Investigative reporter Barton Gellman describes a nightmare scenario that would sow chaos and destroy our democracy.
What if Trump refuses to concede? He has repeatedly said that mail-in ballots are fraudulent. He’s already predicted that, unless he wins, the election will be “rigged.”
Yesterday, he was asked directly if he would accept the results of the election, and he refused to say that he would.
Gellman writes:
In this election year of plague and recession and catastrophized politics, the mechanisms of decision are at meaningful risk of breaking down. Close students of election law and procedure are warning that conditions are ripe for a constitutional crisis that would leave the nation without an authoritative result. We have no fail-safe against that calamity. Thus the blinking red lights.
“We could well see a protracted postelection struggle in the courts and the streets if the results are close,” says Richard L. Hasen, a professor at the UC Irvine School of Law and the author of a recent book called Election Meltdown. “The kind of election meltdown we could see would be much worse than 2000’s Bush v. Gore case.”
A lot of people, including Joe Biden, the Democratic Party nominee, have misconceived the nature of the threat. They frame it as a concern, unthinkable for presidents past, that Trump might refuse to vacate the Oval Office if he loses. They generally conclude, as Biden has, that in that event the proper authorities “will escort him from the White House with great dispatch.”
The worst case, however, is not that Trump rejects the election outcome. The worst case is that he uses his power to prevent a decisive outcome against him. If Trump sheds all restraint, and if his Republican allies play the parts he assigns them, he could obstruct the emergence of a legally unambiguous victory for Biden in the Electoral College and then in Congress. He could prevent the formation of consensus about whether there is any outcome at all. He could seize on that uncertainty to hold on to power.
Trump’s state and national legal teams are already laying the groundwork for postelection maneuvers that would circumvent the results of the vote count in battleground states. Ambiguities in the Constitution and logic bombs in the Electoral Count Act make it possible to extend the dispute all the way to Inauguration Day, which would bring the nation to a precipice. The Twentieth Amendment is crystal clear that the president’s term in office “shall end” at noon on January 20, but two men could show up to be sworn in. One of them would arrive with all the tools and power of the presidency already in hand.
“We are not prepared for this at all,” Julian Zelizer, a Princeton professor of history and public affairs, told me. “We talk about it, some worry about it, and we imagine what it would be. But few people have actual answers to what happens if the machinery of democracy is used to prevent a legitimate resolution to the election.”
The article goes on to describe in detail how Trump and his allies are already planning to disrupt the election, tie up the count with lawsuits, discredit mail-in ballots, and, if necessary, call out armed mobs to intimidate voters. Gellman believes that Trump will never concede.
I hope the article is not behind a paywall.
It details the worst threat to our democracy in our lifetimes, maybe since the the Civil War, maybe ever.
A scarier scenario: What if the Idiot doesn’t have to concede?
The Right has been chirping about a Manchurian Candidate for decades. Who knew they would produce something worse, the Muscovite President.
Like all despots, Trump has shielded himself from direct, in-your-face, in-person criticism and has surrounded himself with toadies. And he has managed to bring an entire political party to its knees before him. So, moments like this are a big shock to him. Look at his eyes.
This is so, so well deserved.
Vote him out.
Then, lock him up.
Mary Trump sued her family today for defrauding her and her brother of their rightful inheritance. She individually sued Donald Trump, her aunt Maryanne Trump, and the estate of her late uncle Robert, claiming that they knowingly deflated the value of the estate, then insisted that she and her brother sign a nondisclosure agreement to cover up the fraud.
Wishing her well in this!
You are looking, here, at a man (I use the term loosely) who wishes he had a Mulligan. Imagine having the opportunity that he had and so completely, utterly blowing it.
“Mary Trump sued her family today for defrauding her and her brother of their rightful inheritance.”
Mary Trump just played her Trump card.
The Trump Card
She played the card
To trump his suit
The Trump is hard
But trump will boot
This is sooooo satisfying.
Satisfying????? This is so very disrespectful toward the Justice and President. It is sad to see how low people have stooped.
