hotair--2020-11-02--New York's Attorney General has a to-do list for Joe Biden

You can either file this story under “ gumption ” or unmitigated gall .
Take your pick .
Apparently acting on the assumption that Joe Biden is going to win on Tuesday , New York ’ s Attorney General , Letitia James , has announced that she ’ s working on “ a long list ” of items for Joe Biden to take care of once he ’ s sworn into office .
The list will focus on “ undoing ” all of the Bad Things that the Bad Orange Man has done while in office thus far .
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Attorney General of a single state has to set these priorities and push herself into the national agenda , you ’ re not alone .
But in her mind , this is clearly Letitia James ’ world and you ’ re just living in it .
( NBC News ) New York Attorney General Letitia James says her office is preparing a substantial list of legal actions for a potential Biden administration to begin quickly reversing Trump administration initiatives , she told NBC News in an interview .
“ We ’ re preparing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long , ” she said Thursday .
“ We ’ ll have a team of individuals , again , working on reversing all of the bad regulations and laws that have been put forth … We will work with the Biden administration to ask them to file stays in a number of cases that are pending in the courts all across this country.
” James , a leading Democratic state attorney general , said she and her colleagues are also reviewing “ legal options to determine what action , if any ” state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results be contested .
You ’ ll notice that James is already anticipating the possibility of a contested election with some court battles looming .
In light of that , she ’ s also preparing a list of “ legal options ” for the states to take .
Isn ’ t that thoughtful of her ?
But it should be worth asking who designated Letitia James as the person to handle all of these issues on a national level and set forth an agenda for the next president .
After all , despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adoring liberal press , James is among the most junior Attorneys General in the nation .
She is not the President of the National Association of Attorneys General ( NAAG ) .
In fact , she ’ s not even on the Executive Committee .
She ’ s a total back-bencher in that regard , and yet she ’ s presuming to speak for all of them this week .
It ’ s been no secret in New York that Letitia James has an extremely high opinion of herself .
Despite her relatively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ career on the New York City Council rather than dealing with law enforcement , she fancies herself as a future Mayor or Governor , perhaps both .
When she ran for the office of Attorney General , she campaigned on a platform focused almost entirely on being a leader of the “ resistance ” against President Trump rather than dealing with law enforcement in the Empire State .
Since taking office , she ’ s made good on that promise at least , spending time and resources investigating every aspect of Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gain access to his tax returns and snooping around every one of his associates in the region .
What she ’ s never seemed to care very much about is actually prosecuting criminals .
She was a huge supporter of the “ bail reform ” initiatives in New York and she eagerly worked to “ empty the jails ” rather than putting actual criminals behind bars .
I ’ m hardly the first one to suggest that the office of Attorney General is less about a career in law enforcement for Letitia James @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which she can launch her future ambitions .
Does she perhaps see herself as some sort of default choice as Joe Biden ’ s United States Attorney General ?
While I wouldn ’ t put it past Uncle Joe to cave to the idea that he ’ s required to select a Black woman for the office in the name of political correctness and identity politics , James would still be a rather abysmal choice in terms of experience .
She only took her current office last year .
That doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” or leadership in terms of ascending to such a lofty position .
If Biden really wants to send a message with his AG pick , he could serve himself far better by picking someone like Karl Racine , the Attorney General for the District of Columbia .
He ’ s a Democrat , he ’ s Black , he ’ s a Haitian immigrant , the president-elect of the NAAG and has a long record of experience in the law and law enforcement .
He ticks all of the boxes for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this , you can expect the media to fawn over these pronouncements from Letitia James and sing her praises as an “ important voice ” in this momentous historical moment .
Of course , if Donald Trump wins on Tuesday , she can always go back to chasing after his tax returns as a hobby .

You can either file this story under “gumption” or unmitigated gall. Take your pick. Apparently acting on the assumption that Joe Biden is going to win on Tuesday, New York’s Attorney General, Letitia James, has announced that she’s working on “a long list” of items for Joe Biden to take care of once he’s sworn into office. The list will focus on “undoing” all of the Bad Things that the Bad Orange Man has done while in office thus far. If you find yourself wondering what authority the Attorney General of a single state has to set these priorities and push herself into the national agenda, you’re not alone. But in her mind, this is clearly Letitia James’ world and you’re just living in it. (NBC News)
New York Attorney General Letitia James says her office is preparing a substantial list of legal actions for a potential Biden administration to begin quickly reversing Trump administration initiatives, she told NBC News in an interview. “We’re preparing a list. And the list is long,” she said Thursday. “We’ll have a team of individuals, again, working on reversing all of the bad regulations and laws that have been put forth … We will work with the Biden administration to ask them to file stays in a number of cases that are pending in the courts all across this country.” James, a leading Democratic state attorney general, said she and her colleagues are also reviewing “legal options to determine what action, if any” state attorneys general will take should the election results be contested.
You’ll notice that James is already anticipating the possibility of a contested election with some court battles looming. In light of that, she’s also preparing a list of “legal options” for the states to take. Isn’t that thoughtful of her?
But it should be worth asking who designated Letitia James as the person to handle all of these issues on a national level and set forth an agenda for the next president. After all, despite all the headlines she receives from an adoring liberal press, James is among the most junior Attorneys General in the nation. She is not the President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). In fact, she’s not even on the Executive Committee. She’s a total back-bencher in that regard, and yet she’s presuming to speak for all of them this week.
It’s been no secret in New York that Letitia James has an extremely high opinion of herself. Despite her relatively limited experience, spending part of her career on the New York City Council rather than dealing with law enforcement, she fancies herself as a future Mayor or Governor, perhaps both. When she ran for the office of Attorney General, she campaigned on a platform focused almost entirely on being a leader of the “resistance” against President Trump rather than dealing with law enforcement in the Empire State. Since taking office, she’s made good on that promise at least, spending time and resources investigating every aspect of Donald Trump’s business dealings, seeking to gain access to his tax returns and snooping around every one of his associates in the region.
What she’s never seemed to care very much about is actually prosecuting criminals. She was a huge supporter of the “bail reform” initiatives in New York and she eagerly worked to “empty the jails” rather than putting actual criminals behind bars. I’m hardly the first one to suggest that the office of Attorney General is less about a career in law enforcement for Letitia James and far more about a platform from which she can launch her future ambitions.
Does she perhaps see herself as some sort of default choice as Joe Biden’s United States Attorney General? While I wouldn’t put it past Uncle Joe to cave to the idea that he’s required to select a Black woman for the office in the name of political correctness and identity politics, James would still be a rather abysmal choice in terms of experience. She only took her current office last year. That doesn’t exactly project the idea of “experience” or leadership in terms of ascending to such a lofty position. If Biden really wants to send a message with his AG pick, he could serve himself far better by picking someone like Karl Racine, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. He’s a Democrat, he’s Black, he’s a Haitian immigrant, the president-elect of the NAAG and has a long record of experience in the law and law enforcement. He ticks all of the boxes for a Democratic president.
But despite all of this, you can expect the media to fawn over these pronouncements from Letitia James and sing her praises as an “important voice” in this momentous historical moment. Of course, if Donald Trump wins on Tuesday, she can always go back to chasing after his tax returns as a hobby.


hotair--2020-11-03--Win or lose, this isn't over. Trump wasn't a cause, he's a symptom

One of the common themes coming from the Biden campaign and many of his supporters is the idea that they need to win this election so things can go back to “ normal.
” The underlying message is clear .
President Trump is an aberration from what we ’ ve come to expect in American politics and societal standards , so replacing him with “ loveable Uncle Joe ” will turn the clock back to the good old days of 2015 .
What most of these liberal Biden supporters don ’ t seem to grasp is that those “ good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good for a significant portion of the country .
And even if Joe Biden pulls out a win in this race , nobody who accepted Donald Trump as an admittedly unusual alternative is going to be ready to “ go back ” to anything .
The social justice warriors have plenty of complaints about the current state of society and there is absolutely some merit to some of those concerns .
Human beings are not perfect and we don ’ t always get everything right .
There ’ s too much poverty in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is clearly steeper for many people than that of those born into more fortuitous circumstances .
But what ’ s less frequently discussed , particularly in the media , are the equally strong objections of many citizens to the path we ’ ve been following in recent years .
Long before Donald Trump came down that golden escalator to announce his candidacy , a significant portion of the country was fed up with the accelerating slide we ’ ve witnessed toward socialist policies and the erosion of conditions that used to be taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ school system has failed many families who are financially disadvantaged , as liberals will regularly and correctly point out .
But at the same time , those schools are churning out one generation after another of indoctrinated activists who would rather tear down the system than repair it .
We ’ re breeding armies of entitled radicals who somehow feel that the government owes them equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity .
We ’ ve experienced a cultural shift toward a populace that values a handout more than a leg up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unrest to the point where people can justify looting and rioting as some sort of compensation for perceived wrongs is on a fast track to failure .
People who see law enforcement as a threat rather than our only bulwark against chaos are exhibiting suicidal behavior , perhaps without even realizing it .
And yet we see these ideas being bandied about on our major news networks on a daily basis .
Perhaps worst of all , the very idea of patriotism and loyalty to America as one of the greatest nations in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looked upon with scorn .
Blaming America has usurped the idea of loving America in some circles .
Those are the complaints that drove many of us in 2016 to throw conventional wisdom in the dumpster and try something different .
Perhaps something radically different .
The phrase “ make America great again ” may have originated in Donald Trump ’ s campaign planning meetings , but it resonated across the country in ways that even he probably couldn ’ t foresee .
I was reminded of all of this when I went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this morning .
There was a line of roughly 15 people there when I arrived .
After I took my place , additional people showed up and three older voters who were behind me in line struck up a conversation .
They were only talking about one thing .
Rioting was what was on their minds .
One woman nervously asked if the others thought there would be more riots in the cities or even in our own village .
They talked of news reports showing stores being boarded up in advance of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gentlemen she was speaking to responded by asking when things had gotten this bad .
These are conversations that are going on all over the country and these concerns speak to why there are still huge turnouts for the President ’ s rallies , even in the midst of a pandemic .
Donald Trump didn ’ t “ take over ” the Republican Party or derail the conservative movement .
He just happened to come along at a moment when a large body of people who were never heard from in public debates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ message forward .
If it wasn ’ t Donald Trump , it would have been someone else before very long .
And even if Donald Trump loses this election to Joe Biden ( which is certainly possible ) , those voices aren ’ t going to go away or be silenced .
The people who helped elect Donald Trump aren ’ t about to complacently go back to how things were before .
If Trump is pushed out of office , someone else will rise up to take his place .
As I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cause of everything you ’ re seeing .
He was a symptom .
And the underlying conditions that led to his election four years ago haven ’ t gone away .

