# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making Part Deux (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 22, 2020, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083 "2020-06-22T03:36:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 78
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1549 "2020-07-30T15:05:06Z")
It’s not that simple. There could be a constitutional fight over which states have “valid” election results. In states where republicans hold power (Florida and Ohio, for instance), you could have republicans playing extreme political hardball and contesting the legitimacy of elections, possibly even proposing their own slate of electors. The goal of Trump’s staunchest allies wouldn’t necessarily be to win the electoral college outright, just to deny Biden from reaching 270 electors. If they can do that, the election would go to the House of Representatives, where contrary to common belief, Republicans would still hold the advantage because of their number of state delegations. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1550 "2020-07-30T15:05:49Z")
Herman Cain dies from Coronavirus. June 20: attends Tulsa rally July 1: admitted to hospital with symptoms July 30: dead > **[Herman Cain dies from coronavirus | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/30/politics/herman-cain-dies-coronavirus/index.html)** > > Herman Cain, a onetime Republican presidential candidate and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, has died from coronavirus, according to an obituary sent from his verified Twitter account and Newsmax, where he was launching a television show. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1551 "2020-07-30T15:08:41Z")
He had been undergoing respiratory treatments for weeks, so you knew it wasn’t looking good. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1552 "2020-07-30T15:12:05Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It’s not that simple. > > There could be a constitutional fight over which states have “valid” election results. In states where republicans hold power (Florida and Ohio, for instance), you could have republicans playing extreme political hardball and contesting the legitimacy of elections, possibly even proposing their own slate of electors. The goal of Trump’s staunchest allies wouldn’t necessarily be to win the electoral college outright, just to deny Biden from reaching 270 electors. If they can do that, the election would go to the House of Representatives, where contrary to common belief, Republicans would still hold the advantage because of their number of state delegations. And, if _all_ elections are postponed (Senate, House, Gubernatorial, etc.), the terms of all of the Representatives end on January 3, 2021. So there won’t be a House of Representatives. And 1/3 of the Senate will be vacant as well. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1553 "2020-07-30T15:14:31Z")
I have to wonder, Repubs can ignore refrigerated trailers full of overflow bodies of ordinary Americans who died from Covid, but how many more high-profile Repubs will get sick or die before the denialism that it’s a hoax or largely harmless virus (just the sniffles!) becomes too ridiculous to sustain? ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1554 "2020-07-30T15:15:55Z")
Then all we need is for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional district (San Francisco) to hold an election. She’d be Speaker by default. 🙂 ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1555 "2020-07-30T15:21:18Z")
> [@solost](#): > > …how many more high-profile Repubs will get sick or die before the denialism that it’s a hoax or largely harmless virus (just the sniffles!) becomes too ridiculous to sustain? I think we’re going to need a statistically large sample, just to be sure. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1556 "2020-07-30T15:24:32Z")
> [@solost](#): > > the denialism that it’s a hoax or largely harmless virus (just the sniffles!) becomes too ridiculous to sustain? It will NEVER be too ridiculous to sustain for the brain dead Trump faithful. They will just concoct a theory that Pelosi, in league with Soros and the Shape shifting Lizard People are secretly killing people by injecting them with venom in the basement of Wallmart. And they’ll believe it. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1557 "2020-07-30T15:47:50Z")
I don’t know if _all_ elections would necessarily be postponed. If Trump knows he’s going to lose a free and fair election, then he has to find another way to stay in power, which in this case is convincing enough of the right people that the election wasn’t conducted in a free and fair manner. Trump doesn’t have to convince people that he won the vote; he just has to cast doubt on the process itself. That’s all that’s really required. If he achieves that, it’s just a matter of whether or not he can convince enough of his own party and his own voters to go along with this game, and more importantly, how many people stand in open opposition to the loss of democracy. I said it a long time ago back when people thought I was nuts for claiming that the end of American democracy was at hand: the end of American democracy won’t come when a majority of people support authoritarianism; it will come when not enough people care enough or do enough to stop it. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1558 "2020-07-30T15:52:39Z")
