They've just done Georgia. Some House members have objected but all Senators have withdrawn their objections. If this holds, the electoral vote will probably be tabulated in total very shortly.
Whatever next? Republican congresspeople saying they can't support the objections any longer, in light of today's disturbances, even though they still believe election irregularities are 'a valid issue'.
It's as if they don't REALLY believe the election was stolen...
They've just accepted the electoral vote from Nevada. Unless someone is willing to object to the vote from Oregon or Nevada, Joe Biden now has enough electoral votes to be president.
I fear that Trump may have gone too far to be able to weaken the Republican party the maximum amount over the coming four years. I was looking forward to watching him tear the party down the middle as he threatened to sic the crazies in his base on every Republican who displayed any inclination to run without his approval. As it is, I'm afraid the Republican party may simply reject Trump and recover quickly enough to be viable for the 2022 midterm elections without making any changes of substance. If so, my hope is that Trump at least doesn't even try to run in 2024.
The objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes is sustained. (F**king Josh Hawley!) If my count is accurate, the number of electoral votes already approved for Biden plus the number from uncontestable states (Rhode Island, Washington, etc.) would give Biden at least 275 electoral votes. I'm not sure what's being accomplished here by putting off the inevitable for another two (or four, if an objection to Wisconsin's electoral votes is sustained) hours of delay will accomplish.
Could be that the differences between the likes of Lindsey Graham and Josh Hawley show that the Republican party wwill tear itself apart. Josh Hawley is young and stuck to his guns, while Lindsey Graham put his finger up and decided the wind is blowing another direction.
Really hard to make predictions, though, given the volatility of the situation in DC.
The objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes is sustained. (F**king Josh Hawley!)
Where did you get from please? Perhaps you heard the vote in favour of debating the exclusion of Pennsylvania. The Guardian is now reporting that the vote to exclude the Pennsylvania results failed by 7-92, ie they were accepted.
It is being reported that senior cabinet members are meeting and discussing invoking Amendment 25: do they have the cojones to do it?
At the moment their expedient narrative is that the Democrats stole the election. I doubt that they will want to see it change to “Pence stole my presidency”.
Could be that the differences between the likes of Lindsey Graham and Josh Hawley show that the Republican party wwill tear itself apart. Josh Hawley is young and stuck to his guns, while Lindsey Graham put his finger up and decided the wind is blowing another direction.
Really hard to make predictions, though, given the volatility of the situation in DC.
Surely the fascist heir apparent is Fawley. How can that be stopped? Trump can afford a rally a week for that dream ticket in 147 weeks. What about that countdown?
True, but we do need the photo records for history.
In other news: The DC police is calling today Accountability Day. They are asking for pictures, and videos and help in identifying the people on them.
Looks like T just fired Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf because Wolf said T needs to step down. Wolf has said he will not step down.
We must remember the insurrection had nationwide coordination. There were protests at nearly all state capitals. The grounds of the governor's residence in the state of Washington was breached, but order was quickly restored. I am not sure what happened in other states.--
The objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes is sustained. (F**king Josh Hawley!)
Where did you get from please?
From watching it live. I could have phrased it a little more elegantly, but Hawley's objection to counting Pennsylvania's electoral votes was sustained in the joint session, causing adjournment into separate chambers for two hours of debate. It ultimately failed in both chambers, but it was a needless and pointless delay.
Looks like T just fired Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf because Wolf said T needs to step down. Wolf has said he will not step down.
Assuming the rules mean anything any more, that distinction makes a difference. A federal official who resigns can be replaced under the Vacancies Act (i.e. Trump could pick an acting successor). If someone is fired they're replaced by whoever is next in the chain of succession for that post (i.e. Trump doesn't get to pick without going through the normal Senate confirmation process).
I just watched the footage of Derrick evans, Republican member of the WV house of delegates (I have no idea what that is) in the mib that stormed the capitol. Unbelievable. The elation in his voice, plus the childish whooping, is disturbing.
From this side of the pond it looks as if the GOP is rotten to the core, top to bottom.
It's still Trump's GOP. How can that possibly change? Hawley and Cruz will carry die Fahne hoch. The flag high from the Nazi martyr Horst Wessel's song.
