looking forward to biden

[Sabre 336]

19 minutes ago, Zozza said:

Who has the biggest boat.

Definately not me!

[erice 332]

back to biden

needed 270 to win

got 306

trump 232

bigly beaten

[erice 332]

Last week, she posted on social media that in Michigan, a state that flipped to the Democrats, the legislature could decide to "select the electors".

She added it was a "huge win for Trump".

This would mean Michigan's 16 Electoral College votes assigned according to the wishes of the state's Republican majority legislature, the equivalent of a state parliament, rather than by voters who, by all accounts, have chosen Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Trump has reportedly invited some Michigan GOP politicians to the White House to discuss exactly this course of action.

Critics have called a strategy to ignore the popular vote in enough states to allow Trump to remain in the White House as a "fever dream".

A prominent law professor has said it would be nothing more than a "naked power play" and could lead to conflict on the streets.

But the US Constitution, which gifted the country its convoluted election system, is ambiguous on the matter. It certainly seems possible that a state's politicians could simply brush aside voters' wishes.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/donald-trump-how-us-president-may-attempt-to-cling-to-power/T2I72LE4GY5HXYO4TK7D36EKTE/

[AJ Oliver 106]

39 minutes ago, erice said:

A prominent law professor has said it would be nothing more than a "naked power play" and could lead to conflict on the streets.

Got that right, I'd be out there along with millions of others. 

But our Reich would not care a whit - they long ago abandoned respect for democratic norms or practices. 

[AJ Oliver 106]

11 hours ago, Zozza said:

We should make it happen one day (sans the speedos please!!)

Who has the biggest boat.

I would invite you here (we have hosted a number of Kiwis over the years), 

but it's not very safe to visit our failed state. 

[armchairadmiral 264]

Is it really that bad AJ or are the 80% just getting on with life....fishing,sailing working,footballing...etc....etc

[erice 332]

it kinda kills investment

if you think civil war is a possible future

meanwhile 250,000 people have died of covid in less than a year

hospitals are full 

and it'll probably take another year to get a vaccine out

if, and this is a big if

there's a functional gov. to organise distribution

this is sowing diversion like nothing since the civil war

why the hell should republicans be forgiven for inviting the devil to the table

[MuzzaB 11]

6 hours ago, armchairadmiral said:

Is it really that bad AJ or are the 80% just getting on with life....fishing,sailing working,footballing...etc....etc

I'll offer my perspective.  The great majority of us are getting on with life - who knows what percentage but well above 80%.

The issue is that life has changed dramatically.  Our failure to get on top of the pandemic has altered things greatly.  This week is Thanksgiving - neither of my adult children will be coming to stay, though the one who lives within reasonable range will come over for a socially-distanced dinner.  He must leave in time to be back at his home by 10pm, because we (in my part of California) are under a curfew as of today (with exceptions as you might expect).  

We have fallen back to our "worst" tier, which puts limits on many activities, shopping hours etc.  Masks are mandatory except when outdoors and a safe distance from others.

I turned down an opportunity to be sailing down in San Diego in a couple of weeks because I don't want to risk a flight down, and it is not worth the 7-hour drive. 

We are fortunate in that we can continue to socialize at safe distances outside.  An extra layer of clothing maskes that possible as our temperatures a little south of San Francisco are as warm as Auckland in the winter and often warmer.  But where my younger son lives it has already snowed and it is just too cold to have a BBQ in the back yard.  So having friends around at a safe distance is not an option for him until Spring.

Most sports are severely limited now that we are back in our purple tier.  It differs in other parts of the country obviously.

But life goes on.  We adapt.  This will pass.

[Edited for bad typing.]

[MuzzaB 11]

6 hours ago, erice said:

 

and it'll probably take another year to get a vaccine out

if, and this is a big if

there's a functional gov. to organise distribution

 

I don't think we need the federal government to do this.  It will be great if that happens, and it likely will under Biden.  But even under Trump, an abdication of that role would be met by a coordinated effort by the states and the drug companies.  It might not happen instantly, but we would not be sitting around watching the inaction while a vaccine sits undistributed.

For example, here on the left coast, three states are coordinated in their planning and thinking even if they chose different methods and timing for implementaton.

It may not be visible from N.Z., but the states, including most (not all) with Republican leadership, took the iniative from early on in this pandemic.  Key problems were that (1) without federal coordination states found themselves in competition with each other for scarce resources (early on that was PPE and ventilators) and (2) the top federal leadership was doing its best to  - well - you know the rest.

[erice 332]

good to hear the states are moving

i guess that's an advantage of a federal/states system that we single gov. types tend to forget