@allyn With the court victory that says Pence can call it how he wants it, I'm feeling like next week may be the most important week in the history of our Republic between the Georgia runoff and this. I'm so, so, so, so, so blocked and nervous about the whole thing. I'm back to work (but still from home) on Monday so I'll be watching anything I can watch via live stream with my fingers over my eyes (but slits of course, just like one watches any decent horror film for the first time)
@allyn and @DannyBoy. I have Faith... in the people, who are seeing clearly, in spite of all the caca that has been flung. Who has gotten out there and voted. Warnock and Ossoff had a narrow lead and I heard today that it has widened. I DO know that many of the GOP people around here... are NOT voting.... that they actually believed that if they voted it would help the other side, that the machines are rigged and the vote won't be counted. Trump's mouth running 50 different manic ways and tweets daily.. has a lot of them confused and they are not voting...along with not wearing masks and getting covid-19 at even higher rates now.
I believe that Love,Good,Faith,Hope are all with us as we begin this run down the home stretch. David Perdue is quarantined...and will be nowhere to be found. Kelly Loeffler is not doing so hot her own self as Ossoff and Warnock counter all those tired "radical left" "Fake news media" BS Trump lines/lies.
I have every Faith and I sense/feel Warnock and Ossoff winning.
I originally saw Ossof winning and that switched to Warnock winning - the other seat was defeat. Now I see nothing.
Also - now I have no idea what is up with the lawsuit, because the article I read on Apple News seemed to indicate Mike Pence has the ability (not likely the kahones) to recognize whatever slates of electors he wants, but I just read another article that says he can't. Lord have mercy on me, I need another week of christmas break.
I dont see how any sane court can rule that the VP can decide whichever votes he wants to accept. That would be the end of free elections in this country, as once precedence is set, no Republican VP would ever accept enough votes from a Democratic candidate to give them the win. There is no bigger conflict of interest in our government because if the VP isn't on the ticket for a 2nd term, they are almost always the candidate for the next term and would essentially be able to elect themselves nonstop.
The way I understand it is that if objections are made by 1 rep and 1 senator, deliberations and a vote are done. If it is split(house votes one way, senate the other) then it falls to the state Governor to pick the votes that are accepted. There is no way the house votes to accept false Trump votes so it will fall to the Governors of WI(dem) PA(dem) GA(rep but said Trump won) AZ(rep) and MI(dem) so that would still give Biden the 270 and then some.
Lots of misinformation here in these last few posts.
1) the court dismissed the lawsuit brought by Nutcase Wood on the grounds that he has no standing to bring such a suit. Pence himself (through a brief by his legal team) asked for the suit to be dismissed, and it was. This is a victory, yes, but for democracy, not the wingnuts.
2) Pence is Constitutionally obligated to oversee the vote count, yes. However, the Constitution does *not* permit the VP - acting in his role as President of the Senate - to choose which electoral votes will be accepted or which slates of electors will be recognized.
3) The governors have no role in this and never have. It is correct that one Senator and one Rep are required to issue a challenge. If (and likely in this case *when*) a challenge is brought, the law lays out the procedure very clearly. Objections must be submitted in writing, and they must state clearly and concisely the basis for the objection. The Senate then withdraws to its own chambers, and a debate can occur in each house for up to a maximum of two hours. Once that time has elapsed, a simple majority vote is held in each house whether to accept or reject the electoral vote(s) in question. I'm not clear on whether this happens for each objection separately, or if it can be done en masse for all of the objections, but:
If both houses vote to reject > Votes are *not* counted.
If both houses vote to accept > Votes are counted
If one house accepts and one rejects > Votes are counted
Again, the *only* way electoral votes can be eliminated is for *both* houses of congress to vote to reject them. At no point do the state governors or any other entities get involved in the process.
Given the above process and the fact that the houses are split by party, this will cause nothing more than a delay in the process. It cannot and will not change the outcome, no matter how much they whine about it.
This is honestly nothing more than grandstanding by the people involved in order to try gain the support of the Orange One's loyal base in order to set themselves up for future Presidential runs.
Most of the attempts to predict the outcome of the GA runoffs have been inconclusive at best. Some say that both D's win, others say one or the other but not both, and still others are not able to see any result at all. My guess from what I've seen here is that 1) although the other side knows what will happen, we are not supposed to know for whatever reason, and/or 2) it doesn't matter who wins...for whatever reason.
Also, regarding the several visions of McConnell looking dejected or seemingly without power, it seems that is already occurring. He is under heavy pressure from all sides including his own party members to bring the $2K payments to a clean vote. Since he has refused to do so, all fingers are now pointing directly at him as the person to blame. In addition, he has now lost control of his party in that he has been unable to rein in the maverick Senators who are now saying they will challenge the electoral votes. He knows this is a bad move, but he is powerless to stop it, and he knows it.
@mas1581 I've seen that in more than one place as well, which is what sent me looking on line, so don't feel bad. :-)
I'm very happy to hear that you're doing better physically. Keep us posted, please?
Strength to all of you. I cannot imagine the utter fear and desperation some of you might be feeling, but stay strong. The first step has been taken. It isn't over yet, and won't be for some time (not in Europe either), but we have defeated Nationalism before. We can do it again as long as we stay true and in the light.
Good vibes too all ❤️