislative candidates ran WAY ahead of Trump. A similar pattern emerges around the country. Biggest example is Collins in Maine. If anything, down ballot candidates had coattails for Trump.
Cocaine Mitch, the grim reaper, Midnight Mitch, whatever totally badass nickname you prefer, is the most consequential Senator since LBJ, and he may end up surpassing LBJ in accomplishments. Heās incredible at keeping his slim majority together and playing the long game. He runs circles around Schumer and previously Harry Reid. He kind of used Trump as a useful idiot in his ultimate goal of remaking the federal judiciary. Really a masterclass in parliamentary leadership.
@FarmerJayhawk consequential, I agree, but to be great you first have to be good, and the man is evil.
I prefer "Senor Turtlehead" or "Yertle The Turtle"
@approxinfinity hard disagree on the evilness of Cocaine Mitch.
Anyways, we got a nice AZ vote dump from Maricopa. Trump +18. Wouldnāt surprise me to see the AP retract its call.
I'll have to think more about how likely the down ticket votes drove votes for Trump. It seems like even if the top of the ticket was a Biden or 3rd party vote, if the election was a referendum on Trump, good or bad, he still drives people to the polls who might split their ticket
Why do we cast physical ballots? Why don't we have a secure government website where we can cast our vote easily and securely? It can be done with the same level of checksums and transparency. This whole process is sloppy, inefficient and an avenue for greater voter suppression.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
an avenue for greater voter suppression.
And you have your answer. It isn't about getting the most votes. It is about getting the right votes.
Is that ethical? No. Is that reality? Absolutely.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Also, theres this.. https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/trump-campaign-files-lawsuit-in-georgia-to-pause-ballot-count ā
Trump and crew strategy: F with USPS, then sue when delayed unprocessed absentee ballots are allegedly processed after 7PM.
Trump was having mail sorting machines destroyed and driving home this narrative that mail-in voting is wrong. Then he wondered why he was not getting mail-in votes... Maybe he should have played it differently.
Looks like the Republicans are flipping some house seats. As always, perfect balance to insure nothing gets done.
This whole Arizona thing isn't over yet. - - they said Trump would need to get 57 % in Mericope Co to stay in the race for Arizona - -and that's exactly what he got - -57 % . they were saying if he wins Arizona and holds Pennsylvania Trump will win.
In Pennsylvania they said they have Democratic clerks coming forward and bringing forth things about illegal activity from Democratic party
They talking about like 23,000 votes from a dump vote in Pennsylvania and Biden got EVERY Single vote 100 % - -ZERO votes for Trump in that 23,000 dump vote - - roflmao - -like they saying ummmm something for sure wrong there. - -this is about to get REAL UGLY
@FarmerJayhawk here in ks the pacs just killed us! The mods got beat in the primary and we got some psycho right wing nut jobs. Here in hutch was the worst! It's to long of a story.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Why do we cast physical ballots? Why don't we have a secure government website where we can cast our vote easily and securely? It can be done with the same level of checksums and transparency. This whole process is sloppy, inefficient and an avenue for greater voter suppression.
In short, they're unhackable and a permanent, unalterable record will always exist. Several places have experimented with online voting, and to an attempt there have been potentially fatal security flaws. The Feds released a pretty spiffy report ā on it not long ago.
Plus, there are still households in Louisiana without electricity due to hurricanes. It would be a total mess to deal with power outages. Think if a big ice storm hit Minneapolis right before Election Day. What's the backup plan? Paper ballots. We even use them as a backup to voting machines. Paper ballots are still the most secure and failsafe way of voting. It's not super efficient and takes awhile to count, but I'd rather keep doing it this way than reinventing the wheel for something so important.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk here in ks the pacs just killed us! The mods got beat in the primary and we got some psycho right wing nut jobs. Here in hutch was the worst! It's to long of a story.
I know the story well! I consulted on a few KS races this year. Was a fun time. I talked to a few GOP types last night in the state and nobody anticipated what was going to happen (with the exception of Jared Suhn, because he's a freaking savant). My early thoughts are the D's got out hustled in JoCo. Kellie Warren is a freaking machine, as an example. I think D's nominated some candidates that were poor fits for the district. Constance was a bad candidate in SD-10. Jim "interns make the best DD's" Ward was truly bad against Petersen. Shoot, most Democrats are even lukewarm at best with Ward. They really need to do a better job recruiting candidates. R's had some rock stars in some of these races. Kristen O'Shea flipped Laura Kelly's old seat by 20 points (against a bad candidate in Tobias). Beverly Gossage got in a tough race late and pulled it out (full disclosure: I was a bundler for her waaaay back in the day). Brenda Dietrich will be very good. And have to give a shout to my best girl, Senator Elaine Bowers. She's an incredibly lovely human.
The House is going to be pretty cranky and hard to deal with but Laura and the new Senate President (likely Longbine) will be able to drag the House around a bit. Should be an interesting couple years over there.
@FarmerJayhawk I don't buy it. If they hired real IT professionals to drive the project, they wouldn't have critical security flaws. And as far as paper balloting being more secure and less corruptable, the fact that we would even entertain the ideas that there were massive dumps of votes for one candidate or the other, and ballots lost or destroyed, real or imaginary that all goes away with online voting.
Issue each citizen a unique online ID/gov email with an auto generated complex password. Password retrieval might be done in person. This email is used for all interactions with the government. In the case of voting, their response would be emailed back to them and they might vote well ahead of the deadline to be sure they have proper confirmation of how their vote was tallied. There would still be a local presence to handle things, especially in areas of extreme poverty or areas under duress.
My assumption is that Republicans do not want this. Maybe neither party does. This can easily lead down a path toward a more direct democracy with higher participation.
@approxinfinity Forgive me, but that is the worst idea about voting I have heard in years. No system with widespread access is unhackable (think of the vulnerability of users' credentials to get in, not the central code); millions of people do not have reliable internet access (kids are sitting outside motels to do virtual learning); many more millions have little ability to use or protect passwords (have you tried to coach an 83 year old non-internet user how to Zoom?); it would require universal voter registration (as well as national ID cards, not a viable idea in the US); and no one would trust the results.
Online voting in the US is a dream only.
A better idea would be to have national uniformity of voting and counting procedures.
"They can take away my paper ballot when they pry the pen from my cold, dead hands."
@mayjay hear me out.
We have social security numbers right? Just like a ss #, your password would be issued on a card that you'd be responsible to stash in a safe place. That is reasonable and not very different than a system we already have.
As far as people without internet, as I said, a fallback system would still be present.
This isn't a pipe dream. It's a goal that we should strive toward aggressively.
