US Election

[Toodles McGinty]

Place yer bets.

I'm going for Biden, after Trump has to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the White House.

Don't think we'll know until December, unless it's a Biden landslide.

Then again, I was of the opinion that there's no way they could possibly make Trump president.

[local]

In the Trump v Trump election, there is no winner, Biden is terrible he's Hillary in drag and Trump well who needs anymore said about him.

Despite trying to toe a centerline with him I have always said a good opponent and he is history back to play golf.

America deserves better.

[Ceam]

They where daft enough to vote him in once, I wouldn't be surprised if they do it again.

[Qwackerz]

They where daft enough to vote him in once, I wouldn't be surprised if they do it again.

Agreed

[MICK/GILLY]

I think Mr Trump will win ..

[joan ofarc]

America will never survive if the Donald wins, and more importantly, if all his enablers are still in office when the dust settles. It also will have a rocky few months if he loses. That's my fear on an emotional level.
But I think he signs are there for a landslide for Biden. When all said and done Mr T has done nothing to expand his base (which was only ever about a third of the electorate) and everything to antagonise anyone who might have been won over to his side. He only got in because of the Electoral College, and that pathway is theoretically still open to him, but if yet another President loses the popular vote and still gets in there will be riots in the streets.

[Desert Region]

America will never survive if the Donald wins, and more importantly, if all his enablers are still in office when the dust settles. It also will have a rocky few months if he loses. That's my fear on an emotional level.
But I think he signs are there for a landslide for Biden. When all said and done Mr T has done nothing to expand his base (which was only ever about a third of the electorate) and everything to antagonise anyone who might have been won over to his side. He only got in because of the Electoral College, and that pathway is theoretically still open to him, but if yet another President loses the popular vote and still gets in there will be riots in the streets.

I think a high turnout has to favour Biden.

Interesting projections and analyses of turnout at the U.S. Election Project here:

https://electproject.github.io/Early...sis_11_01.html

[seivad]

My biggest concern is voter suppression. Because the US doesn't have uniform national voting rules for general elections, each state has its own rules.

In a 'normal' election year, differing state rules on mail in ballots wouldn't present much of a problem. This isn't a normal year though. Due to Covid an overwhelming number of people are voting by mail. According to states that publish the number of mail in ballot requests/returned ballots, the large majority are from Democrats.

This has caused a great deal of worry in the Republican camp, and this is where they are using state rules to try and nullify mail in ballots in battleground states. Some states specify mail in votes must be received on or before election day. Others specify votes must be postmarked on or before election day and received within a stated number of days after the election. Due to the backlog currently experienced by the US Postal Service, some states are requesting an extension to the counting date.

Republicans have been going to the courts to challenge state laws and overturn them. They have even tried to nullify 127,000 votes in the Houston area in Texas.These votes were cast in person in a drive through voting location set up by the county as a means of helping people to vote in person. Their rationale was that the votes have to be cast in a building. Republicans were denied in the Texas Supreme Court and a state court. They intend to appeal the decision.

In N.Carolina and Pennsylvania, two other battleground states, they have gone to the courts to try and disallow the 9 day (NC) and 3 day (PA) period of grace allowed for votes received after the election. The Supreme Court is allowing it, for now, with the possibility of revisiting their decision. In Wisconsin they went to the US Supreme Court and they blocked Wisconsin's request for an extension to count mail in ballots.

How many people will be disenfranchised due to the US Postal Service struggling with a huge backlog of mail and partisan efforts to disenfranchise the opposition's supporters? Did it not occur to them that some of those mail in votes will also be from Republicans? I don't differentiate between party allegiance in the count. ALL votes should be counted. You and I may moan about our Parliamentary system, but can you imagine this happening in our countries? Democracy my a s s

[Toodles McGinty]

This has caused a great deal of worry in the Republican camp, and this is where they are using state rules to try and nullify mail in ballots in battleground states. Some states specify mail in votes must be received on or before election day. Others specify votes must be postmarked on or before election day and received within a stated number of days after the election...

....How many people will be disenfranchised due to the US Postal Service struggling with a huge backlog of mail and partisan efforts to disenfranchise the opposition's supporters? Did it not occur to them that some of those mail in votes will also be from Republicans? I don't differentiate between party allegiance in the count. ALL votes should be counted. You and I may moan about our Parliamentary system, but can you imagine this happening in our countries? Democracy my a s s

This makes me angrier than it really should, considering it has nothing to do with me.

That the GOP are openly and deliberately stopping votes is sickening. Apart from Trump, this is the reason I hope the Dems win by a record landslide. I know they won't, but I so wish they would.

I'm hoping for a 'yuge' Dem win and the Republicans lose control of the lot. And pack the Supreme Court while they're at it, because the religious nuts on there enrage me further.

