Scrutable

Anyone watching the President Elect and Vice President Elect?

I really want him to gloat. Sadly he'll be presidential.

sTeamTraen wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 10:38 pm This probably lookist or sexist or something, but f.ck it: Kamala Harris looks like a really nice, normal person who smiles, properly, several times a day.

I don't expect politicians to look real (although Obama was pretty good). Biden looks like he's spent 48 years going on TV, that's par for the course. But almost everyone in the Trump camp just looks weird, partly because of the dead-eyes thing where every smile is a Pan-Am smile, but partly because of that over-made-up look that many Americans seem to have in pictures of all kinds.

To be honest she just sounds like a reasonably good politician to me. To me Obama certainly did not sound like a normal human being. He was an exceptionally charismatic person who just had that air of cool about them. I never once doubted he would win any of his elections, and I was a bit surprised recently to see that poll wise they were in fact fairly close elections, but to me it was inconceivable that someone with that level of charisma could fail to win. Tony Blair is the next closest politician to Obama like that, but there is still a huge gulf (OK and I suppose JFK was like that.. but before my time).

Grumble wrote: Fri Nov 06, 2020 7:57 pm It was a binary choice though, if there weren’t a substantial number in favour of Brexit the referendum would never have been held in the first place.

It was presented as a binary choice, but it wasn't really. One alternative was Remain, another was exit to WTO terms with no deal, another was exit to EFTA terms, another was exit retaining a common customs area, etc. etc. The way it was presented, people who wanted one specific exit, but preferred Remain over another specific exit were persuaded to vote to exit and are likely to be very unhappy when the final outcome is known.

Similarly, the election for US president is not a binary choice. It is a choice between up to about 140 million people (based on age alone - there's also a residency requirement).

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54860213

Then we got back at the White House, the president went in through a side door, an entrance that presidents rarely use. His shoulders were slumped, and his head down.

He glanced over and saw me and the others in the press pool and gave us a thumbs-up. It was a half-hearted gesture; he did not raise his hand high or shake a fist, the way he often does.

...

As he ducked into the side door of the White House in the late afternoon, the swagger was gone.

I know I’m a terrible person but following that bizarre landscaping company press conference yesterday, my mind recalled the ignominious ends of the likes of Mussolini and Gaddafi and I speculated where and how a desperate Trump might be run to ground.

malbui wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:46 am I know I’m a terrible person but following that bizarre landscaping company press conference yesterday, my mind recalled the ignominious ends of the likes of Mussolini and Gaddafi and I speculated where and how a desperate Trump might be run to ground.

Two possibilities strike me:

1. Mar a Lago. Possibly needs building a wall to make ready for role as Castle?

2. Guantanamo. Saves preparatory work as there are plenty of walls already.

I am enjoying people pranking the trump voter fraud site and hotline https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/ ... 91521?s=19

Stephanie wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 9:55 am I am enjoying people pranking the trump voter fraud site and hotline https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/ ... 91521?s=19

I've been shaking with laughter at some of those.

dyqik wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 9:16 pm

shpalman wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 9:10 pm Any reason that North Carolina hasn't been called for Trump? It looks like a wide enough margin from here.

Depends on how many absentee ballots are returned, and if they follow the same margins as in Georgia or Pennsylvania, or more like the margins in Arizona. There's just enough ballots outstanding in very blue counties to make it possible.

And Georgia blew past its estimate of outstanding ballots, so something similar could happen in North Carolina.

And we can't yet know how many remain because ballots postmarked on election day or earlier will be counted as long as they arrive before the end of this coming thursday in North Carolina.

jimbob wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 9:21 pm

sTeamTraen wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 8:56 pm

dyqik wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 7:46 pm

It's not the Senate.

It's a joint session of Congress, presided over by the President of the Senate (the Vice President).

Harris or Pence?

Even if it was Pence: For a 50-48 Senate to refuse would provoke an unprecedented constitutional crisis. If this was likely, we would already have heard many Republican senators complaining that the election was rigged. I think most of them will be glad to see the back of Trump; they know that unless the Georgia runoffs deliver two Ds they can block any meaningful plans of Biden's and then blame him for the post-COVID recession(s), and pick up big numbers in 2022.

