U.S. Presidential Election

[Homer]

[jparx]

1 minute ago, Homer said:

Or a guy who’s been off his tits on coke for several days and desperately needs some sleep.

[Copperface]

33 minutes ago, Homer said:

Was thinking earlier (I know Trumpers aren't big on logic but anyway), would be interested to know, in the history of rigged elections, how often the opposition party has managed to pull this off? Kind of feels like it would be a hell of an achievement to manage this if you're not actually in power! @Copperfacemay be able to shed some light?

Not sure. In all the ones I have done the very presence of international observers tends to curb the visible overt evidence of vote rigging etc. The organisation I actually  undertake election observation missions for is actually there on the ground but only in 28 states and published the below  update yesterday. There is no UK contingent there as they have been pulled by FCDO due to Covid. 

Without observers, such as in Belarus earlier this year, it is clear that oppositions have no chance against an incumbent power determined to rig, suppress and exert pressure in direct (intimidation/ballot stuffing etc) or indirect (ie the conduct of LeJoy and his influence over the USPS).

The US has very robust checks and balances, which, while currently under attack, seem to have retained their integrity, despite all the misinformation and conspiracy nutters.

 

[Kurosagi]

2 minutes ago, jparx said:

Or a guy who’s been off his tits on coke for several days and desperately needs some sleep.

Several days? You're being kind.

[jparx]

Trump’a supporters can’t even chant “stop the count” properly

[Ozanne]

2 minutes ago, jparx said:

Trump’a supporters can’t even chant “stop the count” properly

Dum dums

[squirrelarmy]

Don’t know who she is on CNN but what a line about Trumps Tuxedo and bodily fluids 😂 hopefully someone will link a clip of it. 

[st dan]

In all honesty though, postal votes shouldn’t really be a ‘thing’ still in 2020 should they? There needs to be mass investment worldwide into ways of voting via secure apps linked to passports, IDs etc.
I know it is open to to potential fraud, but that’s the exact some token Trump is using here with postal votes, so that argument doesn’t really hold up. 
Either that or use polling stations only and improve on how they operate - e.g open for a couple of days, have more of them in temporary settings etc. 
Just hope something can be taken from this mess, or wonder if they’ll sweep it under the rug and just blame it all on Covid. 

[FloorFiller]

1 minute ago, st dan said:

In all honesty though, postal votes shouldn’t really be a ‘thing’ still in 2020 should they? There needs to be mass investment worldwide into ways of voting via secure apps linked to passports, IDs etc.
I know it is open to to potential fraud, but that’s the exact some token Trump is using here with postal votes, so that argument doesn’t really hold up. 
Either that or use polling stations only and improve on how they operate - e.g open for a couple of days, have more of them in temporary settings etc. 
Just hope something can be taken from this mess, or wonder if they’ll sweep it under the rug and just blame it all on Covid. 

Republicans don’t want there to be an easy/simpler way of voting like this because if more people vote (like this year) then the chances are that those people will vote Democrat and so continually win the presidency. Voter suppression has long been the Republicans key to winning, so I doubt anything will happen come the next election to make the whole affair any less of a mess.

[Copperface]

1 hour ago, crazyfool1 said:

Does anyone know why they have such a big gap between the vote and the potential new president taking office ? Is it just to give enough time for all the appeals to take place ... it seems mad that there is  a 2 month vacuume 

A lot of states have up to four weeks to submit and certify election results which takes us up to early December - might be part of it. But as someone else mentioned, it's a bit anachronistic and has its roots in days when travel etc was slower. Probably needs changing.

https://www.livescience.com/57559-why-is-presidential-inauguration-in-january.html

[Gilgamesh69]

🤢 dirty centrist prick

[DeanoL]

43 minutes ago, FloorFiller said:

To counter this, I think Biden/whoever else needs to come down hard on him to get him behind bars. Allowing him to exit the presidency and remain a free citizen just shows republicans/his followers that you can fuck the system and country as hard as you want and totally get away with it. There need to be consequences or else their 2024 candidate will just be a repeat of Trump only one who is smart enough to not say the quiet parts out loud.

I think imprisoning Trump would make it worse. It plays right into his supporters and the QAnon nutters hands. He’s being locked up because he knows the truth and is the only one who actually wants to help us normal people. So the deep state is now trying to silence him.

I actually wouldn’t be overly surprised if one of his own nutters killed him so they could blame it on the “deep state” and add fuel to that fire.

I think the only way to win is ignore him - every time you engage it gives him credibility. And his supporters will never believe any trial was fair.

6 minutes ago, st dan said:

In all honesty though, postal votes shouldn’t really be a ‘thing’ still in 2020 should they? There needs to be mass investment worldwide into ways of voting via secure apps linked to passports, IDs etc.
I know it is open to to potential fraud, but that’s the exact some token Trump is using here with postal votes, so that argument doesn’t really hold up. 
Either that or use polling stations only and improve on how they operate - e.g open for a couple of days, have more of them in temporary settings etc. 
Just hope something can be taken from this mess, or wonder if they’ll sweep it under the rug and just blame it all on Covid. 