Respect for a man who is trying to negate Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy?! He deserves none. The crowd’s recognition of that fact is in no way disrespectful to the judge.
cx: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
April Featherkile: “Justice” and “president” don’t belong near each other. There is nothing further from “justice” than our lying, corrupt, ignorant, self-serving, misogynistic, xenophobic, narcissistic, want-to-be-dictator “president”.
I knew as soon as I saw your name that you would have some comment supporting this hate-spewing shell of a man who has no decency.
Good morning Diane and everyone,
My husband joked yesterday that guys at work are worried about having college basketball this year. We could be having a civil war this year. A joke but not that funny.
Harmonyms
Trump knows delete
But never the lead
Trump knows conceit
But never concede
Trump is extremely dangerous. Anything critical of him has been labeled ‘fake news’. I am worried that he will also call out his gun friendly followers to start a war if he is actually forced out of the WH due to what he would call ‘fraudulent voting’.
“Yesterday, he was asked directly if he would accept the results of the election, and he refused to say that he would.”
This is precisely how Trump got where he is today.
Even asking the question shows an inability to understand this basic fact.
The only surprising thing would be if Trump had answered the question differently — to the effect that he would concede if he lost.
If there is no decision by the day of inauguration, doesn’t the Speaker of the House assume the presidency?
Too, the insults Trump has thrown at military officers may come to haunt him out of the White House.
Yeah, as bad as things are, this is somehow a new level of creepiness.
Several scenarios exist, all of which are terrifying.
People wished someone different’
They sure got one.
Yes, democracy itself is on the line
and way too many people do not understand that.
Actually the whole of civilization is on the line
and way too many people do not understand that either.
Putin seems to be winning without firing a shot
and without expending very much money.
Country divided in a way not seen since the Civil War.
Reason, logic, morality seems lost.
Like others what I see now is so very
much like Germany when they followed
a madman AND now regret it in a way
most Americans I feel cannot understand.
God help us
Trump and his followers won’t.
Is The article in The Atlantic behind a paywall? I found it terrifying. It is a must-read.
The article is, indeed, terrifying. Here’s how it works with The Atlantic: a particular computer (IP address) gets a few free articles a month. Then they are behind a paywall.
Thanks, Bob. It is a very important article that alerts us to the plans afoot to steal the election. Imagine if Trump loses, but shows up for the Inauguration anyway. He will have to be carried away by security.
That in itself–seeing him dragged away in handcuffs by the Capitol Police–would be extraordinarily satisfying.
It is interesting that you all seem to be worried that the president will not concede an election. His followers are confident that when all the vote tampering is settled—probably by the courts— if he should loose, Donald Trump will just fly off in a grandiose way. No fight. We will not fight you as you wish us to do. The president will have exposed the deep flaws in our society. He will have done his absolute best to create a better and more prosperous America.
The fighting will come from the marxists, anarchists, and socialists mobs (and the ignorant that are rioting for money) that you support who will turn on you and destroy the democracy we enjoy. There will not be a police force to protect you either. IF, you get your way, you dear intellectual and moral beings who intend to take over the U.S. forever, we can expect a one party government totally devoted to eliminating all opposition.
You will stupidly have Puerto Rico and D.C. entered as states to gain control of the Senate and you will try to never loose control of the House. You will push unsolicited mail-in ballots full of fraud to further get your way to attain that end. You will pack the Court with left leaning justices that love to rule from the bench and to heck with the Constitution. After this–our country will be a one party state and government.
You fear DJT–we fear for our nation should a cognitive declining man get into office and what a Harris-Biden ticket would look like. We fear the end of Middle East peace talks and an escalation of war, we fear unfair trade, deep state manipulation of the DOJ, the end to our privacy and security, terrible tax increases, a weakened military, worsening economy and the destruction of our culture, history and way of life.
April Featherkile is still certain that President Trump has Obama’s Kenyan birth certificate.
April Featherkile is still certain that the pandemic went away in the summer and only a handful of people died.
