U.S. Politics megathread (merged)

[redjambo]

27 minutes ago, Ulysses said:

 

I hate to ask, but are you sure that's the case?

 

13 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

I read that someplace, and I quoted it without doing an independent check. 

Let me have a look.

 

Doesn't appear to be the case, assuming it stays at 306 for Biden after any recounts:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_elections_by_Electoral_College_margin

[Maple Leaf]

24 minutes ago, Ulysses said:

 

I hate to ask, but are you sure that's the case?

 

10 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

I read that someplace, and I quoted it without doing an independent check. 

Let me have a look.

 

Yeah, I should have done a bit of research before posting.

 

A check of past elections shows several winners getting more than 306 EC votes. I can't find my original source, but it might have been qualified with something like "When running against an incumbent president" and I missed that.

 

That's my excuse an I'm sticking with it.

 

[Lovecraft]

6 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

Trumpy "doing a Cummings" by being  late for his press conference.  Probably decided to fire a few of his staff first 🙄

Is he having one now?

 

[redjambo]

4 minutes ago, Lovecraft said:

Is he having one now?

 

 

Yes.

 

https://edition.cnn.com/specials/live-cnni-uk

[Lone Striker]

4 minutes ago, Lovecraft said:

Is he having one now?

 

Yes ... BBC News channel.... bragging about "his" vaccine !!

[Lone Striker]

His hair is WHITE !!   😀

[John Gentleman]

3 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

His hair is WHITE !!   😀

What hair?

[JFK-1]

Weird. After pretending the pandemic doesn't exist from day one, transitioning to okay it exits but it's not a big deal. And from there to conceding okay it may be something of a problem but we're "turning the corner" as infection rates and deaths continue to rise.

And now, at this late stage. Suggesting they have a plan to deal with it? FUBAR.

[RobboM]

23 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

 

Yeah, I should have done a bit of research before posting.

 

A check of past elections shows several winners getting more than 306 EC votes. I can't find my original source, but it might have been qualified with something like "When running against an incumbent president" and I missed that.

 

That's my excuse an I'm sticking with it.

 

It might have been one of Trump's 25k lies, fibs, mistruths bragging about his own victory 😋

[Lone Striker]

4 minutes ago, John Gentleman said:

What hair?

😀    Rapid aging after his lawsuits got thrown out ?

 

3 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

Weird. After pretending the pandemic doesn't exist from day one, transitioning to okay it exits but it's not a big deal. And from there to conceding okay it may be something of a problem but we're "turning the corner" as infection rates and deaths continue to rise.

And now, at this late stage. Suggesting they have a plan to deal with it? FUBAR.

Yep.....   true to form though.  Grab bits of positive news (even if it flies in the face of previous comments), exaggerate it, and claim full credit for it.   

 

Interesting that he actually said something along the lines of .... "only my administration could have negotiated and mobilised the vaccine production at this speed ..... better than any future administration ..... who knows what might happen."   

[I P Knightley]

2 hours ago, Ugly American said:

 

Stick my nose back in for a day (mostly to see the Scotland madness) and here's a question I can answer.

 

Durham (where I'm back to living now, thank Christ) is the most Democratic part of the state. Biden won 80%+ of the vote here. Raleigh isn't quite as skewed but it's solidly Democratic. Almost all of the cities are pretty staunchly Democratic.

 

The Democrats lost NC because they lost the rural areas by huge margins. Some of this is unavoidable but the campaigns with big dollars (like that useless bag of garbage Cal Cunningham) completely failed to do any effective campaigning in those areas. Democrats need to listen to people like AOC -- it's not just policy, the standard Democratic form of campaigning is pathetic and sclerotic.

 

Anyway this wretched storm is finally almost over and we get to the work of cleaning up the enormous mess left behind. Have to hope the Georgia Senate seats somehow come through or else the cynical powermonger McConnell will block up everything simply out of spite.

It's a nice town/city. I'd be comfortable there. 

 

I'd get awfully fat with all the great restaurants, though.  I mean, chicken and waffles??!!??

[Sharpie]

39 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

😀    Rapid aging after his lawsuits got thrown out ?

 

Yep.....   true to form though.  Grab bits of positive news (even if it flies in the face of previous comments), exaggerate it, and claim full credit for it.   

 

Interesting that he actually said something along the lines of .... "only my administration could have negotiated and mobilised the vaccine production at this speed ..... better than any future administration ..... who knows what might happen."   

He added the who knows what might happen when he almost slipped up and by words used would have admitted defeat. grey hair still coiffed, still using all the the greatest ever, never seen the like before, and received calls from many world leaders but doesn't name one, a pathetic example of manhood.

