2020 Election Results 5: The Nightmare Is Over (For now)

[thoughtful]

@formergothardite, is that . . . Jill?

If so, Gary might be right when he says there's no hope in the Pope 'cause the Pope is full of dope (well, Plexus, anyway).

[ignorantobserver]

4 minutes ago, thoughtful said:

there's no hope in the Pope 'cause the Pope is full of dope

Did he actually say that ? Was he high ? Drunk ? What on earth... You have my deepest admiration for putting yourself through Bro Gary's ramblings repeatedly. I gave up after a few rants.

[Skyline]

17 minutes ago, irish_dancing_canadian said:

Just jumping into the thread here. Very happy for the USA today! Hoping the newly elected President and team can work towards change. 

Today reminded me of a quote from a well known politician in Canada. His name was Jack Layton. Sad he’s still not with us today but here’s some of his final words: 

“Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”

My ? politician. RIP Jack Layton. I missed out on seeing him in person in 2011 when he campaigned in Victoria and I will always regret that.

[GreyhoundFan]

[thoughtful]

4 minutes ago, ignorantobserver said:

Did he actually say that ? Was he high ? Drunk ? What on earth... You have my deepest admiration for putting yourself through Bro Gary's ramblings repeatedly. I gave up after a few rants.

Oh, yes - he says some variant of it (he often can't get it to come out right, of course) in about half of his sermons.

He is never drunk or high. He is just . . . Gary.

[formergothardite]

10 minutes ago, thoughtful said:

@formergothardite, is that . . . Jill?

 

Jill only wishes she could be as fabulous as Moira Rose! 

 

[thoughtful]

1 minute ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I am not a gambler, but I would be willing to bet all that I have that Donald Trump has never hefted a backpack in his life.

3 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

Jill only wishes she could be as fabulous as Moira Rose! 

 

Ah, OK - I had to look that up. Haven't watched Schitt's Creek. All I could see was a lot of eye makeup and blonde, and thought it was another composite pic.

[LittleOwl]

18 minutes ago, Glasgowghirl said:

I'm still gutted Lord Bucket head or Elmo didn't win against Boris in that seat. 

Blessed be Count Binface.  

[GreyhoundFan]

[HerNameIsBuffy]

 

4 hours ago, Audrey2 said:

I am still shocked that President elect Biden got the military vote. When I was a young adult I lived near a military base and they were overwhelmingly Republican, at least the ones who I knew were vocal about it. I also know that in my circle of friends the retired Air Force guy is extremely Trump Republican as is his son who served in the Army.

Former Navy wife here and this thrilled me as my ex is a hard core Trumper who is apoplectic at the moment!  Glad the reasonable military came through.  (Seriously guys he's SO mad.  It's GLORIOUS!  He's super afraid that Joe Biden is going to take "In God We Trust" off the money.  He's ranting.  Someone give me a cookie for not calling him to ask how his day is going!

 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I've hated the Twitter presidency but I love Twitter now.  Pre-social media these world leaders would be calling in private.   But with Twitter Trump has to see every word.  It's got to be like having to watch your ex who just dumped you have sex with their new partner right in front of you, while you're desperately wanting them back.  

1 hour ago, thoughtful said:

I have, half-jokingly, said that the only good thing that will come out of the Trump presidency is that nobody will ever have to look up the term "malignant narcissist" again.

As someone who has had to explain to others that people with these sorts of personality disorders are just different, not just a bit more selfish or in denial than the norm, I understand.

So much this!  How sick is it that my decade of marriage to an abusive man diagnosed with NPD-BPD has made me a subject matter expert on the disordered thinking of men like the president for the last four years.  

And to the part of your post I snipped....yes, some assholes can change.  If they are just assholes and not wired with cluster B personality disorders.  I look forward to no longer having to explain the concept of disordered thinking to people on the internet who think every jerk is a narcissist.

1 hour ago, SassyPants said:

I truly do not think that this guy knows how to think of anyone but himself. Whatever age and developmental stage that most people become aware and integrate the fact that others exist, and that others’ feelings, needs, desires also matter, Trump missed that stage. He is unaware of and cares nothing for anyone but himself. He 100% lacks any empathy and the ability to walk in anyone else’s moccasins. 

You are correct, he doesn't.  His thought processes are so foreign to the rest of us it reminds me of something Ricky Gervais said once about how he'd read that even if a lion could learn to speak it couldn't have a conversation with a human even if they spoke the same language because their frames of reference and mental processes are too different.  Unless you have personal experience with someone who truly has disordered thinking it's hard to understand how dissimilar it is to anything you consider logical or empathetic.

1 hour ago, Ozlsn said:

West Clare hotelier loses US election.

Irish newspaper headline.

