Trump is SO gearing up to challenge the election results right now. How many times has he talked about voter fraud? How many times has he referred to Democrats as liars and cheats. He's priming his supporters to ready them for a massive political conflict if he loses. Trump is really not Al Gore. He couldn't give a shit about the country.
He's also trying to push states with Republican legislatures to ramp up their voter suppression activity.
Trump is SO gearing up to challenge the election results right now. How many times has he talked about voter fraud? How many times has he referred to Democrats as liars and cheats. He's priming his supporters to ready them for a massive political conflict if he loses. Trump is really not Al Gore. He couldn't give a shit about the country.
In countries where electoral fraud is suspected, there are often international 'Electoral Observers' whose job is to check what they can and report anything suspicious. I know most Americans would dislike this but if someone (presumably Democrats/ maybe Biden) raised the idea to ensure maximum fairness it would demonstrate their willingness for the process to be scrutinised and would put the onus on T et al to respond. Assuming a negative response, if T is unhappy with the result at least everyone will know the offer was made and refused.
Former president Jimmy Carter has been involved with international election monitoring since he left office. At one point--probably during the Bush v. Gore mess--he said that America's election system didn't meet the basic standards for even being monitored.
No jinxing about it. It’s reality. Talking about the current poll numbers as though they are an actual predictor of what might happen in November is what risks jinxing things by lulling folks into a false sense of security. We’re 16½ weeks from November 3, and that’s a long time in politics. It ain’t over til it’s over. We act as if we’ve already won, or even as if we’re winning, at our own peril.
Exactly. A week is a long time in politics.
The election is not won or lost until the votes are counted. Even then, it's not the popular vote overall, but how that translates into the result that vote gives in the Electoral College. As 4 years ago, a majority of the popular vote does not necessarily mean success. Should Bernie Sanders decide to run, that would split the anti-Trump vote and make it harder to tip him out.
Bernie is not going to run. He and Biden have already worked out a six-point platform for the Democratic Party. Bernie will be a key Senator to make sure that platform gets through a Democratic-lead Congress.
It seems that the Donald is doing everything he can to lose the election. His recent clemency of Roger Stone is not going over very well on this side of the pond.
No jinxing about it. It’s reality. Talking about the current poll numbers as though they are an actual predictor of what might happen in November is what risks jinxing things by lulling folks into a false sense of security. We’re 16½ weeks from November 3, and that’s a long time in politics. It ain’t over til it’s over. We act as if we’ve already won, or even as if we’re winning, at our own peril.
Exactly. A week is a long time in politics.
The election is not won or lost until the votes are counted. Even then, it's not the popular vote overall, but how that translates into the result that vote gives in the Electoral College. As 4 years ago, a majority of the popular vote does not necessarily mean success. Should Bernie Sanders decide to run, that would split the anti-Trump vote and make it harder to tip him out.
Bernie is not going to run. He and Biden have already worked out a six-point platform for the Democratic Party. Bernie will be a key Senator to make sure that platform gets through a Democratic-lead Congress.
It seems that the Donald is doing everything he can to lose the election. His recent clemency of Roger Stone is not going over very well on this side of the pond.
Trump will not lose the election for what he does. If he loses it will be because people who do not typically vote get out and vote against him.
As to Trump attempting to stay on, as Max Boot reported in his column, it has been war gamed, and there was speculation in Newsweek. I linked previously on another Trump thread. The war gaming was based on Biden winning the EC by fewer than 20 votes.
There's a long history of the Scots (represented today by Ms Sturgeon) invading England - they got as far as Dover, right down in the bottom right-hand corner, next to France, back in the early 13thC.
Later invasions didn't work well...
My point was simply that, given the sheer uselessness of the present English Government (i.e. south of the border), we poor benighted English would do far better under the rule of the more sensible (and pro-European) Scottish Government.
It ain't gonna happen, of course, but we Old Men like to Dream Dreams.
Please carry on discussing Trump (if you must)...
(As for Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, she has surely shown up as one of the most level-headed and pragmatic world leaders of recent times. YMMV, but I think she's brilliant...).
(As for Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, she has surely shown up as one of the most level-headed and pragmatic world leaders of recent times. YMMV, but I think she's brilliant...).
And I think that is where I got lost because I could not think of an Ardern in past history.
(Just to be clear I'm not criticising US politics -heaven knows NZ ones are weird enough at the moment).
Any time you want to trade Ms. Ardern for Mr. Trump, I'll be happy to oblige.