Is this partly because the US postal service is one of the few things that are still nationalised, so is properly answerable to government?

[Gilb]

If the GOP let him, Trump will run again in 4 years. He'll have 4 years in opposition to rile up more division and hatred within the US.  

[Copperface]

8 minutes ago, st dan said:

In all honesty though, postal votes shouldn’t really be a ‘thing’ still in 2020 should they? There needs to be mass investment worldwide into ways of voting via secure apps linked to passports, IDs etc.
I know it is open to to potential fraud,

Wouldn't the Fancy Bears, 3 Peoples Liberation Army 61398, The Lazarus Group or Parisite just love an all electronic remote voting system? No way could such a system be guaranteed as safe from multiple attacks.

[Matt42]

3 minutes ago, Gilgamesh69 said:

🤢 dirty centrist prick

I’m pretty sure you’re just trolling but if you have the view to burn all your enemies down you’re no different than trump mate. Just bat for a different side.

[Copperface]

54 minutes ago, FloorFiller said:

To counter this, I think Biden/whoever else needs to come down hard on him to get him behind bars. Allowing him to exit the presidency and remain a free citizen just shows republicans/his followers that you can fuck the system and country as hard as you want and totally get away with it. There need to be consequences or else their 2024 candidate will just be a repeat of Trump only one who is smart enough to not say the quiet parts out loud.

What's the betting he resigns, Pence then assumes the presidency for about two weeks and in that time, he pardons Trump, Giuliani, Eric,, Don jr, Ivanka and the rest of the gang prior to handover of office?

[Crazyfool01]

14 minutes ago, Copperface said:

A lot of states have up to four weeks to submit and certify election results which takes us up to early December - might be part of it. But as someone else mentioned, it's a bit anachronistic and has its roots in days when travel etc was slower. Probably needs changing.

https://www.livescience.com/57559-why-is-presidential-inauguration-in-january.html

Thanks  

[sirjonnyp]

There was an idea doing the rounds a while ago that if it became clear that he was going to be forced from office after losing, Trump would resign the position of POTUS at some point before Biden is sworn in and Pence, as now acting POTUS, would officially pardon him off any and all crimes committed. No idea if it would work in practice, but it would be one hell of a final fuck you to the people. 

[DeanoL]

Just now, Copperface said:

What's the betting he resigns, Pence then assumes the presidency for about two weeks and in that time, he pardons Trump, Giuliani, Eric,, Don jr, Ivanka and the rest of the gang prior to handover of office?

Close to zero. That would mean acknowledging they ever did anything wrong. It’d end the entire Trump project. Unless that’s actually what the party wants, but given the support he is still getting I don’t think it is. Had a Biden landslide happened then maybe.

[Gilgamesh69]

5 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I’m pretty sure you’re just trolling but if you have the view to burn all your enemies down you’re no different than trump mate. Just bat for a different side.

Or rather, I think fascist right wing bastards are absolutely the /enemy/. There should be no "finding a middle ground" with them. All this "but everyone's opinion is valid!" bollocks is toxic and obstructive to real progress. 

[Matt42]

Just now, Gilgamesh69 said:

Or rather, I think fascist right wing bastards are absolutely the /enemy/. There should be no "finding a middle ground" with them. All this "but everyone's opinion is valid!" bollocks is toxic and obstructive to real progress. 

Ah so you don’t like people who eliminate all opposing views, and your solution is to eliminate all who have opposing views?

[Copperface]

1 minute ago, DeanoL said:

Close to zero. That would mean acknowledging they ever did anything wrong. It’d end the entire Trump project. Unless that’s actually what the party wants, but given the support he is still getting I don’t think it is. Had a Biden landslide happened then maybe.

As soon as he loses the protection of the presidency, he becomes liable to prosecution. NY state attorney after the Trumps in a big way.

[Gilgamesh69]

Just now, Matt42 said:

Ah so you don’t like people who eliminate all opposing views, and your solution is to eliminate all who have opposing views?

When those opposing views are founded on bigotry, capitalist toxicity, and idiocy;  then yes, absolutely.

 

"Be nice to those nazis, just because they have a different opinion, doesn't mean you should treat them any different!" 

🤣

[squirrelarmy]

Around 4pm for a large Georgia update. 

[Matt42]

Just now, Gilgamesh69 said:

When those opposing views are founded on bigotry, capitalist toxicity, and idiocy;  then yes, absolutely.

 

"Be nice to those nazis, just because they have a different opinion, doesn't mean you should treat them any different!" 

🤣

Lead by example. Don’t fight fire with fire.

If anything this election result surely has shown that method works? Typical Republican states and very right confederate states have shown they are swinging blue.