2020 US Presidential Election

[jfollows]

Georgia is also very close and once counting is finished because the margin is less than 0.5% they go straight into a recount.

I believe, on a technicality, there is no automatic recount requirement in Georgia, a margin of <0.5% allows a candidate to request a recount but although this hasn't happened yet the Secretary of State has short-circuited the process by announcing a recount anyway. Which is probably the "safe" option for him, Brad Raffensperger that is.

I also suspect that, given that Trump won't concede, just about everyone in the world will increasingly ignore him, which will just get him more and more annoyed. But it seems like the best tactic - don't force a confrontation with him, deal with legal matters he forces as and when necessary, but otherwise stop talking to him and talk to Joe Biden and his team instead as much as possible.

EDIT - The other thing is that I expect (and hope) that the media will follow the example of MSNBC, ABC, NBC and CBS last night and stop covering Trump in depth; last night these broadcasters cut the tirade feed from Trump after 35 seconds on the basis that what he was saying was baseless and dangerous, and that they had no duty to air what he was saying. As he gets increasingly irrelevant, so the coverage of what he has to say will shrink.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Trump has gone to play golf, just like Major went to watch cricket after he lost in 1997

 

[DerekC]

Well, I am opening the Prosecco (sorry, can't afford Champagne) just as soon as it has chilled - forgot to put it in the fridge last night.

 

[FrodshamJnct]

Well, I am opening the Prosecco (sorry, can't afford Champagne) just as soon as it has chilled - forgot to put it in the fridge last night.

I’ve just done exactly the same! I suspect there’ll be quite a few corks popping around the world at the moment.

 

[Bald Rick]

Well, I am opening the Prosecco (sorry, can't afford Champagne) just as soon as it has chilled - forgot to put it in the fridge last night.

Cava is closer to Champagne than Prosecco, and just as cheap - get some of that!

 

[306024]

Trump has gone to play golf, just like Major went to watch cricket after he lost in 1997

No doubt he will go round in 33 and beat Kim Jong-Il’s record. Not sure I’d like to be his caddy this afternoon, or any afternoon.

 

[RichT54]

Best news all year

 

[SteveM70]

I was astonished to read that Melania is 50.

Some of her is, yes. Wouldn’t mind betting she leaves him in the next couple of years

 

[nlogax]

I think millions if not billions around the world are now able to give a half-sigh of relief. Now comes the really difficult bit.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

No doubt he will go round in 33 and beat Kim Jong-Il’s record. Not sure I’d like to be his caddy this afternoon, or any afternoon.

That’s cos he declares his result when he’s only on the 15th and his opponent is still teeing off on the 3rd

 

[Chester1]

Oh I've no doubt that the overall results will stand after a recount, I was just illustrating that Georgia was also pretty tight

The most important thing about the close count is that it gives hope that the Democrats can win both Senate seats (4 and 6 year terms) in the run off vote in January. The Republicans seem to have 50 seats in the bag so if the Democrats win both Georgia runnoffs then the Senate would be tied and Kamala Harris will have the deciding vote. Hopefully that will be sufficient to force through statehood for Puerto Rico and get 2 additional seats in from 2022.

 

[Typhoon]

Some of her is, yes. Wouldn’t mind betting she leaves him in the next couple of years

I suspect that Trump would either agree to them living apart (with a substantial monetary incentive) or divorce her first. The damage to his ego of her leaving him or, worse, a divorce would be too much for him.

 

[fgwrich]

I think millions if not billions around the world are now able to give a half-sigh of relief. Now comes the really difficult bit.

Funnily enough, Susie Dent's word of the day is "Suspire" which means to finally breathe out.

 

[JonasB]

Well, I am opening the Prosecco (sorry, can't afford Champagne) just as soon as it has chilled - forgot to put it in the fridge last night.

Cava is closer to Champagne than Prosecco, and just as cheap - get some of that!

Crémant is even closer to Champagne than Cava, and there are some good ones that don't cost as much as Champagne.

 

[Welly]

I was watching Channel 4 News interviewing Mary Trump last night and she suggested Trump will do something nasty before he leaves/gets dragged out of the White House. My blood ran cold when I remembered how close he is to the red button! Hope someone de-wires that red button!

 

[radamfi]

Hopefully that will be sufficient to force through statehood for Puerto Rico and get 2 additional seats in from 2022.

