Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The republican caucus is already covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

And we’re all out of bubblegum.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Republicans in disarray!

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Bark louder, little dog.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

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And There It Is

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The Secret Service is on the way to Delaware and it’s all over except for months of Trump whining.

Reader Interactions

397Comments

  6. 6.

    Allen

    @JR: When are we all gathering outside the White House to start singing that loudly? Tonight? Anyone in for tonight?

  7. 7.

    Mandarama

    Oh God…please just let this be it. My family, all our families, need to live without this sick jerk and his miserable kin haunting our lives.

    *This week’s anxiety might have made me a wee bit dramatic.

  9. 9.

    cmorenc

    When even fix news calls the election for biden sometime in the next 24 hrs if not by this afternoon, that will be delicious.  Their news desk seems to be inclined to acknowledge reality even though their opinion pundits are still kicking and screaming trump tantrum points

  10. 10.

    Ian G.

    I kinda want to tell my boss I’m going home, then kind of wander around Central Park for a while (it’s been a beautiful few days in NY after a week of cold and rain), then go home and hug my wife and kids. Happy Friday, everyone!

  12. 12.

    Yarrow

    CNN is very VERY SERIOUS. Jake Tapper making the point that Trump doesn’t have to concede. Doesn’t make any difference. Biden will be president.

  13. 13.

    Barbara

    I feel totally wrung out and more than a little pissed at the state legislators so determined to steal my joy. It is going to take a while to sink in.

  15. 15.

    jonas

    I’m excited, but I won’t believe it until the AP calls it — that’s what most networks and news outlets wait for.

    God, Trump is going to be the world’s biggest WATB for the next 3 months. I’m so fucking sick of that guy.

  18. 18.

    dmsilev

    We saw it coming for the last couple of days, but man oh man it’s sweet to have it. Next up, the inevitable rage tweet storm.

  19. 19.

    Yarrow

    Tapper: “People in the White House like McCarthy need to start preparing the President. Including those who are putting out mealy-mouthed statements about election integrity acting as if this is some kind of both sides story, which it isn’t. People have to decide what they love more – The United States of America and its people or one singular politician.”

    Tapper ain’t playing around.

  20. 20.

    PenAndKey

    So does this mean it’s finally time for me to set up a boombox playing “Let It Go” on loop and point it right across the street for my “Blue Lives Matter” super-MAGA neighbor?

    Because I’m totally willing to do that, and I hate that song.

  22. 22.

    Gin & Tonic

    Packing up for a 6-hour drive to see my grandkids, and now I don’t have to pretend to be happy, I can *be* happy. Looking forward to a nice weekend.

  23. 23.

    zhena gogolia

    I couldn’t have gotten through these last few days without all you guys. I literally have not looked at any other news sources (except some of my favorite tweeters).

  25. 25.

    Yarrow

    Tapper, re peaceful transfer of power: “This is not just a matter of good manners and grace. This is a matter of life and death.”

    Now he’s going off on Fox telling them they have to put their country before their profits. Wow.

  27. 27.

    jonas

    @Yarrow:  That’s right. Concession phone calls are a gesture that honors — until now, apparently — the peaceful, democratic transfer of power. Trump can throw all the tantrums he wants. At noon on Jan. 20, the US government will simply flip a switch to turn on Joe Biden’s power and Trump will be left sitting in the dark, a private citizen with a dozen subpoena servers waiting outside his door.

  30. 30.

    Jeffro

    @Yarrow:Relief unlike anything I’ve ever known.

    So incredibly true.  Mrs. Fro and I were talking about it just this morning.  I’ve been venting all along, but she’s been holding it in and teared up at the news.

  31. 31.

    Spanky

    Ah, to be a Russian bug on the wall of the White House Untergang bunker right about now …

    That “scoop” about the Secret Service protection pisses me off. First, it would be SOP for them to do that, and I would HOPE that they moved in before said “scoop” was made public. Second, there’s a little too much opsec info in there for my comfort. I’m just hoping it’s a bit of disinformation to hide what they’re really doing, and when.

  34. 34.

    mvr

    When I got up and saw on TPM that the AP had Georgia as light blue I started crying without tears. And then I saw PA flip from pink to light blue as well.  Not going to feel calm for a while yet.

  36. 36.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Relieved and happy beyond measure.

    And for the next 24 hours I don’t want to see a single blog comment, or read a single newspaper column, or hear a single NPR “think piece,” or watch a single cable news pundit panel, that even mentions how awful this country is or how we lost seats in the House or in any way attempts to throw cold water on our joy. Plenty of time for the necessary conversations and hard decisions and wearisome hard work over the next four years and beyond. But for today, we deserve to be proud and joyful and celebratory.

  42. 42.

    Gin & Tonic

    Heard an interesting story about Georgia. Yes, major credit to Stacey Abrams, but apparently also a big push among sex workers and at the strip clubs to get their customers to register and vote.

  44. 44.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I am calling this a win, pure and simple.  Anyone who wants to piss on that can fight me.

  49. 49.

    Brendan in NC

    PA flipping, GA in the process as well (Biden up 1k, with 8k in military and provisional left). As they say – Good things come to those who wait.

  53. 53.

    zhena gogolia

    @Betty Cracker:

    THAT IS FAIR GAME

    I have an arrangement of “THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER” cued up on my piano, and when I get home this afternoon I’m going to play it on repeat, loud, so my Trump-loving neighbors can hear it loud and clear (will open all the windows and doors first).

  54. 54.

    TheTruffle

    I am so happy that we will have a real president and a real cabinet again.

    Competent people in charge. A cabinet of people who know what they are doing. Who will listen to experts–you know, like Fauci.

    Stacey Abrams needs to chair the DNC. Ben Winkler also needs to be involved.

    Doug Jones needs a cabinet job.

    The House needs a new speaker. I like Nancy, but it is time to pass the baton.

    The Senate needs a new Dem leader.

    Oh, and I’m looking forward to having a real First Lady.

    America has a lot of soul-searching to do. But right now, I am so relieved.

  56. 56.

    zhena gogolia

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Oops, sorry, I misread. I’ve seen it misspelled so many times over the last few days I just read it that way.

