alternet--2020-11-04--Conservative Supreme Court justices show open hostility to LGBTQ people in new case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments against the City of Philadelphia in a case brought by Catholic Social Services .
By all accounts the six-justice conservative majority was not merely dismissive of equality and LGBTQ rights in favor of special rights for Christian-based organizations , but openly hostile to the very idea that LGBTQ people and same-sex couples could be good parents .
Catholic Social Services ( CSS ) lost in a unanimous 2018 lower court ruling when it sued the City of Philadelphia for refusing to send children to it for foster placement because the religious organization @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with LGBTQ parents and same-sex couples .
Far right wing Justice Clarence Thomas used a thinly-veiled analogy of a swimming pool to argue what 's in the `` best interest '' of a child .
`` Do n't you think it 's in the best interest of the the child to also have a pool , that is , that is beneficial to the child ? ''
Thomas asked , as The Washington Blade reports .
`` I do n't understand why that is n't also in the best interest of the child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ push false animus in what sounded like a conspiracy theory .
`` If we are honest about what 's really going on here , it 's not about ensuring that same-sex couples in Philadelphia have the opportunity to be foster parents , '' Alito claimed .
`` It 's the fact that the city ca n't stand the message that Catholic Social Services and the archdiocese are sending by continuing to adhere to the old-fashioned view about marriage . ''
Justice Brett Kavanaugh insisted the City of Philadelphia was somehow attacking the Catholic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that LGBTQ people can not be excluded , `` extreme . ''
`` It seems like Philadelphia created a clash , it seems , and was looking for a fight , and brought that serious controversy all the way to the Supreme Court . ''
Philadelphia did not bring the case to the Supreme Court .
Philadelphia won the case .
Catholic Social Services brought the case tot he Supreme Court .
And then there 's the Court 's newest , and most extreme Justice , Amy Coney Barrett .
Here 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her questioning : '' Barrett asks what would happen if an agency had a religious objection to serving couples in interracial marriages ?
CSS says government has a compelling interest in eradicating racial discrimination , but not discrimination against same-sex couples .
Very scary response . ''

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments against the City of Philadelphia in a case brought by Catholic Social Services. By all accounts the six-justice conservative majority was not merely dismissive of equality and LGBTQ rights in favor of special rights for Christian-based organizations, but openly hostile to the very idea that LGBTQ people and same-sex couples could be good parents.
Catholic Social Services (CSS) lost in a unanimous 2018 lower court ruling when it sued the City of Philadelphia for refusing to send children to it for foster placement because the religious organization reneged on its agreement to place children with LGBTQ parents and same-sex couples.
Far right wing Justice Clarence Thomas used a thinly-veiled analogy of a swimming pool to argue what's in the "best interest" of a child.
"Don't you think it's in the best interest of the the child to also have a pool, that is, that is beneficial to the child?" Thomas asked, as The Washington Blade reports. "I don't understand why that isn't also in the best interest of the child."
Justice Samuel Alito decided to push false animus in what sounded like a conspiracy theory.
"If we are honest about what's really going on here, it's not about ensuring that same-sex couples in Philadelphia have the opportunity to be foster parents," Alito claimed. "It's the fact that the city can't stand the message that Catholic Social Services and the archdiocese are sending by continuing to adhere to the old-fashioned view about marriage."
Justice Brett Kavanaugh insisted the City of Philadelphia was somehow attacking the Catholic group. He called Philadelphia's position, that LGBTQ people cannot be excluded, "extreme."
"It seems like Philadelphia created a clash, it seems, and was looking for a fight, and brought that serious controversy all the way to the Supreme Court."
Philadelphia did not bring the case to the Supreme Court. Philadelphia won the case. Catholic Social Services brought the case tot he Supreme Court.
(Kavanaugh was recently criticized for making a serious error in an opinion last week so dire it had to be corrected.)
And then there's the Court's newest, and most extreme Justice, Amy Coney Barrett.
Here's how the ACLU's Josh Block characterized her questioning:
"Barrett asks what would happen if an agency had a religious objection to serving couples in interracial marriages? CSS says government has a compelling interest in eradicating racial discrimination, but not discrimination against same-sex couples. Very scary response."


alternet--2020-11-04--Team Trump gets rebuked for false victory claims — and launches a desperate legal strategy

As the state presidential election results ticked in Joe Biden 's favor on Wednesday , President Donald Trump and his allies began launching desperate attempts to change the narrative and squeeze victory out of contrived chaos .
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany , for instance , was among the allies of the president who falsely claimed that he had won in Pennsylvania , where the count is ongoing : Twitter quickly rebuked this claim — already obviously dubious since it claimed cited no source — by slapping McEnany 's tweets other those of others Trump allies with a warning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe Biden may be on a path to winning Pennsylvania , given the votes left to be counted .
Trump also tried to falsely claim that he has won other states that have yet to be called .
He even claimed he won Michigan , which multiple outlets have reported as a victory for Biden : Clearly , the goal is to seize control of the narrative and cast doubt on results that are favorable to Biden .
He may hope to inspire protest and even violence from his supporters , which could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure on courts to intervene .
If the election ends up in a legal dispute , he wants to make the claim that he has already won , and anything the courts would do to give victory to Biden would be illegitimate .
It is , to be clear , a blatant and transparent effort to start a disinformation campaign .
Trump and his team are already launching a legal strategy to contest the election results — but it seems unlikely to work .
Rick Hasen of the Election Law Blog outlined their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin for Biden with about a 20,000 vote lead and counting complete , the Trump campaign said it would seek a recount .
The recount effort is highly unlikely to be successful , a point former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker acknowledged .
Statewide recounts rarely work according to a Fairvote study , shifting an average of 282 votes .
The Trump campaign is also suing to try to temporarily stop the count in Michigan until additional procedures are put in place for observing the count .
This lawsuit comes very late and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reception as the Nevada suit that lost in the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously .
Allies of the campaign also engaged in a mini-Brooks Brothers riot trying to stop the counting in Detroit .
As Josh Barro says , `` Kind of a weird thing to do in a state where Trump is already trailing in the count . ''
Of course in Nevada and Arizona , where the campaign is behind , the Trump campaign is pushing to extend the count and make sure every last vote is counted .
The Trump campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to intervene in the already existing dispute over ballots arriving over the next three days pursuant to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court order .
No doubt there will be a request from one of the parties to have those ballots ( which have been segregated ) not included in the final count .
`` [ The ] hope is that these Hail Mary legal plays could lead to court intervention to throw out votes and help Trump capture one of these states , '' Hasen wrote .
`` This is possible but very unlikely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and I have all given . ''
He also noted that Trump likely wants to harm any potential Biden presidency by casting a shadow over his win .

As the state presidential election results ticked in Joe Biden's favor on Wednesday, President Donald Trump and his allies began launching desperate attempts to change the narrative and squeeze victory out of contrived chaos.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, for instance, was among the allies of the president who falsely claimed that he had won in Pennsylvania, where the count is ongoing:
Twitter quickly rebuked this claim — already obviously dubious since it claimed cited no source — by slapping McEnany's tweets other those of others Trump allies with a warning label. In fact, election observers believe Biden may be on a path to winning Pennsylvania, given the votes left to be counted.
Trump also tried to falsely claim that he has won other states that have yet to be called. He even claimed he won Michigan, which multiple outlets have reported as a victory for Biden:
Clearly, the goal is to seize control of the narrative and cast doubt on results that are favorable to Biden. He may hope to inspire protest and even violence from his supporters, which could potentially disrupt ongoing counts or raise the pressure on courts to intervene. If the election ends up in a legal dispute, he wants to make the claim that he has already won, and anything the courts would do to give victory to Biden would be illegitimate. It is, to be clear, a blatant and transparent effort to start a disinformation campaign.
Trump and his team are already launching a legal strategy to contest the election results — but it seems unlikely to work.
Rick Hasen of the Election Law Blog outlined their efforts so far:
After networks called Wisconsin for Biden with about a 20,000 vote lead and counting complete, the Trump campaign said it would seek a recount. The recount effort is highly unlikely to be successful, a point former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker acknowledged. Statewide recounts rarely work according to a Fairvote study, shifting an average of 282 votes.
The Trump campaign is also suing to try to temporarily stop the count in Michigan until additional procedures are put in place for observing the count. This lawsuit comes very late and is likely to be get the same judicial reception as the Nevada suit that lost in the Nevada Supreme Court unanimously. Allies of the campaign also engaged in a mini-Brooks Brothers riot trying to stop the counting in Detroit. As Josh Barro says, "Kind of a weird thing to do in a state where Trump is already trailing in the count." Of course in Nevada and Arizona, where the campaign is behind, the Trump campaign is pushing to extend the count and make sure every last vote is counted.
The Trump campaign also just filed in the Supreme Court to intervene in the already existing dispute over ballots arriving over the next three days pursuant to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court order. No doubt there will be a request from one of the parties to have those ballots (which have been segregated) not included in the final count.
"[The] hope is that these Hail Mary legal plays could lead to court intervention to throw out votes and help Trump capture one of these states," Hasen wrote. "This is possible but very unlikely for reasons Ned Foley,Joey Fishkin, and I have all given."
He also noted that Trump likely wants to harm any potential Biden presidency by casting a shadow over his win.


alternet--2020-11-04--Why Trump fans enthusiastically back a confessed sexual assailant and obvious sociopath

