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Friday Open Thread: Let's Get to Work

  • Trump has dropped his Arizona lawsuit.
  • 130 Secret Service agents who protected Trump at his rallies have contracted coronavirus
  • Illinois, Maryland and Washington may get lockdowns
  • Trump's PA law firm Porter Wright moved to withdraw from representing him today.
  • Another day, another record shattered:
More than 153,000 new coronavirus cases on Thursday as some 66,000 people were hospitalized nationwide.
We can now begin the process of putting science ahead of incompetence and working together, get control over this virus instead of continuing to allow it to control us. It's time for us to get to work. [More...]

In other news:

Why is Trump Homeland Security official Chad Wolf planning a trip to Latin America the week of December 7 when there are no official events scheduled, COVID is large there, and Trump's been shoved out the door here? What deal to advance the war on drugs or block immigrants seeking asylum is he about to make and with who?

The trip is tentatively scheduled for the week of Dec. 7, and it could include stops in El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador, according to three people with knowledge of the plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the preparations.
This is an open thread, all topics welcome.
< GA, AZ and PA All Called for Biden: Now With 306 EV | Sunday Night Open Thread >
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  • Display: Sort:
    Happy to see the stock market (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by fishcamp on Fri Nov 13, 2020 at 02:35:22 PM EST
    Go up.  I give credit to Joe Biden, President elect.

    Football great Paul Hornung passes away... (5.00 / 1) (#3)
    by desertswine on Fri Nov 13, 2020 at 03:32:52 PM EST
    at 84 after a long battle with dementia.

    "Paul may have been the best all-around back ever to play football," Lombardi wrote.

    His 176 points in the 12-game 1960 season was an NFL record that stood until 2006, 29 years after the league had moved to a 16-game schedule. He was voted the NFL's most-valuable player that season.


    Hawley, Cotton, Rubio (5.00 / 2) (#4)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 13, 2020 at 03:52:07 PM EST
    look out.  You may have big competition in 2024! Supreme Court Associate Justice Sam Alito gave a speech to the Federalist Society that sounded like only a slightly more reserved Trump.  Alito was not wearing a red ball cap, but he may be auditioning for the Republican nomination.  So much, too, for the idea that justices can't discuss opinions that may come before the Court.

    His Federalist Society speech was a laundry list of grievances from Covid-19 restrictions ("previously unimaginable restrictions on religious liberty")--- lamenting the deference given to state and local leaders to issue orders aimed at controlling Covid-19).

    Alito believes that responses to the pandemic are unduly worshipful of "experts."  To his credit, he did not cite Bannon's call for the beheading of Dr. Fauci or give indication that he was supportive of Bannon's point of view.

    Alito worried that marriage equality stifled free speech. He recalled in his Obergefell dissent that legal gay marriage "will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy."

    He seemed irate that some senators allowed the issue of "restructuring" the Supreme Court to arise--he was concerned that such threats may already be affecting the Court, although he will not be bullied.

    Alito does know a little about pop culture. Although George Carlin has been deceased for several years, he brings up the late comedian's skit on words that can't be spoken, and that they are now spoken all the time on TV shows.

    Alito comes across as a bigot sobbing about beingt called a bigot for his bigotry. After listening to this speech, some might say Alito is just a Republican hack masquerading as a Supreme Court Justice.  

    He really showed (none / 0) (#5)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Nov 13, 2020 at 04:39:00 PM EST
    IMO that he needs to come off the court if he cannot do impartial justice. Not likely to happen but I wonder if people arguing cases in front of the supreme court could use Alito's speech as a reason to recuse.

    If he is so miserable on the supreme court he can quit any day now.

    Parent

    I wonder (none / 0) (#14)
    by smott on Sun Nov 15, 2020 at 08:17:04 AM EST
    If he just forced his own recusal from Covid-related cases w his nonsense about Govt overreach re restrictions/mask rules and so on.

    Parent
    In Today's environment (none / 0) (#16)
    by jmacWA on Sun Nov 15, 2020 at 10:23:34 AM EST
    IMO, even Supreme Court justices are reliably partisan.  So I seriously doubt it... who would force him to recuse?

    Parent
    No, if you actually listen to the whole speech (none / 0) (#17)
    by Peter G on Sun Nov 15, 2020 at 11:01:34 AM EST
    as I did (don't ask me why) he carefully mouthed the right words to avoid that.

    Parent
    Cherminsky was not troubled [LAT.] (none / 0) (#46)
    by oculus on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 01:46:30 PM EST
    I Agree With Chemerinsky (none / 0) (#48)
    by RickyJim on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 02:51:50 PM EST
    Alito clearly offended the norm of judges not taking a public position on issues before their courts, but he violated no rules of judicial conduct because none exist for Supreme Court justices. Nor was anyone surprised by the positions he expressed. In his 15 years on the Supreme Court, he has been unfailingly very conservative.
    ...
    Should we be troubled by his explicitly telling us his views on so many issues?

    The conventional view is that judges either don't have opinions or their positions don't matter in how they will vote on cases. That is nonsense. Of course, jurists have ideologies and opinions, which matter enormously and often determine the outcome. President Trump and the Republican Senate rushed through the confirmation of Barrett precisely because they want someone with very conservative views on the court.

    It does not help to pretend that judges are umpires and their ideologies are irrelevant in how they decide cases. Perpetuating that myth creates a very misleading image of the law and the legal system. Moreover, that pretense gives judicial nominees an excuse for refusing to disclose their views, even when they will make all the difference in their decisions.

     He has also written a book called, "The Case Against the Supreme Court."

    Parent
    The GOP is so (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by MKS on Sat Nov 14, 2020 at 03:36:39 PM EST
    optimistic and delusional they believe they have won when objective data shows they have lost; The Dems believe they have lost when objective data says they have won.

    Been watching FOX (none / 0) (#13)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 14, 2020 at 04:55:18 PM EST
    off and on today.   They sound surprisingly like an actual news operation.

    Being very honest about Trump flailing and Biden's work on the transition.

    Parent

    Dem leadership could (5.00 / 2) (#79)
    by MO Blue on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 10:17:26 AM EST
    do the party a favor and push Feinstein towards retirement.

    Senators have been seen regularly on the chamber floor exchanging words in close contact. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was seen on Capitol Hill Tuesday without a mask, talking with staff in a hallway for several minutes. 


    Hey, Dems let's do stupid (5.00 / 4) (#97)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 07:58:50 AM EST
    Biden campaigned on forgiving some student debt. The last couple of days Dem economic spokespersons are on air declaring that student loan forgiveness is not a good use of funds. The youth vote was a vital part of the win in the last election, is much needed in the upcoming GA Senate elections and in maintaining or increasing seats in elections in 2022. Depressing youth votes by this type of talk about reneging on promises made to this demographic is downright stupid. Biden needs to shut this talk down now.

    In an election of many firsts, it appears that surging youth turnout in a number of key states may have helped propel Joe Biden to victory.

