2020 Election Results

[lpetrich]

Rick Snyder says Michigan board will certify Biden winner over 'bully' Trump

But even after that happens, Snyder said in an interview for the Yahoo News “Skullduggery” podcast, he worries about the long-term impact of Trump’s efforts to persuade the Republican leaders in Michigan’s GOP-controlled Legislature to set aside the election results and select an alternative set of pro-Trump electors.

“What’s troubling through all this is the president’s behavior — and that of the people on his legal team,” Snyder said. “They’re actually undermining democracy with their actions.

“I’m concerned about the damage that’s going to go on for the next several years in terms of misinformation, creating doubts in the minds of his supporters, things like that,” he said. “There’s a lot of damage. President Trump has done terrible things. This man is the divider-in-chief of our nation.”

It's great to see some decency from a Republican, even if he is not in office.

 

[lpetrich]

‘This is simply not how the Constitution works’: Federal judge eviscerates Trump lawsuit over Pennsylvania results - POLITICO

The judge issued a withering opinion in his dismissal of the suit that Rudy Giuliani turned up to argue in a small Pennsylvania city this week.

...
“This Court has been presented with strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence,” U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote. “In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state. Our people, laws, and institutions demand more.”

Microsoft Word - 20-2078 - Memo Op Final - gov.uscourts.pamd.127057.202.0_1.pdf

The latest setback for Trump's barratry. GA has certified its vote count, and MI seems set to do so. "And a Republican-controlled board in Arizona’s largest county certified its results Friday evening and rejected any claims of fraud."

Trump was counting on Giuliani’s presence to reverse the public narrative that the campaign’s legal drive to salvage the election was failing. Instead, Giuliani was mocked by legal commentators for being unprepared, unfamiliar with basic legal standards applicable to the case and even for forgetting the name of the judge.

RG has a law degree.

Judge Brann:

“This Court has been unable to find any case in which a plaintiff has sought such a drastic remedy in the contest of an election, in terms of the sheer volume of votes asked to be invalidated,” he said, “One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption … That has not happened.”

He then picked apart RG's arguments.

He stated in his decision "Therefore, I grant Defendants’ motions and dismiss Plaintiffs’ action with prejudice." In this context, "with prejudice" means "permanently".

 

[Treedbear]

...
Judge Brann:

“This Court has been unable to find any case in which a plaintiff has sought such a drastic remedy in the contest of an election, in terms of the sheer volume of votes asked to be invalidated,” he said, “One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption … That has not happened.”

He then picked apart RG's arguments.

He stated in his decision "Therefore, I grant Defendants’ motions and dismiss Plaintiffs’ action with prejudice." In this context, "with prejudice" means "permanently".

On to the Supremes.

 

[fromderinside]

How is Trump going to get to the Supremes following rejections with prejudice? They don't have a contested point of law to argue. You don't get in front of the USSC because you whine when you have no case. I can see it now. "We protest because the court judged our case stupid/incompetent."

 

[lpetrich]

Lindsey Graham tweeted a picture from Fox News of these Reps with quotes from them:

"It's time for Lindsey Graham to submit his resignation." - Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

"Lindsey Graham attempted to commit voter fraud. He can't get away with it." - Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)

"... he's trying to get their legally cast votes thrown out. He must resign." - Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)

Lindsey Graham on Twitter: "
I can understand why the Squad doesn't want me in the Senate - because I'm going to bury your agenda.

You're a bunch of Socialists. You would transform America and make it Venezuela.

I'm gonna stand in your way.

I'm not going anywhere!
(link)" / Twitter

Katie Hill on Twitter: "God he’s disgusting. And this reeks of racism." / Twitter - I don't see why it's a racial issue, but I agree that that's horrible. Sneering that these Reps are "socialists" is no substitute for addressing their criticisms of his recent actions.

 

[Jayjay]

Lindsey Graham on Twitter: "
I can understand why the Squad doesn't want me in the Senate - because I'm going to bury your agenda.

You're a bunch of Socialists. You would transform America and make it Venezuela.

I'm gonna stand in your way.

I'm not going anywhere!
(link)" / Twitter

I bet that the irony of using the phrase "I'm going to bury you" while calling his opponents socialists doesn't dawn on Lindsey Graham.

 

[bilby]

...
Judge Brann:

“This Court has been unable to find any case in which a plaintiff has sought such a drastic remedy in the contest of an election, in terms of the sheer volume of votes asked to be invalidated,” he said, “One might expect that when seeking such a startling outcome, a plaintiff would come formidably armed with compelling legal arguments and factual proof of rampant corruption … That has not happened.”

He then picked apart RG's arguments.

He stated in his decision "Therefore, I grant Defendants’ motions and dismiss Plaintiffs’ action with prejudice." In this context, "with prejudice" means "permanently".

On to the Supremes.

Nope. Rejection with prejudice means that no higher court will even consider the case.

The only remaining legal avenue after rejection with prejudice would be a return to the same court with substantive and significant new evidence that was not available in the previous hearing, and to attempt such a return without such evidence would be contempt of court.