I love this!  I have family in Cork that I have never met, but I'm hoping they are just as happy about this as we are.  

1 hour ago, onekidanddone said:

He can’t brief Biden on any issue as he has no idea what they are

I think the best thing ever would be for the news to stop asking about this kind of thing and just immediately mark him irrelevant.  Of course he has no capacity to help transition out of a job he never did in the first place and the media acting like his lack of cooperation is an inconvenience just assigned a level of competence to him that he never had.

1 hour ago, Destiny said:

Ben Ginsberg was just on CNN wondering if the Menace was going to pardon himself. That's an amazing question to wonder out loud about for a president. 

I've read about this a couple of places over the last few weeks, discussions about the legal argument.  It hasn't been tried and lawyers are split on how it could go as no one thought to spell it out before.  Although they should have anticipated this after freshly revolting from a king.

1 hour ago, JenniferJuniper said:

I still think it's possible he'll resign and have Pence pardon him and his family and any other criminal friends who might be of some use to him down the road.  Won't help him with any state crimes, but it would likely take a lot off the table. 

My money is still on this.  If he doesn't I'd assume it's because federal crimes won't matter because the state stuff will sink him.

If this happens I wonder if it only applies to crimes he committed in his role as President, or if it would cover federal tax fraud crimes he committed as a private entity.

30 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

It is about damn time! Nobody wanted to look at my other one for another four years. 

I love your posts so much, but damn ain't that the truth.  @Destiny 's was bad, but yours haunted me when I closed my eyes.  

[thoughtful]

3 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

 

And to the part of your post I snipped....yes, some assholes can change.  If they are just assholes and not wired with cluster B personality disorders.  I look forward to no longer having to explain the concept of disordered thinking to people on the internet who think every jerk is a narcissist.

And those with the opposite problem, thinking that someone with that kind of disordered thinking can be brought around by logic, kindness, or moral arguments.

I like the idea from Ricky Gervais - there really are people with completely different kinds of minds, which is a difficult concept (especially for idealistic teachers like me!).

[church_of_dog]

17 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

 

I'm pretty sure that the "honest conversations" referred to were mostly composed of the phrase:

"No, I'm sorry, we won't sell you Greenland."

[Cartmann99]

30 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

Twitter will ban his ass and it will just be him trying to beg people to pay attention to him.

Mike Huckabee has a show on TBN, so he'll probably invite Trump to come on and whine about how he was robbed.

[Not that josh's mom]

My husband is a Republican  - no matter what, no matter who. I'm not! Guess who's happiest at our house? It may be a long  next four (and hopefully more!) Years. But the last 4 years have been hell for me. Every time I though Trump couldn't say or do something any dumber- He did! I just pray he can't do so much damage before inauguration that we can't recover. He's so terrible, i just can't imagine the things he'll try to do.

[GreyhoundFan]

Helpful info, since GA and WI are going to recount: "How recounts work in Georgia, Wisconsin and other key states"

Quote

With votes still being tallied in multiple states, the presidential race remained too close to call. Former vice president Joe Biden was leading in electoral votes, but several key states had still not been called.

Thin margins could open up the possibility of recounts. The Trump campaign has already signaled it would request a recount in the critical state of Wisconsin, where Biden was declared winner.

As the results continue trickling in, here’s what we know about the rules for recounts in hotly contested states.

Georgia

Georgia state officials said Friday morning the state is likely headed to a recount for the presidential election as counties wrapped up counting the remainder of their absentee ballots. Biden’s lead in Georgia was within the vote margin that would allow a candidate to request a recount under state law.

“Right now Georgia remains too close to call. Out of approximately 5 million votes cast we’ll have a margin of a few thousand," Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) said. "With a margin that small, there will be a recount in Georgia.”

A formal recount challenge likely will not be made until later in November.

Under Georgia law, a candidate can request a recount if the margin is less than 0.5 percent of votes cast. That request must be made within two days of results being certified.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar is required by law to order a recount if the winning margin is 0.5 percent or less. The recount would need to be ordered by 5 p.m. on Nov. 12 and completed by Nov. 24.

A recount can also be triggered in each county if requested by three voters.

As votes were counted in Pennsylvania, Biden took the lead Friday morning.

Arizona

In Arizona, state law requires a recount when the margin between the top two candidates is equal to or less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the total number of votes cast.

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D) told ABC News on Thursday morning that she did not anticipate that a recount would be necessary. “Our recount margins are very narrow,” she said. “I don’t think we’re going to get to that territory.”

Biden’s lead in Arizona was around 47,000 votes as of Friday morning.

