How Trump Could Steal The Election

[MSC]

4 hours ago, iNow said:

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” ~Voltaire

+1, Love Voltaire

[John Cuthber]

12 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Instead of claiming Mitt Romney would put African Americans back in chains?

 

That's reasonable hyperbole given that Romney thinks that supporting workers rights  "actions contravene the rule of law".

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2011/12/31/workingmans-blues

 

[J.C.MacSwell]

8 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

That's reasonable hyperbole given that Romney thinks that supporting workers rights  "actions contravene the rule of law".

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2011/12/31/workingmans-blues

 

A lot of that helpful "reasonable hyperbole" going around. 

Another name for it is lies. But that's okay because the GOP does it more, correct?

 

[John Cuthber]

5 minutes ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

But that's okay because the GOP does it more, correct?

There really is a difference between hype and, for example, DT's claim of electoral fraud- for which there is apparently no evidence at all.

[dimreepr]

4 minutes ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

A lot of that helpful "reasonable hyperbole" going around. 

Another name for it is lies. But that's okay because the GOP does it more, correct?

Lies are ubiquitous across all levels of society, but not all lies are bad or are intended to deceive for personal gain.

I know which side I'd prefer to do the lying.

[iNow]

Apparently there’s a lot of false equivalence going around, too

[J.C.MacSwell]

18 minutes ago, John Cuthber said:

There really is a difference between hype and, for example, DT's claim of electoral fraud- for which there is apparently no evidence at all.

There is. Trump himself is on another level, though unfortunately far from alone.

4 minutes ago, iNow said:

Apparently there’s a lot of false equivalence going around, too

That's the excuse. You can always fall back on that when none was made, with no concern whether it is accurate or not, because reasons. I didn't claim Biden was as bad as Trump. As bad as he may be at times he's not even close.

Adam Schiff is a better comparison to Trump. Both are supported by their respective parties, though one is in a far less powerful position,

for now...

[swansont]

10 hours ago, iNow said:

In the long term, yes. Absolutely. There are scores of young people who will NEVER vote Republican because of all of this, and many former republicans who will never vote that way again. This is Trumps party now, and legacy republicans and conservatives hate Trump and those like him coming up through the ranks.   

But in the short term, this is exactly what it takes to drive turnout. These claims of fraud piss people off and it’s the angry people who believe the conspiracies and who follow QAnon who are easiest to control and the most likely to show up in large numbers to vote. 

There is some indication that some conspiracy believers think the voting machines are compromised, so they are urging people to boycott the election, since the democrats have fixed it. I don't know how prevalent this is, but if it has traction, that would depress turnout.

Trump isn't on the ballot, which may also depress turnout among some groups of people not driven by civic duty.

[iNow]

3 minutes ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

I didn't claim Biden was as bad as Trump. As bad as he may be at times he's not even close.

Adam Schiff is a better comparison to Trump

I don’t think this is even remotely plausible either, but appreciate you sharing your opinion (and your posts in general, as well).

 

3 minutes ago, swansont said:

Trump isn't on the ballot, which may also depress turnout

I suspect this is correct, though it may not depress it enough. Despite the amazing work of Stacey Abrams and her team, Georgia has been solidly red for decades. 

[J.C.MacSwell]

I could be wrong, but I think with the eyes of America on Georgia, and Senate control hanging in the balance, the turnout could be every bit as high as it was in the Nov 3 election.

Different set of problems or opportunities, but I think it could be both good and bad for Biden either way it goes.

[MSC]

12 hours ago, iNow said:

He was not a noob, but was instead a sockpuppet of a previously banned user. This has since been confirmed and the user banned... again. 

God dammit! Can we bring them back for five minutes so I can rail them for wasting my time being nice to them? Haha

[John Cuthber]

3 hours ago, J.C.MacSwell said:

Adam Schiff is a better comparison to Trump.

In what way? He's not someone I know.
Has he indecently assaulted women and then tried to pas it off as a joke?

 

[iNow]

Meanwhile, I find myself feeling comforted and assured by the selections Biden is making/announcing for his team. There’s no direct comparison, but is like bringing in some major league all-star players after years watching the peewee league swinging and missing. 

[StringJunky]

Just in: 

Quote

US agency ascertains Biden as winner, lets transition begin

WASHINGTON (AP) — The General Services Administration has ascertained that President-elect Joe Biden is the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election. President Donald Trump, who had refused to concede the election, said Monday that he is directing his team to cooperate on the transition but is vowing to keep up the fight.

The move clears the way for the start of the transition from Trump’s administration and allows Biden to coordinate with federal agencies on plans for taking over on Jan. 20.

An official said Administrator Emily Murphy made the determination after Trump efforts to subvert the vote failed across battleground states, most recently in Michigan, which certified Biden’s victory Monday.

“Please know that I came to my decision independently, based on the law and available facts. I was never directly or indirectly pressured by any Executive Branch official—including those who work at the White House or GSA—with regard to the substance or timing of my decision,” Murphy wrote in a letter to Biden.

Trump tweeted shortly after her letter was made public: “Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good... fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same.”

https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-health-national-security-rob-portman-coronavirus-pandemic-ac923137dfb664e5c3a1923f52eebbad

 

Edited November 23, 2020 by StringJunky

[iNow]

FINALLY

[MSC]

19 hours ago, iNow said:

Nearly everything he wants to do will be obstructed by the Republican led senate. The senate will also continue blocking covid relief aid so the economy falters and then they can blame Biden for not fixing it.

Is that a foregone conclusion itself? Georgia by election is still to happen. I'll need to check the polls of those races myself but as I understand it, Reps have 48, Indies have 2, Dems have 46. If Dems were able to take both seats in Georgia, then the Independents and the vice presidents tie breaker vote would be the pivotal votes. 