One of the common themes coming from the Biden campaign and many of his supporters is the idea that they need to win this election so things can go back to “normal.” The underlying message is clear. President Trump is an aberration from what we’ve come to expect in American politics and societal standards, so replacing him with “loveable Uncle Joe” will turn the clock back to the good old days of 2015. What most of these liberal Biden supporters don’t seem to grasp is that those “good old days” weren’t so good for a significant portion of the country. And even if Joe Biden pulls out a win in this race, nobody who accepted Donald Trump as an admittedly unusual alternative is going to be ready to “go back” to anything.
The social justice warriors have plenty of complaints about the current state of society and there is absolutely some merit to some of those concerns. Human beings are not perfect and we don’t always get everything right. There’s too much poverty in the country and the path to success is clearly steeper for many people than that of those born into more fortuitous circumstances. But what’s less frequently discussed, particularly in the media, are the equally strong objections of many citizens to the path we’ve been following in recent years.
Long before Donald Trump came down that golden escalator to announce his candidacy, a significant portion of the country was fed up with the accelerating slide we’ve witnessed toward socialist policies and the erosion of conditions that used to be taken for granted in America. Our public school system has failed many families who are financially disadvantaged, as liberals will regularly and correctly point out. But at the same time, those schools are churning out one generation after another of indoctrinated activists who would rather tear down the system than repair it. We’re breeding armies of entitled radicals who somehow feel that the government owes them equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity. We’ve experienced a cultural shift toward a populace that values a handout more than a leg up.
A society that tolerates crime and unrest to the point where people can justify looting and rioting as some sort of compensation for perceived wrongs is on a fast track to failure. People who see law enforcement as a threat rather than our only bulwark against chaos are exhibiting suicidal behavior, perhaps without even realizing it. And yet we see these ideas being bandied about on our major news networks on a daily basis.
Perhaps worst of all, the very idea of patriotism and loyalty to America as one of the greatest nations in the history of the world is now looked upon with scorn. Blaming America has usurped the idea of loving America in some circles. Those are the complaints that drove many of us in 2016 to throw conventional wisdom in the dumpster and try something different. Perhaps something radically different. The phrase “make America great again” may have originated in Donald Trump’s campaign planning meetings, but it resonated across the country in ways that even he probably couldn’t foresee.
I was reminded of all of this when I went to vote at six o’clock this morning. There was a line of roughly 15 people there when I arrived. After I took my place, additional people showed up and three older voters who were behind me in line struck up a conversation. They were only talking about one thing. Rioting was what was on their minds. One woman nervously asked if the others thought there would be more riots in the cities or even in our own village. They talked of news reports showing stores being boarded up in advance of the election. One of the two gentlemen she was speaking to responded by asking when things had gotten this bad.
These are conversations that are going on all over the country and these concerns speak to why there are still huge turnouts for the President’s rallies, even in the midst of a pandemic. Donald Trump didn’t “take over” the Republican Party or derail the conservative movement. He just happened to come along at a moment when a large body of people who were never heard from in public debates was waiting for someone to carry that message forward. If it wasn’t Donald Trump, it would have been someone else before very long. And even if Donald Trump loses this election to Joe Biden (which is certainly possible), those voices aren’t going to go away or be silenced. The people who helped elect Donald Trump aren’t about to complacently go back to how things were before. If Trump is pushed out of office, someone else will rise up to take his place. As I said, Donald Trump wasn’t the cause of everything you’re seeing. He was a symptom. And the underlying conditions that led to his election four years ago haven’t gone away.


hotair--2020-11-02--Scarborough: If Trump tries to declare victory tomorrow night, we won't carry the live feed

Via RCP , he ’ s not speaking on behalf of NBC or MSNBC — I think .
He and his team will be doing election-night coverage on “ Peacock , ” NBC ’ s streaming platform .
That ’ s the feed which he claims won ’ t carry Trump .
And as I understand him , he ’ s not describing a scenario where Trump really does legitimately win tomorrow night .
If the surprise to end all surprises happens and Trump romps through the battlegrounds by margins so wide that Biden can ’ t possibly make up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then of course Peacock and every other platform should carry Trump ’ s victory speech live .
What he ’ s talking about here is the scenario Ed and I each wrote about earlier , where Trump wins the in-person vote in Pennsylvania by 10 points and then poll workers start opening up mail ballots only to find him taking the stage and declaring , “ I won !
And if those mail votes are counted , it ’ s cheating.
” Should the networks carry that declaration ?
Watch , then read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a highest-possible-stakes version of Twitter shutting down the New York Post ’ s Hunter Biden story .
A media platform decides that certain information is too unreliable and inflammatory for its users to consume , so it blacks it out .
By dropping the Trump feed , Peacock would be making a statement about how much it trusts its viewers to responsibly process questionable information the same way Twitter made a statement about how much it trusts its readers to handle Huntergate .
With an important difference .
The Post liked to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Biden campaign , successfully challenged its story or proved that it ’ s a dirty trick perpetrated by a foreign intelligence service .
Twitter blacked out a major news story due to suspicion , not proof .
Whereas if Trump walks out tomorrow and declares victory with the battlegrounds still undecided due to uncounted mail votes , that ’ s an out-and-out falsehood .
He ’ d be exploiting the platform given to him to promote disinformation about the legitimacy of the election .
Why should any media outlet provide an audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s about to tell a blatant lie ?
Some Americans will believe anything a president says , such is the authority of his office ; others , on both sides , will be so rent by emotions over the election that there ’ s no telling how people will react to a charge as explosive as fraud .
If , in a few days after the mail ballots are counted , Trump really is the winner of the race , he can give a proper victory speech then and it should be aired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obvious argument for abetting what ’ s essentially a simple-minded con job about whether the election was fair or not .
There are two problems for the media if they refuse to air his remarks , though .
One is that Trump has a direct pipeline to voters via social media , of course .
Are Facebook and Twitter going to play along with not giving him a platform for his “ I was cheated ” nonsense ?
The other is that Trump will keep up this refrain for days afterward while the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and for weeks after that potentially if Biden wins in the end .
“ I was cheated ” will be a talking point for the entire lame-duck session .
Nearly three months .
Trump might even take the “ I was cheated ” whinefest on the road : Top surrogates for the Trump campaign have been told to keep their Novembers clear for potential campaign events .
And Trump campaign advisers said not to rule out the possibility Trump continues his rallies even as election officials continue to count ballots after the Nov. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surrogate and two Trump advisers .
With the possibility that there might not be a clear winner on election night in key swing states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina , the campaign has discussed putting Trump and his family on the road to give a morale boost to supporters and let the president fire off about the election to crowds .
“ Don ’ t miscount the fact that Trump will continue to do rallies while they ’ re still counting votes , ” said one adviser to the Trump campaign .
Are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live at any point between November 3 and January 20 ?
Or will they relent after the final vote count is done ?
Twitter tried to suppress all links to the New York Post story for days , then ended up throwing in the towel and changing its policy so that in the future tweets involving stories that feature possibly hacked material will simply carry an advisory instead .
A media-wide blackout to prevent Trump from riling people up about cheating would need to take the same approach , comprehensively .
That blackout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overshadowing Trump ’ s lame conspiracy-mongering , just as Twitter ’ s suppression of the Post story became a scandal in its own right .
And Trump ’ s comments about supposedly having been cheated *would* get out .
People at his post-election rallies would post clips from them .
Would YouTube and Facebook take them all down ?
Trump falsely claiming American voters were swindled could become a modern samizdat , at least for a few weeks .
Pelosi was asked today whether she ’ s ready for him to prematurely declare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For months , she ’ s been working closely with a team of lawyers , constitutional experts and institutions to game out responses to Trump ’ s potential chaos before , during and after the election… “ We have been prepared for the worst for a long time because what we have seen is the worst on the part of this president in terms of his disrespect for the Constitution , his disregard of free will of the people and his stooping to any level for his own reelection , ” said Pelosi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political and financial resources at our disposal .
… We have our lawyers poised to move on a dime on Election Day or evening , as we see a problem.
” … And if the president tries to declare victory on election night without millions of people ’ s votes being counted , Pelosi said she ’ s ready for that , too .
“ This is not child ’ s play , ” she said .
“ It is unconstitutional.
” Ending Election Day eve with some chatter that makes the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to plan for feels like a fitting capper to the last four years .
One thing that occurs to me : Is impeachment on the table here ?
I don ’ t think Pelosi would move to impeach him just for giving a bogus election-night statement while mail votes are still being counted , but if Biden ’ s won when the votes are tallied and Trump is still running around insisting he ’ s the rightful winner , maybe that ’ s when the House drops the bomb on him .
From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be a no-lose proposition .
With most of the country , including many Republicans , having accepted that Biden ’ s the duly elected incoming president , kicking impeachment over to Republicans in the Senate would be like leaving a flaming bag of sh*t on McConnell ’ s doorstep .
The GOP can either vote to acquit Trump again , in which case they ’ re owning Trumpism even in its final hallucinatory days with most of the country incensed about his behavior , or they can actually remove him from office a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Pence until January 20 , in which case the Republican base will be furious .
Stay tuned .
Here ’ s John Bolton on the big face-saving “ I was cheated ” con .