No, no! We need Ms Ardern here in UKland...we saw her first!
Bishop's Finger UK can have Winston Peters who has been cosying up to the millionaire Arron who apparently bankrolled Nigel Farage's and his odious mates.
Pigwidgeon, even though the dirty politics of the other major party here are nasty, they aren't even competent at that so I won't hand them over, but we are keeping Jacinda Ardern. She's doing OK.
but we are keeping Jacinda Ardern. She's doing OK.
Can we not share her? I'm sure she could cope with being PM of the UK and NZ and President of the US at the same time.
My first thought was that if she's diligent and hard-working (I assume she is) and listens to and acts on advice, at least she'd be a full-time PM+US-prez, and therefore do a better job than Trump. (Probably most people would be better!)
Then I wondered if Trump is doing a part-time job. I assume (perhaps wrongly) that he spends so much of each day looking to his own image, or promoting projects intended to please a minority of the public (his 'base', therefore looking to his re-election) rather than being a president for all Americans that he is in effect a part-timer.
Is this right? Maybe he works hard for some hours a day genuinely doing presidential stuff (though I dislike his policies) and uses his non-work time to promote himself.
T reportedly watches a lot of TV--much of it off-kilter "conservative" talk shows and "news". I gather he can't process much of the necessary presidential info he's told, and does a lot of yelling in private meetings. Of course, he's hardly the only holder of that office who's yelled.
but we are keeping Jacinda Ardern. She's doing OK.
Can we not share her? I'm sure she could cope with being PM of the UK and NZ and President of the US at the same time.
My first thought was that if she's diligent and hard-working (I assume she is) and listens to and acts on advice, at least she'd be a full-time PM+US-prez, and therefore do a better job than Trump. (Probably most people would be better!)
Then I wondered if Trump is doing a part-time job. I assume (perhaps wrongly) that he spends so much of each day looking to his own image, or promoting projects intended to please a minority of the public (his 'base', therefore looking to his re-election) rather than being a president for all Americans that he is in effect a part-timer.
Is this right? Maybe he works hard for some hours a day genuinely doing presidential stuff (though I dislike his policies) and uses his non-work time to promote himself.
I understand he spends a fair amount of time playing (and cheating at) golf.
Would she be willing to be cloned? Or be a part-time president elsewhere. Heck, even if she "presidented" in the US for a couple of weeks a year, she'd get more work done--and GOOD work--than T has done in his whole term.
And Ms Sturgeon. There seems to be a pattern emerging. There must be some decent efficient males around somewhere.
A silly thought strikes me. Some time in the past, the current lot set up a commision to identify the decent efficient males and eliminated them, But they didn't see the women as anything more than filers of files and fetchers of coffees, so let them get away.
There seems to be a pattern emerging. There must be some decent efficient males around somewhere.
A silly thought strikes me. Some time in the past, the current lot set up a commision to identify the decent efficient males and eliminated them, But they didn't see the women as anything more than filers of files and fetchers of coffees, so let them get away.
I'd love to quote this more widely. May I and, if so, to whom should I attribute it?
Another NZedder, Helen Clarke, is going to head up the investigation into the beginnings of Covid-19. She is hugely capable, and another female PM of NZ.
Trump loyalists consciously flouting State and federal guidelines at a public meeting. Apparently some also went around removing stickers on chairs designed to maintain social distancing.
The brouhaha over face-masks in the US is truly bizarre - Trump himself has started wearing one, so why do his followers not all instantly do the same?
(The irony is that at least the mask prevents the rest of the world from having to gaze on Trump's malevolent face...)
Trump was seen wearing a mask at Walter Reed while visiting hospitalized servicemen. He has not been seen wearing one since. He still gives mixed messages.
Trump loyalists consciously flouting State and federal guidelines at a public meeting. Apparently some also went around removing stickers on chairs designed to maintain social distancing.
That's what happened at Trump's rally, a few weeks ago--including the stickers.
Trump loyalists consciously flouting State and federal guidelines at a public meeting. Apparently some also went around removing stickers on chairs designed to maintain social distancing.
That's what happened at Trump's rally, a few weeks ago--including the stickers.
The rally for which stickers weren't really needed, as it turned out.
Because of low attendance? Yes. *Some* attendees did practice social distancing. The rest looked clumped together. So the stickers might have helped, if anyone attending paid attention to them.
