As anxious as most of us are now, It might be worse next week. There’s a long article by Ron Suskind at the New York Times that I’ve been encouraging people to read all the way through, if they can. I realize not everybody subscribes, so here’s just a bit:
Nov. 4 will be a day, said one of the former senior intelligence officials, “when he’ll [Trump] want to match word with deed.” Key officials in several parts of the government told me how they thought the progression from the 3rd to the 4th might go down.
They are loath to give up too many precise details, but it’s not hard to speculate from what we already know. Disruption would most likely begin on Election Day morning somewhere on the East Coast, where polls open first. Miami and Philadelphia (already convulsed this week after another police shooting), in big swing states, would be likely locations. It could be anything, maybe violent, maybe not, started by anyone, or something planned and executed by any number of organizations, almost all of them on the right fringe, many adoring of Mr. Trump. The options are vast and test the imagination. Activists could stage protests at a few of the more crowded polling places and draw those in long lines into conflict.
A group could just directly attack a polling place, injuring poll workers of both parties, and creating a powerful visual — an American polling place in flames, like the ballot box in Massachusetts that was burned earlier this week — that would immediately circle the globe. Some enthusiasts may simply enter the area around a polling location to root out voter fraud — as the president has directed his supporters to do — taking advantage of a 2018 court ruling that allows the Republican National Committee to pursue “ballot security” operations without court approval.
Trump supporters, of course, fervently believe that everyone who isn’t a Trump supporter is part of some demonic, anti-American subversive force who must be stopped from voting. And since we may not know a winner until the end of the week, if not longer, there will be plenty of time for the hotheads to get out of control.
Still, some states will be called on election night, which might tell us which way the wind is blowing. FiveThirtyEight has published a handy guide to when to expect election results in every state. We should know the result in Florida, which could go either way, on election night, for example. Many of the early-reporting states will go for Trump, but it would be telling if his margin of victory is lower than in 2016. Some of the early-reporting states, such as Montana, South Carolina, and Colorado have critical Senate races.
The early voting suggests a really big turnout, which is supposed to favor Democrats. It looks like younger people are voting in higher numbers than usual. That should favor Democrats. I am hopeful the votes will give us a good result, if they are all counted.
Trump is on the stump declaring Covid has been vanquished and Hunter Biden Hunter Biden. See Paul Waldman, Republicans are trapped by Trump’s insane ideas about how to win this election.
Trump and the conservative media are locked in a self-reinforcing cycle in which this “issue” — fed, we should note, by bizarre and ludicrous disinformation — is all they can think about. He talks about it at his rallies, so Fox and other right-wing outlets devote endless airtime to it, and since Trump spends hours every day watching Fox, he becomes yet more convinced that it’s both vitally important and the key to his victory. And the cycle spins on.
It’s not just Hunter. One striking thing about not just Trump’s rallies but also his interviews and even his debates with Joe Biden is that Trump regularly tosses out references to a series of faux scandals and outrages that most Americans don’t understand, without bothering to explain. If you aren’t steeped in what is sometimes jokingly called the Fox News Cinematic Universe, you have no idea what Trump is talking about when he mentions Bruce Ohr or “ballots in a ditch” or “the hard drive from hell.”
I keep seeing new videos of recent rallies in which Trump repeats his “covid,covid, covid” whine, which on the local teevee news tends to be juxtaposed with recent reports of increases in cases and hospitalizations. Several of the so-called swing states are seeing a big spike in cases right now.
On Tuesday the White House science office went beyond Trump’s now-standard claims that we’re “rounding the corner” on the coronavirus and declared that one of the administration’s major achievements was “ending the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Who was that supposed to convince, when almost everyone is aware not only that the pandemic continues, but that coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are surging? All it did was make Trump look even more out of touch.
Hang in there, peeps. Vote early if you can.
I made a special trip at about 7pm last night to drop off my ballot in Washington. I was annoyed that I had to drive, turn, drive, turn, drive, turn – then I realized they were prepared for a *long* line of cars, on any given day. During daylight hours, they have a second station across the street.
I am not Buddhist, and you've taught me a couple times that my understanding of it is *not* as good as I'd thought, but I *do* like the idea that one should feel compassion for all – it's one of the reasons that Jesus fellow appeals to me, too.
But I will need to be strong, focused, and centered, not to revel in Trump's misery if/when he loses Texas or Florida, or even Pennsylvania (my home state!), which will pretty much shut the door on his chances. Texas is my big hope. I don't care if it's clear Biden wins by 0.2%, and exit polls say "we'd have voted for *any* Republican but Trump", it would just hammer home that he didn't just lose, he's a *loser*, having lost one of the most reliable red states.
Anyway: if you follow balloon-juice.com, you may have already seen this; I wish I had before filling out my ballot:
https://twitter.com/mistergeezy/status/1321931108473315328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
(Video of a ballot (fill-in-the-)oval, representing Trump's mouth and… well, you'll see the rest, if you want to.)
I'm less concerned about Nov 3 or 4 – which will be difficult enough- as I am for the long stretch till the EC meets in Dec, and going on to Jan 20 next year. There's no telling what he or his followers will do.
This 1988 analysis of Trump’s handwriting is terrifying
Election Day is one thing.
The 79 days from 11/3/20 to 1/20/21 is a different thing.
I'm a pessimist:
On Election Day, I expect several early morning attacks on polling places (in minorities majority districts, of course you silly…) – particularly in "Swing States." Some may be violent – even deadly). Kinda discourages performing one's citizenly duty, you see? More attacks later on – particularly if it looks like Biden's going to win.
And after ED (not THAT "ED!"), the "barristering" will begin with a flourish. And there will be more blood.
This is the election that will either give us more precious time for the forces of democracy to gain strength here to insure a better future for all, or do we allow America to end up as a Kleptocratic/Fascist/Theocracy: A country that will end up the direct opposite of the initial goals and aspirations of the men and women who dreamed of a better country, and risked their lives giving birth to this flawed nation.
If we win, the experiment in representative democracy lives on – with the goal of correcting all the mistakes, and bigotry.
And if we lose?
I'll see you in the gulag (;-)c u n d gulag). Save you a bunk near me if'n you'd like.
I feel bad about being such a "Debbie Downer" earlier, so I tried to think of something optimistic.
And it was so obvious, even I came up with the answer! Quickly!
It's somehow… I don't know… Somehow satisfying seeing SO MANY, MANY PEOPLE exercising their franchise: voting. Already.
People have have waited in line for over 8 to 9 hours TO EARLY VOTE! VOTE EARLY!!! In Texas, 4 days before Election Day, more people have already voted than ALL OF 2016! Not just more than to this point in the election, BUT THE ENTIRE ELECTION!!!
People care.
American people care.
That thought makes me smile.
Trump is on the stump declaring Covid has been vanquished
Covid where is thy sting?