[Justin Z]

3 hours ago, Ugly American said:

 

Stick my nose back in for a day (mostly to see the Scotland madness) and here's a question I can answer.

 

Durham (where I'm back to living now, thank Christ) is the most Democratic part of the state. Biden won 80%+ of the vote here. Raleigh isn't quite as skewed but it's solidly Democratic. Almost all of the cities are pretty staunchly Democratic.

 

The Democrats lost NC because they lost the rural areas by huge margins. Some of this is unavoidable but the campaigns with big dollars (like that useless bag of garbage Cal Cunningham) completely failed to do any effective campaigning in those areas. Democrats need to listen to people like AOC -- it's not just policy, the standard Democratic form of campaigning is pathetic and sclerotic.

 

Anyway this wretched storm is finally almost over and we get to the work of cleaning up the enormous mess left behind. Have to hope the Georgia Senate seats somehow come through or else the cynical powermonger McConnell will block up everything simply out of spite.

 

You left me here by myself to take all the pelters this entire election cycle? **** me man

 

Nice to see you!

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by Justin Z

[JFK-1]

1 hour ago, Lone Striker said:

😀    Rapid aging after his lawsuits got thrown out ?

 

Yep.....   true to form though.  Grab bits of positive news (even if it flies in the face of previous comments), exaggerate it, and claim full credit for it.   

 

Interesting that he actually said something along the lines of .... "only my administration could have negotiated and mobilised the vaccine production at this speed ..... better than any future administration ..... who knows what might happen."   

 

It's the same old drivel we have been hearing for the past 4 years. Everything is "the greatest in the world". And he almost acts as if he personally developed a vaccine which isn't surprising since he knows more about everything than anybody else knows about anything.

A little surprised he hasn't taken credit for the other 10 vaccines globally in the level 3 testing phase which is the same stage as the Pfizer vaccine and the final testing stage.

I feel there may be a widescale reluctance to trust anything Trump touts. Personally I know I would step outside to check if he said the sky was blue. That's not good since we are going to need as many people as possible vaccinated.

[Ulysses]

4 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

Biden got the highest ever total votes by a considerable margin. The previous record was Obama in 2012 with 65,915,795 total votes. Biden currently has an estimated 78 million and still counting. 

 

I'd say Biden will reach for 81 million, but will probably just fall short.  Here you go for a prediction - Biden 80.8m, Trump 74.8m, others 2.9m.  That's a 6 million vote lead in the popular vote, or 3.8%.  Obama won by an almost identical margin in 2012, but got a bigger win in the electoral college.

 

Tighter popular vote margins by winners?  In the last century:

 

2016, Donald Trump, -2.1%

2000, George W. Bush, -0.5%

1960, John F. Kennedy, 0.2%

1968, Richard Nixon, 0.7%

1976, Jimmy Carter, 2.1%

2004, George W. Bush, 2.4%

 

So, that puts Biden 2020 at the lower end of the scale.

 

 

 

 

[Ulysses]

2 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

I feel there may be a widescale reluctance to trust anything Trump touts. Personally I know I would step outside to check if he said the sky was blue.

 

...especially if he said it in Scotland. 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

3 hours ago, Justin Z said:

 

You left me here by myself to take all the pelters this entire election cycle? **** me man

 

Nice to see you!

 

 

Sorry, with two young kids, job change, a move, and then trying to do all that during a pandemic without daycare, I haven't been able to watch a Hearts match in I don't know how many months. And let's just say that with all that, coming on here during the glory days of last season to hear JKB's legendary optimism or come on hear to be told that I'm actually wrong and life under Trump isn't that bad, well, there just wasn't a whole lot of motivation.

 

So, er, uh, thanks for holding down the fort?

[ri Alban]

10 hours ago, Heartsmad1874 said:

 
 

 

It was a dig at Trump. 

[JFK-1]

I hope they find a charge to stick on William Barr too. And judging from the way this guy describes it there will be no shortage of people within the justice department ready and willing to go after him. There's a mutiny taking place within that department.

Though chances are Barr will be one of those pardoned by Trump in the final act of corrupt defiance. 

 ‘It’s All Over’ For William Barr & Donald Trump
 

 

[JFK-1]

 

[Boof]

 

The orange bawbag claiming a victory of 306-223 is a landslide.

 

1) Not in my book

2) Where's the other 9 Electoral College votes? Or does he really mean 232 and perhaps doesn't know his erse from his elbow?

