American Politics Thread: The Hunt for Blue November

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by photon

This is the QAnon lady (though now she's "distancing" herself from QAnon, whatever that means). Would this ad have been possible 4 years ago?

Spoiler!

That's more than just a dogwhistle of encouraging people to take up arms against Democrats. That's borderline incitement. I have no idea how that's allowed to be posted on Facebook.

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

I've seen a bunch around +8 for Biden, which means between the electoral college, gerrymandering and voter suppression Trump can still easily win in November.

And perhaps most worrying of all, whether thousands of even millions of ballots won't reach their destination by November 3rd due to the post office being kneecapped by the Trump administration...

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

[/spoiler]

That's more than just a dogwhistle of encouraging people to take up arms against Democrats. That's borderline incitement. I have no idea how that's allowed to be posted on Facebook.


And perhaps most worrying of all, whether thousands of even millions of ballots won't reach their destination by November 3rd due to the post office being kneecapped by the Trump administration...

I am sure we will see voter intimidation as well. A lot of good guys with guns out there.

[afc wimbledon]

So Trump is suggesting the story in the Atlantic came from John Kelly himself and he was weak and couldnt handle the job, sounds like they expect Kelly to confirm the story

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I am sure we will see voter intimidation as well. A lot of good guys with guns out there.

Let's get real for a second.

Let's suppose that idiots with guns actually show up to the polls. The first response is that the election officials would call the police. Those guys are dispersed. End of story.

But wait! What if the police don't care to do anything about it? What then?

The only areas of the country where that could possibly happen are deep red areas that are going to vote 80-90% Republican anyways. I don't see this happening in places it matters like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida.

It certainly won't stop most people from voting because they know that these guys brandishing guns is all for show, and they have no intention of shooting anyone. You walk right past them, flip them the bird, and show that they have no power over you. Unless they're an outright psychopath, they're not going to do anything.


Again, all this is hypothetical, and I fully do not expect to see this in any place that isn't redneck central. So the question is, would this do anything at all to the election results? Unlikely.

People like to think that America is out of control crazy based on what I see as isolated incidents that gather a lot of media attention. The reality is much different, as most people are non-violent and relatively normal.

[JohnnyB]

I would not be surprised if this is the year of a polling location mass shooting in the US. Most people aren't crazy in the US, but the crazies are really crazy right now.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Let's get real for a second.

Let's suppose that idiots with guns actually show up to the polls. The first response is that the election officials would call the police. Those guys are dispersed. End of story.

But wait! What if the police don't care to do anything about it? What then?

The only areas of the country where that could possibly happen are deep red areas that are going to vote 80-90% Republican anyways. I don't see this happening in places it matters like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida.

Didn't they already storm the statehouse in Michigan with nothing done about it?

[savemedrzaius]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Let's get real for a second.

Let's suppose that idiots with guns actually show up to the polls. The first response is that the election officials would call the police. Those guys are dispersed. End of story.

American police seem to encourage vigilantism going by how they treat the people will AKs "protecting property" during protests\riots

But wait! What if the police don't care to do anything about it? What then?

The only areas of the country where that could possibly happen are deep red areas that are going to vote 80-90% Republican anyways. I don't see this happening in places it matters like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida.

It only takes a small group. Like 5 people would benscary

It certainly won't stop most people from voting because they know that these guys brandishing guns is all for show, and they have no intention of shooting anyone. You walk right past them, flip them the bird, and show that they have no power over you. Unless they're an outright psychopath, they're not going to do anything.

Personally I would have no idea if these people are psycho but with all the pointless mass shootings that happen regularly in the States I would not be thinking they were a joke. Especially if I was a minority


Again, all this is hypothetical, and I fully do not expect to see this in any place that isn't redneck central. So the question is, would this do anything at all to the election results? Unlikely.

People like to think that America is out of control crazy based on what I see as isolated incidents that gather a lot of media attention. The reality is much different, as most people are non-violent and relatively normal.

I question how normal these people are when that women above can get elected to office and Trump can get elected the first time and has not been laughed out of office yet but is still somehow supported by his base. I can't think of many democracies where this would be normal. Americans have left normal a long time ago.

But maybe America is the new normal. And in that case we are all ####ed.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

Didn't they already storm the statehouse in Michigan with nothing done about it?

Indeed, and the government did the smart thing by allowing them to state their grievance, and no violence happened, not even the slightest.

The brandishing of weapons to a certain section of the population is akin to their right to free speech. It's demonstrative, and largely not meant to create violence. However, that particular group was making vague threats to legislators, and the entire house called for their arrest by state police if they do it again.