Via RCP, he’s not speaking on behalf of NBC or MSNBC — I think. He and his team will be doing election-night coverage on “Peacock,” NBC’s streaming platform. That’s the feed which he claims won’t carry Trump.
And as I understand him, he’s not describing a scenario where Trump really does legitimately win tomorrow night. If the surprise to end all surprises happens and Trump romps through the battlegrounds by margins so wide that Biden can’t possibly make up the gap with not-yet-counted mail ballots, then of course Peacock and every other platform should carry Trump’s victory speech live.
What he’s talking about here is the scenario Ed and I each wrote about earlier, where Trump wins the in-person vote in Pennsylvania by 10 points and then poll workers start opening up mail ballots only to find him taking the stage and declaring, “I won! And if those mail votes are counted, it’s cheating.”
Should the networks carry that declaration? Watch, then read on.
This is shaping up to be a highest-possible-stakes version of Twitter shutting down the New York Post’s Hunter Biden story. A media platform decides that certain information is too unreliable and inflammatory for its users to consume, so it blacks it out. By dropping the Trump feed, Peacock would be making a statement about how much it trusts its viewers to responsibly process questionable information the same way Twitter made a statement about how much it trusts its readers to handle Huntergate.
With an important difference. The Post liked to remind people that no one, including the Biden campaign, successfully challenged its story or proved that it’s a dirty trick perpetrated by a foreign intelligence service. Twitter blacked out a major news story due to suspicion, not proof.
Whereas if Trump walks out tomorrow and declares victory with the battlegrounds still undecided due to uncounted mail votes, that’s an out-and-out falsehood. He’d be exploiting the platform given to him to promote disinformation about the legitimacy of the election.
Why should any media outlet provide an audience to someone knowing that that person’s about to tell a blatant lie? Some Americans will believe anything a president says, such is the authority of his office; others, on both sides, will be so rent by emotions over the election that there’s no telling how people will react to a charge as explosive as fraud.
If, in a few days after the mail ballots are counted, Trump really is the winner of the race, he can give a proper victory speech then and it should be aired everywhere. But there’s no obvious argument for abetting what’s essentially a simple-minded con job about whether the election was fair or not.
There are two problems for the media if they refuse to air his remarks, though. One is that Trump has a direct pipeline to voters via social media, of course. Are Facebook and Twitter going to play along with not giving him a platform for his “I was cheated” nonsense? The other is that Trump will keep up this refrain for days afterward while the counting of mail ballots is going on and for weeks after that potentially if Biden wins in the end. “I was cheated” will be a talking point for the entire lame-duck session. Nearly three months.
Trump might even take the “I was cheated” whinefest on the road:
Top surrogates for the Trump campaign have been told to keep their Novembers clear for potential campaign events. And Trump campaign advisers said not to rule out the possibility Trump continues his rallies even as election officials continue to count ballots after the Nov. 3 election, according to a campaign surrogate and two Trump advisers. With the possibility that there might not be a clear winner on election night in key swing states like Pennsylvania and North Carolina, the campaign has discussed putting Trump and his family on the road to give a morale boost to supporters and let the president fire off about the election to crowds. “Don’t miscount the fact that Trump will continue to do rallies while they’re still counting votes,” said one adviser to the Trump campaign.
Are news networks going to not carry him live at any point between November 3 and January 20? Or will they relent after the final vote count is done? Twitter tried to suppress all links to the New York Post story for days, then ended up throwing in the towel and changing its policy so that in the future tweets involving stories that feature possibly hacked material will simply carry an advisory instead. A media-wide blackout to prevent Trump from riling people up about cheating would need to take the same approach, comprehensively. That blackout would soon become a story in itself overshadowing Trump’s lame conspiracy-mongering, just as Twitter’s suppression of the Post story became a scandal in its own right.
And Trump’s comments about supposedly having been cheated *would* get out. People at his post-election rallies would post clips from them. Would YouTube and Facebook take them all down?
Trump falsely claiming American voters were swindled could become a modern samizdat, at least for a few weeks.
Pelosi was asked today whether she’s ready for him to prematurely declare victory. Indeed, she claimed:
For months, she’s been working closely with a team of lawyers, constitutional experts and institutions to game out responses to Trump’s potential chaos before, during and after the election… “We have been prepared for the worst for a long time because what we have seen is the worst on the part of this president in terms of his disrespect for the Constitution, his disregard of free will of the people and his stooping to any level for his own reelection,” said Pelosi. “We have tremendous intellectual, political and financial resources at our disposal. … We have our lawyers poised to move on a dime on Election Day or evening, as we see a problem.”… And if the president tries to declare victory on election night without millions of people’s votes being counted, Pelosi said she’s ready for that, too. “This is not child’s play,” she said. “It is unconstitutional.”
Ending Election Day eve with some chatter that makes the president sound like a natural disaster once has to plan for feels like a fitting capper to the last four years. One thing that occurs to me: Is impeachment on the table here? I don’t think Pelosi would move to impeach him just for giving a bogus election-night statement while mail votes are still being counted, but if Biden’s won when the votes are tallied and Trump is still running around insisting he’s the rightful winner, maybe that’s when the House drops the bomb on him. From Pelosi’s perspective, impeachment might be a no-lose proposition. With most of the country, including many Republicans, having accepted that Biden’s the duly elected incoming president, kicking impeachment over to Republicans in the Senate would be like leaving a flaming bag of sh*t on McConnell’s doorstep. The GOP can either vote to acquit Trump again, in which case they’re owning Trumpism even in its final hallucinatory days with most of the country incensed about his behavior, or they can actually remove him from office a few months early and ride it out with Pence until January 20, in which case the Republican base will be furious. Stay tuned.
Here’s John Bolton on the big face-saving “I was cheated” con.


hotair--2020-11-02--Gun-grabbing liberals hire armed security guards in anticipation of Election Day violence

Wealthy New York City residents are nervous about Election Day results and the aftermath .
The hypocrites who are the first to scold working-class Americans about gun ownership are racing to hire extra security for their residences just in case things turn ugly as the results come in .
After watching the Summer of Love play out and extend into the present time , who can blame them for being jumpy ?
Regular Americans have purchased guns and ammunition at record levels during the lead up to the election .
The violence , looting , and property destruction across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left have certainly gotten everyone ’ s attention .
Preparations are underway in cities across the country to protect their residents and businesses from angry , violent leftists .
Take , for example , New York City .
Wealthy residents in luxury apartment buildings are hiring armed security guards just in case riots break out .
One apartment building has made the decision public .
The luxe Chelsea apartment building that has been home to Debbie Harry , Pete Davidson and Tim Gunn , among other bold-faced names , is hiring armed guards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learned .
London Terrace Towers sent out an email to residents which read , “ As you are aware , government enforcement agencies across the country are making plans to control the possible civil unrest following the upcoming presidential election.
” “ Regardless of the outcome of [ Tuesday ’ s ] election , our concerns range from isolated violent incidents to a long stretch of mass protests , confrontations between extremists , and potential property damage , ” it continued .
So the management says they ’ re hiring extra guards to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us that they ’ ll be carrying guns .
One resident made an awkward joke about potential violence .
Former and current residents also include Chelsea Clinton , Malcolm Gladwell , Bill Hader , Annie Leibovitz , Bridget Moynahan , tennis star Milos Raonic , among others .
One resident said , “ It ’ s all a little much but this is Chelsea and with The Eagle leather bar closed due to the pandemic , no one is going to complain about seeing guys in uniform with a big gun !
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park , located on Manhattan ’ s “ Billionaire ’ s Row ” , is ramping up its normal precautions .
The building has security guards and is addressing additional safety measures .
Tom Buiocchi , CEO of the contractor company ServiceChannel , is seeing an increase in requests for extra security guards and ways to board up stores .
Without going into specifics , according to its website , the company ’ s client list includes Fendi , Tory Burch , and Givenchy .
Walmart announced the decision to pull guns and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and then quickly changed that decision .
Cities are boarding up downtown areas in preparation for election results .
Washington , D.C. is boarded up and has closed parking on Election Day in preparation for demonstrations .
The word ‘ demonstration ’ is not really accurate , right ?
A demonstration isn ’ t the same as a riot .
Preparations for a riot would require businesses and other buildings to board up windows , not an ordinary demonstration .
The mayor is telling people to avoid traveling through downtown altogether .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preparing for the election ’ s aftermath no matter who wins the election .
The truth is that the violence and destruction we ’ ve seen since the death of George Floyd has come almost exclusively from the left .
The BLM protests are prone to turn violent as they are infiltrated by Antifa and Marxists .
The BLM co-founders proudly call themselves Marxists .
They are determined to overthrow our capitalist way of life by any means necessary .
The violence seen in last summer ’ s riots has been found to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to 95 percent .
Windows are not being boarded up to protect buildings from Trump supporters .
It ’ s to protect buildings from BLM and Antifa in case of a Trump victory .
The White House is installing a “ non-scalable ” fence as a measure of added security before election results come in .
It is the same kind of fence put up last summer during protests in D.C .
The fence , the same type that was put up during protests this summer , will encompass the Ellipse and Lafayette @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street to Constitution Avenue and then over to 17th Street .
The fence will then run up to H Street and across by Lafayette , and then come down 15th Street , the source said .
NBC News was first to report the new fencing .
A Secret Service spokeswoman declined to comment to CNN , saying the agency does not comment on security measures .
The extra layer of security marks the most high-profile example to date of authorities preparing for unrest following this year ’ s election , particularly if there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As CNN previously reported , the immediate perimeters around the White House have already been largely blocked off to the public this year for a range of reasons , from construction on the White House gate , to protests and looting that occurred in downtown Washington in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May .
Lafayette Park , across the street from the north side of the White House and a popular protest gathering spot , had also largely been fenced-in since police aggressively moved in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If there is no clear winner , as most people predict will happen on Election Night , there will be “ significant deployments of officers at all levels across the capital.
” Intelligence officers are working with D.C. police and monitoring airspace which is routine during periods of heightened anxiety .
The White House isn ’ t preparing for violent Trump supporters , it ’ s preparing for the violent leftists that will refuse once again to accept a Trump victory on Election Night .
If Trump wins the election , prepare for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best .

