Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

Stay strong, because they are weak.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

Find someone who loves you the way trump and maga love traitors.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Rupert, come get your orange boy, you petrified old dinosaur turd.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

Giving up is unforgivable.

Trump should be leading, not lying.

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

“In this country American means white. everybody else has to hyphenate.”

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2020 / BTW, We Have a First (Well, Second) Dude Now and That’s a Big Thing

BTW, We Have a First (Well, Second) Dude Now and That’s a Big Thing

by | 175 Comments

This post is in: 

While Kamala was speaking, it occurred to me that we now, for the first time, will have a spouse who is not a female in the Presidency or Vice-Presidency. And that is a pretty big deal.

It needs to be normalized for women to be at the forefront, stay at home dads, and the like. Hell, honestly that would be my dream job. But whatever, it’s cool and good this is happening.

Reader Interactions

175Comments

  2. 2.

    zhena gogolia

    And a really cool dude, too.

    I was loving watching those families on stage. They look like people I could talk to.

  6. 6.

    PsiFighter37

    It will be interesting to see how Emhoff occupies himself over the next 4 years.

    But damn, tonight was great. I think the contrast will be amplified even more by Sore Loser not formally conceding.

    And, I would say this – the fact that nobody from the GOP other than Romney (not even Susan Collins, who just got reelected and can have the ants off her back) offered formal congratulations – it means that we are in for a fight the next couple of years. Otherwise, we will be living in a national version of North Carolina, where the NC legislature stripped Cooper of lots of his power right after his election was confirmed.

  8. 8.

    Aleta

    And as someone said somewhere, a president’s spouse who will be going off to work at her same job as before as a teacher.  Hopefully not as captive in playing the Lady role as predecessors.

  11. 11.

    JWR

    I really liked Joe’s speech, but truly loved Kamala’s, and can’t wait for her to be our most eloquently outspoken VP of them all.

    And oh joy, Gary Abernathy a while ago on PBS, (defending Donald, natch), imagining if the shoe were on the other foot, says he can see Biden waiting a bit to concede, and asking that all LEGAL votes be counted. Gag me.

  13. 13.

    Eljai

    What a joy to see normal, happy families on stage tonight.  I didn’t see Jill swat Joe’s hand away once!

  15. 15.

    aliasofwestgate

    I still absolutely love how Joe refers to himself as Jill’s Husband. XD Even when he’s now just in the wings waiting to be the most powerful man in the world. But yes, having a Second Dude is incredible to think about.

  16. 16.

    Another Scott

    ABC news reports that the Trump campaign "voter fraud" hotline "has turned into a nightmare…bombarded with prank calls from people laughing or mocking them over Biden's win before hanging up…"t.co/VWLpc6qqUz

    — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 8, 2020

    (via Popehat)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  17. 17.

    jl

    Woo hoo! Man cave Christmas decs at 1 Navel Observatory Circle. Need to put VP as well as POTUS Christmas on the TV next year. Might bring over a point or two of marginal Trump guy voters.

  18. 18.

    mali muso

    I loved seeing Hunter Biden up in that stage. Fuck all those assholes for dragging him through the mud and for being so evil.

  20. 20.

    Ohio Mom

    Zzyzx:

    That’s what I said! And Ohio Dad responded, “Um, Ivanka and Jared.”

    But I still agree with you.

  24. 24.

    Benw

    My few years as the stay at home dad after my wife went back to work were some of the best of my life. I wouldn’t trade them for anything

  26. 26.

    PsiFighter37

    @Baud: “Be Best II: How My Amended Pre-Nup Bankrupted Donald”*

    *”Don’t worry, I looked out for my anchor baby”

    PF37 +5

  27. 27.

    Suzanne

    Normality feels revolutionary, after four years of those Trump freaks.

    Everything about them is weird and terrible. They hate each other, their plastic surgery is uncanny, they don’t act the way normal people do. Maybe that’s why they don’t have any pets: animals would reveal that they’re not quite human.

  29. 29.

    Alison Rose

    @Ohio Mom: THEY DON’T COUNT.

    Jared is an evil little turncoat, and listen…I typically accept converts as Jews, full stop, but fuck no do I accept that prissy little WASP as one of my people.

  30. 30.

    jl

    As for the future of the soon to be criminal investigatory target of many inquiries, I heard a news report that with private associates, Trump’s attitude is different than public face WH is putting on it. He’s admitting that “things might not work out” and “have to go with it”.

