Carl Muecke illustration
We are heading into an election like no other. So rather than writing an essay on another topic — which few would read because of the voting — or putting up a history gallery...here's a revolving open thread. Older but still relevant links will fall below the jump.
I'll be putting up election stories and links, while you can have the comments section to weigh in. The Front Page will have links to non-election stories. You can follow my Twitter comments @jontalton
Now we're at Friday and it appears "all over but the shouting" — and lawsuits, recounts, and damage Trump might do until January. Biden is President-elect. It's fitting that Philadelphia, especially, propelled Biden over the top. The city where the Constitution was born is where it was saved. Four years ago, I could not have imagined Joe Biden as a world historical figure. But here we are. And I am satisfied. Next week, I'll examine this nail-biter in more detail.
The New York Times: A Traditionalist Who Ran As Himself: "In many ways, he ran as the politician he has always been. And for one extraordinary election, that was enough."
The Washington Post: Kamala Harris, daughter of Jamaican and Indian parents, elected nation's first female vice president: "Black women helped propel Harris and president-elect Joe Biden to victory by elevating turnout in places like Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. Those women will finally see themselves represented in the White House as Biden and Harris replace President Trump, who started his political career by perpetuating a racist birther lie about President Barack Obama and has a long track record of making misogynistic comments."
The Washington Post: Five Takeaways of the Election: Winners and losers.
The Atlantic: America Won: "If, in 2016, Americans rewarded anger and extremism, in 2020 they handed victory to a man of moderation, one who stands up for progressive ideals without looking down on conservatives, and who believes that it is possible both to be honest about the country’s flaws and to take pride in its strengths. Biden won because he recognized that most Americans have far less appetite for political extremism than the country’s cable-news hosts and social-media celebrities seem to think."
The Upshot: How The Suburbs Moved Away From Trump: "Suburban counties that were already Democratic-leaning before 2020 tilted more so. And many that were deeply Republican nudged several points away from the president."
Max Boot: Thank goodness Trump is too incompetent to properly organize a coup: "Trump’s definition of an “illegal vote,” it is clear, is one that is cast against him. This is the kind of thing you expect to hear from Robert Mugabe, Alexander Lukashenko or Nicolás Maduro — not from the leader of a constitutional republic. No president in our history has mounted such a blatant assault on our democracy."
The Washington Post: State Lawmakers, Supreme Court, and Congress Likely Can't Help Trump If Results Are Contested: But things could get messy.
Politico: Trump's Almost Out Of Time: "The president still has a very narrow path to a second term. But three days after the election, it has nearly vanished, and Friday could be the day the race gets called."
Arizona Republic: Trump's Vote Gains in Maricopa County Are Well Short Of What's Needed To Catch Biden: "Trump fell far short of the 57% of the remaining vote he needs to take the state. And given the size of Friday's batch of votes from Maricopa County, Trump is running out of ballots to make it happen."
Philadelphia Inquirer: 'The Blue Shift' Isn't Fraud — It's How Pennsylvania's Votes Are Counted: "The pandemic has been a major driver of that massive surge in demand for mail ballots, and more than three million voters requested mail ballots for the general election. That’s just over one-third of all registered voters in the state. As of Monday night, more than 2.5 million ballots had already been returned — more than 10 times the number of mail ballots used in 2016."
The New Yorker: Trump is Attempting an Autocratic Takeover: "When it is no longer possible to reverse autocracy peacefully, the autocratic breakthrough has occurred, because the very structures of government have been transformed and can no longer protect themselves."
The New York Times: Trump Supporters Protest Outside Election Headquarters in Phoenix: "Without citing evidence, some Republicans have accused election officials of manipulating the results to indicate that Mr. Trump is losing in Maricopa County, which is home to about 60 percent of Arizona’s population."
Vox: Trump's Desperate White House Rant Was Everything People Feared About His Presidency in a Nutshell: With Biden now in striking distance of the 270 electoral votes he needs to become president-elect...the president stood behind the White House podium and tossed out baseless accusations that he was the victim of election fraud."
The New York Times: Why the Times Hasn't Called a Winner in Arizona: "We do not believe there’s solid enough data on the votes that remain to be counted after Election Day. The data we do have suggests that President Trump could fare well. Mr. Biden was and is still favored in our view. But on Tuesday night and afterward, there was no way to preclude, based on hard evidence, the possibility that Mr. Trump could win."