I grew up in right-wing America , but I got out as soon as I could .
No one was surprised .
From an early age , it was clear my inclinations were what you might call `` Weimar American '' or what a lot of people around me called `` weird '' : More interested in reading than watching TV , invested in pop music trends , and intrigued rather than repulsed by the idea of meeting people who were different than me , or eating foods I had n't heard of before .
`` You 're a New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me in class one day in , I kid you not , 1993 .
I did n't have the heart to tell him that term was going out of style when he was a toddler .
Now , as an adult , I shop at the farmer 's market .
I 'm middle-aged , but I know what `` trap music '' is .
I have opinions on the newest seasons of `` The Great British Baking Show , '' versus the older ones .
I lament the decline of bookstores , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read mainstream newspapers and eat Vietnamese takeout .
I 've been to same-sex weddings and the Women 's March .
I 've uttered the phrase `` the Golden Age of Television . ''
I say these things not to congratulate myself for being hip , but quite the opposite .
I 'm not hip at all — I 'm an extremely normal American .
Sure , I 've lived in liberal cities — first Austin , then Brooklyn and now Philadelphia — my whole adult life .
Still , the America I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' was a huge hit and the Dixie Chicks did nothing wrong — is mainstream America .
Americans like me populate the small towns and suburbs too , as the summer of Black Lives Matter protests and Biden/Harris signs demonstrated .
There are many flavors of us and many races , but the general values — appreciation for diversity , acceptance of social change , cultural curiosity and empathy towards others — are the mainstream values of America .
Some of us are here as a matter of choice and some as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ characteristics like race or gender identity or sexual orientation .
Still , the fact that Democrats tend to win the popular vote in presidential elections over and over and over — with the 2020 result , that makes seven of the last eight — is evidence that the America that Donald Trump and his fans hate , the America they do n't even want to admit is American , is mainstream America .
And frankly , Trump and his minions know it .
Indeed , it 's exactly the mainstream nature of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ culture that explains why we 're seeing such fierce , outsized anger from Trump voters .
It 's the reason for the flag-festooned truck caravans , video tantrums about having to wear face masks in public places , lurid conspiracy theories painting Democrats as blood-drinking pedophiles and the `` MAGA '' slogan .
It 's why they are willing to back a confessed sexual assailant who is obviously a sociopath , eagerly and enthusiastically .
It 's because they see Trump as the vehicle to `` take back '' an American culture that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest of us , that is , the actual American majority .
Win or lose in 2020 , Trump has done remarkably well for a president who let 232,000 Americans die and is abandoning millions more to sickness or poverty .
That may seem inexplicable to many people who despise him , but it 's ultimately because his voters see themselves locked in an existential battle with the rest of us over who gets to define what kinds of people and things are truly `` American . ''
There 's a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that our national crisis is over identity and culture , and not over something that 's a little easier to get a handle on , like economics or ideology .
It 's often noted in progressive circles that if you poll Americans on policy issues like universal health care or free college , broad majorities of Americans — including a plurality of Republicans — support many left-leaning and often `` radical '' policies .
This is often taken as evidence that Democrats are losing because they 're too timid , and that if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agenda , they would win .
As much as my heart wants to believe that , however , it is n't true .
We know that because both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden shifted toward the left — certainly in terms of recent Democratic politics — and it did nothing to improve their vote share .
Which is n't to say Democrats should n't embrace progressive economic policies .
They should , because it 's the right thing to do .
But there 's no reason to believe it will either help or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's no way to win over votes from Trump America .
That 45 % of the country , which has outsized power due to the Electoral College and the unfair Senate system , is simply more worried about culture-war issues than about policy .
As Paul Campos at Lawyers , Guns , and Money wrote Wednesday morning , `` the lesson of this election is it does n't matter at all what a Republican president does or does n't do — the people who vote for him literally do n't care , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they want , and what they want is authoritarian ethno-nationalism and Owning the Libs . ''
There 's been some good protest music in the Trump years .
What is striking about a lot of it — such as Childish Gambino 's `` This Is America , '' Janelle Monae 's `` Americans '' and RuPaul 's `` American '' — is how much it 's focused on this notion of what it means to be an American .
`` I am American , American , just like you too , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ song , which plays at the end of every episode of RuPaul 's show in recent seasons .
I 'd argue that RuPaul is , if anything , even more American .
He 's a house musician , a drag queen and a game show host , all of which are American-born artistic traditions .
That 's no surprise , since so many of the things that make this country 's culture interesting and unique and so beloved around the world come from the very people and subcultures that our authoritarian 45 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonwhite communities , urban neighborhoods full of immigrants .
Even right wing America has a parasitic cultural relationship to the innovations of the same Americans they resent so much .
From Trump fans dancing feebly to the Village People at his red-hat rallies to the way hip-hop beats are watered down and injected into crappy `` bro country '' songs by groups like the Florida-Georgia Line to whatever the hell Kid Rock is doing : The spirit of Pat Boone stays strong in this country , kept alive by people who want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans before they kick them in the face .
I wish I had more answers to our problems .
I wish our elections could be about boring but important issues like health care and tax policy , instead of being used as a clumsy weapon in the culture wars .
I wish that the 45 % of Americans who do n't get or do n't like the slightly hipper and definitely more diverse majority would just chill out and leave us alone .
I wish there was no Fox News and no Rush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tattoos who channel their masculine insecurities into buying guns and longing for `` tradwives '' on social media .
But I do n't .
It feels like an intractable problem , being held hostage by a resentful minority who only grow more toxic and bitter because they have way too much power over our electoral system .
But it 's the problem we have , and we wo n't even start to think of solutions until we look our problem directly in the face .

I grew up in right-wing America, but I got out as soon as I could. No one was surprised. From an early age, it was clear my inclinations were what you might call "Weimar American" or what a lot of people around me called "weird": More interested in reading than watching TV, invested in pop music trends, and intrigued rather than repulsed by the idea of meeting people who were different than me, or eating foods I hadn't heard of before.
"You're a New Waver," some kid snarled at me in class one day in, I kid you not, 1993. I didn't have the heart to tell him that term was going out of style when he was a toddler.
Now, as an adult, I shop at the farmer's market. I'm middle-aged, but I know what "trap music" is. I have opinions on the newest seasons of "The Great British Baking Show," versus the older ones. I lament the decline of bookstores, but still buy actual books online. I read mainstream newspapers and eat Vietnamese takeout. I've been to same-sex weddings and the Women's March. I've uttered the phrase "the Golden Age of Television."
I say these things not to congratulate myself for being hip, but quite the opposite. I'm not hip at all — I'm an extremely normal American. Sure, I've lived in liberal cities — first Austin, then Brooklyn and now Philadelphia — my whole adult life. Still, the America I know, where the movie "Get Out" was a huge hit and the Dixie Chicks did nothing wrong — is mainstream America.
Americans like me populate the small towns and suburbs too, as the summer of Black Lives Matter protests and Biden/Harris signs demonstrated. There are many flavors of us and many races, but the general values — appreciation for diversity, acceptance of social change, cultural curiosity and empathy towards others — are the mainstream values of America.
Some of us are here as a matter of choice and some as a matter of circumstance, marginalized by immutable characteristics like race or gender identity or sexual orientation. Still, the fact that Democrats tend to win the popular vote in presidential elections over and over and over — with the 2020 result, that makes seven of the last eight — is evidence that the America that Donald Trump and his fans hate, the America they don't even want to admit is American, is mainstream America.
And frankly, Trump and his minions know it. Indeed, it's exactly the mainstream nature of this more liberal, cosmopolitan strain of American culture that explains why we're seeing such fierce, outsized anger from Trump voters. It's the reason for the flag-festooned truck caravans, video tantrums about having to wear face masks in public places, lurid conspiracy theories painting Democrats as blood-drinking pedophiles and the "MAGA" slogan. It's why they are willing to back a confessed sexual assailant who is obviously a sociopath, eagerly and enthusiastically.
It's because they see Trump as the vehicle to "take back" an American culture that they believe is being stolen by the rest of us, that is, the actual American majority.
Win or lose in 2020, Trump has done remarkably well for a president who let 232,000 Americans die and is abandoning millions more to sickness or poverty. That may seem inexplicable to many people who despise him, but it's ultimately because his voters see themselves locked in an existential battle with the rest of us over who gets to define what kinds of people and things are truly "American."
There's a lot of resistance on the left to the idea that our national crisis is over identity and culture, and not over something that's a little easier to get a handle on, like economics or ideology.
It's often noted in progressive circles that if you poll Americans on policy issues like universal health care or free college, broad majorities of Americans — including a plurality of Republicans — support many left-leaning and often "radical" policies. This is often taken as evidence that Democrats are losing because they're too timid, and that if they embraced a bolder, more progressive agenda, they would win.
As much as my heart wants to believe that, however, it isn't true. We know that because both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden shifted toward the left — certainly in terms of recent Democratic politics — and it did nothing to improve their vote share.
Which isn't to say Democrats shouldn't embrace progressive economic policies. They should, because it's the right thing to do. But there's no reason to believe it will either help or hurt their electoral chances, because there's no way to win over votes from Trump America. That 45% of the country, which has outsized power due to the Electoral College and the unfair Senate system, is simply more worried about culture-war issues than about policy.
As Paul Campos at Lawyers, Guns, and Money wrote Wednesday morning, "the lesson of this election is it doesn't matter at all what a Republican president does or doesn't do — the people who vote for him literally don't care, as long as he gives them enough of what they want, and what they want is authoritarian ethno-nationalism and Owning the Libs."
There's been some good protest music in the Trump years. What is striking about a lot of it — such as Childish Gambino's "This Is America," Janelle Monae's "Americans" and RuPaul's "American" — is how much it's focused on this notion of what it means to be an American.
"I am American, American, just like you too," are the blunt lyrics of the RuPaul song, which plays at the end of every episode of RuPaul's show in recent seasons.
I'd argue that RuPaul is, if anything, even more American. He's a house musician, a drag queen and a game show host, all of which are American-born artistic traditions. That's no surprise, since so many of the things that make this country's culture interesting and unique and so beloved around the world come from the very people and subcultures that our authoritarian 45% resents so much: Queer subcultures, nonwhite communities, urban neighborhoods full of immigrants.
Even right wing America has a parasitic cultural relationship to the innovations of the same Americans they resent so much. From Trump fans dancing feebly to the Village People at his red-hat rallies to the way hip-hop beats are watered down and injected into crappy "bro country" songs by groups like the Florida-Georgia Line to whatever the hell Kid Rock is doing: The spirit of Pat Boone stays strong in this country, kept alive by people who want to steal artistic and cultural innovation from other Americans before they kick them in the face.
I wish I had more answers to our problems. I wish our elections could be about boring but important issues like health care and tax policy, instead of being used as a clumsy weapon in the culture wars. I wish that the 45% of Americans who don't get or don't like the slightly hipper and definitely more diverse majority would just chill out and leave us alone. I wish there was no Fox News and no Rush Limbaugh and no white dudes with bad tattoos who channel their masculine insecurities into buying guns and longing for "tradwives" on social media.
But I don't. It feels like an intractable problem, being held hostage by a resentful minority who only grow more toxic and bitter because they have way too much power over our electoral system. But it's the problem we have, and we won't even start to think of solutions until we look our problem directly in the face.