The Supreme Court doesn't hear cases just because the plaintiff is a sore loser who won't accept the judgements of the lower courts. If they did, they'd never get any work done, as they would be inundated with frivolous minor suits in which the plaintiff won't admit defeat.

" dismiss Plaintiffs’ action with prejudice" is legal jargon for "You lost. Get over it."

 

[lpetrich]

Trump calls on GOP state legislatures to overturn election results - POLITICO

President Donald Trump made explicit Saturday the strategy his legal team has been hinting at for days: He wants Republican-led legislatures to overturn election results in states that Joe Biden won.

"Why is Joe Biden so quickly forming a Cabinet when my investigators have found hundreds of thousands of fraudulent votes, enough to “flip” at least four States, which in turn is more than enough to win the Election?" Trump said, despite refusing to produce any such evidence either publicly or in court cases filed by his attorneys.

"Hopefully the Courts and/or Legislatures will have the COURAGE to do what has to be done to maintain the integrity of our Elections, and the United States of America itself," Trump said.

The Michigan legislature refused to go along with that, and it's likely that the Pennsylvania one won't either.

 

[TV and credit cards]

How is Trump going to get to the Supremes following rejections with prejudice? They don't have a contested point of law to argue. You don't get in front of the USSC because you whine when you have no case. I can see it now. "We protest because the court judged our case stupid/incompetent."

But I really wanted to see Rudy melt in front of the Supreme Court.

 

[lpetrich]

Trump's 'Death Star' strategy: Forcing a fight over states' electors | TheHill

The Thursday press conference by President Trump’s legal team left many breathless as Trump counsel Rudy Giuliani alleged a global communist conspiracy to steal the 2020 election. While making passing references to credible election challenges over provisional ballots or “curing” rules, he repeatedly returned to the allegation of a purported massive conspiracy directed by Democrats to change and “inject” votes into state tallies.

But why do that?

One possibility: to raise sweeping allegations with insufficient time to resolve them in order to force an Electoral College fight. The idea would be to give license to Republican-controlled legislatures to intervene with their own sets of electors or block the submission of any set of electors. Concern over such a strategy was magnified when Trump called key Republican leaders from Michigan’s legislature to the White House on Friday.

Call it the “Death Star strategy.”

Then comparing the Trump Admin's strategy to the rebels' strategy in the original Star Wars movie. Luke Skywalker gets into a trench on the Death Star's surface, travels in it to an exhaust port, then shoots some torpedoes into it. Those torpedoes then blow up the main reactor core, destroying the Death Star.

So the Trump Admin may be pursuing a similar multistep strategy. Cast doubt on the legitimacy of the votes in the swing states that voted for Biden. Enough to induce Republican legislators to go into action and nominate their own slates of electors. Then cause a lot of drama llama in Congress.

 

[lpetrich]

Trump campaign asks for another Georgia recount - "A second try would be by machine and would not address the president's concerns about matching signatures with ballots for people who voted by mail."

Michigan group sues Trump campaign for alleged mass voter suppression | TheHill

Three Black Michigan voters and the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization filed a lawsuit Friday against President Trump and his campaign claiming the president and his team have disenfranchised Black voters with their attempts to challenge the outcome of the presidential election.

After engaging in a slew of legal challenges over election results in various battleground states, the campaign is now pressing state and local authorities not to certify the results of their elections, therefore “compromising the integrity of the election process” and “unlawfully interfering with will of the voters,” the case document, obtained by Politico, alleges.

noting
Michigan group sues Trump campaign citing disenfranchisement of Black voters - POLITICO - "The plaintiffs say the campaign's legal challenges to the election violated their voting rights."

I like that. Fighting back against the Trump Admin.

GOP senator congratulates Biden, says Trump should accept results | TheHill - Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA)

 

[ZiprHead]

Lindsey Graham tweeted a picture from Fox News of these Reps with quotes from them:

"It's time for Lindsey Graham to submit his resignation." - Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

"Lindsey Graham attempted to commit voter fraud. He can't get away with it." - Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)

"... he's trying to get their legally cast votes thrown out. He must resign." - Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)

Lindsey Graham on Twitter: "
I can understand why the Squad doesn't want me in the Senate - because I'm going to bury your agenda.

You're a bunch of Socialists. You would transform America and make it Venezuela.

I'm gonna stand in your way.

I'm not going anywhere!
(link)" / Twitter

Katie Hill on Twitter: "God he’s disgusting. And this reeks of racism." / Twitter - I don't see why it's a racial issue, but I agree that that's horrible. Sneering that these Reps are "socialists" is no substitute for addressing their criticisms of his recent actions.

Why is it always Venezuela and not Denmark?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Pennsylvania just told Trump and Guliani to go Fuck Themselves.

Brann wrote in his order that the plaintiffs employed "strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations, unpled in the operative complaint and unsupported by evidence. In the United States of America, this cannot justify the disenfranchisement of a single voter, let alone all the voters of its sixth most populated state."

...