    Analysis suggests an increase of as much as 10% in youth voter turnout - with particularly high engagement in 11 key battleground states. That may have been game-changing for Joe Biden, who had the support of 61% of people aged 18-29.

    source

    Trump will (5.00 / 3) (#102)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 01:04:56 PM EST
    fly Michigan's Republican state lawmakers to DC in an attempt to derail the certification of Biden's 150,000 vote victory.  Yet another ploy to nullify the election he lost.  

    And, Republicans are OK with this ongoing attempt at a fascist coup.  Biden need not become personally involved in a dispute that will become a both sides issue,  but I sure hope there is a lot going on with his election team.  

    Don't mix (5.00 / 2) (#110)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 05:21:20 PM EST
    Vodka and tequila

    Bleach and ammonia

    spray hair and flop sweat

    Quote of the day (none / 0) (#111)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 05:24:14 PM EST
    Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) told CNN that President Trump would "eat his own children" if it benefited him.



    Parent
    At least (none / 0) (#113)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 05:29:16 PM EST
    there is some humor and justice in this nonsense.

    Parent
    Trump seems to be in this (none / 0) (#115)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 06:05:53 PM EST
    till the bitter end.

    I still jumping the shark in some explosive spectacular way is a definite possibility.  With bombs or god only knows what.

    Parent

    It looks like (none / 0) (#135)
    by Zorba on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 10:43:39 AM EST
    Rudy's son Andrew tested positive for COVID.

    Looking at Rudy's sweating, I wonder if he's sick, and he gave it to his son.

    Parent

    And he was at that (5.00 / 3) (#136)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 11:06:56 AM EST
    Performance.  Or whatever you call it.

    There's a lot of hand wringing and it's justifiable.  But boy, I sure think every day Rudy is doing his thing in public is advantage to Biden and the voices of reason.

    Parent

    Just announced on TV (none / 0) (#149)
    by MO Blue on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 05:16:18 PM EST
    Don, Jr. has tested positive.

    Parent
    More info (none / 0) (#150)
    by MO Blue on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 05:19:55 PM EST
    "Don tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result," the spokesman said. "He's been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines."

    cnn

    Parent

    November 19, 1863... (5.00 / 1) (#128)
    by desertswine on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 12:30:42 AM EST
    anniversary of the Gettysburg Addresss.

    On the morning of November 19, Everett delivered his two-hour oration (from memory) on the Battle of Gettysburg and its significance, and the orchestra played a hymn composed for the occasion by B.B. French. Lincoln then rose to the podium and addressed the crowd of some 15,000 people. He spoke for less than two minutes, and the entire speech was fewer than 275 words long.


    Benoit B. Mandelbrot was born this day (5.00 / 1) (#133)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 09:22:37 AM EST
    I did not play that stupid google thing (5.00 / 1) (#134)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 10:15:34 AM EST
    Before I linked to it.  But by bouncing in and out it completely misses the entire point of fractals.   Which is infinite zoom.

    Try this instead

    zooming in a Mandelbrot Set

    Parent

    I believe this to be true (5.00 / 4) (#161)
    by MO Blue on Sat Nov 21, 2020 at 05:59:33 PM EST
    But Obama is wrong on the third front: Republicans aren't doing this because they're scared of Trump. They're doing this because most of them, on one level or another, want him to succeed. And even if he fails, they appreciate him advancing the idea that voters in certain areas -- notably, cities where Black people outnumber white people -- shouldn't really have the right to vote.

    Let's face it: The reason Trump has gotten this far is that he's building on decades of Republican antipathy to democracy, an antipathy borne out of resentment that people they deem as "less" American than themselves -- people of color, urban people, people who know what "tempeh" is -- have the right to vote at all.

    source

    Simpler still, IMO they don't think that anyone who does not vote Republican has a right to vote.

    How about some good news (none / 0) (#1)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 13, 2020 at 02:26:28 PM EST
    Graeme Wood profiles historian Peter Turchin in The Atlantic:

    "The year 2020 has been kind to Turchin, for many of the same reasons it has been hell for the rest of us. Cities on fire, elected leaders endorsing violence, homicides surging--­­to a normal American, these are apocalyptic signs. To Turchin, they indicate that his models, which incorporate thousands of years of data about human history, are working."

    "He has been warning for a decade that a few key social and political trends portend an `age of discord,' civil unrest and carnage worse than most Americans have experienced. In 2010, he predicted that the unrest would get serious around 2020, and that it wouldn't let up until those social and political trends reversed. Havoc at the level of the late 1960s and early '70s is the best-case scenario; all-out civil war is the worst."

    link

    Odd view of historiography (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Towanda on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 12:45:54 AM EST
    on the reporter's part mars this for me.

    For example, historians definitely employ causation.

    Parent

    Turchin poses questions. (none / 0) (#45)
    by oculus on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 01:44:18 PM EST
    Not in the bisiness of providing answers.

    Parent
    To repeat, I wrote (none / 0) (#92)
    by Towanda on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 10:56:03 PM EST
    about what the reporter wrote.

    You appear to be having a conversation with someone else about someone else. . . .

    Parent

    I was paraphrasing Turchin. (none / 0) (#119)
    by oculus on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 07:52:54 PM EST
    Howdy (none / 0) (#6)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Nov 13, 2020 at 04:43:38 PM EST
    your statement on the white hair. Goodness I just saw a picture. I guess Trump doesn't permanently dye his hair and must have some sort of temporary color put on it every day. No wonder he spends 2 hours on hair and makeup everyday and it's not just the hairdo apparently.

    Amazing (none / 0) (#7)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 13, 2020 at 05:33:38 PM EST
    Most presidents go gray in office (none / 0) (#9)
    by jmacWA on Sat Nov 14, 2020 at 04:32:07 AM EST
    Trump has heard them talk about Obama/Clinton/W looking more distinguished with the gray they got in office.  I seem to recall seeing photos of 'on entry' and 'on exit'.  Trump doesn't want us to think he is not distinguished too.

    Parent
    "Most presidents go gray in office...: (none / 0) (#163)
    by unitron on Mon Nov 23, 2020 at 09:32:26 PM EST
    ...and yet Obama seems to have suffered the ravages of aging more in the past 3+ years of Trump than the 8 years of his own administration.

    Parent
    Well its Shutdown City for us again... (none / 0) (#8)
    by desertswine on Sat Nov 14, 2020 at 12:18:34 AM EST
    On Friday, New Mexico followed suit with the country's most restrictive statewide measures since the fall surge began.

    New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) said the state is at a "breaking point" and reinstated the most heightened public health restrictions, including prohibiting on-site dining and requiring nonessential businesses to close their physical locations. The state recorded 1,742 coronavirus cases Thursday, a record.

    Too many people are getting sick and dying again.  I suppose we'll be duking it out over toilet paper again.

    I was in (none / 0) (#10)
    by Ga6thDem on Sat Nov 14, 2020 at 05:12:10 AM EST
    Target yesterday and noticed that the toilet paper and paper towel aisles looked like they did back in March and April.

    I guess I will be going to Costco to buy supplies.

    Parent

    Just ordered a 24 roll pack (none / 0) (#11)
    by MO Blue on Sat Nov 14, 2020 at 06:41:16 AM EST
    Single person household so it should last for a while.