April Featherkile is still certain that in 2 weeks Trump will show us his plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, because Trump said that 2 years ago, so she knows it’s been coming in 2 weeks for the last 2 years.
There is an old saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
The people who wrote that old saying knew there were people like April who can be fooled multiple times. As the old saying goes, shame on all those people.
April Featherkile: Go back to your cave and continue to make up your dreams.
I prefer Bernie Sanders’ vision of America:
“I do understand that when you’re rich and you’re powerful you can buy politicians and get hundreds of millions of dollars in corporate welfare for your real estate empire,” he said. “No matter how rich and powerful you may be, no matter how arrogant and narcissistic you may be, no matter how much you think you can get anything you want, let me make this clear to Donald Trump: Too many people have fought and died to defend American democracy. You are not going to destroy it. The American people will not allow that to happen.”
PS. I turned in my vote-by-mail ballot yesterday to my voting place IN PERSON to make sure the Post Office doesn’t lose it OR delay it, which is what Trump wants. Biden/Harris got my vote.
Who knew April did YouTube videos?
Of course, listeners to Fox wouldn’t know about this. It shows how self-absorbed Trump is. This article comes from ‘fake’ NYT. /s
…………………
Republicans stop short of rebuking Trump as they insist there will be a peaceful transition of power.
A handful of Republicans, including the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, expressed broad support for a peaceful transfer of power after President Trump refused on Wednesday to commit to accepting the results of November’s election. But they carefully avoided any direct criticism of the president.
“The winner of the November 3rd election will be inaugurated on January 20th,” Mr. McConnell wrote on Twitter early Thursday. “There will be an orderly transition just as there has been every four years since 1792.”
“We’re going to have to see what happens,” is how Mr. Trump responded when asked to guarantee a peaceful transfer of power after the election. No president in modern memory has said what he said.
But members of Mr. Trump’s party treated the comment less like a historic threat to a bedrock democratic principle than as just another news-cycle provocation they hoped to dodge — and even the critics who emerged were careful not to call the president out by name.
Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, who this week declared his support for Mr. Trump’s decision to fast-track a new nominee for the Supreme Court, was first out with a criticism, as he has often been when Mr. Trump has made inflammatory comments.
“Fundamental to democracy is the peaceful transition of power; without that, there is Belarus. Any suggestion that a president might not respect this Constitutional guarantee is both unthinkable and unacceptable,” Mr. Romney wrote on Twitter Wednesday night.
Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the third-ranking House Republican, took a similar line, tweeting: “The peaceful transfer of power is enshrined in our Constitution and fundamental to the survival of our Republic. America’s leaders swear an oath to the Constitution. We will uphold that oath.”
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who has moderated his criticism of the president after lashing Mr. Trump during the 2016 Republican primary debates, also avoided referring to him directly in his response on Thursday.
“As we have done for over two centuries we will have a legitimate & fair election. It may take longer than usual to know the outcome, but it will be a valid one And at noon on Jan. 20, 2021 we will peacefully swear in the President,” wrote Mr. Rubio, who is also supporting Mr. Trump’s approach to filling the Supreme Court vacancy.
So did Representative Steve Stivers of Ohio, who tweeted, “Regardless of how divided our country is right now, when elections are over and winners are declared, we must all commit ourselves to the Constitution and accept the results.”
Former Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who has been helping Vice President Mike Pence prepare for the upcoming debates, struck a defiant note. “Smart candidates never concede anything before an election. They focus on what it takes to win,” he wrote. “Media could ask @JoeBiden & @KamalaHarris if they plan to concede on election night or drag it out for months.” Mr. Trump’s remarks, though, were not about whether he would be willing to concede on election night. They were about whether he would step aside if the election showed that he lost.
There was scant mention of Mr. Trump’s comments on the president’s favorite network, Fox News, on Wednesday, with the hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham focusing on other topics…
You would think that comments like Trump’s would guarantee enough Republicans voting against his Supreme Court nominee. At this point, the only thing Trump cares about is “winning” the election; he needs a shill in the supreme court to help him achieve that. We/they/whoever need(s) to stop giving Trump the benefit of the doubt; he will do anything to win. ANYTHING!