I imagine that due to the history of voter intimidation in the U.S., there would be far less tolerance for people bringing weapons to polling stations. This is an entirely different situation than people protesting government shutdowns, which is a major intrusion into their personal life. Voter intimidation is anti-democratic, and certainly anti-freedom and anti-constitution. I don't think you would see even a little bit of police tolerance of these sorts of actions. What they would likely do is keep them away from the polling stations and let them shout whatever they want with their guns in hand, but that's about it.

I'm not saying it's not possible that people could do this on voting day. What I'm saying is that it would have nearly no effect on the vote. What I'm far more worried about is Trump denying the results and causing a constitutional crisis, and THEN you have men armed in the streets causing civil violence. That's far more likely IMO.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Indeed, and the government did the smart thing by allowing them to state their grievance, and no violence happened, not even the slightest.

The brandishing of weapons to a certain section of the population is akin to their right to free speech. It's demonstrative, and largely not meant to create violence. However, that particular group was making vague threats to legislators, and the entire house called for their arrest by state police if they do it again.

I imagine that due to the history of voter intimidation in the U.S., there would be far less tolerance for people bringing weapons to polling stations. This is an entirely different situation than people protesting government shutdowns, which is a major intrusion into their personal life. Voter intimidation is anti-democratic, and certainly anti-freedom and anti-constitution. I don't think you would see even a little bit of police tolerance of these sorts of actions. What they would likely do is keep them away from the polling stations and let them shout whatever they want with their guns in hand, but that's about it.

I'm not saying it's not possible that people could do this on voting day. What I'm saying is that it would have nearly no effect on the vote. What I'm far more worried about is Trump denying the results and causing a constitutional crisis, and THEN you have men armed in the streets causing civil violence. That's far more likely IMO.

I guess my point is I don't think they'll be there for voter intimidation, they'll be there to ensure Antifa doesn't do anything shady at the polls, they'll be there to ensure the protection of local businesses, and property. Any POC that are turned away, or stay away is for the safety of poll workers.

We don't want those socialist antifa fascists voting anyway.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

People like to think that America is out of control crazy based on what I see as isolated incidents that gather a lot of media attention. The reality is much different, as most people are non-violent and relatively normal.

No, people like to think America is out of control crazy because Donald Trump could rape 40% of the country's mothers, wives, and daughters, right in front of them, and they would still vote for him. America doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, quite the opposite. They deserve to face the fact the world always assumes the worst will happen there. Sorry you're a global laughingstock ####show, but you are even if you don't want to be.

[flylock shox]

Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin: 3 key swing states with open carry (no permit required) laws.



What are the odds a bunch of Trump's minions - ginned up on propaganda about Democrats stealing the election via voter fraud - don't show up at polling stations to ensure there's no funny business?



If you've been drinking the Republican Kool-Aid for the last 4 years, you'd feel not only entitled - but that it's your civic duty - to act to protect American democracy. You might not even mean to intimidate your fellow citizens, but your presence does so anyway, and heightens the risk of deadly confrontations/encounters.



Heck, it'll cause mayhem even if some polling stations need to close or delay due to security concerns. The Republican M.O. isn't really to win - it's to undermine the credibility of the election, and any delays or irregularities play right into their hands.



I would be stunned if there aren't confrontations at at least a handful of polling stations in November.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

No, people like to think America is out of control crazy because Donald Trump could rape 40% of the country's mothers, wives, and daughters, right in front of them, and they would still vote for him. America doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, quite the opposite. They deserve to face the fact the world always assumes the worst will happen there. Sorry you're a global laughingstock ####show, but you are even if you don't want to be.

I'm not disagreeing with you, far from it. But I believe this country will recover from this low point.

I'm just saying that even those people who I know still support Trump (some are my neighbors), aside from their politics, which is certainly a problem, they are normal people in every other aspect. The extremists who show up with guns are not even close to a significant portion of the population.

I mean, I'm as cynical as the next guy, but I just don't see this particular scenario happening.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin: 3 key swing states with open carry (no permit required) laws.



What are the odds a bunch of Trump's minions - ginned up on propaganda about Democrats stealing the election via voter fraud - don't show up at polling stations to ensure there's no funny business?



If you've been drinking the Republican Kool-Aid for the last 4 years, you'd feel not only entitled - but that it's your civic duty - to act to protect American democracy. You might not even mean to intimidate your fellow citizens, but your presence does so anyway, and heightens the risk of deadly confrontations/encounters.



