hotair--2020-11-04--Oregon voters approve measure to legalize all drugs, hallucinogenic mushrooms for mental health trea

Oregon voters approve measure to legalize all drugs, hallucinogenic mushrooms for mental health treatment

As we all wait for more votes to be counted , a radical measure on Oregon ballots passed last night .
Measure 110 was approved by Oregonians making Oregon the first state to decriminalize the possession of all illegal drugs , including heroin and cocaine .
The use of psilocybin—the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms— also was approved for mental health treatment , Measure 109 .
Is it any surprise that or all states , Oregon is the first state to do this ?
Legalizing marijuana looks tame now , right ?
Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issue a $ 100 fine instead of putting drug users in jail .
The fine goes to drug treatment programs .
Oregon ’ s plan is to focus on treatment and rehabilitation , not jail time , to deal with the drug abuse crisis .
With results from 76 % of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning , 59 % of Oregonians approved Measure 110 , the drug-decriminalization referendum , and 56 % voted for Measure 109 on psilocybin therapy , according to the Associated Press .
“ There are a lot of parallels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now and what states were doing with marijuana 40 years ago , ” said Robert Mikos , a law professor at Vanderbilt University who has written about marijuana legalization .
“ As long as the sky doesn ’ t fall in Oregon , some other states might follow suit.
” Oregon ’ s Measure 110 makes possession of any controlled substance , including heroin , cocaine or methamphetamines , a violation punishable by a maximum fine of $ 100 or a completed health assessment .
It also establishes a new statewide drug-treatment system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marijuana sales and state prison savings .
A lot of money was raised for the Measure 110 proposition on the ballot .
State Democrats , as well as the ACLU , supported it .
The campaign in favor of Measure 110 raised $ 4.5 million and the one for Measure 109 raised $ 5.7 million , while opposing campaigns raised virtually nothing , according to campaign finance reports .
Proponents of Measure 110 , including the Democratic Party of Oregon and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon , said people suffering with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and not face criminal punishment .
“ We don ’ t have enough tools in our tool box , there ’ s just no question about that , ” said Democratic State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward , from Portland .
Republicans and some of Oregon ’ s district attorneys don ’ t support the social experiment .
Their reasoning is that it is counterproductive to simply issue fines as the threat of criminal penalties pushes drug offenders into treatment programs .
Measure 109 allows the state public health department two years “ to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for manufacturing and dispensing psilocybin to adults aged 21 or older seeking therapy with a trained facilitator for everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to nicotine dependence.
” Frankly , as extreme as this sounds at first glance , it may be a reasonable experiment in mental health treatment .
“ We ’ re going to take our time and do it right , ” said Tom Eckert , a psychotherapist who was a chief sponsor of the bill along with his psychotherapist wife Sheri .
“ We ’ re in a mental-health crisis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Like cannabis , the Drug Enforcement Administration classifies psilocybin as a Schedule 1 drug , meaning it isn ’ t approved for medical use and there is a high potential for abuse and addiction .
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring chemical in more than 200 species of fungi that can cause visual and auditory hallucinations and an inability to discern fantasy from reality .
Research has shown that it can reduce anxiety and stress among cancer patients and people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder .
Some supporters of its medical use also say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance with a persistent mental-health issue .
The arguments for and against LSD and ‘ magic mushrooms ’ being used in mental health treatments have been in discussions for over 40 years in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder .
The practice has been banned in most places but a renewed interest has emerged in recent years .
Professionals in the field think that if administered properly , patients can benefit from the therapeutic use of hallucinogenic drugs .
Not all mental health professionals are on board with psilocybin therapy .
Mark Zuckerberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in support of Measure 110 through their Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Advocacy , it was reported in October .
The new half-million-dollar cash contribution made on Thursday , which was first reported by The Oregonian , makes the Zuckerbergs the initiative ’ s second-biggest backers , after the Drug Policy Alliance ’ s political arm Drug Policy Action , which has given $ 850,000 .
On Friday , the ACLU of Oregon chipped in $ 100,000 .
“ People with addiction need help , not punishment , and we are excited so many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more humane , equitable , and effective approach to drug addiction in Oregon , ” Yes on Measure 110 Campaign Manager Peter Zuckerman told Marijuana Moment .
“ Now ’ s our moment to stop ruining lives and start saving them.
” There were 8,903 drug simple drug possession arrests in the state in fiscal year 2018 , according to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission—or more than one every hour .
The commission projected that the decriminalization initiative would reduce felony and misdemeanor convictions for drug possession by 91 percent , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ racial groups , ranging from 82.9 percent for Asian Oregonians to approximately 94 percent for Native American and Black Oregonians.
” It just all sounds so , well , Oregon , doesn ’ t it ?
Violent riots are often a nightly routine in places like Portland and it ’ s the birthplace of Antifa .
What could go wrong ?
It seems like an unwise plan to take away the fear of jail time for drugs to younger people , in particular , which is what happens when something is decriminalized .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , the use of heroin or cocaine is a-ok. Why legalize a dangerous substance if not to give passive approval of its use ?
I ’ m not sure that the threat of $ 100 fines is enough to get more people into treatment programs .

As we all wait for more votes to be counted, a radical measure on Oregon ballots passed last night. Measure 110 was approved by Oregonians making Oregon the first state to decriminalize the possession of all illegal drugs, including heroin and cocaine. The use of psilocybin—the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms— also was approved for mental health treatment, Measure 109. Is it any surprise that or all states, Oregon is the first state to do this?
Legalizing marijuana looks tame now, right? Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana in 1973. The idea is to issue a $100 fine instead of putting drug users in jail. The fine goes to drug treatment programs. Oregon’s plan is to focus on treatment and rehabilitation, not jail time, to deal with the drug abuse crisis.
With results from 76% of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, 59% of Oregonians approved Measure 110, the drug-decriminalization referendum, and 56% voted for Measure 109 on psilocybin therapy, according to the Associated Press. “There are a lot of parallels between what Oregon is trying to do now and what states were doing with marijuana 40 years ago,” said Robert Mikos, a law professor at Vanderbilt University who has written about marijuana legalization. “As long as the sky doesn’t fall in Oregon, some other states might follow suit.” Oregon’s Measure 110 makes possession of any controlled substance, including heroin, cocaine or methamphetamines, a violation punishable by a maximum fine of $100 or a completed health assessment. It also establishes a new statewide drug-treatment system funded in part by tax revenue from marijuana sales and state prison savings.
A lot of money was raised for the Measure 110 proposition on the ballot. State Democrats, as well as the ACLU, supported it.
The campaign in favor of Measure 110 raised $4.5 million and the one for Measure 109 raised $5.7 million, while opposing campaigns raised virtually nothing, according to campaign finance reports. Proponents of Measure 110, including the Democratic Party of Oregon and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, said people suffering with addiction should have greater access to rehabilitation and not face criminal punishment. “We don’t have enough tools in our tool box, there’s just no question about that,” said Democratic State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, from Portland.
Republicans and some of Oregon’s district attorneys don’t support the social experiment. Their reasoning is that it is counterproductive to simply issue fines as the threat of criminal penalties pushes drug offenders into treatment programs.
Measure 109 allows the state public health department two years “to develop regulations and create a program responsible for manufacturing and dispensing psilocybin to adults aged 21 or older seeking therapy with a trained facilitator for everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to nicotine dependence.” Frankly, as extreme as this sounds at first glance, it may be a reasonable experiment in mental health treatment.
“We’re going to take our time and do it right,” said Tom Eckert, a psychotherapist who was a chief sponsor of the bill along with his psychotherapist wife Sheri. “We’re in a mental-health crisis and we need new treatment options.” Like cannabis, the Drug Enforcement Administration classifies psilocybin as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it isn’t approved for medical use and there is a high potential for abuse and addiction. Psilocybin is a naturally occurring chemical in more than 200 species of fungi that can cause visual and auditory hallucinations and an inability to discern fantasy from reality. Research has shown that it can reduce anxiety and stress among cancer patients and people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Some supporters of its medical use also say it can be helpful for anyone seeking assistance with a persistent mental-health issue.
The arguments for and against LSD and ‘magic mushrooms’ being used in mental health treatments have been in discussions for over 40 years in treating depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The practice has been banned in most places but a renewed interest has emerged in recent years. Professionals in the field think that if administered properly, patients can benefit from the therapeutic use of hallucinogenic drugs.
Matthew Johnson, PhD, a research psychologist at Johns Hopkins University, says he’d be surprised if hallucinogenic drugs didn’t have a proper medical use “under some constrained, limited circumstances.” “Most powerful substances that we know of, that have powerful effects on the central nervous system, are like any powerful tool,” says Johnson, who has studied how psilocybin affects depression. “They can have dangerous effects, or beneficial effects if judiciously used in a context where the dangers are known and mechanisms are in place to address them.”
Not all mental health professionals are on board with psilocybin therapy.
But the Oregon Psychiatric Physicians Association and the American Psychiatric Association opposed the measure, arguing that there isn’t enough evidence to support psilocybin’s use in mental-health treatment. “Psilocybin research trials are in the early stages,” said OPPA President Nicole Cirino. “We need to know what type of mental illness it actually treats and what safety precautions, doses, follow-up measures we need in place to use it safely and effectively.”
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife contributed a half-million dollars in support of Measure 110 through their Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Advocacy, it was reported in October.
The new half-million-dollar cash contribution made on Thursday, which was first reported by The Oregonian, makes the Zuckerbergs the initiative’s second-biggest backers, after the Drug Policy Alliance’s political arm Drug Policy Action, which has given $850,000. On Friday, the ACLU of Oregon chipped in $100,000. “People with addiction need help, not punishment, and we are excited so many people are stepping forward to help win a more humane, equitable, and effective approach to drug addiction in Oregon,” Yes on Measure 110 Campaign Manager Peter Zuckerman told Marijuana Moment. “Now’s our moment to stop ruining lives and start saving them.” There were 8,903 drug simple drug possession arrests in the state in fiscal year 2018, according to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission—or more than one every hour. The commission projected that the decriminalization initiative would reduce felony and misdemeanor convictions for drug possession by 91 percent, and that reduction would be “substantial for all racial groups, ranging from 82.9 percent for Asian Oregonians to approximately 94 percent for Native American and Black Oregonians.”
It just all sounds so, well, Oregon, doesn’t it? Violent riots are often a nightly routine in places like Portland and it’s the birthplace of Antifa. What could go wrong? It seems like an unwise plan to take away the fear of jail time for drugs to younger people, in particular, which is what happens when something is decriminalized. It leaves the impression that, for example, the use of heroin or cocaine is a-ok. Why legalize a dangerous substance if not to give passive approval of its use? I’m not sure that the threat of $100 fines is enough to get more people into treatment programs.


hotair--2020-11-04--Trump: What's with these "surprise ballot dumps" eating into my leads? <span class='red'>Update: Abo

Trump: What's with these "surprise ballot dumps" eating into my leads? Update: About those 138,000 Biden votes...

