WideNine

Marlow keeps making plays....

Butt sore much?

I too believe folks need to remember to take precautions even when celebrating or protesting. Just have had a lot of MAGA hat wearing folks where I live the past year bitching out poor cashiers and waitresses about having to wear a mask. Got old.

So NOW ya'll are worried about it. Hypocrite much?

The hold up is that the alleged fraud is wet tissue paper. As soon as it gets in from of any judge and evidence is needed it falls apart. Just Twitter fodder. Even the votes that were mistakes were already corrected by the time Trump's lawyers fired up another lawsuit. Not enough valid cases to make a difference in all the states Trump lost.

I see masks....crowds with masks. Hopefully Biden will get his guidance from respectable epidemiologist rather than a loony radiologist. Like asking a podiatrist to do hemorrhoid surgery. The world celebrates. https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/america-votes/welcome-back-america-world-celebrates-biden-harris-win-1.5179255

This guy never stops...even once his tenuous arguments are debunked he just keeps going. Not you Doc, if that is not clear. I find the ignore feature useful when dealing with someone who keeps regurgitating the same thing just moving the words around and who recasts valid counterpoints as "deflection" rather than provide meaningful arguments as to their merit. That reminds me..... I have a box to check.

Stop the corporate-capture of our public protection institutions: Ex. Trump nominates former coal lobbyist put in charge of the EPA Trump nominated the FCC lead a man who advocates government censorship of online media. Also looking to roll back deals made to prevent large ISPs from selectively throttling internet traffic. Support and restore the Independant Government inspection offices. Reinstating those who lost their jobs due to Trump whistleblower retaliation. Strengthen whistleblower protections. Drain the DOJ swamp. Hire competent cabinet and keep them in role long enough to be effective. Flush the USPS board and leadership, remove the ridiculous decades long pension funding requirement congress demanded that makes them appear to be operating in the red.

Yes...reading is better than conspiracy threads. Having the distribution of leading digits stray from the expected percentages predicted by Benford’s Law can happen by chance, though it is more common when the law’s assumptions are violated, as they often are with vote tallies. Benford’s Law, and other math-based inquiries, can be used to detect voter fraud, but the vast majority of these violations are not conclusive evidence of fraud.

This...is actually a very sane take. Many center, or center-right voters defected from the GOP on this vote more in protest of that odious man than being enamored with Biden. Look at Arizona. The idiot may have been able to win that state outright, but he kept calling their golden boy McCain a loser for being a POW and had 0 grace even after the man died.

Such a well thought out rebuttal. Can't wait to hear the rest.

And the cringe-worthy moments from the self-proclaimed mental giant.... They both are older and slip, Donald's mistake is his usual one that he does not see his own decline.

No.

I would not say we are past the point of local "podunk" community involvement. The reality is that most people can actually affect more change locally than they will ever achieve arguing online or trying to create change on a national or global level. It is healthy too to step back from all the things that are often outside your control that tend to make one feel helpless and depressed and ask yourself what things in my sphere of control can I actually change in a positive way? Usually the answer is something closer to home. I volunteer for the local swim team, supporting their activities and I know jack about swimming other than you do it if the water is deep and you lean towards not drowning. But I help in whatever capacity I can and it has helped me stay sane over this pandemic and election. On the fence on the overall health of online communities because I do believe they can be healthy. I am a part of one here and I think with moderation they can remain a healthy outlet. My son is very introverted, but has a thriving online community that he has connected with since HS. The important thing is how an online community is moderated towards a reasonable level of disagreements, debate, and mudslinging but has some allowance for differing views. But I recognize that there are communities where that does not happen, where dangerous ideas fester into dangerous actions, and probably law enforcement needs to keep tabs on those communities. Online communities can serve as magnets selectively catering to those with fringe ideologies, promoting wild conspiracies, and then amplifying those distorted views via their echo-chamber effect often promoting violence. Where folks like that used to sit alone in cabins off-grid, writing manifestos, and mailing packages that go boom they can now find and organize with other crazy people. What I never thought I would see is our elected officials embracing and encouraging these kinds of communities. Irresponsible.