And that looks pretty unlikely - given the numbers this time round, with the Democrat getting 32% of the vote.

Twenty candidates split the vote a long way, but I reckoned it was about even on Democrat and Republican support, both just shy of 50% with a bit of third party in there. Warnock is ahead in polls for a head to head against Loeghler, though that might not mean much this far out, especially with them done before the general election. The two leading Republican candidates fought a vicious election campaign against each other in order to be the Republican on ballot for the special election runoff, with a tea-partier and a Trumpist crook trying to outmanoevre each other on the right, and undermining their chances with the centre much as Virginia Republicans did after 2008.

Republican downballot candidates benefitted a lot from Trump on the ballot, as he brought out the imbeciles to vote for him, and the independents to ticket split against him and for downballot Rs, with downballot Rs as a consequence running ahead of Trump. If the special election ends up more like the mid terms did, it could well return one or both Democrats.

Republican candidates may end up torn between businessmen in Atlanta and similar who want a Republican senate but don't favour Trumpist post-election antics, and Trumpists who would feel betrayed by a lack of Trumpist post-election antics, and I'd expect the two Republicans - Perdue and Loeghler - to split on this, with Perdue less likely to engage in Trumpist antics, and Loeghler very likely to. On the other side of the fence, Warnock is well placed to inspire black turnout, and Ossoff is a brilliant debater who learned his trade from John Lewis.

Also, although Perdue finished a point or two ahead of Ossoff, Ossoff arguably has the momentum. Perdue was polling well ahead of Trump until the last part of the race, until he tried warming up a Trump rally with some racism against Kamala Harris, and got hammered in the only debate he attended so badly he chickened out of the other, using the ongoing presidential campaign as his excuse. Seriously, search for "It's not just that you're a crook, senator", or go across to the thread here on the debates and scroll back a bit, I posted video of the moment.

Warnock and Ossoff are probably better placed to aid each other, and Perdue may even want to avoid the potentially toxic Loeghler. We saw in Arizona that appointed senators don't get the same incumbency advantages as elected ones. With the national race no longer dominating the news so much, it may also be harder for Loeghler and Perdue to hide from the fact that they sold stocks based on privileged information about the coronavirus while lying to the public that it was nothing to worry about.

Independents may also split the ticket, most likely going Warnock/Perdue, to avoid the extreme Loeghler while still thinking they are being balanced.

malbui wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:46 am I know I’m a terrible person but following that bizarre landscaping company press conference yesterday, my mind recalled the ignominious ends of the likes of Mussolini and Gaddafi and I speculated where and how a desperate Trump might be run to ground.

There's something about the metal structure on the right of this picture that I can't quite put my finger on.

sTeamTraen wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:12 am

malbui wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:46 am I know I’m a terrible person but following that bizarre landscaping company press conference yesterday, my mind recalled the ignominious ends of the likes of Mussolini and Gaddafi and I speculated where and how a desperate Trump might be run to ground.

There's something about the metal structure on the right of this picture that I can't quite put my finger on.


Untitled.png

- - - - - - -
Seven letters, one word, go?

I am more worried that this explains the very odd booking location.

Bewildered wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:05 pm

sTeamTraen wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:12 am

malbui wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 7:46 am I know I’m a terrible person but following that bizarre landscaping company press conference yesterday, my mind recalled the ignominious ends of the likes of Mussolini and Gaddafi and I speculated where and how a desperate Trump might be run to ground.

There's something about the metal structure on the right of this picture that I can't quite put my finger on.


Untitled.png

- - - - - - -
Seven letters, one word, go?

I am more worried that this explains the very odd booking location.

The "wrong Four Seasons" theory is pretty solid, possibly sure to them being told they couldn't book the actual Four Seasons. The press conference was delayed 30 minutes by Rudy Giuliani's late arrival. It's a 24 minute drive from the Philadelphia Four Seasons Hotel to this place.

sideshowjim wrote: Sat Nov 07, 2020 10:48 pm I celebrated!

Awww, that's nice: even your whisky is celebrating with a cigar. I expect it's one of those smoky ones.

dyqik wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:29 pm

Bewildered wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 12:05 pm

sTeamTraen wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 11:12 am There's something about the metal structure on the right of this picture that I can't quite put my finger on.


