# 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:** 64
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1262 "2020-12-18T17:12:20Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > They’re ‘taking a knee‘, what the…is that supposed to mean? It means they are quitting, not doing their job, and simply ignoring a huge hack of government servers by Russia. I assume based on orders from the Commander in Chief. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1263 "2020-12-18T17:40:07Z")
They watched too much Game of Thrones? Are they trying to say “all hail Trump” or something? ---
**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:** [December 18, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1264 "2020-12-18T17:45:35Z")
I have many fears (as you probably know by now) but one of them is that we’re going back to the early to mid-1990s when militias and religious cults were a thing. I suppose they’ve always been around - even long before then - but it seemed then that there was more consistent chatter among these many unaffiliated by ideologically aligned groups, and the chatter was increasingly violent, until it eventually manifest itself as actual violence. There was Ruby Ridge, the siege at Waco, and then of course the OKC bombing. All of these were unrelated, but they had some degree of ideological alignment. It seemed then, as it does now, that there was a growing sense that the white male had been robbed of power, and that he needed to do something extreme to demonstrate that he was capable of anything to get it back. And I fear we’re going back to that time. We were fortunate then that we made more moderates on both sides of the political spectrum, which made forming a consensus that right wing extremism has a cost that this country doesn’t want to pay. That kind of consensus doesn’t exist now. Conservatives probably believe that they must resort to violence, and that violence will reward them. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1265 "2020-12-18T17:48:26Z")
There is a very strong possibility of inside assistance here, and again, not the clandestine Aldrich Ames type – I mean that people in the administration could actually be walking around and talking to these fuckers at private cocktail parties. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1266 "2020-12-18T17:51:06Z")
To be fair, the Bush II and Obama administrations didn’t do enough on cyber security either. But trump has been focused on the border and it sounds like ignoring all other possible security threats. Anyone in his administration who tries to improve other forms of security gets fired. I could almost buy into the CT that he did this on purpose. It’s crazy scary that he may be trying to cover it up and hide it. I guess there’s no way to get somebody in there to stop the shredding and deleting that are probably going on. And nobody will do anything about this while we had like 8 Benghazi investigations. 🙄 ---
**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:** [December 18, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1267 "2020-12-18T18:12:13Z")
I don’t pretend to know what is on Trump’s mind or have access to his financials, but it occurred to me that this could be a deal that Trump world has struck with Putin’s oligarchs on his way out of office. Putin and his oligarchs pledge to find money to help him pay off the $900 million in debt that he owes within the next several years. In exchange, Trump offers to severely disrupt Joe Biden’s administration. The Russian FSB can help with that of course. There are a lot of…coincidences, not the least of which is the timing. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1268 "2020-12-18T18:16:13Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > > [@tripthicket](#): > > > > And I further hope that news coverage goes **WAY** down. We shall all see. > > _Florida man lives on golf course he claims he used to own, refuses demands that he leave_ > > _Police arrest Florida man who insists he is POTUS_ > > _Family pleads for safe return of Florida man who wandered off into swamp with golf clubs_ Even better would be the coda to the Gilligan’s Island ep. where someone impersonates Mr. Howell. Even after he manages to get off the island, he ends up back in civilization, only for the newsman to wonder who he is (or was)…turned out nobody remembered him. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1269 "2020-12-18T18:51:51Z")
Yup. To Trump, cyber security is remembering where he left his phone. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1270 "2020-12-18T19:02:36Z")
😃 Detroit is bringing up Rule 11 for Sidney Powell! > **[Detroit Is Trying To Punish Sidney Powell For ‘Kraken’ Lawsuit—Legal Experts...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/12/16/detroit-is-trying-to-punish-sidney-powell-for-kraken-lawsuit-legal-experts-say-it-could-work/?sh=5c06f8006b3e)** > > While courts are typically hesitant to dole out these sanctions, legal experts told Forbes that there’s a fairly strong argument against the pro-Trump legal team. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1271 "2020-12-18T19:05:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Yup. > > To Trump, cyber security is remembering where he left his phone. - I thought he had people for that. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1272 "2020-12-18T19:07:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I thought he had people for that. No one wants to go into his bathroom to get it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1273 "2020-12-18T19:20:08Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > They’re ‘taking a knee‘, what the…is that supposed to mean? It means they’re wasting time while doing nothing. It’s a sports metaphor, but it has nothing to do with Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. Rather it’s a tactic at the end of football games where the team that’s ahead can cause time to run off the game clock without any football actually being played. It’s when the ball is snapped and the QB immediately drops to one knee, thereby ending that play. But the clock keeps ticking… ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1274 "2020-12-18T19:21:21Z")
