2020 Political Chatter

[cash05458]

have to say this....even as a longtime leftie....folks out here talking about "cults" via the right? Listen, there is a huge cult going on about Trump via the left....TDS is a real thing....and allowed the DNC to pretty much run things in a terrible way....I didn't vote for Trump and have my problems, but if some dont think they have been brainwashed via this guy being a hitler type....they have lost the friggin plot...

[echappist]

What's the take on the law suit filed by Texas at the Supreme Court and joined in by ~15 other states? Doesn't even seem like the states suing would have standing, as they are not suffering because of decisions of other states

[vertical_doug]

From the PA reply filed

"The Court should not abide this seditious abuse of the judicial process, and should send a clear and un-mistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated."

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketP...%20v.FINAL.pdf

Read the Preliminary Statement.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

According to WaPo, VP Pence is in charge with congressional outreach to try to enlist a Senator to help contest the January Electoral Vote count and try to swing a Congressional vote. I am sure they will succeed.

[Tom]

Anything they do on the 6th will be symbolic as both houses of Congress have to vote in the majority to contest a slate of electors and it won't get anywhere in the House of Representatives.

It'll be interesting, and I view it with some trepidation, what happens with the court case. It doesn't seem to make any sense but what do I know?

[vertical_doug]

Anything they do on the 6th will be symbolic as both houses of Congress have to vote in the majority to contest a slate of electors and it won't get anywhere in the House of Representatives.

It'll be interesting, and I view it with some trepidation, what happens with the court case. It doesn't seem to make any sense but what do I know?

This is where I am unclear, is this procedural part one member one vote? I am not sure. I know that if it goes to a full state vote for president, each state gets one vote and then the Republicans have an advantage. That is the destination.

[Tom]

But each state is presenting only one slate of electors. It is one member one vote according to what I read. Even if the Senate votes to contest, if the House doesn't they have to accept the slate, according to the law. At least that's what I read when I stopped reading to save my sanity...

[Saab2000]

The court yesterday declined, with no explanation or written dissent, to hear the motion involving Pennsylvania. It would seem hard to imagine that a conservative court (which should hold dear the concept of states' rights) would hear a case from the State of Texas (I thought they were called The Republic of Texas but apparently not when the SCOTUS is involved.....), which is not aggrieved by the actions of other non-bordering states involving effectively the same thing they declined to hear yesterday. Historically the SCOTUS shies away from overtly political cases involving elections. 2000 was an exception from what I understand and much more cut and dried.

I don't know anything either and it is frightening to imagine this going anywhere but it was what everyone feared the evening of the election and following days.

The so-called Safe Harbor day has passed and all states have certified their results, effectively cementing Trump's defeat. The Supreme Court is not an investigative body nor an enforcement body. And I would think the virtually complete absence of verifiable fraud would allow the court to decline to hear anything that would undermine the previous dozens of cases that have been dismissed, including by judges Trump himself appointed. The Attorney General himself, a true loyalist, has said he has seen no signs of irregularities that would overturn the result. I guess it's not really about fraud per se but about the legality of mail-in voting, ironically only in states Trump needed to win and not in every state including probably Texas.

To me it seems inconceivable that they, the SCOTUS, would undermine the Constitution in such a blunt way. The whole process is spelled out in that document and so far there are no serious allegations of irregularities among any of the states.

Therefore I think this goes nowhere. But what do I know....? I smirk when I see that each of the five states in which I have been an official resident and have voted chose the way I was hoping they would. Two them pleasantly surprised me.

[gregl]

To me it seems inconceivable that they, the SCOTUS, would undermine the Constitution in such a blunt way. The whole process is spelled out in that document and so far there are no serious allegations of irregularities among any of the states.

None of the SCOTUS justices want to go down in history as the scoundrels who propped up a fascist regime. They will take the long view and rationalize their ways to refuse this case. No one wants to be the Benedict Arnold of their generation.