I see a whole lot of trouble for that country, whichever way the vote goes.

[silver fox]

This makes me angrier than it really should, considering it has nothing to do with me.

That the GOP are openly and deliberately stopping votes is sickening. Apart from Trump, this is the reason I hope the Dems win by a record landslide. I know they won't, but I so wish they would.

I'm hoping for a 'yuge' Dem win and the Republicans lose control of the lot. And pack the Supreme Court while they're at it, because the religious nuts on there enrage me further.

I see a whole lot of trouble for that country, whichever way the vote goes.

Trump supporters are trying every trick in the dirty tricks book to deny and interfere with the voting, no matter what we think of our country and systems, the tactic of blocking access to a drive through voting ballot box just wouldn’t be allowed at all, armed men and women patrolling around early voting sites is not what we would expect in a “democracy”.

All this is encouraged by Trump, if unrest breaks out from his supporters, will he be calling for military support to stop any violence? or will he try to brand it the democratic rights of gun toting thugs?

As added interest I notice Deutsche Bank is wanting to be rid of their association with Trump, but don’t want to take any action which may appear to be political interference while he is sitting President.

[Toodles McGinty]

How about Hillary Clinton for Attorney General?

She could prosecute Trump. And lock him up.

[silver fox]

How about Hillary Clinton for Attorney General?

She could prosecute Trump. And lock him up.

The problem is, Trump has been busily loading the Supreme Court with supporters, that in itself is a travesty.

[seivad]

America will never survive if the Donald wins, and more importantly, if all his enablers are still in office when the dust settles. It also will have a rocky few months if he loses. That's my fear on an emotional level.
But I think he signs are there for a landslide for Biden. When all said and done Mr T has done nothing to expand his base (which was only ever about a third of the electorate) and everything to antagonise anyone who might have been won over to his side. He only got in because of the Electoral College, and that pathway is theoretically still open to him, but if yet another President loses the popular vote and still gets in there will be riots in the streets.

Behind the scenes his enablers have finally come to the realisation that they will forever be tainted by their sickening praise of Trump and support of his twisted agenda. Be it 2020 or 2024, when the swampiest swamp of all is finally drained these people will find life on the outside very difficult.

Mitch McConnell, or as I like to call him, Jabba the Hut, seems to believe that Trump won't be returned to office. I don't imagine he'll be too bothered as its well known that he abhors Trump. He's directed Senators to concentrate on the Senate race. If Biden is elected, a sizeable Republican majority Senate will mean that they can effectively govern the country. I think it's quite likely that they will hold on to the Senate majority, but possibly with a smaller majority than expected. They will most definitely not take the House.

Whatever the result is, there will be civil unrest. Have you seen all the stores in major cities that are boarding up their premises? It's like a banana republic. So much for the 'shining city on the hill' !

[seivad]

The problem is, Trump has been busily loading the Supreme Court with supporters, that in itself is a travesty.

And not just the Supreme Court, hundreds of the lower courts as well. During Obama's term the Republican majority Senate blocked all of Obama's court nominees, leaving hundreds of openings when Obama left office. Mitch McConnell and Trump have been busy for 4 years packing the benches with Conservative judges. To hear Trump talk about it he claims that Obama left him this gift. Not so, he was powerless to fill the positions.

[joan ofarc]

Behind the scenes his enablers have finally come to the realisation that they will forever be tainted by their sickening praise of Trump and support of his twisted agenda. Be it 2020 or 2024, when the swampiest swamp of all is finally drained these people will find life on the outside very difficult.

Mitch McConnell, or as I like to call him, Jabba the Hut, seems to believe that Trump won't be returned to office. I don't imagine he'll be too bothered as its well known that he abhors Trump. He's directed Senators to concentrate on the Senate race. If Biden is elected, a sizeable Republican majority Senate will mean that they can effectively govern the country. I think it's quite likely that they will hold on to the Senate majority, but possibly with a smaller majority than expected. They will most definitely not take the House.

Whatever the result is, there will be civil unrest. Have you seen all the stores in major cities that are boarding up their premises? It's like a banana republic. So much for the 'shining city on the hill' !

America has been revealed as an empty vessel, berating countries around the world for lack of democracy while being nothing more than a third-rate proto-democracy themselves. It's a bit like when USSR was found to not be the super power we all thought it was behind that iron curtain, just a third world country with delusions of grandeur.

The thing that saddens me most when watching American political shows is that they just shrug their shoulders at things that would have most European countries frothing at the mouth.....changing voting arrangements at the last minute, shameless voter suppression and even more shamefully using the courts quite openly to seek to discount thousands of votes. And queuing 8 hours to vote! Can you see British voters putting up with any of that? They congratulate themselves on well run elections when they haven't a clue what that means.