    Bears repeating, anyway!

  57. 57.

    Brachiator

    We finally got there!

    I think.

     

    ETA: The CNN home page still says “Biden on the Brink.”

  59. 59.

    amorphous

    good

     

    now uncover all his crimes, charge him appropriately, give him a fair trial(s), and if those conclude with a guilty verdict(s) throw away the key and let that be a lesson to all the future wannabe-dictators

  69. 69.

    hueyplong

    @amorphous: I googled it and there appears not to be a city/town in the US called Nuremberg.  There is, however, a Berlin, New Hampshire.

    I’d hold the trials there if it weren’t for venue/personal jurisdication issues.

  71. 71.

    dmsilev

    Via the NYT, How To Tell President Toddler That It’s Time To Go To Bed:

    Republicans have begun having discussions about how to broach the topic with Mr. Trump of focusing on life after the presidency, and what leaving quietly could mean for his family, his business and his own ability to remain in politics.
    Some have suggested that sounding notes of encouragement about a 2024 campaign could be effective. Others believe that he will concede if it is clear he has lost, but that he will most likely never publicly accept the result.

    My schadenfreude overflows, both for Trump and for the Republicans who made the deal with the devil to stay with him.

  73. 73.

    Cermet

    @Spanky: Glad they leaked that info. Nut cases (and we have many) will realise they will die if they try anything; one thing about these nut case rightwingers, they are cowards. Glad they are telling people, don’t even try or you die.

    Besides, the orange fa%t cloud is crying as are all the rumpie’s because they are LOSERS

  74. 74.

    e julius drivingstorm

    @zhena gogolia:

    Stacey Abrams needs to be put in charge a national effort to ensure free and fair elections. Ridiculous gerrymandering will be on the agenda.

  75. 75.

    Tony Jay

    Con – Grat – U – Lations

    And Jubilations

    I want the world to know

    I’m Happy as can be

    Congratulations

    And Jubilations

    ‘Cos Trump is Dumped for Ka – Ma – La

    And Joey B

     

    Thanks America, Well done.

  76. 76.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Biden ran a steady campaign,  He never panicked.  He made fantastic hires.  He picked the perfect VP.  And now he won.

  77. 77.

    different-church-lady

    NOTHING is over yet. STEP 1 is CLOSE to being over. Celebrate, but it’s like champagne after the wild-card round. NO SLEEP ‘TIL JANUARY, DAMMIT.

    PS: BUT GO AHEAD AND BE HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY!!!

  78. 78.

    Edmund Dantes

    @Spanky: it’s all well known. The air space thing happened much earlier last night. And Joe already had a fair amount. They are just talking about the standard stuff that everyone knows a president has.

  79. 79.

    germy

    Fuck Edward Snowden.
    Fuck Glenn Greenwald.
    Fuck WikiLeaks.
    Fuck Julian Assange.
    Fuck the Intercept.
    Fuck the operators of these ratfucking ops.
    And fuck the funding.
    Motherfuck Putin.

    — Xeni Jardin (@xeni) November 6, 2020

  80. 80.

    Ramiah Ariya

    Congratulations to all here. I was on a television panel discussion on the US elections in India on Wednesday morning (which was Tuesday night for you). It appeared then that it was a repeat of 2016. Many of the questions to the panel were interesting, but I was disappointed at that time. Happy now that sanity will return to the US.

  82. 82.

    Frankensteinbeck

    Thank you, Sun Pony.

    For the first time in a month, I can breathe.

    For the first time in four years, I’m not afraid.

  86. 86.

    RedDirtGirl

    @Mandarama: I surprised myself (as well as family and friends) by not following any of this after the polls closed on Tuesday. Heard little snippets, but managed to block most of it out. Really glad I took this approach.

  96. 96.

    frosty

    @zhena gogolia: I couldn’t have gotten through these last few days without all you guys. I literally have not looked at any other news sources (except some of my favorite tweeters)

    Second that, other than occasional forays to the Grauniad to check the headlines.

  97. 97.

    different-church-lady

    People, be happy, but PLEASE be mentally prepared to fight for the next two months. No way in hell is he going to go quietly, and surprises can still abound.

  107. 107.

    PPCLI

    @Yarrow: There was a moment in the Hillary – Trump debates that I’m surprised didn’t get more attention, but it has always stuck with me.

    Hillary brought up the huge settlement Trump made with DOJ for discrimination in housing, and Trump’s immediate response was “I never admitted fault!” (or words to that effect).

     

    In the real world, of course, that makes it worse, not better, but in Trump’s mind, it is unfair to acknowledge the facts unless he decides you should.

  109. 109.

    Alison Rose

    Okay okay okay okay okay okay but I really want to see the AP call it and the campaign send a text please can that happen in the next hour and 15 minutes so it’s done before I have to start work

  110. 110.

    Ramiah Ariya

    Trump is not going away, though – he still is going to suck all the oxygen from news organizations; and he is going to be a star campaigner for Republicans, for which privilege, they will pour money to him. Nothing like what happened to Bush will happen to him is my guess – the Republicans will continue to have him as a kind of out-of-power leader as happens in Parliamentary democracies.

  111. 111.

    Hungry Joe

    I’m gonna tell all you fascists / You may be surprised / The people in this world / Are getting organized / You’re bound to lose / You fascists are bound to lose

    — Woodie Guthrie

  112. 112.

    Martin

    MSNBC wondering who could talk Trump down. Have they considered sending in Putin or Kim Jong Un?

  114. 114.

    scav

    @Baud: I think it’s also good to explicitly keep counting — drive home the message that every vote counts.  Don’t join in the game of declaring a winner as soon as things are running your way.  Has the benefit for me at least that it prolongs their agony. Every vote tap another nail tapped into the coffin tapped above their still officially tap live face.

  119. 119.

    different-church-lady

    @Ramiah Ariya: The politics of this country are a superfund site. It’s going to take a long time and a lot of effort to get all the toxins out. But at least the biggest polluter will be shut down.