Do congress peoples have the same rules at all? What happens if there is not an election for the congressional candidates? Does the incumbent keep their seat then? ---
**Author:** ![Mickyfinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e19b73/32.png) [@Mickyfinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mickyfinn)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1559 "2020-07-30T15:52:48Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > They will just concoct a theory that Pelosi, in league with Soros and the Shape shifting Lizard People are secretly killing people by injecting them with venom in the basement of Wallmart. And they’ll believe it. If you are going to use hyperbole, you have to come up with a theory that includes some exaggeration. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1560 "2020-07-30T15:55:41Z")
A saving grace is that Trump has shit all over the military. I don’t think that the military would back a Trump coup. They have to follow him, as he is the constitutionally appointed head, and to be honest, the only thing that worries me more than the military listening to Trump is the military not listening to the president. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1561 "2020-07-30T15:55:49Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > …a long time ago back when people thought I was nuts… It wasn’t that long ago …and, you can be both nuts and right… ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1562 "2020-07-30T15:57:15Z")
True. True indeed. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1563 "2020-07-30T16:09:39Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > A saving grace is that Trump has shit all over the military. > > I don’t think that the military would back a Trump coup. My kid is currently active service. There is a surprising amount of support for Trump among the rank and file enlisted. Mostly they support his decision to pardon the Marine accused of killing a civilian. Mostly they blame the now defunct Sec of Navy for removing the commander of the carrier over the Covid-19 fiasco aboard his ship. I think the senior command is the one that will oppose any actions by Trump that would be a threat to democracy. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1564 "2020-07-30T16:09:46Z")
[\> # Ohio sees peak in coronavirus hospitalizations, bans hydroxychloroquine](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/ohio-sees-peak-in-coronavirus-hospitalizations-bans-hydroxychloroquine/ar-BB17ngOw?li=BBnb7Kz) Can Federal Troops in Columbus be far behind? ---
**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:** [July 30, 2020, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1565 "2020-07-30T16:12:24Z")
Highly improbable since there are 50 states that hold elections, not one country that holds elections. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1566 "2020-07-30T16:16:14Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I have to wonder, Repubs can ignore refrigerated trailers full of overflow bodies of **ordinary Americans** who died from Covid… Emphasis mine. They weren’t “ordinary Americans”; they were New Yorkers, and for a whole bunch of the Republican base, that’s not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1567 "2020-07-30T16:20:17Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > They weren’t “ordinary Americans”; they were New Yorkers, and for a whole bunch of the Republican base, that’s not the same thing. Although, it’s apparently been happening in Texas, as well. > **[Texas Stores Bodies In Refrigerated Trucks While Setting COVID-19 Death Record](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/texas-coronavirus-deaths-refrigerated-trucks_n_5f190538c5b6f2f6c9f14622)** > > Texas set a one-day record for increases in COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations in the state, reporting 197 deaths and 10,893 hospitalizations. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083/1568 "2020-07-30T16:20:55Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > What happens if there is not an election for the congressional candidates? Does the incumbent keep their seat then? 50 states, 50 rules. I don’t think there’s a mechanism in any of them for an incumbent to automatically keep their seat in the absence of an election, however. As of now, the House doesn’t acknowledge a representative without an election, so an election (general or special) would have to be held eventually. On the other hand, the elections are run by the states. I’m not sure any state wants to give up its representation in Congress to avoid the Presidential part of the election. They’d be leaving themselves at the mercy of states that do hold elections. I suspect most states would hold elections for that reason alone. And if somehow, the certification process was hijacked, it wouldn’t matter - at that point, our democracy is already toast. I suspect this won’t happen, but it’s 2020, so who knows? > [@mhendo](#): > > They weren’t “ordinary Americans”; they were New Yorkers, and for a whole bunch of the Republican base, that’s not the same thing. And [Arizonans and Texans](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-arizona-coronavirus-deaths-refrigerated-trucks-morgues/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=77) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making-part-deux-part-1/911083.md?page=79)