    It occurred to me that signals of mental and emotional decompensation are very well aligned with pretext for his grievance media machine following the presidency. I don’t know how effective that would be at keeping his base charged up, or how long he can do it before being dragged off to jail or fleeing the country.

    If he can stay free stateside, and if he were smart, he’d try to work with the majority of the GOP who is effectively throwing in with him. But, probably out of spite, he’ll focus on wrecking GOPers who he thinks let him down. They also, did not turn out to be the ‘best people.’

  35. 35.

    Zzyzx

    @Ohio Mom: I always forget that. I’m not sure which would be considered closer.

    Although I hate to think how bad the last 4 years would have been if Trump could have gone full antisemitic.

  36. 36.

    sdhays

    I’m blanking – what is Doug’s profession?

    @JWR: I absolutely agree with this. Joe’s speech hit it out of the park, but Kamala’s speech was amazing. And the Biden campaign’s visual presentation people are amazing too. The brilliant blue backdrop with Kamala’s suffragette white suit was visually stunning. Just an amazing presentation all around. And cathartic. So much joy.

    I don’t know how with COVID, but I need to figure out how to go to the inauguration.

  38. 38.

    Pete Downunder

    Both Australia and NZ have or had first dudes. Julia Gillard (Aus PM 2010-13) and current PM in NZ had stay at home first dudes though I think Julia’s partner TimMathieson had a day job as a hairdresser or some such. Also I think Angela Merkel has a husband. Too lazy to  Google.

  39. 39.

    Patricia Kayden

    I'm a few minutes behind, but the contrast of this presidential speech after the last four years of Trump's horseshit is so glaring, I feel like I've been sucked through a wormhole into an alternate universe.— Gary Legum (@GaryLegum) November 8, 2020

  40. 40.

    dmsilev

    @Alison Rose: I guess, as far as Jared as a Jewish “representative” goes, the nicest thing I can say about him is that he’s better than Stephen Miller. Maybe.

  43. 43.

    CaseyL

    @dmsilev:  Trump’s talent for finding and elevating the most vile and vomitous individuals around, regardless of race or creed, is the single non-discriminatory thing about him.

  46. 46.

    PsiFighter37

    Just read Dave Wasserman on Twitter trying to explain how Trump might still be able to win Arizona.

    Honestly, fuck these white math guys – they are useful idiots at best. They do not know how to read the room; in particular, Wasserman has been getting shelled with memes for the past few days, and the way that he, and NBC (his employer) could have capitalized on it was for him to call the race and break Twitter.

    These people are fucking stupid. There is nothing more pathetic than ball washing and nut picking after the whole shebang has been called

    ETA: I could probably do a better job than they could, but I can’t because I am not a privileged white guy who has connections.

  47. 47.

    TS (the original)

    @PsiFighter37:

    the fact that nobody from the GOP other than Romney (not even Susan Collins, who just got reelected and can have the ants off her back) offered formal congratulations

    Says everything about the GOP. I remember Obama’s words about no red, no blue but the United States, and the next day O’Connell is plotting to oust him. Not once (I think)  did a GOP senator vote for any Democratic legislation when Obama was President. The hoops they made him jump to get funding & still he tried to include them in all negotiations.

    The GOP ruling class have no class, no morals and are full of hate.

  48. 48.

    Martin

    @sdhays: Lawyer. I think for celebs.

    Adding to the broadcast etiquette challenge is that first time we have different surnames for spouses, so they can’t just elide over that as they usually do. Should be entertaining to watch everyone trip over that.

  49. 49.

    SuzieC

    I floated this on FB to enthusiasm: what if Pres. Biden chose an R Senator from a state with a D Governor for his Cabinet? Like, for instance, Toomey, who is retiring? Then the D Gov. could appoint a D replacement and the Senate would be 49-48 even before the GA runoffs.

  51. 51.

    Martin

    @CaseyL: That works both ways. Only criminals and scumbags are interested in working for him, so he probably couldn’t pick a decent employee even if he wanted to.

  52. 52.

    PsiFighter37

    @SuzieC: Not going to happen. I do think Obama was trying to pull off some jujitsu by appoting Judd Gregg to Commerce (NH had a Democratic governor then), but he withdraw early in the process. McConnell will tell his caucus to say no to any offer…and honestly, is there anyone in that caucus you would want? Fuck them all, even Collins and Romney.