Martin, I know that being an edgy predictor of doom is an internet thing - but if an American were predicting that Farage was about to land us in the UK with a 1000 year Reich having just lost an election and been banned from various internet outlets, with probable business-led legal disaster coming his way in less than a year, the day after people had died in an unprecedented riot in the Houses of Parliament - I might suggest they didn't know what they were talking about. I think your ego is leading you in directions which are unhelpful. Isn't that topical.
The objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes is sustained. (F**king Josh Hawley!)
Where did you get from please?
From watching it live. I could have phrased it a little more elegantly, but Hawley's objection to counting Pennsylvania's electoral votes was sustained in the joint session, causing adjournment into separate chambers for two hours of debate. It ultimately failed in both chambers, but it was a needless and pointless delay.
Looks like T just fired Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf because Wolf said T needs to step down. Wolf has said he will not step down.
Assuming the rules mean anything any more, that distinction makes a difference. A federal official who resigns can be replaced under the Vacancies Act (i.e. Trump could pick an acting successor). If someone is fired they're replaced by whoever is next in the chain of succession for that post (i.e. Trump doesn't get to pick without going through the normal Senate confirmation process).
Hawley's objection was NOT sustained. When he made his objection, both houses adjourned to their own chambers to debate the objection. Both Houses then individually took a vote on the objection and it was voted down. They then rejoined to report their findings to the VP and they moved on.
The Secretary of Homeland Security is a cabinet position that under normal rules is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Every cabinet position is subject to the will of the President. He can fire them anytime. However, when the previous Homeland Security Secretary stepped down, Trump appointed Chad Wolf as the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, bypassing the confirmation of the Senate. So Trump sent a note to the Senate saying Wolf's name is withdrawn. Wolf came out saying like hell he is leaving. He wants to stay on.
Martin, I know that being an edgy predictor of doom is an internet thing - but if an American were predicting that Farage was about to land us in the UK with a 1000 year Reich having just lost an election and been banned from various internet outlets, with probable business-led legal disaster coming his way in less than a year, the day after people had died in an unprecedented riot in the Houses of Parliament - I might suggest they didn't know what they were talking about.
I think a lot of times non-Americans on the Ship know enough about the US to make pronouncements about it but not enough to draw warranted conclusions about it.
Martin, I know that being an edgy predictor of doom is an internet thing - but if an American were predicting that Farage was about to land us in the UK with a 1000 year Reich having just lost an election and been banned from various internet outlets, with probable business-led legal disaster coming his way in less than a year, the day after people had died in an unprecedented riot in the Houses of Parliament - I might suggest they didn't know what they were talking about. I think your ego is leading you in directions which are unhelpful. Isn't that topical.
I want to be wrong. But the UK ain't Kansas Toto. Let's see Trump, Hawley, Cruz become nobodies soon.
His niece is just saying yesterday emboldened him. Live as I write. That the next few months will be 'the most dangerous in our country's history'. Does that count?
Constitutional scholars will be debating for years to come whether it's technically possible for a President to commit treason.
Of course it is. The President isn't a King. It's a more interesting question whether a monarch can commit treason. (Of course, Charles I was tried and executed for it, emphasizing the practical point...)
Martin, I know that being an edgy predictor of doom is an internet thing - but if an American were predicting that Farage was about to land us in the UK with a 1000 year Reich having just lost an election and been banned from various internet outlets, with probable business-led legal disaster coming his way in less than a year, the day after people had died in an unprecedented riot in the Houses of Parliament - I might suggest they didn't know what they were talking about.
I think a lot of times non-Americans on the Ship know enough about the US to make pronouncements about it but not enough to draw warranted conclusions about it.
Call me neurotic (or a narcissist) but that felt like a mild rebuke
Martin - I'd listen to his niece, yes. It's a dangerous time, yes. But if you or I have fun with hyperbole on the internet, we can just walk away from it when it fails (or big ourselves up on our prescience if it doesn't). The dead lady got tangled up in internet hyperbole and it cost her her life. It seems right to rein it in a bit, at a time when 'walking it back' looks like the route to safety for everyone. In terms of your analogy, you don't want Americans to suffer like Germans did, do you.
I just watched the footage of Derrick evans, Republican member of the WV house of delegates (I have no idea what that is) in the mib that stormed the capitol.
That's the lower house (the equivalent of the US House of Representatives) in the West Virginia state government. If West Virginia were the UK, you'd call him an MP.