[Justin Z]

7 hours ago, Ugly American said:

 

Sorry, with two young kids, job change, a move, and then trying to do all that during a pandemic without daycare, I haven't been able to watch a Hearts match in I don't know how many months. And let's just say that with all that, coming on here during the glory days of last season to hear JKB's legendary optimism or come on hear to be told that I'm actually wrong and life under Trump isn't that bad, well, there just wasn't a whole lot of motivation.

 

So, er, uh, thanks for holding down the fort?

 

I've been called a drama queen, a “woke American” (as an unmoderated racial epithet, seriously!) and a virtue signaller more times than I can count However, the vast majority of the folk here have been very tolerant, especially as I ranted with the deepest skepticism about the coming neoliberal garbage that we're now seeing—with Biden bringing the heartless woman responsible for caging and deporting a record number of migrants under Obama into his transition team, for but one small example.

 

Anyway, can hardly blame you for your extended leave of absence! Congrats on all the positive change in your life!

[Governor Tarkin]

1 hour ago, Justin Z said:

 

I've been called a drama queen, a “woke American” (as an unmoderated racial epithet, seriously!) and a virtue signaller more times than I can count.

 

I'd say it was more of a cultural epthet than a racial one, but can see how a woke American might be disposed to construe it that way. 

 

Anyhow, it's not the worst litany of charges I've seen levelled against someone on here, and not entirely without merit. I'd keep my head down and just be thankful I was getting off so lightly, tbh.

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by Governor Tarkin

[Maple Leaf]

Not a good day in the courts for Trump yesterday.

 

Legal experts have been saying for a week now that President Donald Trump's court cases to throw out ballots and turn around his election loss were bound to fail.

Throughout Friday, the failures piled up.

In one day, nine cases meant to attack President-elect Joe Biden's win in key states were denied or dropped, adding up to a brutal series of losses for the President, who's already lost and refuses to let go. Many of the cases are built upon a foundational idea that absentee voting and slight mismanagement of elections invite widespread fraud, which is not proven and state leaders have overwhelming said did not happen in 2020.

In court on Friday:

 

 

• The Trump campaign lost six cases in Montgomery County and Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania over whether almost 9,000 absentee ballots could be thrown out.
• The Trump campaign dropped a lawsuit in Arizona seeking a review by hand of all ballots because Biden's win wouldn't change.
• A Republican candidate and voters in Pennsylvania lost a case over absentee ballots that arrived after Election Day, because they didn't have the ability to sue. A case addressing similar issue is still waiting on decisions from the Supreme Court -- which has remained noticeably silent on election disputes since before Election Day.
• Pollwatchers in Michigan lost their case to stop the certification of votes in Detroit, and a judge rejected their allegations of fraud.

On top of it all, a law firm leading the most broad challenge in Pennsylvania -- perhaps the most significant state for Trump's post-election fight -- dropped out.

"The Trump campaign keeps hoping it will find a judge that treats lawsuits like tweets," said Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor and elections law expert, on Friday. "Repeatedly, every person with a robe they've encountered has said, 'I'm sorry, we do law here.'"

[Lovecraft]

 

[Jambo-Jimbo]

1 hour ago, Maple Leaf said:

Not a good day in the courts for Trump yesterday.

 

Legal experts have been saying for a week now that President Donald Trump's court cases to throw out ballots and turn around his election loss were bound to fail.

Throughout Friday, the failures piled up.

In one day, nine cases meant to attack President-elect Joe Biden's win in key states were denied or dropped, adding up to a brutal series of losses for the President, who's already lost and refuses to let go. Many of the cases are built upon a foundational idea that absentee voting and slight mismanagement of elections invite widespread fraud, which is not proven and state leaders have overwhelming said did not happen in 2020.

In court on Friday:

 

 

• The Trump campaign lost six cases in Montgomery County and Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania over whether almost 9,000 absentee ballots could be thrown out.
• The Trump campaign dropped a lawsuit in Arizona seeking a review by hand of all ballots because Biden's win wouldn't change.
• A Republican candidate and voters in Pennsylvania lost a case over absentee ballots that arrived after Election Day, because they didn't have the ability to sue. A case addressing similar issue is still waiting on decisions from the Supreme Court -- which has remained noticeably silent on election disputes since before Election Day.
• Pollwatchers in Michigan lost their case to stop the certification of votes in Detroit, and a judge rejected their allegations of fraud.

On top of it all, a law firm leading the most broad challenge in Pennsylvania -- perhaps the most significant state for Trump's post-election fight -- dropped out.