Nothing surprising about it , as you the reader doubtless know by now and as Trump may or may not know .
I think he probably does know and is feigning ignorance , but he consumes a lot of garbage information .
And he ’ s always had a conspiratorial mind .
I ’ d say it ’ s 50/50 on whether he truly believes this : For months now , political nerds have been forecasting a “ blue shift ” in some states on and after election night .
In other states there ’ s a “ red shift.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ state counts its mail ballots .
Mail votes are trending heavily blue this year for a few reasons .
Democrats tend to worry more about COVID than Republicans do , so go figure that they ’ d be keener to vote in a way that doesn ’ t require them to mingle inside a crowded polling place .
Additionally , Trump ’ s long effort to demagogue mail voting as inherently fraudulent scared Republicans away from voting that way ; GOP officials at the state level have been groaning for months that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by mail , resulting in a deeply blue electorate among mail ballots .
Finally , Dems tend to vote earlier than Republicans do as a rule and mail ballots are the earliest possible way to vote .
The exit polls bear out the partisan split in mail versus same-day voting .
You may remember that Joe Biden jumped out to a big “ lead ” in Florida early last night , but there was never any real “ lead.
” Florida simply counts its mail ballots as they ’ re received rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ envelopes .
The tally of votes by mail goes up promptly when polls close , and those mail votes naturally trend heavily blue .
Then comes the tally of same-day votes , which trend heavily red — the so-called “ red shift ” in the results .
At the end of the day Trump won easily .
Biden ’ s early lead was a “ blue mirage.
” All that ’ s happening right now in Pennsylvania , Michigan , and Wisconsin is that same process in reverse .
In those states , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first .
Then the mail ballots start being counted — the so-called “ blue shift ” — revealing Trump ’ s early lead to be a “ red mirage.
” There are three points to note about this : 1 .
Nearly all of the mail ballots being counted today arrived well before Election Day .
Some may have arrived last night or this morning or whatever , but most of these ballots have been sitting in some election office gathering dust because by law they can ’ t be counted until November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a deadline in sending their ballot in .
2 .
Republicans insisted on waiting until November 3 to start the count .
Democrats begged them to change the law and do what Florida does , counting mail ballots early so that we ’ d know the full results on election night .
Republicans said no .
And there ’ s only one logical reason for them to have done that given the president ’ s insistence over the past week that Americans deserve to know who ’ s president by midnight on November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ red mirage ” in the Rust Belt precisely so that Trump could lie to our stupid faces about chicanery causing his lead to evaporate .
Again : Al we ’ re seeing in MI , WI , and PA today is what happened last night in Florida but in reverse .
The GOP wants you to believe otherwise so that they don ’ t have to admit Trump lost fair and square .
3 .
Per my point above about partisan polarization , Trump ’ s own rhetoric about mail ballots this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even more solidly blue than usual .
He wanted Republican voters to view voting by mail as corrupt or unpatriotic or whatever , and he succeeded .
Now he pretends to be surprised that there are 80/20 leans towards Biden among the people who did choose to vote that way .
Or , like I say , maybe he really is surprised .
Maybe “ same-day votes get counted first , mail votes get counted later ” is too complicated for him .
In fairness , both sides are pushing bogus claims of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has seized on the fact that an update posted to some results page somewhere shows Biden gaining 130,000 or votes to zero for the president .
It ’ s cheating !
Or … it ’ s just a quirk of how they ’ re inputting the numbers and Trump ’ s share of that batch of votes will be posted soon enough .
If you were going to rig an election , would you make it so obvious as to post a 130,000-to-zero update ?
Just stay cool .
Meanwhile , Democrats are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secret batch of mail ballots that was never delivered : Vice has a solid debunking of that .
Some ballots might not be getting *scanned* by the Postal Service but that doesn ’ t mean they ’ re not being *delivered .
* The USPS is probably just being a bit sloppy keeping records internally in its haste to get ballots where they need to go .
Because Trump is Trump , he ’ s now forced his own allies to choose between either joining him in this sinister con about the “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheating or of having to side against him .
We ’ re still verrrrry early in this process , but indications are that only the hardest of hardcore MAGA-ites will go along .
Others won ’ t : As you ’ ll see below , Chris Christie also reality-checked him on the air last night after Trump predictably insisted that he ’ d won the election as the mail votes in MI , WI , and PA were finally being counted .
He also insisted he ’ d go to the Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on its face — what legal claim does he think he has to stop the counting of valid ballots ?
— but makes perfect sense when you remember that Trump views politics in all forms as purely transactional .
He put Neil Gorsuch , Brett Kavanaugh , and Amy Coney Barrett on the Court so now they “ owe ” him .
If they need to manufacture some legal complication that makes the “ blue shift ” illegitimate in order to keep him in power , that ’ s their problem as far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : As expected , the mysterious 130,000-to-zero Biden vote haul was nothing more sinister than a typo , now corrected .
Update : Matt Mackowiak , who started the panic over vote-rigging , has now retreated .

