Joe Biden has won Pennsylvania and, thus, the Presidency, says the Associated Press:
Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil.
His victory came after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through a surge of mail-in votes that delayed the processing of some ballots. Biden crossed 270 Electoral College votes with a win in Pennsylvania [Jonathan Lemire and Zeke Miller, “Biden Wins White House, Vowing New Direction for Divided US,” AP, 2020.11.07].
While Trump hunts around the golf course for his big-boy pants (or the wily election-fraud snipe), the rest of us can put on our dancing pants:
We should always take three days to count the vote, to make sure we do it right, and to allow us to dance for the victor all weekend long.
President-Elect Joe Biden sends this message to all Americans:
My fellow Americans—
I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris.
In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.
With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation.
It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.
We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together [President-Elect Joe Biden, statement via campaign website, 2020.11.07].
The man Joe Biden beat, fairly and squarely, refuses to accept the expressed will of the electorate:
We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor. In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.
Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room – and then fight in court to block their access.
So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands [Donald J. Trump, statement via campaign website, 2020.11.07].
Again, Trump presents zero evidence of actual ballots illegally cast and counted. His fallback claim of count watchers being denied “meaningful access” (a) would not reverse any votes if it were true and (b) is not true:
The dispute has been over how close observers can get to the canvassing proceedings, not whether observers are allowed to be present. Initially, a trial court denied the Trump campaign’s request for closer observation in Philadelphia, finding on Nov. 3 that by the campaign’s own admission, it had been given the opportunity to observe “the opening and sorting of ballots.”
The next day, a state court reversed that ruling, allowing observers within 6 feet, “while adhering to all COVID-19 protocols, including, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.” Philadelphia’s election board then appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court, saying that it had complied with the law and that closer inspection “jeopardizes both the safety of the City Defendants’ canvass, plus the privacy of voters.”
Separately, but on the same issue, the Trump campaign filed suit in federal court on Nov. 5 to stop the vote count in Philadelphia. That request was dismissed by a judge — who was appointed by President George W. Bush — after both sides agreed that each would be allowed 60 observers. The Trump lawyer admitted during the hearing that the campaign did have some canvassing observers present, stating, “There’s a non-zero number of people in the room.”
Philadelphia, notably, has been livestreaming its vote canvassing, which is available online for anyone to watch [Lori Robertson, Jessica McDonald, Robert Farley, D’Angelo Gore, and Rem Rieder, “Trump’s Wild, Baseless Claims of Illegal Voting,” FactCheck.org, 2020.11.06].
And for what it’s worth, in 2016, in a closer race in which the victory rested entirely on the Electoral College and opposed the results of the popular vote, Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump to concede within fifteen minutes of AP’s calling of the race.
Public servants, polish up those résumés. There’s a new President coming to town, and he’s going to need lots of real public servants to Make America Work Again… for ALL Americans.
Joe Biden’s victory has not made coronavirus magically disappear. According to the South Dakota Department of Health, South Dakota has posted 1,337 new cases today, a test-positivity rate of 53.6%, a net gain of 22 hospitalizations bringing the total in hospital with coronavirus to 515, and 13 new deaths. Our daily new cases through most of the summer averaged below 100; our daily 7-day moving average has been above 1,000 for almost two weeks.
No more BRIBES for soy and corn! Eliminate the crappy tariffs and let farmers farm and ranchers ranch. Oh, and let’s get COOL, while we are being cool.
From this moment on we must welcome our neighbors back together and knit this divide. Too many people with guns inflamed by provocateurs could ignite a flame that will not extinguish.
Now our AWOL GNOem can keep her arse here in South Dakota to deal with the trump virus she let run rampant that is killing us along with overwhelming healthcare.
All you liberals did a great job resisting and helping get out the vote. Proud of each and every one of you.
To me, this one is special because we don’t have to daily defend Joe Biden like we had to defend Barack Obama.
After electing Trump and supporting his white supremacy, any criticism from the right can be met with a hearty “meh”.
They have no standing or validity and needn’t be listened to for at least four years.
Congratulations South Dakota Democrats
A big “AMEN”, Mr. Lansing! A great new dawning begins today.
Its a great day in America. Keep your masks on and your chin up.
Why is it when Repbulicans win it is a mandate for a HARD swing right, but when Democrats win it is time to meet in the middle (which will still be vilified as “socialism”).
