# The American Coup: 11.9.2020 - **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 9, 2020, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182 "2020-11-09T23:29:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/61 "2020-11-10T20:21:30Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Not to worry everyone! None other than Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State has let us know that the [transition of power will be smooth:](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-pompeo/pompeo-says-world-should-have-confidence-in-smooth-u-s-transition-idUKKBN27Q2YJ) > > > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday the world should have every confidence that a post-election transition in the United States will be smooth. > > > > “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration,” Pompeo told a State Department news conference. The way he said it strongly suggests that he’s trolling. If he really believed that, he would have said something like “No transition will be necessary.” ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/62 "2020-11-10T20:26:50Z")
Something I’ve wondered: We put a bit of attention on the electors themselves, but not much on the state officials themselves who do the certifying. If the Pennsylvania state official were a Republican (as I understand, she’s a Democrat, so no danger there) were to dig in the heels and refuse to certify, who would kick him or her out of office so that the elector slate could be approved and sent on its way? I had thought it was the job of the state legislature to certify, but apparently all of that power is in one person’s hands instead. ---
**Author:** ![bobsmom101](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobsmom101/32/2867_2.png) [@bobsmom101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobsmom101)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/63 "2020-11-10T20:32:48Z")
Yeah, you and @QuickSilver are right. I thought about it some more and there really isn’t substantive difference between someone who lynches a [name of persecuted minority] and someone who sees it but turns away. Ugh. The holidays are going to be tough to get through again. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/64 "2020-11-10T20:34:57Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > If he really believed that, he would have said something like “No transition will be necessary.” Could be he’s preparing for 2024. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/65 "2020-11-10T20:59:09Z")
From what I understand, the Secretary of Defense is in the chain of command- an order goes from the President, to the Secretary of Defense, and from there, to the Unified Combatant Commanders, of which there are eleven, and each is associated with a Unified Combatant Command, which are either geographically aligned, or are aligned with a specific mission that’s worldwide in scope. We’ve all heard of CENTCOM (US Central Command) - that’s the Unified Combatant Command for the Middle East/Central Asia. An example of a worldwide scope UCC would be USSTRATCOM, which is the UCC for strategic nuclear weapon use. In this case, it’s USNORTHCOM that would be relevant to continental US stuff. I suspect any attempt to issue direct orders to subordinate units would be met with resistance by those commanders as possibly unlawful orders. Keep in mind, the military swears their oaths to the Constitution and have a lot of training and concern about lawful vs. unlawful orders, so that would probably raise a LOT of red flags. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/66 "2020-11-10T21:21:25Z")
This sounds like a damned banana republic. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/67 "2020-11-10T21:51:24Z")
Totes normal: > ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/68 "2020-11-10T22:11:40Z")
Fuck. This is bad. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/69 "2020-11-10T22:20:38Z")
To recap: [https://twitter.com/rabrowne75/status/1326284851268489217?s=19](https://twitter.com/rabrowne75/status/1326284851268489217?s=19) ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/70 "2020-11-10T22:32:25Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > To recap: For those who may be more familiar with how these things go, can Biden fire all these new guys first thing on 1/20/2021, or will he be stuck with a bunch of Trump’s lackeys? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/71 "2020-11-10T22:35:17Z")
I don’t know. The markets seem to be shrugging it off so far. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/72 "2020-11-10T22:36:42Z")
The military has a chain of command. For the military to consider stopping a “coup” they would have to resist everything they’ve ever been taught about obeying the chain of command, civilian command and control of the military, and so forth. The question might not be who supports Trump, but who is strong enough to not only resist with their resignation but actually willing to confront them? How would that confrontation work? There would be all kinds of legal questions and uncharted territory. Right now, what we are seeing is a sitting president reject the will of the people, and we’re seeing one of the two major political parties enabling him to that end. What’s brewing right now before your very eyes is potentially the most serious political crisis since 1860. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/73 "2020-11-10T22:40:48Z")
People who think that Trump is doing this just because he’s a narcissist and can’t accept the thought of losing are fucking naive. The Trump White House isn’t fucking around here: they intend to stay in office, and that’s because they’re afraid that once someone starts digging around through records, they will find evidence of high crimes - like stratospherically high. Trump is trying to save his and his family’s asses and assets. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/74 "2020-11-10T22:41:28Z")
If the troops won’t listen it does not matter what a handful of officers and generals think. Plenty of examples of this have been given in this thread. I grant it is a big step for a soldier to disobey but they certainly can and have as has been shown many, many times in the past. Without them General Dickhead is just one guy ranting and waving a pistol around. Not enough to take over a country. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/75 "2020-11-10T22:44:25Z")
Please tell me I’m being paranoid at the idea of Biden having to hide out in Canada or Mexico come 1/20/2021 and issuing orders from a foreign country to a US military that may not follow them. ETA. With the alternative being that the generals ignore orders from Trump’s top civilian DoD leaders. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/76 "2020-11-10T22:45:59Z")
An Avignon Presidency is in the cards, yes. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/77 "2020-11-10T22:46:14Z")
If the troops don’t listen, what we’d likely have is chaos and the potential for major civil conflict. There are plenty of people in the military who support Trump and who believe in what he’s doing. Is it a majority? No, but it doesn’t have to be. The assumption people have made to help themselves sleep better over the years is that if a majority of people approve something good or disapprove of something bad, then that’s good enough. No, it’s not. As I’ve pointed out in many a deranged rant, for a democracy to fall only requires that a majority of people don’t do enough to confront those who will tear it down. And sometimes, confrontation requires more than just voting. I think this is going to be a street fight before it’s all over. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/78 "2020-11-10T22:48:05Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zDAmPIq29ro/hqdefault.jpg "Animal House - All Is Well!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAmPIq29ro) I’ll be resorting to biting _the dog’s_ nails before too long. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/79 "2020-11-10T22:48:22Z")
However, in the legal sphere: > And in keeping with the tone of the thread, CIA Head Haspel met with Mitch for 20 minutes today: > ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/80 "2020-11-10T22:51:16Z")
Any wagers on when Erik Prince and the boys from [Academi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academi) (née Blackwater) show up ? And … yes … for those who don’t remember, [Erik Prince](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Prince) IS Betsy DeVos’s brother. [spoken in Trump voice] “Erik … people are saying … that other people – Biden’s people – are going to hurt Betsy …” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182.md?page=5)