Michigan

State law requires a recount be conducted automatically if the margin between two candidates is 2,000 votes or less. A candidate can also petition for a recount if he or she alleges fraud or a mistake and “would have had a reasonable chance of winning the election.” The petition must be filed within 48 hours of the count’s completion.

News organizations declared Biden the winner of Michigan Wednesday.

Nevada

In Nevada, the loser of the election may request a recount within three working days of the final canvass of votes, no matter the margin — but they must be willing to put down a deposit to cover the estimated cost of the recount.

If the candidate who requests the recount ends up winning the race after a recount, that deposit would be returned. But if the recount shows that they did indeed lose the race, then they would have to foot the bill.

Wisconsin

Under state law, a candidate can request a recount if the margin is less than 1 percent. The request must be made no later than 5 p.m. on the first business day after the state has received final results from the state’s counties.

News organizations called the Wisconsin race for Biden late Wednesday.

 

[Zebedee]

7 minutes ago, thoughtful said:

I like the idea from Ricky Gervais - there really are people with completely different kinds of minds, which is a difficult concept (especially for idealistic teachers like me!).

I have that problem too. Even right now, even with DJT. I catch myself feeling sorry for him for a moment - but at this moment I can overcome that easily!

[HerNameIsBuffy]

3 minutes ago, thoughtful said:

And those with the opposite problem, thinking that someone with that kind of disordered thinking can be brought around by logic, kindness, or moral arguments.

My mom was the kindest person I've ever known.  She genuinely saw the good in everyone even when it never existed.  

The bolded is very dangerous, no matter how well intentioned.  You cannot protect yourself and your children from evil in others if you literally cannot see it.

[Cartmann99]

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

20 minutes ago, church_of_dog said:

 

I'm pretty sure that the "honest conversations" referred to were mostly composed of the phrase:

"No, I'm sorry, we won't sell you Greenland."

Anyone else think that post read like he was signing Trumps yearbook?  Sadly Trump will see the keep in touch part as approval.

[church_of_dog]

3 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Anyone else think that post read like he was signing Trumps yearbook?  Sadly Trump will see the keep in touch part as approval.

Indeed.  But the "have a bitchin' summer" part was silent. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

Quote

President Donald Trump will lose Twitter privileges he enjoys as a world leader when President-Elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20th, 2021. Twitter confirmed that Trump’s @realDonaldTrump account will be subject to the same rules as any other user — including bans on inciting violence and posting false information about voting or the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/7/21552606/trump-twitter-world-leader-public-interest-exception-ends-january-loss

[thoughtful]

33 minutes ago, Zebedee said:

I have that problem too. Even right now, even with DJT. I catch myself feeling sorry for him for a moment - but at this moment I can overcome that easily!

I can feel sorry for narcissists, because it really must be a monstrous way to live. But mostly I want to prevent them from hurting other people.

I've seen some who really can't seem to understand why others can't see their point of view, and whose sphere of influence is small enough that I know they are doing minimal damage. And I do feel for them a bit, and wish they could change.

I can't drum up much sympathy for DJT, despite his being trapped in this weird mindset and oh, so stupid - his being so disgustingly selfish, and the fact that he has harmed the entire world, and could have done so much more damage, makes him beyond my ability to even pity.

I'd still put Mitch McConnell higher on the "not stupid, just pure evil" scale, though.

Edited November 8, 2020 by thoughtful
riffle

[Glasgowghirl]

Just now, HerNameIsBuffy said:

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/7/21552606/trump-twitter-world-leader-public-interest-exception-ends-january-loss

I hope he gets kicked off twitter the way Tommy Robinson, Katie Hopkins and countless other racist accounts with high followings got kicked off. 

[Loveday]

I've been out all day and away from social media, so this is my first chance to celebrate with my fellow Fj'ers. I can't begin to tell y'all how happy I am that it was Pennsylvania that put Joe over. I'll be walking around with a big ole grin for days. 

    

 

 

[SassyPants]

2 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

I wonder if Melania will bother decorating the White House for Christmas.  ?

From USA TODAY 10/2/2020

Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who wrote the book "Melania and Me," secretly recorded conversations with Trump in the summer of 2018 after Wolkoff left her role as an adviser, CNN reported Thursday night. The recordings show the first lady expressing frustration over media perception on major issues like the administration's child separation policy.

The recordings also included Trump expressing dismay at her role in decorating and promoting the White House during Christmas time, while she was being criticized for not doing more meaningful work. 

"I'm working my a-- off with the Christmas stuff that, you know, who gives a f--- about Christmas stuff and decorations but I need to do it, right?" Trump is heard saying.

7 minutes ago, Glasgowghirl said:

I hope he gets kicked off twitter the way Tommy Robinson, Katie Hopkins and countless other racist accounts with high followings got kicked off. 

And Steve Bannon