2020 US Presidential Election

[TheGrandWazoo]

I can't see how recounts will overturn anything and without proof of vote switching he out the door by 20th Jan. Yes I did mean West Virginia, in 2018 A democrat win the senate seat, Joe Manchin ( being re-elected) he is very right wing in the party and he isn't going to make things easy he always started mouthing off about stuff. So biden not going to have very easy time for his first term.

I agree with your point about they didn't make it easy on them self if such a thing happened.

Fair enough - I didn't know where you going with the WV reference on the latest election.

 

[birchesgreen]

I rather think that everyone think's that he's gone quiet as the MSM have thankfully become tired of his daily ranting tirade's, and subsequently stopped reporting on it

The legal challenge seems to be going well tonight, with Giullani / Trump's Legal Campaign Team now distancing themselves from Sidney Powell, despite both announcing her as part of his legal team and having her at many of their recent press conferences.

That is quite impressive, being so far out there even Trump and Giuliani want you gone!

 

[nlogax]

Trump has indeed been relatively quiet compared to his pre-election presence. I'd say it's been very noticeable - if you ignore his Twitter feed which should be a given if you like to retain your sanity. This is a weird limbo period while waiting for the legal stuff to wrap up in failure. He plays a lot of golf, reads the occasional daft speech and then goes to play more golf.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...a714be-2cdb-11eb-9c71-ccf2c0b8d571_story.html

The president who likes to put on a show is mostly offstage these days.
Since President Trump was declared the election’s loser earlier this month, gone are blustery speeches and stemwinder White House news conferences about the coronavirus, which never disappeared like he promised — or any other topic for that matter. Gone are lengthy call-in sessions with favored Fox anchors that often stretched so long the hosts had to push to conclude the calls.

Gone, too, are regular White House jousting matches with the press, impromptu Oval Office appearances with random guests or any pretense of being interested in many of the duties of the job.
In the 19 days since the election, 12 have included no events on the president’s schedule. He has appeared at public events four times and has played golf at his own Virginia course six times. He has taken no questions from reporters.
Since Election Day, he has spoken 8,143 words over 18 days through Saturday, according to Factba.se, a website which tracks all of his utterances and movements. On average in 2020, he spoke 8,398 words daily, according to Bill Frischling, the website’s owner, but only 454 words per day since Nov. 3. On the last day of the campaign alone, he uttered more than 55,000 words.
He averaged about 48 minutes on camera every day in 2020, Frischling said. He has spent about 50 minutes on camera total since Nov. 3.

 

[overthewater]

Fair enough - I didn't know where you going with the WV reference on the latest election.

It was in relation to controlling the Senate, If the Dem win both seats ( dem have never won run off seat in Georgia) it would only get them to 50 - 50, of course Harries would break the tie, but that Senator Joe Manchin has already mouth off and complained about half the stuff being suggested from more left wing members in his party like AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He will vote down half the bills coming along.

 

[edwin_m]

It was in relation to controlling the Senate, If the Dem win both seats ( dem have never won run off seat in Georgia) it would only get them to 50 - 50, of course Harries would break the tie, but that Senator Joe Manchin has already mouth off and complained about half the stuff being suggested from more left wing members in his party like AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He will vote down half the bills coming along.

There are probably several others who would do similar too, so it will take all of Biden's claimed consensus-building skills to get much done at all. Fortunately many of Trump's "achievements" were by executive order, which Biden can reverse just as easily. The left wing seems to be its own worst enemy, promoting a good idea with a rotten slogan like "defund the police".

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

There are probably several others who would do similar too, so it will take all of Biden's claimed consensus-building skills to get much done at all. Fortunately many of Trump's "achievements" were by executive order, which Biden can reverse just as easily. The left wing seems to be its own worst enemy, promoting a good idea with a rotten slogan like "defund the police".

As is usually the case with the left (aka People's Front of Judea) that get caught up in the ideological purity of their beliefs. Biden will have to do a lot to get "The Squad" and others on board as well as perhaps the less rabid GOP members.

