The GTP Unofficial 2020 US Elections Thread

[Biggles]

I genuinely feel bad for the employees of MyPillow, this nutjob holds their livelihoods in his hands and it seems he doesn't even care that his actions are pretty much dooming the company.

I would say it's an open question whether identifying with Trump so strongly solidifies the customer base with Trump supporters to such a degree that it offsets the loss of anti-Trump customers.

 

[Northstar]

Unless they think the same way he does.

Even than I would still feel bad for them, it's not illegal to be a dumbass after all and they still have families to support. I also don't think I could live with myself wishing ill fortune on someone for simply having different political beliefs either, even if their beliefs are bat:censored: crazy. It just feels like by doing that we are doing pretty much the same thing we are so desperately trying to fight against.

 

[TheCracker]

Unless they think the same way he does.

Looks like the areas where the My Pillow HQ and manufacturing facilities are have both swung to blue in recent times, so perhaps that's not the case. Maybe the actions of high profile people like Lindell have pushed it that way. They had been solidly red before the Trump administration.

 

[Keef]

Well that didn't take too long. Georgia's state GOP has had enough of this making it easier for everybody to vote nonsense.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/02/politics/georgia-voting-gop-state-senate/index.html

Senate President Pro Tempore Butch Miller, who cosponsored the bills, said they "vary in their approach for reasserting confidence in an election system which has lost credibility with a majority of Georgians."

"I want every legal vote counted, and I want better access for all voters. Accusing our reform efforts of suppression is a political tactic, pure and simple. Even those of us who never claimed that the election was stolen recognize that the electorate has lost confidence in the legitimacy of the system. We must work to restore that," he said in a statement to CNN.

Proceeds to cosponsor nine methods that very specifically limit access for voters. Their logic is isn't just circular, it's so spherical it might even be flat.

 

[TexRex]

...supported by four elephants standing on the back of a giant world-turtle.

 

[Biggles]

Michael Smerconish on the GOP dilemma:

GOP's fear of their base is warranted

https://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/02/06/smerconish-what-is-the-future-of-the-gop.cnn

 

[TexRex]

Fulton County DA opens criminal probe into Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia election results

The district attorney's office in Fulton County, Georgia, has formally launched a criminal probe into former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his election loss in the state, after Trump was heard in a January phone call pleading with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to help him "find 11,780 votes," the exact number he needed to win Georgia.

The launching of the investigation was revealed in a letter from District Attorney Fani Willis to state officials asking them to preserve any documents potentially related to the 2020 general election, "with particular care given to set aside and preserve those that may be evidence of attempts to influence the actions of persons who were administering" it, which would include Trump's Jan. 2 phone call with the secretary. The letter was first reported by the New York Times and obtained by ABC News.

"This investigation includes, but is not limited to, potential violations of Georgia law prohibiting the solicitation of election fraud, the making of false statements to state and local governmental bodies, conspiracy, racketeering, violation of oath of office and any involvement in violence or threats related to the election's administration," Willis writes in the letter.

News of Willis' investigation comes just two days after it was revealed that the Georgia secretary of state's office had launched its own investigation into Trump's phone calls to state officials, and in the midst of the U.S. Senate's ongoing impeachment trial as Democrats seek to convict Trump on charges that his efforts to thwart his election loss helped to incite the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

"The timing here is not accidental given today's impeachment trial," said Trump senior adviser Jason Miller in response to the probe. "This is simply the Democrats' latest attempt to score political points by continuing their witch hunt against President Trump, and everybody sees through it."

A spokesperson for Willis' office did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. A spokesperson for Raffensperger's office also declined to comment on the development.

Willis' letter specifically notes that her office currently has "no reason to believe that any Georgia official is a target of this investigation."

Trump's first known call to Georgia state election officials took place in December as the state was conducting a signature match audit in Cobb County, outside Atlanta. Trump allegedly pleaded with an investigator in Raffensperger's office to "find the fraud," according to an individual familiar with the call.

Later, when ABC News obtained audio of his hour-long Jan. 2 call to Raffensperger in which Trump pleaded with him to find the exact amount of votes needed to overturn his election loss, election law experts argued Trump could have violated as many as three separate state laws.

Trump has previously denied any wrongdoing, and his impeachment lawyers filed a brief last week disputing that Trump "acted improperly in that telephone call in any way."

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The Ploy To Convince Republicans To Switch Parties Is Rankling The GOP

I mentioned something similar to this before...but I think its beginning. I'm betting that it will start in places where Democrats already have near-hegemony in politics, but moderates and some conservatives are switching to the Democratic party just so that they have some kind of voice - its as if the GOP is losing credibility all together.