    Parent
    The down side of The Big Lie (none / 0) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 15, 2020 at 08:57:30 AM EST
    Washington Post: "Georgia's Jan. 5 runoffs will decide whether Perdue and Loeffler return to Washington, and whether the Senate has a slim Republican majority or a 50-50 split. President Trump's refusal to concede the presidential race has, for now, added some confusion to the GOP's message."

    "Democrats tell their audiences that victory would give Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris a tie-breaking Senate vote, unlocking the party's agenda. Republicans warn that there'd be no stopping the Democrats if the Senate seats are lost. But so long as Trump remains unwilling to concede, they're unwilling to explain exactly why."

    The election is before the inauguration.  Will they be able to say they need to stop a dem president if they can't admit there will be a dem president?

    Even (5.00 / 1) (#18)
    by FlJoe on Sun Nov 15, 2020 at 11:12:32 AM EST
    better, tRump himself is starting to waiver
    "He won because the Election was Rigged," Trump said in one Sunday morning tweet. In another, he stood by his false belief he may be able to win the election and refused to concede, writing, "I concede NOTHING! We have a long way to go."
    it's turning into  Schrodinger's election for these guys.


    Parent
    TrumpMax (none / 0) (#19)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 15, 2020 at 01:52:38 PM EST
    NewsMAGA?

    "For nearly two years, allies of President Trump have been exploring ways to build up a formidable competitor to Fox News. One target they recently zeroed in on: the fledgling pro-Trump cable channel Newsmax TV," the Wall Street Journal reports.

    "Hicks Equity Partners, a private-equity firm with ties to a co-chair of the Republican National Committee, has held talks in recent months about acquiring and investing in Newsmax."



    You're making that up (none / 0) (#104)
    by Yman on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 02:31:13 PM EST
    "Hicks Equity Partners"

    That's their actual name?!?

    Parent

    Watched the bizarre Jim Jarmusch zombie film (none / 0) (#20)
    by McBain on Sun Nov 15, 2020 at 03:23:21 PM EST
    The Dead Don't Die a few days ago.  I like his work and this one had a good cast and an easy going feel to it but it just didn't work for me, especially the final half hour. Better Jarmusch films include Dead Man, Down By Law and Ghost Dog.  

    I've been enjoying the new HBO series, The Undoing so far.  Same with The Right Stuff and season two of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.

    I finally upgraded to a 4K TV.  I got a good Black Friday deal and I'm planning on hooking it up tonight.

    94.5% (none / 0) (#22)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 07:23:52 AM EST
    Moderna said its experimental coronavirus vaccine was 94.5% effective at protecting people from Covid-19 in an early look at pivotal study results, the second vaccine to hit a key milestone, the Wall Street Journal reports.



    And (none / 0) (#23)
    by jmacWA on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 09:41:23 AM EST
    It can be stored in a normal refrigerator, which makes it much more likely to be useful.

    Parent
    Not arguing (none / 0) (#25)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 10:29:42 AM EST
    But i heard they both required sub zero storage.

    But I was not paying attention so you could be right

    Parent

    Just heard more (none / 0) (#26)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 10:53:27 AM EST
    The first requires -75

    The new one is -20

    And it last longer after coming out of cold storage.

    So it's better.

    Parent

    A home refrigerator's freezer section (none / 0) (#27)
    by Peter G on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 11:38:59 AM EST
    is typically at 0 degrees F (-18 degrees C), as I understand it. So both of these vaccines require special storage facilities.

    Parent
    They said (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 11:44:30 AM EST
    Hospitals usually have storage that is cold enough for the -20 one.

    But not the other.

    Parent

    Most Pharmacies (none / 0) (#30)
    by jmacWA on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 02:32:18 PM EST
    Have freezers capable of storing the Moderna, based on what I read, but the Pfizer requires the type of freezer that is only found in Major Hospitals.  Don't recall where I read this, but it was quite specific that the Moderna would be more distributable.

    Parent
    -70 is dry ice temps. (none / 0) (#83)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 03:38:38 PM EST
    My local grocery store sells dry ice, but I would imagine their dry ice would go the way of their toilet paper...

    Anyway,

    All of this is measured in real time. "If a vaccine has a two-year shelf life at refrigerator temperatures, then the manufacturer actually needs to put the vaccine at that refrigerated temperature for two years and see if at the end the product is still effective," Kristensen explains. "Given the urgent need for these COVID-19 vaccines, manufacturers will likely begin releasing them with shorter shelf lives and then they'll expand the shelf life durations as they gather more data."

    "[Because the Pfizer minimum order is 975 doses] [If] you have a large university where you're going to be able to reach a larger number of people, that would make sense that you might consider distributing your ultra-cold there," she says. The Moderna vaccine will work better, she says, "in areas where it might be more difficult to use up such a large order or they may not have the [cold] storage."


    Parent
    Yes, Moderna (none / 0) (#28)
    by KeysDan on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 11:39:36 AM EST
    Announced that their vaccine is stable at refrigerator temperatures for one month and six months when frozen.  Two shots necessary, as with Pfizer's.  Results are not yet peer reviewed but very encouraging for FDA approval.  ( although curious to report effectiveness, at this point, to the decimal point)

    Parent
    some gloating on social media (none / 0) (#24)
    by CST on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 10:07:59 AM EST
    This morning from Massachusetts tech-heads.

    "Silicon Valley gives us social media apps.

    Massachusetts gives us a 94.5% effective Covid vaccine."

    For context - Facebook and Reddit were both started in MA but moved to California, which is sometimes a touchy subject and used as evidence that MA needs to step up it's tech game. The biomedical engineering field on the other hand has really exploded in MA, with significant investment by the state over decades.

    Parent

    These (none / 0) (#31)
    by FlJoe on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 04:08:14 PM EST
    thoughts cross my mind everytime I see those tRump flag flying pick up trucks pass by  
    Trump, Obama noted, is not exactly an exemplar of traditional American manhood. "I think about the classic male hero in American culture when you and I were growing up: the John Waynes, the Gary Coopers, the Jimmy Stewarts, the Clint Eastwoods, for that matter. There was a code ... the code of masculinity that I grew up with that harkens back to the '30s and '40s and before that. There's a notion that a man is true to his word, that he takes responsibility, that he doesn't complain, that he isn't a bully--in fact he defends the vulnerable against bullies. And so even if you are someone who is annoyed by wokeness and political correctness and wants men to be men again and is tired about everyone complaining about the patriarchy, I thought that the model wouldn't be Richie Rich--the complaining, lying, doesn't-take-responsibility-for-anything type of figure."


    I wish someone would do a comic impression (none / 0) (#32)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 04:26:14 PM EST
    or an animated version of Trump that made him really really prissy.  Not necessarily effeminate in a gay sense but more like Dr Evil prissy.   With all the focus on makeup and hairspray and the extended pinky hand gestures.  Maybe false eyelashes.

    I think it would make him crazy.