Why will he do ANYTHING to win? Perhaps he is 24 hours a day aware that the Southern District of New York’s prosecutor’s investigation will result in his being indicted, convicted, and jailed.
Eric Trump’s attempt to postpone subpoenaed testimony until after the election might fail, and if he tells the truth….who knows?
Eric Trump will be forced to testify but he won’t tell the truth.
Is the USA a democracy or a republic?
🤔
What happens, if Ugh! loses the Electoral College and doesn’t vacate the White House, on January 20, 2021, 12 PM? 🤔❓
It’s both.
The terms are not mutually exclusive.
Yes, agree. The US is a representative democracy or a democratic republic, in other words, we are both a democracy and a republic. A republic is a form of democracy. However, right now we are a Trumpocracy or kakistocracy.
Thanks, speduktr and Joe Jersey. 🤓
Republican Democrazy
Republican Democrazy
Is what we really are
And nothing will amaze me
Aft what we’vd seen so far
We’ve
I think we’vd is a contraction for ” we would have had”, but i’m not sure.
SDP: in the southern lexicon lies the word weudahad
We are living in the worst case scenario with Trump in office, the red flags were out there for everyone to see in 2016 and many years before that. And now with his latest outrageous comments about not conceding, another giant red flag just went up. We are finding out the hard way how fragile our democracy is with a president Trump, his loyal followers, armed Trumpian brown shirts/bully boys and his cheerleaders in the right wing media.
Common Dreams has published an open letter from 45 progressive writers and activists with a message for 2020 voters, a couple of snippets: “Ending the Trump presidency is, by far, the most important goal that can be achieved between now and January.” and “Protestations that Biden is beholden to elites are true but beside the point. The lesser evil is evil, but in this case, the greater evil is simply off the charts.” and “So, it comes down to this. Dump Trump, Then Battle Biden.”
Some of the signers of the letter are:
Avi Chomsky, Barbara Ehrenreich, Bill Fletcher Jr., Brett Wilkins, Charles Lenchner, Cornel West, Noam Chomsky, Elena Herrada, Gar Alperovitz, Gregory Wilpert,
Hassan El-Tayyab, Jeff Cohen, Medea Benjamin, etc.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/09/23/open-letter-dump-trump-then-battle-biden
I would not have signed that letter. I don’t believe that Biden is “the lesser evil.” He is not evil at all. He is a man who has served his country for many decades. He has made mistakes in the past, voted for or against things where I think he was wrong, but which of us has never made mistakes or been wrong.
Trump is Evil Incarnate. Compared to this Narcissistic Sociopath, Biden is a Saint. Not the lesser evil.
I agree, I don’t think that Biden is evil. But the main thing is that they are urging people to vote for Biden. Will that convince people like Dienne?
Nothing will convince Dienne to vote for Biden. I hope she lives in a state that is not closely contested. As the letter says, getting Trump out of power is goal number one. Deal with Biden after.
I agree, Diane, and it is exactly what worries me about the some progressives where everyone to the right of them is evil.
What!!!? cx: about some of the
Wow, I get talked about when I’m not even around. I’m flattered. Thanks for asking.
I actually could be convinced to vote for Biden despite the Iraq War, the crime bills, the segregationism, the bankruptcy bill, the lying, the sniffing and groping and harassing of women and girls, the obvious cognitive decline….
But the thing is, neither Biden nor the Democrats are even trying to convince me. We can’t have M4A in a pandemic and he’s even walked back the public option. We can’t have GND as the planet burns and he even insists he won’t ban fracking!!! We can’t Defund the Police as they murder black people and beat the snot out of protesters – in fact, we have to give them MORE money and hire MORE cops. When Trump called him a socialist he bragged that he “beat the socialist!!” I’m sorry, I don’t vote for people clearly showing me their middle finger.