Nothing surprising about it, as you the reader doubtless know by now and as Trump may or may not know.
I think he probably does know and is feigning ignorance, but he consumes a lot of garbage information. And he’s always had a conspiratorial mind.
I’d say it’s 50/50 on whether he truly believes this:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1324004491612618752
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1324007806694023169
For months now, political nerds have been forecasting a “blue shift” in some states on and after election night. In other states there’s a “red shift.” It all depends on when a state counts its mail ballots. Mail votes are trending heavily blue this year for a few reasons. Democrats tend to worry more about COVID than Republicans do, so go figure that they’d be keener to vote in a way that doesn’t require them to mingle inside a crowded polling place. Additionally, Trump’s long effort to demagogue mail voting as inherently fraudulent scared Republicans away from voting that way; GOP officials at the state level have been groaning for months that his rhetoric turned right-wing voters solidly against voting by mail, resulting in a deeply blue electorate among mail ballots. Finally, Dems tend to vote earlier than Republicans do as a rule and mail ballots are the earliest possible way to vote.
The exit polls bear out the partisan split in mail versus same-day voting.
Pennsylvania:
Early voters: Biden +56
Election Day: Trump +26 Michigan:
Early voters: Biden +45
Election Day: Trump +32 Wisconsin:
Early voters: Biden +39
Election Day: Trump +30@CNN — Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) November 4, 2020
You may remember that Joe Biden jumped out to a big “lead” in Florida early last night, but there was never any real “lead.” Florida simply counts its mail ballots as they’re received rather than waiting until Election Day to start opening envelopes. The tally of votes by mail goes up promptly when polls close, and those mail votes naturally trend heavily blue. Then comes the tally of same-day votes, which trend heavily red — the so-called “red shift” in the results. At the end of the day Trump won easily. Biden’s early lead was a “blue mirage.”
All that’s happening right now in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin is that same process in reverse. In those states, the heavily red same-day votes get reported first. Then the mail ballots start being counted — the so-called “blue shift” — revealing Trump’s early lead to be a “red mirage.” There are three points to note about this:
1. Nearly all of the mail ballots being counted today arrived well before Election Day. Some may have arrived last night or this morning or whatever, but most of these ballots have been sitting in some election office gathering dust because by law they can’t be counted until November 3. Hardly anyone among them missed a deadline in sending their ballot in.
2. Republicans insisted on waiting until November 3 to start the count. Democrats begged them to change the law and do what Florida does, counting mail ballots early so that we’d know the full results on election night. Republicans said no. And there’s only one logical reason for them to have done that given the president’s insistence over the past week that Americans deserve to know who’s president by midnight on November 3. They wanted to manufacture a “red mirage” in the Rust Belt precisely so that Trump could lie to our stupid faces about chicanery causing his lead to evaporate. Again: Al we’re seeing in MI, WI, and PA today is what happened last night in Florida but in reverse. The GOP wants you to believe otherwise so that they don’t have to admit Trump lost fair and square.
3. Per my point above about partisan polarization, Trump’s own rhetoric about mail ballots this year ensured that they’d be even more solidly blue than usual. He wanted Republican voters to view voting by mail as corrupt or unpatriotic or whatever, and he succeeded. Now he pretends to be surprised that there are 80/20 leans towards Biden among the people who did choose to vote that way.
Or, like I say, maybe he really is surprised. Maybe “same-day votes get counted first, mail votes get counted later” is too complicated for him.
In fairness, both sides are pushing bogus claims of voter fraud this morning. Trump himself has seized on the fact that an update posted to some results page somewhere shows Biden gaining 130,000 or votes to zero for the president. It’s cheating! Or … it’s just a quirk of how they’re inputting the numbers and Trump’s share of that batch of votes will be posted soon enough.
I noted these last night a few minutes apart. Please, remember that what looks like election officials discovering big shifts in the voting is actually just somebody in between the vote-counters and the press/websites making a typo or having to juggle multiple streams of data. pic.twitter.com/nzThHuoGcD — Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) November 4, 2020
Which is a more plausible explanation here: voter fraud so ham-fisted that they didn't even bother to give Trump a few votes for cover, or a byproduct of how vote totals are being reported/posted? https://t.co/onU1llnVfh — Charles Fain Lehman (@CharlesFLehman) November 4, 2020
If you were going to rig an election, would you make it so obvious as to post a 130,000-to-zero update? Just stay cool. Meanwhile, Democrats are whining that maybe there’s a secret batch of mail ballots that was never delivered:
🚨BREAKING: New USPS data appears to show a failure to deliver mail ballots from voters across the country on Election Day. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan will hold a noon hearing over USPS' non-compliance with his order yesterday to rush deliver all remaining mail ballots pic.twitter.com/Zc8J5PEmPf — John Kruzel (@johnkruzel) November 4, 2020
Vice has a solid debunking of that. Some ballots might not be getting *scanned* by the Postal Service but that doesn’t mean they’re not being *delivered.* The USPS is probably just being a bit sloppy keeping records internally in its haste to get ballots where they need to go.
Because Trump is Trump, he’s now forced his own allies to choose between either joining him in this sinister con about the “blue shift” being a form of cheating or of having to side against him. We’re still verrrrry early in this process, but indications are that only the hardest of hardcore MAGA-ites will go along. Others won’t:
The result of the presidential race will be known after every legally cast vote has been counted. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) November 4, 2020
No, Trump has not already won the election, and it is deeply irresponsible for him to say he has. — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 4, 2020
As you’ll see below, Chris Christie also reality-checked him on the air last night after Trump predictably insisted that he’d won the election as the mail votes in MI, WI, and PA were finally being counted. He also insisted he’d go to the Supreme Court for vindication, which makes no sense on its face — what legal claim does he think he has to stop the counting of valid ballots? — but makes perfect sense when you remember that Trump views politics in all forms as purely transactional. He put Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett on the Court so now they “owe” him. If they need to manufacture some legal complication that makes the “blue shift” illegitimate in order to keep him in power, that’s their problem as far as he’s concerned.
Chris Christie on Pres. Trump's election remarks: "I talk tonight… as a former U.S. Attorney. There's just no basis to make that argument tonight. There just isn't." "I disagree with what he did tonight." https://t.co/GwwRl4EUb3 #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/PGborH5sCH — ABC News (@ABC) November 4, 2020
Update: As expected, the mysterious 130,000-to-zero Biden vote haul was nothing more sinister than a typo, now corrected.
UPDATE: The influx of 138,339 Biden votes cited in the tweets about Michigan were the result of a data error, according to a spokesperson for Decision Desk HQ. The error was later rectified. DDHQ statement below. More here: https://t.co/rNVGxCSv13 pic.twitter.com/9JlOP2TjA8 — Jane Lytvynenko (@JaneLytv) November 4, 2020
Update: Matt Mackowiak, who started the panic over vote-rigging, has now retreated.


hotair--2020-11-04--Team Trump: WI is "recount territory," and we're "confident" about MI, NV, and AZ

It is indeed , but it ’ s certainly not the post-Election Day spin a campaign aspires to promulgate .
With Republicans from Donald Trump on down claiming that vote fraud is responsible for eroding leads in Michigan and underperformances in Nevada and Arizona , we ’ re all heading into “ recount territory.
” Either that , or “ denial territory ” : I mentioned recounts before mainly because they are a necessary step to the kind of ballot challenges that Trump and his team want .
As of this moment , Trump ’ s down about 21,000 votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normally reverse those kinds of gaps ; Michigan actually looks slightly more promising for a recount , with a gap of slightly under 11,000 votes .
Team Trump will likely demand both , and then move on to challenges , since the election rests mainly on those two states .
What about Arizona ?
It has 11 Electoral College votes , and at the moment seems out of reach .
However , Trump campaign advisor believes that Arizona is still in reach for both Trump and Martha McSally just on the regular count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a bit of a stretch .
It might get close enough for a recount to matter , though , and that could lead to a challenge of some ballots afterward .
Nevada ’ s already close enough , but as Jazz has already pointed out , they won ’ t update results again until tomorrow , which is very weird .
Let ’ s say Trump wins Nevada and Arizona .
How does that change the election ?
It ’ s pretty obvious why they ’ re focusing on those two states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take Nevada and hold Arizona , it then makes up for the loss of Michigan and Wisconsin , barely .
That still assumes Trump will hold Pennsylvania , North Carolina , and Georgia after late ballot-counting , but it ’ s at least a doable scenario .
That ’ s why Team Trump is focusing its hopes on the interior West , and more broadly on challenges to ballot procedures in PA and NC .
They ’ re not in denial territory yet , but they ’ re turning the corner towards Wishful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll get a better idea of the maps — in the Electoral College , and in Team Trump ’ s collective head .

It is indeed, but it’s certainly not the post-Election Day spin a campaign aspires to promulgate. With Republicans from Donald Trump on down claiming that vote fraud is responsible for eroding leads in Michigan and underperformances in Nevada and Arizona, we’re all heading into “recount territory.”
Either that, or “denial territory”:
Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien predictions on outstanding vote counts: WI = “tight race” & “recount territory” MI = “confident in pathway that includes” the state NV = claiming victory possible by 5500 votes GA/PA = projecting “optimism” about both at this hour as well — Monica Alba (@albamonica) November 4, 2020
I mentioned recounts before mainly because they are a necessary step to the kind of ballot challenges that Trump and his team want. As of this moment, Trump’s down about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. Recounts don’t normally reverse those kinds of gaps; Michigan actually looks slightly more promising for a recount, with a gap of slightly under 11,000 votes. Team Trump will likely demand both, and then move on to challenges, since the election rests mainly on those two states.
What about Arizona? It has 11 Electoral College votes, and at the moment seems out of reach. However, Trump campaign advisor believes that Arizona is still in reach for both Trump and Martha McSally just on the regular count itself:
Thorough breakdown, we believe @realDonaldTrump’s win margin in AZ will be closer to 30K votes, probably just under that. Keep in mind we’re now counting Election Day voters. https://t.co/mm3qRcb4b5 — Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) November 4, 2020
Maybe, but that’s a bit of a stretch. It might get close enough for a recount to matter, though, and that could lead to a challenge of some ballots afterward. Nevada’s already close enough, but as Jazz has already pointed out, they won’t update results again until tomorrow, which is very weird.
Let’s say Trump wins Nevada and Arizona. How does that change the election? It’s pretty obvious why they’re focusing on those two states at the moment:
Click the map to create your own at 270toWin.com
If Trump can take Nevada and hold Arizona, it then makes up for the loss of Michigan and Wisconsin, barely. That still assumes Trump will hold Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia after late ballot-counting, but it’s at least a doable scenario. That’s why Team Trump is focusing its hopes on the interior West, and more broadly on challenges to ballot procedures in PA and NC.
They’re not in denial territory yet, but they’re turning the corner towards Wishful Thinkingville. Perhaps by tomorrow afternoon, we’ll get a better idea of the maps — in the Electoral College, and in Team Trump’s collective head.


hotair--2020-11-04--Politico: Let's face it, "Biden looks screwed"

Even if he wins ?
Indeed , writes Ryan Lizza , and the late count out of Michigan ’ s Wayne County seems to indicate that Joe Biden will barely eke out a victory in the national election over Donald Trump .
There is a long way to go in the presidential race , including recanvasses and recounts .
But even if Biden wins , he ’ s starting off in a deep hole , Lizza argues : A win , of course , is a win .
But if Biden is victorious , it will be under radically curtailed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There are few hints in the 2020 results of a realignment akin to what Ronald Reagan achieved when he made Jimmy Carter a one-term president in 1980 and ushered in the era of modern conservatism .
There is no sense that Biden has reformed and re-invented the Democratic Party to be more competitive the way Bill Clinton did in 1992 , when he defeated George H.W .
Bush .
There aren ’ t yet hints that Biden has assembled a new coalition the way that Obama did in 2008 .
Biden lost ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he gained some ground with white voters .
Realignments are generally built around concrete ideas and specific policy platforms .
But this campaign was always a referendum on Trump , rather than an affirmative endorsement of Biden and his agenda .
That dynamic already cut against Biden claiming a strong positive mandate .
He needed a crushing rejection of Trump to strengthen his case .
He also needed the Senate .
But Democrats may fail to realize widespread predictions of re-taking the chamber .
That would mean whoever prevails in the presidential race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the upper chamber , retaining his role as arguably the most consequential politician in Washington .
In that case Biden would be the first president in 32 years to come into office without control of Congress , another dynamic that would weaken claims of a mandate .
In the first place , Biden may still not win the election .
Team Trump has close enough results in Michigan , Wisconsin , and Nevada — and maybe Arizona — to demand recounts and then challenges .
Those are the precursors to any lawsuits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last night .
The gaps in these states are a bit larger than one would see for successful recount opportunities , but that doesn ’ t mean those have a non-zero chance for success .
Team Trump will likely want to get past the recounts to outright challenges , where their observers can inspect and challenge each ballot with any irregularities .
That strategy worked for Al Franken and Democrats in Minnesota ’ s 2008 Senate election , but it only produced a net vote change of a little over 500 votes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden coming in handcuffed after a dragged-out fight over the election and a partly hostile Congress .
George W. Bush faced a similar situation in 2001 , thanks to Jumpin ’ Jim Jeffords .
Tom Daschle ended up with control of the Senate , which allowed Democrats to frustrate Bush ’ s agenda for the better part of two years .
The lack of mandate didn ’ t help much either , thanks to the disputed result of the previous election , although Bush wound up with plenty of leverage after 9/11 on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other advantage — he represented the largest faction of his own party .
Bush was somewhat more conservative than his father , especially on taxes and regulation , and was the image of mainstream Republicans at the time .
Biden , on the other hand , looks much more like the vestige of a previous version of Democrats , who have mainly raced to the Left .
That will leave Biden with less ability to cut deals with Republicans on policy matters , even when Republicans might want to help Biden out .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ out , he might not fare much better .
Republicans will look at his ( slightly ) retreating footprint in this election and be less inclined to rally behind Trump than before .
He ’ d start off as a kind of lame duck , and that would get worse after the midterms no matter what Trump did in the first two years .
No matter which man comes out of this process to the presidency , he will do so in a diminished position .
The question now is which of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : I had forgotten that Tom Daschle was Senate Majority Leader after Jeffords jumped in 2001 .
Thanks to reader Renegade Scotsman on Twitter for the correction .