    On a different subject entirely, brains and the universe

    I have always thought the very large structure of the universe looks very much like the microscopic structure of some larger object or substance.  I wrote a short story once where we were the micro structure of a Formica like substance on the counter top of a isolated desert truck stop.

    But others have a different idea.

    Does the human brain resemble the Universe?

    "We calculated the spectral density of both systems. This is a technique often employed in cosmology for studying the spatial distribution of galaxies," explains Franco Vazza. "Our analysis showed that the distribution of the fluctuation within the cerebellum neuronal network on a scale from 1 micrometer to 0.1 millimeters follows the same progression of the distribution of matter in the cosmic web but, of course, on a larger scale that goes from 5 million to 500 million light-years."



    Parent
    Giving (5.00 / 1) (#33)
    by FlJoe on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 04:31:32 PM EST
    new meaning to the term "spaced out".

    Parent
    Trump has a (none / 0) (#140)
    by MO Blue on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 11:46:30 AM EST
    really prissy mouth so it would be extremely easy.

    Parent
    How about (5.00 / 2) (#141)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 12:10:57 PM EST
    Oh yuk (none / 0) (#157)
    by desertswine on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 09:41:58 PM EST
    that looks like an outer space thing.

    Parent
    Unbelievable (none / 0) (#34)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 05:40:50 PM EST
    Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said that he has come under increasing pressure from fellow Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), to question the validity of legally cast absentee ballots in an effort to reverse President Trump's narrow loss in the state, the Washington Post reports.

    The atmosphere has grown so contentious, Raffensperger said, that both he and his wife have received death threats, including a text to him that read: "You better not botch this recount. Your life depends on it."

    The normally mild-mannered Raffensperger saved his harshest language for Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), who is leading the president's effort to prove fraud in Georgia and whom Raffensperger called a "liar" and a "charlatan."

    He was just on CNN talking about this

    Republicans (none / 0) (#35)
    by KeysDan on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 07:07:01 PM EST
    In disarray.

    Parent
    turmoil (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Nov 16, 2020 at 08:53:17 PM EST
    "Republican leaders are increasingly alarmed about the party's ability to stave off Democratic challengers in Georgia's two Senate runoff elections -- and they privately described President Trump on a recent conference call as a political burden who despite his false claims of victory was the likely loser of the 2020 election," the Washington Post reports.

    "Those blunt assessments, which capture a Republican Party in turmoil as Trump refuses to concede to President-elect Joe Biden, were made on a Nov. 10 call with donors hosted by the National Republican Senatorial Committee."

    link

    Parent

    What's the plan? (none / 0) (#37)
    by jmacWA on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 04:38:36 AM EST
    Are they just going to continue to say Trump won until after the special election to try to bolster GOP turnout?  Then, win or lose, they announce 'we knew all along Trump lost'.  I bet that's going to make the rubes in GA who believe everything they say, think twice... or maybe not; because it's tough enough for some Trump supporters to think once.

    Parent
    I'm getting real tired (5.00 / 4) (#107)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 04:21:26 PM EST
    of hearing that Republicans are too scared of Trump to stand up against him. I call BS.

    I'm under the opinion that if Trump was successful in illegally overturning this election, a large number of Republicans would just be fine with maintaining Republican control of the WH.

    Parent

    I agree (5.00 / 4) (#108)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 04:48:22 PM EST
    I think the whole scared thing is just a cover for getting what they want.

    Parent
    Republicans are (5.00 / 4) (#109)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 05:05:27 PM EST
    fully complicit in this ham-handed, yet earnest, fascist coup attempt. Pre-election (voter suppression and intimidation), downgrading   mail ballots, crippling the USPS.  And, afterward , throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.  Now, efforts to disenfranchise votes from Black communities. Desperate and dangerous.


    Parent
    A former (5.00 / 3) (#112)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 05:28:37 PM EST
    DOJ lawyer for Bush Sr. said on twitter that there must be something really bad that Trump does not want to come out to be going to these lengths and the GOP must have something that will destroy them too. I am starting to think that way now.

    Parent
    Republicans aiding & abetting (none / 0) (#123)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 08:57:03 PM EST
    Presenting no evidence yet of wrongdoing but maintaining that their offices have been "overwhelmed" with messages from constituents who are "confused and outraged," a group of Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers on Tuesday called for a full legislature-led audit of last week's presidential election.

    In a written statement, the GOP state House members said there had been a "number of very troubling issues" that had come to their attention in the aftermath of the election Nov. 3 and that the issues had led them to "have grave concerns regarding the future of our Commonwealth."
    ...

    Seeking to establish a bipartisan investigative committee "with subpoena power" or to use existing committees, the Republicans wrote that "[p]ublic sentiment and the sheer volume of lawsuits filed both before and since the election warrant such investigatory action." They demanded that until an audit is complete, the state should not officially certify the election results, which, most notably, show Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential race over President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.

    source

    Parent

    There (none / 0) (#38)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 05:45:11 AM EST
    is no plan. How can you plan for the actions of a madman? If tRump refuses to concede and he senses "disloyalty" from these candidates or even the majority of Republicans, he will not support or even attack them.

    Parent
    GA certifies the election results (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:13:48 AM EST
    Fri the 20th.  That along with the battle between republicans with the SoS calling Collins a liar and telling the world Lindsey is trying t get him to toss legal. votes are going to make sustaining the delusion pretty difficult starting Friday


    He continued: "Lastly, let's address this disinformation about signature match. We strengthened signature match. We helped train election officials on GBI signature match--which is confirmed twice before a ballot is ever cast. Failed candidate Doug Collins is a liar-- but what's new?"

    National Review

    Thank god Kemp is not still SoS

    Parent

    Here (5.00 / 2) (#41)
    by FlJoe on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:57:38 AM EST
    is a timeline
    It looks like all the
     battle must certify states must certify between now and Dec first, but that's not quite the end
    States must certify election outcomes at least six days before the Electoral College meets -- known as the "safe harbor" deadline -- if they want to avoid Congress getting involved in resolving potential disputes. That means any court challenges to state election results must be settled by Dec. 8, 2020.
    Then it's still not official until  
    Electors meet in their respective states to cast their ballots for president and vice president on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December.
    and even then it's not official until
    Jan. 6 -- Congress counts electoral votes
    The House and Senate convene for a joint session on Jan. 6 to count electoral votes. Pence presides over the process as president of the Senate and announces the results. The candidate that receives at least 270 out of 538 electoral votes becomes the next president.
    and even then ...
    Any objections to the electoral votes must be submitted in writing and signed by at least one House and one Senate member. If an objection arises, the two chambers consider the objection separately.
    theoretically at least tRump's delusions of victory could last past the special elections.

    Parent
    Has anybody bothered (5.00 / 2) (#44)
    by Zorba on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 01:30:15 PM EST
    To point out to these people that, even if they succeed (which they won't) in mucking up the election results so that there is no certifiable winner by January 20, Trump will no longer be President as of noon that day (and Pence will no longer be VP)?  And if Biden cannot be sworn in, the new President will be Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi?  That will certainly make MAGAt heads explode.