š¦ View Tweet?s=21
Someone who knows more than me tell me about this?
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@mayjay hear me out.
We have social security numbers right? Just like a ss #, your password would be issued on a card that you'd be responsible to stash in a safe place. That is reasonable and not very different than a system we already have.
As far as people without internet, as I said, a fallback system would still be present.
This isn't a pipe dream. It's a goal that we should strive toward aggressively.
At least we didnāt have major hacks that revealed everyoneās personal information over the last several years! DIA was breached after all. If someone (like, say, a country that rhymes with Prussia) can breach one of our most secure intelligence agencies, how could we secure a nationwide voting system? Does DIA not hire real IT pros? Same with the banks. Our national track record does not inspire confidence.
@benshawks08 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
š¦ View Tweet?s=21
Someone who knows more than me tell me about this?
There was some polling evidence (especially in Florida) that Trump was making significant gains with minority men. There was also some evidence Trump really lost ground with seniors. In looking at a few counties, it looks like the first materialized, the second did not. Weāll know more when final exits come out.
Early exit poll data supports this but yeah I'm extremely interested to see the full info.
@FarmerJayhawk I don't think the government hires the best and brightest IT people at all. They're paid less than in the private sector, with less interest work using old technologies. Also, the government has done a poor job with contracting IT companies who are similarly below the grade. While not the Government, see the most recent DNC contract re: the app developed by Shadow for the Iowa Caucus. Amateur hour.
This would obviously have to be done by people who know what they're doing. This is simply at its core the guaranteeing of one piece of data (ballot with a few fields) that may be written once only per unique user, and then have an adequate checksum system / redundancy to guarantee its integrity / availability. This does not seem very hard in theory tbh. We aren't talking about continued access to update the data. One time. Read only thereafter. They need to do one simple thing but do it very well.
Hire the best and brightest. Make it transparent and redundant.
Fear should not stop us from progress.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk I don't think the government hires the best and brightest IT people at all. They're paid less than in the private sector, with less interest work using old technologies. Also, the government has done a poor job with contracting IT companies who are similarly below the grade. While not the Government, see the most recent DNC contract re: the app developed by Shadow for the Iowa Caucus. Amateur hour.
This would obviously have to be done by people who know what they're doing. This is simply at its core the guaranteeing of one piece of data (ballot with a few fields) that may be written once only per unique user, and then have an adequate checksum system / redundancy to guarantee its integrity / availability. This does not seem very hard in theory tbh. We aren't talking about continued access to update the data. One time. Read only thereafter. They need to do one simple thing but do it very well.
Hire the best and brightest. Make it transparent and redundant.
Fear should not stop us from progress.
Key point there: in theory. We don't have any track record of being able to secure people's data. Not in the public or private sectors. Feels like I'm in constant free credit monitoring because of some breach by a random Russian kid. I'm also not sure it's progress? Sure, it's voting by screen and not paper. I'm just not convinced that's progress other than using a more sophisticated technology. Let's at least have one election using online voting that has actually worked before saying let's all do it.
I think a better way is universal mail-in voting, like a bunch of states out west have done for years. It doesn't depend on developing entire new systems, doesn't require everyone to have a stable internet connection, is secure (especially with the 2 envelope system), and it's accurate.
I live in Colorado and we have mail-in voting. I received my ballot about 3 weeks before the election, filled it out, and took it to a nearby drop-box. It was very simple and easy. You can also mail your ballot in.
I used ballottrax to track the status of my ballot. It told me when my ballot had been sent to me through mail (Oct 9th), when it had been received after I turned it into the drop-box (Oct 14th), and when it had been accepted (Oct 14th).
@FarmerJayhawk it most definitely is progress. It relies on much more stable, cheaper means of transportation of data. It means that upgrades in process / ballot contents could be deployed much more quickly and without enormous costs (see removal of dead people from the ballot). It cracks the door on direct democracy. What do you think about direct democracy? Do you believe people can and will make informed choices when entrusted with more opportunities to vote on policy? Do you think that is a good thing? I do, and I do again. There will take some learning and have hiccups but yes, I believe in the people.
As far as mail in being better because people don't have computers, what about people who don't have homes? Do you need an address to get mailed a ballot? There should always be a physical backup solution just as absentee has been our backup to date.
I only say "in theory" because there are those who know more than me about this, but I have confidence that it can be done. I fully agree we can roll this out on a smaller scale and build up, but ultimately I don't think that security is what will hold us back from getting there.
I would think that just as banks have fraud detection looking for anomolyous data, you would use machine learning to identify potential fraudulent voting as votes are cast. Even analog votes now should be used as training models for fraud detection in eventual online systems.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk it most definitely is progress. It relies on much more stable, cheaper means of transportation of data. It means that upgrades in process / ballot contents could be deployed much more quickly and without enormous costs (see removal of dead people from the ballot). It cracks the door on direct democracy. What do you think about direct democracy? Do you believe people can and will make informed choices when entrusted with more opportunities to vote on policy? Do you think that is a good thing? I do, and I do again. There will take some learning and have hiccups but yes, I believe in the people.
As far as mail in being better because people don't have computers, what about people who don't have homes? Do you need an address to get mailed a ballot? There should always be a physical backup solution just as absentee has been our backup to date.
I only say "in theory" because there are those who know more than me about this, but I have confidence that it can be done. I fully agree we can roll this out on a smaller scale and build up, but ultimately I don't think that security is what will hold us back from getting there.
I would think that just as banks have fraud detection looking for anomolyous data, you would use machine learning to identify potential fraudulent voting as votes are cast. Even analog votes now should be used as training models for fraud detection in eventual online systems.
Very much not a fan of direct democracy. I hate ballot referenda and wish we'd just get rid of them. The language is usually very confusing (like voting yes actually means no and the like), and voters generally aren't familiar with the issue on the ballot. Half of American adults can't even name all three branches of government, so I definitely don't trust the electorate to vote on complicated matters of policy. And I say that as an instructor in a school of public policy. Even students routinely get basic things wrong about how things work (e.g. a common exam answer is "the Supreme Court should say thing X is unconstitutional." Well, they can't just do that.
Can you imagine getting Americans up to speed on a really complex, convoluted piece of legislation like the ACA, when most people can't even tell you the difference between a copay and deductible or average vs. marginal tax rates? Or Dodd-Frank, which regulated markets most people don't even know exist, let alone understand? I'm perfectly happy entrusting to elected representatives with the responsibility to represent my interests. Even as a policy guy, I don't know every issue and don't have the time to dig into a lot of them. When it was my full time job, I could keep a closer eye on things but frankly Americans have better, healthier things to do than politics.
