Sunday, November 01, 2020

Whinger-In-Chief

Yes, you read that right:

“Trump has privately talked through this scenario in some detail in the last few weeks, describing plans to walk up to a podium on election night and declare he has won,” the report said.

"Counted" is a relative term here.  Trump is confusing (intentionally, willfully) the reporting on TeeVee with official government action (or "governments" in this case, as the count will be done by the 50 states individually according to their laws, rules and practices).  If Trump likes what he hears, he will declare himself the winner and like Napoleon, take the crown from the bishop and put it on his own head.  Napoleon didn't last long in office after that.  Trump won't last long in the White House, either, whether or not he pulls this stunt.

As I've said before, conceding a political race is a legally meaningless act that political pundits always describe as prudent and necessary even though it is as meaningless as a fart in a hurricane.  Al Gore conceded to W. in 2000, before the Supremes agreed to take up the case.  Indeed, part of the reason they took it up was because Gore changed his mind and withdrew his concession, whose only effect was to slow the counting process in Florida and further screw things up there.  Trump can declare himself the winner right now, it will have the same force and effect as if he does it on Tuesday night because Karl Rove again "has the numbers" (anybody else remember this Rove meltdown?  Can I get an "Amen"?).  Trump declaring victory is a paralyzed force, a gesture without motion.  He isn't even the "winner" on Election night even if all the votes are counted and declared in all 50 states (it can't happen merely because military personnel overseas have until much later (I don't know the deadline) to mail in their ballots and have them counted).  The President isn't elected until the vote by the Eletoral College is accepted in the House of Representatives in January.  Yes, that's largely a matter of technicalities, but those techicalities have their purpose, and one is that the President is not directly elected by the people.  Which is another reason why declaring victory on Election Day (or any time) is a meaningless act.

So please, Mr. President, do it.  The people who think it means something will be impressed, but the impression made more deeply on them will be that this is not how the system works.  They may decry this as fraud and cheating and "treason!", but they, like you, often use words without knowing their meaning.

Like this.  What does she imagine "voter fraud" looks like?  Black people voting?  Brown people?  People with accents?  People who need a ballot not in English?
I think I'll declare victory, too. Why wait for Tuesday? No reason to wait that long, is there?
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