Untitled.png

- - - - - - -
Seven letters, one word, go?

I am more worried that this explains the very odd booking location.

The "wrong Four Seasons" theory is pretty solid, possibly sure to them being told they couldn't book the actual Four Seasons. The press conference was delayed 30 minutes by Rudy Giuliani's late arrival. It's a 24 minute drive from the Philadelphia Four Seasons Hotel to this place.

If so, that (as well as being hilarious) does add a bit of credence to the "internal saboteur" theory, much like Trump dancing to YMCA all the time.

But then, these guys are basically a personification of Poe's Law, so who knows.

Four years ago, Trump supporters were all, "You lost, get over it".

...now, not so much

MAGA morons still don't understand Rage Against the Machine.

Here are some in Philadelphia waving Blue Lives Matter flags while singing about KKK infiltration of the police forces.

https://twitter.com/tmorello/status/132 ... 42433?s=20

I suppose they could be singing it approvingly.

Or maybe they think "the machine" is a biased vote-counting, rather than the oppressive system they love supporting so much.

Bird on a Fire wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 1:00 pm MAGA morons still don't understand Rage Against the Machine.

Here are some in Philadelphia waving Blue Lives Matter flags while singing about KKK infiltration of the police forces.

https://twitter.com/tmorello/status/132 ... 42433?s=20

I suppose they could be singing it approvingly.

Or maybe they think "the machine" is a biased vote-counting, rather than the oppressive system they love supporting so much.

Not the only example. Neil Young sued the Trump campaign for playing Rockin’ in the Free World without permission. The song’s lyrics are explicitly anti-Republican (directed at George HW Bush).

Spotted on FaceBook:

https://twitter.com/JeffLieber/status/1 ... 6705061888

Jeffrey Lieber
@JeffLieber
I’m sorry I can’t let this go: the people who can’t find the right Four Seasons want you to believe they uncovered 40,000 fraudulent ballots in Philadelphia?
4:47 AM · Nov 8, 2020·Twitter for iPhone
10.8K
Retweets

Woodchopper wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 3:33 pm

Bird on a Fire wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 1:00 pm MAGA morons still don't understand Rage Against the Machine.

Here are some in Philadelphia waving Blue Lives Matter flags while singing about KKK infiltration of the police forces.

https://twitter.com/tmorello/status/132 ... 42433?s=20

I suppose they could be singing it approvingly.

Or maybe they think "the machine" is a biased vote-counting, rather than the oppressive system they love supporting so much.

Not the only example. Neil Young sued the Trump campaign for playing Rockin’ in the Free World without permission. The song’s lyrics are explicitly anti-Republican (directed at George HW Bush).

I can imagine a long-suffering sound technician leaving the Neil Young playlist on random, and getting "Let's Impeach The President" next.

“Our moment will come too” — Waldorf Astoria Plumbing & Heating Co

(Stolen from @CardiffGarcia on Twitter, but I can't work out how to easily link to Twitter in this phone)

FlammableFlower wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:35 pm “Our moment will come too” — Waldorf Astoria Plumbing & Heating Co

(Stolen from @CardiffGarcia on Twitter, but I can't work out how to easily link to Twitter in this phone)

Thing is, Four Seasons Patios & Grills must've known the Trump team wanted the hotel. It can't even be the first time they've received a wrong number.

So either they, or whichever staffer made the call, deliberately sabotaged Giuliani. Which is funny.

Bird on a Fire wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 6:13 pm

FlammableFlower wrote: Sun Nov 08, 2020 5:35 pm “Our moment will come too” — Waldorf Astoria Plumbing & Heating Co

(Stolen from @CardiffGarcia on Twitter, but I can't work out how to easily link to Twitter in this phone)

Thing is, Four Seasons Patios & Grills must've known the Trump team wanted the hotel. It can't even be the first time they've received a wrong number.

So either they, or whichever staffer made the call, deliberately sabotaged Giuliani. Which is funny.

On google their opening hours are given as 8am - 5pm week days and closed Saturday and Sunday. So who would've been in the office to take a call anyway?

Auto-forward to mobile? (Boring answer)

Or maybe a mischievous gnome.