    Parent
    I really don't see (none / 0) (#42)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:06:41 AM EST
    how Trump and the flying monkeys like Collins and Graham bloviating about how they won the election and it was stolen from them is going to inspire the faithful to go out in the middle of a raging pandemic to vote in another election which they will presumably steal.

    Democrats will vote.  

    Parent

    Last night on Lawerence (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:20:17 AM EST
    They were discussing the fact that what Lindsey did was probably a crime and while Barr won't do squat we are getting a new AG in a few weeks who might be interested in probing it.

    Parent
    Ironically (none / 0) (#51)
    by Ga6thDem on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 05:48:45 PM EST
    Kemp is siding with the SOS along with the Lt. Gov.

    Parent
    No matter how partisan (none / 0) (#55)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 06:26:08 PM EST
    or stupid they are almost everyone understands that if the election Trump lost was "rigged and fraudulent" then the election other republicans mostly won was also.

    Parent
    According to them (none / 0) (#50)
    by MO Blue on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 04:24:39 PM EST
    they are the defenders of democracy. From my AH Senator Josh Hawley:

    The American people deserve transparency in their elections. If the last few weeks have made anything clear, it is that we need new election integrity laws. On November 12, 2020, I introduced legislation to ban ballot harvesting and improve the ability of campaigns to observe vote counting operations. The confusion and controversy of the past several weeks is unacceptable and Congress must act to protect the integrity of our elections and restore the American people's faith in our election system.

    The media do not get to determine who occupies the White House. The people do. When all lawful votes have been counted, recounts finished, and allegations of fraud addressed, we will know who is President.

    They have their lies and propaganda down pat. The welfare of this country and the threat to our democracy does not matter, only their blind ambition.


    Parent

    Witness (none / 0) (#47)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 02:50:38 PM EST
    "A staffer for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger said Tuesday that he participated in a controversial phone call with Sen. Lindsey Graham and said he heard Graham ask if state officials could throw out ballots," CNN reports.

    "The comments from the staffer, election implementation manager Gabriel Sterling, corroborate Raffensberger's recent claims about the phone call with Graham, who is one of President Donald Trump's most outspoken allies."



    Parent
    More (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 03:11:05 PM EST
    "Sen. Lindsey Graham just told a group of reporters in the capitol that he's also spoken to Secretaries of State in Nevada and Arizona. This is in addition to the [Secretary of State] in Georgia," Politico's Jake Sherman reported Tuesday.

    NV SoS says, no, you didn't.

    "I have not spoken with Senator Lindsey Graham or any other members of Congress regarding the 2020 general election in Nevada or my role in the post-election certification process," Cegavske told HuffPost's Jennifer Bendery.



    Parent
    Finally some mask effectiveness data. (none / 0) (#43)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:14:50 AM EST
    The data I see (5.00 / 2) (#96)
    by Steve13209 on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 07:46:05 AM EST
    is that putting people in close proximity, even in quarantine, spreads the virus. I don't see any data on masks, specifically.

    Parent
    Well, (none / 0) (#138)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 11:23:43 AM EST
    ideology can mask the ability to see inconvenient data.

    Parent
    That study wasn't focused on masks (5.00 / 1) (#105)
    by Yman on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 02:38:44 PM EST
    There are numerous studies documenting the effectiveness of masks.  The fact that you don't like their results is irrelevant.

    Parent
    Getting serious about nullification of election (none / 0) (#52)
    by MKS on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 06:05:54 PM EST
    Wayne County Board of Canvassers refused to certify election.  Coup getting traction.

    Graham asking Georgia Secretary of State to throw out votes.

    Rudy in Federal Court admitting he does not know what "strict scrutiny" is.  Arguing without evidence about fraudulent election.

    Trump just fired head of cyber security who said elections was fair.

    Too many have humored the  GOP attempt to steal the election.

    Who has confidence there are 5 votes on the  U.S. Supreme Court to uphold election vote?    

    Can't vouch for the SC (none / 0) (#53)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 06:20:05 PM EST
    but it won't get that far.  There is a whole lot of click bait out there.

    Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R) told Michigan Bridge that Joe Biden is the president-elect, and while the state's Republican-led Legislature is investigating the election, it will not award the state's 16 electors to President Trump.

    "Hundreds of activists who protested at the Michigan Capitol on Saturday repeated the president's unproven claims of widespread voter fraud, urging lawmakers to `stop the steal' by choosing their own pro-Trump representatives to the Electoral College."

    Said Shirkey: "That's not going to happen."

    Link

    Parent

    And his (none / 0) (#54)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 06:23:52 PM EST
    "The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Republican monitors observing vote counting in Philadelphia were given sufficient access under state law to view the proceedings," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

    "In a 5-2 decision, the court overturned a lower court decision that ordered monitors with President Trump's campaign be allowed within six feet of tables where ballots were being tallied."

    Republicans are beginning to figure out what Trump is doing could seriously jeopardize the 2 GA races.   When it fully sinks in they will do whatever they have to do to shut him up.

    Parent

    Also this (none / 0) (#56)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 06:37:14 PM EST
    Republicans livid over Trump's plan to reduce troops in Afghanistan
    McConnell says Trump's move will "delight" U.S. enemies.

    Graham is backpedaling so hard about the stuff around the calls to various SoS around the country he's going to injure himself.  

    I have no doubt there is a faction who would love to steal the election or declare martial law or whatever.  It's not going to happen.   It's just not.

    Parent

    And we haven't even gotten to (none / 0) (#57)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 06:39:14 PM EST
    Good info on Wayne Co (none / 0) (#58)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 06:52:24 PM EST
    Michigan State Board (none / 0) (#61)
    by MKS on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:30:24 PM EST
    that will review the Wayne County vote is 2-2, Democrat v.  GOP.

    That does not give me confidence.

    Parent

    For the sake of argument (none / 0) (#62)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:39:57 PM EST
    Lest say they manage to screw up the Michigan electors, which I do not think for a second will happen.

    Biden still wins.

    Parent

    The first domino to fall (none / 0) (#64)
    by MKS on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:47:16 PM EST
    Georgia and Arizona are controlled by GOP governors.

    I fear we are closer than we think to nullification by state GOP legislators.   And there seem to not be many GOP folks would be troubled by overturning an election through brute political strength after all their lawsuits fail.

    The Constitution allows the state legislatures to pick the electors.  The U.S. Supreme Court could well not intervene to stop GOP legislatures from rejecting the will of their own voters.  

    The GOP has no commitment to democracy. We should know that by now.

    Parent

    The Constitution does Not allow (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by Peter G on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:08:45 PM EST
    the state Legislatures to pick electors willy nilly. It says (Art. II. sec. 1, cl. 2) that each state shall appoint its electors "in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct." In other words, in accordance with state statutory law. The statutes of nearly all the states require that electors be appointed to reflect the winner of the popular vote.

    Parent
    ... from temporarily suspending such an enabling statute via session law. That is, the legislature passes a bill which doesn't seek to amend that statute, but instead public declares its intent to waive it this one time for purposes so stated.