  122. 122.

    different-church-lady

    @Yarrow: Yes, great point. Celebrate! But celebrate cautiously.

    I guess I just don’t want to believe it until I believe it.

  128. 128.

    Yarrow

    @Omnes Omnibus:  He’s going to attack the Republicans who “let him down” by somehow not getting enough people to vote for him. The Georgia runoffs could be interesting. He could attack both R candidates.

  132. 132.

    PenAndKey

    @Omnes Omnibus: The GOP will unperson him.

    In my dream world the GOP leadership will abandon/unperson him to salvage their own skin, but he’ll never go along with it. He’ll instead try to lawyer his way out of troubles and will try to mount of 2024 campaign run, complete with rallies and the adulation he’s grown addicted to. End result? A completely fractured GOP, split down the middle by the very troglodytes they originally attracted for their value as idiot attack vectors.

    Hey, a guy can dream

    @Omnes Omnibus:  He’s going to attack the Republicans who “let him down” by somehow not getting enough people to vote for him.

    He won’t attack them for not getting him the votes. He’ll attack them for not managing to steal the election for him. If we’re lucky he’ll continue to say the quiet parts out loud and sabotage all of them.

  133. 133.

    Ramiah Ariya

    @different-church-lady: My take is that the biggest producer of toxin is not Trump, but Fox News. They created him and they created the latest Republican Party in my opinion. The speed with which they shifted to saying the election was fraudulent was amazing, and it is clear to me that they will continue to boost him forever.

    Trump, in my opinion, is just a personification of an average Fox user. Without Fox, he is nothing.

  138. 138.

    Aleta

    Kattails mentioned this on another thread:

    @Kattails  Just noting that on some other thread (been bouncing around here), someone mentioned that we should all go buy Stacey Abrams books so she can be financially secure. I’m in for that, and pretty sure there’s a lot of thoughtful ideas in there as well.

  139. 139.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Omnes Omnibus:  After last night it sounds like the GOP itself might have had enough of Trump. On the other, the Conservatard Media is going to love having Trump on to whine about poor little Trump was ripped off, so the GOP might not be able to.
    Trump is going to be the GOPs creepy stalker ex.

  140. 140.

    James E Powell

    Just got up. Turned on FOX. They are not calling the race yet

    Rachel Campos is complaining about fraudandabuse in mail voting.

  143. 143.

    BruceFromOhio

    Ending a four-day media blackout with this post is pretty sweet. Nicely timed, thanks.

    And now … I give you Morpheus.

    Believe me when I say we have a difficult time ahead of us. But if we are to be prepared for it, we must first shed our fear of it. I stand here, before you now, truthfully unafraid. Why? Because I believe something you do not? No, I stand here without fear because I remember. I remember that I am here not because of the path that lies before me but because of the path that lies behind me. I remember that for 100 years we have fought these machines. I remember that for 100 years they have sent their armies to destroy us, and after a century of war I remember that which matters most… We are still here.

  144. 144.

    tomtofa

    The official call will likely come later today. Fitting for 2020: the election of the President is a Friday news dump. I’ll take it :-)

  145. 145.

    Gravenstone

     

     

    @Ramiah Ariya: Wonder which would win; Trump’s narcissism and spite at being rejected which would keep him from campaigning for anyone not him, or his greed and lust for adulation which would have in front of as many crowds (and pulling as many checks) as he could manage?

  147. 147.

    Woodrow/asim

    @e julius drivingstorm: Abrams is still heads-down for the 2 GA Senate runoffs.

    After that, I expect she’ll take a well-deserved break, then start working to unseat Kemp. I don’t think she has any real interest in National politics, at this time.

    Moreover: What she did is powerful, yet not magic — Obama did similar in 1992 in IL, helping to get Bill Clinton elected in the process.

    Therefore: You need to fund and train eager people who understand the local/state landscape around voting patterns. Trying to put a top-down national effort in place is unwieldy and risks ensuring a cookie-cutter approach that is highly likely to fail.

  148. 148.

    Yarrow

    I saw this live. It was amazing.

    CNN's Jake Tapper, who says he doesn't normally talk about competitors: "The Murdochs and the people at Fox have an obligation to put their country above their profits. It is very important that people make it very clear — that there is no credible evidence of widespread fraud."— Jeremy Barr (@jeremymbarr) November 6, 2020

  149. 149.

    The Moar You Know

    Republicans have begun having discussions about how to broach the topic with Mr. Trump of focusing on life after the presidency, and what leaving quietly could mean for his family, his business and his own ability to remain in politics.
    Some have suggested that sounding notes of encouragement about a 2024 campaign could be effective. Others believe that he will concede if it is clear he has lost, but that he will most likely never publicly accept the result.

    @dmsilev: Denial is a potent drug.  He’s gonna spend the next three months burning their shitty party to the ground.

  153. 153.

    Kristine

    MSNBC won’t call it yet. NBC Director of Elections still waiting for more numbers, trends in outstanding counts.

  156. 156.

    Yarrow

    @PenAndKey:  Yes, good point. In any case he’ll attack them for “letting him down” and “not supporting Trump enough” and so forth. He’s a narcissist and things are either good for Trump or bad for Trump in the way he views the world. When he loses, these Republicans were obviously “bad for Trump” because they didn’t do whatever it took to win him the election.

  157. 157.

    germy

    @Yarrow: He’s going to attack the Republicans who “let him down” by somehow not getting enough people to vote for him

    Yes, and Lindsey Graham knows this.

    I think this is why Graham is donating half a million dollars to Trump’s “Steal the Election” campaign.

    Graham doesn’t want a sleep-deprived and raging Trump to say “…And let me tell you what I know about Lindsey…”

  158. 158.

    Ramiah Ariya

    @Gravenstone: The only thing that can stop him is the billion dollars in dues coming up or any investigations finding criminality. I also think Don Jr will be a super star in the Republican Party.

  160. 160.

    Lyrebird

    @Baud: Yes indeed!

     

    Insert big ol quote of Adam’s explanation of the Biden coalition here for the record…

     

    Which is not to say that includes all the poll workers.  Big respect to all of them for keeping on going in all this mess.