The Washington Post: Centrist House Democrats Blame Far-Left Colleagues For Costing the Party Seats: "Party leaders had expressed certainty that Trump’s divisiveness and mishandling of the pandemic would help them expand their majority with wins in GOP-held districts — and yet they lost at least a half-dozen seats and failed to retake the Senate. The explanation laid out by centrists, according to multiple people who were on the call and spoke on the condition of anonymity, is that Republicans were easily able to paint them all as socialists and radical leftists who endorse far-left positions such as defunding the police."
The New York Times: Democrats 'Blue Wave' Crashed In State Houses Across the Country: “This is crazy in that almost nothing has changed,” said Tim Storey, an expert with the National Conference of State Legislatures. “It really jumps off the page.”
Politico: Three Reasons Biden Flipped The Midwest: "Four years ago, Trump won the presidency on the margin of three states—Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania—by a combined 77,744 votes. It was, to use poker terminology, an “inside straight,” the sort of hand that seemingly comes together more by luck than by skill. The story isn’t that Trump’s luck appears to have run out. The story is that Biden is poised to beat him with the same exact hand."
Los Angeles Times: Americans Broke a 120-Year Voting Record — And Are More Divided Than Ever: "As a result, if Biden does move into the White House, he seems likely to be the first Democrat to do so without full control of Congress since the late 19th century."
The Plum Line: If Biden Holds Arizona, Trump Is Probably Done: "The Biden campaign’s view is that the remaining uncounted ballots that arrived on those later days or were dropped off on Election Day will likely continue narrowly favoring Trump, just like the already-counted ones do. But that’s so narrow an edge that it won’t let Trump make up that 93,000-vote deficit."
Los Angeles Times: Legal Experts Cast Doubt On Trump's Bid to Involve Supreme Court in Election Results: "The Supreme Court’s most famous election decision in Bush vs. Gore is credited with — or blamed for — deciding the presidential race in 2000 when it halted the recount of punch card ballots. But the most important word there may have been 'recount.' "
George Packer in the Atlantic: Face The Bitter Truth: "We are two countries and neither is going to be conquered or disappear anytime soon."
Susan B. Glasser in the New Yorker: Biden May Win But Trump Remains The President of Red America: "Trump spent the run-up to Election Day preëmptively undermining the results. He declared the contest both the most important in American history and the most crooked—unless he won outright."
Bill McKibben in the New Yorker: The Election Outcome Will Make Sweeping Climate Action Harder: "But, since that consensus doesn’t include the G.O.P. leadership, we may have to take that margin and put it to work in places other than the capital—in the country’s cities and states, for example, which are already driving the clean-energy push. A Biden Presidency should be able to protect California’s electric-vehicle mandate, for instance, and that should be enough to keep Detroit driving in the right direction."
Margaret Sullivan: We Don't Know Much About the Election Yet — Except The Media and Pollsters Blew It Again: "The supposedly commanding lead that Joe Biden carried for weeks didn’t last very long into Tuesday evening. This was a lead, remember, that many predicted could result in a landslide Biden victory, help turn the Senate blue, and bring the Democrats amazing victories in red states like Ohio and Florida."
The Washington Post: Trump Campaign Was Livid When Fox Called Arizona For Biden And Tensions Boiled Over On Air: "But as dawn approached, many other news organizations, including the Associated Press, also called Arizona for Biden. '(Decision desk director) Arnon (Mishkin) was right,' Fox anchor Martha MacCallum said. 'The White House was wrong.' ”
Slate: The Blue Wave Isn't Coming: "...we already know one thing: This isn’t a landslide, it’s a dogfight, and it’s going to be ugly. For all the talk about expanding the court with control of the Senate—which revealed an assumption that a revolution of sorts was coming, a “blue wave,” if you will—Democrats will be extremely lucky to win the presidency."
Esquire: Awful People Can Still Win Elections In Far Too Much Of The Country: "A failed half-bright football coach is going to walk in the footsteps of Daniel Webster and Bob La Follette. And he's replacing Doug Jones, who is an American hero."
The Washington Post: Postal Service disregards court order to conduct ballot sweeps in 12 districts after more than 300,000 ballots can't be traced: "The NAACP, which brought the lawsuit against the Postal Service with a group of voters and other civil rights groups, asked (U.S. District Judge) Sullivan for an emergency hearing to discuss the inspection schedules."