    If it's a specific directive that's drafted so that it doesn't violate the U.S. Constitution, such a session law would have the same force and effect as statutory law and a federal court would be loathe to intervene.

    That said, such a brazen political move is far easier expressed than actually accomplished. It really depends upon whether a particular GOP state legislative leadership and caucus:

    • Decide that Donald Trump is really and truly worth the expenditure of their entire political capital;

    • Are prepared to risk a politically lethal public blowback, should they seek to thwart the expressed will of the people by overriding the popular vote;

    • Possess the necessary will and fortitude to muscle the measure through the equally fierce objections of the Democratic minority on the respective chamber floors; and

    • Are confident that their State Supreme Court is willing to uphold such a political theft.

    And even then, all of the above is provided that these Republican state legislators are actually capable of clearly and fully thinking such matters through to their most logical conclusion. Personally, I think the jury's still out on that count.

    Therefore, we mustn't discount the possibility that an uber-partisan state GOP leadership could be as recklessly impulsive and combative in its decision making as Gen. Custer was at the Little Bighorn.

    On that note, President Trump has just invited Michigan's GOP legislative leadership to the White House to discuss the matter personally. And the fact that they've apparently accepted his invitation should give us all pause, and remind us to keep our guard up.

    It ain't over, 'til it's over.

    Parent

    Disturbingly thoughtful and sober (none / 0) (#116)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 06:06:40 PM EST
    analysis, DfH. Thank you.

    Parent
    UPDATE: It's now over in Michigan. (5.00 / 3) (#158)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Nov 21, 2020 at 06:40:42 AM EST
    After meeting with Trump on Friday afternoon, State Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey and State House Speaker Lee Chatfield released a joint statement saying they are not aware of information that would change the outcome of the election and they will "follow the normal process regarding Michigan's electors." LINK.

    Reportedly, a significant number of GOP state legislators had expressed concern and even alarm to Shirkey and Chatfield over their acceptance of Trump's White House invitation, and further threatened to break ranks and join the Democratic minority to thwart any attempt by leadership to subvert the will of Michigan's electorate. So, it's more than likely that they didn't have the votes necessary to pull it off, a reassuring sign that sober assessment and rational thought will ultimately prevail in Lansing.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Want to put some money on it? (none / 0) (#65)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:49:23 PM EST
    $1.50? (none / 0) (#70)
    by MKS on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:34:17 PM EST
    Hmm, that was kind cheap (none / 0) (#73)
    by MKS on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:49:01 PM EST
    I'll buy you a steak dinner.....Whenever I get around to it.

    Parent
    Works for me (none / 0) (#74)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:56:08 PM EST
    I'll buy the drinks

    Parent
    To be clear (none / 0) (#66)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:58:28 PM EST
    I take this stuff very seriously.  It's dangerous and everything you say about "them" is true.

    But no.  It's not going to happen.  

    I think worrying about state legislatures picking electors entirely misses the actual danger.  Which is long term damage to public confidence in the election.  

    They are not dumb enough for their actual goal to be overturning the election.  Please.  Well, except maybe Rudy and Donald.

    The goal is to damage the Biden presidency.  To undermine the clear mandate the voters gave him.

    I would suggest if you want to worry about something that would be my choice.

    Parent

    Michigan Supreme Court (none / 0) (#63)
    by MKS on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:40:26 PM EST
    is 4-3 Republican.  

    Getting real nervous here.

    Parent

    Breaking (5.00 / 2) (#67)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:08:43 PM EST
    Wayne county board just voted unanimously to certify the election.

    After massive pushback.

    Parent

    Detroit News (5.00 / 2) (#69)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:22:40 PM EST
    Is (5.00 / 1) (#93)
    by FlJoe on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 05:44:44 AM EST
    your head spinning yet?
    The two Republicans on an election board for Michigan's Wayne County want to take back their votes to certify the election results.


    Parent
    Thump called. (5.00 / 3) (#98)
    by Natal on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 09:54:18 AM EST
    There was no fraud so he decided to create fraud.


    Parent
    Election (5.00 / 4) (#101)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 11:49:27 AM EST
    interference.  Add it to the list.

    Parent
    I demand a recount (5.00 / 3) (#99)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 09:57:02 AM EST
    of the two Republican commissioners' votes. I think I see evidence of coercion to impede their free exercise of the franchise. Voter fraud.

    Parent
    A bit of (none / 0) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 10:52:38 AM EST
    having their cake while eating it.

    They just said on CNN they can't legally "rescind" their vote.

    Parent

    Thankfully (none / 0) (#71)
    by MKS on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:36:05 PM EST
    All hell was going to break loose....

    Parent
    It absolutely was (none / 0) (#72)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 08:44:57 PM EST
    Proud no longer. (none / 0) (#75)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 09:00:55 PM EST
    Sad

    Tweet
    See new Tweets
    Tweet

    Donald J. Trump
    @realDonaldTrump
    ·
    1h
    Wow! Michigan just refused to certify the election results! Having courage is a beautiful thing. The USA stands proud!



    Parent
    We should be proud of this election (none / 0) (#59)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:22:28 PM EST
    with all the partisan gnashing of teeth and rending of garments I think we should try to take a step back and marvel at the fact that 10s of millions of people voted in historic numbers.  On both sides.

    In the middle of the worst pandemic in living memory.  

    And as Mr Krebs said in spite of all the hysteria about election tampering foreign and domestic it was the most secure election in history.

    Let's just relish that for a moment.  

    Joe Biden will be president on Jan 21st.  And even if we don't get the senate and there is 4 years of gridlock it will be gridlock with a functioning executive branch a functioning DOJ and most importantly without Donald Trump.

    I forgot t mention (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 07:25:51 PM EST
    this happened in the face of the most extensive and organized effort to undermine the process we have ever seen.

    The system worked.

    Parent

    One of the clickbait headlines (none / 0) (#76)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 09:07:26 PM EST
    All over the place today is something like

    BIDEN SAYS HE DOESN'T  WANT TO INVESTIGATE TRUMP

    many pearls were clutched.

    but if you bother to read the rest what he actually says is he would rather his entire presidency not be about investigating the previous one

    BUT

    He also said he would have no role in making that decision.  That it would be made by the DOJ and he would not try to stop it or have any role in making it.

    Which really is how it's actually supposed to work.

    Hillary (5.00 / 4) (#77)
    by KeysDan on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 09:40:56 PM EST
    for Attorney General.  

    Parent
    Doug Jones (none / 0) (#81)
    by CST on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 12:08:31 PM EST
    Knows a thing or two about prosecuting white supremacists.

    Parent
    He has (5.00 / 1) (#82)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 12:40:00 PM EST
    been mentioned for AG and I think he would be an excellent one.

    Parent
    well, at least one Congressperson is making (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by leap on Tue Nov 17, 2020 at 10:06:44 PM EST
    going-after-the-crooks noise: Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-NJ-09.

    Oh please oh please oh please!

    Parent

    I'm banking on the state of New York (5.00 / 2) (#80)
    by Chuck0 on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 12:01:12 PM EST
    to put him in prison. That keeps the Biden administration out of it. Though if the DOJ wants to investigate actions by Bill Barr, I'm all for it. That guy is a disgrace to the law and the DOJ.


