I'm thankful that we only have about 2500 registered voters in our town. We arrived about 15 minutes before the polls opened in 2020 and were back home 20 minutes after opening. Being in Wisconsin, I want my vote tallied immediately at this point, not once polls close.
We've been getting a bunch of GOP mailers that are all fear mongery. "Your neighbors are watching! (with a picture of a crabby old lady with giant binoculars). They don't know who you voted for, but it's public record if you've voted or not. Send in your absentee ballot NOW!! Don't let down your neighbors." Even though they encourage it, the fuckers'll turn around and claim fraud. How do their supporters not see it?
Dems are using pretty much that same message. I sent off a lot of postcards to Ohio. One of the three messages we were instructed to use was:
“Thank you for being a voter! Who you vote for is private but whether you vote is public record. Please vote in the Tuesday, Nov 5 election!”
I stopped using that one and used on of the others pretty fast. I get the possible psychology behind it but it sounded too intimidating Big Brother-ish.
Oh t-rump will throw a hissy fit like we’ve never seen when he loses and having nothing else to lose he’ll let the dogs out, some of them won’t rally to his call after seeing so many Jan 6 fellow MAGAs hunted down and sent to prison.
Two really important articles to read this week to brace us for what's coming. Both from historians, tracing how the citizens of Germany willingly voted away their democratic rights and how it's happening right here, right now.
MAGA is following the playbook to a tee and has been for years -- the election is the last hope, the flickering light on the candle as the tornado blows in.
Biden can just use his powers and hand to Harris in order to support the constitution, save Democracy, the world's democracies, and living beings on earth which will be damaged from the Nukes that follow.
Reason enough. No excuse to hand it over under any reason.
But do you really think it has to have the appearance of legitimacy? So much of what the SCOTUS has done lacks even the appearance of legitimacy, such as Clarence Thomas' refusal to recuse when it is blatantly obvious he should have. There are many, many other examples and the worst that has happened to any of the big fish has been discomfort in court and big fines or at worst a few months in jail. I'm not counting the J6 insurrectionists who aren't big enough fish to count. Their only importance is for them not to become examples to scare people off from responding when 45 calls them out again this time - hence the promise to pardon them, and make them heroes. The GOPers have no shame any longer and the MAGAts are actually invigorated by behaving in ways that cause outrage.
The only reason for an insurrection or election steal to need to be legitimate is if there is some sort of effective enforcement and ours involves Merrick Garland and the DOJ and eventually the SCOTUS. If SCOTUS functions now on the highly questionable side of the legitimacy line they would just erase any line entirely if 45 was even temporarily in the White House pending challenges. We had "the most secure election in the history of the nation" this past time and MAGAts and even many if not most GOPers claimed that wasn't legitimate (thus helping redefine "legitimacy" as just a word used to attack legitimate things).
I believe the next election ballot voting, ballot counting, and electoral votes really need to have the strong appearance of legitimacy. Even so there will be loud insistent accusations of faker, and many will believe or choose to believe it. I'm just not so sure any attempt to illegitimately take over the nation's top office has to appear legitimate to a population unevenly divided between those who will believe it's legitimate no matter what, those who will choose to pretend they do, those who know it's not but (must?) wait for slower more powerful forces to respond, and those ponderous forces which may already be getting shoved out the doors.
Robert Hubbell insists the new protections on the electoral college will make cheating there very difficult. There are legal teams all over the country poised to respond to any attempts to slow walk certification of the counts. Courts are clearing dockets and have received deadlines and requirements to expedite hearings on election issues. I agree that leaves local voting locations as possibly the weakest link at this point. You say red regions in particular might cause the appearance of fraud to delay the count or for propaganda reasons. Two states (AZ and GA maybe?) have already reported they "are ready" with concrete barriers, fences, drones and armed protection. I see that as theater to pretend they believe the left might come for their count. As silly as that sounds to us, it's part of their effort to delegitimize any blue win: It is a fact most political violence is perpetrated by the right.
You mention disruptions preventing counts and how that would play out, and that is one of the ploys remaining despite hardening the system, but what would really affect the outcome in favor of the right would be the irretrievable loss of all ballots at a few carefully selected blue polling sites at close of polls and prior to completion of the count. A fire, say. A bomb. Ricin. Anything rendering the ballots either untouchable or gone - uncountable. Not a lone gunman or a militia but the kind of thing you could incite a lone fanatic - the kind of guy who would B&E on an elderly man with a hammer - to do. No traceable connection to anyone, just another lunatic and too bad for the total loss of a blue district here and there in this swing state but what can you do? It sounds fantastical, but don't most of the others sound so also? Doesn't the attack by a mob on the Capitol while Congress flees and hides sound fantastical?
I'm certainly not predicting this particular prong of a multi-pronged scheme (such as they used four years ago) - but I'm saying that if there is violence at the polls the blue regions are the most trusting, most apt to "poo poo" the idea of metal detectors or chemical or dog sniffers, and the very ones whose destruction would best serve the right.
It took four days to call the election for Biden, but I went to bed on election night secure in the knowledge that Trump had lost. He’s looking nuttier with every passing day, and he’s not in the White House this time around.
I'm thankful that we only have about 2500 registered voters in our town. We arrived about 15 minutes before the polls opened in 2020 and were back home 20 minutes after opening. Being in Wisconsin, I want my vote tallied immediately at this point, not once polls close.
We've been getting a bunch of GOP mailers that are all fear mongery. "Your neighbors are watching! (with a picture of a crabby old lady with giant binoculars). They don't know who you voted for, but it's public record if you've voted or not. Send in your absentee ballot NOW!! Don't let down your neighbors." Even though they encourage it, the fuckers'll turn around and claim fraud. How do their supporters not see it?