alternet--2020-11-04--Joe Biden declared the winner of Michigan by CNN and NBC News

As the vote-counting continued in Pennsylvania and CNN and the Associated Press declared former Vice President Joe Biden to the winner in Wisconsin , the Democrat was likewise declared the winner of Michigan by both CNN and NBC News , inching him closer to securing the needed 270 electoral votes needed for victory .
President Donald Trump 's campaign claimed it filed a lawsuit to stop the vote-counting in Michigan , but no actual filing has yet been made public .
The Rust Belt states of Michigan , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania turned out to be real nail-biters in the 2020 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states that included Florida , Ohio and Iowa on Election Night , parts of the Rust Belt became Biden 's best chance for a victory .
On Wednesday afternoon , CNN projected that Biden was the winner in Wisconsin — and not long after that , AP called Wisconsin for Biden .
Trump 's campaign is saying that he will request a recount in the Badger State , though it 's highly unlikely to change the outcome .
Michigan , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were among the greatest surprises in the 2016 election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in presidential races , Trump won all of them .
But Biden had hopes of flipping them back this year .
Meanwhile , in the southwestern U.S. , the Associated Press and Fox News both called Arizona — which has 11 electoral votes — for Biden on Election Night , making Arizona the first Trump state from 2016 that Biden flipped .
Wisconsin was the second .
Pennsylvania , which has 20 electoral votes , has often been described as a make-or-break state for Biden .
And the New York Times , on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump `` leads by nearly 700,000 votes , but there are 1.4 million absentee votes outstanding . ''
And the absentee vote count , according to the Times , `` appears to be overwhelmingly for Biden . ''

As the vote-counting continued in Pennsylvania and CNN and the Associated Press declared former Vice President Joe Biden to the winner in Wisconsin, the Democrat was likewise declared the winner of Michigan by both CNN and NBC News, inching him closer to securing the needed 270 electoral votes needed for victory.
President Donald Trump's campaign claimed it filed a lawsuit to stop the vote-counting in Michigan, but no actual filing has yet been made public.
The Rust Belt states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania turned out to be real nail-biters in the 2020 election. With Trump having won battleground states that included Florida, Ohio and Iowa on Election Night, parts of the Rust Belt became Biden's best chance for a victory.
On Wednesday afternoon, CNN projected that Biden was the winner in Wisconsin — and not long after that, AP called Wisconsin for Biden. Trump's campaign is saying that he will request a recount in the Badger State, though it's highly unlikely to change the outcome.
Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were among the greatest surprises in the 2016 election. Although those states had been going Democratic in presidential races, Trump won all of them. But Biden had hopes of flipping them back this year.
Meanwhile, in the southwestern U.S., the Associated Press and Fox News both called Arizona — which has 11 electoral votes — for Biden on Election Night, making Arizona the first Trump state from 2016 that Biden flipped. Wisconsin was the second.
Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral votes, has often been described as a make-or-break state for Biden. And the New York Times, on Thursday morning, reported that in Pennsylvania, Trump "leads by nearly 700,000 votes, but there are 1.4 million absentee votes outstanding." And the absentee vote count, according to the Times, "appears to be overwhelmingly for Biden."


alternet--2020-11-04--'Step back!': Rowdy crowd trying to stop vote counting forms at Detroit election center

A crowd of protesters demanding that vote counting in Detroit cease formed at the TCF Hall , a local election center , Steve Patterson of NBC News reported on Wednesday .
He posted video of the event where the protesters crowded around the entrance to a room where votes were being counted : '' Step back !
Step back ! ''
a law enforcement official yelled as he tried to leave the room .
The crowd was press up against the door .
Another official identified himself as a member of the Detroit Health Department , drawing jeers from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread out if they 're going to be inside , presumably because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus .
Other videos appeared to show the protesters at the center cheering `` stop the count . ''
President Donald Trump has falsely declared victory in his re-election , despite the fact the official counts are not yet complete , and the odds seem to favor Joe Biden 's chances at this time .
But the protesters demands were deeply ironic , because the current Michigan count has Biden leading — stopping the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state .
This scenario — with Trump disputing the ballot counting , and his supporters trying to cause chaos at election centers — is exactly the circumstance that many political observers have warned could take place for months in the event of a tight race .

A crowd of protesters demanding that vote counting in Detroit cease formed at the TCF Hall, a local election center, Steve Patterson of NBC News reported on Wednesday.
He posted video of the event where the protesters crowded around the entrance to a room where votes were being counted:
"Step back! Step back!" a law enforcement official yelled as he tried to leave the room. The crowd was press up against the door.
Another official identified himself as a member of the Detroit Health Department, drawing jeers from the crowd. He instructed the crowd to spread out if they're going to be inside, presumably because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus.
Other videos appeared to show the protesters at the center cheering "stop the count." President Donald Trump has falsely declared victory in his re-election, despite the fact the official counts are not yet complete, and the odds seem to favor Joe Biden's chances at this time. But the protesters demands were deeply ironic, because the current Michigan count has Biden leading — stopping the count now wouldn't save Trump in the state.
This scenario — with Trump disputing the ballot counting, and his supporters trying to cause chaos at election centers — is exactly the circumstance that many political observers have warned could take place for months in the event of a tight race.


alternet--2020-11-04--Sara Gideon concedes to Susan Collins — dealing blow to Democratic hopes of regaining the Senate

Democrat Sara Gideon on Wednesday conceded Maine 's hard-fought Senate race to Republican Susan Collins , sending the incumbent back to Washington for a fifth term .
Gideon 's apparent loss dramatically increases the odds that the GOP will retain control of the upper chamber under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky .
In a short address outside of a Bangor hotel , Collins said she had received a concession call from Gideon as unofficial results showed the Republican up by a margin of 51 % to 42 % , with 85 % of precincts reporting .
If those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranked-choice runoff which could potentially shift the outcome of the race toward Gideon .
Democrat Sara Gideon on Wednesday conceded Maine 's hard-fought Senate race to Republican Susan Collins , sending the incumbent back to Washington for a fifth term .
Gideon 's apparent loss dramatically increases the odds that the GOP will retain control of the upper chamber under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky .
In a short address outside of a Bangor hotel , Collins said she had received a concession call from Gideon as unofficial results showed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % to 42 % , with 85 % of precincts reporting .
If those numbers hold , Collins would avoid a ranked-choice runoff which could potentially shift the outcome of the race toward Gideon .
Gideon , the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives , consistently polled ahead of Collins throughout the year , at times posting double digit margins .
Election forecasters at the Cook Political Report accordingly shifted the race from `` toss-up '' to `` lean Democrat . ''
However , the contest tightened to within a few points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were a shock for Collins , who won 70 % of the vote in her previous race .
This cycle , Collins had to claw back the confidence of her fellow Mainers .
Like many of her vulnerable Republican colleagues , Collins struggled to sever her image from Trump , who rated deeply unpopular in the Pine Tree State .
She never committed to voting for the president , even when asked directly during her final debate with Gideon .
Instead , Collins focused her advertising on Maine issues — to varying degrees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record again stood in her way , most specifically her vote to acquit Trump on impeachment charges in February , as well as her association with the Trump administration 's heavily criticized response to the coronavirus pandemic — the latter of which Gideon hammered home in the campaign 's final stages .
Collins ' past popularity might have shielded her from scrutiny , as several stories alleging self-dealing broke late in the race , prompting a government watchdog to file a Senate ethics complaint .
Gideon added in a statement that `` while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ca n't afford to stop organizing .
So let 's get some rest , and then get back to work . ''
A Rhode Island native , Gideon moved to Maine in 2004 after graduating from The George Washington University and interning for Sen. Claiborne Pell , D-R.I. She was elected to the state legislature about seven years later , where she rose to speakership in 2016 .
Gideon took advantage of the uncertainty around Collins to run the most liberal Democratic Senate campaign in the state 's history , especially in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican had lost significant ground .
But liberalism is a hard line to walk in Maine .
Green Party progressive Lisa Savage criticized Gideon 's platform as `` tepid and weak . ''
Gideon refused to embrace progressive planks like a Green New Deal and Medicare for All , instead advocating for aggressive but incremental climate change and a public healthcare option .
While Maine 's politics can be peculiar , the state has drifted toward Democrats in recent years .
However , Collins , a nominally middle-of-the-road Republican , proved on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her home state .
The Associated Press on Tuesday declared Democratic nominee Joe Biden the winner of Maine 's statewide race , while Trump picked up an electoral vote in state 's 2nd District on Wednesday .