Jennifer Senior in the New York Times: Hillary Was Right to Warn Us: "Now, just imagine if you can. Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office, the next time America faces a crisis. Imagine him being in charge when your jobs and savings are at stake. Is this who you want to lead us in an emergency? Someone thin skinned and quick to anger who’d likely be on Twitter attacking reporters or bringing the whole regulatory system down on his critics when he should be focused on fixing what’s wrong? Would he even know what to do?"
Jane Mayer in the New Yorker: Why Trump Can't Afford to Lose: "The President has survived one impeachment, twenty-six accusations of sexual misconduct, and an estimated four thousand lawsuits. That run of good luck may well end, perhaps brutally, if Joe Biden wins."
Barton Gellman in The Atlantic: How Trump Could Attempt a Coup: "We know Trump’s intent. He is indifferent to any interest but his own and ruthless in its pursuit. What we need to know, in self-defense, is his capability. Trump stands atop a vast apparatus of government, ostensibly under his control but not entirely so in fact."
The Intercept: If Arizona Goes Blue, Look to Joe Arpaio and the Latinos Who Organized Against Him:: "Under his 24-year reign, which spanned from 1993 to 2016, Arpaio and his officers systematically targeted Latinos and people of color, used brutal policing policies, and were accused of far too many forms of misconduct to list. 'We had our own Trumpistas, or little Trumps, before Trump.' "
Trump's performance has been abysmal. We have less jobs than when he took office and the deficit hit an all time record this fiscal year. The Republicans failed to even enact a party platform, because Trump is the platform.
If this was a popular vote, I'm confident Biden would win handily. However, I have no idea what will happen in the Electoral College count. I find that I am incapable of understanding what the average voter thinks or how they will vote. I do believe the polls probably understate Trump's support, especially in the so-called swing states, which now include Arizona. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.
Posted by: Rich Weinroth | November 02, 2020 at 11:06 PM
This should be Az’s new motto. . Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Since Az main expense is education ,I feel sorry for our teachers. It is the first thing we will cut
Posted by: Mike Doughty | November 03, 2020 at 01:54 AM
Trump knows he's going to lose. He called Fox & Friends this morning to suggest he won't even attempt the Third World power move of contesting the vote count. Given the man's depravity and the grotesque cowardice of GOP elected officials, we still need to maintain our guard for the next several months. I fully expect random violence but no concerted effort to overthrow democracy itself. The ongoing problem for America is Fox News, and Rupert Murdoch in particular. If I were Biden, I'd be tempted to order a drone strike on him since he's been terrorizing our nation since 1994. I can't think of any one person who has done more systemic damage to our democracy than this geriatric quisling.
Posted by: soleri | November 03, 2020 at 02:43 PM
I don't know if anyone here has been following the Republican-friendly polling world. To keep my sanity, I have for quite a while now. Now, perhaps it's my bias making me intellectually susceptible, but I am convinced based on data that Trump will win if he gets a decent turn out today. We will see, but I have a feeling we will know tonight in practice if not officially.
If you have the stomach, you might turn away from CNN or where ever occasionally tonight and watch this site: https://www.decisionusaonline.com/
They are bullish on Trump and don't trust exit polls. If they are anxious, you'll know Biden is doing well. If they are happy, Biden supporters should worry regardless of what CNN is saying.
Posted by: Jon7190 | November 03, 2020 at 04:13 PM
So much for the knowing on election night part!
Posted by: Jon7190 | November 04, 2020 at 03:53 PM
Here's a link to Sam Harris discussing why Trump supporters feel the way they do, and why not to be an asshole around them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE-zp0rQ3BA&ab_channel=SamHarris
Posted by: soleri | November 04, 2020 at 07:16 PM
Thanks for sharing that clip, Soleri. It provides an interesting point of view.
I wonder if there will be another round of protests at the Maricopa County Recorder's Office tonight. I wasn't surprised to see the odious carpetbagger, Rep. Paul Gosar, amongst the protesters last night. The YouTube clip that Soleri shared almost perfectly describes Gosar, too.