Greg

[jmgorman]

Wow - that was a fun read! You can just feel the incredulity and rage dripping off the page. I'm going to imagine that the Chief Deputy Attorney General's role on that brief was reading over the AG's shoulder while it was being written, quietly encouraging him to drag those meal-mouthed bastards. It's like the AG was giving them the dozens.

From the PA reply filed

"The Court should not abide this seditious abuse of the judicial process, and should send a clear and un-mistakable signal that such abuse must never be replicated."

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketP...%20v.FINAL.pdf

Read the Preliminary Statement.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

According to WaPo, VP Pence is in charge with congressional outreach to try to enlist a Senator to help contest the January Electoral Vote count and try to swing a Congressional vote. I am sure they will succeed.

[echappist]

None of the SCOTUS justices want to go down in history as the scoundrels who propped up a fascist regime. They will take the long view and rationalize their ways to refuse this case. No one wants to be the Benedict Arnold of their generation.

Greg

One would really hope that's the case

[theflashunc]

None of the SCOTUS justices want to go down in history as the scoundrels who propped up a fascist regime. They will take the long view and rationalize their ways to refuse this case. No one wants to be the Benedict Arnold of their generation.

Greg

Tough to take that credibly when Roberts has been committed to putting the Voting Rights Act to the sword.

This will obviously get laughed out of the court. But it's frightening to consider how quickly and completely the GOP has mobilized essentially the entire party around this effort. More GOP representatives signed on to this brief than not. And all of them were just re-elected in the most recent election they're now asking the Court to invalidate.

We are on a dark path.

[BBB]

I do wonder about how much thought is being put into these steps by the Republicans.

By now, barring a virtual coup, it should be obvious that Biden has won and Trump has lost. Politicians generally act in their own self-interest. Therefore it amazes me that the Republicans have not lined up to push Trump under the bus and move forward. The Georgia Senate race seems the obvious starting point. Win this and they control the Senate. Lose and their ability to influence events is weakened. Will blabbing on social media or in person functions that "we were robbed" actually work (presumably it just insults a good portion of the voting public) or would it be better to adopt a different stance at this point in time?

I get 70m plus people voted for the turkey and that is a concern, but Trump is already in the rearview mirror and a Biden presidency is the reality for those that lean on the Republican side of the fence. Trump may talk up running again, but he'll be 78 in four years time (not that that stopped Biden) and will no doubt face some form of legal jeopardy between now and then. He might scream into the night on twitter, but I very much doubt he is coming back. Despite the numbers of votes, it seems to me the Republicans need to look forward and put the red hat waving behind them and go back to the drawing board and come up with some sensible ideas that appeal to voters (aside from empty slogans).

Hopeless Supreme Court filings is not really a good start.

[theflashunc]

That assumes the GOP has any platform today other than whatever Trump wants at any given moment, and suppressing the vote as much as possible.

They have no platform that appeals to the majority of Americans.

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but David Frum is right. When the GOP is convinced it cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism or Trumpism, they'll abandon democracy. We're seeing it play out in real time.

Their playbook isn't to think of new policies that make their ticket more appealing. It's simply grab the reins of power and ignore the will of voters if they don't like the outcome.

[Too Tall]

Nobody is taking my bet? DJT will hold his own Prez. Inauguration with all "those" GOP members in attendance.

Take my money.

[Tom]

Karen (My wife who says "G-d D----t couldn't they come up with another name to use derisively?") thinks there are three classes of Republicans. Thinking conservatives, the prejudiced, and those who respond to who is in power. She laments that the first class seems to be vastly outnumbered by the last two. The hope I have is that last class is a significant segment. After the charismatic populist is out of power, is facing criminal prosecutions and starts displaying unmistakable signs of dementia if the Republicans can't find another like him then things may settle back to a more normal state. If not, we're screwed.