The system just bypassed him in order to bus-in some coach loads of National Guard. I think work-arounds are high in peoples' minds at the moment - which is to say, I feel confident your worries have been foreseen by men whose career in the services has prepared them!
Martin, I know that being an edgy predictor of doom is an internet thing - but if an American were predicting that Farage was about to land us in the UK with a 1000 year Reich having just lost an election and been banned from various internet outlets, with probable business-led legal disaster coming his way in less than a year, the day after people had died in an unprecedented riot in the Houses of Parliament - I might suggest they didn't know what they were talking about.
I think a lot of times non-Americans on the Ship know enough about the US to make pronouncements about it but not enough to draw warranted conclusions about it.
Call me neurotic (or a narcissist) but that felt like a mild rebuke
Martin - I'd listen to his niece, yes. It's a dangerous time, yes. But if you or I have fun with hyperbole on the internet, we can just walk away from it when it fails (or big ourselves up on our prescience if it doesn't). The dead lady got tangled up in internet hyperbole and it cost her her life. It seems right to rein it in a bit, at a time when 'walking it back' looks like the route to safety for everyone. In terms of your analogy, you don't want Americans to suffer like Germans did, do you.
God forbid. I see your fear. They caused forty million deaths. Not counting facilitating Japan causing ten million more. A resurgence of the US Civil War could easily be the greatest catastrophe in human history. For the whole world.
‘One of the darkest days in the history of our nation’ Jo Biden. Therefore the world.
The German foreign minister was reminded of the Reichstag fire.
I am not confident Jo can walk back fascism to pre-Trump levels. That genie is out of the box.
Hope you can tell me what an idiot I was in a year's time.
What concerns me somewhat (and I don't wish to be alarmist) is that Trump still has access to the nuclear codes.
What checks and balances are there to ensure that, in the last days of his descent into utter madness, he can't send a missile somewhere?
I remember hearing way back when Nixon was totally losing all respect and accountability that, unknown to him or to the U.S., steps were being taken to insure our safety. The codes might well have been changed or something to protect us and the world.
IIRC, it was quietly decided that anything to do with the football had to be approved by Kissinger and Haig in concert while someone poured Nixon another scotch.
The objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes is sustained. (F**king Josh Hawley!)
Where did you get from please?
From watching it live. I could have phrased it a little more elegantly, but Hawley's objection to counting Pennsylvania's electoral votes was sustained in the joint session, causing adjournment into separate chambers for two hours of debate. It ultimately failed in both chambers, but it was a needless and pointless delay.
Thank you - that did not come out in the reports here.
I'm a little worried about the "nuclear football", too.
When I was in the Strategic Command, I remember one story where NORAD had detected a launch from the USSR. This automatically set off a counter launch sequence through SAC. It is really a long process but during the sequence, many of the launch officers were getting sick. Fortunately, some officer at NORAD took another look at the pictures. They determined that what happened was the sun was being reflected off the roof of known Russian launch sites, And everything was de-escalated.
What's that Petrov reference please? The only Petrov I know of was a KGB officer based at the USSR embassy in Canberra in the early 1950s - he defected, his wife (who was in MVD) was wanted back in Moscow, wanted so much that a couple of KGB officers helped her onto the plane in Sydney. The plane landed in Darwin to refuel, Mme Petrov was met by Aust security and decided to remain here rather than return home. A cause célèbre here at the time, a Royal Commission was held and the leader of the Labor Party totally misread the script.
Comments
This is kind of old news at this point.
It's as if they don't REALLY believe the election was stolen...
Really hard to make predictions, though, given the volatility of the situation in DC.
Where did you get from please? Perhaps you heard the vote in favour of debating the exclusion of Pennsylvania. The Guardian is now reporting that the vote to exclude the Pennsylvania results failed by 7-92, ie they were accepted.
"I'm in a roomful of people 'panicked that I might inadvertently give away their location'" (LA Times, via Yahoo).
She chronicled her day, the people around her, being moved around, etc. Definitely worth a read, IMHO.
At the moment their expedient narrative is that the Democrats stole the election. I doubt that they will want to see it change to “Pence stole my presidency”.
Surely the fascist heir apparent is Fawley. How can that be stopped? Trump can afford a rally a week for that dream ticket in 147 weeks. What about that countdown?