All we lefties have asked for is a few progressive policies that are desperately needed. Even one would help. But instead the Democrats and the KHive and the other swarms tell us to sit down and shut up (and those are the polite ones).
So, I’m game. Without mentioning Trump, convince me to vote for Biden. Please don’t bother with the “we’ll push him left after the election” nonsense (especially from people who are more concerned with protesters’ behavior than police murdering people). I want to know what I can count on right now.
Bernie Sanders doesn’t agree with you.
I’m watching him on Rachel Maddow right now and he is very passionate about electing Biden.
Gee, isn’t having a country that respects your right to be your own worst enemy good enough?
I hope EVERYONE noticed that dienne77 didn’t even mention the Supreme Court. Talk about white privilege.
Instead, she brought up things that Biden supported 20 years ago! And often they were things that were part of larger bills in which good things were done and that is why Biden supported them.
And she left out everything Biden does support.
I guess when you are in a place of white privilege and have enough money for private school, things like the minimum wage and Medicare and gun control and the “little” things like voting rights don’t matter.
Voting rights do not matter to dienne. She is more worried about something Biden said 20 years ago than worried about the fact that people that don’t have her privilege are being systematically disenfranchised and Biden’s election would prevent a lot of that.
The problem is that people like dienne77 do not value — even one iota – any of the GOOD things that Biden would do. Which is why I think she is a troll, because many of those good things are moving this country toward everything she claims to value.
I mean, someone who claims she is concerned about climate change, but isn’t sure that Biden will be any better than Trump??? I guess AOC is a just a big liar when she says vote for Biden.
Barton Gellman was wrong when he said there is no fail-safe. He should read the U.S. Constitution’s 20th Amendment.
Sections 1
The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
Section 2
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Section 3
If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.
There’s more
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendment/amendment-xx
“The 20th Amendment speaks to the issue of when neither a president nor a vice president have been chosen “before the time fixed for the beginning of his term,” but it still refers to a somewhat different scenario. “Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a president elect nor a vice president elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as president, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a president or vice president shall have qualified.”
https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/493101-who-takes-control-if-there-is-no-presidential-election-this-year
The piece in The Hill goes on but without an elected president, on January 20th, the Speaker of the House becomes a temporary president because of the line of succession. As long as there is an election, that means Nancy Pelosi would be president.
Trump’s goal is probably to someone make sure there isn’t an election. The only way he could do that would be to grab power and attempt to stop the election at the state level.
I think, Ugh! stopping elections at the state level would be difficult. 🤔😮❓❗
Trump’s term of office ends on January 20.
Nancy Pelosi becomes president pro tem.
I feel better already.
Oh, wouldn’t that be a fine dish to lay before the Repugnicans! LOL!
If the fail safe depends on actions by the Congress, then we must hope that Republicans are no longer in control of the Senate,espec especially Moscow Mitch
Do those angry white voters on the left who are still posting that Biden has not yet “earned” their vote understand that the people on the left are going to be among the very first to be rounded up? AOC and Bernie Sanders and the Squad are terrorists to Trump supporters who would gladly condone locking them up.
And there will be no one left to speak up.
Maybe those angry white voices on the left aren’t concerned because they know if they tell the angry white Trump supporters that they hate the democrats as much as the Trump supporters do, they will always be welcome into the fold.
The many democratic voters who aren’t white will not be welcome with such open arms.
We, here in the United State, are watching and waiting to see what happens during this upcoming election. The rest of the world is also watching. I am positive that people around the world are just as worried as we are that Trump will declare himself president for another term or for life. What happens in the United States impacts everything that happens in the rest of the world.
May you live in interesting times, goes the old curse.
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/24/916184218/nearly-500-national-security-experts-endorse-biden-for-president
WaPo:
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R), who has repeatedly disdained covid-19 precautions and attended large events without a mask, tested positive for the virus on Wednesday.
And attended a small group meeting with the City of St. Louis Sheriff Friday. Everyone had a mask on except… the Governor
Glad you wore a mask when you met the Governor. He has COVID now.
