I still believe that Trump should have simply announced in late 2019 that he is not running for a second term because:
He accomplished everything in one term. “Hey, I’m a businessman.”
He would never be declared a loser no matter what.
I, obviously somewhat wrongly, thought he hated being President. I think he avoided doing 90% of the job and was able to focus on the “me me me” aspect enough to make it bearable.
Even from a self-centered, sociopath viewpoint, I think it was wrong to run again. He could have gone out in glory if he opted out.
Yeah, I don’t see another run for trump in 2024. He’s got cash and legal problems ahead of him, and not being in a position of power, his star will fade. As mentioned above, the American people have a very short attention span. A new GOP golden boy may emerge that will make trump look like yesterday’s garbage. The GOP will be glad to be rid of him; they’ve defended him so far only because they’re afraid of him and his base. But now that he’s out, they will rebuild a post-trump GOP (it won’t be a kinder and gentler GOP, it’ll just have a more normal façade while being just as venal and corrupt as usual).
Add to that, trump is not a healthy 74 year old. His health, both mental and physical, will decline over the next 4 years. He’s not going to be a trim, spry 78 year old sprinting up ramps like Biden.
So I think articles like this are just silly and very premature:
I’ve always assumed that at least part of the reason why he’s clinging so hard now is to shield himself from criminal and civil lawsuits. I suspect there are many hidden skeletons in his White House that will emerge after he departs.
Remember, LOTS of states are still counting. It’s just that in places where a candidate is clearly going to win, the race has been called.
It’s always taken this long to get the last handful of votes in. It’s just that we’ve never been forced to pretend “nothing can be certain until EVERY vote is counted” (despite mathematical impossibilities) before.
What do we think the timelines will look like for his upcoming lawsuits? Will state judges immediately begin doing pre-trial stuff with the actual court dates set for after January 20th, or will they wait until after inauguration to begin anything at all?
And if he was what the Republicans keep pretending that he is, a wealthy successful businessman that decided to take some time off to serve his country, that’s what he’d do. He’d tout his accomplishments, head down to Florida and take a few years to enjoy life. It would’ve been so easy. He has, objectively, had a really great life.
But he’s a sad angry man that will never feel a second of pleasure or peace until every last insult has been revenged and all his enemies destroyed.
I’m still waiting for hard reality to hit the Republicans. They still think he just needs a little more time, and he’ll start behaving presidentially. Considering they’ve been holding this delusion for the last 5 years, that’s pretty damn funny.
I’m still thinking he’s going to do something really batshit as time goes on, we’re still in week one. DHS just tried to debunk the election fraud stuff he’s pushing, that might start something.
I bet these guys are getting REALLY concerned behind the scenes, a lot of the rat-fuckers are being really defiant of federal law enforcement - positioning themselves as “whistle-blowers” and doxxing federal agents, probably because they’ve been promised pardons. What if Trump suggests that he’ll pardon his followers if they “stop the illegal inauguration”?
I don’t think Trump’s ever coming around. Remember, this is the guy that held a grudge for twenty years because some guy told him his fingers were short. I don’t think the vestiges of sanity can survive 75 million people laughing at him and calling him a loser.
Good election in Arizona. In addition to going for Biden: AZ will have two Democratic Senators for the first time since 1951; House delegation remains 5-4 in favor of Democrats; in Maricopa County Democrat Paul Penzone beat Joe Arpaio’s former flunky to stay on as sheriff; both the state house and senate appear to have tightened up to 31-29 and 16-14 Republican leads.
Main downside is county offices in Maricopa County went red (other than sheriff). County Recorder in particular flipped, so more chances for Republicans to mess with voting in the biggest county.
Ballot initiative charging a surtax on high-income individuals to fund public school passed.
Oh yeah - initiative legalizing recreational pot passed by a wide margin.
IANAL, but I think all lawsuits and appeals would need to be expedited on an emergency basis, argued, and decided (or simply dismissed) before we start running into federal and constitutional deadlines.
Certainly, any legal issues remaining after January 6, 2021 (or whenever Congress certifies the electoral college vote) would likely be dismissed as moot. Recall that the U.S. Supreme Court actually stopped the recount in Florida in 2000 because they were approaching these deadlines.
Upcoming federal deadlines are here:
December 8, 2020: The “Safe Harbor” Deadline (deadline for states to resolve any controversies with their elections in order to avoid congressional second-guessing when electoral votes are counted)
December 14, 2020: Electors Vote in Their States
January 6, 2021: Joint Session of Congress to Count Electoral Votes and Declare Election Results Meets
Yeah - I noted that at least a couple of big name firms had signed on to the Trumpster fire. Big firms can whore as much as solo practitioners, and are great at delaying and imposing costs on opponents, but might have less willingness to be identified w/ clearly meritless efforts which would offend 50% of their prospective clients.
One assumes they have a reputation to protect and are fed up with this bullshit. Now, what does this say about the lawyers and firms that are still hanging on, happy to make ludicrous laughable arguments in court as long as they can keep drawing down the huge retainers they have no doubt demanded? They’re really no better than Rudy Giuliani, who is demonstrably batshit crazy.
God forbid he run again in '24 because with that crazy stupid base of his he’s always a threat to win. And we’ll probably have to listen to him rant and rave for at least another three years until he makes the final decision or loses in the primaries. One solace to all that chaos, though, is that, Don being Don, he will inflict untold damage on all the other Republican candidates who are almost as loathsome as he is. I will enjoy thinking about the misery and uncertainty that the likes of Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton and even Junior and Tucker Carlson will have to endure while Orange Baby brays.