  161. 161.

    Baud

    @Woodrow/asim:

    You need to fund and train eager people who understand the local/state landscape around voting patterns. Trying to put a top-down national effort in place is unwieldy and risks ensuring a cookie-cutter approach that is highly likely to fail.

    QFT.

  166. 166.

    mad citizen

    Been waiting for the moment to blow some air horn into my immediate area.  Was thinking high noon instead of timing it to any specific call.  Then thought, maybe after our weekly tornado siren test thingy at 11 a.m.  Maybe I should just do a short blast at the top of each hour.

    I have a 2005 audio CD from the worldcan’twait.org, who are still fighting these fascists.  It’s from Studs Terkel.  I remembered it as being much more strident that it actually is.  There must be one from a live rally somewhere that I can’t locate.  Here is the text from Studs–we’ve been fighting this crap for a long while:

    It’s time we assert ourselves,
    And said to these outrageous liars
    Who offended our sense of decency
    And native intelligence

    It’s time to BUGGER OFF!
    Get lost!
    And let’s unite on behalf of peace and sanity
    and all that makes life rich and worthwhile.

    Tom Paine was perhaps the most eloquent visionary
    of the American Revolution.

    His book, “Common Sense,” sold a couple of hundred thousand copies.
    The population was hardly four or five million,
    which means, of course, people read it.
    It was a best seller for years.

    He says, in that,
    “Let us not let them confuse reason with treason.
    Enough of that nonsense.”

    OUT!
    VAMOOSE,
    Bush administration!

    What I’m saying, really, is:
    The World Can’t Wait!
    Drive Out the Bush Regime!

  169. 169.

    Yarrow

    @TheTruffle:  I think they’ll have to disinfect the White House. Like, literally because of Covid. But also they’ll have to do a very thorough sweep for bugs, cameras, bombs, etc.

  171. 171.

    Ramiah Ariya

    I also think that there will be an effort to get rid of the official notes and transcriptions of various calls he has had as President with foreign leaders. Biden must announce some kind of warning for govt officials assisting in any such purges of records.

  175. 175.

    Yarrow

    Brian Stelter has seen some Fox memos saying anchors, hosts, etc. to “avoid calling Biden the President-elect” because of ongoing frivolous election lawsuits.”  Super dangerous.

  176. 176.

    Gravenstone

    @Ramiah Ariya: Don jr is going to be running from the same legal avalanche related to Trumpworld as Don is. Plus he’s a bigger fucking idiot than his old man. He may try to make a name in the party, but I imagine he’s also going to have to contend with the coattails of his dad’s unpersoning (as will the remaining family).

  179. 179.

    Mike in NC

    We all knew from the day Fat Bastard rode down that escalator that he was setting himself up as our very own Putin: dictator for life. He will never leave the White House except in a body bag.

  183. 183.

    montanareddog

    @Betty Cracker: I frequent a hostelry near a big tourist attraction and have a very offensive phrase about Trump as the mobile hotspot name on my smartphone. So when tourists are in the cafe and searching for WiFi that is what they see. I guess I can change the hotspot name to something suitable for a grown up soon

  184. 184.

    germy

    Thread:

    I was at the TCF Center in Detroit yesterday as a non-partisan poll challenger. The woman in the maroon shirt with the black mask was one of the GOP challengers I monitored. At one point, she yelled that a ballot needed to be thrown out because it “looked sticky.” Another time https://t.co/1MTeZT2lxK— Julie Moroney (@juliecmoroney) November 6, 2020

    She demanded that the poll workers stop what they were doing and backup all computers in case of power outage or tornado(?). Just baseless, bad faith challenges to slow the process. And after Trump filed his lawsuit and MI was called for Biden, the GOP strategy shifted to— Julie Moroney (@juliecmoroney) November 6, 2020

    Challenge every single ballot. I know this because I overheard their organizers pass on the new message. They didnt even pretend to have a reason for doing so, just repeated “I challenge this ballot; I challenge that ballot” over and over again as the poll workers tried to count.— Julie Moroney (@juliecmoroney) November 6, 2020

    At one point, my good friend and law school classmate @sumnertruax looked over at me and said “this is not how democracy is supposed to work.” It was so true, and so sad.— Julie Moroney (@juliecmoroney) November 6, 2020

    The optics of it all weren’t lost on me either. Picture a huge space filled with predominantly Black poll workers just trying to do their gd jobs while white MI GOP challengers hovered over them, yelling at them that they’re wrong, doing a bad job, or committing crimes.— Julie Moroney (@juliecmoroney) November 6, 2020

  191. 191.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I would love a thread by Adam about Putin resigning, because I can’t even imagine what will happen in Russia.

    Also, be calm about the next couple of months, folks.  Trump will throw a meaningless tantrum.  The courts have already laughed at him.  He will have a brief period of trying to get revenge, but there isn’t much he can do and malignant narcissists attack their minions and allies first.  He may never concede, but who cares?  Mostly, he’s about to check out.  His only interest in the presidency now will be covering up for when he’s prosecuted after leaving.  He will do that in mind-bendingly stupid ways.  But all that ‘burn the country to the ground’ stuff that has made the last four years a nightmare?  There is nothing in it for him anymore.  His pure transactionalism will make these two months relatively quiet.  He might even stop rubber stamping whatever McConnell sends him, or flee the country.

    The MAGAs will briefly thrash in fury and then sink into whiny depression.  There might be some small scale terrorist acts in the next few weeks, which sucks, but no campaigns of violence or anything.  The Secret Service is very good at what they do, thank goodness, because Biden is the only real target.

    There was no Barr Brownshirt squad.  Trump’s voters did not turn out with weapons to intimidate voters nationwide.  The Tara Reade and Hunter Biden stories not only flopped, but protected Biden from future attacks with the ‘crying wolf’ process.  The military did not turn out to gun down protestors.  And so on.  Trust me when I say this:  It’s all over but the whining.

  193. 193.

    Warren Senders

    From Tuesday till today has been the longest fifty years of my life.  And from 2016 until today has been the longest geological epoch I’ve ever lived through.