The Trump campaign's brief tried to rehash claims that the campaign appeared to abandon earlier this week.

The brief filed Saturday, which is littered with spelling errors, including the governor's name, alleges that illegal votes were counted and poll watchers were unable to access vote counting — allegations that the Trump campaign dropped just last Sunday, before Giuliani was put in charge of the president's growing legal challenges.

This is both comical and dangerous. But I am certain Guliani is laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[Treedbear]

On to the Supremes.

Nope. Rejection with prejudice means that no higher court will even consider the case.

The only remaining legal avenue after rejection with prejudice would be a return to the same court with substantive and significant new evidence that was not available in the previous hearing, and to attempt such a return without such evidence would be contempt of court.

The Supreme Court doesn't hear cases just because the plaintiff is a sore loser who won't accept the judgements of the lower courts. If they did, they'd never get any work done, as they would be inundated with frivolous minor suits in which the plaintiff won't admit defeat.

" dismiss Plaintiffs’ action with prejudice" is legal jargon for "You lost. Get over it."

Whatever. We're living in Trump's fantasy world for the next 2 months.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump is appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of his campaign’s effort to block the certification of votes in Pennsylvania.

The president and other plaintiffs filed notice of appeal to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Sunday, a day after the judge issued a scathing order shooting down claims of widespread irregularities with mail-in ballots.

 

[Jarhyn]

Lindsey Graham tweeted a picture from Fox News of these Reps with quotes from them:

"It's time for Lindsey Graham to submit his resignation." - Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN)

"Lindsey Graham attempted to commit voter fraud. He can't get away with it." - Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)

"... he's trying to get their legally cast votes thrown out. He must resign." - Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)

Lindsey Graham on Twitter: "
I can understand why the Squad doesn't want me in the Senate - because I'm going to bury your agenda.

You're a bunch of Socialists. You would transform America and make it Venezuela.

I'm gonna stand in your way.

I'm not going anywhere!
(link)" / Twitter

Katie Hill on Twitter: "God he’s disgusting. And this reeks of racism." / Twitter - I don't see why it's a racial issue, but I agree that that's horrible. Sneering that these Reps are "socialists" is no substitute for addressing their criticisms of his recent actions.

Why is it always Venezuela and not Denmark?

Because when people have a hard time really grasping language theory, they cease to be able to differentiate "[chrony strongman kleptocracy] socialism" and "[functional european democratic] socialism"; they just run with the worst version of whatever it is and claim it as a case study.

Case study doesn't establish trends or models.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Whatever. We're living in Trump's fantasy world for the next 2 months.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump is appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of his campaign’s effort to block the certification of votes in Pennsylvania.

The president and other plaintiffs filed notice of appeal to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Sunday, a day after the judge issued a scathing order shooting down claims of widespread irregularities with mail-in ballots.

Yeah, good luck with that. Hard to appeal a case with no merit, especially when the sought relief is mass voter disqualification.

 

[starwater]

Even the Trump appointed judges are throwing out cases.

Humpty Trumpty is teetering on his wall. The Greed Over People party are teetering with him. Jump to the right side and they may survive.

 

[starwater]

Even the Trump appointed judges are throwing out cases.

Humpty Trumpty is teetering on his wall. The Greed Over People party are teetering with him. Jump to the right side and they may survive.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

“There’ll be a transition if the courts don’t rule in President Trump’s favor, and it will be a professional transition,” O’Brien continued. “But President Trump has not exhausted his legal remedies. We’re a country based on the rule of law and the President has taken his case to court, as he has every right to do as an American citizen, and so those cases will get resolved. And once they’re resolved and the courts rule, then we’ll move forward from there.”

Okay, Trump has some rights, as dictated in state law and federal law during an election. But the thing is, Trump et al. are claiming widespread, unprecedented election fraud in the media, and the one time they put claims of fraud in a lawsuit, they were excoriated by a Federal Judge at the lack of any evidence provided to support claims to negate the vote of an entire state.

Even when targeting small clumps of votes over alleged discrepancies, the Trump campaign has lost.

Now, Trump is trying to withhold Wisconsin electoral votes, by interfering in a strategically requested, and needless, recount in large counties in Wisconsin. Trump has interceded in the certification in Michigan. Looking to intercede in Pennsylvania. Had Senator Graham intercede in Georgia. There aren't rights under the law. These are flat out attempts at electoral fraud. All over allegations so over-the-top, Tucker Carlson is asking for evidence! We have gone past Trump's rights as a candidate and are well into the territory of trying to seize the Presidency.

 

[Treedbear]

... We have gone past Trump's rights as a candidate and are well into the territory of trying to seize the Presidency.

If we assume Trump knows he can't win in the courts and also that there actually is a lot of truth to the legal problems he'll encounter once he's no longer President, he's probably angling for a position to tempt or force Pence into invoking the 25th amendment and negotiating a pardon out of it. His only remaining card is to delay the process in court until it's too late and Congress has to step in. Hopefully McConnell and all the Repugnicants realize that they would destroy themselves to put the country through that.