2020 Presidential Election

[SezMe]

Lindsey Graham is on Fox News yet again pleading for donations

At this late stage, what would he do with more money? TV ad slots are probably already booked. Radio ads aren't that expensive and in the Carolinas probably almost all talk radio is rabid right wing. Billboards? More staff? What could more staff do in the next 2½ weeks - it takes that long to find the bathroom.

 

[Delvo]

He's already pretty sure he'll win. It's just a matter of how humiliated he feels over how tiny his win is.

 

[SezMe]

Why would it be up to them?

Well, if the state DoJ won't actually enforce the law, the the GOP does, in fact, have the power to leave them where they are.

 

[Segnosaur]

I suspect McConnell with his disgusting self-serving mind will try to sabotage the country's economics as much as he can in the lame duck.

I think it's a bad GOP bet to withhold passing the COVID relief package hoping it will hurt the Democrats if McConnell can blame it on Pelosi.

I despise McConnell and no question, he is self serving. But I don't believe that action serves his aims. I don't see how he can effectively blame Pelosi.

Moscow Mitch: "We were willing to negotiate with the house over Covid relief, but Pelosi disagreed with our plan to give the covid relief money to millionaires because it will eventually filter down to the workers." See? Its all Pelosi's fault.

 

[SezMe]

I don't think that's very much of national ID, it's just new minimum standards for the states when they issue ID. Some states were rather slack on their documentation requirements for getting an ID before. All "RealID" means is that you have to show a document from a short list, and then you'll get a little star (CA gets a cute little bear, apparently) on your state driver's license.

AIUI, such an ID will be required to fly even within the USA. While it might not be labeled a national ID, it will evolve to be one.

 

[Bob001]

AIUI, such an ID will be required to fly even within the USA. While it might not be labeled a national ID, it will evolve to be one.

The difference is that a national ID would be issued by a single national authority, like all passports. Having states issue their own IDs that meet a national standard isn't the same thing. The states can still issue non-Real ID driver's licenses to people who want them. And documents other than a Real ID DL are acceptable for flying, including a passport. You can even fly without any ID if you're willing to submit to additional screening.
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification

 

[Bob001]

That is a HORRIBLE system. How do you do a recount? How do you do a validity check? It's a system screaming out for someone to tamper with it.

That's why they have been mostly replaced. A recount just meant looking at what the machine said, not determining whether what it said was correct.

 

[Bob001]

Everybody should have some form of ID. In most cases in the US that would be a driving license or state ID. You can't even open a bank account or cash a cheque in the US without ID or indeed perform a host of other basic functions in a modern society.

Mind you, the people without ID are most likely to vote Democratic which is why the Democrats are so outraged on their behalf. If they were more likely to vote Republican, the positions of the two parties would be exactly reversed.

There's very little room for principle in US politics.

You don't seem to get that many of these voter ID laws impose narrow lists of acceptable IDs and make them hard to get. An expired driver's license or passport is not considered valid, even though that's all you need to get a new one. Some older people who stop driving still use their last DL as their regular ID. Getting a voter ID might require getting a copy of a birth certificate, which isn't easy in some places for some people. Voting is a basic right, which shouldn't be restricted arbitrarily.

 

[Bob001]

An interesting admission, or acknowledgement. You say the Dems should focus their efforts on facilitating the distribution of ID in order to enfranchise all voters, because it's as sure as hell the Reps won't.

There's not much the Dems can do to help people get state IDs, except maybe driving them to the DMV during limited office hours. The applicant still has to put his paperwork together and pay the fees.

 

[The Don]

I'm really disappointed at the BBC's coverage of the Presidential election. IMO the main story should be that Joe Biden has a significant lead both nationally and in swing states; that President Trump's behaviour seems to be undermining his campaign with key demographics; how the Republican machine is so desperate that they're promoting conspiracy theories and baseless slurs and that there are real threats to democracy both in terms of people being able to cast their votes and having them counted thereafter.