Posted by: Kevin in Preskitt | November 05, 2020 at 02:05 PM
Thanks for that video, Solari. I would agree with that, though of course it's not universal, but probably applies particularly to people who are fans of Trump personally (as opposed to people like me whose approach is more utilitarian or policy related). He is remarkably unsanctimonious and having an "of the people" air for a billionaire/celebrity.
If you or other readers are in an understanding mood, I'll play the conservative sherpa. Yes the president was way early in using the "f" word, but his supporters who suspect fraud are not necessarily crazy or malicious. I'm not there 100% myself, but I'm worried. However things turn out, it's not a good situation for our country. If you're interested in how reasonable people could think that, this video is about as good as you'll find. It is long and gets pretty deep into analysis, but the first 20 minutes pretty well cover why people are flipping out over the count so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XilYcyzUaPM&t=1194s
Posted by: Jon7190 | November 05, 2020 at 04:12 PM
Jon 7190, the irony here is fairly obvious: Trump says in September that the only way he can lose is through election fraud. He has no evidence but he has loads of amplification in right-wing media. He even spelled out the game plan, specifically demanding that vote counting in Pennsylvania be restricted to election day, thus potentially invalidating millions of mail-in ballots. He tells his followers to vote at the polls on election day, however.
Trump's reputation for corrupton is unparalleled in American life. He's a pathological liar who at the same time often blurts out the truth as he did above. Trump's tendency to project his own criminal instincts onto his opponents is instructive here. There is, on the one hand, absolutely no evidence that Democrats did anything illegal. There is on the other Trump's brazen effort to win the election through fraudulent efforts. His cult is convinced of his cause even though they often acknowledge his roguish habits as somehow endearing.
American democracy is failing before our unblinkered eyes. There is absolutely no way for it to succeed if we can even agree on the broad outlines of reality. The war of all against all is only going to get worse in America as Trump stokes rage and contempt against his opponents in the coming years. You will believe him but the cost will be our political sanity and national cohesion. There is enough blame to go around, which is why I want to understand how your tribe feels the way it does. At the same time, if you can't honor the basic mechanism of voting itself, you have effectively become an enemy combatant in the war against democracy.
Posted by: soleri | November 06, 2020 at 09:18 AM
Assuming the Biden leads holds, what next for the Democrats...Run left, right or center?
And the Republicans will be saying next year "Donald who?"
Will one or both parties split, as some have suggested? Or just more of the same?
Posted by: !00 Octane | November 06, 2020 at 03:28 PM
A quieter more subtle version of planet manifest destiny.
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 06, 2020 at 11:04 PM
Biden declared the winner. Now is the time for partisans to become patriots and put country over party. No more hysterical allegations based on rumors and propaganda. No more disinformation disguised as "factual". The Republican war on democratic norms may be their most shameful episode since they became a party in 1854. Let us pray they now manifest some necessary decency because Trumpism has been a cancer on our national unity.
Posted by: soleri | November 07, 2020 at 09:47 AM
Cal, you may be right, a la one of today's Front Page links: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/11/trump-proved-authoritarians-can-get-elected-america/617023/. I've been reading the pieces by Tufekci and think she has a very good understanding of what's going.
She wrote another piece yesterday that is also worth reading: https://zeynep.substack.com/p/beating-trump-was-the-easy-part.
Posted by: IA_Ed | November 07, 2020 at 09:49 AM
I hope you all are doing well! I've been reading and following but not commenting. I really need to visit Arizona. Need some desert and pine. With this pandemic, however, I cannot leave New England, come back and quarantine for 2 weeks: can you day cabin fever.
That being said, I hope President-elect Biden (!!!) can make some inroads and reestablish a true pandemic response team.
Not only did Biden win the popular vote by a historic margin, and received the most votes in the history of the U.S., but he should win the Electoral College comfortably. Thank goodness...
Posted by: phxSUNSfan | November 07, 2020 at 09:53 AM
Well, now we get to see what full on batshit crazy looks like. I believe Trump is incapable of behaving like a functional adult, and his destructive tendencies will be on full display over the next 70+ days.
Posted by: DoggieCombover | November 07, 2020 at 11:41 AM
Dog,
Maybe?
He has to be careful who he pisses off.
Not many countries that wouldn't send him back to us.
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 07, 2020 at 12:10 PM
One for the shrinks.
What does it say when a man plays golf on the day he loses the election to be the planets most powerful (and scary) person?