Democrat Sara Gideon on Wednesday conceded Maine's hard-fought Senate race to Republican Susan Collins, sending the incumbent back to Washington for a fifth term. Gideon's apparent loss dramatically increases the odds that the GOP will retain control of the upper chamber under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
In a short address outside of a Bangor hotel, Collins said she had received a concession call from Gideon as unofficial results showed the Republican up by a margin of 51% to 42%, with 85% of precincts reporting. If those numbers hold, Collins would avoid a ranked-choice runoff which could potentially shift the outcome of the race toward Gideon.
Democrat Sara Gideon on Wednesday conceded Maine's hard-fought Senate race to Republican Susan Collins, sending the incumbent back to Washington for a fifth term. Gideon's apparent loss dramatically increases the odds that the GOP will retain control of the upper chamber under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
In a short address outside of a Bangor hotel, Collins said she had received a concession call from Gideon as unofficial results showed the Republican up by a margin of 51% to 42%, with 85% of precincts reporting. If those numbers hold, Collins would avoid a ranked-choice runoff which could potentially shift the outcome of the race toward Gideon.
Gideon, the speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, consistently polled ahead of Collins throughout the year, at times posting double digit margins. Election forecasters at the Cook Political Report accordingly shifted the race from "toss-up" to "lean Democrat." However, the contest tightened to within a few points as Election Day neared.
Those polls were a shock for Collins, who won 70% of the vote in her previous race. This cycle, Collins had to claw back the confidence of her fellow Mainers. Like many of her vulnerable Republican colleagues, Collins struggled to sever her image from Trump, who rated deeply unpopular in the Pine Tree State. She never committed to voting for the president, even when asked directly during her final debate with Gideon. Instead, Collins focused her advertising on Maine issues — to varying degrees of success.
But Collins' own record again stood in her way, most specifically her vote to acquit Trump on impeachment charges in February, as well as her association with the Trump administration's heavily criticized response to the coronavirus pandemic — the latter of which Gideon hammered home in the campaign's final stages.
Collins' past popularity might have shielded her from scrutiny, as several stories alleging self-dealing broke late in the race, prompting a government watchdog to file a Senate ethics complaint.
Gideon added in a statement that "while this election may be over, we can't afford to stop organizing. So let's get some rest, and then get back to work."
A Rhode Island native, Gideon moved to Maine in 2004 after graduating from The George Washington University and interning for Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-R.I. She was elected to the state legislature about seven years later, where she rose to speakership in 2016.
Gideon took advantage of the uncertainty around Collins to run the most liberal Democratic Senate campaign in the state's history, especially in the realm of reproductive rights, where the Republican had lost significant ground. But liberalism is a hard line to walk in Maine.
Green Party progressive Lisa Savage criticized Gideon's platform as "tepid and weak." Gideon refused to embrace progressive planks like a Green New Deal and Medicare for All, instead advocating for aggressive but incremental climate change and a public healthcare option.
While Maine's politics can be peculiar, the state has drifted toward Democrats in recent years. However, Collins, a nominally middle-of-the-road Republican, proved on Tuesday that she still commands a strong base in her home state.
The Associated Press on Tuesday declared Democratic nominee Joe Biden the winner of Maine's statewide race, while Trump picked up an electoral vote in state's 2nd District on Wednesday.


alternet--2020-11-04--Democratic infighting over a tight race is missing the biggest problems in 2020

As of this writing , Joe Biden appears to be on track to become the 46th President of the United States , but the resounding rejection of Trump and Trumpism that many had hoped for did n't materialize .
The Democrats underperformed expectations even more in down-ballot races .
Even in victory , one of the most predictable outcomes has come to pass : the fragile unity that held together the factions of the Democratic coalition for the past year has been broken .
The left is blaming Democrats for nominating a moderate , for their messaging and their ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ moved to the right to appeal to disaffected Republicans that ultimately proved ephemeral at the cost of revving up their base .
Moderates blame the left for identifying as socialists -- arguing that it hurt the party among Florida Hispanics -- for mocking the `` wine moms '' of `` the resistance '' and echoing conservative narratives that paint the Democrats as a party of out-of-touch elitists who have abandoned the working class .
Both camps have other grievances as well .
While there may be a kernel of truth to some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to engage in that debate now because it just elides our real problems .
The first is the Electoral College and a malapportioned Senate .
We have known with near-certainty since the beginning of this race that Joe Biden would win millions of more votes than Donald Trump , and that has come to pass .
The Senate is still technically in play , but the most likely result will be that Democrats fall a seat or two short of making Mitch McConnell Minority leader .
And those Democratic Senators in the minority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the Republican Senate caucus .
But the more serious problem for centrists , liberals and the left is the right 's sprawling disinformation complex .
Fox News , America 's top-rated cable network , is the jewel of the crown , but Sinclair Broadcasting dominates local TV markets , OANN and conservative talk-radio is even more unhinged and right-wing websites proliferate like mushrooms after a rainfall .
Facebook 's gameable algorithms result in Ben Shapiro , Dan Bongino and other far-right talking-heads having the most widely-shared content on the platform almost every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helluva drug , but those who get their information from these sources are also fed an alternative view of reality day in and day out .
As a result , tens of millions of Americans ( mostly white Americans ) believe that hordes of antifa are burning down American cities on behalf of a Democratic Party that advocates Venezuela-style socialism ( even when they nominate a well-known moderate like Joe Biden ) , abortion on demand until moments before birth and that wants to repeal the Second Amendment and abolish Christmas .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to death -- working people , not the wealthy -- regulate businesses out of existence and criminalize non-conformity .
During elections , they disseminate a gusher of outrageous lies and doctored images and videos too voluminous for fact-checkers to even hope to keep up with .
I have long advocated for the Democratic Party to move left because I believe that progressive policies deliver material benefits to working people , but I have no illusions that embracing a superior agenda -- whether that means tacking to the left or to the center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overcome this .
It is difficult to see a solution .
Everything but fighting words is protected speech .
There is a lot more progressive media infrastructure today than when I got into this business a couple of years after the 2000 election , but a massive asymmetry remains .
Conservatives , convinced that the legacy media are hopelessly biased against them , have invested untold dollars in media over several decades .
We can get some satisfaction at pointing fingers at each other -- and intra-coalition debates are certainly necessary -- but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a creation of either moderates or the left .

As of this writing, Joe Biden appears to be on track to become the 46th President of the United States, but the resounding rejection of Trump and Trumpism that many had hoped for didn't materialize. The Democrats underperformed expectations even more in down-ballot races.
Even in victory, one of the most predictable outcomes has come to pass: the fragile unity that held together the factions of the Democratic coalition for the past year has been broken. The left is blaming Democrats for nominating a moderate, for their messaging and their ground game. They claim that the party moved to the right to appeal to disaffected Republicans that ultimately proved ephemeral at the cost of revving up their base. Moderates blame the left for identifying as socialists--arguing that it hurt the party among Florida Hispanics--for mocking the "wine moms" of "the resistance" and echoing conservative narratives that paint the Democrats as a party of out-of-touch elitists who have abandoned the working class. Both camps have other grievances as well.
While there may be a kernel of truth to some of these arguments, I don't want to engage in that debate now because it just elides our real problems.
The first is the Electoral College and a malapportioned Senate. We have known with near-certainty since the beginning of this race that Joe Biden would win millions of more votes than Donald Trump, and that has come to pass. The Senate is still technically in play, but the most likely result will be that Democrats fall a seat or two short of making Mitch McConnell Minority leader. And those Democratic Senators in the minority will have won millions of more votes than the Republican Senate caucus.
But the more serious problem for centrists, liberals and the left is the right's sprawling disinformation complex. Fox News, America's top-rated cable network, is the jewel of the crown, but Sinclair Broadcasting dominates local TV markets, OANN and conservative talk-radio is even more unhinged and right-wing websites proliferate like mushrooms after a rainfall. Facebook's gameable algorithms result in Ben Shapiro, Dan Bongino and other far-right talking-heads having the most widely-shared content on the platform almost every day.
Racism and partisanship are a helluva drug, but those who get their information from these sources are also fed an alternative view of reality day in and day out. As a result, tens of millions of Americans (mostly white Americans) believe that hordes of antifa are burning down American cities on behalf of a Democratic Party that advocates Venezuela-style socialism (even when they nominate a well-known moderate like Joe Biden), abortion on demand until moments before birth and wants to repeal the Second Amendment and abolish Christmas. They think the center-left Democrats want to tax them to death--working people, not the wealthy--regulate businesses out of existence and criminalize non-conformity. During elections, they disseminate a gusher of outrageous lies and doctored images and videos too voluminous for fact-checkers to even hope to keep up with.
I have long advocated for the Democratic Party to move left because I believe that progressive policies deliver material benefits to working people, but I have no illusions that embracing a superior agenda--whether that means tacking to the left or to the center--or simply honing their messages can overcome this.
It is difficult to see a solution. Everything but fighting words is protected speech. There is a lot more progressive media infrastructure today than when I got into this business a couple of years after the 2000 election, but a massive asymmetry remains. Conservatives, convinced that the legacy media are hopelessly biased against them, have invested untold dollars in media over several decades.
We can get some satisfaction at pointing fingers at each other--and intra-coalition debates are certainly necessary--but the real barriers to progress aren't a creation of either moderates or the left.