It was in relation to controlling the Senate, If the Dem win both seats ( dem have never won run off seat in Georgia) it would only get them to 50 - 50, of course Harries would break the tie, but that Senator Joe Manchin has already mouth off and complained about half the stuff being suggested from more left wing members in his party like AOC Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. He will vote down half the bills coming along.

As I said, if the Dems were going to expertly rig an election as Trump suggests, they could have done a better job without needing to resort to run offs, or even just get a majority.

 

[Senex]

As I said, if the Dems were going to expertly rig an election as Trump suggests, they could have done a better job without needing to resort to run offs, or even just get a majority.

But Trump seems to see everything purely as focused on himself and all the voting simply as it affected him. You're so right — if the Democrats really were such experts at rigging, were they also so stupid that they didn't see there was a need to make absolutely certain they got the Senate too? One thing that does come out of all this, and of the events of thr last year on this side of the Atlantic, is that the USA and the UK really shouldn't go around the world any more telling all the lesser nations that they are the cradle and exemplars of democracy. Trump in particular acts as if he would be very happy in the company of people such as Lukaschenko.

 

[fgwrich]

Trump 2020: The gift that seemingly keeps on giving.

It now appears that Trump is worried that his legal team (including Giuliani) is making him look like a fool, and making him look bad. You couldn’t make it up!

Trump fears Giuliani, other lawyers in Biden vote challenge are 'fools that are making him look bad'

Ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, once a top federal prosecutor, is heading the Trump campaign's efforts to overturn Joe Biden's victory. It's not going well.

www.cnbc.com

 

[DelW]

I do wonder whether Americans in general, and pro-Trump Republicans in particular, realise that far from making America look "great again", Trump's behaviour is making America look ridiculous, incompetent and corrupt in the eyes of much of the rest of the world.
As Senex alludes to above, the USA will have lost all credibility for years to come if and when it criticises genuinely rigged and fraudulent elections elsewhere in the world.

 

[overthewater]

Don't worry alot of people already believed America look ridiculous, incompetent and corrupt will before trump. Remember Enron?

 

[DynamicSpirit]

So Trump has finally accepted a transition to Biden. Have to admit I'm quite pleasantly surprised. Wonder what changed his mind...

Donald Trump has accepted that a formal transition can begin for US President-elect Joe Biden to take office.
The president said he was recommending a key federal agency "do what needs to be done", even as he vowed to continue contesting the result.
The General Services Administration (GSA) said it was acknowledging Mr Biden as the "apparent winner".

 

[Strathclyder]

So Trump has finally accepted a transition to Biden. Have to admit I'm quite pleasantly surprised. Wonder what changed his mind...

Wearing himself out from the tantrum (no other word for it) he's been throwing for the past fortnight like the petulant, spoiled & bratty man-child he is and after the baseless lawsuits have been roundly thrown out/withdrawn. Very rarely (if ever) will you find me agreeing with Chris Christie, but he was on point when he said this whole legal fight has been a national embarassment. Nothing more or less.

 

[birchesgreen]

Who needs soap operas when you got US politics these days?

 

[hst43102]

Wonder what changed his mind...

Maybe it was his lawyers giving up on a hopeless cause? I'm pleased that he finally accepts the results and things can get moving onto the transition.

 

[Bald Rick]

he finally accepts the results

I’m not sure he does. But he does accept he is going to be transitioning power.

 

[najaB]

I'm pleased that he finally accepts the results and things can get moving onto the transition.

He has said that does not accept the results, but has been convinced that holding up the transition process has more of a political downside than upside.

 

[hst43102]

I’m not sure he does. But he does accept he is going to be transitioning power.

He has said that does not accept the results, but has been convinced that holding up the transition process has more of a political downside than upside.