Dems are using pretty much that same message. I sent off a lot of postcards to Ohio. One of the three messages we were instructed to use was:
“Thank you for being a voter! Who you vote for is private but whether you vote is public record. Please vote in the Tuesday, Nov 5 election!”
I stopped using that one and used on of the others pretty fast. I get the possible psychology behind it but it sounded too intimidating Big Brother-ish.
“Republicans control every lever of power [in Florida]. It would be quite literally unbelievable to say Democrats rigged the election in Florida.”
As if Republicans don’t insist 14 literally unbelievable things are true every day before breakfast.
Philly is going to be able to count far faster this year due to upgraded equipment to open and process ballots on election day. https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2024/10/pennsylvania-election-2024-philadelphia-allegheny-county-mail-ballot-count/
Oh t-rump will throw a hissy fit like we’ve never seen when he loses and having nothing else to lose he’ll let the dogs out, some of them won’t rally to his call after seeing so many Jan 6 fellow MAGAs hunted down and sent to prison.
“The press can’t be counted on to do this”
It’s more likely Trump will endorse Harris than the corporate press will hold Republicans accountable.
(And if Trump did endorse Harris The NY Times and WA Post would report it as “In desire for unity Trump reaches across aisle”.)
Two really important articles to read this week to brace us for what's coming. Both from historians, tracing how the citizens of Germany willingly voted away their democratic rights and how it's happening right here, right now.
Rachel Bitecofer of The Cycle: https://thecycle.substack.com/p/what-really-happens-if-trump-wins
Heather Cox Richardson: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-21-2024
And if you have an additional hour for must see TV: Rick Steves: The Rise of Fascism in Europe. https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/fascism
MAGA is following the playbook to a tee and has been for years -- the election is the last hope, the flickering light on the candle as the tornado blows in.
Biden can just use his powers and hand to Harris in order to support the constitution, save Democracy, the world's democracies, and living beings on earth which will be damaged from the Nukes that follow.
Reason enough. No excuse to hand it over under any reason.
Whelp.
But do you really think it has to have the appearance of legitimacy? So much of what the SCOTUS has done lacks even the appearance of legitimacy, such as Clarence Thomas' refusal to recuse when it is blatantly obvious he should have. There are many, many other examples and the worst that has happened to any of the big fish has been discomfort in court and big fines or at worst a few months in jail. I'm not counting the J6 insurrectionists who aren't big enough fish to count. Their only importance is for them not to become examples to scare people off from responding when 45 calls them out again this time - hence the promise to pardon them, and make them heroes. The GOPers have no shame any longer and the MAGAts are actually invigorated by behaving in ways that cause outrage.
The only reason for an insurrection or election steal to need to be legitimate is if there is some sort of effective enforcement and ours involves Merrick Garland and the DOJ and eventually the SCOTUS. If SCOTUS functions now on the highly questionable side of the legitimacy line they would just erase any line entirely if 45 was even temporarily in the White House pending challenges. We had "the most secure election in the history of the nation" this past time and MAGAts and even many if not most GOPers claimed that wasn't legitimate (thus helping redefine "legitimacy" as just a word used to attack legitimate things).
I believe the next election ballot voting, ballot counting, and electoral votes really need to have the strong appearance of legitimacy. Even so there will be loud insistent accusations of faker, and many will believe or choose to believe it. I'm just not so sure any attempt to illegitimately take over the nation's top office has to appear legitimate to a population unevenly divided between those who will believe it's legitimate no matter what, those who will choose to pretend they do, those who know it's not but (must?) wait for slower more powerful forces to respond, and those ponderous forces which may already be getting shoved out the doors.
Robert Hubbell insists the new protections on the electoral college will make cheating there very difficult. There are legal teams all over the country poised to respond to any attempts to slow walk certification of the counts. Courts are clearing dockets and have received deadlines and requirements to expedite hearings on election issues. I agree that leaves local voting locations as possibly the weakest link at this point. You say red regions in particular might cause the appearance of fraud to delay the count or for propaganda reasons. Two states (AZ and GA maybe?) have already reported they "are ready" with concrete barriers, fences, drones and armed protection. I see that as theater to pretend they believe the left might come for their count. As silly as that sounds to us, it's part of their effort to delegitimize any blue win: It is a fact most political violence is perpetrated by the right.
You mention disruptions preventing counts and how that would play out, and that is one of the ploys remaining despite hardening the system, but what would really affect the outcome in favor of the right would be the irretrievable loss of all ballots at a few carefully selected blue polling sites at close of polls and prior to completion of the count. A fire, say. A bomb. Ricin. Anything rendering the ballots either untouchable or gone - uncountable. Not a lone gunman or a militia but the kind of thing you could incite a lone fanatic - the kind of guy who would B&E on an elderly man with a hammer - to do. No traceable connection to anyone, just another lunatic and too bad for the total loss of a blue district here and there in this swing state but what can you do? It sounds fantastical, but don't most of the others sound so also? Doesn't the attack by a mob on the Capitol while Congress flees and hides sound fantastical?
I'm certainly not predicting this particular prong of a multi-pronged scheme (such as they used four years ago) - but I'm saying that if there is violence at the polls the blue regions are the most trusting, most apt to "poo poo" the idea of metal detectors or chemical or dog sniffers, and the very ones whose destruction would best serve the right.
Its legitimate to martin van urine so thats all that matters because he will abide by whatever the rape court says
It took four days to call the election for Biden, but I went to bed on election night secure in the knowledge that Trump had lost. He’s looking nuttier with every passing day, and he’s not in the White House this time around.