The Race For 2024

[Loren Pechtel]

Many of us thought there would be much cheating by the Trumpo-Fascists in the election, but I've read almost no reports of that. They threatened to deploy many thousands of election monitors to intimidate bluish voters: Did that happen? Are the Blues so demoralized by the election result that they don't bother to report on the cheating?

The cheating is by denying the ability to vote, not by messing with the ballots.

I believe you. But I've noticed no specific reports of such denial on Election Day. (Then again I've not attempted Googling.)

Because it's not that obvious. It's things like all the challenges to whether somebody is a legal voter, including purges soon before the election despite that being forbidden. It's things like underequipped polling places in blue areas.

 

[blastula]

Democrats flip final House seat of the 2024 elections, narrowing Republicans' majority

Democrat Adam Gray has flipped California’s 13th District, handing Republicans a slimmer majority in the House.

www.nbcnews.com

Dems gained two seats over 2022, now 215 - 220.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

GOP managed some magic holding the House by flipping enough seats of their own.

The interesting thing is that while the number election result is 220-115, the actual result when they get sworn in is actually 217-215.

• Matt Gaetz
• Mike Waltz
• Elise Stefanik

have either resigned already or will soon. I don't believe any of these seats are up for grabs, but special elections still need to be held. April 1, 2025 in Florida. For those playing at home, 217-215 is a tiny majority. This means every GOP'er must be in the building when every Democrat is in the building... and then the GOP can't afford for one person to vote with the Democrats or two people to abstain. And this is at a time when the GOP want to jam some sort of tax cut through Congress. The world's most punchable face is no longer in Congress to fuck things up, but still, just one person flopping...

I'm not certain the US can afford a tax cut that requires 216 GOP'ers to get their's in order to support the first Budget Reconciliation through.

 

[Elixir]

It will be interesting. Out of 220 Republicans, one or a few of them MUST realize that they have Cheato by the balls, if they want to twist.
The only question is whether they have any balls* of their own, to do so.

* ETA it occurs to me that the most likely ones to put the pressure - er, torque on, are certain ones with no balls. Which might still be more than the rest.

 

[Shadowy Man]

I learned in 2020 that our elections are incredibly secure and anyone who says otherwise is a conspiracy theorist.

Well, if you believe something that has no compelling evidence and/or is contrary to all known evidence and you do so because it is in concordance with your personal beliefs, then yes you likely are a conspiracy theorist.

If there’s good evidence that the 2020 election was not secure enough to reflect the will of the people then nobody’s seen it yet. We are already past the next election, the security of which nobody seems to be concerned about, especially not the ones who had issues with 2020.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I learned in 2020 that our elections are incredibly secure and anyone who says otherwise is a conspiracy theorist.

Agreed, a natural conclusion seeing there was no formal court challenge by Trump, nor did any formal investigation find evidence of fraud, and a court ruled My Pillow guy had to pay out on an offer for proving the "evidence" he had of fraud wasn't evidence.

 

[Harry Bosch]

I learned in 2020 that our elections are incredibly secure and anyone who says otherwise is a conspiracy theorist.

We are making progress here folks!

 

[Elixir]

But, no I don't think the military will start killing Americans on American soil and Trump never said they would.

Uh … wrong. Well - right, sort of.
Cheato has suggested “using the military on domestic protesters”
During his presidency and subsequent campaign, he repeatedly expressed intentions to deploy military forces against what he described as “radical left lunatics” and “the enemy from within” if unrest occurred.
But maybe he was going to “use the military” to make “the enemy within” lots of sandwiches so they would go home with full bellies and stop complaining about his coups and shit. He never said “killing Americans”.

Wake up, Beave.

 

[Swammerdami]

We've all seen maps in which the U.S. counties are painted red or blue depending on which side got 51% of the vote or more. One researcher chose to use shades of purple for counties which were not lop-sided. He observes that purple counties have become less common. In 2024 some purple counties turned bright red.

 

[bilby]

We've all seen maps in which the U.S. counties are painted red or blue depending on which side got 51% of the vote or more. One researcher chose to use shades of purple for counties which were not lop-sided. He observes that purple counties have become less common. In 2024 some purple counties turned bright red.

From the article:

Back in 2000, most maps of election results showed states colored either red or blue depending on which side had more votes in that state – Republican George W. Bush or Democrat Al Gore. But that one-or-the-other approach didn’t match up with an election that was so close, it was ultimately decided by 537 votes in Florida.