  55. 55.

    jl

    Watching Vice President Elect Harris’ speech now. Also very good, just like President Elect Biden’s.

    I think they are going out of their way to emphasize the importance of a civic public space, civil society and community are important and will be key to their success.

    Thatcher’s dictum that there is no such thing as society is not only poisonous, it is wrong. Too much of US government policy as worked as if what Thatcher said is true, a lot of it pushed by a malicious GOP. But humans are a social animal and need to live in a society. Swindlers and criminals will swoop in the fill the vacuum with poison if we don’t keep a well functioning civil society.

    Edit: forget ‘keep’. We don’t have one now. We’ll have a ferocious struggle to rebuild one.

  57. 57.

    Martin

    @SuzieC: That would only work if the R senator was willing to watch the Senate flip to D. Good luck finding one.

    Remember, we still have a race in Alaska we might win. Everyone seems to be forgetting that. It would be nice to see Alaska get a little love here.

  58. 58.

    JWR

    @TS (the original):

    This. And all the talking heads on TV telling me that they personally know R’s who are truly appalled by Donald and would wish him into the cornfield if only they could, blah blah blah. Fuck them. They had a chance to feed the corn with their Impeachment vote, and chose not to.

  62. 62.

    sdhays

    @SuzieC: I’m just going to keep reminding people of this until the facts change:

    Don’t write off the Alaska Senate race yet. The Democratic votes haven’t been counted and the candidate is still saying he’s confident he’ll win. We have no idea how that’s going to play out, and probably won’t for a couple weeks.

    Regarding Biden appointing a Republican Senator – I really can’t imagine anyone taking the offer. It would be a massive betrayal to the Republican tribe and would be seen as such. And they’re all total shitheads. When Mitt Romney is the one left showing even a tiny shred of decency, you know they’re all rotten to the core.

  63. 63.

    Amir Khalid

    @SuzieC:

    It would have to be a Republican who could be trusted not to screw over the Biden administration. Is there really such a Senator?

  64. 64.

    Splitting Image

    @dmsilev:

    I guess, as far as Jared as a Jewish “representative” goes, the nicest thing I can say about him is that he’s better than Stephen Miller. Maybe.

    If it’s true that Kushner is the guy who decided to let the coronavirus play out because it was mostly killing people in blue states, then he’s responsible for more deaths than Miller, and he’s a more honest-to-God Nazi than Miller.

    That said, they both belong in the Hague.

  65. 65.

    Ken

    @sdhays: I hope Jared hurries up and fixes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

    Maybe he could be kept on in the position.  Give him an apartment/office in some basement somewhere under the Potomac, and tell him he can leave once an agreement is reached.

  68. 68.

    Patricia Kayden

    I’m so looking forward to coming back to an America free of harsh words and name calling and be amongst people who I know have common ground and harmony. It’s a challenge but it can be done!— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) November 7, 2020

  72. 72.

    NotMax

    @Ken

    Appoint him ambassador to the Sun?

    “Pack light, Jared. A toothbrush and change of undies ought to do it.”

    //

  74. 74.

    cain

    I”m happily having a cigar and whiskey – I deserve it. Out on the covered patio with my vegas lights on (it is bright!) and having my firs cigar in 4 years and some good scotch.

  76. 76.

    jl

    As for unity, I agree that future President Biden should respect, work for, and try good faith dialog and persuasion with everyone, those who voted for him and against him.

    As for governing with the GOP, so far they are signaling ‘F that, watch us screw you in bad faith every chance we can.’ If the GOP keeps this up, any attempt by the future Dem administration to go with unity or consensus federal governance will be laughable on its face, doomed from the very first second. And will be dangerous since may well end up with stalemate and no concrete results for mass of the population.

    I hope as president, President Elect Biden will say to the GOP, with kindness, good-will and regret, “F you assholes’ and take his case to the people.

  79. 79.

    JWR

    Another thing about broadcast TV anchors, they all seem automatically to believe that the Senate will remain in Republican hands, before the Georgia runoff elections take place. Well, good. You be you. The less they pay attention to the possibility  of undivided government, the better, as far as I’m concerned. And depending on how soon Moscow Mitch shows us all who he is, the more energized will be the Dem voters come January.