alternet--2020-11-04--Republican who died from COVID-19 wins in North Dakota’s state legislature race

Although he died from COVID-19 on October 5 , Republican David Andahl has been declared the winner in a competition @ @ @ @ @ North Dakota House of Representatives .
This means that a Republican replacement for Andahl will @ @ @ @ @ , according to NBC News .
Earlier this year , Andahl — a supporter of @ @ @ @ @ a GOP primary for the North Dakota House seat .
And Andahl was endorsed by @ @ @ @ @ Burgum , a fellow Republican who was reelected on Tuesday night and defeated a Democratic @ @ @ @ @ by 42 % .
The 55-year-old Andahl died less than a week after being hospitalized @ @ @ @ @ reported .
The state of North Dakota , which has a population of just over @ @ @ @ @ Census Bureau 's most recent estimate , has the highest per capita Covid-19 case rate @ @ @ @ @ of last week , the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ways the North @ @ @ @ @ 150 cases per 100,000 people .

Although he died from COVID-19 on October 5, Republican David Andahl has been declared the winner in a competition for a seat in the North Dakota House of Representatives. This means that a Republican replacement for Andahl will be appointed to the seat, according to NBC News.
Earlier this year, Andahl — a supporter of President Donald Trump — won a GOP primary for the North Dakota House seat. And Andahl was endorsed by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a fellow Republican who was reelected on Tuesday night and defeated a Democratic challenger, Shelley Lenz, by 42%.
The 55-year-old Andahl died less than a week after being hospitalized with COVID-19, NBC News reported.
It explained:
The state of North Dakota, which has a population of just over 760,000 according to the U.S. Census Bureau's most recent estimate, has the highest per capita Covid-19 case rate in the country. As of last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ways the North Dakota coronavirus rate is over 150 cases per 100,000 people.


alternet--2020-11-04--Trump is taking a thrashing in the popular vote — despite Electoral College tightness

In 2016 , Donald Trump became president of the United States by receiving 2,868,691 less votes than Hillary Clinton .
At the time , Clinton took 48.5 % of the popular vote to Trump 's 46.4 % .
With rampant Republican voter suppression over the past four years and a Republican-induced out-of-control pandemic in our country , how many people would and could vote in 2020 was in question .
We all suspected that turnout would be high .
Could it be as high as the record-setting 66,862,039 that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 , when he defeated Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million early votes cast , projections that Tuesday 's election would be the highest turnout—around 160 million or 67 % of the eligible electorate—in American history seemed secure .
As of Wednesday and the time of this story , Joe Biden has received 70,037,467 counted votes , or 50.2 % of the popular vote , to Donald Trump 's 67,013,920 .
So far , 3,023,547 more people voted for Joe Biden than Trump .
While the Electoral College is set up to stifle the size of the shellacking Trump is taking , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ egregiously in favor of Biden .
The heartening part of this all is that even with the Republican Party working tirelessly to gerrymander and disenfranchise our democracy out of existence , Americans have come out , and continue to come out in greater numbers .

In 2016, Donald Trump became president of the United States by receiving 2,868,691 less votes than Hillary Clinton. At the time, Clinton took 48.5% of the popular vote to Trump's 46.4%. With rampant Republican voter suppression over the past four years and a Republican-induced out-of-control pandemic in our country, how many people would and could vote in 2020 was in question. We all suspected that turnout would be high. Could it be as high as the record-setting 66,862,039 that voted for Barack Obama in 2008, when he defeated Republican Sen. John McCain?
With over 101 million early votes cast, projections that Tuesday's election would be the highest turnout—around 160 million or 67% of the eligible electorate—in American history seemed secure. As of Wednesday and the time of this story, Joe Biden has received 70,037,467 counted votes, or 50.2% of the popular vote, to Donald Trump's 67,013,920 . So far, 3,023,547 more people voted for Joe Biden than Trump.
While the Electoral College is set up to stifle the size of the shellacking Trump is taking, the final numbers project to be even more egregiously in favor of Biden.
The heartening part of this all is that even with the Republican Party working tirelessly to gerrymander and disenfranchise our democracy out of existence, Americans have come out, and continue to come out in greater numbers.


alternet--2020-11-04--'The polling industry is a wreck': Inside the embarrassing failure

Election polling is facing yet another reckoning following its uneven-at-best performance in this year 's voting .
Although the outcome in the 2020 presidential race remained uncertain the next day , it was evident that polls collectively faltered , overall , in providing Americans with clear indications as to how the election would turn out .
And that misstep promises to resonate through the field of survey research , which was battered four years ago when Donald Trump carried states such as Wisconsin , Michigan and Pennsylvania , where polls indicated he had almost no chance of winning .
Prominent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 .
Those failings deepened the embarrassment for a field that has suffered through – but has survived – a variety of lapses and surprises since the mid-1930s .
Many of those flubs and failings are described in my latest book , “ Lost in a Gallup : Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections . ''
Criticism was intense in some quarters Wednesday .
Politico 's widely followed “ Playbook '' newsletter was notably scathing .
“ The polling industry is a wreck , '' it declared , “ and should be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seems extreme , especially given polling 's resiliency over the decades , the poll-driven expectation that former Vice President Joe Biden would lead Democrats in a sweeping “ blue wave '' went unfulfilled .
Biden may still win the presidency , but it will not be in a landslide .
Biden 's overall polling lead , as compiled by RealClearPolitics.com , stood at 7.2 percentage points on the morning of Election Day .
A little more than 24 hours later , his lead in the national popular vote was almost 3 percentage points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protection , from critics in asserting that pre-election surveys are not predictions .
But the nearer they are to the election , the more reliable polls ought to be .
And a number of individual pre-election polls were embarrassingly wide of the mark .
A notable example was the final Washington Post/ABC News poll in Wisconsin , released last week , which gave Biden a stunning 17-point lead .
The outcome there was still undecided Wednesday morning , but the margin surely will not be close to 17 points .
Indeed , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ races such as those in Maine , where Republican Susan Collins appears to have fended off a well-financed challenger to win a fifth term , and South Carolina , where Republican Lindsey Graham rather easily won reelection despite polls that indicated a much closer race .
Graham declared after his victory became clear , “ To all the pollsters out there , you have no idea what you 're doing . ''
It appears that Republicans will keep control of the U.S. Senate despite expectations , fueled by polls , that control of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Democrats .
The 2020 election may represent another chapter in the controversies that have periodically surrounded election polls since George Gallup , Elmo Roper and Archibald Crossley initiated their sample surveys during the 1936 presidential campaign .
The most dramatic polling failure in U.S. presidential elections came in 1948 , when President Harry S. Truman defied the pollsters , the pundits and the press to win reelection over the heavily favored Republican nominee , Thomas E. Dewey .
The surprise this year is not remotely akin to the epic polling failure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how polling missteps are so varied , and almost never the same – much as Leo Tolstoy said of unhappy families : each “ is unhappy in its own way . ''
Factors that gave rise to this year 's embarrassment may not be clear for weeks or months , but it is no secret that election polling has been confronted with several challenges difficult to resolve .
Among them is the declining response rates to telephone surveys conducted by operators using random dialing techniques .
That technique used to be considered the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response rates to telephone-based polls have been in decline for years , forcing polling organizations to look to , and experiment with , other sampling methods , including internet-based techniques .
But none of them has emerged as polling 's new gold standard .
[ Deep knowledge , daily .
Sign up for The Conversation 's newsletter . ]
One of polling 's most notable innovators was Warren Mitofsky , who years ago reminded his counterparts that there 's “ a lot of room for humility in polling .
Every time you get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by W. Joseph Campbell, American University School of Communication
Election polling is facing yet another reckoning following its uneven-at-best performance in this year's voting.
Although the outcome in the 2020 presidential race remained uncertain the next day, it was evident that polls collectively faltered, overall, in providing Americans with clear indications as to how the election would turn out.
And that misstep promises to resonate through the field of survey research, which was battered four years ago when Donald Trump carried states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where polls indicated he had almost no chance of winning. Prominent, poll-based statistical forecasts also went off-target in 2016.
Those failings deepened the embarrassment for a field that has suffered through – but has survived – a variety of lapses and surprises since the mid-1930s. Many of those flubs and failings are described in my latest book, “Lost in a Gallup: Polling Failure in U.S. Presidential Elections."
Criticism was intense in some quarters Wednesday. Politico's widely followed “Playbook" newsletter was notably scathing. “The polling industry is a wreck," it declared, “and should be blown up."
Many surprises
While that assessment seems extreme, especially given polling's resiliency over the decades, the poll-driven expectation that former Vice President Joe Biden would lead Democrats in a sweeping “blue wave" went unfulfilled. Biden may still win the presidency, but it will not be in a landslide.
Biden's overall polling lead, as compiled by RealClearPolitics.com, stood at 7.2 percentage points on the morning of Election Day. A little more than 24 hours later, his lead in the national popular vote was almost 3 percentage points.
Pollsters often seek comfort, and protection, from critics in asserting that pre-election surveys are not predictions. But the nearer they are to the election, the more reliable polls ought to be. And a number of individual pre-election polls were embarrassingly wide of the mark.
A notable example was the final Washington Post/ABC News poll in Wisconsin, released last week, which gave Biden a stunning 17-point lead. The outcome there was still undecided Wednesday morning, but the margin surely will not be close to 17 points.
Indeed, the polling surprises were many and included Senate races such as those in Maine, where Republican Susan Collins appears to have fended off a well-financed challenger to win a fifth term, and South Carolina, where Republican Lindsey Graham rather easily won reelection despite polls that indicated a much closer race. Graham declared after his victory became clear, “To all the pollsters out there, you have no idea what you're doing."
It appears that Republicans will keep control of the U.S. Senate despite expectations, fueled by polls, that control of the upper house was likely to flip to the Democrats.
Polling problems not new
The 2020 election may represent another chapter in the controversies that have periodically surrounded election polls since George Gallup, Elmo Roper and Archibald Crossley initiated their sample surveys during the 1936 presidential campaign. The most dramatic polling failure in U.S. presidential elections came in 1948, when President Harry S. Truman defied the pollsters, the pundits and the press to win reelection over the heavily favored Republican nominee, Thomas E. Dewey.
The surprise this year is not remotely akin to the epic polling failure of 1948. But it is striking how polling missteps are so varied, and almost never the same – much as Leo Tolstoy said of unhappy families: each “is unhappy in its own way."
Factors that gave rise to this year's embarrassment may not be clear for weeks or months, but it is no secret that election polling has been confronted with several challenges difficult to resolve. Among them is the declining response rates to telephone surveys conducted by operators using random dialing techniques.
That technique used to be considered the gold standard of survey research. But response rates to telephone-based polls have been in decline for years, forcing polling organizations to look to, and experiment with, other sampling methods, including internet-based techniques. But none of them has emerged as polling's new gold standard.
[Deep knowledge, daily.Sign up for The Conversation's newsletter.]
One of polling's most notable innovators was Warren Mitofsky, who years ago reminded his counterparts that there's “a lot of room for humility in polling. Every time you get cocky, you lose."
Mitofsky died in 2006. His counsel rings true today.
W. Joseph Campbell, Professor of Communication Studies, American University School of Communication
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-11-04--Here's how we ended up with the Electoral College — and why it 'embarrassed' some founders