[monadnocky]

Nobody is taking my bet? DJT will hold his own Prez. Inauguration with all "those" GOP members in attendance.

Take my money.

Oh that's an easy wager for me. This will definitely happen. Then he will set up the "real White House" at Mar-A-Lago, and solicit donations to pay his "cabinet."
What, you think his grift's gonna end?

[zachateseverything]

I do wonder about how much thought is being put into these steps by the Republicans.

By now, barring a virtual coup, it should be obvious that Biden has won and Trump has lost. Politicians generally act in their own self-interest. Therefore it amazes me that the Republicans have not lined up to push Trump under the bus and move forward. The Georgia Senate race seems the obvious starting point. Win this and they control the Senate. Lose and their ability to influence events is weakened. Will blabbing on social media or in person functions that "we were robbed" actually work (presumably it just insults a good portion of the voting public) or would it be better to adopt a different stance at this point in time?

I get 70m plus people voted for the turkey and that is a concern, but Trump is already in the rearview mirror and a Biden presidency is the reality for those that lean on the Republican side of the fence. Trump may talk up running again, but he'll be 78 in four years time (not that that stopped Biden) and will no doubt face some form of legal jeopardy between now and then. He might scream into the night on twitter, but I very much doubt he is coming back. Despite the numbers of votes, it seems to me the Republicans need to look forward and put the red hat waving behind them and go back to the drawing board and come up with some sensible ideas that appeal to voters (aside from empty slogans).

Hopeless Supreme Court filings is not really a good start.

I think there are two key issues at play. First, a huge number of voters aren't really getting their news from reality based sources. Yeah, there's always been an editorial difference between how one paper covers a story and another. but many people are choosing to exclusively get their news from online tabloids that make things up out of whole cloth.

the other issue is that the GOP is a cult of personality. They don't have a platform other than "this is what Trump wants" and anyone that breaks rank is going to get primaried and cut off from RNC funding.

[HorsCat]

Despite the numbers of votes, it seems to me the Republicans need to look forward and put the red hat waving behind them and go back to the drawing board and come up with some sensible ideas that appeal to voters (aside from empty slogans).

Hopeless Supreme Court filings is not really a good start.

Thing is, Republicans are looking forward. Going back to the Obama years, the pundit class kept thinking that the things the Rs were doing would lead to their electoral defeat. The opposite happened and at virtually every turn they were rewarded with more power. Setting aside the race for POTUS, the 2020 election confirms this theory. They will probably parlay their sedition into continued control of the Senate in 2021 and recapturing the House in 2022.

[echappist]

Karen (My wife who says "G-d D----t couldn't they come up with another name to use derisively?") thinks there are three classes of Republicans. Thinking conservatives, the prejudiced, and those who respond to who is in power. She laments that the first class seems to be vastly outnumbered by the last two. The hope I have is that last class is a significant segment. After the charismatic populist is out of power, is facing criminal prosecutions and starts displaying unmistakable signs of dementia if the Republicans can't find another like him then things may settle back to a more normal state. If not, we're screwed.

They'll respond to his venal spawns...

[gregl]

I think there are two key issues at play. First, a huge number of voters aren't really getting their news from reality based sources. Yeah, there's always been an editorial difference between how one paper covers a story and another. but many people are choosing to exclusively get their news from online tabloids that make things up out of whole cloth.

the other issue is that the GOP is a cult of personality. They don't have a platform other than "this is what Trump wants" and anyone that breaks rank is going to get primaried and cut off from RNC funding.

I think it's even simpler than that. The general public wants easy answers. They don't want sacrifice. The Republicans provide easy answers, and a lot of it is to simply blame someone else for their problems. The GOP hasn't had a true platform for at least a generation. "If you don't have a good solution, blame someone else" seems to be the mantra. For us functional, reasonable, conservatives (who are also moderates on social issues), neither party is particularly appealing. So I choose the lesser of two evils and have voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since 1996.

Greg