  82. 82.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Morgan J. Freeman @mjfree · 1h

    You can’t fake having a good heart & loving soul. And having Kamala speak tonight was a class act.

    I just love that President God tweeted this out.

  84. 84.

    Jeffro

    I like to think I’d be a good Second Dude: I’m already ok with being outshone, handling things here at the house, and have lots of worthwhile hobbies/causes to keep me busy.

  86. 86.

    jl

    @JWR: Trump has some bug that seems to be infectious. I don’t understand why the GOP is signaling their intentions and attitude so blatantly in public. Only thing I can think of is that it they are still scared shitless of the Trump base, which is basically all that is left of the GOP. And maybe they just assume that the Dems won’t be able to mount an effective response.

  87. 87.

    Jeffro

    @debbie: one of the most celebratory and also shade-throwing things I’ve posted this past week is the post-3rd-debate photo of Dr. Biden hugging Joe while Melania stiffly holds trumpov’s tiny hand as he shouts at someone.

    Talk to me more about family values, GOP creeps.

  90. 90.

    Jeffro

    @JWR: Abernathy’s op-ed today in the WaPo was a masterpiece of whiny bullshit: “Give Biden the Chance No One Ever Gave trumpov”

    PUH-LEASE

    Donald Trump has made an impact on the United States like few others. His imprint will live on in a likely Republican Senate, a House made more conservative (after 2018 setbacks without Trump on the ticket), a judiciary of his choosing for a generation to come and a media landscape forced to grapple with its continued misunderstanding of a population whose respect it claims to covet. Millions of Americans gravitated to Trump for reasons not yet properly summarized by essays or books, but understanding and respecting them is crucial to any hope for national unity.

    Our nation needs healing, but that won’t be achieved by expecting one half of the nation to acquiesce to the other half. Respecting our differences is a more realistic remedy than demanding agreement. Let’s all quit insulting each other for a while — tamping down the use of “racist” to describe half of America would be a good start — and see what happens.

    No, and fuck no.

  92. 92.

    TS (the original)

    @cain:

     How the fuck do evangelicals put up with this shit? I don’ get it.

    It has nothing to do with religion. All about abortion (which is why the GOP is even interested in same) and racism. Not sure which is the most important to evangelicals, probably the latter.

  93. 93.

    Jeffro

    @TS (the original): abortion restrictions = control of women, white supremacy/racism = control of Black people

    That’s why all kinds of shit is ok with evangelicals (including their fervent support of a guy who has never read their favorite book): he said The Magic Words, over and over.

  96. 96.

    Danielx

    @Jeffro:

    Response from I believe 162 years ago, the Cooper Union speech…unless you give them everything they want you’re the devil.

  97. 97.

    jl

    @dm: Wow! I thought it was getting out of reach. Go NC, Go!

    Amazing numbers, but there they are, and it keeps up they can do it.

  100. 100.

    JWR

    @jl:

    Trump has some bug that seems to be infectious.

    True, but I hope that when it dawns on his cult members that Dear Leader is a LOOZER, some of that infectious air will come whooshing out of their tires, which has me hopeful for the GA runoffs.

  101. 101.

    Jeffro

    @Danielx: truth

    I hope we waste zero time trying to get them to go along with, well, anything.  Get with the program, GOP.  Put forth some solutions instead of just obstructing and denying.

  102. 102.

    mad citizen

    Busy news day.  Saw an article on my phone tonight and read a long twitter thread about the trump team/Giuliani philly presser at Four Seasons Landscaping and not Four Seasons Hotel, just before the network’s called the race.  Next to an adult book store.  Believe it is a Slate story.   This is the funniest thing to happen in 4 years.  Assume it was mentioned in the afternoon threads.   Classic VEEP.

  103. 103.

    JoyceH

    Hey, remember back in the spring when Trump refused to have an event unveiling Obama’s White House portrait, something that every other president did for his predecessor? Well, now Obama’s VP gets to do it.

  104. 104.

    JWR

    @Jeffro:

    Millions of Americans gravitated to Trump for reasons not yet properly summarized by essays or books, but understanding and respecting them is crucial to any hope for national unity.

    Lol! Like yeah, right! We’re supposed to respect their racism and intolerance. Dude lives in his own personal happyfairyland.