Instead the BBC seems almost to be cheerleading for President Trump:

How he can win the election
How his town hall was better than Joe Biden's
Reporting the allegations against Hunter Biden (including the latest ones) as if they were from a credible source

 

[The Don]

You don't seem to get that many of these voter ID laws impose narrow lists of acceptable IDs and make them hard to get. An expired driver's license or passport is not considered valid, even though that's all you need to get a new one. Some older people who stop driving still use their last DL as their regular ID. Getting a voter ID might require getting a copy of a birth certificate, which isn't easy in some places for some people. Voting is a basic right, which shouldn't be restricted arbitrarily.

Voter ID is also a "solution" for which there is little evidence of a problem - but where the side effects are several orders of magnitude worse.

In order to prevent, possibly, one or two illegal votes being cast (and there's little evidence of even that or that Voter ID would prevent it), hundreds of thousands of people are deprived of their legitimate right to vote.

 

[Lurch]

Voter ID is also a "solution" for which there is little evidence of a problem - but where the side effects are several orders of magnitude worse.

In order to prevent, possibly, one or two illegal votes being cast (and there's little evidence of even that or that Voter ID would prevent it), hundreds of thousands of people are deprived of their legitimate right to vote.

An exemplary case of the cure being worse than the disease. By many orders of magnitude.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

Polls numbers are looking very strong. Big crowds, great enthusiasm. Massive RED WAVE coming!!!

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Retweeted
Senator Rand Paul
@RandPaul
Biden/Harris will raise your taxes. Fact Check: True.

VP Biden said so last week when he said he would repeal the Trump tax cuts. Their $3T tax hike is the wrong medicine for our economy anytime, but especially harmful during this pandemic.

Somebody is mad that @realDonaldTrump didn’t start any wars and wants to leave the ones we are in. Vote Biden/Harris if you want more endless wars. #VPDebate

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Retweeted

Kealoha
@kealoha20
True Goodness,Righteousness,Selflessness,Love of Country n her People SHINES Forth from Our President n Blesses The World.Our Hearts are uplifted in a Joyful Smile when we see him,hear him or think of Our President Gods Courageous Warrior n a example to all

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

Thank you LIBERTARIANS. We are getting it all done, and FAST! VOTE TRUMP!!!
Quote Tweet

Senator Rand Paul
@RandPaul
Just spoke with at @realDonaldTrump . He sounds great and wants libertarians and everyone across the country to know he is ending the war in Afghanistan!

 

[Mumbles]

Trump Tweets

Polls numbers are looking very strong. Big crowds, great enthusiasm. Massive RED WAVE coming!!!

Remember back in 2012 when the GOP was engaged in "correcting" polls to convince themselves Romney was actually ahead of Obama?

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

Sleepy Joe Biden had a very bad showing last night, despite the fact that @GStephanopoulos didn’t ask him any questions on his being a “corrupt politician”. Big Tech & Lamestream Media are working hard to hide this corruption!!!

Ammar is a puppet for Nancy Pelosi and the Radical Left. He spells higher taxes, weak Military and Vet support, and the obliteration of your 2nd Amendment. Vote Darrell Issa!

 

[Delphic Oracle]

My point was that if those without ID were inclined to vote Republican, the two parties would completely switch their positions on the ID requirement. It may be hypothetical, but I do recall Republicans complaining about the Democrats blocking efforts to facilitate voting by military members abroad who would be more inclined to vote R, for example.

I'll stand by the fact that everyone should have ID to function in a modern society. If that's difficult or expensive to get, then that's where the Democrats should focus their efforts. Not in blocking the voter ID requirements.

You can have all the opinions you want about "functioning in modern society." That's a nice platitude to distract away from the fact we're talking about something specific and fundamental to our values: universal suffrage.

It's nice to declare it is the responsibility of the disenfranchised to somehow overcome their lack of ability to participate and change the rules to allow themselves back in.

It's basically washing your hands of the problem while trying to sound positive and helpful. Completely two-faced.

 

[bonzombiekitty]

I like that Trump does a 1 hour Town Hall then finishes up and leaves. Biden does an hour and a half, and then keeps going for another hour or so even though it's not on TV anymore. Yet Biden is the "sleepy" one.