The delegates in Philadelphia agreed , in the summer of 1787 , that the new country they were creating would not have a king but rather an elected executive .
But they did not agree on how to choose that president .
Pennsylvania delegate James Wilson called the problem of picking a president “ in truth , one of the most difficult of all we have to decide . ''
Other delegates , when they later recounted the group 's effort , said “ this very subject embarrassed them more than any other – that various systems were proposed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were at risk of concluding their meetings without finding a way to pick a leader .
In fact , this was the very last thing written into the final draft .
Had no agreement been reached , the delegates would not have approved the Constitution .
I am a civics educator who has also run Purdue University 's Constitution Day celebration for 15 years , and one lesson I always return to is the degree to which the founders had to compromise in order to ensure ratification .
Selecting the president was one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debated during the Constitutional Convention : election by Congress , selection by state legislatures and a popular election – though the right to vote was generally restricted to white , landowning men .
Some delegates at the Constitutional Convention thought that letting Congress pick the president would provide a buffer from what Thomas Jefferson referred to as the “ well-meaning , but uninformed people '' who , in a nation the size of the United States , “ could have no knowledge of eminent characters and qualifications and the actual selection decision .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened the separation of powers created in the first three articles of the Constitution : Congress might choose a weak executive to prevent the president from wielding veto power , reducing the effectiveness of one of the system 's checks and balances .
In addition , the president might feel indebted to Congress and yield some power back to the legislative branch .
Virginia delegate James Madison was concerned that giving Congress the power to select the president “ would render it the executor as well as the maker of laws ; and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they may be executed in a tyrannical manner . ''
That view persuaded his fellow Virginian George Mason to reverse his previous support for congressional election of the president and to then conclude that he saw “ making the Executive the mere creature of the Legislature as a violation of the fundamental principle of good Government . ''
Some delegates thought getting states directly involved in picking the leader of the national government was a good approach for the new federal system .
But others , including Alexander Hamilton , worried that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to increase their own power .
Hamilton also observed that legislators are often slower to move than top leaders might be expected to : “ In the legislature , promptitude of decision is oftener an evil than a benefit . ''
It 's not as pithy as the musical , perhaps , but the point is clear : Do n't trust the state legislatures .
The final approach debated was that of popular election .
Some delegates , like New York delegate Gouverneur Morris , viewed the president as the “ guardian of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should elect directly .
The Southern states objected , arguing that they would be disadvantaged in a popular election in proportion to their actual populations because of the large numbers of enslaved people in those states who could not vote .
This was eventually resolved – in one of those many compromises – by counting each enslaved person as three-fifths of a free person for the purposes of representation .
George Mason , a delegate from Virginia , shared Jefferson 's skepticism about regular Americans , saying it would be “ unnatural to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for chief Magistrate to the people , as it would , to refer a trial of colours to a blind man .
The extent of the Country renders it impossible that the people can have the requisite capacity to judge of the respective pretensions of the Candidates . ''
The delegates appointed a committee of 11 members – one from each state at the Constitutional Convention – to solve this and other knotty problems , which they called the “ Grand Committee on Postponed Questions , '' and charged with resolving “ unfinished @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President . ''
At the beginning , six of the 11 members preferred national popular elections .
But they realized they could not get the Constitution ratified with that provision : The Southern states simply would not agree to it .
Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4 , 1787 , the committee wrestled with producing an acceptable compromise .
The committee 's third report to the Convention proposed the adoption of a system of electors , through which both the people and the states would help choose the president .
It 's not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ idea , which was a partly national and partly federal solution , and which mirrored other structures in the Constitution .
Hamilton and the other founders were reassured that with this compromise system , neither public ignorance nor outside influence would affect the choice of a nation 's leader .
They believed that the electors would ensure that only a qualified person became president .
And they thought the Electoral College would serve as a check on a public who might be easily misled , especially by foreign governments .
[ Deep knowledge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Conversation 's newsletter . ]
But the original system – in which the winner of the Electoral College would become president and the runner-up became vice president – fell apart almost immediately .
By the election of 1800 , political parties had arisen .
Because electoral votes for president and vice president were not listed on separate ballots , Democratic-Republican running mates Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College , sending the contest to the House of Representatives .
The House ultimately chose Jefferson as the third president , leaving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Adams , who had led the opposing Federalist party ticket .
The problem was resolved in 1804 when the 12th Amendment was ratified , allowing the electors to cast separate ballots for president and vice president .
It has been that way ever since .
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

by Phillip J VanFossen, Purdue University
The delegates in Philadelphia agreed, in the summer of 1787, that the new country they were creating would not have a king but rather an elected executive. But they did not agree on how to choose that president.
Pennsylvania delegate James Wilson called the problem of picking a president “in truth, one of the most difficult of all we have to decide." Other delegates, when they later recounted the group's effort, said “this very subject embarrassed them more than any other – that various systems were proposed, discussed, and rejected."
They were at risk of concluding their meetings without finding a way to pick a leader. In fact, this was the very last thing written into the final draft. Had no agreement been reached, the delegates would not have approved the Constitution.
I am a civics educator who has also run Purdue University's Constitution Day celebration for 15 years, and one lesson I always return to is the degree to which the founders had to compromise in order to ensure ratification. Selecting the president was one of those compromises.
Three approaches were debated during the Constitutional Convention: election by Congress, selection by state legislatures and a popular election – though the right to vote was generally restricted to white, landowning men.
Should Congress pick the president?
Some delegates at the Constitutional Convention thought that letting Congress pick the president would provide a buffer from what Thomas Jefferson referred to as the “well-meaning, but uninformed people" who, in a nation the size of the United States, “could have no knowledge of eminent characters and qualifications and the actual selection decision."
Others were concerned that this approach threatened the separation of powers created in the first three articles of the Constitution: Congress might choose a weak executive to prevent the president from wielding veto power, reducing the effectiveness of one of the system's checks and balances. In addition, the president might feel indebted to Congress and yield some power back to the legislative branch.
Virginia delegate James Madison was concerned that giving Congress the power to select the president “would render it the executor as well as the maker of laws; and then … tyrannical laws may be made that they may be executed in a tyrannical manner."
That view persuaded his fellow Virginian George Mason to reverse his previous support for congressional election of the president and to then conclude that he saw “making the Executive the mere creature of the Legislature as a violation of the fundamental principle of good Government."
Letting state lawmakers choose
Some delegates thought getting states directly involved in picking the leader of the national government was a good approach for the new federal system.
But others, including Alexander Hamilton, worried that states would select a weak executive, to increase their own power. Hamilton also observed that legislators are often slower to move than top leaders might be expected to: “In the legislature, promptitude of decision is oftener an evil than a benefit."
It's not as pithy as the musical, perhaps, but the point is clear: Don't trust the state legislatures.
Power to the people?
The final approach debated was that of popular election. Some delegates, like New York delegate Gouverneur Morris, viewed the president as the “guardian of the people," whom the public should elect directly.
The Southern states objected, arguing that they would be disadvantaged in a popular election in proportion to their actual populations because of the large numbers of enslaved people in those states who could not vote. This was eventually resolved – in one of those many compromises – by counting each enslaved person as three-fifths of a free person for the purposes of representation.
George Mason, a delegate from Virginia, shared Jefferson's skepticism about regular Americans, saying it would be “unnatural to refer the choice of a proper character for chief Magistrate to the people, as it would, to refer a trial of colours to a blind man. The extent of the Country renders it impossible that the people can have the requisite capacity to judge of the respective pretensions of the Candidates."
11 left to make the decision
The delegates appointed a committee of 11 members – one from each state at the Constitutional Convention – to solve this and other knotty problems, which they called the “Grand Committee on Postponed Questions," and charged with resolving “unfinished business, including how to elect the President."
At the beginning, six of the 11 members preferred national popular elections. But they realized they could not get the Constitution ratified with that provision: The Southern states simply would not agree to it.
Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 4, 1787, the committee wrestled with producing an acceptable compromise. The committee's third report to the Convention proposed the adoption of a system of electors, through which both the people and the states would help choose the president. It's not clear which delegate came up with the idea, which was a partly national and partly federal solution, and which mirrored other structures in the Constitution.
Popularity and protection
Hamilton and the other founders were reassured that with this compromise system, neither public ignorance nor outside influence would affect the choice of a nation's leader. They believed that the electors would ensure that only a qualified person became president. And they thought the Electoral College would serve as a check on a public who might be easily misled, especially by foreign governments.
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But the original system – in which the winner of the Electoral College would become president and the runner-up became vice president – fell apart almost immediately. By the election of 1800, political parties had arisen. Because electoral votes for president and vice president were not listed on separate ballots, Democratic-Republican running mates Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied in the Electoral College, sending the contest to the House of Representatives. The House ultimately chose Jefferson as the third president, leaving Burr as vice president – not John Adams, who had led the opposing Federalist party ticket.
The problem was resolved in 1804 when the 12th Amendment was ratified, allowing the electors to cast separate ballots for president and vice president. It has been that way ever since.
Phillip J VanFossen, J.F. Ackerman Professor of Social Studies Education; Director, Ackerman Center; Associate Director, Purdue Center for Economic Education, Purdue University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