Even if he wins? Indeed, writes Ryan Lizza, and the late count out of Michigan’s Wayne County seems to indicate that Joe Biden will barely eke out a victory in the national election over Donald Trump. There is a long way to go in the presidential race, including recanvasses and recounts. But even if Biden wins, he’s starting off in a deep hole, Lizza argues:
A win, of course, is a win. But if Biden is victorious, it will be under radically curtailed circumstances from what Democrats had assumed. There are few hints in the 2020 results of a realignment akin to what Ronald Reagan achieved when he made Jimmy Carter a one-term president in 1980 and ushered in the era of modern conservatism. There is no sense that Biden has reformed and re-invented the Democratic Party to be more competitive the way Bill Clinton did in 1992, when he defeated George H.W. Bush. There aren’t yet hints that Biden has assembled a new coalition the way that Obama did in 2008. Biden lost ground with Black voters and Latinos, though he gained some ground with white voters. Realignments are generally built around concrete ideas and specific policy platforms. But this campaign was always a referendum on Trump, rather than an affirmative endorsement of Biden and his agenda. That dynamic already cut against Biden claiming a strong positive mandate. He needed a crushing rejection of Trump to strengthen his case. He also needed the Senate. But Democrats may fail to realize widespread predictions of re-taking the chamber. That would mean whoever prevails in the presidential race, Mitch McConnell might remain in charge of the upper chamber, retaining his role as arguably the most consequential politician in Washington. In that case Biden would be the first president in 32 years to come into office without control of Congress, another dynamic that would weaken claims of a mandate.
In the first place, Biden may still not win the election. Team Trump has close enough results in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada — and maybe Arizona — to demand recounts and then challenges. Those are the precursors to any lawsuits Trump would file, as he suggested last night. The gaps in these states are a bit larger than one would see for successful recount opportunities, but that doesn’t mean those have a non-zero chance for success.
Team Trump will likely want to get past the recounts to outright challenges, where their observers can inspect and challenge each ballot with any irregularities. That strategy worked for Al Franken and Democrats in Minnesota’s 2008 Senate election, but it only produced a net vote change of a little over 500 votes, too.
Lizza’s correct about Biden coming in handcuffed after a dragged-out fight over the election and a partly hostile Congress. George W. Bush faced a similar situation in 2001, thanks to Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords. Harry Reid Tom Daschle ended up with control of the Senate, which allowed Democrats to frustrate Bush’s agenda for the better part of two years. The lack of mandate didn’t help much either, thanks to the disputed result of the previous election, although Bush wound up with plenty of leverage after 9/11 on nat-sec issues.
Bush also had one other advantage — he represented the largest faction of his own party. Bush was somewhat more conservative than his father, especially on taxes and regulation, and was the image of mainstream Republicans at the time. Biden, on the other hand, looks much more like the vestige of a previous version of Democrats, who have mainly raced to the Left. That will leave Biden with less ability to cut deals with Republicans on policy matters, even when Republicans might want to help Biden out.
If Trump manages to pull this one out, he might not fare much better. Republicans will look at his (slightly) retreating footprint in this election and be less inclined to rally behind Trump than before. He’d start off as a kind of lame duck, and that would get worse after the midterms no matter what Trump did in the first two years. No matter which man comes out of this process to the presidency, he will do so in a diminished position. The question now is which of them is the more “screwed.”
Update: I had forgotten that Tom Daschle was Senate Majority Leader after Jeffords jumped in 2001. Thanks to reader Renegade Scotsman on Twitter for the correction.


hotair--2020-11-04--Somebody's pink sneakers didn't have enough traction

This was a race that didn ’ t draw all that much national attention outside of progressive cheerleading groups , but it ’ s still worth revisiting in the aftermath of yet another battle to turn Texas blue .
Many of you may recall Wendy Davis , the progressive darling who drew national acclaim from liberals for her now-infamous eleven-hour filibuster of a pro-life bill back in 2013 .
The effort proved ineffective since the bill went on to pass anyway .
She then tried to leverage the national attention she had drawn by running for governor .
She experienced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in that effort , being trounced by Greg Abbott by more than twenty points .
This year she decided to shoot for a more modest goal by trying to unseat Republican Congressman Chip Roy in the 21st district of the Lone Star State .
I know you ’ ll all be shocked to learn that her efforts once again produced the same result .
The Associated Press called the race earlier this morning , and while Davis did slightly better than she had in her gubernatorial bid , she still came up six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ W column .
( Free Beacon ) As the Free Beacon goes on to note , Davis ’ national popularity among liberal media figures has never translated into any sort of broad support back home .
Or at least not enough to win any races beyond the local , state government level .
This dichotomy is reflected in her fundraising efforts .
Davis remains a powerhouse in terms of being able to raise cash for campaigns , but only a meager portion of it actually comes from Texans who live in her district @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Wendy Davis ’ campaign contributions came from outside of her district , with quite a bit of it coming from outside the state .
A lot of the money came from the Soros family , along with national pro-abortion groups such as Planned Parenthood , EMILY ’ s List , and NARAL Pro-Choice America .
Perhaps there ’ s a lesson to be learned from all of this .
If you can ’ t get the voters in your own district to send you money , maybe they won ’ t wind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for you either .
The linked article does include one amusing anecdote related to Davis .
Do you remember those famous pink sneakers I mentioned above ?
Ever wonder what happened to them ?
One of the editors at the very conservative Free Beacon , Brent Scher , bought them in 2016 when Davis hosted an estate sale .
Davis even autographed them later the same year .
There ’ s a little piece of political history to make you smile as we wait for the election to finally be over .

This was a race that didn’t draw all that much national attention outside of progressive cheerleading groups, but it’s still worth revisiting in the aftermath of yet another battle to turn Texas blue. Many of you may recall Wendy Davis, the progressive darling who drew national acclaim from liberals for her now-infamous eleven-hour filibuster of a pro-life bill back in 2013. The effort proved ineffective since the bill went on to pass anyway. She then tried to leverage the national attention she had drawn by running for governor. She experienced a similar level of “success” in that effort, being trounced by Greg Abbott by more than twenty points.
This year she decided to shoot for a more modest goal by trying to unseat Republican Congressman Chip Roy in the 21st district of the Lone Star State. I know you’ll all be shocked to learn that her efforts once again produced the same result. The Associated Press called the race earlier this morning, and while Davis did slightly better than she had in her gubernatorial bid, she still came up six points shy of finally putting one the W column. (Free Beacon)
Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas) defeated progressive media darling Wendy Davis on Tuesday, marking the Democrat’s second consecutive loss since her famous 2013 pro-abortion filibuster. Roy led Davis by 6 points when the Associated Press called the race early Wednesday morning. The Democrat’s campaign in many ways mirrored her 2014 failed gubernatorial bid—she proved popular with national liberal donors but ultimately failed to win over the district’s voters.
As the Free Beacon goes on to note, Davis’ national popularity among liberal media figures has never translated into any sort of broad support back home. Or at least not enough to win any races beyond the local, state government level. This dichotomy is reflected in her fundraising efforts. Davis remains a powerhouse in terms of being able to raise cash for campaigns, but only a meager portion of it actually comes from Texans who live in her district.
In this campaign, 85% of Wendy Davis’ campaign contributions came from outside of her district, with quite a bit of it coming from outside the state. A lot of the money came from the Soros family, along with national pro-abortion groups such as Planned Parenthood, EMILY’s List, and NARAL Pro-Choice America. Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned from all of this. If you can’t get the voters in your own district to send you money, maybe they won’t wind up being all that interested in voting for you either.
The linked article does include one amusing anecdote related to Davis. Do you remember those famous pink sneakers I mentioned above? Ever wonder what happened to them? One of the editors at the very conservative Free Beacon, Brent Scher, bought them in 2016 when Davis hosted an estate sale. Davis even autographed them later the same year. There’s a little piece of political history to make you smile as we wait for the election to finally be over.


hotair--2020-11-04--Graham to pollsters: "You have no idea what you're doing"

