Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

[jwhouk]

I am admitting to a level of concern here. Though I suspect it won't be enough, Teh Donald is coming a bit too close as AZ counts its final ballots.

P.S. - I checked, mine was counted. And no, I wasn't dumb and I didn't use a Sharpie. Only idiots would do something like that with important documents.

 

[PatrThom]

I don’t understand why states wait until Election Day to count early/mail in ballots.

In many states, the gop passed laws requiring it.

This. In MI, for instance, election officials were prohibited from even opening the envelopes prior to election day unless the total number of ballots exceeded some absolute (i.e., not a percentage) threshold. Even then, the most they were allowed to do was just to remove the ballots from the envelopes, verify their legitimacy, and then stack them to wait until the polls opened or whatever. Over time, it seems the GOP has curiously implemented quite a number of diverse measures across multiple agencies to reduce the efficiency of (historically Democratic-leaning) mail-in voting, and then loudly proclaimed that GOP supporters should probably vote in person, as if they knew mail-in voting would be a cluster.

--Patrick

 

[figmentPez]

I don't think any numbers should be released until ALL the votes are counted. No states swinging back and forth, no illusion of knowledge on election night. Make the complete count the first numbers to be published, and have stiff punishments for anyone who leaks partial counts.

 

[PatrThom]

I don't think any numbers should be released until ALL the votes are counted. No states swinging back and forth, no illusion of knowledge on election night. Make the complete count the first numbers to be published, and have stiff punishments for anyone who leaks partial counts.

I want to agree, but I feel like I am forced to disagree, as this would remove any transparency from the democratic process. If vote counting becomes a "black box," then there would be absolutely no way to guarantee its legitimacy.

--Patrick

 

[figmentPez]

I want to agree, but I feel like I am forced to disagree, as this would remove any transparency from the democratic process. If vote counting becomes a "black box," then there would be absolutely no way to guarantee its legitimacy.

How does that make it more of a black box? The voting and counting process would remain exactly the same, we just wouldn't have the public hearing about it until the end.

 

[PatrThom]

How does that make it more of a black box? The voting and counting process would remain exactly the same, we just wouldn't have the public hearing about it until the end.

I agree with the first part, but I doubt it would be possible to keep the ongoing tally a secret, even upon penalty of death. Therefore the only way to enforce the "no leaks" part is to minimize the number of people doing the counting and make it a black box, but then you lose the transparency AND as you reduce the number of people doing the tallying, the process becomes easier to subvert.

--Patrick

 

[figmentPez]

I agree with the first part, but I doubt it would be possible to keep the ongoing tally a secret, even upon penalty of death. Therefore the only way to enforce the "no leaks" part is to minimize the number of people doing the counting and make it a black box, but then you lose the transparency AND as you reduce the number of people doing the tallying, the process becomes easier to subvert.

--Patrick

No, it wouldn't guarantee absolute silence, and I see your point about how efforts to keep the secret would increase opportunities for corruption. However, I think it still would delegitimize a lot of the nonsense that does go on with election night reporting. More races would go unreported until all the counts were in, and that would normalize the idea that every vote should be counted, and that democracy takes time. Sure, there will always be elections where people will risk penalties in order to leak early numbers, but those will become the exception, and any news outlets reporting on them will be getting their information from criminals/whistleblowers.

 

[figmentPez]

Steve Bannon and his co-host discuss beheading Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray

"I'd actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England, I'd put the heads on pikes, right, I'd put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats. You either get with the program or you're gone -- time to stop playing games. "

 

[Squidleybits]

Good lord!!!

 

[jwhouk]

A little heads-up: Alaska may not be done counting ballots until November 18.

 

[blotsfan]

I guess the senate race might be close? I would've thought it'd be an easy republican win.

 

[Dei]

Georgia is totally going to be recounting presidential votes too.

 

[blotsfan]

They basically announced they're gonna get the recount started the moment they're done, no matter who wins.

 

[figmentPez]

Philly police investigating alleged plot to attack Pennsylvania Convention Center

"Philadelphia police are investigating an alleged plot to attack the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Thursday night.

"Action News has learned that police got a tip about a group, possibly a family, driving up from Virginia in a Hummer to unleash an attack at the Convention Center where votes are being counted in Philadelphia.

"Action News was there as a man was taken into custody. It's unclear how or if the man is connected with the investigation.

"Police say they recovered a weapon and believe they recovered the Hummer they received a tip about."

 

[HCGLNS]

WAIT!!!!

Putin passed laws this week that any former President can not be prosecuted.

Rumours flying today that Putin has parkinsons and will step down next year.

 

[Celt Z]

WAIT!!!!

Putin passed laws this week that any former President can not be prosecuted.

Rumours flying today that Putin has parkinsons and will step down next year.

Mr. Z told me about this last night. My question is, what stops the next Russian president from overturning that?

 

[Dave]

Jesus christ. Putin gone, Trump on his way out? Is 2020 going out like a lamb? Could 2021 be a GOOD year?

Human recombinant soluble ACE2 (hrsACE2) shows promise for treating severe COVIDÂ19 - Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

www.nature.com

 

[AshburnerX]

Mr. Z tolde about this last night. My question is, what stops the next Russian president from overturning that?

There is basically nothing to prevent the next Russian president from just straight up murdering Putin if they get the opportunity to do it. No one will prosecute them for it. That's just kind of how things fly in Russia.

 

[blotsfan]

Isn't the next president expected to be his daughter?

Regardless, I can't imagine the next president would bother with him. If he's that sick he'll probably be content to just be unfathomably rich for the rest of his life and left in peace. No point kicking a hornets nest.

 

[chris]

Don't forget he is ex-KGB and was an operative in East Berlin. That might also be a factor.

 

[Frank]

Fucking lol.

 

[Celt Z]

Fuck right off, Graham.

 

[Krisken]

Eat a dick, Graham, you spineless toadie.

 

[blotsfan]

I don't know why the networks are refusing to call it.

 

[Bubble181]

I don't know why the networks are refusing to call it.

I feel like they should call NC, Nevada and Arizona now, and honestly might as well call Alaska. That would put Biden at exactly 270 and Trump at 231 or something. Georgia and Pennsylvania will no doubt be recounted, but they're technically not needed.

 

[blotsfan]

Pennsylvania will not get recounted. Biden is up 40k and it keeps getting bigger. Trump is just bitching about PA because if he won every other uncalled state but PA he would still lose.

 

[MindDetective]

I don't know why the networks are refusing to call it.

One outlet, Decision Desk, has called it. Once enough of PA comes in, others will jump on board. Then NV and AZ will finally release their final counts and it will finally be over. 306, when all is said and done.

 

[HCGLNS]

The big networks are all saving it for Prime Time!

 

[Tiger Tsang]

Listening to the Thom Hartmann show today, he posited that after Bush/Gore debacle part of the reason they're waiting is to make Fox have to declare it first.

 

[blotsfan]

Nevada is done. If they were willing to call it based off of their shaky Arizona call, they would've.

 

[GasBandit]

Listening to the Thom Hartmann show today, he posited that after Bush/Gore debacle part of the reason they're waiting is to make Fox have to declare it first.

 

[GasBandit]

 

[GasBandit]

 

[GasBandit]

 

[DarkAudit]

There will be a pupper in the White House again.