    The next seven weeks are going to be absolutely bizarre.  I think Trump’s impending meltdown will be spectacular, and will likely damage more than a few R senators and congresscritters.

  195. 195.

    Llelldorin

    OK! Now we have to gear right the heck back up again for the two GA special elections, since they’ll determine Senate control.

  197. 197.

    PenAndKey

    @Bex: In honor of efgoldman:  Trump and the Republicans?  fuckem.

    Man, I miss that cranky bastard. I wish he could have seen this.

  198. 198.

    Yarrow

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:  What Brian Stelter said is that Fox can say Biden won but they can’t say he’s President-elect. Jake Tapper said if the news people there go along with it they should hand in their journalist cards.

  202. 202.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I hate to be a dark cloud today, but that might have been a Hillary thing.  Based on the past couple of weeks around here though, döner kebab  vans might be a good thing for the Biden admin.

  203. 203.

    Yarrow

    @Baud:  No, the memos are for WHEN Biden wins. Not for now. When Biden wins they are instructing all on-air talent not to call him President-elect. It’s really dangerous.

  210. 210.

    James E Powell

    FOX people are hilarious. They are stuck in denial and they are very angry.

    Did they not see this coming the last two days

    Is this just an act for their audience?

  211. 211.

    patrick II

    So, do you think the SC will still declare ACA unconstitutional after the court case’s champion has lost, or are they so obeisant to the originalist rule of law they will remove health insurance for 23 million people anyway?   And how will that affect the Senate runoffs?

  216. 216.

    Matt McIrvin

    @different-church-lady: I think celebrating helps–we need to emphasize a correct perception that Joe Biden has won legitimately, and in PA it looks like it’s not even going to be in recount territory. We need to make it embarrassing for Republicans to follow Trump’s delusions.

  220. 220.

    MFA

    [Sits down at card table outside Philly vote count, tapes to front of table a sign which reads:]

    “Joe Biden is the 46th President of the United States. Change my mind.”

  225. 225.

    topclimber

    @Yarrow: In fairness to Fox (fuck ’em), Biden isn’t President Elect until the EC says so. Techni-bullshittily speaking of course.

  229. 229.

    p.a.

    Just logged in at 10:11am est????????????????????????????

    Want extra ?s?  Think about what the lampreys and remoras around the lame duck are having to deal with now??????????????!  Wouldn’t be surprised if the Bidens can’t move in until the feces are cleaned off the WH walls.

    And to paraphrase S Gamgee, I won’t consider it over until this mess is cleaned up.

  230. 230.

    SW

    All the whining about the polling being off is goofy too.  In the end Biden’s margin is going to be north of 7% nationally.  That’s not far off from the 7-10% margin in the national polls.  State polls are on the other hand notoriously uneven.  We won or are winning fucking Georgia folks!  We made Texas howl!  We will probably end up with the same number of electoral votes 306? that Trump characterized as the greatest landslide ever just four years ago.  With a four million vote victory in the bargain.  And the Senate?  Well, we got Colorado.  Run off’s in Georgia.  Yes, slippery Sue escaped the noose.  And Ernst came back in the end.  Cunningham couldn’t keep his dick in his pants (you can’t plan for that).  And after all that there is still a long shot chance at a 50-50 Senate.  We showed up.  We are stronger than they are.  Look at the map.  We are the economic and intellectual and creative engine of the nation and we are growing.  The future belongs to us.  We really should be feeling a lot better about this than a lot of folks seem to be right now.  The next six to eight months are going to be hard.  The country is going to need a villain.  Let’s give them McConnell.

  232. 232.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @SW: The next six to eight months are going to be hard. The country is going to need a villain. Let’s give them McConnell.

    I like the way you think.

  234. 234.

    SFAW

    @Bex:

    In honor of efgoldman:  Trump and the Republicans?  fuckem.

    You beat me to it. I wish he were here. [Plenty of others, of course, but him in particular.]

  236. 236.

    dexwood

    Damn, I love this place. Thanks for being here Balloon Juice.

    My neighbors, who took their Biden signs down early Wednesday morning, just put them back up again.

  239. 239.

    Marcopolo

    @Woodrow/asim: Yeah, imagine if some of the hundreds of millions of dollars that went to Senate campaigns this cycle had gone to hiring & training more on the ground field organizers instead of TV ads.

    Its one thing for Bloomberg to piss his money away, but a lot of them wasted my money (as tiny as that amount was) on those ads.

  241. 241.

    Tony Jay

    @Sab:

    2008? Are you saying Cliff Richard (who’s Cliff Richard? Only the singer/songwriter Elvis Presley could have been) borrowed Obama’s Hot-Dunk Time-Machine and did a ‘My Lovely Horse’ to almost but not quite win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968?

    These very British pop-culture references doing anything for ya?

    Sorry, I’m giddy.

  243. 243.

    No name

    This day does not belong to one man,
    But to all.
    Let us together rebuild this world
    That we may share in the
    Days of Peace.

  245. 245.

    Yarrow

    @topclimber:  The Fox memos are for WHEN BIDEN WINS. Not for now when he hasn’t officially won. When Biden officially wins Fox News has instructed its on-air talent – EVERYONE, including journalists – not to use the phrase “President-elect Biden.” It’s because of the frivolous lawsuits. That’s really dangerous for democracy and our country.

  249. 249.

    Martin

    Regarding Dem messaging. I live in the district that was the standard bearer for the intellectual GOP for like half a century. Katie Porter barely won this district and won reelection by at least 9 points. That’s a LOT. It’s so much that the GOP didn’t spend a penny here. That’s a big deal.

    And Porter isn’t a centrist. She’s for M4A. I’d say she’s right in the middle of the Dem party, a bit to the left of Nancy. But she’s really good at fundraising, really good at reaching her voters, really good at raising her profile by working hard and doing the job in a much more dynamic way than a lot of other Dems. I’d be willing to be all of you saw more of Katie than Steney Hoyer over the last 2 years. That’s why she walked to victory here, and *she* had coattails. This is now a D+9 district, and a D+9 county. That’s astounding.