“ This is the worst return on investment in the history of American politics , ” Lindsey Graham quipped in his upbeat victory speech overnight .
Graham meant the hundreds of millions of dollars that “ all the liberals in California and New York ” spent on Senate races in South Carolina , Kentucky , and North Carolina , among others .
The same can be said about all of the effort and money poured into polling this cycle .
Graham also took a shot at pollsters in the same breath , telling them , “ You have no idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check : mostly true .
Count Washington Post columnist Gary Abernathy among the unimpressed .
If you were surprised by last night ’ s outcome , you paid too much attention to pollsters , Abernathy argued : To be surprised by how the night unfolded is to have believed , without evidence , that pollsters had corrected their 2016 errors and that former vice president Joe Biden ’ s victory was assured .
Regardless of the final outcome , polling itself was possibly Tuesday ’ s biggest loser .
Nationally , so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive get-out-the-vote ground game of the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee — touted as superior to the Democrats ’ — overcome being vastly outspent on traditional television advertising ?
Were “ shy ” Trump voters a real phenomenon that pollsters failed to measure ?
Did the enthusiastic multitudes who turned out for Trump ’ s final swing-state barnstorming tour reflect growing momentum ?
Tuesday ’ s returns seemed to answer each question : Yes .
… The president ’ s apparent ability to hang on to the Buckeye State on Tuesday didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it did mean a Biden landslide was unlikely .
Would Trump ’ s Ohio success mean the state would find itself on the wrong side of a presidential race for the first time since 1960 , or would it foreshadow an upset electoral win ?
That answer wasn ’ t clear as of this writing , but Trump helped his cause by apparently retaining Florida , Georgia , North Carolina and Texas .
Just how far off were the polls ?
Let ’ s take a look at the RCP averages for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In every contested state , Trump beat the polling averages , sometimes by a wide margin .
No one ever claimed polling is perfect , but it ’ s supposed to be predictive in the aggregate .
For the second straight presidential election — at least — it has failed to accomplish that mission .
Bear in mind that these aggregate averages include a couple of pollsters who did predict different turnout models , notably Trafalgar .
Trafalgar and Robert Cahaly proved prophetic in 2016 , but their competitors shrugged it off as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple of years insisting that they had adjusted their modeling to account for the reshaping of the electorate , and openly scoffed at the idea that their models didn ’ t account for “ shy ” voters and a superior ground game .
Cahaly has some bragging rights today , especially after considering what happened in House and Senate races .
Trump ’ s strength may or may not have been enough to give him a second term , but it was no mirage , either .
Pollsters , especially media pollsters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a lot more explaining to do … and perhaps some learning to do from Cahaly .

“This is the worst return on investment in the history of American politics,” Lindsey Graham quipped in his upbeat victory speech overnight. Graham meant the hundreds of millions of dollars that “all the liberals in California and New York” spent on Senate races in South Carolina, Kentucky, and North Carolina, among others.
The same can be said about all of the effort and money poured into polling this cycle. Graham also took a shot at pollsters in the same breath, telling them, “You have no idea what you’re doing.” Fact check: mostly true.
Delighted to know that my favourite American politician @LindseyGrahamSC won re-election in South Carolina despite rival outspending him.
This👌speech-that I call “a victory lap in the Bible Belt” is reality check to wealthy liberals donors & the pollsterspic.twitter.com/DHl5LiRGw0 — SAM ‹‹‹‹‹‹🚴🏾♂ (@The_Optics) November 4, 2020
Count Washington Post columnist Gary Abernathy among the unimpressed. If you were surprised by last night’s outcome, you paid too much attention to pollsters, Abernathy argued:
To be surprised by how the night unfolded is to have believed, without evidence, that pollsters had corrected their 2016 errors and that former vice president Joe Biden’s victory was assured. Regardless of the final outcome, polling itself was possibly Tuesday’s biggest loser. Nationally, so many questions were awaiting answers. Would the aggressive get-out-the-vote ground game of the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee — touted as superior to the Democrats’ — overcome being vastly outspent on traditional television advertising? Were “shy” Trump voters a real phenomenon that pollsters failed to measure? Did the enthusiastic multitudes who turned out for Trump’s final swing-state barnstorming tour reflect growing momentum? Tuesday’s returns seemed to answer each question: Yes. … The president’s apparent ability to hang on to the Buckeye State on Tuesday didn’t signal nationwide victory, but it did mean a Biden landslide was unlikely. Would Trump’s Ohio success mean the state would find itself on the wrong side of a presidential race for the first time since 1960, or would it foreshadow an upset electoral win? That answer wasn’t clear as of this writing, but Trump helped his cause by apparently retaining Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.
Just how far off were the polls? Let’s take a look at the RCP averages for the battleground states:
Florida: RCP Biden +0.9, election Trump +3.4
PA: RCP Biden +1.2, election Trump +10.9 (still counting)
WI: RCP Biden +6.7, election Biden +0.66
NC: RCP Trump +0.2, election Trump +1.4
MI: RCP Biden +4.2, election Biden +0.5 (still counting)
OH: RCP Trump +1.0, election Trump +8.2
IA: RCP Trump +2.0, election Trump +8.3
TX: RCP Trump +1.3, election Trump +5.9
And so on. In every contested state, Trump beat the polling averages, sometimes by a wide margin. No one ever claimed polling is perfect, but it’s supposed to be predictive in the aggregate. For the second straight presidential election — at least — it has failed to accomplish that mission.
Bear in mind that these aggregate averages include a couple of pollsters who did predict different turnout models, notably Trafalgar. Trafalgar and Robert Cahaly proved prophetic in 2016, but their competitors shrugged it off as a fluke. They spent the last couple of years insisting that they had adjusted their modeling to account for the reshaping of the electorate, and openly scoffed at the idea that their models didn’t account for “shy” voters and a superior ground game.
Cahaly has some bragging rights today, especially after considering what happened in House and Senate races. Trump’s strength may or may not have been enough to give him a second term, but it was no mirage, either. Pollsters, especially media pollsters, missed it entirely, again. They have a lot more explaining to do … and perhaps some learning to do from Cahaly.


hotair--2020-11-05--Al Sharpton admits Trump did well with black and Hispanic voters, appealed to minorities

President Trump did so well with black voters and other minorities that Al Sharpton can not deny that success .
In fact , Sharpton is sounding an alarm to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris .
If the Democrat ticket is successful in the election , Sharpton says they have much work to do .
On MSNBC ’ s Morning Joe , Sharpton said today that President Trump appealed to minority voters by addressing their “ entrepreneurial aspirations ” .
That ’ s true , as anyone who has paid attention to Trump ’ s message since his first campaign can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who dared to address audiences and specifically ask black and minority voters , “ What the hell do you have to lose at this point ?
” In 2016 , that was a refreshingly honest approach .
Democrats have taken the black vote for granted and rightly so – black voters have a history as a block , of voting for Democrats .
The group mentality is so ingrained that when a black or other minority voter supports a Republican , that person is mocked and shunned by Democrats .
Progressives are only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There is no room for individuality .
“ He has done better than , in my judgment , he should have with Black men and Hispanics , which means that we ’ ve got to really look in the civil rights community , both on the Latino and the African American side , on a real conversation in our communities on what it is to be different in terms of being entrepreneurial aspirants and being fair in terms of how we look from the whole , ” Sharpton said on “ Morning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to some that wanted to feel that they had to be a certain kind of way to be aspirational and that you can be that and still be centrists , ” Sharpton continued .
That last sentence by Sharpton is gibberish .
He ’ s twisting like a pretzel to justify why a black voter would be interested in a candidate who reaches out to his community and says he ’ ll work to provide an atmosphere of increased opportunities for all , including communities often overlooked by Republican candidates .
For years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump didn ’ t take that approach .
He saw an opportunity to expand the Republican Party even while Democrats labeled him a racist , a white supremacist .
It is a sweet irony that Trump successfully increased the black vote and the Hispanic vote , too , especially in the crucial states of Florida and Texas .
Black voters took notice of Trump ’ s friendship with Kanye West and of Kim Kardashian West ’ s work with the Trump administration on criminal justice reform .
Democrats trashed them for working with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he realized he ’ ll be paying a lot more taxes with a Biden administration .
He caved a bit when he came under fire for that .
A young rapper got a meeting with Trump and endorsed him .
And , Ice Cube said he met with the Trump campaign because they took the meeting with him , while the Biden campaign told him they ’ d meet with him after the election .
All of these stories add up .
Does that mean there is a seismic shift with black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But it ’ s a start .
It didn ’ t happen with a traditional Republican president , who often talk the talk but don ’ t walk the walk and put in the work .
It happened with an outsider , a man with a life long career in the private sector .
Support for the Democratic presidential candidate reached a new low among Black men this year , according to the NBC News poll of early and Election Day voters .
There were a few groups that appear to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among Black men .
Over half of Black men ( 52 percent ) who identified as ideologically conservative cast their vote for the president , and 1 in 3 Black men living in the Midwest also voted for him .
There was an unusual relationship between education and how Black men voted this year .
About 26 percent of Black men who had a high school diploma or less supported Trump .
But 22 percent of Black men with bachelor ’ s degrees and 20 percent of Black men with advanced degrees also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college education broke for Biden at levels comparable to those of Black women .
So , yeah , Al Sharpton is right to notice black voters with “ entrepreneurial aspirations ” , the same happened with Hispanic voters .
They aspire to start their own businesses , to build a family business to pass on to the next generation .
They want to work within the system to achieve their own American dream .
They are aspirational voters .
It is logical that they drifted to Trump .
What do Biden and Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bigger government , more regulations , higher taxes , higher energy costs , and a grievance-based political ideology .
That isn ’ t inspiring .
Joe Biden , who was attacked by Kamala Harris during the Democrat primary as a racist , had to walk back and apologize for his support of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act .
He told the audience in a town hall with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos that his vote in favor of the bill was “ a mistake.
” He went on to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone else was supporting it .
That doesn ’ t exactly scream leadership qualities , does it ?
Others were voting for it so he followed along with them ?
Biden has no record of leadership .
He ’ s a follower .
Another liberal who is known for his severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome , NYT columnist Charles Blow , was shocked by Trump ’ s number of black and Hispanic voters .
“ This is so personally devastating to me : the Black male vote for Trump INCREASED from 13 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
The Black female vote for Trump doubled from 4 % in 2016 to 8 % this year , ” Blow tweeted .
“ Also , once again , exit polls show a majority of White women voting for Trump.
” He continued , “ Also , the percentage of LGBT voting for Trump doubled from 2016 .
DOUBLED !
!
!
This is why LGBT people of color don ’ t really trust the White gays .
Yes , I said what I said .
Period.
” “ Also , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump INCREASED from 2016 , according to exit polls .
Yet more evidence that we can ’ t depend on the “ browning of America ” to dismantle White supremacy and erase anti-Blackness.
” The party that lives by division and identity politics , dies by division and identity politics .
It will be a shame if Trump is defeated by a status quo Democrat and his running mate who was scored as the most liberal U.S .
Senator according to her voting record .
They offer the country a vision of socialism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ room for individuality .

