# Election Day \[Week\]\[Month\[s\]\] \[Year\] 2020 follow-along thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 3, 2020, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618 "2020-11-03T05:36:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 268
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5350 "2020-11-10T19:58:11Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Here’s a video of that-- Pompeo is smiling and laughing while he says it. Nervous laughter? Not being able to say it with a straight face? It’s a weird moment to watch: The laughter is really weird. A lot of my women friends do the “nervous laughter” thing to the point where it annoys the hell out of me. It will be a little giggle of self-deprecation, or a chuckle to lighten the moment, or a tee-hee to soften what they think is being rude in a way _nice girls shouldn’t_. But Pompeo’s laugh doesn’t strike me that way. It seemed more like, “I can’t believe these stupid words are coming out of my own mouth! What the fuck am I going to say next??” He also spoke very quickly and was a little breathless. (He needs to have an orthodontist look at those really bad front teeth.) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5351 "2020-11-10T20:09:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I wish the Electoral College would vote Dec. 1, followed by the inauguration. Totally time for this change to happen. I mean, even with the vote date as is, no reason to wait until January 20 anymore. I disagree. Sometimes there are _legitimate_ challenges to the result. The best example is probably the matter of the chads in the 2000 election. The matter was heard on December 11th, and decided on December 12th. By your plan, Bush would have already been sworn in and no challenge possible. ---
**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5352 "2020-11-10T20:32:38Z")
Right but isn’t Barr saying “You can” rather than “You must?”. How many DOJ lawyers are avid Trumpers that will start an investigation now that they have Barr’s blessing? I wouldn’t think too many. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5353 "2020-11-10T20:52:14Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo this morning: “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.” > > Doesn’t seem like histrionics to suggest that the Republican party plans on ending American democracy. This makes me furious. They’re not even pretending to care about Democracy anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5354 "2020-11-10T21:10:30Z")
> [@MikeF](#): > > Right but isn’t Barr saying “You can” rather than “You must?” Right, he isn’t saying “you must” at all. He is issuing clarification regarding DOJ guidance that would typically prohibit any investigation in the vote process during an election. Here are the key sentences, IMO: > [@](#): > > "…given that voting in our current elections has now concluded, I authorize you to pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities prior to the certification of elections in your jurisdictions in certain cases, as I have already done in specific instances. Such inquiries and reviews may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State. Any investigation of claims of irregularities that, if true, would clearly not impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State should normally be deferred until after the election certification process is completed. Another key quote: > [@](#): > > Nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election. Rather, I provide this authority and guidance to emphasize the need to timely and appropriately address allegations of voting irregularities so that all of the American people, regardless of their preferred candidate or party, can have full confidence in the results of our elections. Here is the memo: [https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/barrmemo1109.pdf](https://s.wsj.net/public/resources/documents/barrmemo1109.pdf) As to why that triggered a resignation, I can’t exactly say. I can read it either as Barr preparing to unleash the DOJ on these piddly accusations that Trump has come up with so far, or I can read it as Barr saving his job and doing the bare minimum that will keep Trump off his back. What’s been funny(?) has been hearing right-wingers (and some sources that should know better) latch on to the phrase “substantial allegations” as if he were saying that DOJ believes the allegations to be substantial. It doesn’t say that at all - it says _if_ they are substantial then they can be investigated. Then he follows it up by saying at this point in time DOJ doesn’t believe they are substantial. ETA: Perhaps I should add that I still think it’s a bad idea for him to have released this memo, but I can _almost_ understand it if the end goal is to be able to say “look, we investigated all of this and there was nothing there” rather than enabling the “see, they didn’t even investigate!” stab-in-the-back narrative. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5355 "2020-11-10T21:29:32Z")
there is a theory that they will slow walk the transition to hide what trump has been doing. that they don’t want the biden team to talk to anyone who could say, this happened and i couldn’t forward it to oversight/congress/ whomever. that once the biden team gets into various federal offices and speaks to various civil servants, things will fall like humpty trumpy. this slow walk is why i came to realize biden was the guy for this challenge. he knows how government is to work and how to put it back together. with the pandemic he has another bit of cover. he can securely video conference with anyone and reporters will not be able to see who is coming to him and report it. there are hundreds of people who left the trump administration who can be asked about what and how things were when they left. biden knows how they left the government in 2017, and they can connect dots for how things are now. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5356 "2020-11-10T21:44:33Z")
