US Elections 2020 (geopolitics, informed debate, no ad hominems)

Biden

14 (66.7%)

Trump

7 (33.3%)

Total Members Voted: 21

Voting closed: November 02, 2020, 06:25:59 pm

[JoeKitchen]

Off the topic of mail-in voting for a moment -- here's something for those of you who poo-poo the Mueller report about Russia and the 2016 election. This is report from a GOP-led senate committee that describes, in great detail, how the Trump people colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 election. GOP led committee, please note. This completely corroborates, and expands, what Mueller found. Any of you Trumplets care to justify this or dismiss it as "fake news?" Or maybe you just think it is OK?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html

LOL man, you just cant let it go.  This has been debunked. 

BTW, if you actually want people to be able to respond to an article, perhaps post something not behind a paywall. 

[faberryman]

But it's Susan B Anthony, announced earlier today.  Total media stunt and flop.

Did anyone know she needed to be pardoned? I had to look it up. He must be getting desperate. I guess whoever thought this stunt up is going to get fired.

[Alan Klein]

How many are willing to bet Trump pardons Edward Snowden Thursday morning, sucking all the oxygen out of the room for Biden's speech that night? 

If you wonder why I think this, Trump was asked about Snowden a last week, saying he would look into it.  Trump, either last night or this morning, announced a major pardon is coming real soon.  Snowden is the only person I can think of that fits that bill and Thursday morning would be the best timing politically.  Not to mention it will go a long way at winning over disgruntled Bernie Bros who have been for the pardon for a long time. 

It would also put Biden in a bad position.  He cant really agree with Trump since that throws Obama under the bus.  If he disagrees, he will be seen as someone who is for an authoritarian state, helping to counter the narrative the Dems have been pushing for years on Trump.  If he remains quiet, although it wont be as bad as denouncing it, it will still hurt him. 

BTW, I consider Obama not pardoning Snowden while commuting the sentence of Manning to be one of the most egregious actions of his administration especially after he ran on having a transparent administration. 

Snowden isn't gay.

[Alan Klein]

The government should provide the means for all people to vote at all times. (period)  By mail or whatever under all circumstances.
If not it is not a true democracy.
and it should certainly not put up tresholds to keep people from voting. That attitude belongs to autocracies.

How and when Americans vote is up to each state.

[Alan Klein]

Did anyone know she needed to be pardoned? I had to look it up. He must be getting desperate. I guess whoever thought this stunt up is going to get fired.

Trump's theory is it doesn't matter if the news is good or bad or indifferent.  As long as you're talking about him.

[faberryman]

Trump's theory is it doesn't matter if the news is good or bad or indifferent.  As long as you're talking about him.

Yes, the class clown. The ones I have known have grown out of it by the end of elementary school. I guess there always has to be an exception. It is the ones who admire the class clown who are the real problem. That is a trait that tends to continue into adulthood.

[JoeKitchen]

Yes, the class clown. The ones I have known have grown out of it by the end of elementary school. I guess there always has to be an exception. It is the ones that admire the class clown who are the real problem. That is a trait that tends to continue into adulthood.

Hey, well at least he did not inherit a Middle East in relative calm, get a Nobel Prize for doing nothing, and then squandered that by bombing the hell out of innocent people, prop up Iran and finance terrorism by doing a midnight run with pallets of cash, start an unofficial war for no reason in Lebanon, allow ISIS to grow in strength just to get re-elected, and then brag about it. 

So he has that, plus first Arab state to recognize Israel in nearly 30 years. 

[JoeKitchen]

This just in, the best plan I've seen to save the post office in time for the election! 

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has a plan to save the USPS: Progressive Penpals

“So one of the best ways to support the post office is to buy stamps. What do you all think? Would you guys be down and excited if I set up a national progressive pen pal program?” AOC

 

[faberryman]

Hey, well at least he did not inherit a Middle East in relative calm, get a Nobel Prize for doing nothing, and then squandered that by bombing the hell out of innocent people, prop up Iran and finance terrorism by doing a midnight run with pallets of cash, start an unofficial war for no reason in Lebanon, allow ISIS to grow in strength just to get re-elected, and then brag about it. 

So he has that, plus first Arab state to recognize Israel in nearly 30 years.

Right on time for a whatabout.

[JoeKitchen]

Right on time for a whatabout.

You got a point.  So ... back to the infomercial! 

Michelle Obama's DNC speech was recorded before Biden picked Harris as running mate, source says

Can we say fakest event ever?  Oh boy, one of the running criticisms from the left about her speech was she never talked about Harris, and from the right was the whole thing looked way to edited. 

Well, now we know. 