Heck, it'll cause mayhem even if some polling stations need to close or delay due to security concerns. The Republican M.O. isn't really to win - it's to undermine the credibility of the election, and any delays or irregularities play right into their hands.



I would be stunned if there aren't confrontations at at least a handful of polling stations in November.

Same here.

Just look at all the Confederate flag waving weirdos that showed up outside of the DNC broadcasting building, or the ones that drive around spraying mace at protesters.

It's not hard to picture some of these guys showing up on the streets in polling areas that are expected to have high Democrat voting ratios. I mean, you can Google "U.S. voter intimidation" and see that it has happened in the past, so if there was a time where it was ripe to go to the next level, it is probably in 2020.

This is just from 2016:

Spoiler!

https://twitter.com/user/status/796060435166429184

https://twitter.com/user/status/796061163222138884

https://twitter.com/user/status/796042125200814080

And who can forget the racist robocalls that white supremacist groups were using in Florida?

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Same here.

Just look at all the Confederate flag waving weirdos that showed up outside of the DNC broadcasting building, or the ones that drive around spraying mace at protesters.

It's not hard to picture some of these guys showing up on the streets in polling areas that are expected to have high Democrat voting ratios. I mean, you can Google "U.S. voter intimidation" and see that it has happened in the past, so if there was a time where it was ripe to go to the next level, it is probably in 2020.

No doubt Trump will be fully encouraging this behavior as well, right up until the eve of the election. His jackass supporters will do anything Der Führer says, so I imagine things will get very ugly.



Not to mention that if Trump ends up losing the election, the hardcore MAGA cult will completely lose their s**t and very possibly commit acts of violence in response, especially if the results are close.

[Kidder]

I don’t know how to post twitter stuff, but I was fairly sure I saw an official Trump post with link days ago that stated “sign up to be a poll watcher!”

So is he actively organizing voter intimidation?

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Kidder

I don’t know how to post twitter stuff, but I was fairly sure I saw an official Trump post with link days ago that stated “sign up to be a poll watcher!”

So is he actively organizing voter intimidation?

I wouldn't be surprised. He has been encouraging his followers to try and vote twice. It happened it 2016 as well when some Trump supporters were caught trying to "test the system" by voting twice.

I recall some Trump supporters also tailgating buses that were transporting voters to poll booths trying to intimidate them from going.

It is shocking how easy it is to cheat in an election.

[MoneyGuy]

Poll watchers or scrutineers (in Canada) aren’t illegal assuming they act appropriately, which likely is not the intent here.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by direwolf

No doubt Trump will be fully encouraging this behavior as well, right up until the eve of the election. His jackass supporters will do anything Der Führer says, so I imagine things will get very ugly.

Not to mention that if Trump ends up losing the election, the hardcore MAGA cult will completely lose their s**t and very possibly commit acts of violence in response, especially if the results are close.

It's almost certain that there will be a "red mirage" on election night; in-person voting results will be showing a Trump blowout initially, where the mail-in portion of the vote will come in gradually over the following couple of weeks, showing a better and better result for Biden as time goes on. This will lead to many Trumpists thinking that "oh no, they're rigging the election to steal it from Trump!!" and... well... it's hard to see a scenario where things don't get messy...

[activeStick]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

It's almost certain that there will be a "red mirage" on election night; in-person voting results will be showing a Trump blowout initially, where the mail-in portion of the vote will come in gradually over the following couple of weeks, showing a better and better result for Biden as time goes on. This will lead to many Trumpists thinking that "oh no, they're rigging the election to steal it from Trump!!" and... well... it's hard to see a scenario where things don't get messy...

I disagree with the initial Trump blowout you're predicting but I agree with the calls from Trump's side about voter fraud via mail-in ballots.

I can see a narrow Trump lead by midnight, maybe, and if it happens, Trump declaring victory pre-maturely to help with their plan to accuse Americans of voter fraud and eventually I see them also bringing up cases in court in key states.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by activeStick

I disagree with the initial Trump blowout you're predicting but I agree with the calls from Trump's side about voter fraud via mail-in ballots.

I can see a narrow Trump lead by midnight, maybe, and if it happens, Trump declaring victory pre-maturely to help with their plan to accuse Americans of voter fraud and eventually I see them also bringing up cases in court in key states.

Of course the only way to avoid any of this is if Dem supporters get out there and vote in record numbers, giving Biden a landslide victory. I'm sure even then Trump will kick up a fuss and try to claim it's rigged, etc.., but that's much harder to do if you lose by a significant margin.