"The Trump campaign keeps hoping it will find a judge that treats lawsuits like tweets," said Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor and elections law expert, on Friday. "Repeatedly, every person with a robe they've encountered has said, 'I'm sorry, we do law here.'"

 

Well Trump did tell everyone that they'd get fed up winning all the time, so now it's lose lose lose.

[Maple Leaf]

4 minutes ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

Well Trump did tell everyone that they'd get fed up winning all the time, so now it's lose lose lose.

 

Trump's attempted coup, by having Biden's election landslide win overturned in the courts, seems doomed to failure.  Another loss for the loser.

 

But he won't give up easily.  It remains to be seen what scurrilous trick he'll try next.  

[redjambo]

50 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

Trump's attempted coup, by having Biden's election landslide win overturned in the courts, seems doomed to failure.  Another loss for the loser.

 

But he won't give up easily.  It remains to be seen what scurrilous trick he'll try next.  

 

Whatever it is, it won't be based on facts or reality.

[Cade]

"stop the steal" rally in DC today.

 

On his way to his golf course in Virginia, the Poundland Mussolini did a drive-by of the rally in his presidential motorcade with his wee red hat on.

 

Total cringe.

[Maple Leaf]

2 minutes ago, Cade said:

"stop the steal" rally in DC today.

 

On his way to his golf course in Virginia, the Poundland Mussolini did a drive-by of the rally in his presidential motorcade with his wee red hat on.

 

Total cringe.

 

"Make America Great Again."  Aye, OK.

 

COVID-19 is raging out of control, unemployment figures are rising, the economy is in the tank, the country is more divided than at any time since the civil war, the world is laughing at the man-child's pathetic efforts to remain in the White House despite a landslide victory by Sleepy Joe.

 

Yep, yon MAGA thing seems to be working just fine.   

[Sharpie]

56 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

"Make America Great Again."  Aye, OK.

 

COVID-19 is raging out of control, unemployment figures are rising, the economy is in the tank, the country is more divided than at any time since the civil war, the world is laughing at the man-child's pathetic efforts to remain in the White House despite a landslide victory by Sleepy Joe.

 

Yep, yon MAGA thing seems to be working just fine.   

since to be changed to with.

[I P Knightley]

9 hours ago, Boof said:

2) Where's the other 9 Electoral College votes? Or does he really mean 232 and perhaps doesn't know his erse from his elbow?

I think it's another indication of his dyslexia but the fact that he said it repeatedly could mean a couple of things. Maybe it was a mistake at first but hie people are too craven to point out mistakes to him. Perhaps he made a mistake, it was pointed out to him but he decided that it sounded better to have a wider margin so he let a mistake become a lie.

[JFK-1]

This is "turning the corner' in Trump world.
 

Quote

At the current daily rate of deaths, another 70,000 to 150,000 Americans may die between now and Inauguration Day, according to Reuters calculations. As of Wednesday, over 243,000 COVID-19 deaths were recorded in the United States.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-coronavirus/before-biden-inauguration-70000-more-could-die-from-covid-19-in-the-u-s-idUSKBN27T2W3

[JFK-1]

Is this woman determined to shear herself of any trace of credibility? There were an estimated 5,000 or so Trump nuts at this rally. She tweets. Presumably an "alternative fact"

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

7 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

Is this woman determined to shear herself of any trace of credibility? There were an estimated 5,000 or so Trump nuts at this rally. She tweets. Presumably an "alternative fact"

 

She's a heidbanger. 

[Dawnrazor]

1 minute ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

She's a heidbanger. 

But a wee ride👍

[The Real Maroonblood]

11 minutes ago, Dawnrazor said:

But a wee ride👍

Absolutely. 

[Boof]

55 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

Is this woman determined to shear herself of any trace of credibility? There were an estimated 5,000 or so Trump nuts at this rally. She tweets. Presumably an "alternative fact"

 

 

Thought the baldy, orange SCROTUM was gonna drain the swamp?

[A Boy Named Crow]

2 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

Is this woman determined to shear herself of any trace of credibility? There were an estimated 5,000 or so Trump nuts at this rally. She tweets. Presumably an "alternative fact"

 

This becomes more worrying the more I think about it.

 

There'll be die hard loonies out there who take everything that comes out of the Trump administration as fact and react by taking to the streets with guns (or as David Pakman calls them, Y'all Qaeda).

 

If they believe a million people marched in protest,  it will embolden them to act,  the snowball starts rolling and you end up with a nasty domestic terrorism problem.