True, but we do need the photo records for history.
In other news: The DC police is calling today Accountability Day. They are asking for pictures, and videos and help in identifying the people on them.
Looks like T just fired Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf because Wolf said T needs to step down. Wolf has said he will not step down.
We must remember the insurrection had nationwide coordination. There were protests at nearly all state capitals. The grounds of the governor's residence in the state of Washington was breached, but order was quickly restored. I am not sure what happened in other states.--
It's impossible for anybody to commit treason—as defined in the US Constitution—when we're not at war. He committed sedition.
"Caught on camera"? Hell, he livestreamed himself storming the Capitol.
From watching it live. I could have phrased it a little more elegantly, but Hawley's objection to counting Pennsylvania's electoral votes was sustained in the joint session, causing adjournment into separate chambers for two hours of debate. It ultimately failed in both chambers, but it was a needless and pointless delay.
Assuming the rules mean anything any more, that distinction makes a difference. A federal official who resigns can be replaced under the Vacancies Act (i.e. Trump could pick an acting successor). If someone is fired they're replaced by whoever is next in the chain of succession for that post (i.e. Trump doesn't get to pick without going through the normal Senate confirmation process).
From this side of the pond it looks as if the GOP is rotten to the core, top to bottom.
From this side of the pond you can smell it.
Hawley's objection was NOT sustained. When he made his objection, both houses adjourned to their own chambers to debate the objection. Both Houses then individually took a vote on the objection and it was voted down. They then rejoined to report their findings to the VP and they moved on.
The Secretary of Homeland Security is a cabinet position that under normal rules is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Every cabinet position is subject to the will of the President. He can fire them anytime. However, when the previous Homeland Security Secretary stepped down, Trump appointed Chad Wolf as the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, bypassing the confirmation of the Senate. So Trump sent a note to the Senate saying Wolf's name is withdrawn. Wolf came out saying like hell he is leaving. He wants to stay on.
I think a lot of times non-Americans on the Ship know enough about the US to make pronouncements about it but not enough to draw warranted conclusions about it.
I want to be wrong. But the UK ain't Kansas Toto. Let's see Trump, Hawley, Cruz become nobodies soon.
His niece is just saying yesterday emboldened him. Live as I write. That the next few months will be 'the most dangerous in our country's history'. Does that count?
Of course it is. The President isn't a King. It's a more interesting question whether a monarch can commit treason. (Of course, Charles I was tried and executed for it, emphasizing the practical point...)
Call me neurotic (or a narcissist) but that felt like a mild rebuke
Martin - I'd listen to his niece, yes. It's a dangerous time, yes. But if you or I have fun with hyperbole on the internet, we can just walk away from it when it fails (or big ourselves up on our prescience if it doesn't). The dead lady got tangled up in internet hyperbole and it cost her her life. It seems right to rein it in a bit, at a time when 'walking it back' looks like the route to safety for everyone. In terms of your analogy, you don't want Americans to suffer like Germans did, do you.
That's the lower house (the equivalent of the US House of Representatives) in the West Virginia state government. If West Virginia were the UK, you'd call him an MP.
What checks and balances are there to ensure that, in the last days of his descent into utter madness, he can't send a missile somewhere?
God forbid. I see your fear. They caused forty million deaths. Not counting facilitating Japan causing ten million more. A resurgence of the US Civil War could easily be the greatest catastrophe in human history. For the whole world.
‘One of the darkest days in the history of our nation’ Jo Biden. Therefore the world.
The German foreign minister was reminded of the Reichstag fire.
I am not confident Jo can walk back fascism to pre-Trump levels. That genie is out of the box.
Hope you can tell me what an idiot I was in a year's time.
I remember hearing way back when Nixon was totally losing all respect and accountability that, unknown to him or to the U.S., steps were being taken to insure our safety. The codes might well have been changed or something to protect us and the world.
Thank you - that did not come out in the reports here.
He should lose his seat.
When I was in the Strategic Command, I remember one story where NORAD had detected a launch from the USSR. This automatically set off a counter launch sequence through SAC. It is really a long process but during the sequence, many of the launch officers were getting sick. Fortunately, some officer at NORAD took another look at the pictures. They determined that what happened was the sun was being reflected off the roof of known Russian launch sites, And everything was de-escalated.
Sounds very like a mirror case to Petrov