Personally, I like that this is happening, as I see it calming both sides. I'm tempted to say that in 15-25 years that there will be 3 mainstream political parties. The Democratic Party (largely similar to what it is now) a new moderate party that fractures out of the democratic party (after many former moderate Republicans have first switched to the democratic party), and a much smaller GOP as a descendant of Trumpism.

 

[TexRex]

Going
Out
Pitifully

 

[Biggles]

The Ploy To Convince Republicans To Switch Parties Is Rankling The GOP

I mentioned something similar to this before...but I think its beginning. I'm betting that it will start in places where Democrats already have near-hegemony in politics, but moderates and some conservatives are switching to the Democratic party just so that they have some kind of voice - its as if the GOP is losing credibility all together.

Personally, I like that this is happening, as I see it calming both sides. I'm tempted to say that in 15-25 years that there will be 3 mainstream political parties. The Democratic Party (largely similar to what it is now) a new moderate party that fractures out of the democratic party (after many former moderate Republicans have first switched to the democratic party), and a much smaller GOP as a descendant of Trumpism.

I dunno. What strikes me about American politics is the particular & peculiar alliance between conservatism, nationalism, racism ... and religion. Conservatism, nationalism & racism exist in other "developed countries", but they don't exist in conjunction with religion to any meaningful extent. The bedrock of Trump's popularity lies in his support from the Christian Right. It's that support that has led to Trump being revered as some kind of saviour for traditional American values. It doesn't look like that support is going anywhere - they have their guy & they're sticking with him.

The key going forward is the vote of suburban white voters - to what degree are they disgusted by what Trump represents? To what degree has the Capitol riot further alienated them? How many more House seats & Senate seats can be flipped away from the GOP in 2022 ... or will Republican voters forget what Trump has done & drift back to the GOP?

 

[TexRex]

Trumpism, man.

 

[Joey D]

Trumpism, man.

It's going to be in Florida right? A MAGA city sounds like something backwater yokels in Florida would come up with.

 

[TheCracker]

It's going to be in Florida right? A MAGA city sounds like something backwater yokels in Florida would come up with.

Perhaps all those calls to 'drain the swamp' weren't political, perhaps they were just looking to build Maga-City One on land with firm foundations?

 

[Liquid]

MAGA City? Awesome! We're back in the game with the parallels.

Welthauptstadt Germania (World Capital Germania) was the planned extensive renovation of Berlin for the future of Germany after a victory in WW2.

 

[UKMikey]

MAGA City? Awesome! We're back in the game with the parallels.

Welthauptstadt Germania (World Capital Germania) was the planned extensive renovation of Berlin for the future of Germany after a victory in WW2.

These chumps can't even finish a border wall.

 

[Danoff]

These chumps can't even finish a border wall.

Pretty sure mexico will pay for that city.

 

[Pupik]

Trumpism, man.

I guess if they don't like this country they can something-something it.

 

[UKMikey]

Floridians (of the "this here would be a blue state if y'all didn't keep sending your boomer grandparents here" variety) seem to be really kicking back against the idea that Alitown be built somewhere in the middle of the Everglades if their social media reaction is any indication.

Some have already pointed out that they already have their own crazy social experiment in the form of Domino's founder Tom Monaghan's Catholic utopia Ave Maria Town.

https://www.businessinsider.com/dominos-founders-catholic-paradise-2016-1?r=US&IR=T (archive link here)

According to its wiki page the town is the most sprayed area in SW Florida due to the mosquitoes that constantly plague the municipality (a sure sign from above that they're on the right track!).

 

[TexRex]

Alitown

Aliwood

 

[UKMikey]

Aliwood

I was going for the Jonestown comparison but this is better. Maybe Alitown can be the "backup city in South America" (and presumably beyond the reach of US law enforcement).

 

[TexRex]

I was going for the Jonestown comparison but this is better. Maybe Alitown can be the "backup city in South America" (and presumably beyond the reach of US law enforcement).

The Jonestown parallel is definitely stronger if you include South America.

Edit:

Spoiler: Obligatory Concrete Blonde

 

[UKMikey]

The Jonestown parallel is definitely stronger if you include South America.

Yup. they could even build an Ali-mentary Canal to take care of sewage and/or drinking water requirements that weren't covered by the local Kool-Aid® franchise.

Edit:

That’s darned catchy.
I missed this one earlier:

Pretty sure mexico will pay for that city.

We all know this is BS in real life, but has there ever been an official canon (or Qanon) explanation of how Mexico was supposed to pay for the wall, let alone why they'd want to? I remember there was some talk of a border tax on immigrants but I don't think that would cover more than a few sections of barrier and a guard tower or two.

 

[Danoff]

We all know this is BS in real life, but has there ever been an official canon (or Qanon) explanation of how Mexico was supposed to pay for the wall, let alone why they'd want to? I remember there was some talk of a border tax on immigrants but I don't think that would cover more than a few sections of barrier and a guard tower or two.