But he is mistaken. That one-or-the-other approach shouldn’t match up with an election that was so close. But it does, because that's the daft way US Presidents are chosen.

The 2000 election was ultimately decided by one vote. Florida's. Because American citizens don't elect Presidents; American states do.

No amount of hand-wringing about a past in which politics was less polarised is meaningful, when elections are decided by tiny numbers of "swing states" - polarised or not, Americans who live outside those swing states are powerless to influence the choice of POTUS.

 

[robnisch]

Map shows where effort to replace Electoral College stands

Nearly 20 years in the making, the reform initiative seeks to change the way Electoral College votes are counted.

www.cbsnews.com

There is an end around, however.
Now 60 or so short of 270.
There is hope.

 

[Elixir]

“2024 could really be the last election where a president is not selected by a national popular vote“

That will hold if the initiative succeeds.
More likely, it will be true because the Trump junta succeeds and 2024 was the last election, period.

 

[TomC]

Map shows where effort to replace Electoral College stands

Nearly 20 years in the making, the reform initiative seeks to change the way Electoral College votes are counted.

www.cbsnews.com

There is an end around, however.
Now 60 or so short of 270.
There is hope.

I've been a supporter of national popular vote.com for years.
I see it as the best way for the American people to take their country back. It's plan gives the people the ability to choose POTUS, which we currently don't have. It doesn't need a constitutional amendment, a process I would not entrust to the clowns currently running the federal government.

I believe that it would be powerful encouragement for the people to become educated and involved in our governance. Right now my vote didn't count, nor did Tswizzle vote. Because we both live in states where the outcome of the election was known long in advance. I'm convinced that people would care more if their votes counted.
Tom

 

[Swammerdami]

Oh no! Not the National Popular Vote Compact (NPVC) again. Do NOT support this: It is a trap.
Only two cases matter:

(A) the Ds win the traditional electoral college vote, while the Rs win the popular vote.​

(B) the Rs win the traditional electoral college vote, while the Ds win the popular vote.​

In case (A), the Ds, being the gullible friendly saps they are, will "grin and bear it." Victory is handed to the Rs. "Democracy is served."
But in case (B), one or more of the R-controlled and R-voting states will declare the NPVC to be unconstitutional or otherwise unenforceable, and will cast its EVs for the R.

You didn't know that the Rs are despicable cheaters and will certainly subvert the NPVC if its in their interest? Welcome to reality. The way the NPVC is structured it is Lose-Lose for the honest party.

 

[Derec]

This is also evidence that Harris didn't run a bad campaign. Voters just preferred the lies.

Both can be true.

Uninformed voters preferring Trump by a wide margin is not evidence that Harris did not run a poor campaign.

You obviously need a higher quality electorate.

Reminds me of this Berthold Brecht poem, talking about East Germany:

 

[TSwizzle]

What a mess there would have been if senile Brandon had won a second term;

A bombshell report details how President Joe Biden's White House hid from the public his rapidly diminishing mental and physical condition for his entire presidency. Biden's team hired a vocal coach, put other officials into roles usually occupied by the president and neglected to share with him negative news stories, according to an explosive report in The Wall Street Journal.
This exposes an extensive and thought-out cover-up that included the administration repeatedly gaslighting those who dared to claim the president was no longer the same man who served as vice president. A person who witnessed what happened with Biden in the last four years told the Journal that a small group of aides stuck close to him at all times and provided intense 'hand holding.'

Daily Mail

It is frightening that the old duffer remains in office. But I guess when the VP is such a moron you have to stick with senile old Brandon.

Hard to believe people were actually going to vote for Brandon but I guess when the MSM cover up and run interference it would fool some folks.

 

[Elixir]

It is frightening that the old duffer remains in office.

It’s frightening that we have Murkins eating up turds served on a platter by The Daily Mail. Oh wait - you’re not a Murkin?
Oh well - the FACTS speak for themselves.

During President Joe Biden’s administration, approximately 16 million new jobs were created as of late 2024.
During Donald Trump’s presidency, the U.S. economy experienced a net loss of approximately 2.7 million jobs.
That y’all Trumpers need to read that rag to convince your pea brains that sixteen million is LESS than MINUS two point seven million, speaks to the level of intelligence that brings El Lardo back to office.
Virtually any other metric you use, Biden’s administration outperformed Trump’s by a country mile.