    So I don’t exactly buy this theory that Dems have a shitty message, that they’re too far left. I think we have some shitty messengers. And I think some proposals such as ‘defund the police’ is really destructively labeled, but the underlying concept is sound. So, I don’t think there are big problems here, nothing that some smart leadership can’t fix.

  250. 250.

    SFAW

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    NSASurveilanceVan237

    Thanks for the laugh. I expect the neighbor, if he sees that and freaks, is the kind of guy who has “PASSWORD” or “12345678” as his password.

  251. 251.

    clay

    @narya: How about this:

    WITCH-KING OF ANGMAR-A-LAGO: No man can defeat me.

    *Joe Biden stabs the wraith in the leg, causing it to stumble*

    KAMALA HARRIS rips off her helmet: I am no man!

  255. 255.

    topclimber

    @Yarrow: Wow, that’s even more wacko than I thought. Maybe they have to save their legal budget for all the folks who will come after them for recklessly spreading COVID lies.

  257. 257.

    montanareddog

    @hueyplong:

     

    Anyone else’s milk carton have a picture of Bill Barr on it?

    It seems that Knock-off Handbag Barbie has been quiet recently too. Some people have an inate sense of self-preservation perhaps.

  262. 262.

    patrick II

    FOX news is undercutting the legitimacy of Pennsylvania’s vote because the governor would not allow Republican poll watchers. They are saying it is a tragedy because it harms the legitimacy of the Pennsylvania vote.

    What is with their claim of no Republican poll watchers?  I assume there were and it’s a lie.

    I think it helps immensly that Pennsylvania only counted the votes received by Nov 3 for Biden to get ahead.  It would have been a scary court case otherwise.  The margin will get bigger.

  263. 263.

    debit

    @PenAndKey:  Remember Palin’s bid to remain relevant post loss.  She went from mini series to book tours to a studio in her home to grifting podcast to random domestic violence police reports.

    Trump is going to TRY.  But once his fans realize his rallies will just be repeats of his Serious Injury list (Joe Biden squeezed and pulled and hurt my neck in 2020) they will dwindle to a small crowd consisting of my dad and Rich Lowry.

  269. 269.

    Cameron

    So, for the first time in months, I can write ‘TGIF” and mean it.  OT, did anybody else read about Steve Bannon’s come-to-ISIS moment when he called for the beheading of Dr. Fauci and Chris Wray?

  272. 272.

    dexwood

    @MazeDancer: I kept my sign up, too, kept my hope alive. What I didn’t do was have a bottle or two of champagne chilling. I’m heading out soon to correct that serious lack of attention to detail.

  273. 273.

    SFAW

    @patrick II:

    What is with their claim of no Republican poll watchers?  I assume there were and it’s a lie.

    They were complaining that 19/20 feet away from the poll workers was too far for them to fuck with the count, so they got it reduced to six feet.

  275. 275.

    Martin

    @patrick II: There were. In fact, when the GOP brought the suit yesterday, the judge required that the GOP lawyer state on the record that republican poll watchers were there. He then allowed them to stand 6 feet away instead of 20 feet away.

  277. 277.

    patrick II

    If we ever get a Supreme Court majority again, and I was the president who selected them, I would insist that any law passed by the house get a vote in the Senate or the House version of the law would go into effect.  Having one guy stop democracy  will be the inevitable failure of the country.

    And any Supreme Court judge nominated by the president will get a vote.

  279. 279.

    Ocotillo

    Oh, by the way, Mrs. O and I are celebrating our anniversary today (18 years).  We would like to thank Georgia and Pennsylvania for their wonderful gift.

  281. 281.

    montanareddog

    @Martin: I was thinking that Doug Jones is too nice, too, but couldn’t think of an alternative – thanks for suggesting Preet.

    Gloves have to come off now. Unlikely that the Dems will win both the GA Senate run-offs and the SC is going to be a big problem. AG Preet’s first job – special counsel to investigate Boof O’Kavanagh’s perjury and mysteriously disappearing “baseball ticket” debts

  282. 282.

    clay

    @germy: I think Lindsey SAYING he’ll donate half-a-million is different than Lindsey ACTUALLY donating half-a-million.  He is becoming a Trump, after all…

  283. 283.

    James E Powell

    @patrick II:

    Rachel Campos was on a tirade. She made a string of claims of fraud and abuse and high treason. When they threw it to the FOX democrat for a response, he said there was no evidence of any of that, she started shouting over him and continued until the host said, okay we have to leave it there.

  284. 284.

    Ksmiami

    @JPL: yes from now on Republicans should be called either the party of do nothings or death. Over and over till they cry Uncle

  286. 286.

    dmsilev

    Hah.

    Katie Glueck, in Wilmington, Del. 3m ago

    A Biden spokesman says that if Biden wins and Trump refuses to concede, “The United States government is perfectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.”

  290. 290.

    sdhays

    When I saw this, I texted my parents, who are currently driving through Pennsyltucky to see their 1.5 year old grandson for the first time since March. My mom texted me back saying that my dad wanted to pull over and cry. The signage there is apparently…not heartening.

    It sure is going to be a happy visit!

  293. 293.

    The Moar You Know

    You know what I’m looking forward to again?  White House dogs!   And Biden’s are stunning.

    If nothing else I’d hope that America would have at least learned the lesson that someone who “doesn’t like animals” is a fucking freak who will inevitably come to a bad end.

  296. 296.

    germy

    @clay:   I think Lindsey SAYING he’ll donate half-a-million is different than Lindsey ACTUALLY donating half-a-million.  He is becoming a Trump, after all…

    Interesting theory.  He could be just showboating for the cameras, but Trump would still be expecting that money.

    You’re right, though. They all lie.

  297. 297.

    Quinerly

    @Yarrow: I have some really neat Dem and Left leaning bumper stickers on my car that have been there since 2015, along with all my NP and SP stickers. I’m thinking of peeling off the political ones. I’m in the City of St. Louis so never had any problems but I may want to actually leave the city at some point again.

  301. 301.

    germy

    Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Pat Toomey to NBC: "I saw the president's speech last night. It was very hard to watch. The president's allegations of large-scale fraud and theft of the election are just not substantiated. I'm not aware of any significant wrongdoing here."

    — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 6, 2020

  305. 305.

    SFAW

    From CNN:

    And even a Hail Mary scenario – where a Republican-led legislature would say there is too much chaos and decide the elector – now has been publicly dismissed by top leaders in Pennsylvania.
    “The Pennsylvania General Assembly does not have, and will not have, a hand in choosing the state’s presidential electors or in deciding the outcome of the presidential election,” Pennsylvania State Senator Jake Corman, a Republican, said in an op-ed.

    Feel them walls a-closing in, Donnie?

  311. 311.

    sdhays

    @SFAW: I can’t say I’m surprised, but I am enjoying the moonwalking away from old Donnie by Republican officials as it’s clear he has lost. There was a lot of bluster before the election, but as it becomes clear Dump’s a LAME duck, pretty much no one except the washed up has been clowns with no actual power like Rudy and Newt have his back.

    Except for Lindsey. Since the voters of South Carolina aren’t going to do it, I hope something rids us of that shithead sooner rather than later.

  316. 316.

    Croaker

    Because words are hard and pundits and show people on TV don’t understand.

    In PA, you can appoint Watchers for the polls, but they must be a resident and qualified elector of that County.  The Campaign may have attorneys present.  At last report I believe there were in excess 500+ for both campaigns.

    Section 310. Watchers or Attorneys at Sessions of County Board; Candidates May Be Present.– (a) Any party or political body or body of citizens which now is, or hereafter may be, entitled to have watchers at any registration, primary or election, shall also be entitled to appoint watchers who are qualified electors of the county or attorneys

    to represent such party or political body or body of citizens at any public session or sessions of the county board of elections, and at any computation and canvassing of returns of any primary or election and recount of ballots or recanvass of voting machines under the provisions of this act. Such watchers or attorneys may exercise the same rights as watchers at registration and polling places, but the number who may be present at any one time may be limited by the county board to not more than three for each party, political body or body of citizens. (b) Every candidate shall be entitled to be present in person or by attorney in fact duly authorized, and to participate in any proceeding before any county board whenever any matters which may affect his candidacy are being heard, including any computation and canvassing of returns of any primary or election or recount of ballots or recanvass of voting machines affecting his candidacy. (c) Any candidate, attorney or watcher present at any recount of ballots or recanvass of voting machines shall be entitled to examine the ballots or the voting machine and to raise any objections regarding the same, which shall be decided by the county board, subject to appeal, in the manner provided by this act.

    The other Silly stuff yesterday was the distance they were standing from the clerks.

  317. 317.

    germy

    Some in the media may call it “defeat” & go back to calling states “red,” but they are not “red.” They are transforming states. They are voter suppression states. The very closeness of the race lets us know that in just a few years we will see the transformation of this country. pic.twitter.com/QbHGfP0OD7

    — Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@RevDrBarber) November 6, 2020

  320. 320.

    mali muso

    Echoing what others have said…don’t know what I would have done without this outpost of sanity.  Jackals are the best company. :)

    Let’s go win the Georgia Senate races in January!

  323. 323.

    Ruckus

    I have purposely tried to stay out of the fray, for my sanity, such as it is.

    But I have been checking in every so often and I have to say, that we may need a bit of introspection, in that so many have been so on edge that we often seem to be taking it out on each other. I could be mistaken.

    Healthy discussion is not just fine it is absolutely necessary in a democracy, a word which I say one of the definitions is “Having a need to discuss, compromise, and decide a best course, in politics. Not name calling and being always pissed off.” Granted we all have been and are being tested to about the maximum of my lifetime, and that includes fighting 2 wars, that both in retrospect seem to be totally unnecessary, especially as in how and why they were carried out.

  326. 326.

    Just Chuck

    @amorphous: There is no political will to charge up tens of millions of Trumpanzees by going after him at a federal level when he leaves office.  There just isn’t.  He’ll never see the inside of a federal courthouse.

    Which is why we can leave it to the states, notably New York, to nail him first.

  329. 329.

    Another Scott

    @Betty Cracker: You could twist the knife with a smile on your face by picking a snippet of the Preamble:

    EstablishJustice

    InsureDomesticTranquility

    PromoteTheGeneralWelfare

    SecureTheBlessingsOfLiberty

    etc.

    ;-)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  330. 330.

    James E Powell

    I feel that if the facts were the same, but in Trump’s favor, that the networks would call it now.

    It’s like the whole press/media has to protect the feelings of Trump and the right-wing hordes.

  333. 333.

    TriassicSands

    I’m sorry but it can’t be over until the fat baby sings!

    And since this is now the greatest political crime in the history of the universe — taking over for the Impeachment witch hunt crime; the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax crime ; the Obama spying on Trump crime; and the more than 3,000,000 illegal votes cast for Hillary in 2016 crime, which cost Trump his rightful popular vote victory — the fat baby won’t sing until the SCOTUS stabs him in the back, which he knows will never happen because six justices work directly for him and the other three are traitors.

    Besides, the fat baby has already declared himself the winner and THAT’S FINAL!!!

  340. 340.

    catclub

    @montanareddog: Unlikely that the Dems will win both the GA Senate run-offs and the SC is going to be a big problem.

     

    my guess is zero or two.  people know what is at stake.

     

    Actually i take it back.  The woman loses, the man wins.

    misogyny is a thing.

  341. 341.

    tallred

    I’m relieved, but there’s more to fight for. I just donated a couple of Benjis more each to Rev. Warnock and Fair-Fight for at least one of the GA runoffs, and will donate more to Ossoff if he scores a runoff as well. As a denizen of Karen Bass’s district, my votes simply contribute to landslides, but my donations at least let me feel as though I’m helping.

    I stopped all of my monthly recurring ActBlue donations for all of the Dem Senate challengers plus Peters and Doug Jones, so my only recurring donations now are for ActBlue technical services and Fair-Fight, who are both doing the Lord’s Work. Stacey Abrams will get my support for any and all endeavors she pursues for as long as I can afford it. She’s not only a hero, she’s an effective hero.