@FarmerJayhawk I think this is where the governing body needs to curate the content better, determining what items their constituents would would want a direct say on and use very clear and deliberate language. This requires the elected official to have a desire to represent a majority of his constituents and not just his party's view, obviously.
I honestly have no idea about the process of how referenda end up on the ballot now. I agree the language seems deliberately confusing and vague.
I would think that not obstructing the will of the people by partisan politics and being able to call on a popular vote ad hoc whenever it made sense in clear, concise, meaningful terms (by the online system I'm proposing) should be a serious feather in a politicians cap when seeking reelection and a wonderful way to break down partisanism.
What a sad speech from POTUS. He's going to incite violence.
Well. Now would be a good time for Yertle The Turtle to show his spine and how unevil he is and denounce Trumps attempts to incite a Civil War.
Not hide in his shell. Denounce it.
Listening to Rick Santorum pretend to have a heart by admitting facts that he conveniently ignored for the last 24 hours...
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Listening to Rick Santorum
Here's your problem.
Well is it not possible to find a Republican politician right now with the integrity to say loudly that Trump is divisive, a liar, and anti-democratic? I don't think it is, because to do so means leaving themselves vulnerable.
Pathetic. There can only be better days ahead, but not for the Republicans if they can't denounce deplorable actions like this in real time.
Rep. Kenzinger had a strong statement. Sen. Sasse as well.
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Rep. Kenzinger had a strong statement. Sen. Sasse as well.
Thanks for this. I will check it out. Glimmer of hope.
š¦ View Tweet?s=19
Some guys who voted not to impeach. Great
They also don't directly denounce the President. Say his name.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
They also don't directly denounce the President. Say his name.
Ask and ye shall receive. š¦ View Tweet?s=21
@FarmerJayhawk very nice. Liked and commented.
I do think youāll see Rās dump Trump like a bad habit as this thing is increasingly dire for him. Georgia looks gone, Nevada is gone, and then PA, AZ donāt matter. Though Biden will eventually win them both.
@FarmerJayhawk I'm skeptical. I think it's going to be very hard to divorce themselves from 69 million votes. I doubt there are many direct public denouncements.
If they do, they'll be likely to fall in line when he runs again in 2024 as it has been reported he would do, or when Don Jr or some equivalent guy pulls into town with a similar act.
@approxinfinity just saying, zero prominent Republicans are supporting Trumpās bizarre claims. Heās increasingly isolated and weāre only 48 hours out.
Georgia. What an amazing turnaround there for Democrats to get to 2 Senate runoffs. We'll see how it plays out; that Jan 5th runoff will have both parties' full attention.
Pennsylvania should be done by morning. Trump is toast.
The runoffs will be wild. I think Perdue definitely wins (Ossoff is just bad) but Loeffler has a wild one. Sheās less popular and up against a better candidate in Rev. Warnock
More important maybe than Biden potentially taking Georgia is Perdue dropping below 50% to force a runoff. January 5th for the senate. I'm not too optimistic about getting both seats but at least there's a chance.
So currently Perdue has 2,448,369 and Ossoff has 2,347,307 with Shane Hazel, the Libertarian, getting 113,613.
2016, the Senate race: Republican 2,135,806, Democrat: 1,599,726, Libertarian: 162,260
Do you think the numbers on the runoff will be as juiced without Trump on the ticket? Who does that favor? I can't imagine how intense the get-out-the-vote movement will be for a Senate race.
If there is a silver lining here, either way, the American public will get the point hammered home without distraction that the Senate is the true seat of power in United States politics.
Spanberger, my House Rep lost her shit on her fellow democrats on a call today, telling them to never use the word socialist again and to distance themselves from the defund the police movement:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/05/house-democrats-angry-over-election-losses-leaders-promises-answers/6179057002/ ā
If you'll recall, she was one of the House Democrats that called for impeachment, and I'm happy she won reelection.
I canāt see Dās being that motivated. They got their main objective. How much appetite among lower propensity voters (especially the youths) to turn out for a Senate primary in January?
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Spanberger, my House Rep lost her shit on her fellow democrats on a call today, telling them to never use the word socialist again and to distance themselves from the defund the police movement:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/05/house-democrats-angry-over-election-losses-leaders-promises-answers/6179057002/ āIf you'll recall, she was one of the House Democrats that called for impeachment, and I'm happy she won reelection.
Sheās so, so right. A lot of the voters Dās really want, and lost ground with in 2020 vs. 2016, are more conservative than the liberal whites who run the party.
I don't know man, BLM turned out the vote in Georgia. They've got momentum, they're organized, and still mad as hell, especially if Trump keeps running his mouth. Time may deflate Trump supporters more than the Democrats.
Let's go socialism. Defund the police. I'll be donating money to the democratic cause in Georgia.
@KirkIsMyHinrich said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Let's go socialism. Defund the police. I'll be donating money to the democratic cause in Georgia.
Please, please, please, Democrats run on this in every race.
I'm ready to put Pelosi out to pasture after this one.
As long as we get rid of Feinstein first.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
I don't know man, BLM turned out the vote in Georgia. They've got momentum, they're organized, and still mad as hell, especially if Trump keeps running his mouth. Time may deflate Trump supporters more than the Democrats.
For a Presidential, sure. How much do they have left in the tank? Are they going to come out for Jon freaking Ossoff? Maybe the whitest white dude ever to be white? The senior vote will be there for the GOP. The rural vote will be there. Will college kids vote? Itās tougher for me to find the 50% for Dās than Rās is all Iām saying.
@KirkIsMyHinrich said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
As long as we get rid of Feinstein first.
Yes please. I think its time for the House leadership to come from the battlegrounds and not from the California Ivory Tower. Be more machiavellian about it. Put your capital near the warfront.
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
I don't know man, BLM turned out the vote in Georgia. They've got momentum, they're organized, and still mad as hell, especially if Trump keeps running his mouth. Time may deflate Trump supporters more than the Democrats.
For a Presidential, sure. How much do they have left in the tank? Are they going to come out for Jon freaking Ossoff? Maybe the whitest white dude ever to be white? The senior vote will be there for the GOP. The rural vote will be there. Will college kids vote? Itās tougher for me to find the 50% for Dās than Rās is all Iām saying.
lolol
Nobody ever accused them of being good at this. DiFi will survive. Even though sheās like 85, sheās a battle axe. She went through some ish in San Fran and wonāt go lightly. Like last time when she buried the California Senate President. My hunch is Pelosi will too. She kept her entire caucus together after losing 60+ seats in 2010.