Wealthy New York City residents are nervous about Election Day results and the aftermath. The hypocrites who are the first to scold working-class Americans about gun ownership are racing to hire extra security for their residences just in case things turn ugly as the results come in. After watching the Summer of Love play out and extend into the present time, who can blame them for being jumpy?
Regular Americans have purchased guns and ammunition at record levels during the lead up to the election. The violence, looting, and property destruction across the country at the hands of the violent left have certainly gotten everyone’s attention. Preparations are underway in cities across the country to protect their residents and businesses from angry, violent leftists. Take, for example, New York City. Wealthy residents in luxury apartment buildings are hiring armed security guards just in case riots break out. One apartment building has made the decision public.
The luxe Chelsea apartment building that has been home to Debbie Harry, Pete Davidson and Tim Gunn, among other bold-faced names, is hiring armed guards for Election Day, Page Six has learned. London Terrace Towers sent out an email to residents which read, “As you are aware, government enforcement agencies across the country are making plans to control the possible civil unrest following the upcoming presidential election.” “Regardless of the outcome of [Tuesday’s] election, our concerns range from isolated violent incidents to a long stretch of mass protests, confrontations between extremists, and potential property damage,” it continued. So the management says they’re hiring extra guards to patrol the area. And insiders tell us that they’ll be carrying guns.
One resident made an awkward joke about potential violence. Former and current residents also include Chelsea Clinton, Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Hader, Annie Leibovitz, Bridget Moynahan, tennis star Milos Raonic, among others. One resident said, “It’s all a little much but this is Chelsea and with The Eagle leather bar closed due to the pandemic, no one is going to complain about seeing guys in uniform with a big gun!”
Another NYC residential building, 220 Central Park, located on Manhattan’s “Billionaire’s Row”, is ramping up its normal precautions. The building has security guards and is addressing additional safety measures. Tom Buiocchi, CEO of the contractor company ServiceChannel, is seeing an increase in requests for extra security guards and ways to board up stores. Without going into specifics, according to its website, the company’s client list includes Fendi, Tory Burch, and Givenchy.
Walmart announced the decision to pull guns and ammo from store shelves before Election Day and then quickly changed that decision.
Cities are boarding up downtown areas in preparation for election results. Washington, D.C. is boarded up and has closed parking on Election Day in preparation for demonstrations. The word ‘demonstration’ is not really accurate, right? A demonstration isn’t the same as a riot. Preparations for a riot would require businesses and other buildings to board up windows, not an ordinary demonstration. The mayor is telling people to avoid traveling through downtown altogether.
The Metropolitan Police Department announced on Thursday the parking restrictions for all of Tuesday, Nov. 3 and Wednesday, Nov. 4. Intermittent street closures are possible. “We do not advise parking or driving downtown,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference Thursday morning. City officials are “preparing to ensure the city’s safety” but know “some people would like to cause mayhem,” the mayor said.
The Democrats like to pretend that they are preparing for the election’s aftermath no matter who wins the election. The truth is that the violence and destruction we’ve seen since the death of George Floyd has come almost exclusively from the left. The BLM protests are prone to turn violent as they are infiltrated by Antifa and Marxists. The BLM co-founders proudly call themselves Marxists. They are determined to overthrow our capitalist way of life by any means necessary. The violence seen in last summer’s riots has been found to be linked to BLM activists by up to 95 percent. Windows are not being boarded up to protect buildings from Trump supporters. It’s to protect buildings from BLM and Antifa in case of a Trump victory.
The White House is installing a “non-scalable” fence as a measure of added security before election results come in. It is the same kind of fence put up last summer during protests in D.C.
The fence, the same type that was put up during protests this summer, will encompass the Ellipse and Lafayette Square. It will go down 15th Street to Constitution Avenue and then over to 17th Street. The fence will then run up to H Street and across by Lafayette, and then come down 15th Street, the source said. NBC News was first to report the new fencing. A Secret Service spokeswoman declined to comment to CNN, saying the agency does not comment on security measures. The extra layer of security marks the most high-profile example to date of authorities preparing for unrest following this year’s election, particularly if there is no clear winner come November 4. As CNN previously reported, the immediate perimeters around the White House have already been largely blocked off to the public this year for a range of reasons, from construction on the White House gate, to protests and looting that occurred in downtown Washington in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. Lafayette Park, across the street from the north side of the White House and a popular protest gathering spot, had also largely been fenced-in since police aggressively moved in on protesters alongside it in July.
If there is no clear winner, as most people predict will happen on Election Night, there will be “significant deployments of officers at all levels across the capital.” Intelligence officers are working with D.C. police and monitoring airspace which is routine during periods of heightened anxiety. The White House isn’t preparing for violent Trump supporters, it’s preparing for the violent leftists that will refuse once again to accept a Trump victory on Election Night. If Trump wins the election, prepare for the worst, and pray for the best.


hotair--2020-11-05--Trump's new lawsuit in PA doesn't look promising

A flurry of lawsuits from the Trump campaign cropped up yesterday , almost all of which have to do with the counting process taking place for mail-in ballots that are arriving at the eleventh hour .
One of the suits filed in Pennsylvania , however , seems problematic from a couple of angles .
It deals with a last-minute change to the voting laws made by Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar .
Three days before the election , Boockvar extended the number of days that first-time voters would have to present a valid ID in accordance with the Help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ read the details of the lawsuit here . )
This was a unilateral move on Boockvar ’ s part and the Trump campaign is seeking to undo that change and invalidate any such votes cast by voters not meeting the original deadline .
RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement in support of the lawsuit last night .
“ Shrouded in secrecy , Democrats continue to make voting changes in the eleventh hour that will only dilute the integrity of the vote , delay results , and diminish confidence in the outcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepared to take all legal actions to ensure the integrity of the election , and that includes holding rogue Democrat officials accountable .
The eyes of a nation are on Pennsylvania , and they must follow the letter of the law that this election and American voters demand.
” At first glance , there ’ s plenty not to like about the way Pennsylvania went about doing this .
Boockvar took a duly enacted law covering electoral procedures and amended it only days away from a national election with zero input from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far too much of that going on this year and I get the sense that the nation is getting rather fed up with members of the executive branch in many states pulling these types of shenanigans and then writing it off as “ Because COVID.
” But with that said , the courts have almost uniformly allowed these actions because they tend to fall under the broad category of executive powers during a declared state of emergency .
How forgetting to bring your proper ID is impacted by the virus isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m afraid the courts will obediently back the Secretary of the Commonwealth on this one anyway .
Even if the courts were inclined to agree with the Trump campaign on this one , however , the optics of it alone make this look like a rather dubious move .
For the ballots in question , the real issue should be whether or not they were submitted on time and were correctly filled out .
Yes , you could try to make the argument that a ballot submitted by a first-time voter without their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” but the existing law already makes allowances for that , providing a couple of days to straighten out the problem .
All Pennsylvania is doing here is extending that grace period .
Beyond that , as I mentioned above , the optics of this maneuver are really lousy .
It ’ s the easiest thing in the world for Democrats to point their fingers and say that Trump is just trying to throw out legally submitted votes .
And let ’ s be honest here… that ’ s precisely what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding onto a lead in Pennsylvania and he ’ d probably like to minimize the number of additional ballots that wind up being counted as much as possible .
Why make yourself out to be the villain over what is probably no more than a relative handful of votes ?
We ’ re talking about ballots coming only from first-time voters .
And even among that subset , the rule would only apply to those who couldn ’ t come up with a valid form of ID but were able to bring one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to five days later .
If there were even a thousand of them out there I would be shocked .
The Trump campaign could conceivably come out of this being in the right on the legal merits of the question , but they will wind up looking like they ’ re trying to suppress the vote .
It just seems like a significant bruise to soak up for very little in return .

