While we’re waiting for the first returns, do catch this bit from Rachel Maddow from last night. She doesn’t say that Elon Musk should be stripped of his citizenship and deported, but I am.
Musk is creating a serious national security problem.
As the returns come in, this map shows how states are expected to vote. As of 8:20 pm EST there haven’t been any surprises. The “swing” states are pastel. For the interactive feature you’ll need to find the map on the original page, here.
(9:30 pm EST) I was hoping the early returns would show some patterns that departed from the polls, but so far it’s been pretty much what was expected, close. And it’s probably the case that it will be a few hours if not days before the swing states are called.
Again, if results in all the not-swing states match what was predicted, Harris’s best chance is to win Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. That takes her to 270. If she falls short in Pennsylvania she will need Georgia plus Nevada or North Carolina plus Nevada (and Michigan and Wisconsin). It may really come down to Pennsylvania. But I don’t expect any calls for a few hours, and I need a break from Steve Kornacki. If any swing states are called while I’m taking a break, do add it to the comments.
Update: It’s 3 am, and I woke up and checked the news. The nation just committed suicide. I can’t cope with this.
Florida stays Neanderthal – returning Rick Scott and not passing abortion rights, leaving the state with a six-week ban.
I think I read that Florida's abortion question needed 60% to reverse the 6 week ban so that seems like it never had a chance?
"I need a break from Steve Kornacki"
Oh I can't watch that guy. I don't watch any of the election night coverage, I can't take the blabbering about results, none of it means a damn thing until the states are called. Hopefully we will know the results tomorrow. I'm holed up in my man cave listening to music and drinking beer!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKY8KIt9kqc
The NYT has a short piece on the actions of Musk. Rachael is correct it appears. We have a national emergency no matter how the election turns out.
Musk's apparent collaboration and collusion with Russia and China along with his flagrant interference in the election have made a national security issue at the extreme level.
Now is a really bad time to learn of Donalds cozy relationship with Jefferey Epstein for over a decade.
From the NYT:
Of course, Musk is the one cheating it appears, doing so in full collaboration with foreign adversaries. The standard, blame the opposition of your crime, defense.
Elon Musk’s Election Day X Posts: Trump Support and Conspiracy Theories – The New York Times
With PA & Wisconsin up 3 or 4 points for Trump with 90% tallied I think I'll call it a night. Pretty certain how this is going to go. Unfortunate.
It's almost 3am. Looks like TFG got it. Kamala would have to sweep all of the remaining uncalled states to pull it off, and that includes Alaska.
I haven't yet managed to find a place mentally where I can envision how I can cope with having a Russian mole as our President.
Maybe I'll feel a little less worse tomorrow.
Long time lurker on the blog from Australia.
I don't see how you guys get out of this without a national divorce or a military coup. There are simply too many people who reject the 21st century in your country (and mine too unfortunately – next year's Oz election is going to be brutal).
The best case scenario is Trump strokes out and you get Vance. JD could perhaps be convinced by his tech bro backers to back off from going full idiot and stick to tax cuts for the rich and cutting regulations.
Biden should give Zelensky all of the good toys while he still can. Then Putin is screwed no matter what Trump does.
If I was a blue state governor, I would draw up articles of succession right now and tell the red states to stick the electoral college where the sun don't shine.
Stay safe. We're thinking of you. This too shall pass, but it sucks having to go through it.
If you have lots of angsty, depressed young men (and some women), enough to swing an election down under…
I’m talking about the guys with serious college debt who play endless sessions of video games in mom’s basement, the working man wanking to fantasies of dream wives they can’t imagine ever being able to afford, girls who’ve given up on having kids. Those guys. Tell your campaign to not do what ours did.
Don’t tell those voters that they’re gonna do just like the last leader did to keep everything all great. Tell your campaign to go ahead and tell your angsty, depressed young men (and some women) that their world really does suck. Tell them that they’re the only ones who can make all of their wildest dreams come true.
"We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land, and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be."
Winston Churchill
I will never give lip service of congratulations or compromise with the fascist that a majority of US voters have selected. I'll contribute to the ACLU and other legal groups who will oppose Trump every time he proposes a policy that violates the principles of the Constitution. I will show up to protest immoral and/or idiotic policies because to NOT protest is to validate those abuses simply out of cowardice.
I won't participate in, encourage, or sanction violence. MLK and John Lennon knew – that is playing their game. I hope Biden and Harris do not validate the tragedy of suicide by the majority by offering congratulations – they need to tell the citizens that just as the benefits of a wise and democratic government benefits regular citizens, the policies of a bigoted, stupid, criminal, and vengeful tyrant will cost us all dearly. It is now for the survival of the republic that we continue the fight. All is not lost while we cherish the concept of government of, by, and for the people.
God save us all.
Thank you Doug, I was about to post a more despairing message, then I saw yours and I deleted mine. And thank you Maha for being an intelligent beacon of light in this darkness.
Welcome to the Apocalypse. The Seven Headed Beast has arrived.
"The nation just committed suicide"
Agreed, though I would say assisted suicide. Assisted by the scandal driven tabloid centric corporate media. They have been spreading Stumps lies for the past ten years. Fawning over every utterance no matter how violent and or unintelligible. Now that same media will tell us that the democrats have a "brand" problem. In reality the brand problem that the democrats have is they just don't create the "buzz' that the booble heads need to fill their airtime. I don’t like to “blame the media” I realize that is what the right did for decades but it seems pretty obvious to me that the media in this country revived Stumps political chances. They treated a man so damaged and flawed both in and out of court like he was just the GOP nominee.
Things have been worse. At least we're not still doing slavery or "Indian removal".
If you actually believe that democracy is at least necessary, if not any sort of ideal and infallible form of govt, then you have to keep the faith and give it time to work. If our side is right that Trump and his movement are wrong, then giving those people the reins of power is going to start having practical consequences that will turn the people against them. Of course there could be truly horrific consequences, we may have to hit some bottom so low we can't yet picture it, before we have our moment of national clarity. But that's how it works.
I don’t think Trumps gonna much be in charge. A silly geriatric who does fellation sign language on stage needs handlers. It’s plausible that his are competent manipulators who’re homing in on knowing how to keep him corralled. Yeah, he’ll bounce around his cattle chute, even kicking wildly while urinating. But they’ll figure it out.
The opportunities to fight will present themselves, when the desperate who voted him in realize that he’s far worse than the previous guy. You can't let their propaganda aimed at hiding all of that stick
"When the desperate who voted him in realize that he’s far worse than the previous guy"
I don't think the people who voted for Stump are capable recalibrating. The magats want to debase the country they imagined has betrayed them Stump's going to fix that. The wealthy want more wealth, they live in gated communities more poor folk and higher prices are a small price for those tax cuts. The so-called swing voter is apparently too fucking ignorant to realize that the economy today is better than it's been in decades, when the fuck have prices ever gone down? If the democrats are going to succeed again they need to get the half of the country that doesn't care and are too lazy to vote to wake the fuck up. Maybe the shit show we are going witness may do that, but to me the people that voted for Stump are a lost cause.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67dYxOXPtfQ