You're right, I didn't read all the articles enough! I wonder if his legal battle will go any further - after all, it appears to based on claims without much evidence and motivated by his personal feelings rather than the interests of the public. Which is kind of ironic, considering that the Republicans constantly accuse the Democrats of doing exactly the same!

 

[ainsworth74]

You're right, I didn't read all the articles enough! I wonder if his legal battle will go any further - after all, it appears to based on claims without much evidence and motivated by his personal feelings rather than the interests of the public. Which is kind of ironic, considering that the Republicans constantly accuse the Democrats of doing exactly the same!

There always seems to be a fair bit of projection when it comes to Republicans and what they say the Democrats are doing. If the Republicans say that the Dems are doing xyz thing that's illegal, immoral, etc it's a fair bet that what's actually happening is that that the Republicans are the one doing the thing they're saying is illegal, immoral, etc. There may, of course, be a grain of truth to the accusation (the Dems are by no means perfect little angels). But there's nearly always some projection going on.

 

[nlogax]

You're right, I didn't read all the articles enough! I wonder if his legal battle will go any further - after all, it appears to based on claims without much evidence and motivated by his personal feelings rather than the interests of the public. Which is kind of ironic, considering that the Republicans constantly accuse the Democrats of doing exactly the same!

My guess is those cases are fast fizzling out and by December 14th I expect this to be all but over. Current post-election success rate for court cases brought by the Trump team is laughable. One case won out of at least thirty. Sidney Powell going it alone with her crazy 'Kraken on steroids' claims for evidence of fraud hasn't helped, both her and Rudy Giuliani appear to be living on a different planet.

Don't know about you but I've enjoyed every twist and turn of this since November 3rd, in spite of the huge damage done to the US democratic process. It's fair to say I'm still not done watching Trump lose over and over again on nearly a daily basis.

Edit: Pennsylvania now certified as a Biden win. Regardless of Trump not publicly conceding he knows full well his time as president will soon just be a footnote in history.

 

[overthewater]

To be fair I doubt this has caused any damaged to the US democratic process, trump did all the legal process which he was allowed to do, the courts look at it all etc he got some recounts, and it all come back above broad.

However the Democrats kept on saying for 4 years the last election wasn't fair and it was hacked... then this election said its impossible to for it to be rigged.

Mind you Trump isn't the only person that thinks those voting machines are bad.. ( at 18min in Oliver agrees with trump ) that where half of this has come from..

 

[swt_passenger]

However the Democrats kept on saying for 4 years the last election which fair, then this election said its impossible to for it to be rigged.

Is there possibly a word or two missing there ^^^

 

[overthewater]

It was JUST rededited.

 

[Senex]

My guess is those cases are fast fizzling out and by December 14th I expect this to be all but over. Current post-election success rate for court cases brought by the Trump team is laughable. One case won out of at least thirty. Sidney Powell going it alone with her crazy 'Kraken on steroids' claims for evidence of fraud hasn't helped, both her and Rudy Giuliani appear to be living on a different planet.

Don't know about you but I've enjoyed every twist and turn of this since November 3rd, in spite of the huge damage done to the US democratic process. It's fair to say I'm still not done watching Trump lose over and over again on nearly a daily basis.

Edit: Pennsylvania now certified as a Biden win. Regardless of Trump not publicly conceding he knows full well his time as president will soon just be a footnote in history.

Does he actually "know", or is it all about a continuing inability simply to accept that enough people just didn't love him any more? There's a strong impression that everything he does is ruled by whim and personal vanity rather than by any cool analysis.

 

[edwin_m]

However the Democrats kept on saying for 4 years the last election wasn't fair and it was hacked... then this election said its impossible to for it to be rigged.

I don't think many were saying the election itself was hacked, but there was a lot of propaganda put out onto social media by third parties and the Russians probably hacked some of the Democrats' emails to release damaging information out of context.

The reason the 2016 election was considered unfair fair was the bias in the electoral college, which has only allowed the Republicans to gain a majority of the vote once since 1988 but has allowed them to win three elections. The 2020 election suffered from the same problem but this time Biden had enough votes to overcome it.