alternet--2020-11-04--‘Furious’ federal judge suggests Postmaster General DeJoy may need to be deposed over missing ballot

‘Furious’ federal judge suggests Postmaster General DeJoy may need to be deposed over missing ballots: reports

A federal judge reportedly has suggest that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy be deposed , and ordered another USPS official to @ @ @ @ @ .
The USPS refused to comply with Judge Emmet Sullivan 's Tuesday order that all @ @ @ @ @ scanned in to the postal system but were not recorded as delivered be found before @ @ @ @ @ Instead , the USPS conducted a sweep for undelivered ballots later in the day .
@ @ @ @ @ is either going to have to be deposed or appear before me , '' Judge @ @ @ @ @ Spectrum News 's Austin Landis .
Today 's hearing was scheduled to start at 1:30 @ @ @ @ @ neglected to meet a 3:00 PM deadline to find and process all the missing ballots @ @ @ @ @ the USPS claimed shifting the duties of the postal inspectors to scour USPS facilities would @ @ @ @ @ so they chose to ignore the judge 's order , which could be illegal .
@ @ @ @ @ claimed that despite the judge 's clear deadline he was unaware of it .

A federal judge reportedly has suggest that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy be deposed, and ordered another USPS official to appear before him in court. The USPS refused to comply with Judge Emmet Sullivan's Tuesday order that all missing ballots that had been scanned in to the postal system but were not recorded as delivered be found before 3 p.m. and delivered.
Instead, the USPS conducted a sweep for undelivered ballots later in the day.
NBC 4 Investigative Reporter Scott MacFarland:
"I agree the postmaster is either going to have to be deposed or appear before me," Judge Sullivan says, according to Spectrum News's Austin Landis.
Today's hearing was scheduled to start at 1:30 PM.
Politico's Kyle Cheney notes Judge Sullivan is "furious."
On Tuesday DeJoy neglected to meet a 3:00 PM deadline to find and process all the missing ballots. In a court filing the USPS claimed shifting the duties of the postal inspectors to scour USPS facilities would have disrupted other work, so they chose to ignore the judge's order, which could be illegal.
In that filing DeJoy also claimed that despite the judge's clear deadline he was unaware of it.


alternet--2020-11-04--Biden wins Wisconsin — as Trump demands recount: CNN and AP

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has won the state of Wisconsin in the race for president , by a margin of around 20,000 votes , according to CNN and the Associated press .
In Wisconsin 's heavily Democratic counties including Menominee County , Milwaukee County , and Dane County Biden held a substantial lead over President Donald Trump .
Other counties Biden carried include : Douglas County , Bayfield County , Ashland County , Eau Claire County , Iowa County , Green County , and Rock County .
The Trump campaign said it would `` immediately '' request a recount @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released on Wednesday , Trump 's campaign manager Bill Stepien cited unfounded claims of `` irregularities '' in several counties in Wisconsin .
However , it 's not clear at all what he was talking about , and Trump has already made bogus claims to try to claim premature victory .
A recount is unlikely to overturn a margin as wide as 20,000 votes .
`` There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results , '' Stepien said in the statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so . ''
Despite the Trump campaign 's call for a recount , some Republicans have expressed doubt that a recount would prove to be beneficial for the president .
Former Wisconsin Gov .
Scott Walker ( R ) described the recount as a `` high hurdle '' to overcome .
`` After recount in 2011 race for WI Supreme Court , there was a swing of 300 votes .
After recount in 2016 Presidential race in WI , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As I said , 20,000 is a high hurdle , '' Walker tweeted .

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has won the state of Wisconsin in the race for president, by a margin of around 20,000 votes, according to CNN and the Associated press.
In Wisconsin's heavily Democratic counties including Menominee County, Milwaukee County, and Dane County Biden held a substantial lead over President Donald Trump. Other counties Biden carried include: Douglas County, Bayfield County, Ashland County, Eau Claire County, Iowa County, Green County, and Rock County.
The Trump campaign said it would "immediately" request a recount in the state.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Trump's campaign manager Bill Stepien cited unfounded claims of "irregularities" in several counties in Wisconsin. However, it's not clear at all what he was talking about, and Trump has already made bogus claims to try to claim premature victory. A recount is unlikely to overturn a margin as wide as 20,000 votes.
"There have been reports of irregularities in several Wisconsin counties which raise serious doubts about the validity of the results," Stepien said in the statement, adding, "The President is well within the threshold to request a recount and we will immediately do so."
Despite the Trump campaign's call for a recount, some Republicans have expressed doubt that a recount would prove to be beneficial for the president. Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) described the recount as a "high hurdle" to overcome.
"After recount in 2011 race for WI Supreme Court, there was a swing of 300 votes. After recount in 2016 Presidential race in WI, @realDonaldTrump numbers went up by 131. As I said, 20,000 is a high hurdle," Walker tweeted.


alternet--2020-11-04--Here's why the USPS statistics on mail-in ballots ‘look worse than they actually are’: report

According to data released on Wednesday , the United States Postal Service failed to deliver thousands of absentee ballots around the country before the cut-off times — and one of the worst failures occurred in South Florida , where 27 percent of mail-in votes may have never been received .
But those statistics might not be telling the entire story .
Vice News reported Tuesday that ballots were not being scanned for delivery in an effort to speed up the process .
`` What this means is the stats might look worse than they actually are , because in some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , been manually postmarking the ballots and then passing them off for local same-or-next-day delivery , resulting in the ballots never being scanned into the system in the first place , '' explained Vice reporter Aaron Gordon .
`` Other measures , like sending ballots to the sorting facility but then removing them from the mail stream after they 've been scanned and postmarked , means they are manually bypassing the rest of the process for expedited delivery and are thus scanned in and never scanned out . ''
`` Months ago , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ literally said 'it would be good to know exactly how the USPS works come Election Day . '
That is why I spent months learning .
And that is why I am telling you now : there is no good evidence of missing ballots , '' Gordon added on Twitter .