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 07, 2020 at 12:15 PM
I’m betting on Dubai.
Posted by: Redhead | November 07, 2020 at 12:48 PM
As our conversation goes forward, and to save time and space, let us adopt the initialism FOBC (full-on batshit crazy).
Should prove useful.
Posted by: Joe Schallan | November 07, 2020 at 01:36 PM
The media has been FOBC for a very long time. That won't change.
Posted by: AzRebel | November 07, 2020 at 02:31 PM
Assuming it was determinative In this election, has Covid been too high a price to pay to get rid of the real estate developer? Discuss.
Posted by: Dawgzy | November 07, 2020 at 04:02 PM
Do you open the refrigerator to get something to eat and end up cleaning it out and forget to eat? But it was a mess.
Besides Trump and gang the current plague caught the attention of a number of folks about lifes priorties. If corn cobs make a comeback get the softer ones.
My thought is that Donald and Jared biggest issue is A few OC Oligarchs and Deutsche financial.
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 07, 2020 at 06:05 PM
Phxsunfan, good to know you are still around. The Arizona Hispanics showed up for this election.
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 07, 2020 at 06:09 PM
"Four Seasons Total Landscaping."
Does that have a mob echo sound?
Will Hoffa be there?
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 07, 2020 at 06:19 PM
Trump will pursue fruitless lawsuits. He can’t help himself; it’s what he does. He will announce he’s running in 2024, because it’ll be a moneymaker for him. I hope he gets derailed by both state and federal criminal cases, not to mention his financial troubles.
Posted by: Greg Hilliard | November 07, 2020 at 09:37 PM
As the vote count continues and Trump GAINS ground in AZ, only his dimwitted supporters would be shouting "stop the count".
I've met more than my fair share of die-hard Trump believers and I must say, they are not the sharpest crayons in the box.
Posted by: Helen Highwater | November 07, 2020 at 11:05 PM
Jon, thanks for the Archeology magazine article in the Arizona pages.
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/393-2009/features/8918-walking-into-new-worlds
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 08, 2020 at 10:43 AM
The predatory nature of Manifest Destiny didn’t die when the European invaders made it from the east coast to the west coast of America. It rose up out of a nap in the 70's and has been on a neocon murderous mission to dominate the planet every day since. Today 7.5 billion People are told to standby and wait to be saved by American politicians.
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 08, 2020 at 02:37 PM
A lot will happen between now and
20 January 2021. Arizona could slip into Trumps column.
"It aint over till the fat lady sings"
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 08, 2020 at 02:40 PM
Helen Highwater?
I hear where you live they only sell MAGA coloring books and that they come with a free sharpie pen?
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 08, 2020 at 02:46 PM
Female, Black, Indian President?
https://lithub.com/rebecca-solnit-our-first-black-woman-president-is-here/
“There is nothing moderate about breaking with 230 years of male presidents, all but one of them white.”
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 08, 2020 at 03:03 PM
There's nothing on my lips but hallelujah.
Posted by: El Kabong | November 09, 2020 at 09:15 AM
Can the election results be put on hold until April?
Will it go 5 to 4 for Trump winning the electoral college?
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 09, 2020 at 11:44 AM
Even with a Biden presidency the Christian Fascists are still a powerful force to be reckoned with after the Leo Leonard pick for Trump of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme court. Her membership in People of Praise, a far-right Catholic cult that practices “speaking in tongues” will keep Jesus White and Christianity Supreme.
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 09, 2020 at 12:32 PM
Come on Cal. We all know Jesus was white.
And Italian. I've seen the pictures.
Posted by: B. Franklin | November 09, 2020 at 01:15 PM
I have know some pretty "dark" Italians.
Here you go.
https://riseuptimes.org/2019/12/31/onward-christian-fascists-by-chris-hedges/
and
Joe who posts here just forwarded me this
A good read.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/16/pulling-our-politics-back-from-the-brink
Posted by: Cal Lash | November 09, 2020 at 02:16 PM
FOBC Installment I: firing Pentagon brass in a fit of pique, also known as breaking the crockery on the way out the door.
And if I were a bigger man, I would refrain from this, but, PeePee, come out, come out wherever you are. I await erudite analysis of the stolen election.
Posted by: DoggieCombover | November 12, 2020 at 09:47 AM