Good God, maybe now I can do something I haven’t been able to do very well for the last 4 years: have a long enough concentration span so that I can actually read a frickin’ book! I’ve been “frozen” since November 2016.
KJ, the nation has been frozen, with every effort at conversation and news coverage about serious policy issues interrupted Harrison-Bergeron-like by Trump’s constant attention-seeking tantrums. Joe Biden will bring us back to reasoned and instructive statements from the White House about public policy.
Fair point, O. That difference arises because we let it happen… and because that’s who we are, by nature: we seek reason, compromise, and inclusion… which qualities our opponents use against us.
To claim and enact the hard mandate O may seek, we may need to pour tons of money into Georgia, win those two Senate runoffs, and give President Biden two years of unobstructed policy action.
Wow. What a beautiful moment. It won’t be easy but it is going to be a better country.
Thank you to all the people that stuck with our friend Cory the last 4 years. Please remember Roger Cornelius (and the others that have passed) in your thoughts today.
Thank you Cory for this place.
Have a great weekend all.
Not my President. Right?
That’s right James; Mr Biden is OUR President.
This election was made possible because Black women proved they are relevant and tireless workers for a cause.
Congrats to Biden/Harris and not so much to drumpf/Pence.
Yeah, he is, James. Prez-elect Biden included you in his statement to be prez of all Americans.
The wheels are turning – watch the pardons start rolling out.
This is a great day for celebration for everyone in this country as it should be. Down the line the hard work for Democrats will begin to restore trust from our allies and also trust from the citizens of this country.I expect no help from the repub politicians (think Obama administration) and it will take at least 10 years to undo the intentional chaotic destruction of democracy by the trump administration.I”m thankful trump didn’t get another 4 years because I don’t believe our republic would have survived, ever.
Whatever James, now slink away and pout.
Drudge Report “You’re Fired” Sweet.
For what it’s worth, Covid Noem says the election was rigged. lol
Tim, that is a serious allegation. Just because SD was SO out of step with the rest of the country, doesn’t mean Republicans rigged the vote here. (snark)
I wasn’t happy with the choices this cycle but Joe Biden
will be my president. I suspect I will quite often be counted
among the loyal opposition, as will my congressional delegation.
Nice to see you posting again, Porter.
I was thinking, with only the lame-duck session left, President Trump just has to finish up:
– Repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act with that plan he has had for four years now,
– Cash that check from Mexico for the wall,
– Bringing our troops home from the Middle East,
– Bring American jobs back from China,
– Get Jared to finish up that Peace in the Middle East,
– de-nuclearlize North Korea
– End China’s manipulation of world currency
– Reduce the national debt,
– Rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure,
– and getting Hillary Clinton behind bars.
Because he is a man of his word.
We saved Democracy, just barely, and a corporate Democrat like Biden isn’t much to cheer about (come on liberals – Biden saying he will have Republicans in his Cabinet?) Washington Corporate Democrats are just Republicans with a different name. They are all in the rot together.
I long for a day where lobbyists and big money are illegal in Washington and politicians can not be bought, where progress can finally happen. Today, I will cheer on Trump getting fired though.
Peace, everyone.
We took a swing down to campus (UW-Madison) and the Capitol square. Young people (all races and backgrounds) were celebrating the end of the dark ages. It makes me realize how much my voting now is geared to making their lives better and reflect on how my generation failed so badly. Here is hoping they do a better job.
GNOem is correct. Dan Ahlers easily beat EB5 Rounds, but the vote was rigged. Uriah did thrashed Dirty Johnson as well, but the rigged election, put those two back.
Trump just tweeted that he won the election and that bad things happened that his observers weren’t allowed to see.
I really hope that Trump gets mental help when he’s out, this man is so disturbed from a psychiatric standpoint.
Tim, Noem is next.
Edwin, we are not afraid of loyal, honest opposition. Better ideas and better legislation come from teams of rivals.
Donald, we have a lifelong obligation to show the next generations how to practice democracy. But we also have an ongoing obligation to constantly check ourselves and invite/push those coming generations to participate in the process so that we can benefit from their insights on the new world they are making.
Jenny, true, our work for truly progressive democracy does not end with one victory of one moderate. Once we get done dancing, once Joe and Kamala take their oaths, once the White House is once again under sane management, we will all need to bang on that White House door, remind Joe and Kamala who put them there, and demand that they do better than their corporate leanings and connections might incline them. They’re going to govern like Billie Sutton would have, as Obama and Clinton did, as practical compromisers. That’s just who we Democrats are, artists of the possible. But since the urge to compromise is our default setting, Democrats like me have the duty to stake out the ideal Democratic position and work to make sure compromise lands some where on our side of the 50% line, not way over on the GOP side.
