I’ve often said the electoral process can remain the same IF we then also assigned additional electoral votes to the popular vote. Winner takes all in a state…fine. Winner takes all for the pop vote. And make it mean something, popular vote counts for 100 automatically.
The problem with this election is they intend to throw a lot of votes out. They will do it illegally, of course, but they will challenge the results from places that have problems with the election. Once the Electoral count is in, they will try to toss the electoral votes from states with problems. Democrats tried and failed to do that in 2000. Hopefully Republicans will fail this time.
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“All right, I can see the broken eggs. Now where’s this omelette of yours?” – Panait Istrati [to his guide on visiting the USSR shortly after Stalin took over]
Well, you’re not a white male cis-het brocialist who has the luxury of knowing that “the worse” won’t be as bad for him as for others.
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There’s nothing magical about the USA that protects Americans from that sort of treatment; there’s just been a social understanding that these things aren’t done to wealthy and politically connected people. That understanding is in peril. In some other countries, it may be mystifying that it has stood for so long. In ours, it’s worrying whether it can stand much longer.
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True. As brilliant a document as the Constitution was, right from the beginning it allowed for exceptions that benefited wealthy white land owners. Amendments after the Bill of Rights have corrected some of the formal flaws in the document, but that social understanding ensured that the privileged remained privileged even within its stated constraints.
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Nightmare scenario I. The electoral votes break 296-242 in favor of Biden. One Republican member of each House of Congress challenges California’s certificate of election. The two Houses withdraw separately to debate. That process is “one state, one vote”. The vote goes roughly 30-20 in favor of rejecting Califonia’s electors. Trump wins the election with 242 electoral votes to Biden’s 241.
Nighmare scenario II: Trump ‘goes peacefully’ out of the White House, refuses to attend the inauguration, and continues to claim to be the president, running a government-in-exile from Mar-a-Lago. He continues to issue executive orders, many of which are followed by his little green men. Fox, Breitbart, OAN and so on continue to report on him as if he were President and condemn the illegitimate revolutionary who has staged a coup and is occupying the White House with rebel forces.
Uhm, right?
Nightmare scenario III is that the American Kristallnacht comes at the start of November.
What’s the best course of action when a large minority is openly and notoriously preparing to wage civil war, and officials in the presumably-elected government are urging their followers to stockpile matériel?
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That’s not only possible, it’s likely. His ego and their viewers would demand it. But …
That’s the Rubicon that if crossed would be his undoing. That would get him arrested hilariously fast. A whole new shit show would ensue.
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Apparently he is.
eta: What a pretentious yobbo punk, like Stone. A legend in his own mind.
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Caputo also said some of his comments have been taken out of context and recommended his staff to listen to music by the Grateful Dead.
What?
HHS said, "Mr. Caputo is a critical, integral part of the President’s coronavirus response
WHAT?
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I should add that I don’t dislike the Grateful Dead. I figure that unless I’ve gone to at least one concert or bought their music I can’t really call myself a “fan.” We have some Grateful Dead CDs and I do listen to them, but they belong to my husband (who has gone to a couple of concerts in the early 80s).
I just find someone who worked for Roger Stone and cites both Reagan and Jerry Garcia as influences perplexing. I mean, did he ever drop acid? Is he in a middle of a flashback?
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You are describing a literally unprecedented situation as if we know for a fact how it would play out.
We have never had a President who had no regard whatsoever for things like “peaceful transition of power.” We would be hopelessly naive to pretend we can predict the outcome of this scenario with any real degree of confidence. All we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
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Crossing the Rubicon worked for Julius Caesar. (Well, for a few years, until his assassination, but it irrevocably brought an end to the Roman Republic.)
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I understand that perspective; however, there are rules in place for such an event. And these rules rely on the Secret Service and Marines to follow orders and perform their duty. Once a new POTUS is sworn in, they serve that POTUS not Nostradumbass. In fact, he becomes a direct threat to national security if he refuses to leave the building.
Having served in uniform I can tell you without any doubt that is how it will work. You can question it all you want, you can debate and discuss. It’s all fine to do. Good orders get followed in these scenarios. Without question or hesitation.
That’s one of those “simple in theory, potentially less so in practice” kinds of rules because it assumes universal acceptance (at least within the top levels of government) that the new POTUS was indeed elected and installed legitimately. If Trump insists that he is still President it’s all but guaranteed that some portion of the Republican party—including at least some at the highest levels of government—will support his claim.
We’ve never had a situation where the Secret Service or any other service members were forced to choose who they believed was the legitimate President, because no one ever disputed the transition of power before.
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It’s a Boomer thing (Caputo is 58): a lot of the conservative ones want to have it both ways by betraying the political ideals of their youth while still enjoying the “authenticity” and cool associated with the counter-culture (usually by consumer spending or no-cost references like this one). Bobo Brooks is their chronicler and chief apologist.
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Glad you caught the reference.
Why so dismissive? Is there anything in the past four years to suggest that Trump is above claiming he’s still the rightful President if he is defeated in November? Is there anything in our recent history to suggest that high-level Republicans will universally dismiss such a claim if he does make it?
“Hope for the best, plan for the worst” is the only responsible path if we want to stem potential chaos here. There’s nothing magical about peaceful transition of power, it requires the parties involved to have some degree of commitment to the rule of law and the social contract in general.
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If there were some to go along with trump against a Biden win I think that it would be a very small segment of the military and SS establishment.
Might end up with a rogue party of traitors holed up in the trump hotel wondering where Putin’s little green men were and why they were late.
I think that rules are rules for the majority of the services. Military folk live by them. It’s a way of life.
But then again for some…
It’s going to be a shitstorm either way.
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