I think some of this is more the nature of how the "information age" has changed the dynamics and lens by which people follow news. Not that many decades ago, folks would pick up their local papers where local news dominated along with some national headlines. Folks had a bit more balance between local focus and activism and national/global interests. But the advent of internet news and social media like twitter along with news sensationalism to generate ad clicks brings every national and global issue to the forefront of what individuals consume. The local politics and issues get the nose-bleed seats. The "big news" a few weeks ago in our local online paper was our Mayor spotting some older kids peeing down a slide at a public park and calling them out saying he knew who they were and who their parents were and was going to dime them out. That being said, I don't think you are wrong. I think folks do need to get more involved in community and local politics, probably would be healthier than the soul-sucking sensationalism of negative global news where every horrible thing is dumped on your virtual doorstep.

I think the unprecedented numbers actually have less to do with radical left or right platforms. I think it came down to strong feelings about which presidential candidate folks felt could best lead the country - so less about platform and more about personality and who folks aligned with. I think that drove center-left and center-right folks to vote in numbers that have not been seen before. If you remove the radical elements, it was a grand display of democratic voting principal just in regards to the sheer volume of turnout.

or tripping down a runway. Trump ain't no spring chicken. Both these guys are up there - maybe next term the country goes with some younger blood.

Speaking of Meds & Trump supporters: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/11/06/philadelphia-police-arrest-armed-men-convention-center-votes-counted/6187189002/ and this... https://www.newsweek.com/alabama-police-captain-put-leave-after-threatening-shoot-biden-supporters-1545338 And yes, having an unhinged pathological liar occupying the Presidency has led to this nonsense and also a real leader would know how to defuse protests not fan the flames and sow division which is a page or tweet right out of Trump 101 divide, deflect, and conquer strategy. Take a trip in the way back machine at this 2017 Brookings piece warning about Trump's platform of division and it is prophetic. https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/trumps-early-actions-will-widen-americas-political-demographic-divide/ And yes, all leaders lie, but Trump is in a class of his own on in his sheer unrepentant volume: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/09/16/trump-is-hardly-first-serial-liar-white-house-his-deceptions-are-different/

The only fraud I am aware of with Graham is his assertion that there is a spine anywhere in his body.

Man that is close - like a HS football game attendance close. Was not expecting Biden to get anywhere near taking GA, but we will see... maybe we should start some sketchy twitter breaking "news" story about a little-known stealthy left wing paramilitary organization that was spotted paragliding into a Georgia election center armed with a boxes of ballots signed by dead people for Biden, OR we do the sane thing and say f'it Trump won lets turn to the other races ....but what fun is that?

I don't think many folks, including the President understand how elections work in this country. If they did they would chill and understand that this thing will drag out for weeks and likely months. Just wondering how many of these normal election processes will involve lawsuits and irrational GOP and MAGA shenanigans? November 3, 2020—Election Day ✔️ (first Tuesday after the first Monday in November) During the general election your vote helps determine your State's electors. When you vote for a Presidential candidate, you aren't actually voting for President. You are telling your State which candidate you want your State to vote for at the meeting of the electors. The States use these general election results (also known as the popular vote) to appoint their electors. The winning candidate's State political party selects the individuals who will be the electors. Mid-November through December 14, 2020 After the presidential election, the Governor of your State prepares seven Certificates of Ascertainment. “As soon as practicable,” after the election results in your State are certified, the Governor sends one of those original Certificates of Ascertainment to the Archivist. By December 8, 2020—States resolve controversies (at least six days before the meeting of the electors) States must make final decisions in any controversies over the appointment of their electors at least six days before the meeting of the electors. This is so their electoral votes will be presumed valid when presented to Congress. Decisions by States’ courts are conclusive, if decided under laws enacted before Election Day. December 14, 2020—electors vote in their States The electors meet in their respective States and vote for President and Vice President on separate ballots. The electors record their votes on six Certificates of Vote, which are paired with the six remaining Certificates of Ascertainment. The electors sign, seal, and certify six sets of electoral votes. A set of electoral votes consists of one Certificate of Ascertainment and one Certificate of Vote. December 23, 2020—electoral votes arrive Electoral votes (the Certificates of Vote) must be received by the President of the Senate and the Archivist no later than nine days after the meeting of the electors. If votes are lost or delayed, the Archivist may take extraordinary measures to retrieve duplicate originals. On or before January 3, 2021—Archivist transfers Certificates to Congress As the new Congress assembles, the Archivist transmits sets of Certificates to Congress, as requested. This generally happens when the Senate does not receive its set of Certificates on time. The transfer occurs in late December or early January when OFR’s Legal staff meets with representatives of the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House. January 6, 2021—Congress counts the electoral votes Congress meets in joint session to count the electoral votes. The Vice President, as President of the Senate, presides over the count and announces the results of the Electoral College vote. The President of the Senate then declares which persons, if any, have been elected President and Vice President of the United States. If any objections to the electoral votes are made, they must be submitted in writing and be signed by at least one member of the House and one Senator. If objections are presented, the House and Senate withdraw to their respective chambers to consider the merits of the objection(s) under procedures set out in Federal law. If no Presidential candidate wins at least 270 electoral votes (a majority of the 538 available votes), under the 12th Amendment to the Constitution the House of Representatives decides the Presidential election. If necessary, the House would elect the President by majority vote, choosing from among the three candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. The vote would be taken by State, with each State having one vote. (The District of Columbia does not vote because it doesn't have voting members in the House of Representatives.) If no Vice Presidential candidate wins at least 270 electoral votes (a majority or the 538 available votes), under the 12th Amendment the Senate elects the Vice President. If necessary, the Senate would elect the Vice President by majority vote, choosing between the two candidates who received the greatest number of electoral votes. Each Senator would have one vote. January 20, 2021 at Noon—Inauguration Day The President-elect and Vice President-elect take the Oath of Office and become the President of the United States and Vice President of the United States, respectively.

