I’ve already said I’m really worried. Came back to say I’m a mess. I was heartsick in 2016, but as I’d had a gut feeling Trump would win, I wasn’t stunned. Back then I told my devastated friends and relatives that it simply meant we had to put on our armor and re-fight battles we’d won long ago, no matter how tired we were in 2016 or how disheartened. Four years later, I’m exhausted from fighting those battles. I’m disgusted by the crap we’ve had to contend with from Trump and his supporters. I won’t leave the US: even if I did, all I’d gain is distance, as the problems would still distress me.
I can’t handle another four years of this shitshow. The 2016 post-election jollying–“Look! The sun is still shining!” “Hey, nothing’s going to change TODAY!” “Maybe it won’t be as bad as we fear!”–will do nothing to improve my outlook or mental health. If Trump wins, it will be confirmation the country I grew up believing in, the country my parents–one conservative, one liberal–loved and fought for, is gone.
I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned it, but apparently the AFL-CIO, who has strongly endorsed Biden, is concerned about Trump’s potential shenanigans and is prepared to take action of Trump tries to interfere with the voting process.
Here’s a link to their statement.
Here’s a longer article which speculates that they are prepared to call a general strike. It’s clear they’re taking it very seriously.
ETA: I was channel surfing this afternoon and heard the President of the AFL-CIO being interviewed on Fox. His clear and cogent case for Biden and the working man left Cavuto speechless. It’s probably the longest I’ve been able to stomach Fox since election night 2012. If there’s a Biden blowout, I’m so watching Fox,
True, though maybe at this moment, Trump’s best bet is to just get help from Putin. That gives him the plausible deniability that was so useful during the Mueller investigation. If there are huge electrical black-outs in key battleground state counties, or some pivotal county voting system gets hacked, or whatever, Trump can just say that Iran did it, or that Democratic Party elves did it, or that Hunter Biden did it, and then claim that the whole election is invalid for that reason.
Hmm, but turnout was down precipitously — a 37% decline from 2016. That could be a leading indicator that Democratic enthusiasm is not as high as many pollsters predicted, or that Mabel and her kids were visiting her sister over in Burlington.
There are also signs that turnout in some minority communities are not necessarily at Obama levels, either. Maybe better than Hillary, but not at 2012/2008 levels.
I still think Biden wins, but this race could be closer than we think.
PSA: Get the hell out and vote people - make sure your friends vote.