  343. 343.

    Ruckus

    @Amir Khalid:

    I like Nancy and she has done an amazing job. But I think he’s right. At some point it’s always time to retire, hand off the baton and relax. All good competitors should go out in style and grace when it’s time. And this may be time for her.

    But you are also correct that her successor needs to be named first, that she gets to help chose who that might be and that if you call for a champion’s retirement, due respect means that someone who is their equal is named.

  344. 344.

    mad citizen

    Will throw this Cracker tune in for the exit playlist, “Torches and Pitchforks” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MlpakTP24I

    Trump is such a small man.  Just read trade news and Trump took away the Chairmanship at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from the Mitch McConnell protege, apparently on Thursday.  This is what he spends time doing, why?  Surely a spite move to Mitch.

  346. 346.

    Subsole

     

     

    @Frankensteinbeck: All true. Not that we shouldn’t keep kicking the everliving shit out of them.

    As far as Putin, I expect he’ll be the power behind the throne no matter what. He doesn’t want to be a Brezhnev figure.

  349. 349.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Yarrow:

    Mark my words – there will be no transition. Dipshit will keep sitting at the resolute desk and watch his phone lights go blank at noon on January 21, and will run around a mostly empty White House shouting “turn the machines back on” like Don Ameche’s Mortimer Duke in Trading Places.

  350. 350.

    Glyph2112

    First, I bet deep down trump is glad to have loss since he never really wanted to workin the first place.  Second, as long as he has a phone and Fox News we will hear from him daily because he needs the attention.  The only questions are how long does fox keep answering the phone, how long before his cult followers lose interest, and if the coming investigations cut into his executive time.

  353. 353.

    Subsole

    @SW: Like I said below, if the other side wasn’t hurting right now they wouldn’t be trying so hard to play this off. We drew blood.

  354. 354.

    catclub

    @mad citizen: i wonder if he will try to fire Powell, just to wreck things.

    One of very few acceptable appointments he made.

     

    [I think Biden should fire him and install Yellen.]

    I bet he fires Wray – that actually makes it easier for Biden.

  355. 355.

    germy

    On the cusp of reaching 270 electoral votes, Joe Biden is poised to deliver an address to the nation Friday as his team prepares to announce major pieces of his White House transition https://t.co/2OMtq8uBtu— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) November 6, 2020

    Looking forward to hardworking, serious, competent and organized people in the White House again.

  357. 357.

    NotMax

    @Subsole

    All I can say for sure is that with two runoffs upcoming, every TV or radio station owner in Georgia is shouting across the room to his/her spouse, “Honey, we can afford to get that yacht for Christmas after all!”

    //

  359. 359.

    Another Scott

    @Subsole: I think Jones has the perfect resume for heading the Civil Rights Division, myself.  I don’t know who should be AG.

    I also hope that Biden is able to pick a new FBI head and picks a strong Democrat for that.  No more “moderate” Republicans.  We need someone who understands and respects the Preamble to the Constitution there, and there for 10 years, to help straighten this country out.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  361. 361.

    catclub

    @SW: The future belongs to us. We really should be feeling a lot better about this than a lot of folks seem to be right now. The next six to eight months are going to be hard. The country is going to need a villain. Let’s give them McConnell.

     

    I am not sanguine.

    If we don’t have the senate, McConnell can sabotage everything. The same senators that voted to acquit on impeachment will be in lockstep with him.   There will be no stimulus, and voters will be FED UP in 2022 and throw out the bums.

    Will they know who the bums really are?

  366. 366.

    Leto

    Another update from DelCo, PA (Delaware County): roughly another 2k votes for Biden. Lead is now 9207 votes.

  367. 367.

    Paul W.

    One of the horrible meteors aimed at democracy has been knocked off it’s collision course. Lots more to do, but there is a path and this was a crucial and necessary step.

  369. 369.

    Nutmeg again

    @pluky: and a BER-lin CT, also, too, in addition.  I crack up each time I drive by the little highway sign that says, “East Berlin”.

  370. 370.

    James E Powell

    @Another Scott:

    Don’t we have any younger people. I like a lot of the people who are proposed for cabinet posts, but I feel like we need younger people for our brand. Is that shallow? Yes, it is.

  371. 371.

    O. Felix Culpa

    Biden’s PA lead continues to grow. Now at 9,027. An estimated 136K votes remaining to be counted and Biden is currently averaging nearly 87% of the count.

    Thank you to James Powell for recommending this site.

  373. 373.

    Miss Bianca

    Damn, I am supposed to be writing an article and I cannot stop surfing this site and now I cannot stop smiling.

    WE WON WE WON WE WON WE WON!

  381. 381.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Luciamia:

    Damn. A new President and a new episode of GBBO!

    And the new season of The Crown starts Sunday week (17 November), and two days later is the release of Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land, which I preordered the day the pub date was announced.

    This is shaping up to be a fine November.

  388. 388.

    SFAW

    @pluky:

    There is also a Berlin, Mass. Pronounced BER-lin though, not bear-LEEN. Does that matter?

    Berlin, MA, even has bumper stickers telling the “rubes”* how to pronounce it.

    *If you can be called a “rube” by someone from a farm town of less than 3000 people.

  391. 391.

    J R in WV

    @SFAW:

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    NSASurveilanceVan237

    Thanks for the laugh. I expect the neighbor, if he sees that and freaks, is the kind of guy who has “PASSWORD” or “12345678” as his password.

    Neighbor’s wireless network is called Southern Division FBI Surveillance Van 003 — no one tries to log into that network! Plus we live in the woods…

  393. 393.

    burnspbesq

    @Martin:

    Maura Healy checks more boxes than Preet. I’d rather see Preet as head of the Criminal Division or chair of the SEC.

    Neal Katyal seems the obvious choice for Solicitor General, as does Marty Lederman for head of OLC. And I wouldn’t be surprised to see Andrew Ceresney as U.S. Attorney for SDNY.

  397. 397.

    Tim Posh-looking in a mask

    “And it will be glorious” is a classic response, but you really have to say in Bela Lugosi’s voice for it to work.

Comments are closed.