It’s troublesome anytime Barr says or does anything. But he can only fuck over democracy until Jan 20. 2021. Sorry, but they’re going to fuck it over legendary style until then. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5357 "2020-11-10T21:50:14Z")
By the way, I heard on the radio that today marks the fourth anniversary of the Day that President Obama and VP Biden welcomed shitheels Trump and Pence to the Oval Office to promise support. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5358 "2020-11-10T21:52:02Z")
I spy with my little eye lots of important paper being shredded during the next couple of months. Oopsy doodle, sorry, we don’t know where that went, must have gotten lost. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5359 "2020-11-10T22:51:39Z")
If you had to guess, what percent chance are we at that Donald Trump will president on January 21, 2021? 0%? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5360 "2020-11-10T22:53:35Z")
0% is what I would say. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5361 "2020-11-10T22:56:43Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 0%? I wish I were that sanguine. I’d say 5%. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5362 "2020-11-10T22:57:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > If you had to guess, what percent chance are we at that Donald Trump will president on January 21, 2021? > > 0%? 0.001% I’m reasonably confidant, but it never pays to be overconfident about anything. Of course that said if he is president on Jan 21rst, it will more correctly be written “president.” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5363 "2020-11-10T23:03:00Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > If you had to guess, what percent chance are we at that Donald Trump will president on January 21, 2021? > > 0%? > [@What\_Exit](#): > > 0% is what I would say. > [@Jas09](#): > > I wish I were that sanguine. > > I’d say 5%. This is what I want to know. Biden’s election is NOT going to be overturned, right? He is going to be inaugurated–yes?? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5364 "2020-11-10T23:03:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > > > I don’t think the military would cooperate, especially at the level of command. > > They absolutely would. Soldiers follow orders. The idea the US military would refuse this sort of order is a fantasy. > > The history of these things is very, very clear. Armies follow orders, even to do the most horrific things, unless they themselves plan on taking over. Tell Ferdinand Marcos (and possibly the Shah of Iran, but that may have been more cowardice than intentionally disobeying authority) that. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5365 "2020-11-10T23:04:01Z")
I wish I could say that. The [comments](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/525330-pompeo-on-election-results-there-will-be-a-smooth-transition-to-a) by Pompeo today and the abrupt firing of most of the top leadership at the Pentagon over the last two days are extremely worrying to me. The president of the United States has an almost incalculable amount of power. What if he decides not to give it up? Who stops him? I’m sitting here getting physically ill thinking about this. We may be watching the collapse of our democracy. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5366 "2020-11-10T23:04:14Z")
Yes. What things look like in our country between now and then, and afterward, is anyone’s guess. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5367 "2020-11-10T23:05:16Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > This is what I want to know. Biden’s election is NOT going to be overturned, right? He is going to be inaugurated–yes?? Well, in the other thread about the coup attempt I laid out what I think is a plausible path by which Trump attempts to maintain power. Whether you believe it will be pursued or not, I can’t say, but I will say that nobody with any authority in the executive branch, and only (I think) Romney and Collins in the legislative branch, has said they believe the Biden is the winner. I don’t know why the GOP Senators would go along with blowing up our democracy unless they think they will be on the winning side. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5368 "2020-11-10T23:07:14Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > As to why that triggered a resignation, I can’t exactly say. I would presume because election matters are generally up to the states, at least unless other Federal crimes are involved, or unless the state involved can’t seem to settle the issue on its own. He’s implying that the states can’t be trusted to run their own elections, which the Constitution authorizes them to do; and that the Federal government might interfere with the states’ own processes of fraud investigation. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > > [@Mahaloth](#): > > > > If you had to guess, what percent chance are we at that Donald Trump will president on January 21, 2021? > > > > > 0%? > > 0.001% > > I’m reasonably confidant, but it never pays to be overconfident about anything. Of course that said if he is president on Jan 21rst, it will more correctly be written “president.” Seconding. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618/5369 "2020-11-10T23:07:34Z")
The big boys who pay the Republicans’ bills apparently don’t want chaos in the United States, surprisingly enough. [Business leaders congratulate Biden on victory | CNN Business](http://www.cnn.com/2020/11/07/business/business-leaders-react-biden-win/index.html) I think if it comes down to Trump or their wallets, Republicans will choose the latter. This is, I think, the main thing that will keep matters on track. That and how little I think of Trump and anyone who genuinely (as opposed to feeling like they “have to”) supports him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618.md?page=267) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/election-day-week-month-s-year-2020-follow-along-thread/924618.md?page=269)