Carol & Diane: his wide, I hear, is also positive.
Positive that he’s a nitwit?
If you cannot get the Atlantic article read this. Read this as backup to the Atlantic article. We are in very deep trouble.
Not my words.
“When a dictator sees weakness, the dictator tries to increase his own power — which is exactly what Donald Trump has done OVER THE LAST 24 HOURS.
.
After Democrats spent the weekend signaling surrender on the Supreme Court vacancy and suggesting they have no appetite to fight over the judiciary or threaten to expand the court, Trump on Wednesday declared that he may not agree to a peaceful transfer of power, and he openly admitted that he is trying to rush through a judicial nominee so that the court can give him a second term.
He suggested that he will “get rid of the ballots” and “there won’t be a transfer, frankly. There’ll be a continuation.”
“This is a crime in process — specifically, a coup that will be engineered remotely by Zoom, as Republican lawmakers now plan to leave Washington without passing a pandemic relief bill and return only for votes to install a new Supreme Court justice to throw the election.
Amid this onslaught, Democrats are behaving as if you can stop a coup merely by telling people to vote in an election where their ballots might get thrown out.
But the lesson here is the converse: Democrats’ culture of learned helplessness is no match for authoritarianism.”
Read the rest of this political prognosis here: https://www.dailyposter.com/p/capitulation-will-not-halt-trumps?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo0MDU3MDYxLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozODU2NzAzLCJfIjoiTVFqQysiLCJpYXQiOjE2MDA5NzEyNjIsImV4cCI6MTYwMDk3NDg2MiwiaXNzIjoicHViLTM3Nzc4Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.ElD9Q8_VV35BB5DkPQyXX1tfZFpeR50-flYSX_6A53A
Just a thought…Is it possible that Senator McConnell is trying to push the Supreme Court nomination because he, along with the rest of the Republican Senators, have lost faith in Trump’s re-election?
Has the Republican Party abandoned Donald Trump, and is this their kiss goodbye to him with this proposed nomination, barely a month and a half before the election?
Their actions are reminiscent of thieves in the night. If a child took these actions, we would consider them “childish”, if an adult did them, it would be wrong. But what is it when United States senators engage in this type of action? Unethical? Un-American? A betrayal of one’s own country?
Many of these senators started very clearly, since 2016, that they would not engage in a Supreme Court nomination during an election year, and especially one in which the election processes have begun. Now we have senators blatantly lying, evading and avoiding interviews, in essence, running away from their words.
If Senator McConnell really had faith in the American system, in the will of the people, and in the re-election of Trump, what would be so wrong as to wait for the election to run its course?
Vice-President Biden has developed strong relationships over the years with both sides of the aisle. He is neither far right, nor far left, and his decisions should play well to centrist points of view. And he should also be viewed as “a steady oar” to balance what has become a ship led by fools and idiots.
The next president will also face Supreme Court justices that are beyond their 40’s and 50’s. Have these Republican senators forgotten the Democratic pullback of Merrick Garland, a judge who would have served the United States in a balanced and fair way?
The process was much fairer when it did not require a simple majority by one senator to pass, because the vetting process should promote the effort and desire for the majority to reach out to the minority party, to ensure a voice to all at the table.
This moment really presents the Republican leadership in the Senate with a golden opportunity.
Would it consider waiting out the election, giving the American people a say in the election, and demonstrate the highest level of moral fortitude, or will it race to ram the process through in the blink of an eye? The latter sets a very dangerous pattern and precedent that may not only hurt Democrats now, but Republicans as well, later on.
With the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an impartial justice who truly spoke for those without a voice, an oar that had a sound and steady hand is in danger of falling into a chaotic sea.
Will a handful of senators finally step out of the shadows, and say enough is enough? Has basic respect in the service of one’s nation become a thing of the past? And if so, what does the future hold?
When the republicans blocked Fortas back in the Johnson administration, they began a process opening the gates to a complete removal of the idea of respect for an independent judiciary
I doubt the Idiot’s reelection or defeat has anything to do with this. This is about power and paying off (and reaping in future benefits from) their moneyed backers.