  105. 105.

    sdhays

    @JWR: I am really curious how many people are Dump voters rather than Republican voters. He really does seem to have turned out a lot of rarely-voting deplorables to vote for him. Do they bother to vote for Loeffler and Perdue, especially if Dump blames them for his loss in Georgia (which I’m sure he does and hope he vocalizes it loudly soon)?

  106. 106.

    Citizen Alan

    @cain: 

    It’s quite simple. Evangelical Christianity is a sham religion fashioned out of whole clothe in the 19th century by Southern plantation owners who wanted preachers who would reassure them that God was okay with them raping slave girls whenever the felt like it. Shitgibbon got 81% of the white evangelical vote in 2016. I’ll wager it went up in 2020.

  108. 108.

    cain

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    @cain: Right now, Gov Gav is in the mansion and saying “thank God I’m not married to her any longer”.

    Truth – something is broken with her. Having a great sexual drive is awesome – but making people uncomfortable by casually displaying it is not a good look.

  111. 111.

    eddie blake

    @JWR:

    it’s funny. we TOTALLY understand them. that’s what the damned problem is. they’re fascist scum and we get that.

  112. 112.

    Suzanne

    I have been joy shopping. Maybe because I haven’t been into a store besides a grocery, Costco, Target, or CVS in freaking months. Anyway, I bought a new pair of boots and a necklace. I have to stop.

  114. 114.

    Steeplejack

    Seems like someone was asking recently about the 1940 Pride and Prejudice with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson. It’s going to be on TCM at 6:00 a.m. EST tomorrow.

  115. 115.

    Suzanne

    @cain:

    Having a great sexual drive is awesome – but making people uncomfortable by casually displaying it is not a good look. 

    It’s possible to have a sex drive without being trash. Good Lord. Times and places.

  116. 116.

    sdhays

    @HumboldtBlue: I did not know that Kimberly Guilfoyle was the head of the Dump campaign’s finance team. I’m speechless.

    ????????

    ETA: But it explains sooooo much.

  118. 118.

    mad citizen

    @Wapiti: I started laughing as soon as I saw it.  After reading many tweets I’m still unsure if the landscaping company is MAGA friendly, or the campaignWH (corrupt that they seem to be the same thing) meant/tried to book the hotel and were turned away or called the landscaping place by mistake and they rolled with it.

  119. 119.

    Kay

    Kaitlan Collins
    @kaitlancollins
    ·12m
    Some news — Jared Kushner has approached President Trump about conceding the election, per two sources.

    Fraud investigations going well I see.

  124. 124.

    jl

    @mad citizen: Weird. I saw some pix and it was sad and hilarious. They are incompetent enough to make a mistake like that. Or, since everyone outside of the Trumpster inner circle hates his guts, maybe revenge of a low level staffer who’s packed and going out the door?

    Landscape company is OK with me, as long as they don’t scare the azaleas

    Edit: or don’t try to steal the compost. If the owners know that these guys are there, should drive over and check their pockets before the grifters leave.

  125. 125.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Aleta: I forget which prominent lawyer on twitter said, lawyer/fixers at that level are very small and elite group, very conscious of their reputations. One is Ben Ginsberg, who became an increasingly vocal anti-trumper as the election ramped up. I guess Ted Olsen would be another, I haven’t heard his name in a while. Emmet Flood? All this just to say: I imagine Jared having conversations with these lawyers, trying to get them to work for his father-in-law, the President of the United States, and I’d bet half my quatloos, as these lawyers tried to put him off with more, or less, diplomacy, I’d bet that Jared used the phrase: “Do you know who my father is?”

    ETA: Chris Christie, at least would know how to sound like a super-lawyer for the cameras. I wonder if he and trump are done

  126. 126.

    Citizen Alan

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    My theory for many years has been that Always Sunny was meant as a parody of Seinfeld. That is, a show about a group of reprehensible “friends” (who barely tolerate one another) and the hijinks they get into as a result of their own narcissism and lack of empathy. Only instead of witty Larry David dialogue, it’s done as an absolute farce.

  127. 127.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Kay: “God Emperor, I think you should consider maybe just saying that your legal remedies aren’t going to get you where you want to go and but that you should have won.”

    Really though, I bet they sell this to him by telling him he can really stick it to Biden by campaigning in Georgia. He gets to do RALLIES again, and he can whine more about it then.

  128. 128.

    JoyceH

    Hah! I’d heard about the landscaper earlier and laughed and laughed. But it wasn’t until I saw the pictures that I realized how SHODDY the site looked.