A flurry of lawsuits from the Trump campaign cropped up yesterday, almost all of which have to do with the counting process taking place for mail-in ballots that are arriving at the eleventh hour. One of the suits filed in Pennsylvania, however, seems problematic from a couple of angles. It deals with a last-minute change to the voting laws made by Secretary of the Commonwealth Kathy Boockvar. Three days before the election, Boockvar extended the number of days that first-time voters would have to present a valid ID in accordance with the Help America Vote Act. (You can read the details of the lawsuit here.)
This was a unilateral move on Boockvar’s part and the Trump campaign is seeking to undo that change and invalidate any such votes cast by voters not meeting the original deadline. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released the following statement in support of the lawsuit last night.
“Shrouded in secrecy, Democrats continue to make voting changes in the eleventh hour that will only dilute the integrity of the vote, delay results, and diminish confidence in the outcome. The RNC and Trump Campaign are prepared to take all legal actions to ensure the integrity of the election, and that includes holding rogue Democrat officials accountable. The eyes of a nation are on Pennsylvania, and they must follow the letter of the law that this election and American voters demand.”
At first glance, there’s plenty not to like about the way Pennsylvania went about doing this. Boockvar took a duly enacted law covering electoral procedures and amended it only days away from a national election with zero input from the legislature. We’ve been seeing far too much of that going on this year and I get the sense that the nation is getting rather fed up with members of the executive branch in many states pulling these types of shenanigans and then writing it off as “Because COVID.”
But with that said, the courts have almost uniformly allowed these actions because they tend to fall under the broad category of executive powers during a declared state of emergency. How forgetting to bring your proper ID is impacted by the virus isn’t clear at all, but I’m afraid the courts will obediently back the Secretary of the Commonwealth on this one anyway.
Even if the courts were inclined to agree with the Trump campaign on this one, however, the optics of it alone make this look like a rather dubious move. For the ballots in question, the real issue should be whether or not they were submitted on time and were correctly filled out. Yes, you could try to make the argument that a ballot submitted by a first-time voter without their ID wasn’t technically “submitted,” but the existing law already makes allowances for that, providing a couple of days to straighten out the problem. All Pennsylvania is doing here is extending that grace period.
Beyond that, as I mentioned above, the optics of this maneuver are really lousy. It’s the easiest thing in the world for Democrats to point their fingers and say that Trump is just trying to throw out legally submitted votes. And let’s be honest here… that’s precisely what’s going on. Trump is still holding onto a lead in Pennsylvania and he’d probably like to minimize the number of additional ballots that wind up being counted as much as possible.
Why make yourself out to be the villain over what is probably no more than a relative handful of votes? We’re talking about ballots coming only from first-time voters. And even among that subset, the rule would only apply to those who couldn’t come up with a valid form of ID but were able to bring one back to the Board of Elections three to five days later. If there were even a thousand of them out there I would be shocked.
The Trump campaign could conceivably come out of this being in the right on the legal merits of the question, but they will wind up looking like they’re trying to suppress the vote. It just seems like a significant bruise to soak up for very little in return.


hotair--2020-11-04--Clothing retailer calls for post-election unity, social media isn't having any of it

The day after an election brings uncertainty in the retail world .
Typically , consumers skip shopping the day after elections , no matter which political party is successful .
Many brands promoted sales last weekend in preparation for a pause on Election Day .
This year there is the added worry about the coronavirus pandemic and post-election violence and mayhem from angry mobs .
Stores are boarding up to protect buildings from destruction and looting .
Walmart pulled guns and ammo from its shelves before reversing that decision .
In Beverly Hills , California , luxury shopping on Rodeo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day and today , too .
Store windows are boarded up , the same as retail stores and buildings across the country .
All of this doesn ’ t exactly inspire customers to do some shopping .
So , retailers scrambled to sell their wares before the election .
Retailers bet that shoppers will be looking ahead to the holiday season with an eye on the uncertainty that this election brought .
Do they want to get in on some deals for early holiday shopping ?
Brands that might otherwise wait until mid-November @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plenty of reasons for getting a head start , most of them related to the Covid-19 pandemic : reducing last-minute crowds , capitalizing on the momentum from Amazon ’ s months-delayed Prime Day , and accounting for shipping delays caused by the expected flood of online orders .
The wild card that marketers say has been at the top of all of their minds , though , is the upcoming US presidential election , a single day in November that could very well monopolize the country ’ s attention long past the closing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be a test of what happens when the holiday shopping bonanza collides with one of the most fraught political events in recent history .
How do you get customers excited about your new air fryer or eyeshadow palette when they ’ re worried about the future of democracy ?
How soon is too soon to advertise a sale once the polls close ?
There is the anticipation of widespread demonstrations if Trump is declared the winner .
I don ’ t care what the press says , no one is boarding up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or civil unrest if Biden wins .
The concern points to one side , not both sides .
While retailers have had the luxury of planning ahead for the election , there are still so many unknowns .
There might not be a declared winner that night , which could lead to days of protests and skirmishes between opposing sides .
Or maybe a victory by Joe Biden sparks celebrations that are countered by fans of President Donald Trump .
A win by Trump , who trails in the polls and has low @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely cause protests to be more intense , according to Matt Hinton , a partner at security consultant Control Risks .
“ If Trump wins , our risk analysts , who look at this every single day , are expecting widespread mass anti-government demonstrations in every major city , ” Hinton said .
Sporadic protests could then break out through Inauguration Day in January , he added .
Some predict protests up until Inauguration Day .
If Trump wins and history repeats itself , we can look for protests and riots after that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Women ’ s March was the day after the inauguration .
Leftists do not accept defeat graciously .
They have no intention of working with the other side of acting in a civil manner .
Online sales are predicted to decline by $ 300 million compared to the previous week .
That is a drop of 11 % in sales .
An undecided election , as we have now , slows spending and doesn ’ t inspire confidence to get out and shop at brick and mortar stores .
Clothing retailer The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters are in no mood to come together and play nice with each other .
The Gap posted a tweet with a picture of a red and blue hoodie , one side of the hoodie in red , one side in blue .
The message is a simple one : “ The one thing we know , is that together , we can move forward.
” It ’ s so simple and pure that Gap ended up deleting it : Nope .
Commenters weren ’ t at all receptive to a kumbaya moment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this presidential election has not adjusted that fact at all .
When one half of the country voted for one candidate and the other half of the country voted for the other guy , it was a little silly to hope the message would play well .
A self-described children ’ s librarian responded by tweeting back , “ Did you really just ask me to get along with the people who just voted for a murderer ?
For the people who condone putting kids in cages and want to take away my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t wear a mask and put my life at risk ?
” I ’ d show you the tweet but it has since been deleted .
She sounds like she fits the perfect stereotype of a Trump deranged Democrat , right ?
She hit all the usual talking points with one tweet .
And , before I even finish writing this post , The Gap has taken down the tweet .
Good heavens .
This is where we are .
Asking everyone to come together the day after a major election when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was too much for even a woke company like The Gap .
Read the room .

