I don't get why folks keep saying they're afraid Trump might refuse to leave if he loses.

[Dream Girl]

Last edited Sun Jul 26, 2020, 10:42 PM - Edit history (1)

Am I missing something? Will he barricade himself in the White House? Will he hang on the door jamb as he’s pulled away? Will they have to shut off the power and water in the Whitehouse? If doesn’t win, he won’t be president, Biden will be sworn in and he will be President. Trump doesn’t get to declare himself to still be President any more than I can declare myself to be President. I get that people are concerned that he will stir up shit, file lawsuits, etc., I’ve seen scenarios that layout faithless electors and Senate shenanigans. What I don’t get how he can”refuse to leave office”. He won’t be President any more. Wat am I not getting?

[we can do it]

1. Hand wringing drama?

[Blue_true]

27. That is how I take it. Some people have to worry instead of take action to bring about the world

that they desire.

[we can do it]

39. Exactly this.

[Demsrule86]

29. Same sort who say polls don't matter but if there is a poll that might be less for

Biden than the last one...have a fit.

[Girard442]

2. I think what people are worried about is that a manufactured crisis...

...will muddy the water around the election enough so that law enforcement and the military are reluctant to intervene, sit on the sidelines, and wait for the courts to sort it all out -- and we know how well that worked out in 2000.

[J_William_Ryan]

3. It's likely in the context of a close election.

As we saw in 2000.

For example, if Biden flips Florida and Arizona and wins the same states Clinton did in 2016, Biden will have 271 ECVs.

Trump will no doubt demand recounts, file lawsuits, and refuse to concede.

[Me.]

22. His Concession Isn't Necessary

and this time the guys screaming and yelling will be republicans against the republican candidate

[NurseJackie]

4. Apparently it's one of Maher's favorite hand-wringing topics.

If he loses, he'll leave. If he wins he stays.

[3catwoman3]

5. Reporters should not be asking him about this.

Stop presenting it as if it were even an option.

[onetexan]

7. +1 K&R

[elleng]

14. YES

[2naSalit]

17. ++++++++++++++++++++!!

[maxrandb]

40. Reporters should be asking "when do you resign"?

If he were a Democratic President, the media would be asking him when he will resign everyday.

[JI7]

46. right, They need to ask him about Russia paying to kill American Soldiers instead of this bs

[unblock]

6. the real concern isn't that everyone accepts that biden won except donnie, who squats in the oval.

Last edited Sun Jul 26, 2020, 10:17 PM - Edit history (1)

yes, in that case, biden is president as of noon on january 20, no matter where he is or who is physically in the white house.

the real question comes in if donnie challenges the legitimacy of the election or otherwise tries to foil the will of the people. various scenarios include legal challenges where judges loyal to donnie simply make whatever legal finding donnie needs to win, much as the supreme court did in 2000.

or perhaps having states biden wins but with republican secretaries of state refuse to certify the electoral votes. or maybe those states with republican legislatures could pass a law overriding the election results.

hell, they could outright *cancel* the elections. remember, there's no constitutional requirement for an election for president, the state legislatures can determine the electors however they want. it's just a long-standing tradition to do it by popular vote.

[Girard442]

8. What's a R guv to do when Donnie tweets, "Lovely family you have there. Be a shame..."

[mr_lebowski]

12. Exactly ... if it's a clear cut ass-whupping, I'm not too worried about it

If it's super-close, such that his throwing a tantrum about the results in one key state (say, Florida) because of some bullshit could reverse his loss, he'll definitely throw that fit and refuse to concede.

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. Doesn't matter if he contests the election and glues himself to the desk

Per the Constitution, his terms ends January if he gets outvoted.

He has no power after that. Won't do him any good to pick up the phone. And the Dems have a contingency plan in the very very small very small chance he even threatens to lock himself in the Oval.

In fact, he being just a citizen again, means he is subject to arrest for dozens of Federal and state charges.

[Thekaspervote]

18. Oh come on! He cannot cancel the election. Read the constitution, the 12th amendment

Even if he could, his term ends on 1/20/2021 at noon and the speaker of the house becomes the interim president.

[unblock]

28. Not Donnie, any state.

The constitution states that each state choose its electors in a manner of its own choosing. Each state happens to choose to do this by having an election by the people of their state, but that's not a requirement. Each state chooses by law and any state can change that law. They could do it by committee or gubernatorial appointment if they choose.

Now, such a change, particularly late in the election cycle, would be hugely unpopular, but if they no longer care about popular opinion because they're installing a dictatorship, well....

[PSPS]

9. Some people just like to fantasize things that won't happen. "What if I win a billion dollars?"

[Sneederbunk]

10. I am more concerned with a manufactured crisis preventing the Nov 3 election.

[Thekaspervote]

20. Congress sets dates for the election. Also, see post #18

[maryellen99]

33. I'm thinking an Italian style lockdown nt

[elleng]

11. Someone(s) dropped off a 'meme,'

and many can't/won't let go of it; perfect for repugs and russkies.