President Trump did so well with black voters and other minorities that Al Sharpton can not deny that success. In fact, Sharpton is sounding an alarm to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. If the Democrat ticket is successful in the election, Sharpton says they have much work to do.
On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Sharpton said today that President Trump appealed to minority voters by addressing their “entrepreneurial aspirations”. That’s true, as anyone who has paid attention to Trump’s message since his first campaign can tell you. Trump is the guy who dared to address audiences and specifically ask black and minority voters, “What the hell do you have to lose at this point?” In 2016, that was a refreshingly honest approach. Democrats have taken the black vote for granted and rightly so – black voters have a history as a block, of voting for Democrats. The group mentality is so ingrained that when a black or other minority voter supports a Republican, that person is mocked and shunned by Democrats. Progressives are only open-minded if everyone believes as they do. There is no room for individuality.
“He has done better than, in my judgment, he should have with Black men and Hispanics, which means that we’ve got to really look in the civil rights community, both on the Latino and the African American side, on a real conversation in our communities on what it is to be different in terms of being entrepreneurial aspirants and being fair in terms of how we look from the whole,” Sharpton said on “Morning Joe.” “I think he appealed to some that wanted to feel that they had to be a certain kind of way to be aspirational and that you can be that and still be centrists,” Sharpton continued.
That last sentence by Sharpton is gibberish. He’s twisting like a pretzel to justify why a black voter would be interested in a candidate who reaches out to his community and says he’ll work to provide an atmosphere of increased opportunities for all, including communities often overlooked by Republican candidates. For years Republicans simply wrote off minority communities and Trump didn’t take that approach. He saw an opportunity to expand the Republican Party even while Democrats labeled him a racist, a white supremacist. It is a sweet irony that Trump successfully increased the black vote and the Hispanic vote, too, especially in the crucial states of Florida and Texas.
Black voters took notice of Trump’s friendship with Kanye West and of Kim Kardashian West’s work with the Trump administration on criminal justice reform. Democrats trashed them for working with Trump. Rapper 50 Cent endorsed Trump when he realized he’ll be paying a lot more taxes with a Biden administration. He caved a bit when he came under fire for that. A young rapper got a meeting with Trump and endorsed him. And, Ice Cube said he met with the Trump campaign because they took the meeting with him, while the Biden campaign told him they’d meet with him after the election. All of these stories add up. Does that mean there is a seismic shift with black voters toward the Republican Party? No. But it’s a start. It didn’t happen with a traditional Republican president, who often talk the talk but don’t walk the walk and put in the work. It happened with an outsider, a man with a life long career in the private sector.
Support for the Democratic presidential candidate reached a new low among Black men this year, according to the NBC News poll of early and Election Day voters. There were a few groups that appear to have driven this shift toward President Donald Trump among Black men. Over half of Black men (52 percent) who identified as ideologically conservative cast their vote for the president, and 1 in 3 Black men living in the Midwest also voted for him. There was an unusual relationship between education and how Black men voted this year. About 26 percent of Black men who had a high school diploma or less supported Trump. But 22 percent of Black men with bachelor’s degrees and 20 percent of Black men with advanced degrees also supported him. Black men with some college education broke for Biden at levels comparable to those of Black women.
So, yeah, Al Sharpton is right to notice black voters with “entrepreneurial aspirations”, the same happened with Hispanic voters. They aspire to start their own businesses, to build a family business to pass on to the next generation. They want to work within the system to achieve their own American dream. They are aspirational voters. It is logical that they drifted to Trump. What do Biden and Harris offer them? Less opportunity due to bigger government, more regulations, higher taxes, higher energy costs, and a grievance-based political ideology. That isn’t inspiring.
Joe Biden, who was attacked by Kamala Harris during the Democrat primary as a racist, had to walk back and apologize for his support of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. He told the audience in a town hall with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos that his vote in favor of the bill was “a mistake.” He went on to justify his vote at the time because everyone else was supporting it. That doesn’t exactly scream leadership qualities, does it? Others were voting for it so he followed along with them? Biden has no record of leadership. He’s a follower.
Another liberal who is known for his severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, NYT columnist Charles Blow, was shocked by Trump’s number of black and Hispanic voters.
“This is so personally devastating to me: the Black male vote for Trump INCREASED from 13% in 2016 to 18% this year. The Black female vote for Trump doubled from 4% in 2016 to 8% this year,” Blow tweeted. “Also, once again, exit polls show a majority of White women voting for Trump.” He continued, “Also, the percentage of LGBT voting for Trump doubled from 2016. DOUBLED!!! This is why LGBT people of color don’t really trust the White gays. Yes, I said what I said. Period.” “Also, the percentage of Latinos and Asians voting for Trump INCREASED from 2016, according to exit polls. Yet more evidence that we can’t depend on the “browning of America” to dismantle White supremacy and erase anti-Blackness.”
The party that lives by division and identity politics, dies by division and identity politics. It will be a shame if Trump is defeated by a status quo Democrat and his running mate who was scored as the most liberal U.S. Senator according to her voting record. They offer the country a vision of socialism bordering on Marxism that will provide no room for individuality.


hotair--2020-11-05--Did the Left just get "crushed" in the 2020 elections?

“ In the expectations game , ” Damon Linker wrote yesterday , “ the Democratic Party whiffed and whiffed badly.
” It ’ s a curious claim immediately after an election which appears to have delivered the White House in that whiff , but Linker ’ s not the only person to have noticed that Joe Biden might be the only winner on the Left .
And that ’ s only if the Left counts Biden among their number — which could be a very big question .
Linker describes what the Left lost , and even this isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll soon see : So much for the Democratic fantasy — the one that seemingly never dies — of unobstructed rule .
Democrats didn ’ t just want to win and govern in the name of a deeply divided nation ’ s fractured sense of the common good .
No , they wanted to lead a moral revolution , to transform the country — not only enacting a long list of new policies , but making a series of institutional changes that would entrench their power far into the future .
Pack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Break up others to give the left huge margins in the Senate .
Get rid of the Electoral College .
Abolish the police .
Rewrite the nation ’ s history , with white supremacy and racism placed “ at the very center.
” Ensure “ equity ” not just in opportunity but in outcomes .
Hell , maybe they ’ d even establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to teach everyone who voted for or supported the 45th president just how evil they really are .
No wonder so many Republicans turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the most effective GOTV operation for the GOP imaginable .
Yes , Trump and the Republican cheerleading section online and on cable news and talk radio harped on every extreme proposal .
But this wasn ’ t just a function of the fallacy of composition , where one loony activist says something off the wall and the GOP amplifies it far beyond reason in order to tar the opposition unfairly .
These were prominent Democrats — progressive politicians , activists , and scholars and prize-winning journalists at leading cultural institutions — talking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did the smart thing and tried to distance himself from the most radical proposals .
But in the end it wasn ’ t enough to mollify fears of an ascendant left hell bent on entrenching itself in power and enacting institutional reforms that would enable it to lead a moral , political , and cultural revolution .
It ’ s that radicalism that appears to have delivered a strange split decision .
On the topline of the ballot , voters seem to have tired of Donald Trump ’ s chaos-agent act , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a re-election bid .
Joe Biden might be a doddering fool , but he ’ s a comfortable doddering fool , and a shoo-in for a single-term presidency .
They ’ ll get a chance for a reset in 2024 , and in some ways that might even favor the GOP , assuming they nominate someone with enough charisma and firepower to take on the media and the pollsters .
The same voters have narrowly decided not to hand control of government to the Left for all the reasons he lists .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the House , Mitch McConnell is within a runoff election of keeping control of the Senate , and Democrats didn ’ t convert a single state legislature in what they were convinced would be a blue-wave election , as the Associated Press reports .
In fact , it was the GOP who achieved incremental gains down-ballot : In most states , the election will maintain existing conditions , a shift from recent elections in which at least a half-dozen chambers changed control , according to Wendy Underhill , director of the elections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of State Legislatures .
“ This year , unlike all the others , with so much noise and money going into this election , and yet the results are status quo , no change , ” she said .
“ It ’ s jaw-dropping.
” … Democrats had high hopes of taking control of the Texas House for the first time in nearly two decades , but fell short , despite tens of millions of dollars flowing in from state and national groups .
Democrats ’ hopes also were dashed in Iowa , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Iowa , winning control of a legislative chamber would have broken Republican “ trifectas , ” in which the party controls the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature .
Republicans appeared to have gained two new trifectas — in New Hampshire by seizing the state Senate , and in Montana with a victory in the gubernatorial race .
That failure has dramatic consequences .
Guess what ’ s coming next for those state legislatures ?
The Census Bureau has concluded its work and will soon dictate changes in the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US .
The Left ’ s overreach in 2020 has decade-long implications , Politico points out : An abysmal showing by Democrats in state legislative races on Tuesday not only denied them victories in Sun Belt and Rust Belt states that would have positioned them to advance their policy agenda — it also put the party at a disadvantage ahead of the redistricting that will determine the balance of power for the next decade .
The results could domino through politics in America , helping the GOP draw favorable congressional and state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority party in key state legislatures .
Ultimately , it could mean more Republicans in Washington — and in state capitals .
By Wednesday night , Democrats had not flipped a single statehouse chamber in its favor .
And it remained completely blocked from the map-making process in several key states — including Texas , North Carolina and Florida , which could have a combined 82 congressional seats by 2022 — where the GOP retained control of the state legislatures .
After months of record-breaking fundraising by their candidates and a constellation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their goals and failed to build upon their 2018 successes to capture state chambers they had been targeting for years .
Ally Mutnick and Sabrina Rodriguez credit Donald Trump with coattails , but that might be too simple .
In many cases , Trump underperformed down-ballot Republicans .
It seems more likely that Linker got this right — Democrats chased off voters they might have otherwise wooed , some of whom got spooked so much that they also supported Trump to hold off the progressive march .
So yes , even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Democrats will have the White House , the Left did get crushed .
All they had to do for a wave was to stay sane … and they couldn ’ t manage it .
Just wait for the inevitable midterm backlash to the Biden agenda in two years , and they ’ ll have plenty more to lament .
And by the way… why is Nancy Pelosi getting most of the blame for this ?