Their referendum on statehood was non-binding and only just scraped through with 52%. Not really enough of a majority for the referendum to have any legitimacy.

 

[dgl]

I was watching Channel 4 News interviewing Mary Trump last night and she suggested Trump will do something nasty before he leaves/gets dragged out of the White House. My blood ran cold when I remembered how close he is to the red button! Hope someone de-wires that red button!

Luckily, as I understand, he can be overruled in that respect. I would also like to see the army guarding him at all times to make sure he can't do anything "bad".

 

[Domh245]

Their referendum on statehood was non-binding and only just scraped through with 52%. Not really enough of a majority for the referendum to have any legitimacy.

A non binding referendum with a 52% vote in favour? That sounds ominously familiar, hard statehood all the way, independenters lost get over it

 

[Darandio]

I was watching Channel 4 News interviewing Mary Trump last night and she suggested Trump will do something nasty before he leaves/gets dragged out of the White House. My blood ran cold when I remembered how close he is to the red button! Hope someone de-wires that red button!

There is no button to press and Trump isn't going to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike on his own. Happy?

 

[RichT54]

Presumably Trump can still sack government appointees such as Dr. Fauci and replace them with more of his stooges, in order to create additional mayhem before Biden takes over.

 

[SteveM70]

Presumably Trump can still sack government appointees such as Dr. Fauci and replace them with more of his stooges, in order to create additional mayhem before Biden takes over.

He could, but surely (1) people would see it for what it is and (2) Biden would just reverse anything Trump did

 

[Darandio]

Presumably Trump can still sack government appointees such as Dr. Fauci and replace them with more of his stooges, in order to create additional mayhem before Biden takes over.

Of course. Nasty doesn't mean nuclear or even conventional warfare. It means he will now do everything in his power until 20th January to make things as difficult as possible for the incoming administration.

 

[52290]

Crémant is even closer to Champagne than Cava, and there are some good ones that don't cost as much as Champagne.

I'm opening a bottle of Proper Job, an appropriate name and a decent bottle conditioned ale from lil ole Cornshire.

 

[dosxuk]

My blood ran cold when I remembered how close he is to the red button! Hope someone de-wires that red button!

Is that the one for the nukes or the one to deliver him an ice cold can of coca cola?

 

[Cowley]

I'm opening a bottle of Proper Job, an appropriate name and a decent bottle conditioned ale from lil ole Cornshire.

Ah. I’m celebrating with a couple of bottles of Devon Dumpling.
I feel like the world has taken a step in a better direction today and that’s probably worth a toast.

 

[jfollows]

Presumably Trump can still sack government appointees such as Dr. Fauci and replace them with more of his stooges, in order to create additional mayhem before Biden takes over.

I don't think Trump ever could directly sack Fauci, who is a civil servant and not a political appointee - Trump could order one of his appointees to dismiss the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases but there would be plenty of grounds for Fauci to appeal as a federal employee on the basis of unfair removal from post.

His comment about "sacking" Fauci was just bluster and noise without substance, instigated by a crowd of supporters which is always guaranteed to get Trump going.

 

[Strathclyder]

Funnily enough, Susie Dent's word of the day is "Suspire" which means to finally breathe out.

My feelings in a nutshell. The likelihood of my having a panic attack every moment I'm lucid has now dropped significantly. May even have my first proper alcoholic drink to celebrate (probably not lol).

And as pointed out by @dgl, any militaristic temper tantrums that may result from this (as has been repeatedly pointed out, a red button on the Oval Office desk directly ordering a preemptive nuclear strike doesn't exist) can be countermanded by his top generals; they aren't, you know, cheeto-dusted man-babies with a superiority complex, perpetually thin skin and a punctured ego.

 

[birchesgreen]

Trump may want to do something but a soon to be ex-President doesn't have a great deal of authority left.

Amazing scenes here in the UK celebrating Biden's win, fireworks going off all over the place!

 

[43096]

Is that the one for the nukes or the one to deliver him an ice cold can of coca cola?

Did they just re-label the "Nurse" button from Reagan's time?

(For anyone who wonders what I'm on about, Spitting Image had Reagan with "Nuke" and "Nurse" buttons by his bed)

 

[hst43102]

Congratulations to Joe Biden. I really hope Donald Trump will be a good loser and accept defeat to make America and the world a more harmonious place.