But isn’t it usually the winning team that does this? I’ve never heard of the losing team trying to run out the clock. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1275 "2020-12-18T19:24:00Z")
Yes, it is a tactic for the team that’s ahead. It’s not a perfect metaphor. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1276 "2020-12-18T19:25:57Z")
Unless it’s a blowout, or just before Halftime. Trump probably views it as the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1277 "2020-12-18T19:30:52Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@elbows](#): > > > > They’re ‘taking a knee‘, what the…is that supposed to mean? > > It means they’re wasting time while doing nothing. > > It’s a sports metaphor, but it has nothing to do with Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem. Rather it’s a tactic at the end of football games where the team that’s ahead can cause time to run off the game clock without any football actually being played. It’s when the ball is snapped and the QB immediately drops to one knee, thereby ending that play. But the clock keeps ticking… Not quite – though it is a football reference. During practice, the coach will sometimes tell players to “take a knee” for a few minutes so they can rest while he talks to them. Kneeling requires less energy than standing, but it’s quicker to get back to an upright position than if you were sitting. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1278 "2020-12-18T19:35:17Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Not quite – though it is a football reference. During practice, the coach will sometimes tell players to “take a knee” for a few minutes so they can rest while he talks to them. Kneeling requires less energy than standing, but it’s quicker to get back to an upright position than if you were sitting. Football players may be familiar with that usage, but not the general public. But anyone who’s watched a fair amount of football on TV will be familiar with the “take a knee” tactic. The announcers will use the term. So it’s much more likely they’re refering to the timewasting tactic used in games. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1279 "2020-12-18T19:38:47Z")
It’s just an excuse, guys. They don’t want the transition to occur. When this period ends, there will be another excuse and, eventually, no transition. And, feel free to throw this in my face if I’m wrong and the Pentagon transition begins again. I hope y’all can! ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1280 "2020-12-18T19:41:11Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > > [@Akaj](#): > > > > Not quite – though it is a football reference. During practice, the coach will sometimes tell players to “take a knee” for a few minutes so they can rest while he talks to them. Kneeling requires less energy than standing, but it’s quicker to get back to an upright position than if you were sitting. > > Football players may be familiar with that usage, but not the general public. But anyone who’s watched a fair amount of football on TV will be familiar with the “take a knee” tactic. The announcers will use the term. So it’s much more likely they’re refering to the timewasting tactic used in games. Disagree. Here’s what they said (emphasis mine): “We had fewer than two dozen remaining meetings on the schedule today and next week … the DoD staff working the meetings **were overwhelmed** by the number of meetings … These same senior leaders needed to do their day jobs and were **being consumed** by transition activities … With the holidays we are taking a knee for two weeks. We are still committed to a productive transition.” IOW – they were tired, not stalling to protect a lead. Not that either explanation excuses them from doing their fucking jobs. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2020, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182/1281 "2020-12-18T19:42:58Z")
> [@Akaj](#): > > Not that either explanation excuses them from doing their fucking jobs. Sounds like they have this mentality: > [@Relentlessly work-focused people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relentlessly-work-focused-people/928344): > > Every year about this time of year (i.e. about 3-5 working days before Xmas) , I have noticed a certain phenomenon everywhere I’ve worked. That phenomenon is that while most, but not all of the rank and file are starting to focus on the upcoming holidays and any vacation time they’re taking off, and generally catching up on deferred work items, socializing and getting in the holiday spirit, there are ALWAYS a number of relentlessly work-focused people setting meetings, demanding things, and rep… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-american-coup-11-9-2020/925182.md?page=65)