Edited November 15, 2020 by A Boy Named Crow

[Sharpie]

So protests and demonstrations in Washington DC today. Trump in a cavalcade heading for his golf game and had  them drive past his enthusiastic supporters, he is wearing his MAGA hat. Later although smaller a group for Trump and a group against Trump being kept apart by police.

 Is this a one of occurrence or a prelude to the future, my money would be on increasingly larger and more disorderly actions in the future. How do the police react, neutral guardians, or do they as a result of their associations claimed almost total National endorsement of Trump in the election sway  their  reaction to favor one side. Could be some bad times ahead.

 

[Shanks said no]

somewhere between 5,000 and 1,000,000 would be my estimate

 

[A Boy Named Crow]

3 minutes ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

somewhere between 5,000 and 1,000,000 would be my estimate

 

Closer to the former though,  innit. 

[Shanks said no]

21 minutes ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

Closer to the former though,  innit. 

without seeing any other snaps I'd guestimate around 25,000

[Shanks said no]

28 minutes ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

somewhere between 5,000 and 1,000,000 would be my estimate

 

to debunk my own image before anyone else does

[Shanks said no]

1 minute ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

to debunk my own image before anyone else does

 

[Lovecraft]

41 minutes ago, The Frenchman Returns said:

 

Wait.  They just coloured in the spaces?

 

 

[Jambo-Jimbo]

8 hours ago, A Boy Named Crow said:

This becomes more worrying the more I think about it.

 

There'll be die hard loonies out there who take everything that comes out of the Trump administration as fact and react by taking to the streets with guns (or as David Pakman calls them, Y'all Qaeda).

 

If they believe a million people marched in protest,  it will embolden them to act,  the snowball starts rolling and you end up with a nasty domestic terrorism problem.

 

The longer Trump doesn't admit defeat then the more likely there is going to an escalation of protests & the inevitable counter protests and the violence which will follow them.

 

America is really at a potentially very dangerous juncture and could decend into total chaos and serious violence very easily.

Edited November 15, 2020 by Jambo-Jimbo

[The Real Maroonblood]

5 minutes ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

The longer Trump doesn't admit defeat then the more likely there is going to an escalation of protests & the inevitable counter protests and the violence which will follow them.

 

America is really at a potentially very dangerous juncture and could decend into total chaos and serious violence very easily.

You can almost guarantee that the longer these protests and counter protests go on someone will die.

Maybe I’m being a bit over dramatic but it’s a basket case country.

[Jambo-Jimbo]

10 minutes ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

You can almost guarantee that the longer these protests and counter protests go on someone will die.

Maybe I’m being a bit over dramatic but it’s a basket case country.

 

No, you are not being over dramatic, being realistic in my view.
A country which allows people to openly carry guns in highly charged settings............what could possibly go wrong!

[gashauskis9]

19 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

Not a good day in the courts for Trump yesterday.

 

Legal experts have been saying for a week now that President Donald Trump's court cases to throw out ballots and turn around his election loss were bound to fail.

Throughout Friday, the failures piled up.

In one day, nine cases meant to attack President-elect Joe Biden's win in key states were denied or dropped, adding up to a brutal series of losses for the President, who's already lost and refuses to let go. Many of the cases are built upon a foundational idea that absentee voting and slight mismanagement of elections invite widespread fraud, which is not proven and state leaders have overwhelming said did not happen in 2020.

In court on Friday:

 

 

• The Trump campaign lost six cases in Montgomery County and Philadelphia County in Pennsylvania over whether almost 9,000 absentee ballots could be thrown out.
• The Trump campaign dropped a lawsuit in Arizona seeking a review by hand of all ballots because Biden's win wouldn't change.
• A Republican candidate and voters in Pennsylvania lost a case over absentee ballots that arrived after Election Day, because they didn't have the ability to sue. A case addressing similar issue is still waiting on decisions from the Supreme Court -- which has remained noticeably silent on election disputes since before Election Day.
• Pollwatchers in Michigan lost their case to stop the certification of votes in Detroit, and a judge rejected their allegations of fraud.

On top of it all, a law firm leading the most broad challenge in Pennsylvania -- perhaps the most significant state for Trump's post-election fight -- dropped out.

"The Trump campaign keeps hoping it will find a judge that treats lawsuits like tweets," said Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor and elections law expert, on Friday. "Repeatedly, every person with a robe they've encountered has said, 'I'm sorry, we do law here.'"

The second bulletpoint is a belter.  Dropped the case because it wouldn’t change the result.  The guy’s a laughing stock and pissing off a lot of folk in the legal profession who he shouldn’t be if his past misdemeanours come back to haunt him.