Curt, I’m not sure the wheels are turning. America—not just a bank, not just some foreign potentate, not just some pageant contestant grossed out by the advances of a fat old married man—just dealt him a defeat. This defeat may be blowing his mind. His activity today—going to golf, then releasing statements like what Jenny cites—does not look like the activity of a man working busily on either a legal strategy for a rigorous and viable multi-state election challenge or a raid-the-kitchen exit strategy. Trump today looks like a shocked loser reclucking his last worst argument. He can’t get his head around the fact that he has lost; until he does, he can’t get his head around all the pardons he has to issue.
I could be wrong….
cibvet makes a valid point – if Republicans retain control of the Senate Biden could be stopped on appointments and decent legislation. That said, if I am not mistaken much the the damage Trump has inflicted has been with executive orders.
Thus, regardless of which party controls the Senate, Biden will have the same opportunity to use executive orders to repair Trump’s irrational attacks on everything signed by Obama.
I agree with Curt. The man is a vindictive, mean spirited mobster that will throw baby chickens in the creek before inauguration day. Don’t be surprised if he uses all that security information and international intelligence to his financial advantage as well. He’s broken every norm of the presidency and he’s not going to stop now.
Jenny: “I really hope that Trump gets mental help when he’s out,”
I wouldn’t worry, most prisons provide that service for their inmates.
I congratulate Mr. Biden and our country for the ouster of our current President. I would hope that Mr. Biden does, in fact, work to improve our cooperation in international relations as stated in his campaign; however, I do not wish the US to become/continue the be finance “hub” for all nations with no justification for said funding. I am tired of our nation providing $$$ for nothing in foreign nations (even those who are supposedly our allies) and receive little or no benefit when those same dollars could be used for infrastructure improvement at home and jobs for our citizens. This will be a real challenge for the new administration.
Final Jeopardy question..who was Alex Trebek and why did a truly decent game show host have to pass @ 80?
paladn – do you know in what form the “financial aid’ from the US goes to other nations? Most typically (90%) – it is in the form of $$ spent INSIDE the US to purchase goods produced by US companies.
It’s kinda like “student aid” in that there is only ONE place that money can be spent – and that place is the US. It’s not in the form of a check to be deposited in some foreign bank somewhere and spent willy nilly.
So who really “profits” from US foreign aid is – US businesses and US employees.
Whatever Biden does with financial capital and investments in other countries, he will rebuild our political capital with foreign allies, who know they once again have a trustworthy partner in Washington.
We should spend huge sums of money, domestically and abroad, to provide alternatives to fossil fuels, promote sustainable farming practices, and replant trees everywhere. Money spent saving the planet is money that benefits everyone. And a world that sees America leading the way in saving the planet is a world that says, “Thank you, America!” and sticks with us in whatever other challenges may arise.
Replant permanent vegetative cover (native grasses and forbs) not trees. We’ve got more trees than we’ve had in centuries on this planet. What we don’t have is the millions of acres of native grasslands that have been plowed up and converted to small grain or fiber production. The photosynthetic capacity of grasslands per acre far exceeds that of trees covering the same amount of landscape. Not only plant native grasses and forbs but vastly improve the grazing rape that occurs on much of the grassland that is left.
Great topic JW. Thx
Noem’s claims did not sit well with the new’s new-found backbone:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/george-stephanopoulos-kristi-noem-election-fraud_n_5fa9235bc5b67c3259b107c6
I dont think The Rip off Party will treat Biden nicely, it all comes down to race. Lincoln’s Party is the No Obama party. ‘Lock” her up in 2016. They will go after Harris with birtherism. Basically the Racist Party. Now many Rs are talking oh the election is a fraud. In the old days it was gossip and ignorance that fed racism. Now it is gossip, ignorance and social media that feeds racism. White folks comfortable with corruption and racism. It will take A Lot of organizing, Georgia style to turn this around.
Biden wins again. Scotus declines to take up frivolous wingnut case about absentee ballots in Pa. Makes drumpf at least 1-25 or .04% wins so far.
Merrick Garland is on Biden’s short list for AG. Hope he is as ruthless and vindictive as what we have now in the AG seat.