They can keep gettin' dem checks. Just pass the torch. I nominate the freshmen democrats that called for impeachment when this country needed it:
All of them won reelection. Only 1 is in California. Freshman female reps with military backgrounds and integrity. Winners.
Lindsey Graham endorsing Trump today, little shiny slimeball that he is.
Rick Santorum now saying that he's getting lots of "testimonial videos" from "friends" reporting widespread fraud. Is he referring to twitter trolls? This guy has lots of friends?
Former pols always have a lot of friends
@approxinfinity do they drop the libertarian?
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
I don't know man, BLM turned out the vote in Georgia. They've got momentum, they're organized, and still mad as hell, especially if Trump keeps running his mouth. Time may deflate Trump supporters more than the Democrats.
For a Presidential, sure. How much do they have left in the tank? Are they going to come out for Jon freaking Ossoff? Maybe the whitest white dude ever to be white? The senior vote will be there for the GOP. The rural vote will be there. Will college kids vote? Itās tougher for me to find the 50% for Dās than Rās is all Iām saying.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
I don't know man, BLM turned out the vote in Georgia. They've got momentum, they're organized, and still mad as hell, especially if Trump keeps running his mouth. Time may deflate Trump supporters more than the Democrats.
For a Presidential, sure. How much do they have left in the tank? Are they going to come out for Jon freaking Ossoff? Maybe the whitest white dude ever to be white? The senior vote will be there for the GOP. The rural vote will be there. Will college kids vote? Itās tougher for me to find the 50% for Dās than Rās is all Iām saying.
lolol
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity do they drop the libertarian?
Yes. Only the top 2 move on in each race.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity do they drop the libertarian?
Yup!
@FarmerJayhawk They need to play this on repeat down there of Perdue deliberately mispronouncing Kamala Harris' name at a Trump Rally:
It's pretty bad. Trump croney needs a beat down.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity do they drop the libertarian?
Yup!
@FarmerJayhawk They need to play this on repeat down there of Perdue deliberately mispronouncing Kamala Harris' name at a Trump Rally:
F for all our friends in GA who have to get blasted by mail and ads for the next two months.
@FarmerJayhawk how many states do this? Kinda expensive! I hate that chick!
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk how many states do this? Kinda expensive! I hate that chick!
I believe MS, Alabama, AR, Georgia, SC, Louisiana, and California. Could be more a couple Iām missing? Maine switched to an instant runoff this cycle (didnāt matter because Collins hit 50)
https://ballotpedia.org/Runoff_election ā :shrug: (i'm just spitting out what this site said)
The sun rises on Georgia Blue....
DDHQ called PA. Biden at 273. Curtains.
@FarmerJayhawk š
Boy, it's sure nice to see all these prominent Republicans breaking silence and condemning the Trump Administration.
Oh. Wait.
Cruzš¤®
It's early still, but if the trends continue then congratulations to Kamala Harris as the first woman and person of color to become vice president.
@KirkIsMyHinrich said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
It's early still, but if the trends continue then congratulations to Kamala Harris as the first woman and person of color to become vice president.
Not quite! Charles Curtis, a Kansan and Native American, was Hoover's VP.
Well the first woman vice president anyway. Good for her.
BIDEN WINS!
HATE LOOSES!
WOMEN WIN!
BLM!
@FarmerJayhawk so this may be a dumb question, since they are still counting votes, why have they already called a re-election for the senators in Georgia? Couldn't one of them gotten over 50%? More votes. Provisional votes still coming in. Please don't embarrass meš
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk so this may be a dumb question, since they are still counting votes, why have they already called a re-election for the senators in Georgia? Couldn't one of them gotten over 50%? More votes. Provisional votes still coming in. Please don't embarrass meš
There are no dumb questions you donāt know the answer to! So in the Warnock/Loeffler/Collins race, nobody is getting close to 50%. Not sure if Warnock hit 35. In the Perdue/Ossoff race, Perdue is close to 50% but Iām 99.99% sure heās not going to get there. If 10,000 more votes were to come in and Perdue got them all, he still wouldnāt hit 50%. So going off whatās still left to count (mostly very Democratic areas), itās mathematically impossible for Perdue to get to 50% of the total vote. So weāll have Warnock/Loeffler and Perdue/Ossoff runoffs on January 5th! Does that answer your question?
Warnock out to a BLAZING start. Great ad. š¦ View Tweet?s=21
And cards on the table, I have no love for Loeffler. I wouldnāt hate seeing each side get one of the runoffs.
An interesting thread on media: š¦ View Tweet?s=21
@RockChalkinTexas said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
BIDEN WINS!
HATE LOOSES!
WOMEN WIN!
BLM!
Isn't it nice that there are some states with a majority of really great voters?
ššššššššš
@mayjay said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@mayjay That was supposed to be fireworks!
I was gonna say... that looks a lot like some Rona
I ordered some celebratory alcohol and wine today. It will be nice to drink because of something positive and not related to fear/anxiety/depression.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is not just good-bye to Trump, but to other favorites like DeVos, Miller, Barr, and the rest of the gang.
The four seasons total landscaping stuff is just too much. Writers of āveepā are so mad they didnāt think of that!
@KirkIsMyHinrich said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
I ordered some celebratory alcohol and wine today. It will be nice to drink because of something positive and not related to fear/anxiety/depression.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is not just good-bye to Trump, but to other favorites like DeVos, Miller, Barr, and the rest of the gang.
First, I :hundred_points: agree on celebrating something for a change being nice.
That being said, I'm trying to be realistic that Trump is still going to be a disruptive force until he dies or the world changes and people like him will be disrupted forces until the world changes.
There is a massive amount of work to be done to get to a better place culturally not just better policy.
@approxinfinity Fully agreed. And today is almost more of a relief than a celebration. I've already given money to Georgia for the runoff on January 5th. Even if we just get one, it will make 2022 easier and maybe Biden will be able to get more done in the back half of his presidency.
@approxinfinity Wonder what the over/under is on the number of pardons Trump issues before he is ushered out?
But a bigger problem will be that the next 84 days will be filled with replacement of career feds by political appointees as Trump acolytes burrow deep into the civil service. They issued new regs allegedly giving themselves the power to reclassify thousands of jobs out of the protected "dismissal only for cause" ranks to "dismissal on a whim" ranks (currently challenged in court, I believe).
The disruptions to federal careers and public policy from this administration will last a generation.
@benshawks08 loved this. He put into words what I have felt for a long time.
I do think this presidency and its enablers have pushed the non-right media hard. It's exhausting dealing with these assholes in a factual manner. You have to be able to provide a narrative along with facts, because of the right media. Even if that narrative is centrist. At that point you've got two competing narratives and it takes diligent focus to make it clear the centrist is not the leftist narrative. I think during this election the msm has done a good job of telling the facts and that they are coming from a place based on facts.
