Suppose Trump used the emergency powers to postpone the election

[jgarden]

Maybe little green men from Mars will land here and turn half of the population into salt.
Would you vote in November anyway?

Maybe Biden's people will overthrow the US government before election day and declare a "Peoples Republic."
Would you vote anyway?

Maybe all the candidates will mysteriously vanish before election day.
Would you vote in November anyway?



The point is that all manner of absurd speculation can be offered if we want to talk about things that are not real. We should be sticking to serious conversation on this "American Politics" forum, however; there are other forums for idle chatter, joking around, and so on.

1) Not that long ago, speculation that this President would consider undermining the ability of the US Post Office handle mail-in ballots would have been dismissed as "idle chatter, joking around, and so on!"

2) Not that long ago, the Pandemic was being dismissed by this President and his supporters as a "Democrat inspired hoax" and fear-mongering!

3) Who would have believed that this President would have found time, in the middle of a Pandemic, to play golf on 19 different days since June - after reassuring the public before taking Office, that unlike his predecessor, he would be too busy to find the time?

4) Who would have believed that once again this President was prepared to cast doubt on the constitutional right of a "Black American" to hold public office!

 

[Under One King]

Donald hasn't given you one yet.

All Trump did was suggest it. And he did give some reasons, actually. I just don't think it's necessary.

 

[Under One King]

1) Not that long ago, speculation that this President would consider undermining the ability of the US Post Office handle mail-in ballots would have been dismissed as "idle chatter, joking around, and so on!"

2) Not that long ago, the Pandemic was being dismissed by this President and his supporters as a "Democrat inspired hoax" and fear-mongering!

3) Who would have believed that this President would have found time, in the middle of a Pandemic, to play golf on 19 different days since June - after reassuring the public before taking Office, that unlike his predecessor, he would be too busy to find the time?

4) Who would have believed that once again this President was prepared to cast doubt on the constitutional right of a "Black American" to hold public office!

Maybe you didn't hear the post office has said it likely can't handle all the ballots.

 

[Kenny'sID]

Maybe little green men from Mars will land here and turn half of the population into salt.
Would you vote in November anyway?

It depends on which half of the turned population I was on.

 

[Belk]

They keep pushing this mail-in voting charade, he just might need to declare an emergency, or even martial law, and blame it on the fake pandemic if he needs to.

I know people who have died due to this "fake Pandemic". Good people. Conservative people who bought into the "we have to keep the economy going" claptrap.

 

[jardiniere]

Maybe you didn't hear the post office has said it likely can't handle all the ballots.

Maybe it's because they've decommissioned over 600 mail sorting machines since June, and are working at removing mail boxes from many locations.

 

[jardiniere]

That is terrifying. I hope all of the people commenting read the article. The fact that the states control voting wouldn’t stop the scenario presented.

Exactly the point raised.

 

[Under One King]

Maybe it's because they've decommissioned over 600 mail sorting machines since June, and are working at removing mail boxes from many locations.

Could be.

 

[Pommer]

They keep pushing this mail-in voting charade, he just might need to declare an emergency, or even martial law, and blame it on the fake pandemic if he needs to.

That sentence is doing a lot of work there, well done!
But you might want to identify “they” and “he” and what “fake pandemic”?

 

[Pommer]

Maybe you didn't hear the post office has said it likely can't handle all the ballots.

Gee Wally*, why’s that?

*boomer joke kids!

 

[GreatLakes4Ever]

Going through this twitter thread and thinking about it some more. I don’t see how this even is a realistic fear. Say Trump tries this and his followers all agree. The Democratic Secretary of States still open their polls on Election Day and run the election, they have 270 electoral votes themselves. They can win the election for Biden without the other states and every single one of those states are safely Biden or battleground. It wouldn’t take many Trump supporters to stay home because Trump “delayed” the election to get every one in the Biden column. Those 270 Electoral Votes get certified and Biden is getting sworn in at noon on January 20th.

The fear of the results of say 82-16 to Biden looking illegitimate is overblown because of course the numbers will look like that. Trump told his followers to stay home. That isn’t going to hold any water.

The fear of five ultra conservative justices on the Supreme Court isn’t true. Roberts isn’t going to ruin his court’s legitimacy on entertaining Trump’s fever dream. And Gorsuch going with a plain reading of the law is going to side against Trump as well.

Trump doesn’t have enough pieces on the chess board to pull this off.

