When host Steve Doocy said some have speculated Trump may "declare victory if the early numbers favor you" and asked the president when he would declare himself the winner, he was vague.
"When there is victory," Trump said, sounding hoarse after a whirlwind schedule of non-socially distant rallies with supporters in the final days of the campaign. "If there is victory, I think we will have victory. I think the polls are, you know, suppression polls. And I think we will have victory. But only when there is victory. You know, there is no reason to play games. And I think we will have victory."
buzzfeed
Yup, "If there is victory, I think we will have victory." Doesn't get any plainer than that.
I'm with db on this: all of these Trumpsters seem to swallow the "fake news" BS. Why would they accept an outcome presented by mainstream media and even Fox, which has credible election night reporting.
And gun sales are through the roof, even on the left (to a lesser degree of course).
And, if the bus incident and the traffic disruptions are any preview, I think we have a problem here.
My big question is how cops, Guard, military, treat these yahoos on the right vis a vis those on the left. Remember the cops handing out water bottles to vigilantes and thanking them?
"The number of handgun permits issued so far in 2020 has more than doubled in Maplewood and tripled South Orange, according to local officials."
"Lembrich recently confirmed that as of October 23, Maplewood has had 384 permits issued.
In South Orange, 187 permits have been issued so far this year as of September 29 — up from just 70 in 2019, according to Police Chief Kyle Kroll. Kroll said on Friday that the number of permits issued in South Orange in 2020 is continuing to reflect a threefold increase over last year."
"The increase seems to mirror a national trend, as sales of guns have risen across the country in 2020. Americans bought 15.1 million guns in the seven months this year from March through September, a 91 percent increase from the same period in 2019, according to a report in The New York Times that used estimates from The Trace, a nonprofit news organization that focuses on gun issues."
I'm not sure where the "will Trump run away" discussion was but I will post this here. The author postulates that Trump is a flight risk. He's got motivation to run for sure, and has numerous options for getting out.
If he loses and you see the Trump organization start to liquidate assets, that's a sign. He does a good job keeping his finances hidden from public view so it might be hard to tell. For all we know he's stashed tons of cash overseas already.
The final point is that the author doesn't seem to think it's a likely scenario but he reminds us that one thing we should expect from our President is unprecedented and unexpected actions.
There was an article today somewhere that said if he loses, DeutscheBank might call in his debt, and if he doesn’t pay, seize his assets and threaten to sell them off until he does.
I'm not surprised. They want their money and his net worth is likely to go down win or lose. If he loses, the civil and criminal cases against him and his organization move forward. Even if he wins each case, it will take a mountain of cash and probably damage his brand.
I have heard about the mobs outside vote counting facilities but not much else. Apparently Monday the master legal plan to prove all the fraud and cheating will commence. I have to admit I'm fascinated to see what their final closing gambit might be. My guess is it will be along the lines of the comprehensive health care plan he shared with Leslie Stahl. Maybe they'll print all of his Tweets about how the election is being stolen and bind them in nice leather covers and send one copy to each Supreme Court Justice. Billing all the costs to taxpayers as they go.
If they can keep him busy baselessly playing 'sue everyone' and spend down some GOP money along with it, that is probably a low-level worry. The 'roid raging reality-TV-in-chief may try other stunts, cliff-hangers, surprise twists, and burning DC to the ground, to try to take the country down with him...
Trump will keep it going because it's the next phase of the con game.
Trump's website linked to a donation paged for an "Official Election Defense Fund," while the fine print lower on the page said 60% of the donation would go towards "the retirement of general election debt."
I still think the majority of Trump supporters are people who hate the Dems and like putting on gear and going to rallies. Mobs empower people but usually only for the moment.
Plenty of people are on FB, many of them women, arguing about the fraud, the socialism even the move towards communism. Oddly enough I have conversed with a couple of these women, who before I knew of their political leanings, I encountered in the cat and dog rescue world. I liked them they liked me and for all of the ranting now on FB, I doubt they are purchasing weapons and planning a coup.
Trump's militia had every opportunity to create havoc last night as millions poured into the street to peacefully celebrate. They hate us, but I think Joe and Jill are pretty hard people to dislike.
ETA, the photo of Major, the Biden's German Shepherd is going viral, as he will be the first rescue dog in the White House. As well the one with Jill Biden with Major and Champl
Ok, I'm happy about the win. I hate the fact that I will probably spend the next few weeks leading up to the Electoral College vote in a state of apprehension.
I should not feel this way. But Trump, if anything, always has found a way to survive anything that's been thrown at him. I don't admire this trait, because it seems to always come at the expense of other people. I can't see a clear path for his legal wrangling to reclaim victory, but he's got some awful people working for him, and a scary amount of support in the population in general.
On Inauguration Day is when I'll most likely fully let my guard down. Or maybe when Congress certifies the Election in early January.
We were in DC a couple of weeks ago and there were three layers of protective fencing around the White House with another layer put up last week. I hope Biden requests it all be torn down before the inauguration. It's insane that the public can barely get a glimpse of the White House because Trump didn't want protesters present there all the time.
But I'm concerned that the Secret Service will convince Biden that in the name of "security" the barriers need to stay.
We were in DC a couple of weeks ago and there were three layers of protective fencing around the White House with another layer put up last week. I hope Biden requests it all be torn down before the inauguration. It's insane that the public can barely get a glimpse of the White House because Trump didn't want protesters present there all the time.
But I'm concerned that the Secret Service will convince Biden that in the name of "security" the barriers need to stay.