@KirkIsMyHinrich Kansas pompass
@Crimsonorblue22 Hm?
@KirkIsMyHinrich Pompeo
@Crimsonorblue22 Good call.
@KirkIsMyHinrich I spelled it right the first time!š¤£š¤® him and his wife, living off of us! I hope they don't come back here. They wanted him to run for senator. He's got bigger ambitions, jail I hope. But kansans will welcome him, no matter what!
I'm not sure where he goes from here. People really dislike him. And I'm not sure if his fat ass would fit inside of a jail cell.
@approxinfinity Hadn't heard about that! Has anyone noted the irony of the dildo himself giving a press conference in front of the adult store?
Did anyone watch SNL?
@Crimsonorblue22 I did. Enjoyed Chappelle's monologue.
@Crimsonorblue22 Chappelle is George Carlin reincarnated even though Carlin died long after Chappelle began his ascension.
Loved the aunt Jemima, uncle bens rice, and ct Dracula, Dave losing it was hysterical. Pete's lips! Also like the loser part from the grinch
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Spanberger, my House Rep lost her shit on her fellow democrats on a call today, telling them to never use the word socialist again and to distance themselves from the defund the police movement:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/05/house-democrats-angry-over-election-losses-leaders-promises-answers/6179057002/ āIf you'll recall, she was one of the House Democrats that called for impeachment, and I'm happy she won reelection.
Sheās so, so right. A lot of the voters Dās really want, and lost ground with in 2020 vs. 2016, are more conservative than the liberal whites who run the party.
Couldn't agree more. The GOP messaging was banking on the fact that the fear of socialism > fear of autocratic leader.. and it appears they were right.
From an article I read this morning:
"The federal official whose job is to sign off on President-elect Joe Bidenās election victory and begin the mammoth task of transitioning between presidents has refused to do so, potentially delaying the official transfer of power, The Washington Post reported on Sunday evening.
Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee who heads the General Services Administration, has resisted signing the paperwork that would give Biden and his team access to millions of dollars in transitions funds, as well as official access to government officials and equipment to prepare the incoming administration."
So if this person, Emily Murphy, doesn't sign off, then I guess we just wait until January 20th for Trump to be evicted?
The transition funds are around I think 10 million dollars. Perhaps it's already been looted.
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Related observations. Iām always amazed how awful Democrats are at non-Presidential politics. They spent $200 million to lose by 35 points combined to Cocaine Mitch and Lindsey Graham. Well done folks!
Cocaine Mitch is the all time greatest. Keeping the Senate majority is massive. And I firmly believe if you shot Biden up with truth serum, heād rather have ML McConnell than Schumer. They can make deals and Biden can blame McConnell for anything. And heād be happy to take the barbs.
The GOP picked up state legislative seats nationwide, which has big redistricting implications.
There was an EPIC polling failure in JoCo and Kansas broadly this year. Someone in the party showed me a poll that had Dās picking up 10-15 House seats and 5 Senate seats. The GOP expanded their supermajority in the state legislature, including a big upset in knocking off Sen. Hensley, whoās been Minority Leader longer than Iāve been alive. Canāt blame anyone but themselves. The GOP just outhustled Dās.
I think Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader Schumer should step down from leadership, especially if Senate Rās keep 52-53 seats. They flat blew it.
There is some data out that as it became clear that Biden would likely win the presidency, fewer Republicans (particularly in red states like Kansas, Iowa, Montana, South Carolina and others) were willing to vote for Democrats as Senators. These are people that would have voted for Democrat Senators if they thought Trump would win, but flipped. I think that same trend carried downballot to state races as well.
Ben Carson has the virus. How many more can they afford to come down with the rona before there is no one left to hang on to the fact that this was all a"HOAX" and would MAGICALLY DISAPPEAR ON NOV. 4TH?
First, Dr Bright, the whistle blower from hutch is on Pres elec. Biden's covid team! Well deserved! He was fighting so hard for us. I don't know if anyone saw the 60 mins show he was on.š Should've listened to him, but like everybody that didn't step in line...... 2nd we are putting up a tent at our hospital. Dumb a$$es still not wearing š· the vaccine is also not part of the trumps warped speed program!
This opinion is awesome for a couple reasons. One is how much he shreds the entire case brought by the Trump team. And two, Judge Brann is a FedSoc member and Trump appointee š š¦ View Tweet?s=21
@FarmerJayhawk Obama appointee
Which obviously has people up in arms despite him being a conservative...
š¦ View Tweet?s=21
This seems to be more than nut-picking and indicative of a party wide problem. Iām still confident things will go as they should in January but to say this isnāt doing damage to what could be done after Jan 21 I think would be naive. Talk about undermining the legitimacy of a president...
@benshawks08 saw this. The Republican Party is pathetic right now.
lols
At least after the Electoral College votes and Congress certifies it, it'll be near unanimous. Only the really whacky (think like Chakah Fattah and Alcee Hastings in 2000) will contest the certification in Congress.
@FarmerJayhawk itll be interesting to see if Antony Blinken can convince the rest of the world that America is actually rejoining the rest of the world or if we will do an about face in 4 years when the next Trumpist wins the presidency.
Pretty sure Gaetz has already said he's going to contest. But that was maybe 3 weeks ago.
Come on folks....
š¦ View Tweet?s=21
@benshawks08 š¤®
The Republican Party. Rotten.
Complicit enablement of fascist agendas is a mark of Cain. Time to blow it up.
š¦ View Tweet?s=21
January canāt get here quick enough.
Meanwhile, we get news about the Trump administration failing to lock in 200 million more doses from pfizer (ie the 95% effective vaccine) when they initially offered them with no cost if the trials proved to not be effective. They offered them again in October and November, and were turned down by the administration. And now the EU has locked in 300 million doses and we will have to wait until after that to get more, probably July. So if we get to July and Europe is all clear and we are still piling up bodies in the US, remember this.
And @Marco again, this is why Europe doesn't have the infections and deaths that the US has. Because they have more competent leaders who put the well being of their citizens first.
