US Election Week 2020

[Eddie Teach]

I'm ready for him to go away. The clown act has gotten stale.

[crazy canuck]

I know Trump not conceding and trying to string out the electoral process so he could destroy democracy is not a good thing, but I feel like since election night he and his team have basically acted like complete morons and it's felt like every day since then he's lost the election all over again in new and humiliating ways, and that makes me quite happy.

I forget where but I read an interesting take that this is really just a set up for his version of the stabbed in the back narrative.  He needs to put up a show of trying to use the existing system in order to later argue that it doesn't work and needs to be torn down.

[Solmyr]

I know Trump not conceding and trying to string out the electoral process so he could destroy democracy is not a good thing, but I feel like since election night he and his team have basically acted like complete morons and it's felt like every day since then he's lost the election all over again in new and humiliating ways, and that makes me quite happy.

I forget where but I read an interesting take that this is really just a set up for his version of the stabbed in the back narrative.  He needs to put up a show of trying to use the existing system in order to later argue that it doesn't work and needs to be torn down.

Well, they are blaming Jews (Soros) and Communists, so...

[Habbaku]

I know Trump not conceding and trying to string out the electoral process so he could destroy democracy is not a good thing, but I feel like since election night he and his team have basically acted like complete morons and it's felt like every day since then he's lost the election all over again in new and humiliating ways, and that makes me quite happy.

I've gotten to see him lose Georgia 3 times. Can he get a fourth? Who knows, but I laugh each time.

[Admiral Yi]

I mean he's tried it. There's been a few less scrupulous Republican state level officials going along. As DG says if it was closer, I've no idea how this would go.

What happened was Biden won quite convincingly, both in votes in the states he swung and in the EC margin. Not as convincingly as I'd have liked but enough to make it very difficult.

But 70% of Republicans don't think it was a free and fair election which is challenging from a loser's consent point of view - which is key for a functioning democracy.

People made their predictions of civil war and coup d'etat and election theft when we believed the polls that had Biden winning easily.

[Valmy]

Those things would have required Trump to actually do something besides bluster, so obviously were not going to happen.

[FunkMonk]

I know Trump not conceding and trying to string out the electoral process so he could destroy democracy is not a good thing, but I feel like since election night he and his team have basically acted like complete morons and it's felt like every day since then he's lost the election all over again in new and humiliating ways, and that makes me quite happy.

I've gotten to see him lose Georgia 3 times. Can he get a fourth? Who knows, but I laugh each time.

Yeah, it's been a surprising source of comedy and has consistently brightened up my days 

[Razgovory]

I mean he's tried it. There's been a few less scrupulous Republican state level officials going along. As DG says if it was closer, I've no idea how this would go.

What happened was Biden won quite convincingly, both in votes in the states he swung and in the EC margin. Not as convincingly as I'd have liked but enough to make it very difficult.

But 70% of Republicans don't think it was a free and fair election which is challenging from a loser's consent point of view - which is key for a functioning democracy.

People made their predictions of civil war and coup d'etat and election theft when we believed the polls that had Biden winning easily.

I predicted he simply wouldn't leave the White House before Inauguration day.

[DGuller]

I mean he's tried it. There's been a few less scrupulous Republican state level officials going along. As DG says if it was closer, I've no idea how this would go.

What happened was Biden won quite convincingly, both in votes in the states he swung and in the EC margin. Not as convincingly as I'd have liked but enough to make it very difficult.

But 70% of Republicans don't think it was a free and fair election which is challenging from a loser's consent point of view - which is key for a functioning democracy.

People made their predictions of civil war and coup d'etat and election theft when we believed the polls that had Biden winning easily.

Which people?  I was worried about those things precisely if the elections were closer than predicted, or if the control of the Senate hinged on one disputed election.  Given everything that we observed, with the unassailable lead Biden got, I don't see how you can view it as an affirmation that our electoral system is coup-proof.

[Eddie Teach]

Perhaps not proof, but more resistant than some give it credit for.

[The Brain]

The drunk managed to drive home from the bar without causing an accident. That showed them!

[Admiral Yi]

Which people?  I was worried about those things precisely if the elections were closer than predicted, or if the control of the Senate hinged on one disputed election.  Given everything that we observed, with the unassailable lead Biden got, I don't see how you can view it as an affirmation that our electoral system is coup-proof.

I didn't keep a list.

As long as one person has a gun, and at least one person would prefer not to be shot, no system is entirely coup-proof.

But no GOP controlled state legislature showed the least inkling of moving to invalidate the ballot; the military command made it abundantly clear it wasn't interested in invalidating an election; state and federal judges didn't roll over for Guiliani's bonehead court cases.  The system worked exactly as it was supposed to.

[DGuller]

But no GOP controlled state legislature showed the least inkling of moving to invalidate the ballot; the military command made it abundantly clear it wasn't interested in invalidating an election; state and federal judges didn't roll over for Guiliani's bonehead court cases.  The system worked exactly as it was supposed to.

Because it was futile.  The thing about coups is that you have to be really damn sure the coup is going to succeed before you join it.  It's one of those things where the boundary between implausible and inevitable is very narrow.  You join the coup because you know that everyone else who's needed for the coup to succeed will join.  It was implausible for three states to find an excuse to negate the results, so we never got close to the precipice.  If election hinged on just one state, with a very narrow vote total and GOP state government, I don't think we would be feeling so relieved now.

[Valmy]

Sure the institutions are holding out, I am just worried about the people.

[Admiral Yi]

Because it was futile.  The thing about coups is that you have to be really damn sure the coup is going to succeed before you join it.  It's one of those things where the boundary between implausible and inevitable is very narrow.  You join the coup because you know that everyone else who's needed for the coup to succeed will join.  It was implausible for three states to find an excuse to negate the results, so we never got close to the precipice.  If election hinged on just one state, with a very narrow vote total and GOP state government, I don't think we would be feeling so relieved now.

I'll drop it.