    Parent
    There s no cure for stupid (none / 0) (#84)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 04:14:12 PM EST
    Rudy is said to be (none / 0) (#85)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 04:19:00 PM EST
    grifting Trump to the tune of 20,000 bucks a day for his "legal services"

    It's said he is pumping Trump up with false hope of "winning" just to get more billable days.

    So if Rudy is lying and expecting 20 grand a day who exactly is the joke on when Trump refuses to pay him?

    Us (none / 0) (#86)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 04:19:15 PM EST
    I guess

    Parent
    I also (none / 0) (#87)
    by Ga6thDem on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 05:13:43 PM EST
    understand Rudy hasn't seen the inside of a courtroom in around 30 years. I guess the fact that Rudy hasn't tried cases in 3 decades hasn't dawned on Trump.

    Parent
    3 executions before Jan 20 (none / 0) (#88)
    by CaptHowdy on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 05:31:26 PM EST
    NYTimes

    "In the final weeks of President Trump's term, his administration intends to execute three inmates on federal death row, the last scheduled executions by the Justice Department before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has signaled he will end federal use of capital punishment," the New York Times reports.




    The US Court of Appeals in D.C. (none / 0) (#89)
    by Peter G on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 06:48:37 PM EST
    threw up a partial roadblock to at least one of those executions today.

    Parent
    Another assault on our election process (none / 0) (#90)
    by MO Blue on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 09:03:23 PM EST
    Trump has another lawsuit coming up that was just filed in Pennsylvania asking, among other things, that the election not be certified, and the GOP-led legislature could vote to decide the tally. Another point asks for Trump's campaign officials to be the ones to do the recount in the state.

    Rawstory

    If this refers to the proposed amended complaint (5.00 / 1) (#91)
    by Peter G on Wed Nov 18, 2020 at 10:21:34 PM EST
    filed this evening in the Middle District of PA case that was argued yesterday, the judge does not have to allow them to recast their case (for the second time) at this late date. Not to mention it is an even more far-fetched legal theory than the last two versions that weren't looking so good.

    Parent
    When does this die? (none / 0) (#94)
    by MO Blue on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 06:14:12 AM EST
    Didn't see a date when judge would rule and hopefully tell them to go away and quit wasting the courts time on frivolous law suits.

    Parent
    Could be tomorrow (Friday) or (5.00 / 1) (#120)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 08:19:35 PM EST
    over the weekend that the judge cries, "Basta." The judge directed Rudy & Co. to file a brief in defense of their challenged First Amended Complaint, which was the subject of Tuesday's hearing, and is legally speaking the only extant complaint in the case. But they didn't. Instead they filed a proposed Second Amended Complaint making all sorts of changes in the theory of the case (in effect, trying to start their case over again for a second time), a motion for leave to file that complaint (because it is not something the rules give them an automatic right to do), and a brief that pretends to be in defense of the challenged First Amended Complaint but instead addresses the claims made in the (not-yet-accepted-by-the-court) Second Amended Complaint. The judge can rule anytime now. He may say it is way too late for the Campaign to try to start their case over from scratch, dismiss the legally flawed and factually deficient First Amendment Complaint, and close the case. At least I hope so.

    Parent
    Rudy's proofreading fail (5.00 / 1) (#121)
    by Towanda on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 08:34:59 PM EST
    included, at one point, reference to the Second Amended Complaint as the Second Amendment Complaint.

    And then there was the reference to a poll watcher as a pole watcher.

    Parent

    I am pretty sure that America's Mayor (5.00 / 2) (#124)
    by Peter G on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 08:59:33 PM EST
    was not assigned the task of proofreader on this project. Although I have to admit I do like "pole watcher." And I, too, have a Second Amendment Complaint I'd like to lodge somewhere, perhaps with the NRA.

    Parent
    The new plan (none / 0) (#95)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 07:21:50 AM EST
    Dumber and more hopeless than the old plan

    "President Trump has abandoned his plan to win reelection by disqualifying enough ballots to reverse President-elect Joe Biden's wins in key battleground states, pivoting instead to a goal that appears equally unattainable: delaying a final count long enough to cast doubt on Biden's decisive victory," the Washington Post reports.

    Associated Press: "Getting nowhere in the courts, President Donald Trump's scattershot effort to overturn President-elect Joe Biden's victory is shifting toward obscure election boards that certify the vote as Trump and his allies seek to upend the electoral process, sow chaos and perpetuate unsubstantiated doubts about the count."

    Jonathan Lemire just said republicans fear that if they do anything along the lines of trying to move him out he will actively try to make them lose the two GA races.  

    Apparently vague threats have been made to this effect.

    The Clown Coup will fail.  But people will still die because of it.

    People will die because of the "take back Thanksgiving" nonsense.  It's insane.  It should be criminal. I feel so bad for the frontline workers.  I wish there was a way to refuse care to these idiots especially the ones who don't believe they have covid.  I think they should say, ok, go home and drink fluids .
    But of course that won't happen and it a terrible thing for health care workers.

    All that said I hope they die by the dozen.  IMO every Fox, NEWSMAX, OANN viewer who dies leaves a better world.

    Parent

    Heh. The Clown Coup. (none / 0) (#106)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 03:47:56 PM EST
    "An evil enemy will burn his own nation to the ground ... to rule over the ashes."
    - Sun Tzu (544-496 BC), philosopher and military strategist

    Or, Bozo Goes to Washington.

    Parent

    Raw Story (none / 0) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 06:03:10 PM EST
    "They point to the fact that Donald Trump did win more than 70 million votes and he's popular among the Republican base who the Republicans will need for future campaigns," Lemire said. "They note, of course, there's always the long-held fear of the tweets, and two other things that have emerged here. One, they feel that if the Republicans are perceived as pushing Trump out rather than the president coming to grips on his own and kind of quietly whimpering out of office, they fear he'll make risky strategic policy decisions, perhaps more troop drawdowns."

    They also fear that Trump will endanger their Senate majority out of spite



    Parent
    He already (none / 0) (#117)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 06:28:07 PM EST
    is endangering the GOP senate majority. They are just taking the calculated risk that backing Trump is better for them electorally than not backing him. I have to say though David Perdue's reputation and ability to fly under the radar has taken a big hit from this. There were Republicans that would vote for him because he didn't seem as Trumpy as Loeffler and Collins. No more. He has shown himself to be every bit the Qidiot Loeffler is and is even issuing joint statements with her.

    Parent
    Georgia (none / 0) (#118)
    by Ga6thDem on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 06:54:20 PM EST
    is going to certify tomorrow for Biden and PA I understand is Monday. I guess starting some sort of nuclear war is the only option left to Trump? I honestly have no idea. Most states do not let electors switch.

    Wisconsin recount (none / 0) (#122)
    by Towanda on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 08:37:02 PM EST
    is planned to end up in court, per smart political analysts here.

    The state Supreme Court, which will rule for Trump.