Wherever you are, it's pretty depressing. Wtf is going on in Belgium?? https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data-explorer?country=USA~GBR~CAN~BRA~ESP~DEU~FRA~AUT~BEL~HRV~DNK~FIN~HUN~ITA~NOR~POL~PRT~SWE~CHE®ion=World&deathsMetric=true&interval=total&perCapita=true&smoothing=0&pickerMetric=location&pickerSort=asc ā
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Wherever you are, it's pretty depressing. Wtf is going on in Belgium?? https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data-explorer?country=USA~GBR~CAN~BRA~ESP~DEU~FRA~AUT~BEL~HRV~DNK~FIN~HUN~ITA~NOR~POL~PRT~SWE~CHE®ion=World&deathsMetric=true&interval=total&perCapita=true&smoothing=0&pickerMetric=location&pickerSort=asc ā
It appears to be a country divided, much like ours:
According to several Belgian officials, it was the government of the northern region of Flanders that insisted on keeping a balance between economic interests and the public health situation, and thus blocking the shutdown of leisure activities such as sports and cultural events.
The federal restrictions didnāt go far enough for French-speaking politicians, as cases and hospital admissions were quickly rising in the south. Only hours after De Crooās press conference last Friday, Wallonia and the French community adopted stricter rules, including an extended curfew and universities again going completely virtual. On Saturday, the Brussels government announced another set of measures for the capital region, adding to the confusion.
The Texas case is officially dead. SCOTUS kicked it 9-0, and the only remotely interesting part was Thomas and Alito saying the case had no merit but still had to hear it based on original jurisdiction (the idea that under Article III the Court has to hear all disputes between states).
@approxinfinity I never said that we weren't divided, but some feel that Trump did put our citizens first - not only domestically, but internationally as well. Oh well, he lost, guess that we need to lube up and get ready to start bending over for China and the rest of the world once again.
@Marco said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@approxinfinity I never said that we weren't divided, but some feel that Trump did put our citizens first - not only domestically, but internationally as well. Oh well, he lost, guess that we need to lube up and get ready to start bending over for China and the rest of the world once again.
woh man, whatever you do in your free time is your business ;)
@approxinfinity š oh, believe me, my free time is spent being much more constructive than that. Others can spend their own deconstructing themselves and or this nation, if that is what they think floats, for a time, a sinking boat.
Today is potentially (knocking on wood) a very good day. Still a lot of bad happening, but hopefully some good news.
I stayed up very late last pm!
And then this afternoon happened...
If anyone still confused about privilege, 13 people have been arrested so far. Just 13. The benefit of the doubt folks get for being white is extreme in this country.
Edit: the benefit of the doubt is as strong for white people as the presumption of guilt is for non whites.
Impeach and remove him. Tonight.
And then convict him.
He should honestly stand trial for treason.
Yeah, its not going to happen. All Trump's enablers still suckle at the racist, ignorant teat of Trump's constituents.
Shame on the Republicans.
The folks at Twitter have more courage and honor than congressional Republicans.
Some of the cops just let them thru the gates, took pics w/them. I have a lot a words, to many to write. Iām still a reg. Repub. always vote country over party. Have friends that have run on both sides, so pretty moderate. I couldnāt vote for trump, could see right thru him, never felt safe, and he was a sexist!š¤® I at least felt safe w/Hilary. Not a huge fan, but later proved she was right on about everything. So happy about the Georgia runoff! Decent guys instead of rich insider trade criminals. And then Cruz, Hawley Marshall, the rest of the enablers of trumpš¤¬ 4 yrs of this crap. My hope is he finally has to pay for all the crime heās gotten away with! I like joe, heās decent and has picked great people. Has trouble speaking, but decent goes far with me! What happened today needs to be dealt with NOW!
I found this interesting.
Alberta is always a must read. I think he's the best sourced reporter in GOP circles in DC. His book American Carnage is fantastic.
I'm curious at what point the sane Republicans realized that Trump was inciting violence and had no plans to just go away. And when they did realize it, did they think that those enabling the President were morally in the wrong? Or did they think "well that's just politics"?
Let me throw out two statements and tell me which one resonates more with you:
every circumstance in life is an opportunity to maximize one's outcome
every circumstance in life is an experience that one might learn from
@approxinfinity some did leave. I've heard some are staying on just to keep the transition smoothš¤·āāļø The seditious 6 or 7? are really hearing about it. Josh Hawley is losing a book deal and backing.
I have not seen this anywhere else, but I fully expect Trump to pardon the Capitol rioters on his way out the door.
@Crimsonorblue22 Every anti-Trump newspaper in the country should have run a banner headline yesterday morning reading: Told You So
@Crimsonorblue22 As to impeachment, waste of time. Ignore him and don't give the Repubs something to rally around.
@Crimsonorblue22 I forgot to mention that I am surprised the Repubs aren't pushing to seize Hillary's emails for evidence of the diabolical Antifa plan to coax white supremacists in rioting.
Ding dong the witch is dead. Twitter banned Trump forever. Not sure the wisdom of it but hey, they can do what they please.
May the rest of the country heal as the Republican Party discards one ugly face and schemes on a new look for 2022
Will we heal? That's kinda what I wanted @mayjay . These guys are everywhere and they believe everything trump tells them. It shocks me. I watched the Georgia election guy go over ever allegation/Conspiracy theory there is and he's a republican, voted for trump. They claim to be Christian, but that's not what I learn in church. How can a patriot desecrate our Capitol? Then there's the confederate flagš¢ somebody counted and said there were more trump flags than American flags. I'll stop.
A lot of the American right is in a bad place right now, that much is obvious. Its embrace of grievance politics is gross. I miss the days when Mitt and Jeb! were the standard bearers.
@FarmerJayhawk how can that many people be so stupid? Reminds me of Jim baker.
@Crimsonorblue22 I wish I could tell you. Thereās some deep introspection going on in a lot of places on the right. For a lot of us, weāre vindicated and it feels miserable.
Without grievance politics the Republicans lose to Hillary. And the courts would consequentially be more liberal. Maybe that was the natural progression of this country in 2016; but instead of evolving with the times, the right decided to hand the reins to an idiot despot ruler who would gladly burn everything down, after Mcconnell's obstructionism forced the Republican party to avoid any compromise with the Democrats since 2014.
And despite every horrible thing Trump's done, for 4 years the Republicans in Washington have stood lock step with Trump.
How can people celebrate Mitch McConnell when it's his BS politics that has exacerbated the toxic partisan extremism we have in Washington today?
Our forefathers feared tyranny of the majority, something that conservatives seem fond to note, and yet, they don't bat an eye when their Senate Majority Leader is all in on promoting a tyranny of the minority, stonewalling any attempts at real politics in Washington.
Is joe Biden safe? What will these people do? Will they fall apart?
@Crimsonorblue22 Sadly, anyone looking for a happy rainbow shining over the country after Hurricane Trump blows out of town is not paying enough attention.