Then you have the 2022 senate elections where, depending on a number of things, but also association with Trump, we may see a dem majority then, or even a Republican one again if Biden's first two years are perceived and received badly by the public.

19 hours ago, iNow said:

You still think this is a chess game where thinking 4 moves ahead is how you win, but the “other” side is busy lighting the chess board itself on fire with a blow torch from underneath while replacing the pieces with cheese puffs. 

An extremely funny image there! Let me add to it by saying, I'm not the guy oblivious to playing a game with a chaos monger. I'm the guy waiting to Han Solo a bitch with a trigger trained on them, ready to fire the moment I smell burning or see a cheese puff. 

Even chaos has a pattern and trends. Ultimately, their are rules, even to chaos. 

Just because I think like a fox, doesn't mean I don't know how to act like a lion or think like one when I need to, Lions fuck up hyenas and jackals. 

20 hours ago, iNow said:

It’s not about trying to overturn the election result. It’s about trying to upend trust in democracy itself.

A real worry for me too. What can I do but have a measure of healthy optimism that democracy can defend itself? I can be ready to act pragmatically should a more pessimistic outcome come to fruition. 

As it is, I cannot generalise that all Republicans or even Trump supporters are chaos-mongers as you seem to imply sometimes, don't know if that's intentional or not. I assume not. 

21 hours ago, iNow said:

It’s basically this same exact playbook they used against Obama, and it worked then, too. This time with QAnon, NewsMax, Parler, and OAN and whatever grift Trump sets up next  it will be like the tea party times 10 on steroids. 

Can this be avoided? 

[iNow]

42 minutes ago, MSC said:

Is that a foregone conclusion itself?

No. Of course not, but quite likely. 

42 minutes ago, MSC said:

If Dems were able to take both seats in Georgia, then

Yes. I’m aware, but you should’ve increased the font size on that IF bc it’s so big. 

42 minutes ago, MSC said:

I cannot generalise that all Republicans or even Trump supporters are chaos-mongers as you seem to imply sometimes

I see it more as an issue of values, priorities, and critical thinking, not about the mongering of chaos as you imply. I’ve been paying attention to this stuff for a long time now and I’m no longer able to kick at the proverbial football Lucy keeps consistently pulling away. 

42 minutes ago, MSC said:

Can this be avoided? 

I don’t see how. The conspiracy thinking and bubbled information ecosystems have become far too entrenched and commonplace... so much so that challenges to it are often conflated with attacks on personal identity... but perhaps I’ve simply moved beyond your referenced optimism and into pragmatism and cynicism (realism?). 

Edited November 24, 2020 by iNow

[MSC]

1 hour ago, iNow said:

I don’t see how. The conspiracy thinking and bubbled information ecosystems have become far too entrenched and commonplace... so much so that challenges to it are often conflated with attacks on personal identity... but perhaps I’ve simply moved beyond your referenced optimism and into pragmatism and cynicism (realism?)

A pragmatist ought not to disregard optimism, planning for their best while preparing for the worst. 

That's all I'll say on that here though. Might have to start a topic about Pragmatism and the neo-pragmatic schools of ethics and epistemology. I think you'll enjoy it and I imagine you are already somewhat familiar with the subject anyway.

Side bar: I'm glad we seem to be getting along now. Sorry for telling you to fuck off before.

 

[iNow]

23 minutes ago, MSC said:

Sorry for telling you to fuck off before.

I forgot about it until you mentioned it here 

[MigL]

Language, guys.
Young kids read this forum.
Don't contribute to the downfall of young people's morals  .

From Stringy's link/quote

"Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good... fight"

Yeah, just like OJ was looking for his wife's killer … on the golf course   .
 

( what can I say, I'm in a good mood; the Trump era is finally drawing to a close )

"

Edited November 24, 2020 by MigL

[iNow]

1 minute ago, MigL said:

Don't contribute to the downfall of young people's morals

I don’t really trust anybody who doesn’t cuss/swear

[MSC]

45 minutes ago, iNow said:

I don’t really trust anybody who doesn’t cuss/swear

On that, we can both agree. I'm Scottish, swearing is an art form to us. 

48 minutes ago, MigL said:

Don't contribute to the downfall of young people's morals

Young people have morals? Since when?! Do you expect us to believe you weren't an ass as a teenager? 

In all serious though, teens swear more than I do. 

The best insults in Scottish though don't really have a lot of swearing. You can cripple a guy just by telling him his da sells Avon. True story

[Sanitarium]

I am a Joe Biden fan, yo!

[iNow]

This criminal filing is about 60 pages and worth the read in its entirety. It’s hard to argue in good faith that no fraud was being purposely pursued. 
 

https://january6th.house.gov/sites/democrats.january6th.house.gov/files/2022.03.02 (ECF 160) Opposition to Plaintiff's Privilege Claims (Redacted).pdf

Edited March 6, 2022 by iNow

[MigL]

Maybe he thinks if he saves the day in Ukraine, with a plan to stop the Russians, he's got a chance of getting re-elected.
I hear he proposed using F-22 with fake Chinese markings to bomb Russia.

Almost as sensible as drinking bleach to cure Covid-19.

You see all those people in Russia who have no idea what's happening outside their borders because of government controlled news, and who believe everything V Putin tells them.
Yet in America, with all information freely available at your fingertips, a large number of idiots still believe all the crap that D Trump spews.
Iwouldn't believe it could be possible, but it is still happening.

Can't believe I missed this ...

On 11/24/2020 at 12:21 AM, MSC said:

Do you expect us to believe you weren't an ass as a teenager? 

Some people would say I'm still an ass, now.

Edited March 7, 2022 by MigL