Campaign 2020

[FilmFan720]

Can Biden just offer Richard Burr (and someone else with a Democratic Governor) a job in the Biden administration or something and the Democratic Governor gives us a replacement for the two or three months we need to do stuff?

I believe North Carolina has a law that a Senator must be replaced with one from the same party...

[Sabin]

Can Biden just offer Richard Burr (and someone else with a Democratic Governor) a job in the Biden administration or something and the Democratic Governor gives us a replacement for the two or three months we need to do stuff?

[Sabin]

Copy that.

[Big Magilla]

Here's my question. Let's say we end up with 270-268. There will be lawsuits and obstruction, but let's say that's the total. Can't he just get one elector to change his mind and vote for him, thus making it a tie? Or, like, two and, y'know, win it all?

No. Here's the answer:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/sco ... ote-winner

[Sabin]

Okri wrote
Sabin, I wonder if McConnel plays a longer game. A hamstrung Biden government leading to big Republican gains in 2022 and I don't think the Democrats think boldly now. Meanwhile they have the Supreme Court ready to smack down when they want.

Agreed. McConnell got all the juice he needed from that lemon. He’s starting Biden’s term the most powerful man in Washington.

[Okri]

Watching Biden shrink the gap in PA and GA is insanely nervesracking

Sabin, I wonder if McConnel plays a longer game. A hamstrung Biden government leading to big Republican gains in 2022 and I don't think the Democrats think boldly now. Meanwhile they have the Supreme Court ready to smack down when they want.

[Sabin]

I gave up on cable news years ago but I watched CNN last night. The whole night felt like repeating ad nauseum what might happen but hasn't yet, which felt like "We've learned our lesson from 2016 and our response is to do something even goofier."

I guess there were three outcomes. A blue wave, a red wave, or pretty much the same ball game as 2016 which is to say tight. It looks like this outcome is a little better than 2016 because Biden for the most part will have narrowed states that Clinton lost by margins last time like Texas and Georgia and likely pull out at least a 270 win (!!!). The myth of a Blue Texas lives another day. On the other hand, it's hard to feel great about last night. It wasn't a repudiation of Trump-ism. Biden will win the popular vote by millions but Trump somehow increased his totals. Nobody expected that.

Here's my question. Let's say we end up with 270-268. There will be lawsuits and obstruction, but let's say that's the total. Can't he just get one elector to change his mind and vote for him, thus making it a tie? Or, like, two and, y'know, win it all?

[mlrg]

Now I'm just clicking "refresh" on BBC's election tracker page every ten minutes and waiting for Michigan to turn to blue.

Reminiscent of Florida 2000

[Heksagon]

Now I'm just clicking "refresh" on BBC's election tracker page every ten minutes and waiting for Michigan to turn to blue.

[Heksagon]

I've been following the results through CNN. My time zone is +5 hours ET. I went to sleep at 2am

Funnily, I like to do it the other way around, go to sleep early and wake up early to watch the end.

[Big Magilla]

MSNSBC's coverage is better than CNN's with more detailed analysis but I, too, am sick of all this. I may not watch any cable news any more.

The hopeful thing about Biden in the uncalled states is that it's the big city mail-in vote in all of them that has yet to be counted so he could and should carry all of them. However, even if he does win, without a Democratic majority in the Senate, Trumpism still wins and nothing will get done.

[mlrg]

I just read a very interesting criticism about CNN. (I don't know if it applies to the other networks.) They have their full sized computerized backdrop. They have maps of states and counties which they keep zooming in and out of. And they've spent the entire evening playing coloring games with the districts and counties. When Trump gets an early lead in a county with only 3% of the vote tallied, they'll color the whole county red. On screen will be this huge, intense rectangle of red stimulating your eyes. And since Trump did well with the early counts, and Biden did well with the ballots counted later - thus flipping areas that have been red all night to blue - I can totally understand how a Trump voter would feel like the rug was pulled out from under them. And I can see how easily Trump can take advantage of the situation.

Anyway, between 2018 and especially this year, I've decided elections are bad for the health. I may be done.

I've been following the results through CNN. My time zone is +5 hours ET. I went to sleep at 2am and up until then CNN was focusing their full attention on Florida. Then they gave up on Florida, they moved to Texas… "Biden can take Texas… and Ohio"... Trump took those two states. I woke up a couple of hours ago and as I'm working from home I have the TV on CNN. They now are focused on Michigan and Wisconsin going in circles with all the possibilities of a Biden win if he takes this two states. This is to say that they look desperate for a Biden win. At some point the anchor, before cutting to a break, said "if your stomach is aching or hurting… we are here for you… take a deep breath…"

[Sonic Youth]

I just read a very interesting criticism about CNN. (I don't know if it applies to the other networks.) They have their full sized computerized backdrop. They have maps of states and counties which they keep zooming in and out of. And they've spent the entire evening playing coloring games with the districts and counties. When Trump gets an early lead in a county with only 3% of the vote tallied, they'll color the whole county red. On screen will be this huge, intense rectangle of red stimulating your eyes. And since Trump did well with the early counts, and Biden did well with the ballots counted later - thus flipping areas that have been red all night to blue - I can totally understand how a Trump voter would feel like the rug was pulled out from under them. And I can see how easily Trump can take advantage of the situation.

Anyway, between 2018 and especially this year, I've decided elections are bad for the health. I may be done.

[Sabin]

It doesn’t feel like we have this and it doesn’t feel like we don’t. It's this weird nether zone.

[Sonic Youth]

I think it may be time to join the other side. God has provided enough signs that we are the wicked sinners, unholy in His eyes. We've seen it in the smiting of RBJ, in the miraculous recovery of our dear leader from the scourge of illness, from the thorough repudiation of the false idols of science (ie, polling... perhaps the methodology of Trump's approval ratings have been wrong all this time, too.)

As Frank Zappa said, "The meek shall inherit nothing."