I would like to say we will heal, but I actually fear we are in for a long period of political violence as the lunatic gun fringe keeps itself riled up and finds cover in the Cruz/Rubio/Hawley/Hannity pack.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html ā
These people--call them whatever you want, but they are comfortable with Nazis and Confederate flags in their midst--are fanatics and our system is just not set up for dissuading cult believers. I suspect we will have to experience a lot of clampdowns on the freedoms we are used to if there is to be any retreat from the social media being used to incite flash mob violence.
I have warned here before against efforts to control free speech, but maybe that, too, will be radically changed with laws similar to Europe's.
The bad thing is that it will take a genuine concensus across a broad spectrum of political views to root out the militias and prevent more 2nd Amendment riots.
The good thing is I expect it to eventually happen, but the question on the other side of that is whether I will live long enough to see it because it may take generations. Or maybe climate change will moot it all.
@Crimsonorblue22 At this point, I'm all for sending him to jail, come what may. I don't think it will cool off all of the Trumpsters, but I think the 2000 that stormed the capital are the craziest of the crazies. Most irrational Trump supporters aren't crazy (yet?) but they need rails, like seeing there are consequences when you incite an attack on the Capitol.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Without grievance politics the Republicans lose to Hillary. And the courts would consequentially be more liberal. Maybe that was the natural progression of this country in 2016; but instead of evolving with the times, the right decided to hand the reins to an idiot despot ruler who would gladly burn everything down, after Mcconnell's obstructionism forced the Republican party to avoid any compromise with the Democrats since 2014.
And despite every horrible thing Trump's done, for 4 years the Republicans in Washington have stood lock step with Trump.
How can people celebrate Mitch McConnell when it's his BS politics that has exacerbated the toxic partisan extremism we have in Washington today?
Our forefathers feared tyranny of the majority, something that conservatives seem fond to note, and yet, they don't bat and eye when their Senate Majority Leader is all in on promoting a tyranny of the minority, stonewalling any attempts at real politics in Washington.
Iām not sure they do! Iāll probably go to my grave swearing up and down Jeb! beats Hillary. Weāll never know and nobody has evidence either way, but thatās my instinct. I will admit the GOP never dealt with the rising populist tide on the right in an adequate way. Iāll take some blame for that. I saw some troubling signs in the 12 and 14 cycles and kind of brushed them aside since they voted our way and assumed we could keep them at arms length forever. Then Trump came down the escalator and everything changed (to us on the normie rightās horror). The wave we caught to elect people like Lynn Jenkins, Pat Roberts, Kevin Yoder, Joni Ernst, Ben Sasse, et al. pre-16 ended up pulling us under. Now itās up to us to bring the right back to shore, because this country is more healthy with a vibrant center-right. I still firmly believe in the fusionist project, though Iām on the libertarian side of things. And weāre working on it. Whether itās through the GOP or not is TBD. I donāt expect any cheers from the left. In fact, I fully expect Lincoln Project and PodBro types to keep saying the fusionist right was always trash and they never believed any of it was different than Trumpism, however defined. Which is fine. Thatās their deal.
McConnell took calculated risks. Harry Reid escalated in nuking the filibuster for sub-SCOTUS nominees and passing major legislation through budget reconciliation, moves Iām sure he regrets now. Legislative leaders need to be very careful in the genies they let out of the bottle. Itās a complicated business managing a small majority, as Schumer and Pelosi are about to find out.
I would be intrigued to see a third Senate caucus form. Since itās 50/50, 10 Senators could control the chamber. Say, Romney, Manchin, Sinema, Collins, Coons, Murkowski, Sasse, Kelly, Portman, Tester if they voted as as bloc on legislation. Could split any way on nominations.
Where's Q going to go?
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Where's Q going to go?
Hell.
This segment is a must watch. I put my life in the hands of the cap police every day back when I was a staffer. Without that sense of security we couldnāt do our jobs. Iām both sad and absolutely livid this President incited a riot at the seat of our government. https://t.co/hcmDUsJpPf ā
@FarmerJayhawk he's responsible for so many deaths. I hope he pays. He's truly a monster.
@Crimsonorblue22 In a normal world, it would make a difference if he was jailed. But to the unhinged it will just prove how persecuted he is, and become another rallying point. Same with impeachment.
I think Biden should have DOJ list all the possible crimes and then pardon DJT in a speech specifically delineating his criminal activity. Similar to Ford for Nixon, but with specifics. Goal is to neuter his future influence.
Dems need to get a grip and prove they can govern effectively with positive outcomes for all on the political spectrum. Obsessing over Trump after he is out ain't gonna create jobs, mitigate the pandemic, or repair roads.
McConnell may drive the impeachment, taking up the articles in the Senate 1 hour after inauguration.
@approxinfinity Lots of commentary that impeachment can proceed after he leaves office because if convicted, Senate is not limited to removal. They could bar him from future federal office and benefits. Would it not be cool if he is stripped of pension and library, etc?
Never happen, tho....
@Crimsonorblue22 Reminds me of Jim JONES.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/11/politics/fbi-bulletin-armed-protests-state-us-capitol/index.html ā
Definitely over the, "They were both bad candidates" crowd. But her emails.... (emphasis on HER). Dangerous rhetoric is called dangerous for a reason.
It would be great if his term is really over at 7:49 tonight..... Until we find out why.
Maybe the Republicans will use the old "he was a chaos monkey." defense.
If heās saying this, he has the votes. Itās ovaaaaaaaaa š¦ View Tweet?s=21
@FarmerJayhawk Mitch didn't even vote to convict.
What we've learned: Trump didn't disappear after losing the election. QAnon is dangerous. And Mitch McConnell is testicle-free.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk Mitch didn't even vote to convict.
What we've learned: Trump didn't disappear after losing the election. QAnon is dangerous. And Mitch McConnell is testicle-free.
His argument is forum non conveniens. I disagree but at least he was consistent about it. Also Schumer is a chode. Totally blew it. Thereās a truthism in DC that the most dangerous place in town is between Chuck and a camera. He keeps proving it.
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
forum non conveniens
I don't understand. He thinks the legal system will examine whether Trump incited an insurrection? If that's his reason, then it looks like more than a disagreeable conclusion to me. It's a complete reversal of his position a month ago. A complete lie: because he couldn't get the votes, he made up a reason for not voting for impeachment so he didn't have to be on the record doing the right thing.
The turtle recedes into his shell.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
forum non conveniens
I don't understand. He thinks the legal system will examine whether Trump incited an insurrection? If that's his reason, then it looks like more than a disagreeable conclusion to me. It's a complete reversal of his position a month ago. A complete lie: because he couldn't get the votes, he made up a reason for not voting for impeachment so he didn't have to be on the record doing the right thing.