The day after an election brings uncertainty in the retail world. Typically, consumers skip shopping the day after elections, no matter which political party is successful. Many brands promoted sales last weekend in preparation for a pause on Election Day.
This year there is the added worry about the coronavirus pandemic and post-election violence and mayhem from angry mobs. Stores are boarding up to protect buildings from destruction and looting. Walmart pulled guns and ammo from its shelves before reversing that decision.
In 2016, online sales declined 14% on the day following the presidential election, according to Adobe Analytics data shared with Retail Brew. Overall consumer spending fell 6% YoY during the weeks of the past two presidential elections, per Epsilon’s Abacus data.
In Beverly Hills, California, luxury shopping on Rodeo Drive has been shut down for Election Day and today, too. Store windows are boarded up, the same as retail stores and buildings across the country. All of this doesn’t exactly inspire customers to do some shopping. So, retailers scrambled to sell their wares before the election. Retailers bet that shoppers will be looking ahead to the holiday season with an eye on the uncertainty that this election brought. Do they want to get in on some deals for early holiday shopping?
Brands that might otherwise wait until mid-November to start pushing out holiday promotions had plenty of reasons for getting a head start, most of them related to the Covid-19 pandemic: reducing last-minute crowds, capitalizing on the momentum from Amazon’s months-delayed Prime Day, and accounting for shipping delays caused by the expected flood of online orders. The wild card that marketers say has been at the top of all of their minds, though, is the upcoming US presidential election, a single day in November that could very well monopolize the country’s attention long past the closing of the polls. The coming weeks will be a test of what happens when the holiday shopping bonanza collides with one of the most fraught political events in recent history. How do you get customers excited about your new air fryer or eyeshadow palette when they’re worried about the future of democracy? How soon is too soon to advertise a sale once the polls close?
There is the anticipation of widespread demonstrations if Trump is declared the winner. I don’t care what the press says, no one is boarding up a storefront in anticipation of violent riots or civil unrest if Biden wins. The concern points to one side, not both sides.
While retailers have had the luxury of planning ahead for the election, there are still so many unknowns. There might not be a declared winner that night, which could lead to days of protests and skirmishes between opposing sides. Or maybe a victory by Joe Biden sparks celebrations that are countered by fans of President Donald Trump. A win by Trump, who trails in the polls and has low approval ratings in urban areas, would likely cause protests to be more intense, according to Matt Hinton, a partner at security consultant Control Risks. “If Trump wins, our risk analysts, who look at this every single day, are expecting widespread mass anti-government demonstrations in every major city,” Hinton said. Sporadic protests could then break out through Inauguration Day in January, he added.
Some predict protests up until Inauguration Day. If Trump wins and history repeats itself, we can look for protests and riots after that day, too. In 2016, the Women’s March was the day after the inauguration. Leftists do not accept defeat graciously. They have no intention of working with the other side of acting in a civil manner.
Online sales are predicted to decline by $300 million compared to the previous week. That is a drop of 11% in sales. An undecided election, as we have now, slows spending and doesn’t inspire confidence to get out and shop at brick and mortar stores.
“Our research shows that consumers value authenticity, meaning retailers that have carved out positions on specific issues should remain true to those points of view,” said Greg Portell, lead partner in the global consumer practice of Kearney, a strategy and management consulting firm. Action item: Promote safety and confidence, Portell told Retail Brew. Until a winner is called, there will be near-term effects. “An undecided or contested election will cool consumer spending and slow the return of out of home shopping and entertainment,” Portell said.
Clothing retailer The Gap found out the hard way that voters are in no mood to come together and play nice with each other. The Gap posted a tweet with a picture of a red and blue hoodie, one side of the hoodie in red, one side in blue. The message is a simple one: “The one thing we know, is that together, we can move forward.”
It’s so simple and pure that Gap ended up deleting it:
Nope. Commenters weren’t at all receptive to a kumbaya moment. This country is bitterly divided and this presidential election has not adjusted that fact at all. When one half of the country voted for one candidate and the other half of the country voted for the other guy, it was a little silly to hope the message would play well.
A self-described children’s librarian responded by tweeting back, “Did you really just ask me to get along with the people who just voted for a murderer? For the people who condone putting kids in cages and want to take away my healthcare? For the people who won’t wear a mask and put my life at risk?” I’d show you the tweet but it has since been deleted. She sounds like she fits the perfect stereotype of a Trump deranged Democrat, right? She hit all the usual talking points with one tweet.
No.
My children will not wear red and blue for government unity until the GOP stands up for democracy. Right now, they’re trying to tear apart out election process. They’re enabling racism. Hatred is not a point of view. — Painter Sam (@PainterSam) November 4, 2020
And, before I even finish writing this post, The Gap has taken down the tweet. Good heavens.
A very vocal (but hopefully small) segment of the left cling to their hate like nothing else. https://t.co/e08IMNnEc2 — Frank J. Fleming (@IMAO_) November 4, 2020
This is where we are. Asking everyone to come together the day after a major election when the results are not even all in was too much for even a woke company like The Gap. Read the room.


hotair--2020-11-04--Deep thoughts: Can the Senate be un-nuked?

This might seem like a strange question to ask in the midst of all the insanity today .
The idea , however , would be to figure out a way to dial some of it back , at least in some small measure .
If the current results hold up in the election — meaning that Joe Biden wins the presidency and Republicans control the Senate — then Mitch McConnell becomes the biggest Republican power broker in Washington for at least the next two years .
This gives McConnell some room to negotiate on a lot of fronts , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , assuming we ever get there .
If McConnell wants to re-set the course for the Senate , he has a move to put on the table — restore the filibuster to presidential appointments .
So what should we call the opposite of a “ nuclear option ” ?
And can the Senate ever be effectively de-nuked ?
Let ’ s step through the benefits first .
If and only if Biden takes the presidency and McConnell controls the Senate , then Cocaine Mitch doesn ’ t need the filibuster anyway .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to consider a nominee that is too radical , a helpful brake on the influence that progressives will try to use on Biden .
For at least the first two years , Biden will have to nominate people closer to the center for all Senate-confirmable positions in order to get past McConnell .
Why restore the filibuster on presidential appointments if McConnell won ’ t need it ?
For one thing , Republicans won ’ t control the Senate forever .
They will once again be at a numerical disadvantage in 2022 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A Biden midterm might provide some gains , but eventually Democrats will get control of the Senate at some point .
It is in the GOP ’ s long-term interest to reset minority rights back to their pre-2013 status .
It ’ s also better in terms of political messaging and PR to do it when it doesn ’ t come to the GOP ’ s immediate benefit .
But wait , people will object , Democrats can simply use the nuclear option again when they get control .
And … that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backfire on Harry Reid ’ s stunt over the last four years might have made them cognizant of the risks inherent in majoritarian power plays .
Politically speaking , it would reflect poorly on their motives to nuke the Senate all over again — and it would force them to do it rather than just simply follow along the rules that Reid established in 2013 and McConnell expanded in 2017 in retaliation .
It would require an overt act that could very well cost them in a following election , which is exactly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2013 power play .
And they haven ’ t won control of the upper chamber since that time , if yesterday ’ s results hold up .
Even if Senate Democrats did re-nuke the Senate at some point , what ’ s the harm in the meantime ?
As long as Republicans keep a Senate majority in a Democratic administration , they won ’ t need the filibuster .
And if Democrats go back to mindless obstructionism in a Republican administration , then the GOP can simply revive the nuclear option themselves using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of thin air — but that would be a problem for another time .
At worst , it would do no harm .
At best , it might restore a little bit of the comity necessary to get the Senate functioning properly again , and offer a bit of an olive branch in the generation-long judicial wars in the upper chamber .
Those wars have done an enormous amount of damage to good people who got demonized simply for being nominated to the bench .
It would also grant McConnell the moral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be about as Cocaine-Mitch-y as it could possibly get after scoring three successive Supreme Court confirmations in the last four years .
If it doesn ’ t restore some comity or at least respect , again , we haven ’ t lost anything in the meantime .
So … who ’ s up for “ Denuclearization Now !
” as a slogan ?

This might seem like a strange question to ask in the midst of all the insanity today. The idea, however, would be to figure out a way to dial some of it back, at least in some small measure. If the current results hold up in the election — meaning that Joe Biden wins the presidency and Republicans control the Senate — then Mitch McConnell becomes the biggest Republican power broker in Washington for at least the next two years.
This gives McConnell some room to negotiate on a lot of fronts, in the lame duck session and in 2021, assuming we ever get there. If McConnell wants to re-set the course for the Senate, he has a move to put on the table — restore the filibuster to presidential appointments.
So what should we call the opposite of a “nuclear option”? And can the Senate ever be effectively de-nuked?
Let’s step through the benefits first. If and only if Biden takes the presidency and McConnell controls the Senate, then Cocaine Mitch doesn’t need the filibuster anyway. He and his committee chairs can simply refuse to consider a nominee that is too radical, a helpful brake on the influence that progressives will try to use on Biden. For at least the first two years, Biden will have to nominate people closer to the center for all Senate-confirmable positions in order to get past McConnell.
Why restore the filibuster on presidential appointments if McConnell won’t need it? For one thing, Republicans won’t control the Senate forever. They will once again be at a numerical disadvantage in 2022, defending 22 seats to Democrats’ 12. A Biden midterm might provide some gains, but eventually Democrats will get control of the Senate at some point. It is in the GOP’s long-term interest to reset minority rights back to their pre-2013 status. It’s also better in terms of political messaging and PR to do it when it doesn’t come to the GOP’s immediate benefit.
But wait, people will object, Democrats can simply use the nuclear option again when they get control. And … that’s true. However, the backfire on Harry Reid’s stunt over the last four years might have made them cognizant of the risks inherent in majoritarian power plays. Politically speaking, it would reflect poorly on their motives to nuke the Senate all over again — and it would force them to do it rather than just simply follow along the rules that Reid established in 2013 and McConnell expanded in 2017 in retaliation. It would require an overt act that could very well cost them in a following election, which is exactly what happened to Senate Democrats after that 2013 power play. And they haven’t won control of the upper chamber since that time, if yesterday’s results hold up.
Even if Senate Democrats did re-nuke the Senate at some point, what’s the harm in the meantime? As long as Republicans keep a Senate majority in a Democratic administration, they won’t need the filibuster. And if Democrats go back to mindless obstructionism in a Republican administration, then the GOP can simply revive the nuclear option themselves using the simple-majority precedent that Reid conjured up out of thin air — but that would be a problem for another time.
At worst, it would do no harm. At best, it might restore a little bit of the comity necessary to get the Senate functioning properly again, and offer a bit of an olive branch in the generation-long judicial wars in the upper chamber. Those wars have done an enormous amount of damage to good people who got demonized simply for being nominated to the bench. It would also grant McConnell the moral high ground in the Senate, which would be about as Cocaine-Mitch-y as it could possibly get after scoring three successive Supreme Court confirmations in the last four years. If it doesn’t restore some comity or at least respect, again, we haven’t lost anything in the meantime.
So … who’s up for “Denuclearization Now!” as a slogan?