 

[najaB]

However the Democrats kept on saying for 4 years the last election wasn't fair and it was hacked... then this election said its impossible to for it to be rigged.

A being true doesn't mean that B can't also be true.

The 2016 US General Election was targeted by foreign powers. This has been determined to be the case and has been stated as fact by all 16 US intelligence agencies. They have, however, said that while the foreign influence campaigns swayed public opinion (and likely the end result of the election) there was no evidence that any votes were actually changed after they had been cast.

As a result of the experience in 2016 the DHS created a new office specifically to combat the tactics seen in 2016 and to respond to any new attacks. One of the many things that they did was improve the security of electronic voting machines to guard against the kind to risks highlighted in the John Oliver piece you posted.

As a result this election has been determined (by a Trump appointee) to be the most secure election ever - and making that assessment got him fired by DJT.

 

[hst43102]

The reason the 2016 election was considered unfair fair was the bias in the electoral college, which has only allowed the Republicans to gain a majority of the vote once since 1988 but has allowed them to win three elections. The 2020 election suffered from the same problem but this time Biden had enough votes to overcome it.

I think @overthewater was referring to the long-running collusion/impeachment saga that the Democrats embarked on following the 2016 election, which only ended in February of this year. It also has to be remembered that, while spectators over here view the electoral college as rather unfair, we have a whole chamber of parliament filled with unelected officials - not that that's a bad thing, it's just the different way that we do politics over here.

Does he actually "know", or is it all about a continuing inability simply to accept that enough people just didn't love him any more?

I'm not sure that people don't love him any more. The turnout for this election was HUGE compared to any previous election and Trump actually won a lot more votes that most analysts predicted him. I think Trump remains popular among certain circles, but the key winning factor for Biden in this election was the fact that more of his younger, passionate supporters actually turned out to vote in this election, in person or by post.

 

[43096]

I'm not sure that people don't love him any more. The turnout for this election was HUGE compared to any previous election and Trump actually won a lot more votes that most analysts predicted him. I think Trump remains popular among certain circles, but the key winning factor for Biden in this election was the fact that more of his younger, passionate supporters actually turned out to vote in this election, in person or by post.

How many vote for Trump and how many just vote for whoever the Republican candidate is, though?

If I was the Democrats, I'd be looking to agitate a wedge between Trump and the GOP between now and 2024, with the aim of having a non-Trump Republican candidate. That way, if Trump stands independently, you likely split the vote, leaving the way clear for a Democrat win.

 

[hst43102]

How many vote for Trump and how many just vote for whoever the Republican candidate is, though?

If I was the Democrats, I'd be looking to agitate a wedge between Trump and the GOP between now and 2024, with the aim of having a non-Trump Republican candidate. That way, if Trump stands independently, you likely split the vote, leaving the way clear for a Democrat win.

Hard to say how many traditional GOP supporters have jumped on the "Trump train" - things could get very interesting if he does decide to run as an independant in 2024. However, as this year has proven, one can never predict anything in the future - who knows how the Biden administration will handle issues?

 

[najaB]

I think @overthewater was referring to the long-running collusion/impeachment saga that the Democrats embarked on following the 2016 election, which only ended in February of this year.

I'm not a huge fan of whataboutism but the long-running impeachment/collusion saga has resulted in several convictions and the impeachment of the President.

This is unlike the long-running Benghazi saga which, despite ten separate investigations, resulted in no fault being found.

 

[hst43102]

I'm not a huge fan of whataboutism but the long-running impeachment/collusion saga has resulted in several convictions and the impeachment of the President.

This is unlike the long-running Benghazi saga which, despite ten separate investigations, resulted in no fault being found.

However, the impeachment didn't secure a conviction of Trump - he was acquitted. I think both sides, after losing an election, need to accept reality and the results of the vote, and focus on winning the next election rather than always focusing on what happened last time.