  129. 129.

    Kay

    @Aleta:

    Someone has to offer to pay the campaign debt or Trump isn’t going to quit using the “legal challenges” (such as they are) as a way to milk more money out of his supporters.

    Tap one of the billionaires, pay him off, and he’ll concede.

  132. 132.

    jl

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I saw a short news interview with a constitutional lawyer, who said the current Trumpster lawsuits are so silly, they are just hopeless, don’t give even the crookedist Trump judge anything to work with.

    Edit: in particular, the legal fuss about no GOP observers is just fraudulent and dishonest, Trump’s lawyers were forced to admit in court that there were GOP observers in every counting center.

    So, he suspects they are going to move on to goofy plots to have state legislatures throw out elections and name their own slate of electors, except enough swing states have legal safeguards against that, or Dem executive branches that have to sign on,  to prevent Trump getting to 270. Final stop is maybe an attempt to get somebody to work small gaps in how EC voting works to swap in crooked slates voted in by…. well, by whom is a good question. GOP state legislatures willing to take a wild flyer on the scheme and just pass shit with not legal standing? Edit: but critical PA GOP leg says it won’t do that.

    Looks like we are almost in the clear in terms of getting rid of that jackass.

  136. 136.

    mad citizen

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Me too on Sunny.  I stopped around season 7 but know they are on 13 or something.  On my “to watch” list to watch them all sometime.  That’s an interesting theory of a satiric Seinfeld but can’t quite see what they are satirizing.   They are meaner for sure, and often funnier.  I laughed hard and out loud when naked Frank (Devito) emerged from, what was it? A sofa?  I could see it as the Philly version of Seinfeld for sure.

  137. 137.

    Ken

    @jl: in particular, the legal fuss about no GOP observers is just fraudulent and dishonest, Trump’s lawyers were forced to admit in court that there were GOP observers in every counting center.

    Dare I hope the judge raised one eyebrow and asked, “Are you telling me that you lied to this court?”

  139. 139.

    dmsilev

    @Sister Golden Bear: Oh dear. From the intro of that article,

    For roughly 28% of LGBTQ voters, the nightmare is just beginning. That’s how many queer people cast their ballots for Trump, according to exit surveys conduced by Edison Research for the National Election Pool

    Not quite dead center on the Crazifaction Number, but certainly within the margin of error.

  141. 141.

    Kay

    @Aleta:

    He couldn’t find the Baker-like person he imagined, would who fix everything and do it for free.

    It’s worse than not being able to get a good lawyer. They wanted a “Baker-like” person so they could use that person’s credibility to claim there was doubt and drag it on, but drag it on to what end? There was no plan past “drag it out”. There needs to be a Step Two. Trump didn’t lose Michigan in Detroit. He lost it in Grand Rapids. They would have been marching into Right leaning suburban precincts and screaming fraud.

  144. 144.

    jl

    @Ken: I think the quote was (paraphrase by my memory): “Then, what are you doing here?”

    Edit: IIRC, the judge told them to give him some actual real problem, not BS,  or go away, the GOP lawyers said they need to be 6 feet away from the counting, not 10 or 20 or whatever. They reached a deal with the local officials and the judge said, ‘great, done’ and told the Trumpsters to GTFO.

    Edit: IIRC, the lawyers lamely said they were not lying because the number of GOP observers was non-zero, so I  guess since the word ‘zero’ was in the sentence, it was OK. Probably the judge just wanted them gone and went with the fastest way to get that done.

  145. 145.

    Ivan X

    @Ohio Mom:  I too blotted them out until I read your comment. I suspect I just don’t want to accept such odious persons as representing my peeps.

  146. 146.

    James E Powell

    @Jeffro:

    Millions of Americans gravitated to Trump for reasons not yet properly summarized by essays or books,

    I don’t know about properly, but I do know it’s been constantly summarized, analyzed, and legitimized. It has been the #1 obsession of the NYT for four years.

    According to all the wisest people, the reason that people voted for an ignorant, hateful bigot is always something Democrats did or failed to do. Because these were all good people until Democrats did that thing or failed to do that thing.

  148. 148.

    catclub

    @sdhays: Do they bother to vote for Loeffler and Perdue,

     

    unfortunately, I think yes. Although the theory that 2018 was so bad

    for the GOP when Trump was not on the ballot, says otherwise.