[LeftInTX]

13. I don't like all this negative stuff

We want people to vote, not be demoralized

[Thekaspervote]

21. Exactly..please stop with all the spin

[Demsrule86]

30. Those spouting doom and gloom and there are more than a few here...believe

they encourage people to vote...but IMHO with some years of experience in GOTV...it is just the opposite.Doom and Gloom demoralizes voters.

[LizBeth]

15. I don't either and for media to actually be asking Trump this is stupid. I agree.

[Initech]

16. My theory is that Trump is purposefully tanking it.

And he'll stick the next president with the bill. Because the next president (Biden) is going to have a colossal mess to clean up and the AM radio hatesphere will be watching him like a hawk and will trash everything that he does. So we will have that to contend with.

[maxrandb]

41. Speaking of Hate Radio

Do the protesters in Portland and other cities need a Google map for where their local Hate Radio stations are?

A hell of a lot more could be done for the Black Lives Matter movement, sanity, civility, equal treatment under the law and systemic racism and injustice by protesting in front of the offices and studios of these cancerous lesions on the brain of America than some random federal buildings.

Just saying...

[Me.]

19. Exactly

It's not his choice, it's the voters and he can huff and puff all he wants but he'll still be out

[procon]

23. That's been my synopsis as well.

Once the incoming president is sworn in, Trump is no different than any other trespasser. At that point he's toast, he has been stripped of all authority and has no more power than any of the rest of us to hail a cab or order a pizza.

One way or another the park police will remove him from the property. To minimize Trump's tantrum maybe they'll put him in a car and get him aboard a charter flight to NYC while the new president is busy with his inauguration festivities.

Then call a good pest control service and one of those post disaster cleaning services to sanitize and fumigate the WH before Biden arrives.

[rzemanfl]

24. Never underestimate what that loon can try.

[Demsrule86]

31. He doesn't have magical powers you know...I heard the same thing when GWB was

leaving.

[Siwsan]

26. I'm more worried about his cult than I am about him

Especially if he says something to incite them.

[Doodley]

32. He will be bitter, blame Democrats for stealing the election, BS about voter fraud, Obama and Biden

conspiracy theories, some of which R/W media will repeat.

He will try to create civil unrest, urge his supporters to take to the streets to fight for their votes to be counted.

He will undermine the legitimacy of Biden, just as he did with Obama and the birther crap, just as he did when he claimed there were three million illegal votes for Hillary.

He will do all he can to cause as much damage as he can and launch all kinds of phony investigations that will amount to nothing.

He will never accept that he has lost and until the end of January he will accelerate the damage to America with dozens of executive orders, dozens of pardons, angry insults to numerous world leaders, and military action.

[Dream Girl]

34. Sounds about right.

[Foolacious]

35. My worry is that the exit polls will (initially) show a clear, even sizable, Biden win...

but the reported vote totals will be a series of razor-thin Traitor victories in exactly the states needed to eke out an electoral college "win" for the Traitor. And then the exit polling firms will "adjust" their numbers as they always do to bring them in line with the reported vote, on the theory that reported votes are always accurate in the USA even though (1) anywhere else in the world, a discrepancy between exit polls and reported votes is cause for investigation, and (2) the companies that provide the voting machines and the tabulators are all heavily connected to the Republican party.

[dawg day]

36. Remember Bush v. Gore?

Trump could do that-- sue to get an injunction, sue to disallow votes, sue to stop the electors from meeting.

[Dream Girl]

37. I Romberger, but the margin was very, very close...

[hamsterjill]

38. For me, it's just that he's gotten away with everything

No one has stopped him yet. I think he stole the election in 2016 with Putin’s help and I don’t put anything past Putin.

The DHS troops on the streets is not something I ever expected to see in the six decades that I’ve been alive and lived here. Martial law is not as far fetched as it was six months ago.

So, allow me my paranoia. And if everything goes smoothly on January 20th, I promise you that no one will be happier than me when Biden takes over. It’s been a long, fucking four years.

[riversedge]

42. I do not understand why reporters keep

asking Trump this stupid question. It fuels Trumps drama queen instincts.

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

43. He'll fold like a wet paper bag

Like he’s done so with everything thing else even slightly challenging.

Now his supporters are a different story.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

44. If he refuses to leave, it'll be high drama. It'll keep his name in the headlines.

If he's not forcibly removed, the Biden Administration could run nicely from the other executive office buildings.

Maybe set up a pitching/putting green on the south lawn, to lure him out. Here, fishy, fishy.

[UCmeNdc]

45. #1 you have to make sure you vote Trump out of office! The vote difference must be massive for Biden

Then we can cross that Trump not leaving bridge after the election!

[betsuni]

47. I know!

It's silly. This is what will happen:

[MineralMan]

48. It's just something to talk about, instead of trying to find a way

to get involved with GOTV, in my opinion.

There are more serious things to worry about, it seems to me.