According to data released on Wednesday, the United States Postal Service failed to deliver thousands of absentee ballots around the country before the cut-off times — and one of the worst failures occurred in South Florida, where 27 percent of mail-in votes may have never been received.
But those statistics might not be telling the entire story. Vice News reported Tuesday that ballots were not being scanned for delivery in an effort to speed up the process.
"What this means is the stats might look worse than they actually are, because in some cases postal workers have, for example, been manually postmarking the ballots and then passing them off for local same-or-next-day delivery, resulting in the ballots never being scanned into the system in the first place," explained Vice reporter Aaron Gordon.
"Other measures, like sending ballots to the sorting facility but then removing them from the mail stream after they've been scanned and postmarked, means they are manually bypassing the rest of the process for expedited delivery and are thus scanned in and never scanned out."
"Months ago, my bosses and I met and we literally said 'it would be good to know exactly how the USPS works come Election Day.' That is why I spent months learning. And that is why I am telling you now: there is no good evidence of missing ballots," Gordon added on Twitter.


alternet--2020-11-04--Mississippi votes to replace 126-year-old Confederate-inspired state flag

Voters in the state of Mississippi have voted to replace the state 's Confederacy-inspired flag with a new design dubbed `` The New Magnolia . ''
Results published by NBC News have confirmed that Mississippi 's new flag 's design , created by graphic artist Rocky Vaughan , received 68 % of the vote in a public referendum .
The winning design was one of 3,000 submissions .
The flag now features red , gold and blue stripes .
A total of 20 stars circle the magnolia blossom as a representation of Mississippi being the 20th state in America .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ History , the new flag features a magnolia blossom described as `` a symbol long-used to represent our state and the hospitality of our citizens '' and `` represents Mississippi 's sense of hope and rebirth , as the Magnolia often blooms more than once and has a long blooming season . ''
The new flag is a replacement for the 126-year-old banner adopted in 1894 .
That flag design consisted of blue and white stripes with an emblem of the Confederate flag .
For years , the flag has been a point @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2001 , Mississippi held a state-wide vote to retire the flag .
However , residents voted in favor of keeping the flag .
With the latest protests against racial inequality that swept the nation over the summer , calls reignited for the removal of many states ' Confederate flags and statues .
Despite the vote in favor of the new flag , Mississippi Gov .
Tate Reeves ( R ) noted that the flag alone will not resolve the decades-long divide .
He also urged the state 's residents to `` find a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We must find a way to come together , '' Reeves said during the legislative discussion over the summer .
`` To heal our wounds , to forgive , to resolve that a page has been turned , to trust each other .
With God 's help , we can . ''

Voters in the state of Mississippi have voted to replace the state's Confederacy-inspired flag with a new design dubbed "The New Magnolia."
Results published by NBC News have confirmed that Mississippi's new flag's design, created by graphic artist Rocky Vaughan, received 68% of the vote in a public referendum.
The winning design was one of 3,000 submissions. The flag now features red, gold and blue stripes. A total of 20 stars circle the magnolia blossom as a representation of Mississippi being the 20th state in America.
According to Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the new flag features a magnolia blossom described as "a symbol long-used to represent our state and the hospitality of our citizens" and "represents Mississippi's sense of hope and rebirth, as the Magnolia often blooms more than once and has a long blooming season."
The new flag is a replacement for the 126-year-old banner adopted in 1894. That flag design consisted of blue and white stripes with an emblem of the Confederate flag. For years, the flag has been a point of contention for Mississippi residents. In 2001, Mississippi held a state-wide vote to retire the flag. However, residents voted in favor of keeping the flag.
With the latest protests against racial inequality that swept the nation over the summer, calls reignited for the removal of many states' Confederate flags and statues.
Despite the vote in favor of the new flag, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) noted that the flag alone will not resolve the decades-long divide. He also urged the state's residents to "find a way to come together."
"We must find a way to come together," Reeves said during the legislative discussion over the summer. "To heal our wounds, to forgive, to resolve that a page has been turned, to trust each other. With God's help, we can."


alternet--2020-11-06--Trump delivers a pathetic stream of lies from the White House as he desperately tries to claim victo

Trump delivers a pathetic stream of lies from the White House as he desperately tries to claim victory

As election officials continue to count ballots across the country , President Donald Trump delivered a low-energy and belabored speech in the White House press room on Thursday in a desperate effort to seize control of the narrative .
His strategy was clear .
He wanted to cast doubt on the results of the election and claim he won .
Near the end of the speech , he said forthrightly that he 's claimed some states and his opponent Joe Biden has claimed some states , `` but ultimately , I have the feeling , judges are going to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not `` claimed '' any states , which is meaningless , though some key swing states have been called in the Democrat 's favor . )
Trump wants to trigger enough confusion and chaos around the election results so that he can take his case to judiciary , and possibly even the Supreme Court , which he knows is stacked with his ideological allies .
The problem is , however , that as of yet , he appears to have no legal ground to stand on to actually challenge what appears to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : a Biden victory in enough key states to hand him the presidency .
To support the strategy , Trump delivered a deluge of lies about the electoral process , trying to claim that he is victorious and being undermined by nefarious actors .
He started out by falsely claiming , `` If you count the legal votes , I easily win . ''
He has no basis for making this claim , and it 's almost certainly wrong .
He simply wants to declare votes against him as de facto illegitimate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost races in the November election , which was false , and that Republicans kept control of the Senate — which remains to be seen .
Control of the Senate will likely be determined by runoff elections in Georgia , which wo n't be held until January .
He lied and said that his election observers were not allowed to watch the results get tabulated in key areas , a fact quickly refuted by people who had actually been on location .
He lashed out at pollsters , who do indeed appear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some degree , but he falsely said they used `` suppression '' polls to try to discourage his voters .
In a contradictory rhetorical strategy , Trump tried to claim that he had won in states like Georgia and Pennsylvania , where his lead in the reported ballots has been dwindling as more votes are counted .
But when he discussed Arizona , where Biden is currently leading as the ballots are counted , Trump claimed that he expects to come out ahead as more of the vote is assessed .
He alleged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' for Biden , suggesting they were somehow fraudulent , even though the counting process is simply continuing as expected .
He even said , `` It 's amazing how those mail-in ballots are so one-sided . ''
While the mail-in votes being counted do tend to favor Biden , that 's exactly what everyone expected — largely because Trump actively discouraged his voters away from using mail ballots for months .
Election Day votes , predictably , heavily tended to favor Trump .
Overall , it was an incredibly weak display , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It may fuel the fires of conspiracy that drive many of his fans , but it will likely discourage his allies from defending his case — because it is so evidently meritless .
Many networks broke away from covering Trump 's speech in real time to fact check his lies .
Even on Fox News , hosts were critical of the president .
`` The election is not going his way , '' said Fox News reporter John Roberts .
`` He 's trying to plan an alternate route to the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post noted : `` Keep in mind Trump is reading his speech from a prepared text , which presumably means that a number of aides helped him compose this litany of lies and attacks on the integrity of America 's democracy . ''
`` President Trump without providing any evidence for his claims says of Democrats : They are trying to `` steal '' and `` rig '' the election .
He is saying many , many things that are not true right now , '' said Yamiche Alcindor of PBS NewsHour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump fact-checker , observed : `` I 've read or watched all of Trump 's speeches since 2016 .
This is the most dishonest speech he has ever given . ''

As election officials continue to count ballots across the country, President Donald Trump delivered a low-energy and belabored speech in the White House press room on Thursday in a desperate effort to seize control of the narrative.
His strategy was clear. He wanted to cast doubt on the results of the election and claim he won. Near the end of the speech, he said forthrightly that he's claimed some states and his opponent Joe Biden has claimed some states, "but ultimately, I have the feeling, judges are going to have to rule." (Biden has not "claimed" any states, which is meaningless, though some key swing states have been called in the Democrat's favor.)
Trump wants to trigger enough confusion and chaos around the election results so that he can take his case to judiciary, and possibly even the Supreme Court, which he knows is stacked with his ideological allies. The problem is, however, that as of yet, he appears to have no legal ground to stand on to actually challenge what appears to be the most likely result of the counting: a Biden victory in enough key states to hand him the presidency.
To support the strategy, Trump delivered a deluge of lies about the electoral process, trying to claim that he is victorious and being undermined by nefarious actors.
He started out by falsely claiming, "If you count the legal votes, I easily win." He has no basis for making this claim, and it's almost certainly wrong. He simply wants to declare votes against him as de facto illegitimate.
He claimed that no House Republicans had lost races in the November election, which was false, and that Republicans kept control of the Senate — which remains to be seen. Control of the Senate will likely be determined by runoff elections in Georgia, which won't be held until January.
He lied and said that his election observers were not allowed to watch the results get tabulated in key areas, a fact quickly refuted by people who had actually been on location. He lashed out at pollsters, who do indeed appear to have underestimated his level of support to some degree, but he falsely said they used "suppression" polls to try to discourage his voters.
In a contradictory rhetorical strategy, Trump tried to claim that he had won in states like Georgia and Pennsylvania, where his lead in the reported ballots has been dwindling as more votes are counted. But when he discussed Arizona, where Biden is currently leading as the ballots are counted, Trump claimed that he expects to come out ahead as more of the vote is assessed. He alleged that votes continue to be "found" for Biden, suggesting they were somehow fraudulent, even though the counting process is simply continuing as expected.
He even said, "It's amazing how those mail-in ballots are so one-sided." While the mail-in votes being counted do tend to favor Biden, that's exactly what everyone expected — largely because Trump actively discouraged his voters away from using mail ballots for months. Election Day votes, predictably, heavily tended to favor Trump.
Overall, it was an incredibly weak display, the desperate act of a desperate man. It may fuel the fires of conspiracy that drive many of his fans, but it will likely discourage his allies from defending his case — because it is so evidently meritless.
Many networks broke away from covering Trump's speech in real time to fact check his lies. Even on Fox News, hosts were critical of the president.
"The election is not going his way," said Fox News reporter John Roberts. "He's trying to plan an alternate route to the White House."
Phillip Rucker of the Washington Post noted: "Keep in mind Trump is reading his speech from a prepared text, which presumably means that a number of aides helped him compose this litany of lies and attacks on the integrity of America's democracy."
"President Trump without providing any evidence for his claims says of Democrats: They are trying to "steal" and "rig" the election. He is saying many, many things that are not true right now," said Yamiche Alcindor of PBS NewsHour.
Daniel Dale, CNN's prolific Trump fact-checker, observed: "I've read or watched all of Trump's speeches since 2016. This is the most dishonest speech he has ever given."