US Election Week 2020

[Barrister]

Can Biden resign the Paris Accord without Senate support?

IIRC the Paris accord was specifically designed not as a treaty precisely so that Obama didn't need to send it to the Senate.

The downside of that approach meant that Trump could just promptly back out of it as well.

[Josquius]

Anyone want to explain how michigan is called and wisxonsin not? Wisconsin has 1% left to count and a gap bigger than that whilst in michigan it does look theoretically possible (unlikely) to flip

[crazy canuck]

Anyone want to explain how michigan is called and wisxonsin not? Wisconsin has 1% left to count and a gap bigger than that whilst in michigan it does look theoretically possible (unlikely) to flip

Wisconsin is called.

[The Larch]

So Trump himself is now claiming victory in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan, where he claims that ballots have been dumped.

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

We have claimed, for Electoral Vote purposes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (which won't allow legal observers) the State of Georgia, and the State of North Carolina, each one of which has a BIG Trump lead. Additionally, we hereby claim the State of Michigan if, in fact there was a large number of secretly dumped ballots as has been widely reported!

[The Minsky Moment]

And I have claimed the State of New Jersey for the King of Siam.  So there.

[Josquius]

Someone wanna mock up trump as columbus claiming states for the Queen?

[Maladict]

So Trump himself is now claiming victory in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan, where he claims that ballots have been dumped.

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump

We have claimed, for Electoral Vote purposes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (which won't allow legal observers) the State of Georgia, and the State of North Carolina, each one of which has a BIG Trump lead. Additionally, we hereby claim the State of Michigan if, in fact there was a large number of secretly dumped ballots as has been widely reported!

What a loser.

[Oexmelin]

And I have claimed the State of New Jersey for the King of Siam.  So there.

One of you isn't the President of the United States.

[Solmyr]

So Trump himself is now claiming victory in Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan, where he claims that ballots have been dumped.

Do the claims give him a casus belli?

[Tamas]

I don't even get this stop counting nonsense.

It's not like they are counting votes which were cast past closing time.

But I know it's stupid to try and find logics.

This "man" is such a fucking little toddler in an old guy's body it's incredible. And he is half of his country's choice and may still be re-elected.

[Josquius]

What is truly amazing is how so many people are so brainwashed they're believing this stuff.

[The Minsky Moment]

And honestly, I find these results disapointing.  I really thought I was wrong and Donald Trump would be just a blip on the US political map, but über patriotism and insanity is the future of American politics, I guess.  Too many people like this style of politics, all in the Twitter rage, none on the actions.  People are so easily seduced by a sweet talker that it's depressing.  I fear this model is slowly getting imported over here.

I watched a little a bit of Tucker Carlson the other night.  He had on a guy hawking a new book (it's one of the books where a hack editorial writer drags out a column to book length to cash in).  Book was called "Grow up and Vote for Trump".  I found that funny and not just because of Trump's own childlike emotional state and lack of maturity. It was because the previous 5 minutes of the show consisted entirely of Carlson making fun of Kamala Harris' name, interspersed with mockery of the way she dresses and how she talks.  It was as if Carlson was simultaneously communing with and combining together a clique of bitchy 6th grade girls and obnoxious 6th grade boys. 

It is the politics of asshollery.  Being an asshole is not just an unfortunate side effect of having an "authentic" politician.  It is an end in itself, a feature not a bug.  WAD. Many Americans are genuinely attracted to it - presumably because they confuse lack of decency for toughness.  It does speak to a cultural failing.  The media sometimes tries to pass it off as anti-elitism but that's B.S. because the targets of asshollery are more often non-elites.  Trump didn't rip kids from their parents and shove them into cages to stick to the elites, he did it because he is a soulless immoral person and a giant asshole.  For all the tut-tutting there are plenty of Americans cheerleading this stuff.

[The Minsky Moment]

And I have claimed the State of New Jersey for the King of Siam.  So there.

One of you isn't the President of the United States.

And yet my statement is of equal legal effect.

[Oexmelin]

And yet my statement is of equal legal effect.

Yes, but Trump isn't looking for legal effect. If that were the case, we'd have known for a while. Trump is fighting in the political arena, where his utterances have had their effects - by virtue of him being President of the United States. 

[FunkMonk]

And I have claimed the State of New Jersey for the King of Siam.  So there.

One of you isn't the President of the United States.

And yet my statement is of equal legal effect.

This isn't for you or the courts or any lame law stuff. It's for his supporters. He's telling them he's not going down without a fight.  And they'll love him for it.