    Doug Jones won that way.   My third prediction is that perdue wins and Loeffler ( the woman) loses.

  149. 149.

    Kay

    @James E Powell:

    I can’t explain the Trump base but I think Trump stayed above 45% with the vast majority (who pay very little attention) because the economy was good. It’s what made him hard to beat. It’s also hard to beat an incumbent, especially one who turned the entire federal government into a campaign apparatus.

  150. 150.

    sdhays

    @Kay: So true.

    I wonder how long we’ll have to wait for Don Jr. to check into rehab for his cocaine habit and have the audacity to call up Hunter Biden for advice. And how to make his father love him.

  151. 151.

    Yutsano

    @dmsilev: Eh. It’s probably less than that. Not as much as I would like, but that number is based on exit polls. And those were skewing heavily Republican this year.

  152. 152.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Lisa Murkowski issues a statement

    Steven Dennis  @StevenTDennis
    I think this now makes two Republican senators congratulating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

    I was expecting her to do so. I’d bet on Portman and Toomey and any other potential retirees next. Shelby? Blunt?

  154. 154.

    sdhays

    @catclub: I think the odds are with you, but as you suggest, there’s some unknown there too. Another big question is if Democrats can bring out all the people we brought out for Joe.

  157. 157.

    gwangung

    @sdhays: If it were anywhere else but Georgia, yeah it’s a big question.

    But with Stacey Abrams? Riding the high of an honest to God win?

    You have to like those odds….And you HAVE to put big money and effort down.

  158. 158.

    James E Powell

    @Kay:

    I agree with you, but the fact that his support never went as low as George W Bush’s – even a year before the financial crisis – is remarkable.

  159. 159.

    Kay

    @gwangung:

    Biden may be able to do a lot on voting rights without new legislation. We have The Help America Vote Act (HAVA). If he focused on that, he could do a lot with it. He could enforce it, for one thing.

  161. 161.

    Benw

    @catclub: @sdhays: man I really want GA to deliver two Dem senators, but it’ll be tough. My hope, as you say, is that Trump’s name won’t downballet in 2022, making it more like 2018, and Stacey and the other Dem activists there are motived.

  163. 163.

    Matt McIrvin

    I’d thought Harris would also be our first non-white Vice-President, but turns out she’s not–that would be Herbert Hoover’s VP Charles Curtis, a member of the Kaw Nation.

  164. 164.

    Matt McIrvin

    @jl:

    So, he suspects they are going to move on to goofy plots to have state legislatures throw out elections and name their own slate of electors, except enough swing states have legal safeguards against that, or Dem executive branches that have to sign on,  to prevent Trump getting to 270. Final stop is maybe an attempt to get somebody to work small gaps in how EC voting works to swap in crooked slates voted in by…. well, by whom is a good question. GOP state legislatures willing to take a wild flyer on the scheme and just pass shit with not legal standing? Edit: but critical PA GOP leg says it won’t do that.

    They’ve been semi-publicly talking about these schemes for months, but seems to me it’d be difficult to convince any state lege that this would be in their own best interest. To be known as the people who threw out ALL the votes in a swing state, including their own constituents’, to overturn the presidential election? There would be blowback.

  168. 168.

    Calouste

    @Kay: I guess the begging emails for the legal fees don’t bring in enough to cover the cost of the on-crack legal team, let alone money to pay of the campaign debt and other grift.

  169. 169.

    Calouste

    @Kay: If you’re a billionaire, you could give the shitgibbon $100 million to call it quits, and you could make that money back on the stock market as long as you get to determine the time and date of the announcement.

  171. 171.

    SWMBO

    @PsiFighter37: Joe would never do it but all I can think of is Romney and his bootlicking dinner to beg for Secretary of State. That deer in the headlights look and Trump gloating.

  172. 172.

    SWMBO

    @HumboldtBlue: I have a quibble over the “dancing video”.  It should have had Hillary in it and possibly not Bernie.  If it wasn’t for Hillary, Kamala wouldn’t have been the VP  pick.

  173. 173.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Omnes Omnibus: I am concerned about the number of Republican members of Congress who seem to openly support Trump’s claims that he won and was robbed. Are they going to keep that up for four years?

    If they only have one house of Congress, they at least can’t block certification of the electors. If they’d taken the House, that kind of revolt would actually have been conceivable.

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