[faberryman]

The Senate committee investigating Russia/Trump stuff has released its 1000 page report. Trump is going to blow a gasket, but, according to Alan, as long as he is being talked about he is happy. I am not planning to read it.  Surely everything that could be said, has been said. The New York Times hints at a few juicy nuggets, if you are a glutton for punishment. I have included a link to the NYT article on the off chance you haven't yet read your ten free NYT articles this month.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html

[faberryman]

I am not watching the Democratic convention. Just to be fair, I am also not planning on watching the Republican convention. At this point, barring Biden having a stroke at one of the debates (for those who don't think he already has had one), no one could possibly be on the fence about who they are going to vote for. I wish we could advance the date we vote to something like yesterday. We are going to need all the time we can get before January 20, 2021 to resolve the lawsuits. Besides, USPS hasn't picked up all of the street letter boxes yet so mailing a ballot is still a possibility.

For all of you constitutional scholars out there, if all the lawsuits are not resolved by inauguration day, does the House elect an interim president? Am I reading the 20th Amendment correctly? Links to knowledgeable discussions (i.e., not CNN or Fox or any nut job lawyer) would be a help.

[Craig Lamson]

The Senate committee investigating Russia/Trump stuff has released its 1000 page report. Trump is going to blow a gasket, but, according to Alan, as long as he is being talked about he is happy. I am not planning to read it.  Surely everything that could be said, has been said. The New York Times hints at a few juicy nuggets, if you are a glutton for punishment. I have included a link to the NYT article on the off chance you haven't yet read your ten free NYT articles this month.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html

The report without the paywall...

https://www.scribd.com/document/472838626/Read-Senate-Intelligence-Committee-Report#from_embed

[Alan Goldhammer]

This claim is false. States don't send out absentee ballots before they can be returned and accepted.

Also false for Maryland.

[Alan Goldhammer]

LOL man, you just cant let it go.  This has been debunked. 

BTW, if you actually want people to be able to respond to an article, perhaps post something not behind a paywall.

Tell that to Senator Burr (R-NC) and chair of the committee that issued the report.  Don't recklessly post answers that you know nothing about.

[faberryman]

LOL man, you just cant let it go.  This has been debunked.

Wow! That was quick. The report just came out this morning. Do you have a link to the debunking? And maybe for starters tell us what the "this" is in the report that was debunked.

[faberryman]

Snowden isn't gay.

Gee, I don’t know how you know that, but mostly I don’t know why it would have any relevance to anything.

[Alan Klein]

I am not watching the Democratic convention. Just to be fair, I am also not planning on watching the Republican convention. At this point, barring Biden having a stroke at one of the debates (for those who don't think he already has had one), no one could possibly be on the fence about who they are going to vote for. I wish we could advance the date we vote to something like yesterday. We are going to need all the time we can get before January 20, 2021 to resolve the lawsuits. Besides, USPS hasn't picked up all of the street letter boxes yet so mailing a ballot is still a possibility.

For all of you constitutional scholars out there, if all the lawsuits are not resolved by inauguration day, does the House elect an interim president? Am I reading the 20th Amendment correctly? Links to knowledgeable discussions (i.e., not CNN or Fox or any nut job lawyer) would be a help.

Actually they call me and I tell them who won.

[Peter McLennan]

Shamelessly copied and pasted here, the concluding paragraphs of NYT's first look at the report:

The findings broadly echo Mr. Mueller’s conclusions. His report documented attempts by Moscow to undermine confidence in the electoral process and sway the election toward Mr. Trump by hacking and dumping Democratic emails and engaging in sophisticated manipulation campaigns using social media.

After years of work, Mr. Mueller found dozens of contacts between Trump associates and Russian-connected actors, evidence that the Trump campaign welcomed the Kremlin’s attempts to sabotage the election and “expected it would benefit electorally” from the hacking and dumping of Democratic emails.

[TechTalk]

For all of you constitutional scholars out there, if all the lawsuits are not resolved by inauguration day, does the House elect an interim president? Am I reading the 20th Amendment correctly? Links to knowledgeable discussions (i.e., not CNN or Fox or any nut job lawyer) would be a help.

"If, by reason of death, resignation, removal from office, inability, or failure to qualify, there is neither a President nor Vice President to discharge the powers and duties of the office of President, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall, upon his resignation as Speaker and as Representative in Congress, act as President."

https://uscode.house.gov/USC-title3-section19

"Under the Twentieth Amendment, the incumbent President’s term ends at noon on January 20th. There are no provisions of law permitting a President to stay in office after this date, even in the event of a national emergency, short of the ratification of a new constitutional amendment. If none of the other avenues for selecting a new President have been successful, the vacancy would be filled according to the prescribed rules of succession. If there is neither a President nor Vice President to discharge the powers and duties of the office of President, then the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall act as President. If there is no Speaker, or if the Speaker otherwise fails to qualify as Acting President, then the President pro tempore of the Senate shall act as President."

https://crsreports.congress.gov/March 20, 2020