    President Biden (none / 0) (#125)
    by KeysDan on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 10:17:19 PM EST
    says he will announce his Secretary of Treasury either before or shortly after Thanksgiving. And, he continued, all Democrats will be pleased.

    My guess is Janet Yellen, former chair of the Federal Reserve. That would be a good choice.

    I hope that Biden... (none / 0) (#126)
    by desertswine on Thu Nov 19, 2020 at 11:35:03 PM EST
    changes the name of "Space Force."  I really don't like it.  How about "Space Service?"  I know its trivial but its just a burr under my saddle.

    That (5.00 / 1) (#131)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 09:02:35 AM EST
    Or change the uniforms to look like the original Star Trek uniforms    Miniskirts and all.  

    Parent
    Well, it depends on whether ... (none / 0) (#127)
    by Erehwon on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 12:17:00 AM EST
    Space Farce is available!

    Parent
    That would be an improvement. (none / 0) (#129)
    by desertswine on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 12:31:42 AM EST
    Geraldo wants to name Corona virus (none / 0) (#130)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 08:59:41 AM EST
    after Trump.  Which is a fine idea.

    Oh, wait.....

    Geraldo Rivera suggested on Fox News that we name the coronavirus vaccine after President Trump to soften the blow of his election defeat.

    Said Rivera: "It would be a nice gesture to him and years from now it would become kind of a generic name. Have you got your trump yet, I got my trump, I'm fine. I wished we could honor him in that way."



    The Trump plague (5.00 / 2) (#139)
    by MO Blue on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 11:39:49 AM EST
    I like that. Very appropriate.

    Parent
    I (5.00 / 1) (#144)
    by FlJoe on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 01:38:23 PM EST
    still prefer the orange plague.

    Parent
    I like it, too (none / 0) (#143)
    by Zorba on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 01:04:16 PM EST
    Maybe we could call it the Trumpona virus.

    Parent
    What are the odds (none / 0) (#132)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 09:08:15 AM EST
    that by the next time we see King Cheeto he will have changed his hair color back to standard Just For Men Orange?

    I think it's likely.  No way he wants to live whatever is left of his miserable life grey.

    Maybe, (none / 0) (#137)
    by KeysDan on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 11:14:31 AM EST
    not until after Christmas so that there is the beautiful contrast between his gray hair and Melania's  red Christmas trees.  That is, of course, if Mel is still up for decorating---after all, she has been audio-recorded In conversation with Stephanie Winston, her former best friend, as saying, F*** the Christmas.

    Parent
    He appeared yesterday (none / 0) (#160)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Nov 21, 2020 at 07:27:05 AM EST
    Definitely Orange again.

    Parent
    This is interesting (none / 0) (#142)
    by MO Blue on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 12:21:52 PM EST
    During his campaign in 2018, ... (none / 0) (#145)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 04:18:48 PM EST
    ... Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) repeatedly accused the country's armed forces of human rights abuses in the government's bloody drug war with Mexican cartels, which has cost over 150,000 Mexican citizens their lives, and publicly clashed with then-Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, then secretary of defense. He was eventually elected over the pointed objections of Mexico's military elite.

    How, then, to explain AMLO's willingness to confront the United States over its recent arrest in Los Angeles of Gen. Cienfuegos, who was was accused of protecting drug smuggling corridors and alerting drug bosses to U.S. enforcement actions?

    Recent polling suggests that Mexican citizens tend to view their country's armed forces as efficient, professional and comparably less corrupt that the rest of the government. For their part, military leaders have long cultivated that image, and Gen. Cienfuegos's arrest threatened to undermine their efforts.

    AMLO, who is first and foremost a very strong Mexican nationalist, was reportedly incensed that President Trump and senior administration officials had failed to disclose to him the DEA's investigation and pending arrest of Gen. Cienfuegos during their July meeting in Washington. Almost immediately, he vowed to withhold security cooperation with the United States until charges were dropped and Cienfuegos was returned to Mexico.

    Then AMLO announced this week that Mexico will no longer allow local officials accused of corruption to be tried in the United States, ending a long tradition in which major drug cases involving those officials were held north of the border because of Mexico's weak justice system. Sensing that DOJ may have caused a damaging breach in U.S.-Mexican relations, Attorney Gen. William Barr buckled. The charges again Gen. Cienfuegos were dropped, and he returned to Mexico a free man.

    AMLO's success in both springing Gen. Cienfuegos and compelling the U.S. to back down not only further endeared him to a citizenry long resentful of their northern neighbors, but also garnered him the support of a now-grateful military command for having rescued one of their own from Yanqui clutches.

    Mexico's president is as wily as a fox.

    Kemp says he will (none / 0) (#146)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 04:34:17 PM EST
    Certify the GA election results.

    In my script for this story (none / 0) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 04:44:24 PM EST
    One or both of those Michigan guys came to the White House wearing a wire.  

    Parent
    Not impressed (none / 0) (#151)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 05:56:00 PM EST
    Michigan's top Republican lawmakers said Friday after a meeting with President Trump at the White House that they have not seen any information that would change President-Elect Joe Biden's victory in the state, a blow to the president's efforts to undermine the election results, the Washington Post reports.

    In a statement, they vowed not to interfere with the certification process that is expected to be finalized on Monday.

    link

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    Once again, Tr*mp uses his office position (5.00 / 2) (#154)
    by Peter G on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 06:37:34 PM EST
    as President for partisan political purposes. At whose expense? Did the Tr*mp Campaign pay for these pointless flights from Detroit to D.C.? Wouldn't a telephone conference call have sufficed?

    Parent
    I am particularly puzzled by (5.00 / 2) (#156)
    by Peter G on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 07:34:04 PM EST
    McEnany, who is ostensibly the White House Press Secretary, making public statements not on behalf of the President of the United States, but on behalf of the Tr*mp-Pence Campaign. She has a full-time job working (so to speak) for the U.S. Government. How can she be a Campaign spokesperson at the same time?

    Parent
    Mahalo for noting yet another ... (none / 0) (#159)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Nov 21, 2020 at 07:05:16 AM EST
    ... probable Hatch Act violation, just in case some folks at DOJ finally rouse themselves from their Barr-induced slumber long enough to, you know, actually enforce federal law in that regard.

    Parent
    I wondered (none / 0) (#155)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 06:59:04 PM EST
    the same thing. Why didn't they just do a zoom conference?

    Parent
    Detroit news (none / 0) (#152)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 05:59:47 PM EST
    These people need deprogramming (none / 0) (#147)
    by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 04:36:58 PM EST
    Yeah (none / 0) (#153)
    by Ga6thDem on Fri Nov 20, 2020 at 06:30:30 PM EST
    I'm not sure how this is going to be fixed. I have a HS classmate that is praying every night that Trump gets a second term. I don't know when she is finally going to figure out it's not going to happen.

    Parent
    Raised by wolves (none / 0) (#162)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Nov 22, 2020 at 09:21:16 AM EST
    I just recently got HBOMAX so I just discovered this.  It's really good.  Never anything you expect.

    HBO Max's `Raised By Wolves' Is Some Of The Best Sci-Fi On TV