you keep using that deflecting word - what does that mean to you? Sounds like something legit, but I don't think it is. Incarcerations had been steadily on the rise since the 70's and it takes some really fuzzy math to lay that all at the feet of a Federal crime bill Biden sponsored decades later that focused on federal prison guidance - BTW - Federal prisons comprise only 10% of the overall prison population. Regarding the 1994 sentencing guidance TIS (Truth in Sentencing) violent offenders needed to serve a minimum of 85% of their sentence for states to qualify for federal grant money for prisons. Only 16 states actually changed their TIS guidance and a study by Urban Institute determined most of those states were influenced by ongoing state reform processes not the federal grant money. Either way, this is a pretty tenuous link to the mass incarcerations you want to lay at his feet.

If it was 30 years ago they would likely say nothing. Times change.

I am OK with laws discouraging possession of some drugs because there is a direct link to crime with those narcotics, and frankly I would rather get those folks off the street. But I prefer lighter sentences, addiction treatment, and realistic rehabilitation goals that earn early parole for possession offenses vs long-term punitive sentences that should be reserved for distribution charges. Having said that, and having lived through those decades with mandatory minimums there was (at that time) a lot of hue and cry from urban areas that they were being ignored and that drugs and crime were rampant. Those are the kind of things that drive police nuts. You are either ignoring your duty to folks by not policing crime, or you are part of an oppressive system when you are policing crime... it is this bi-polar relationship that needs fixing. There was a strong push for politicians to show then that they would be on the front lines in the "war on drugs"... most every politician had "tough on drugs and crime" as part of their platform. Biden was no different. Now I live in a state where I can go down the road and buy pot and it is completely legal - always thought the stigma was ridiculous. If you do go to one of the dispensaries you are most likely to find old retirees picking up some CBD to rub on their aching joints - call the swat team:) I am also fine with the research going into more general clinical use for magic mushrooms or at least the Psilocybin extract, as it may have far better indications for long-term safety and efficacy treating depression and suicide than the synthetic drugs pharmaceutical companies have been allowed to legally push for decades.

So Biden helped write a crime bill 26 years ago and another 34 years ago and that is somehow relevant to why racial tensions are so high this year. Not the excessive force by our law enforcement that is not being adequately addressed? And don't get me wrong, I support the police and if a dude was coming at me with a knife I am putting him down like a dog with race the furthest thing from my mind, BUT there are systemic issues with the police unions, and the "blue wall" that prevent transparency, reform (weeding out the cops that have issues), and justice when unlawful force is used against citizens as in the the case of George Floyd and that no-knock debacle that killed Breonna Walker. The nation needs healing and calm leadership at the helm, not some half-cocked rabble-rousing poser as President.