“In the expectations game,” Damon Linker wrote yesterday, “the Democratic Party whiffed and whiffed badly.” It’s a curious claim immediately after an election which appears to have delivered the White House in that whiff, but Linker’s not the only person to have noticed that Joe Biden might be the only winner on the Left. And that’s only if the Left counts Biden among their number — which could be a very big question.
Linker describes what the Left lost, and even this isn’t a comprehensive description, as we’ll soon see:
So much for the Democratic fantasy — the one that seemingly never dies — of unobstructed rule. Democrats didn’t just want to win and govern in the name of a deeply divided nation’s fractured sense of the common good. No, they wanted to lead a moral revolution, to transform the country — not only enacting a long list of new policies, but making a series of institutional changes that would entrench their power far into the future. Pack the Supreme Court. Add left-leaning states. Break up others to give the left huge margins in the Senate. Get rid of the Electoral College. Abolish the police. Rewrite the nation’s history, with white supremacy and racism placed “at the very center.” Ensure “equity” not just in opportunity but in outcomes. Hell, maybe they’d even establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to teach everyone who voted for or supported the 45th president just how evil they really are. No wonder so many Republicans turned out to vote. Democrats proved to be the most effective GOTV operation for the GOP imaginable. Yes, Trump and the Republican cheerleading section online and on cable news and talk radio harped on every extreme proposal. But this wasn’t just a function of the fallacy of composition, where one loony activist says something off the wall and the GOP amplifies it far beyond reason in order to tar the opposition unfairly. These were prominent Democrats — progressive politicians, activists, and scholars and prize-winning journalists at leading cultural institutions — talking this way. Joe Biden himself usually did the smart thing and tried to distance himself from the most radical proposals. But in the end it wasn’t enough to mollify fears of an ascendant left hell bent on entrenching itself in power and enacting institutional reforms that would enable it to lead a moral, political, and cultural revolution.
It’s that radicalism that appears to have delivered a strange split decision. On the topline of the ballot, voters seem to have tired of Donald Trump’s chaos-agent act, which was always going to be a risk in a re-election bid. Joe Biden might be a doddering fool, but he’s a comfortable doddering fool, and a shoo-in for a single-term presidency. They’ll get a chance for a reset in 2024, and in some ways that might even favor the GOP, assuming they nominate someone with enough charisma and firepower to take on the media and the pollsters.
The same voters have narrowly decided not to hand control of government to the Left for all the reasons he lists. Nancy Pelosi might end up losing control of the House, Mitch McConnell is within a runoff election of keeping control of the Senate, and Democrats didn’t convert a single state legislature in what they were convinced would be a blue-wave election, as the Associated Press reports. In fact, it was the GOP who achieved incremental gains down-ballot:
In most states, the election will maintain existing conditions, a shift from recent elections in which at least a half-dozen chambers changed control, according to Wendy Underhill, director of the elections and redistricting team at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “This year, unlike all the others, with so much noise and money going into this election, and yet the results are status quo, no change,” she said. “It’s jaw-dropping.” … Democrats had high hopes of taking control of the Texas House for the first time in nearly two decades, but fell short, despite tens of millions of dollars flowing in from state and national groups. Democrats’ hopes also were dashed in Iowa, Michigan and North Carolina. In Texas and Iowa, winning control of a legislative chamber would have broken Republican “trifectas,” in which the party controls the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature. Republicans appeared to have gained two new trifectas — in New Hampshire by seizing the state Senate, and in Montana with a victory in the gubernatorial race.
That failure has dramatic consequences. Guess what’s coming next for those state legislatures? The Census Bureau has concluded its work and will soon dictate changes in the House of Representatives based on population shifts in the US. The Left’s overreach in 2020 has decade-long implications, Politico points out:
An abysmal showing by Democrats in state legislative races on Tuesday not only denied them victories in Sun Belt and Rust Belt states that would have positioned them to advance their policy agenda — it also put the party at a disadvantage ahead of the redistricting that will determine the balance of power for the next decade. The results could domino through politics in America, helping the GOP draw favorable congressional and state legislative maps by ensuring Democrats remain the minority party in key state legislatures. Ultimately, it could mean more Republicans in Washington — and in state capitals. By Wednesday night, Democrats had not flipped a single statehouse chamber in its favor. And it remained completely blocked from the map-making process in several key states — including Texas, North Carolina and Florida, which could have a combined 82 congressional seats by 2022 — where the GOP retained control of the state legislatures. After months of record-breaking fundraising by their candidates and a constellation of outside groups, Democrats fell far short of their goals and failed to build upon their 2018 successes to capture state chambers they had been targeting for years.
Ally Mutnick and Sabrina Rodriguez credit Donald Trump with coattails, but that might be too simple. In many cases, Trump underperformed down-ballot Republicans. It seems more likely that Linker got this right — Democrats chased off voters they might have otherwise wooed, some of whom got spooked so much that they also supported Trump to hold off the progressive march.
So yes, even though Trump has apparently lost his re-election bid and Democrats will have the White House, the Left did get crushed. All they had to do for a wave was to stay sane … and they couldn’t manage it. Just wait for the inevitable midterm backlash to the Biden agenda in two years, and they’ll have plenty more to lament.
And by the way… why is Nancy Pelosi getting most of the blame for this?


hotair--2020-11-05--Trump lawyer: We're expecting his three SCOTUS appointees, including Amy Coney Barrett, to "come thr

Trump lawyer: We're expecting his three SCOTUS appointees, including Amy Coney Barrett, to "come through" here