There is a historical precedent for this behavior. See Marbury vs. Madison. You know, the first thing one studies in any undergrad Con Law class.
200 Former Generals endorsed VP Biden.
Above – https://www.npr.org/2020/09/24/916184218/nearly-500-national-security-experts-endorse-biden-for-president
Is there one place where all of these endorsements are listed –
Are they plastered on billboards and small town newspapers?
These are the kind of endorsements that send a message: This man is dangerous.
And, I feel better knowing the 200 respected military generals are on “our side” so when the commander in chief directs the troops (and his brown shirts) to barricade the WH – those sitting military men and women will say “nope” – and be supported by the former generals!
Not 200.
489 generals, admirals, and former national security officials.
Shoot–I posted my comment to the wrong post. It’s late, but I’ll repeat my solution:
Is not the elephant the GOP’s mascot? I say get an elephant in there, & let her/him scoop it45 into his/her trunk & carry the it out.
However, before that, bring in the donkey for one good, swift kick.
There is a video in which Trump uses his monotone voice to declare his wonderful new healthcare plan.
……………………….
Trump Announces Phony New Health Care ‘Plan’
09/24/2020 07:22 pm ET
Slogans and toothless executive orders don’t pay anyone’s doctor bills.
President Donald Trump really, really wants to fool voters into thinking he has a plan to make the health care system great again. But he really, really doesn’t.
In Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, Trump signed executive orders he claims address two of the biggest concerns Americans have about the health care system: coverage for people with preexisting conditions and surprise medical bills.
The orders don’t do anything about anything, though. It’s just more vaporware from the Trump administration. Slogans, lies and exaggerations aren’t policies. Trump pitched his phantom plan by saying it rests on three pillars: “more choice,” “lower costs,” and “better care,” and that it would “put patients first.”
Those focus-group-tested slogans sound great! Except they’re hogwash…
Executive orders like these are little more than campaign press releases printed on fancier stationery. Since Trump doesn’t have the interest or patience to actually work with Congress to make laws, he tosses off toothless executive orders and farms out his Obamacare repeal efforts to a court system he’s packed with his own judges…
“The policy of the United States” is an empty phrase. It’s not a law. It’s not even an actual policy. Also, the current real policy of the United States on this issue is encoded in a law called the Affordable Care Act that Trump is trying to get rid of.
Article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-health-care-plan_n_5f6ce7afc5b674713cc952fc?ncid=engmodushpmg00000006
I LOVE Borowitz. Remember he is a comedian and this is satire.
…………………………………….
Obama Proposes Cancelling White House’s Cable to Get Trump to Leave
By Andy Borowitz
September 25, 2020
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—As Donald J. Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power in January, former President Barack Obama suggested that cancelling the White House’s cable-TV account could induce the President to leave.
“This is a man who enjoys watching television,” Obama told reporters. “What if, on Inauguration Day, he picks up the remote and nothing comes on?”
“This seems like the most peaceful way to get him to go,” Obama said.
Obama also said that, in order to avoid a constitutional crisis, the White House’s supply of Diet Coke could also be cut off, but added, “I don’t think it will come to that.”…
Andy Borowitz is a Times best-selling author and a comedian who has written for The New Yorker since 1998. He writes The Borowitz Report, a satirical column on the news.
https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/obama-proposes-cancelling-white-houses-cable-to-get-trump-to-leave?utm_source=onsite-share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker
If Ugh! loses the Electoral College and doesn’t leave January 20, 2021, 12 PM, what happens? Does the US Army remove him? 🤔😮❓❗
Things are going to get bad for this country.
………………………………
Chicago Tribune
SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
BREAKING NEWS
President Trump selects Judge Amy Coney Barrett to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sources say
President Donald Trump has selected Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the favorite candidate of conservatives, to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, sources say. Trump will try to force a Senate confirmation before Election Day in a move that would significantly alter the ideological makeup of the Supreme Court for years.