 

[Shadowy Man]

What a mess there would have been if senile Brandon had won a second term;

A bombshell report details how President Joe Biden's White House hid from the public his rapidly diminishing mental and physical condition for his entire presidency. Biden's team hired a vocal coach, put other officials into roles usually occupied by the president and neglected to share with him negative news stories, according to an explosive report in The Wall Street Journal.
This exposes an extensive and thought-out cover-up that included the administration repeatedly gaslighting those who dared to claim the president was no longer the same man who served as vice president. A person who witnessed what happened with Biden in the last four years told the Journal that a small group of aides stuck close to him at all times and provided intense 'hand holding.'

Daily Mail

It is frightening that the old duffer remains in office. But I guess when the VP is such a moron you have to stick with senile old Brandon.

Hard to believe people were actually going to vote for Brandon but I guess when the MSM cover up and run interference it would fool some folks.

Don’t know what the big deal is. No one was hiding Trump’s mental incompetence yet plenty of people voted for him.

 

[Swammerdami]

Both Trump and Musk have narcissistic sociopathy. Trump has the full malignancy and lacks intellectual curiosity. Musk is autistic, a genius but with Dunning-Kruger. Both Trump and Musk are criminals; each is wealthy and powerful. Trump-Musk plan on decimating federal regulations and "unfriendly" subsidies. Many dozens of high government officials will be chosen based on Trumpist ties and loyalty. Under Trump-47 a Putin-Trump scheme may arise. And What will happen to Trump's economy, over the next two or three years? If Trump goes ahead with deportations and tariffs, expect to see higher consumer prices, stagnant wages. I'll guess that inflation and/or recession will ensue. Major dollar devaluation will be deferred probably, but Dollar may underperform Gold, Bitcoin, Farmland.

But even if the Trump economy glides along, with jobs and profits, the Trumpist deregulation and directed subsidies will transfer trillions from the common people, possibly with new cancers, to the super-elite.

What a mess there would have been if senile Brandon had won a second term;

Not really. Joe Brandon -- if that's what the sophomores insist on naming him -- was a senior citizen, perhaps befuddled from time to time but experienced and who had enough character to turn to trusted intelligent advisors. This Biden-46 Presidency was one of the best in recent memory, despite Red-led attempts to sabotage.

Mr. and Mrs. Saddam Obama -- (is that the Ilk's derogatory to rhyme with Brandon?) -- should have been brought out of retirement with Michelle getting the VP slot instead of Harris. But election results aside, the debate Swizz proposes is which outcome would be better.

Does anyone here really think we're better off with Trump-Musk in charge, almost planning to destroy the federal government, rather than the sane choice of Obama-Clinton team members advising the aging Brandon.

Is there anyone who will proudly raise their hand and say "Instead of the well-advised experienced leader, let's gamble on a malignant narcissistic (most aggravated psychopath), being advised by self-confessed fascists" ? No one? RVonse, Swizz, Creed's A'gram? In your view was Trump-47 the preferred "percentage play"?

A bombshell report details how President Joe Biden's White House hid from the public his rapidly diminishing mental and physical condition for his entire presidency. Biden's team hired a vocal coach, put other officials into roles usually occupied by the president and neglected to share with him negative news stories, according to an explosive report in The Wall Street Journal.

MAYBE this is true. It's hard to give it much credence since WSJ is part of the Murdoch Fox/Sky company (bullshit machine).
I'd be more confident of accepting this opinion from a different source. But, as someone recently pointed out, Reuters is much better than CNN. I find Al-Jazeera (and yes, sometimes even RT) to often have stories more relevant than CNN/ABC offerings.

This exposes an extensive and thought-out cover-up that included the administration repeatedly gaslighting those who dared to claim the president was no longer the same man who served as vice president. A person who witnessed what happened with Biden in the last four years told the Journal that a small group of aides stuck close to him at all times and provided intense 'hand holding.'

Daily Mail

It is frightening that the old duffer remains in office. But I guess when the VP is such a moron you have to stick with senile old Brandon.

Who do you think has a higher IQ? Trump or Harris? And Why the insistence on 'Brandon' repetition?

Hard to believe people were actually going to vote for Brandon but I guess when the MSM cover up and run interference it would fool some folks.

Hard to believe? I guess you're firmly in the camp rejecting the good-stewardship of the Obama-Biden faction in favor of, literally, psychos and criminals named DJT and Elon Musk.

Is that true Mr. TSwizzle? Have you made predictions for Trump's orders in Jan and Feb?

 

[Elixir]

And Why the insistence on 'Brandon' repetition?

Intellectual bankruptcy and/or sloth.