I ’ ll never stop being amazed at how brazenly the president and his deputies are willing to insinuate that the judges he ’ s appointed are partisan hacks .
It never gets quite as far as insisting that they ’ re expected to rule his way as a show of gratitude for their appointment — a quid pro quo , to borrow a term that was in the news much earlier this year — but that ’ s the implication .
His transactional view of law and everything else is even trickling down to his deputies , as you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the clip below .
The irony is , to the extent that Barrett , Gorsuch , and Kavanaugh are capable of being swayed by political pressure , bringing this sort of pressure on them can only hurt Trump ’ s cause .
No judge wants to affirm a politician ’ s suggestion that they ’ re in his pocket by ruling his way in a case with the highest stakes .
As for the substance of the poll-watcher claim Dhillon makes in the clip , Fox ’ s own reporting apparently contradicts it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hours away from the race being called in Pennsylvania and possibly Georgia too , which is why there ’ s been a sharp uptick this afternoon in desperate commentary from MAGAworld .
The plan at the White House , I think , was to lie low for a few days and hope for the best in the counts from Nevada , Georgia , Pennsylvania , and Arizona .
It ’ s clear enough this afternoon that those counts aren ’ t going great , especially in all-important PA. That ’ s a hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reckon with .
It ’ s an *impossible* reality for a messianic cult to reckon with .
We ’ re not just talking the end of a presidential term here , we ’ re talking about the end of a quasi-religious myth of invincibility .
And so weird things are going to be said , and maybe done , by people around Trump in the days and weeks to come to try to avert that reality .
For instance , here ’ s Steve Bannon talking about decapitating Chris Wray and Tony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for some sort of mob to descend on Philadelphia : “ Philadelphia looks like a cesspool electorally .
Why in the world wouldn ’ t the Republicans surround that thing and , if you will , you know , at least apply a little , what would you call it , some sort of scent ?
” Don Jr is calling for “ total war , ” whatever that means : Glenn Beck suggested at one point this week that if one “ believes ” the election was stolen — not that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if you believe it — it might be time to grab a gun : Mark Levin suggested this morning that Pennsylvania ’ s state legislature should ignore the results of the vote in their state , presumably on the theory that those results are tainted by fraud , and just go ahead and give Trump their electoral votes : Under Beck ’ s theory , if Democratic voters in Pennsylvania believe their votes were stolen from them by the legislature , what ’ s the proper recourse ?
In any case , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the equivalent of a legal coup by ignoring the vote : As I write this , Trump is getting ready to speak .
God only knows what he intends to say .
Drink all of this in , though , and appreciate where we ’ ve come in six years or so — from a tea-party movement that showed reverent devotion to the Founding Fathers and the civic virtues with which they imbued the Constitution to a populist personality cult that seems at the brink of calling on followers to get violent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embarrassment of losing an election .
The pretense that he ’ s been cheated somehow is so comical that even some grassroots righties can ’ t resist laughing at it : I would add : Y ’ all really believe that if this party was capable of rigging an election that they would have let Hillary lose by a whisker in Michigan , Wisconsin , and Pennsylvania in 2016 ?
There ’ s also this : Trump ’ s coming to the mic soon .
The latest news is that he intends to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Mark Esper as a start to his “ second term.
” There *is* a lot of turnover in administrations when a second term begins but that turnover doesn ’ t normally start with the president dismissing people against whom he holds personal grudges because they wouldn ’ t abuse their public power to hurt his political enemies .
That ’ s more of what we ’ d call a purge .
Which is also far afield from the sort of government the Founders were hoping to set up , but oh well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at his presser about the one-sidedness of mail-in ballot returns , which are skewing heavily Democratic .
You know why they ’ re skewing heavily Democratic ?
Because he wanted it that way .
Update : Another observation from the press conference : Trump ’ s lead in Georgia is down to 4,000 votes as of 7 p.m .
ET .
Update : The news side of Fox News isn ’ t going along with the “ I was cheated ” con even if the opinion side is : Fox is under intense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but from their own industry because all sides understand that they have outsized influence in shaping Republican grassroots opinion .
If the news team goes all-in on fraud claims without evidence , it ’ s going to lend Trump ’ s claims a patina of credence .
Update : Another Murdoch-owned outfit isn ’ t going to play Trump ’ s game here .

I’ll never stop being amazed at how brazenly the president and his deputies are willing to insinuate that the judges he’s appointed are partisan hacks. It never gets quite as far as insisting that they’re expected to rule his way as a show of gratitude for their appointment — a quid pro quo, to borrow a term that was in the news much earlier this year — but that’s the implication. His transactional view of law and everything else is even trickling down to his deputies, as you’ll see at the end of the clip below. The irony is, to the extent that Barrett, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh are capable of being swayed by political pressure, bringing this sort of pressure on them can only hurt Trump’s cause. No judge wants to affirm a politician’s suggestion that they’re in his pocket by ruling his way in a case with the highest stakes.
“And hopefully Amy Coney Barrett will come through.” pic.twitter.com/K4Nv8AgVPZ — Robert Costa (@costareports) November 5, 2020
As for the substance of the poll-watcher claim Dhillon makes in the clip, Fox’s own reporting apparently contradicts it:
Fox’s @EricShawnTV just now says he’s spoken to several GOP legal observers who support Trump who have been allowed in to watch ballot count in Philly, “which seems to conflict completely with Trump campaign claims that GOP poll watchers are not allowed in the room.” — Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) November 5, 2020
We’re maybe a few hours away from the race being called in Pennsylvania and possibly Georgia too, which is why there’s been a sharp uptick this afternoon in desperate commentary from MAGAworld. The plan at the White House, I think, was to lie low for a few days and hope for the best in the counts from Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. It’s clear enough this afternoon that those counts aren’t going great, especially in all-important PA. That’s a hard reality for any campaign or political movement to reckon with. It’s an *impossible* reality for a messianic cult to reckon with. We’re not just talking the end of a presidential term here, we’re talking about the end of a quasi-religious myth of invincibility. And so weird things are going to be said, and maybe done, by people around Trump in the days and weeks to come to try to avert that reality. For instance, here’s Steve Bannon talking about decapitating Chris Wray and Tony Fauci:
.@esaagar I think Bannon is scared about prison. pic.twitter.com/KP7B9on2Ev — Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) November 5, 2020
Last night Lou Dobbs called for some sort of mob to descend on Philadelphia: “Philadelphia looks like a cesspool electorally. Why in the world wouldn’t the Republicans surround that thing and, if you will, you know, at least apply a little, what would you call it, some sort of scent?” Don Jr is calling for “total war,” whatever that means:
The best thing for America’s future is for @realDonaldTrump to go to total war over this election to expose all of the fraud, cheating, dead/no longer in state voters, that has been going on for far too long. It’s time to clean up this mess & stop looking like a banana republic! — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) November 5, 2020
Glenn Beck suggested at one point this week that if one “believes” the election was stolen — not that it was proven to be stolen, but if you believe it — it might be time to grab a gun:
During his election night coverage, Glenn Beck floated the possibility that people may have a duty to take up arms and overthrow the government to prevent Democrats from stealing the election and destroying the Constitution. pic.twitter.com/LjDF1eAf1P — Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) November 4, 2020
Mark Levin suggested this morning that Pennsylvania’s state legislature should ignore the results of the vote in their state, presumably on the theory that those results are tainted by fraud, and just go ahead and give Trump their electoral votes:
REMINDER TO THE REPUBLICAN STATE LEGISLATURES, YOU HAVE THE FINAL SAY OVER THE CHOOSING OF ELECTORS, NOT ANY BOARD OF ELECTIONS, SECRETARY OF STATE, GOVERNOR, OR EVEN COURT. YOU HAVE THE FINAL SAY — ARTICLE II OF THE FED CONSTITUTION. SO, GET READY TO DO YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY — Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) November 5, 2020
Under Beck’s theory, if Democratic voters in Pennsylvania believe their votes were stolen from them by the legislature, what’s the proper recourse?
In any case, the legislature won’t be pulling off the equivalent of a legal coup by ignoring the vote:
For anyone wondering: spokesperson for Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman reiterated just now that the Republican controlled state legislature will NOT move to appoint electors to override popular vote, despite concerns about PA electoral process. — Ryan W Briggs (@rw_briggs) November 5, 2020
As I write this, Trump is getting ready to speak. God only knows what he intends to say. Drink all of this in, though, and appreciate where we’ve come in six years or so — from a tea-party movement that showed reverent devotion to the Founding Fathers and the civic virtues with which they imbued the Constitution to a populist personality cult that seems at the brink of calling on followers to get violent in order to spare the president the personal embarrassment of losing an election.
The pretense that he’s been cheated somehow is so comical that even some grassroots righties can’t resist laughing at it:
https://twitter.com/ewerickson/status/1324159600036319236
I would add: Y’all really believe that if this party was capable of rigging an election that they would have let Hillary lose by a whisker in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in 2016? There’s also this:
The "massive voter fraud" in Pennsylvania resulted in Democrats losing House seats. https://t.co/zFOW27qSV9 — Donny Ferguson (@DonnyFerguson) November 5, 2020
Trump’s coming to the mic soon. The latest news is that he intends to proceed with firing officials like Chris Wray and Mark Esper as a start to his “second term.” There *is* a lot of turnover in administrations when a second term begins but that turnover doesn’t normally start with the president dismissing people against whom he holds personal grudges because they wouldn’t abuse their public power to hurt his political enemies. That’s more of what we’d call a purge. Which is also far afield from the sort of government the Founders were hoping to set up, but oh well.
Update: Apparently Trump is complaining at his presser about the one-sidedness of mail-in ballot returns, which are skewing heavily Democratic. You know why they’re skewing heavily Democratic? Because he wanted it that way.
The Trump campaign is also projecting that it’s on track to win Pennsylvania, arguing that many of the outstanding mail ballots are located in pro-Trump counties. However, Trump encouraged his voters to cast ballots in person, and not by mail. So as the ballots came in from Republican counties, Biden still won the lion’s share of them. “Watching Trump’s lead in states evaporate or disappear because of mail-in votes is some galactic-level karma,” said a frustrated Trump adviser.
Update: Another observation from the press conference:
Trump attacks the counting in Georgia, saying it's run by Democrats. The Secy of State is a Trump Republican. — Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) November 5, 2020
Trump’s lead in Georgia is down to 4,000 votes as of 7 p.m. ET.
Update: The news side of Fox News isn’t going along with the “I was cheated” con even if the opinion side is:
Fox reporter John Roberts says Trump knows he’s losing. “The election is not going his way. He’s trying to plan an alternate route to the White House.” — Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) November 6, 2020
On Fox News, Bret Baier just said “we have not seen hard evidence” of any election fraud. Wow. Fox totally divorcing from Trump. — Gabriel Sherman (@gabrielsherman) November 6, 2020
Fox is under intense scrutiny not just from the White House but from their own industry because all sides understand that they have outsized influence in shaping Republican grassroots opinion. If the news team goes all-in on fraud claims without evidence, it’s going to lend Trump’s claims a patina of credence.
Update: Pretty much.
CNN's Jake Tapper reacts to Trump's shocking White House statement falsely declaring victory: "It's just pathetic" pic.twitter.com/4aLL2mRTtg — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) November 6, 2020
Update: Another Murdoch-owned outfit isn’t going to play Trump’s game here.
Downcast Trump makes baseless election fraud claims in White House address https://t.co/FVM8v1bjq5 pic.twitter.com/FqRzUVSGkd — New York Post (@nypost) November 6, 2020