 

[jardiniere]

Going through this twitter thread and thinking about it some more. I don’t see how this even is a realistic fear. Say Trump tries this and his followers all agree. The Democratic Secretary of States still open their polls on Election Day and run the election, they have 270 electoral votes themselves. They can win the election for Biden without the other states and every single one of those states are safely Biden or battleground. It wouldn’t take many Trump supporters to stay home because Trump “delayed” the election to get every one in the Biden column. Those 270 Electoral Votes get certified and Biden is getting sworn in at noon on January 20th.

The fear of the results of say 82-16 to Biden looking illegitimate is overblown because of course the numbers will look like that. Trump told his followers to stay home. That isn’t going to hold any water.

The fear of five ultra conservative justices on the Supreme Court isn’t true. Roberts isn’t going to ruin his court’s legitimacy on entertaining Trump’s fever dream. And Gorsuch going with a plain reading of the law is going to side against Trump as well.

Trump doesn’t have enough pieces on the chess board to pull this off.

So Trump does this, let's say. Now the states that are "Democrats" vote when they should, the others stay home. This will then surely-without doubt-be labeled a rigged election and cast doubt on the winner winning the election "fair and square" because of the lack of votes for the other party. This is a loss to the nation, for we have then shown that we can't hold a fair election, and the blame is on Democrats. Our democracy is thrown over for the action of the president. Not even I would think an election held like this is in any way legitimate-too many people who could actually vote and were willing to vote did not do so. How can Biden's win be considered legitimate at that point?

 

[KCfromNC]

They keep pushing this mail-in voting charade, he just might need to declare an emergency, or even martial law, and blame it on the fake pandemic if he needs to.

I don't know, I think he's requested his mail-in ballot early enough that it should be here long before the election - After criticizing voting by mail, Trump, first lady request mail-in ballots

 

[KCfromNC]

No, on January 20, 2021 at 12:00 noon Senator Patrick Leahy would become the new Pro Temp of the Senate, temporarily filling in for the next President.

Seems like that would be a good time to replace all of the liberal members of the USSC with even more liberal judges in their 30s and 40s. Maybe add in a few extra just to be sure.

 

[KCfromNC]

I agree I can't see even these Republicans in Congress now playing along with any scenario like this.

The GOP-controlled Senate was fine with Donald attempting to extort a foreign leader to interfere in our elections. I wouldn't be so sure that they wouldn't be up for election fraud.

 

[Paulos23]

What would happen? the Left would condemn it, the Right would rationalize it, and we'd usher in the reign of Donald I.

And the second civil war.

 

[GreatLakes4Ever]

So Trump does this, let's say. Now the states that are "Democrats" vote when they should, the others stay home. This will then surely-without doubt-be labeled a rigged election and cast doubt on the winner winning the election "fair and square" because of the lack of votes for the other party. This is a loss to the nation, for we have then shown that we can't hold a fair election, and the blame is on Democrats. Our democracy is thrown over for the action of the president. Not even I would think an election held like this is in any way legitimate-too many people who could actually vote and were willing to vote did not do so. How can Biden's win be considered legitimate at that point?

Who would label it rigged? The Trump supporters who were stupid enough to listen to Trump do something he had no authority to do? Blind in-thinking devotion has consequences. The Republicans who went along with it? Once again, don’t be stupid. Twitter, Facebook and the mainstream media will be screaming from the rooftops Trump can’t do this and that the election will continue. The election will be completely legal and even if given to the courts it will be shown that way.

The other states can run there’s when it’s obvious Trump can’t win but that’s mostly for the rest of the congressional seats. Or they just have the states themselves choose electors for president which will be moot at that point because Biden will already be at 270. Written in the Bush v. Gore decision is: “individual citizen has no federal constitutional right to vote for electors for the President of the United States unless and until the state legislature chooses a statewide election as the means to implement its power to appoint members of the Electoral College.”

The people I think are going to chafe most at this whole plan are Republicans. If Trump attempts to delay the election and fails like I laid out, they would lose so many seats (and McConnell would lose his precious gavel) it would be politically detestation for them as a party.

 

[Under One King]

And the second civil war.

Wake up, bud. The second civil war is already here. Right now it's just a cold war.

 

[Pommer]

Wake up, bud. The second civil war is already here. Right now it's just a cold war.

Which side you on?

 

[Under One King]

Which side you on?

Define what you interpret the sides to be, and I will tell you. Your narrative could be different than mine.