hotair--2020-11-04--Democrats did not turn Texas blue and Houston's police chief thinks he knows why

DNC Chair Tom Perez spent Monday in Texas talking up Democrats ’ chances of turning the state blue : But as you probably noticed last night , Texas did not go blue .
President Trump won the state by more than 650,000 votes .
In addition , Republican Sen. John Cornyn won reelection by about 10 percent .
And it appears Texas Republicans didn ’ t lose a single seat in the House of Representatives .
Another , target for Democrats this year was the Texas state house .
That didn ’ t work out for Democrats either despite raising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cause : The Texas House had also been expected to be in play for the first time in nearly two decades .
While a number of state House races have yet to be declared , early tallies show Republicans in some key House races maintaining a lead over their Democratic challengers… The battle for the state House attracted millions from national and statewide groups .
The most recent campaign finance report showed candidates in 34 battleground districts raised a combined $ 39.4 million , according to The Texas Tribune .
Houston police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police chief in Austin , offered some ideas on Twitter for why Texas wasn ’ t won over by Democrats this time .
In response to a statement about there being more Republicans than Democrats in Texas , Acevedo wrote : “ Texas Democrats can thank ‘ socialist democrats and defund the police crowd ’ led by @ GregCasar , @ JimmyFlannigan and the rest of the AustinCity Council .
Fact , Americans and Texans want better policing , not de-policing , and they don ’ t want anything to do with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a conservative or a Trump supporter .
On the contrary , he made news back in June when he appeared on CNN and told the president to , basically , shut up about how to deal with protesters .
And last year , Jazz wrote about Acevedo going on a gun control rant after four of his officers were shot .
He definitely leans left and would probably be happy to see Texas turn blue .
But even he considers Austin ’ s socialist city council members a bridge too far for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an exaggeration in this case .
If you ’ re not familiar with Greg Casar , who Acevedo mentioned in his tweet , he ’ s a Democratic Socialist on the Austin City Council : Back in August , Casar and the Austin City Council voted to defund the police by as much as $ 150 million or about a third of the current budget .
As is often the case in cuts like this , some of the funding is just going to be moved around to other departments .
In this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 150 million being “ cut ” would involve shifting the 911 service and the police lab out from under the police budget .
Still , there was an immediate $ 20 million cut with the possibility of more in the future .
All of this is happening as crime is on the rise in Austin : “ It is demoralizing for the officers .
It is angering for the citizens because they ’ re having to wait longer for officers to get the calls .
And it ’ s unsafe for citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Ken Cassidy told Fox News… So far this year , Austin has seen 35 murders , compared to 25 in all of 2019 , a percentage increase of 40 % .
In September , the city saw three murders , compared to two last year .
The number of aggravated assaults is also on the rise , jumping by 18 % from last year , when 1,972 were reported , to 2,333 reported in the first eight months of this year .
Over the last five months , the department , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost double the number of officers than it typically would have , Cassidy said .
On average , about seven employees left per month ; now , it ’ s up to 14 .
So all of that is what Chief Acevedo has in mind when he blames the far left members of the Austin City Council for keeping Texas red .

DNC Chair Tom Perez spent Monday in Texas talking up Democrats’ chances of turning the state blue:
Texas has attracted intense national interest in recent weeks, and in one sign of it, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez, spent the day before the election traveling the state.
“The road to the White House runs through Texas, and the road to a Senate majority runs straight through the great state of Texas, and that’s why I’m proud to be here, folks,” Perez said Monday morning in San Antonio.
But as you probably noticed last night, Texas did not go blue. President Trump won the state by more than 650,000 votes. In addition, Republican Sen. John Cornyn won reelection by about 10 percent. And it appears Texas Republicans didn’t lose a single seat in the House of Representatives.
Another, target for Democrats this year was the Texas state house. That didn’t work out for Democrats either despite raising just shy of $40 million for the cause:
The Texas House had also been expected to be in play for the first time in nearly two decades. While a number of state House races have yet to be declared, early tallies show Republicans in some key House races maintaining a lead over their Democratic challengers… The battle for the state House attracted millions from national and statewide groups. The most recent campaign finance report showed candidates in 34 battleground districts raised a combined $39.4 million, according to The Texas Tribune.
Houston police chief Art Acevedo, who was previously the police chief in Austin, offered some ideas on Twitter for why Texas wasn’t won over by Democrats this time. In response to a statement about there being more Republicans than Democrats in Texas, Acevedo wrote: “Texas Democrats can thank ‘socialist democrats and defund the police crowd’ led by @GregCasar, @JimmyFlannigan and the rest of the AustinCity Council. Fact, Americans and Texans want better policing, not de-policing, and they don’t want anything to do with any form of socialism.”
Texas Democrats can thank “socialist democrats and defund the police crowd” led by @GregCasar, @JimmyFlannigan and the rest of the AustinCity Council. Fact, Americans and Texans want better policing, not de-policing, and they don’t want anything to do with any form of socialism. — Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) November 4, 2020
Come ride with me in a marked police car and we can ask folks. — Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) November 4, 2020
Acevedo is not a conservative or a Trump supporter. On the contrary, he made news back in June when he appeared on CNN and told the president to, basically, shut up about how to deal with protesters. And last year, Jazz wrote about Acevedo going on a gun control rant after four of his officers were shot. He definitely leans left and would probably be happy to see Texas turn blue.
But even he considers Austin’s socialist city council members a bridge too far for Texas. And that’s not an exaggeration in this case. If you’re not familiar with Greg Casar, who Acevedo mentioned in his tweet, he’s a Democratic Socialist on the Austin City Council:
Back in August, Casar and the Austin City Council voted to defund the police by as much as $150 million or about a third of the current budget. As is often the case in cuts like this, some of the funding is just going to be moved around to other departments. In this case about $80 million of the $150 million being “cut” would involve shifting the 911 service and the police lab out from under the police budget. Still, there was an immediate $20 million cut with the possibility of more in the future. All of this is happening as crime is on the rise in Austin:
“It is demoralizing for the officers. It is angering for the citizens because they’re having to wait longer for officers to get the calls. And it’s unsafe for citizens and officers,” Austin Police Association President Ken Cassidy told Fox News… So far this year, Austin has seen 35 murders, compared to 25 in all of 2019, a percentage increase of 40%. In September, the city saw three murders, compared to two last year. The number of aggravated assaults is also on the rise, jumping by 18% from last year, when 1,972 were reported, to 2,333 reported in the first eight months of this year. “Our murder rate’s the highest it’s ever been,” Cassidy said… Over the last five months, the department, which has about 1,730 sworn officers, has lost double the number of officers than it typically would have, Cassidy said. On average, about seven employees left per month; now, it’s up to 14.
So all of that is what Chief Acevedo has in mind when he blames the far left members of the Austin City Council for keeping Texas red.


hotair--2020-11-04--Trump campaign now declaring victory in Pennsylvania or something; <span class='red'>Update: Georgia

Trump campaign now declaring victory in Pennsylvania or something; Update: Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan too

Every post about the ongoing count in Pennsylvania should begin with a reminder that Republicans wanted it this way .
We could have had a clean result last night in which the same-day vote and the mail ballots were all reported together .
Republicans didn ’ t want that because they feared it would show a clear — if close — Joe Biden victory .
So they forced election officials to wait until Election Day to start counting mail ballots , knowing full well that Trump would start screaming that he was being cheated as Biden began to gain on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure enough : I don ’ t use this word lightly : This is evil behavior .
They ’ re going to try to stop valid votes from being counted with no thought whatsoever for the civic consequences .
If they fail , the country will be ungovernable .
Some huge chunk of Trump fans , egged on relentlessly by the ( ex- ) president , will cling to the myth that Biden won in a fraudulent way so that they needn ’ t acknowledge that he ’ s the legitimate president .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the country will be ungovernable .
Cutting off the counting of lawful ballots to engineer a second Trump term will be viewed as a coup , nothing more or less .
A normal human being would weigh all that and think , “ If doing this would tear America apart no matter how it turns out then we shouldn ’ t do it .
There ’ s no value in having a second term when the entirety of it would be devoted to managing the fallout from that.
” But a pathological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He cares about winning , whatever it means for the country he ’ s in charge of .
Declaring victory before the votes are counted isn ’ t what you do when you think you ’ ll win and fair square .
It ’ s what you do when you think you ’ re about to lose : Maybe Biden should offer Trump a deal : We ’ ll agree to stop the counting in all states if you like .
In that case… Needless to say , it would be immoral @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes for any reason .
I don ’ t think Team Biden would ever make a deal like that , even if they benefited from it .
Team Trump would , without a shadow of a doubt .
In addition to being evil , this con job is also making things awkward for Trump ’ s allies , and as it escalates it ’ s only going to get more awkward .
If Biden wins Pennsylvania , every elected Republican will have to take a “ side ” on whether they think he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which is guaranteed to hurt them no matter how they answer .
Meanwhile , as others have noted , Trump is potentially hurting his cause in court just in case a litigable grievance really does arise .
First up was Jonathan Turley , a George Washington University law professor who actually served as a witness for Trump during his impeachment trial late last year .
After lending some credence to the legal challenges that the Trump administration has been threatening , Turley pushed back against the president ’ s claims that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ He ’ s got to tamp down the rhetoric , ” Turley told Fox anchor Sandra Smith .
“ That ’ s only going to alienate courts , it ’ s going to inflame people on both sides .
He did not win these states last night .
These states are still in play .
There are ballots that will be counted.
” … Even before the election was “ as thermonuclear as it is at the moment , ” [ Andy ] McCarthy said the Supreme Court “ did not want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And I believe that what the president said last night is going to play into the hands of the faction of the Court that would rather say , ‘ Let ’ s sit back and let this play out and it may turn out that when all the dust settles , maybe we don ’ t have to make a ruling here.
’ ” he added .
By pushing an obviously bogus cheating claim that draws a ton of public pushback , Trump ’ s going to leave courts more reluctant to rule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that might arise .
They don ’ t want to look like partisan hacks or co-conspirators in a blatant attempt to get valid votes thrown out because the president can ’ t bear the thought of losing a popularity contest .
He ’ s hurting himself here , just like he hurt himself with his COVID pollyanna-ism for so many months .
If he had behaved just a tiny bit more like a relatable human on that , he might have PA , MI , and WI in his pocket already .
Here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Trump ’ s full endorsement .
This is in Michigan , not Pennsylvania , but just wait .
Just as I ’ m writing this , CNN and other outlets are projecting that Biden has won Michigan .
Others watching the returns in that state say the writing has been on the wall for hours .
That ’ s probably why Team Trump is pulling this “ we won Pennsylvania ” gambit .
They ’ ve run out of other Rust Belt battlegrounds .
They need a comeback in Arizona , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ need to hold Georgia .
And that state is a little wobbly too : Remember that if Biden pulls the upset in Georgia , he won ’ t need Pennsylvania or Arizona .
That ’ s the ballgame .
Stay tuned .
Here ’ s Biden speaking this afternoon , taking care to say that he ’ s *not* declaring victory but expects to be the winner once the counting is done .
Team Trump could have taken that position too .
Why didn ’ t it ?
Update : Not an honorable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m embarrassed for the country and for the GOP .