They probably would not have paid attention to the stickers or any warning signs. This is all a conspiracy to enable the government to take over our lives even more completely. You just don't understand,
Yeah. Thing is, the pandemic isn't a hoax; but T is trying to take over our lives/rights. (And different administrations, agencies, and people have been trying to do that for a long time. Like some of the security measures after 9/11. Gave them an excuse to do things they'd wanted to do for a long time.)
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He's also trying to push states with Republican legislatures to ramp up their voter suppression activity.
In countries where electoral fraud is suspected, there are often international 'Electoral Observers' whose job is to check what they can and report anything suspicious. I know most Americans would dislike this but if someone (presumably Democrats/ maybe Biden) raised the idea to ensure maximum fairness it would demonstrate their willingness for the process to be scrutinised and would put the onus on T et al to respond. Assuming a negative response, if T is unhappy with the result at least everyone will know the offer was made and refused.
Former president Jimmy Carter has been involved with international election monitoring since he left office. At one point--probably during the Bush v. Gore mess--he said that America's election system didn't meet the basic standards for even being monitored.
Any time you want to trade Ms. Ardern for Mr. Trump, I'll be happy to oblige.
Bernie is not going to run. He and Biden have already worked out a six-point platform for the Democratic Party. Bernie will be a key Senator to make sure that platform gets through a Democratic-lead Congress.
It seems that the Donald is doing everything he can to lose the election. His recent clemency of Roger Stone is not going over very well on this side of the pond.
He's a little slow, isn't he? And Sanders has his own cult.
No, no! We need Ms Ardern here in UKland...we saw her first!
Maybe you lot down in Wangland need her; we've already got oor Nicola.
If there's English history being referenced here then it sounds like I'm a wee bit lost too as I hadn't noticed!
There's a long history of the Scots (represented today by Ms Sturgeon) invading England - they got as far as Dover, right down in the bottom right-hand corner, next to France, back in the early 13thC.
Later invasions didn't work well...
My point was simply that, given the sheer uselessness of the present English Government (i.e. south of the border), we poor benighted English would do far better under the rule of the more sensible (and pro-European) Scottish Government.
It ain't gonna happen, of course, but we Old Men like to Dream Dreams.
Please carry on discussing Trump (if you must)...
(As for Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, she has surely shown up as one of the most level-headed and pragmatic world leaders of recent times. YMMV, but I think she's brilliant...).
And I think that is where I got lost because I could not think of an Ardern in past history.
Bishop's Finger UK can have Winston Peters who has been cosying up to the millionaire Arron who apparently bankrolled Nigel Farage's and his odious mates.
Pigwidgeon, even though the dirty politics of the other major party here are nasty, they aren't even competent at that so I won't hand them over, but we are keeping Jacinda Ardern. She's doing OK.
Can we not share her? I'm sure she could cope with being PM of the UK and NZ and President of the US at the same time.
My first thought was that if she's diligent and hard-working (I assume she is) and listens to and acts on advice, at least she'd be a full-time PM+US-prez, and therefore do a better job than Trump. (Probably most people would be better!)
Then I wondered if Trump is doing a part-time job. I assume (perhaps wrongly) that he spends so much of each day looking to his own image, or promoting projects intended to please a minority of the public (his 'base', therefore looking to his re-election) rather than being a president for all Americans that he is in effect a part-timer.
Is this right? Maybe he works hard for some hours a day genuinely doing presidential stuff (though I dislike his policies) and uses his non-work time to promote himself.
I understand he spends a fair amount of time playing (and cheating at) golf.
A silly thought strikes me. Some time in the past, the current lot set up a commision to identify the decent efficient males and eliminated them, But they didn't see the women as anything more than filers of files and fetchers of coffees, so let them get away.
In fact, Andrews and Berejiklian together saved Morrison the trouble of dealing with the bushfire crisis and are now doing the same for covid- 19.
I'd love to quote this more widely. May I and, if so, to whom should I attribute it?
However, the EAOs didn't do a very convincing job (you only have to look at Trump, Johnson, Kim Jong-Un et al to see what I mean).
And, as @Penny S says, the EAOs forgot to take into account the female part of the human species...
Certainly Frau Merkel, Ms Sturgeon, and Ms Ardern stand out on the world stage as Leaders with a capital L...
Trump loyalists consciously flouting State and federal guidelines at a public meeting. Apparently some also went around removing stickers on chairs designed to maintain social distancing.
(The irony is that at least the mask prevents the rest of the world from having to gaze on Trump's malevolent face...)
That's what happened at Trump's rally, a few weeks ago--including the stickers.
The rally for which stickers weren't really needed, as it turned out.