[GT] US election - It's 2020, what could possibly go wrong?

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If Trump still gets more electoral votes than Romney did against Obama, I am afraid the Republican will not have learned much from the last 4 years, expect maybe to get someone that can out-Trump even Trump in 2024.

I just don't think they are going to lose hard enough to really make them change.

I feel weirdly superstitious about not talking about a post-Trump era yet, but there's some really fascinating questions out there for how the party moves forward. I could see a significant, long-term internal struggle as a potential outcome.

[FlamesAddiction]

Those should be Old Dutch chips then.

[djsFlames]

Biden is from Scranton?

The Office Scranton? How cool.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Even if you don't like Biden he will put competent people in the right positions...boggles the mind some can't see that. It's not like the president does the "work" anyway. The guy who hired Omarosa is threatening to fire Fauchi FFS

That's the thing.

The US government consists of over 2 million people. Trump has largely ignored some departments, and completely messed up others. He has disrespected the office, and the people that he 'leads'.

All we need, in order to have an improvement, is simply to move back to having respect for the institutions of government.

I am not a big Biden fan. And by no means would I expect his team (or anyone else's team) to be without warts. But that isn't the issue here. The issue is trying to re-inject some respect, civility, and professionalism to government.

I have no doubt that he and his team can do that much, at the very least.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by djsflames

biden is from scranton?

The office scranton? How cool.

*pIANO!*

[troutman]

Originally Posted by darockwilder

I just got the inside scoop from an acquaintance who's locked into all things in the Qniverse. Main points are:

-Definitely a Trump victory in the 360's, probably 369.

-Mail in voting will be negligible (?) and won't affect anything

-California has a chance to flip Red


You heard it here first!

Funny thing is, he totally believes all of it. It's mind boggling.

When you offer to wager $10,000 with people like this, they suddenly become very quiet.

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by octothorp

I feel weirdly superstitious about not talking about a post-Trump era yet, but there's some really fascinating questions out there for how the party moves forward. I could see a significant, long-term internal struggle as a potential outcome.

Another interesting question is how the Democratic party may respond if/when all the moderate anti-Trump Republicans rush back to their party to take it back and leave the Dems without the support they have been giving in this strange time.

[djsFlames]

The Scranton Strangler is coming for Trump tonight!

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If Trump still gets more electoral votes than Romney did against Obama, I am afraid the Republicans will not have learned much from the last 4 years, expect maybe to get someone that can out-Trump even Trump in 2024.

I just don't think they are going to lose hard enough to really make them change.

this is the key for me. Trump losing isn't enough. We need two things to happen, IMO:

1) a Democratic sweep of the WH, congress, and the Senate, so that they have the power to make significant change, and not just have the Senate block everything they want to do

2) a decisive enough loss to make the Republican party re-evaluate it's strategies

If all we get is an ousting of Trump, but a continuation of the garbage politics that are becoming ever more prevalent, then what has really been accomplished?

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by rohara66

That's pretty much exactly how I feel on this rainy Vancouver day.

I need some chips to make the most of this.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Ahem...51 if you include Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.

Speaking of PR, Statehood is on the ballot. For the first time, it is a simple Yes/No question. In the past, there have always been multiple options (i.e. Statehood, Independence, or Status Quo).

"¿Debe Puerto Rico ser admitido inmediatamente dentro de la Unión como un Estado?"

"Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State?"

Obviously, if they vote yes, it doesn't mean instant Statehood, but it is the first step of the process. Officially, statehood requires a majority vote of both Houses of Congress. If the vote is in favour, and the Dems sweep to majorities in both Houses and Biden wins, we could potentially see a 51st (and 52nd with DC) within the next 2 years.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

this is the key for me. Trump losing isn't enough. We need two things to happen, IMO:

1) a Democratic sweep of the WH, congress, and the Senate, so that they have the power to make significant change, and not just have the Senate block everything they want to do

2) a decisive enough loss to make the Republican party re-evaluate it's strategies

If all we get is an ousting of Trump, but a continuation of the garbage politics that are becoming ever more prevalent, then what has really been accomplished?

If Obama, who had a sweep one term, could not affect any real positive change, not sure how one can expect a Biden administration to accomplish much, except starting a process of recovery, as some have described above.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Ahem...51 if you include Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories.

He had NY going to Biden...that's it

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

If Obama, who had a sweep one term, could not affect any real positive change, not sure how one can expect a Biden administration to accomplish much, except starting a process of recovery, as some have described above.

Half a term, technically. The Tea Party movement won the House in 2010, two years into Obama's first term, and then tied up the rest of his presidency with idiotic government shutdowns over the debt ceiling (which they promptly stopped caring about as soon as a Republican was president).

[V]

I don't follow any of this very closely, but weren't the polls showing an obvious Clinton win in 2016? I'm surprised how confident people are of a Biden victory. Is everyone completely oblivious that 2020 is obviously the darkest of timelines?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

Half a term, technically. The Tea Party movement won the House in 2010, two years into Obama's first term, and then tied up the rest of his presidency with idiotic government shutdowns over the debt ceiling (which they promptly stopped caring about as soon as a Republican was president).

and US democracy has not recovered from that event

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by V

I don't follow any of this very closely, but weren't the polls showing an obvious Clinton win in 2016? I'm surprised how confident people are of a Biden victory. Is everyone completely oblivious that 2020 is obviously the darkest of timelines?

This again?

Originally Posted by Party Elephant

I'm sure this is the last time this will need to be explained in this thread, and no helpful poster will come around on the next page to finger wag and tell us the polls were wrong last time you guys.

[burn_this_city]

People seem to forget, with a 50:50 or 51:49 senate the Dems will have to appeal to the most conservative member of caucus to pass anything. The party isn't a monolith so it's difficult to get everyone moving in the same direction. There won't be a transformative agenda with these realities.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by V

I don't follow any of this very closely, but weren't the polls showing an obvious Clinton win in 2016? I'm surprised how confident people are of a Biden victory. Is everyone completely oblivious that 2020 is obviously the darkest of timelines?

Underlying numbers are far stronger for Biden, he has a penis, is white, and not viewed as worse than Satan by half the population.

[V]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

This again?

Darkest of timelines, my friend.