The turtle recedes into his shell.
Bingo. If you read his statement itās clear he wants this handled in a criminal court and then by voters. I disagree with him, but thatās his opinion. š¦ View Tweet?s=21
Iām more furious at Schumer and the House managers for not calling any witnesses and drafting a shoddy article. He couldāve gotten some Rās on the fence had he called McCarthy or Pence. Shoot, he had a SITTING REPUBLICAN CONGRESSWOMAN ready to testify and he just was like nah Iām good. You had House Rās on the record saying yeah I could vote for a more general article but not a criminal indictment. Itās amazing how consistently awful at this they are.
There's a difference between saying the right thing and doing the right thing. His vote speaks way louder than his words. This isn't an opinion, imo. It's a vote. His opinion is that he was guilty. So vote guilty. It's really quite simple.
I can see your point about the handling of the impeachent. However, blaming the guy who is inept vs the guy that is morally bankrupt seems like a cop out.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
There's a difference between saying the right thing and doing the right thing. His vote speaks way louder than his words. This isn't an opinion, imo. It's a vote. His opinion is that he was guilty. So vote guilty. It's really quite simple.
Itās a constitutional argument. He doesnāt think itās constitutional to convict someone whoās left office. I donāt agree, but thereās an argument for it. Itās not a cop out to assign blame wherever I see it. Plenty to go around. McConnell was wrong and Schumer canāt run the Senate out of a paper bag. They totally blew it.
@FarmerJayhawk my point though is that McConnell wanted to impeach a month ago before his party rallied around a position that didn't repudiate Trump for fear of alienating his base. You know he wanted impeachment, because you posted about it. His constitutional argument now is merely a convenience, because he's decided to save his own sorry ass the next election cycle.
You may call this politics. I call it self serving cowardice.
I think you're avoiding my point, and we can move on.
I'm doubtful that under any circumstances under his control, Schumer could have convinced 10 more Republicans to vote for impeachment.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk my point though is that McConnell wanted to impeach a month ago before his party rallied around a position that didn't repudiate Trump for fear of alienating his base. You know he wanted impeachment, because you posted about it. His constitutional argument now is merely a convenience, because he's decided to save his own sorry ass the next election cycle.
You may call this politics. I call it self serving cowardice.
I think you're avoiding my point, and we can move on.
I'm doubtful that under any circumstances under his control, Schumer could have convinced 10 more Republicans to vote for impeachment.
Iām 100% convinced had the House acted responsibly, Trump wouldāve been convicted. Dithering for a week then wasting more time in sending over the article (the Senate can accept them even in pro forma) stalled out any momentum. And thereās a legit constitutional argument about whether you can convict a former President. You can call it a cop out, fine. But not like itās a radical position. McConnell could cure cancer and youād still hate him, I get it. Iām not avoiding your point, I just disagree with it. Schumer probably couldnāt, but I guarantee there wouldāve been 10 more had the House not screwed around for 3 weeks. Which is why it was so important to do it quickly. You have to strike while the iron is hot in politics. Moods change. It wasnāt a complicated article to draft. Dās are just so incompetent they couldnāt even do the most simple thing right. They act quickly and there is no escape hatch. It honestly wouldnāt surprise me at all if they didnāt really care about conviction because theyād love for Trump to be the GOP nominee in 24. Their actions donāt exactly scream otherwise.
@FarmerJayhawk Well I appreciate your insights, but think you're still dodging whether McConnell actually believed the constutionality argument or just ended up there now because he didn't have the votes (he's not curing cancer, he IS cancer) , and I agree waiting 3 weeks was weak on the Democrats part. Interesting thought that they want him as the nominee. Possible but really irresponsible if so.
@approxinfinity heās been consistent there. He voted aye on Paulās motion weeks ago that it was unconstitutional. He voted that way again right before the trial. He said as much again today. I think heās wrong, but I think heās sincere about it. Put another way, if this vote was a month ago I have little doubt heād vote to convict, as would at least 9 more Republicans. His office was leaking like a sieve in January he may even be inclined to convict. They were putting out the signal that A) House get it together and letās do this thing B) I wonāt whip a no vote so everyone vote their conscience.
McConnell was LIVID at the White House for costing him the majority in Georgia. Like white hot, Biblical fire and brimstone, bask in the lamentations of women, fanatical rage at Trump for Georgia. He wanted his pound of flesh from the Biden administration on appointees. Like sorry Joe, no Neera Tanden (an objectively awful human) at OMB. No Xavier Bacera at HHS. Get to dictate to Biden what big legislation looks like, especially given the House is a trash fire. It was going to be good to be Majority Leader! But nooooo the Trump/Wood/Powell/Rudy gang of clowns had to spend all that time in Georgia telling folks the election was stolen and the runoff was a lost cause because Hugo Chavez was going to install Ossoff and Warnock from the great beyond. Just incomprehensible stupidity. Then listening to both his speeches on 1/7 and then today, itās obvious McConnell still has the fury as hot as 1000 Suns for Trump and if he dropped dead tomorrow Mitch would probably have himself a nice Kentucky bourbon.
@FarmerJayhawk thanks for this.
@approxinfinity said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk thanks for this.
No problem. Always enjoy the conversation and banter!
@FarmerJayhawk https://www.hutchnews.com/story/opinion/columns/2021/02/15/moore-missed-opportunity/6754281002/ ā
I remembered what you told me awhile back, it's bothered me for awhile. Gov. Kelly is taking the heat for the DOL not getting checks out. Everything has been a nightmare with that system! She gets all the blame. They've tried to duct tape it upš¤£ numerous times.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@FarmerJayhawk https://www.hutchnews.com/story/opinion/columns/2021/02/15/moore-missed-opportunity/6754281002/ ā
I remembered what you told me awhile back, it's bothered me for awhile. Gov. Kelly is taking the heat for the DOL not getting checks out. Everything has been a nightmare with that system! She gets all the blame. They've tried to duct tape it upš¤£ numerous times.
Oh jeez, that freaking computer story again! State IT infrastructure is maybe the least sexy issue in the history of the state buuuuut it's also one of those basic things we need to get right as a functioning Government. And very unsurprisingly, the legislature hasn't been interested. Another fun fact. The state's contract database is still in DOS. Any business that operated like this would be out of business and maybe criminally liable. It's just bonkers!
@FarmerJayhawk said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
Any business that operated like this would be out of business and maybe criminally liable.
The FAA, of course, is the federal poster child for this crap. This article discusses the problems they had updating their 40 year old system.
@Crimsonorblue22 said in All Politicked Out? Election 2020:
@mayjay crazy!
Sure makes memories of flying fun...