I don't think they would prevail in that argument. The usual Secret Service protection should be fine for Biden.
I also think if there were protestors he wouldn't be afraid to see them. He seems to be someone who can accept criticism with humiloty.
I would not be terribly upset by that. At least we'd be rid of him and a pardon implies guilt and he would still be subject to State charges.
I would be upset by that. We are all supposed to be equal under the law, that was supposed to be one of the pillars of our legal system. Having said that, Trump would be an idiot if he didn't try this, because otherwise he almost certainly faces jail time. The question is: would Pence go along? (because he would pretty much take himself off of the 2024 contenders list).
I would be upset by that. We are all supposed to be equal under the law, that was supposed to be one of the pillars of our legal system. Having said that, Trump would be an idiot if he didn't try this, because otherwise he almost certainly faces jail time. The question is: would Pence go along? (because he would pretty much take himself off of the 2024 contenders list).
I wouldn't be surprised if Trump tries to pardon himself. I don't think he trusts anyone, including Pence. It is Constitutionally vague whether a President can pardon himself. He could try it, but it wouldn't get tested unless he was charged by a Federal Prosecutor, according to the linked article here:
A pardon from Pence is one bit of leverage that could be used to encourage him to concede. That would be fairly unassailable in Federal court.
The article also brings up the use of the 25th Amendment to temporarily transfer Executive power to Pence, to then have it revert back to Trump after Pence pardons him. This option was apparently offered to Nixon, but he obviously took a different Court. Again, I don't think Trump would take this route because there's no guarantee. It's an Indiana* Jones "Throw me the whip" "Throw me the idol" situation**.
* No I wasn't thinking about Pence being from Indiana.
** What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? Go see Raiders of the Lost Ark you Philistine.
I'm amused by the apparent miscommunication that led to incorrect press conference location tweets by Trump, shortly before PA was called for Biden on Saturday morning. And like the article's author, I'm curious about the sequence of events that led to it (my current hypothesis is someone on the campaign asked Siri to call Four Seasons in Philly):
I Can’t Stop Thinking About Four Seasons Total Landscaping
And like the article's author, I'm curious about the sequence of events that led to it
From the start, it was meant to be in the landscaping company’s parking lot, which is in a Trump-friendlier part of Philadelphia. When Trump was told that it was going to be at Four Seasons, he assumed the hotel, and that was how he tweeted it. Confusion ensued.
Yes, yes... but I'm curious about *before* that... how did they end up reserving the Four Season's Total Landscaping parking lot in the first place? Who made that reservation, and what was their direction and/or thinking when doing so?
It seems unlikely to have been this image-conscious campaign's first choice.
As indicated in the article you linked to:
As for why Four Seasons Total Landscaping? Giuliani offered no explanation Saturday and made no mention of the company or its owner, Marie Siravo, during his remarks. Tom Matkowski, GOP ward leader for the neighborhood, said the news conference hadn’t been coordinated with the local Republican Party and that he didn’t believe the Siravo family was active in local party politics.
ETA: Last minute reservation was made--it really does seem like someone on the campaign made a mistake, and not a purposeful decision:
He said his boss got the call from Trump campaign staffers Saturday morning and thought they must have found the business on Google and been interested because it was a “secure location” set off from the street by a security fence.
And that article does get more hilarious with reference to Giuliani's appearance in the new Sacha Baron Cohen movie:
But not all in the neighborhood were so amused. The 78-year-old employee manning the counter at the Fantasy Island sex shop [next to the Four Seasons Total Landscaping], who declined to give his name, said the phone had been ringing off the hook since Saturday with callers asking: “Is Rudy Giuliani there?”
So... I'm still amused that Trump went out in what appears to be a visible lack of planning and incompetence that sums up his administration's general approach.
Yes, yes... but I'm curious about *before* that... how did they end up reserving the Four Season's Total Landscaping parking lot in the first place? Who made that reservation, and what was their direction and/or thinking when doing so?
It seems unlikely to have been this image-conscious campaign's first choice.
Center City was a no-go, because of the pro-Biden crowds and potential for disruptions. Northeast Philly is out out of the way and more conservative, and they could pick a parking lot — easy to get in, set up and get out, all quickly — pretty much at random. If the lot had a security gate that could be closed if necessary, even better.
Yes, yes... but I'm curious about *before* that... how did they end up reserving the Four Season's Total Landscaping parking lot in the first place? Who made that reservation, and what was their direction and/or thinking when doing so?
It seems unlikely to have been this image-conscious campaign's first choice.
Center City was a no-go, because of the pro-Biden crowds and potential for disruptions. Northeast Philly is out out of the way and more conservative, and they could pick a parking lot — easy to get in, set up and get out, all quickly — pretty much at random. If the lot had a security gate that could be closed if necessary, even better.
Yes, yes, And if they had coordinated with the GOP ward leader for the neighborhood, and/or the reservation hadn't just been made earlier that morning, perhaps I would be more inclined to believe that they chose it for all those logistical reasons.
When host Steve Doocy said some have speculated Trump may "declare victory if the early numbers favor you" and asked the president when he would declare himself the winner, he was vague.
"When there is victory," Trump said, sounding hoarse after a whirlwind schedule of non-socially distant rallies with supporters in the final days of the campaign. "If there is victory, I think we will have victory. I think the polls are, you know, suppression polls. And I think we will have victory. But only when there is victory. You know, there is no reason to play games. And I think we will have victory."
buzzfeed
Yup, "If there is victory, I think we will have victory." Doesn't get any plainer than that.