Maybe some kind of "renegotiated" trade agreement or something. I dunno... it didn't make sense.

 

[huskeR32]

We all know this is BS in real life, but has there ever been an official canon (or Qanon) explanation of how Mexico was supposed to pay for the wall, let alone why they'd want to?

I think if Trump was ever able to give a coherent answer to something, it would've been similar to the delusions of pro-Brexit folks in the UK; something along the lines of "They'll do it to keep their most important trading partner happy." Of course, that was all rendered moot by the signing of the USMCA, but I think we all understand that Trump's an idiot here, right?

 

[Biggles]

So it begins:

Nikki Haley says Trump 'let us down'

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/nikki-haley-trump-let-down

In theory, Haley could be a formidable candidate for the Republicans in 2024, but she's sticking her neck out at this point.

 

[TexRex]

Georgia Republicans Are Trying to Change the Rules for Fani Willis’s Prosecution of Donald Trump for Election Crimes

It’s been less than a week since Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis publicly began an investigation into Donald Trump’s phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Georgia Republicans are already trying in earnest to change the rules that apply to prosecutions of election crimes.

Georgia state Republicans introduced a resolution Thursday that seeks to change the Georgia State Constitution to mandate the use of state-wide grand juries in prosecutions involving election crimes. The move would force prosecutors to draw more grand jurors from predominantly Republican rural areas of the state.

Per the bill’s text:

(d) The Attorney General or his or her designee shall act as legal adviser to any state-wide grand jury. The Attorney General, in his or her discretion, may designate any member of his or her staff or any district attorney to provide legal advice, counsel, or assistance to a state-wide grand jury.

(e) The subject matter jurisdiction of state-wide grand juries shall extend to the investigation and indictment of persons or legal entities for any crime involving voting, elections, or a violation of the election laws of this state and all related crimes.

The change, if adopted, could create a significant hurdle for any case brought by Willis, who would normally bring the results of a criminal investigation before a Fulton County grand jury. As Georgia State University College of Law Professor Anthony Michael Kreis commented on Twitter, using state-wide grand juries instead of county-wide ones would likely dilute the representation of Black residents on the panel.

Fulton County is the largest county in Georgia, with a population of 1,036,200; it also has the largest number of Black residents (approximately 440,568, which accounts of 43.6 percent of the county’s total population). By contrast, Georgia as a whole has a Black population of 32.6%.

Georgia’s Grand Jury Handbook appears to place more significance on representatively-proportional demographics than do members of its legislature. The Handbook explains to prospective grand jurors as follows:

All jurors are selected from a list of the qualified residents of the county. This list is developed by the Board of Jury Commissioners so that it reflects a fair cross-section of the citizens of the county. The primary sources for this list are drivers’ license records and voter registrations, but the Commissioners may use any other source to insure that the jury list fairly represents the population of the county.

In an email to Law&Crime, Professor Kreis called the proposal “a warning shot across the bow.”

“This measure is unlikely to secure the supermajority requirement for state constitutional amendments and would still require voter ratification even if it garnered the requisite number of votes in the General Assembly,” he said.

As a result, Kreis expects Willis to be undeterred by the move.

“Ultimately, I don’t think this particular proposal will weigh into her calculus over when and how to proceed,” Kreis predicted.

Twenty-five Georgia Senate Republicans co-sponsored the proposal for the Amendment. Georgia’s 56-member Senate currently has a Republican majority of 34 to 22. Amending the state’s constitution would require a two-thirds vote of the Senate, which would necessitate the vote of at least four Democrats before heading for ratification from voters.

Neither Fani Willis’s office nor the offices of the proposed amendment’s top sponsors immediately responded to request for comment.

 

[McLaren]

Trumpism, man.

I had no idea who this dude was, but Wiki says he got kicked off Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Venmo, PayPal, & Patreon. Also associated with Alex Jones, Roger Stone, Jacob Wohl, & Laura Loomer.

Yeah, I'll bet $20 this the type of moron to propose out loud about breaking Trump out if he ever actually went to prison.

 

[Blitz24]

I had no idea who this dude was, but Wiki says he got kicked off Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Venmo, PayPal, & Patreon. Also associated with Alex Jones, Roger Stone, Jacob Wohl, & Laura Loomer.

Yeah, I'll bet $20 this the type of moron to propose out loud about breaking Trump out if he ever actually went to prison.

He'd probably do it in a police station, based on the amount of places he's managed to get kicked off of.

 

[Keef]

Trumpism, man.

Just watched more of that video..."let's have a backup city in South America!"

Yeah maybe you should build your backup city in Argentina so you can hang with the bois!

 

[Danoff]

Yeah maybe you should build your backup city in Argentina so you can hang with the bois!

Wait, you might have a point there...