2020 is the new 2016
I’ve been looking back on DL posts from 2016 to try and figure out how we missed the big story of the summer. The big story of the summer being Trump’s strength in the upper-midwest. It was right in front of our dumb faces, and we completely missed it. When I say “we” I mean America. We were clueless.
I’m interested in how we missed it because I see America missing the big story of 2020. That story is Trump’s plans to invalidate and nullify the election results. That is another story staring us is the face and yet we seem to be missing it.
At his rallies in Tulsa and Phoenix when Trump tells the troops to be ready to take part in the nullify if he doesn’t win, it doesn’t get mentioned in the press. It was all “kung-flu” for both ensuing 24 hour news cycles. The fact that Trump really isn’t trying to win has never been commented on in the media, and while Bill Barr brazenly moves his chess pieces into position nobody connects the dots.
There is an odd eerie silence around Trump’s obvious nullification strategy. Why is that?
Even if he somehow nullifies or invalidates the election, he still won’t be President after Jan 2021, according to the plain language of the Constitution. There are various debatable succession scenarios, which would no doubt be tied up in court, but none of them end up with Trump as President. He would have to execute an actual coup to remain President.
I think the Trump/GOP strategy is massive voter suppression, and with as much chaos as possible, especially aided by redstate governors/courts/legislatures. I can imagine a scenario where Dems win Senate elections in red/purple states, but the results are tied up in court for months (remember Al Franken?).Think of contested Senate elections, with ugly recounts, challenges,and Rethugs pushing for a do-over. All of which would leave Dems unable to execute on a slim Senate majority.
If control of the Senate is tied up in court after November and still potentially winnable by Repubs, that would probably forestall the expected wave of Repub retirements.
“He would have to execute an actual coup to remain President.”
How is “massive voter suppression, and with as much chaos as possible, especially aided by redstate governors/courts/legislatures” followed by month’s long recounts and a declared state of emergency not a coup?
Because that scenario doesn’t result in Trump (or a Trump ally) becoming President. All scenarios for a nullified Presidential election result in a Democrat becoming President.
I suppose chaos/suppression could make the election close enough that Trump could prevail a la Bush v. Gore. Or maybe there is a scenario for an Electoral College coup.
Here is another big thing we are missing: Our doomsday assumption is that Trump and Repubs lose the election but corruptly challenge the results. What if Repubs “win” the election, and WE are the ones challenging the results? Lulled by the polls, our blind arrogance is assuming we will win in November (just as we assumed in 2016).
excellent points. But part of me (a large part) shakes off the monsters under the bed thinking, looks at reality and says… C’mon…he can’t fucking win.
It probably won’t happen, but if current trends continue, I can imagine the higher ups in the GOP, or their wealthiest donors, agreeing with your assessment. Not only that, but if the clown show is allowed to continue, it could completely wreck the party in almost unrecoverable ways. Hence, they quietly work out a $$$ deal for the charlatan-in-chief to resign citing some bogus “I can’t govern the way I want, the deep state won’t let me, so I’m done” excuse. They move Pence up the ticket, put a young fresh faced Bush Jr. as the undercard, and try to re-invent itself selling a new day and a return to business as it was. All before November. Trump wins ad doesn’t have to worry about investigations once he is out of office, GOP could likely win, we all get screwed. Seriously, this race looks like Biden’s to lose more than HRC’s ever did. Let’s hope he does not completely gaff the VP pick.