Every post about the ongoing count in Pennsylvania should begin with a reminder that Republicans wanted it this way.
We could have had a clean result last night in which the same-day vote and the mail ballots were all reported together. Republicans didn’t want that because they feared it would show a clear — if close — Joe Biden victory. So they forced election officials to wait until Election Day to start counting mail ballots, knowing full well that Trump would start screaming that he was being cheated as Biden began to gain on him in the day-after count.
And sure enough:
https://twitter.com/TeamTrump/status/1324090917419175946
TRUMP CAMPAIGN: "We are declaring a victory in Pennsylvania." — Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) November 4, 2020
We have won Pennsylvania! — Eric Trump (@EricTrump) November 4, 2020
En route to Philadelphia with legal team. Massive cheating.@realDonaldTrump up by 550,000 with 75% counted. Will not let Philly Democrat hacks steal it! — Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) November 4, 2020
I don’t use this word lightly: This is evil behavior. They’re going to try to stop valid votes from being counted with no thought whatsoever for the civic consequences. If they fail, the country will be ungovernable. Some huge chunk of Trump fans, egged on relentlessly by the (ex-)president, will cling to the myth that Biden won in a fraudulent way so that they needn’t acknowledge that he’s the legitimate president. If on the other hand they succeed, the country will be ungovernable. Cutting off the counting of lawful ballots to engineer a second Trump term will be viewed as a coup, nothing more or less.
A normal human being would weigh all that and think, “If doing this would tear America apart no matter how it turns out then we shouldn’t do it. There’s no value in having a second term when the entirety of it would be devoted to managing the fallout from that.” But a pathological narcissist doesn’t care about that. He cares about winning, whatever it means for the country he’s in charge of.
Declaring victory before the votes are counted isn’t what you do when you think you’ll win and fair square. It’s what you do when you think you’re about to lose:
Pennsylvania Democrats are very confident that the votes are there for Biden to prevail when every vote is counted. One Democrat said the margin could be about 100K, another one projects it closer to 70-80K. — Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) November 4, 2020
1.4 million expected votes outstanding, Biden down less than 400,000. Most remaining votes are in Democratic areas like Philadelphia, the Philly suburbs and Pittsburgh, + are absentee ballots that strongly broke toward Dems (per early vote data) No one else has called this race https://t.co/vq8FzMoaaj — Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) November 4, 2020
–If you just take the raw number of mail absentee ballots left, the votes are there for Biden given how well we expect him to do there
–If you just look at the completed counties, it's clear Biden's faring well enough once in the places that have counted their absentees — Nate Cohn (@Nate_Cohn) November 4, 2020
To my eye, Biden is likely hitting the targets he needs in PA counties to be on track to finish ahead. And recounts don't typically overturn the margins we're likely to see for him in MI/WI. If Biden does prevail in MI/PA/WI, then AZ/GA/NV wouldn't matter to the outcome. — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 4, 2020
Now that more PA counties are nearly completing their counts, more good news for Biden in key places. Current Biden margin (vs. Clinton '16): Lackawanna: 8.4 (3.5)
Luzerne: -16.6 (-19.3)
Washington: -22.9 (-24.5)
Northampton: 0.4 (-3.8) — Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 4, 2020
Maybe Biden should offer Trump a deal: We’ll agree to stop the counting in all states if you like. In that case…
Worth mentioning that if you stopped counting ballots *right now*, Biden would win with this map. So Trump is reliant on ballots counted after Election Day for his comeback chances. pic.twitter.com/rGQQT3X2Ub — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 4, 2020
Needless to say, it would be immoral to stop counting people’s lawful votes for any reason. I don’t think Team Biden would ever make a deal like that, even if they benefited from it. Team Trump would, without a shadow of a doubt.
In addition to being evil, this con job is also making things awkward for Trump’s allies, and as it escalates it’s only going to get more awkward. If Biden wins Pennsylvania, every elected Republican will have to take a “side” on whether they think he’s been elected legitimately or not, which is guaranteed to hurt them no matter how they answer. Meanwhile, as others have noted, Trump is potentially hurting his cause in court just in case a litigable grievance really does arise.
First up was Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor who actually served as a witness for Trump during his impeachment trial late last year. After lending some credence to the legal challenges that the Trump administration has been threatening, Turley pushed back against the president’s claims that he has somehow already won the election. “He’s got to tamp down the rhetoric,” Turley told Fox anchor Sandra Smith. “That’s only going to alienate courts, it’s going to inflame people on both sides. He did not win these states last night. These states are still in play. There are ballots that will be counted.”… Even before the election was “as thermonuclear as it is at the moment,” [Andy] McCarthy said the Supreme Court “did not want any part of this case.” “And I believe that what the president said last night is going to play into the hands of the faction of the Court that would rather say, ‘Let’s sit back and let this play out and it may turn out that when all the dust settles, maybe we don’t have to make a ruling here.’” he added.
By pushing an obviously bogus cheating claim that draws a ton of public pushback, Trump’s going to leave courts more reluctant to rule his way on any legitimate ballot claim that might arise. They don’t want to look like partisan hacks or co-conspirators in a blatant attempt to get valid votes thrown out because the president can’t bear the thought of losing a popularity contest. He’s hurting himself here, just like he hurt himself with his COVID pollyanna-ism for so many months. If he had behaved just a tiny bit more like a relatable human on that, he might have PA, MI, and WI in his pocket already.
Here’s where this is headed, with Trump’s full endorsement. This is in Michigan, not Pennsylvania, but just wait.
#BREAKING: Large, animated crush of “stop the count” protestors trying to push their way into TCF hall in #Detroit where ballots are being counted. They’re being blocked by guards at the door. Pizza boxes are pushed against the window to obstruct view. It’s tense. @NBCNews pic.twitter.com/zFhzd88skX — Steve Patterson (@PattersonNBC) November 4, 2020
Here too. Can confirm. Police have now been called in to the Detroit counting room to try and protect the doors. Feels like the fake GOP “riots” in Florida in 2000. https://t.co/2eBltkP70w pic.twitter.com/1ZX095w4N4 — Ray Wert (@raywert) November 4, 2020
Just as I’m writing this, CNN and other outlets are projecting that Biden has won Michigan. Others watching the returns in that state say the writing has been on the wall for hours. That’s probably why Team Trump is pulling this “we won Pennsylvania” gambit. They’ve run out of other Rust Belt battlegrounds. They need a comeback in Arizona, they need to win Pennsylvania, and they need to hold Georgia. And that state is a little wobbly too:
Deeply-conservative Forsyth County has the seventh-largest trove of outstanding absentee ballots left to count, according to @markniesse. The other six are Fulton, Chatham, Houston, Cobb, DeKalb and Clayton counties. W/ exception of Houston, all are heavy D areas. #gapol https://t.co/tTHbqa0YaZ — Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) November 4, 2020
Remember that if Biden pulls the upset in Georgia, he won’t need Pennsylvania or Arizona. That’s the ballgame. Stay tuned.
Here’s Biden speaking this afternoon, taking care to say that he’s *not* declaring victory but expects to be the winner once the counting is done. Team Trump could have taken that position too. Why didn’t it?
Joe Biden: "It's clear that we're winning enough states to reach 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. I'm not here to declare that we've won, but I am here to report that when the count is finished, we believe we will be the winners." https://t.co/vRpMV6pfsy pic.twitter.com/LKrT3GfSsX — CSPAN (@cspan) November 4, 2020
Update: Not an honorable bone in his body. I’m embarrassed for the country and for the GOP.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1324108206801563650