77 days. 11 weeks. That’s how far between Election Day and Inauguration Day. This post is a hypothetical because I’ve got every finger and toe crossed that Dump loses and Biden will be sworn in at noon on January 20th, 2021.
I’m operating under that assumption for the next few hundred words.
I’d like to know what you think is going to happen, taking what you know of the man, think you know of the man, or what just being alive the past four years and change has told you.
For myself, it boils down to two possibilities:
1. He’ll pull a Mitch McConnell and do absolutely nothing, because he’s in the mother of all snit fits.
He’ll shout and rant and rave, and he’ll keep bloviating to his die hard supporters on Twitter and every rally or press opportunity he can, but will stop any attempt at actual governance. And I’m sure he’ll forbid his lackeys from giving the Biden transition team anything to help them keep the government in the air.
On the other hand, hopefully Obama’s old staff kept their copies somewhere, because from what I read, most of Dump’s first appointees to office didn’t even look at the info provided or figured they knew all that stuff already. And since Joe worked with those folks, too, maybe he can get that stuff pretty easily.
I can see Dump just having a snit fit and maybe giving himself a heart attack thanks to all those burgers and shouting at the TV (seriously, anybody think he mighta stroked out at one point as red and constantly pissed off as he is? I’m trying to remember if he might’ve had strokes at one point, or if that was a theory.) Anyhoo–
2. He’ll pull a Hitler and go for a “I’m not going quietly and I’m taking the whole country down with me.”
Not like he wasn’t already going there by accident (or by inattention, fielder’s choice). But Dump is the mother of all sore losers. He cannot tolerate being out of the spotlight, of not being considered successful, not a winner… all that crap.
What’s got my anxiety ratcheting up is the honest feeling that he’s going to actively sabotage anything good or useful for those 77 days. He’s picked too many yes men (and women) to stop him now and they won’t reign him in. They may resign in protest, but they’ve let him get away with too damned much and I don’t see anything good coming out of Dump in those days. I think he’ll sign every executive order he can think of, actively lash out and hurt people more than before, and probably instigate more crap than ever with foreign countries who have leaders that never liked him, like the biggest “fuck you” he can manage on the world stage.
My imagination, sadly, can’t think of what exactly he’d try to do or would do in those days. Perhaps it’s too scary to contemplate what he would want to do (other than scream that he won the election and refuse to take the results for what they are). How far would he go to hang onto his meal ticket, and how bad would he make it for the rest of us when he can’t hang onto it?
***
That’s my biggest worry: we all know he’s not gonna go quietly.
He’s all about image, bravado, bullying. There’s nothing soft or subtle about him, and nothing pleasant. The only thing I’m positive about is that he’ll manage to make our lives more of a living hell than ever for those 77 days, especially now that ACB’s been sworn in (the list of expletives is too tiring to type).
So, in all honesty (because, yes, I’m sure many of us have that daydream of him being dragged off screaming to a prison van, but I’m thinking more seriously here), what do you think he’ll do if when he loses the election during those 77 days. What do you think he could do in that time? What do you think he would do?
Floor’s yours….
The Chatty Introvert 
Howdy Chatty!
This post is right up my ally. I’ve got a pretty good idea of what Trump will do. He’s a narcissist. Losing the election is a narcissistic wound. He’ll have to try and destroy the election as a result. And, he has telegraphed his plans for stealing the election: he’s going to sue to do two things: (1) stop the vote count and (2) dismiss ballots from key Dem districts.
There are two dates to be aware of. First is Safe Harbor Day. It is the date by which all controversies and conflicts about counting the vote and appointing the slate of state electors must be resolved. The date is set as the first Monday after the second Wednesday of the month of December. This year that is 8 December. So, he will try to keep the vote counting tangled up in the courts until this day as soon as he is ahead in the count.
It was just before Safe Harbor Day in 2000 that W v Gore came before SCOTUS. They ruled to stop the count and take what they’ve got because of the statutory deadline. There are four Justices on the Court that were connected to W v Gore: Clarence Thomas is the only Justice who was on the Court in 2000. John Roberts led W’s legal team. Both Kavanaugh and Barrett were on W’s legal team.
Then there is 6 January, which is the date that Congress counts the electoral vote and certifies the election results. The newly elected Congress will be sworn in by then, and it will be one of the first actions of the new Congress. If a Representative and Senator together object to an elector or some other aspect of the vote, then each chamber retires and considers it.
If there are competing slates of electors submitted by a state, then Congress must decide which one to accept. If they cannot do that then the governor appoints a slate and it must be accepted.
If there is a tie in the Electoral College — FiveThirtyEight.com’s model has a tie as a minuscule possibility, but still possible, especially if Biden loses Pennsylvania and Florida — then the House elects the president and the Senate, the vice president. Each state delegation in the House gets one vote. In the current Congress, the GOP controls 26 state delegations.
If the Dems control both houses, then it is not really a problem. The real concern is the attempt to stop the count of the vote and delay it until 8 December.
Huzzah!
Jack
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I remembered the proper electoral college ballot day (feels like a stupid as hell system, but oh well). Forgot about Safe Harbor Day–didn’t realize that’s what it was called. Well, hoping for the best. It’s gonna be a long 3 months, regardless. Glad I shaved my head again–the amount of gray popping up was making me more anxious (and a beanie cap fits better over my noggin now)
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Here’s one hopeful thought: If, on Election Night it is clear that the Blue Tsunami has happened and even Trump (with a lot of help from his team amounting to the level of an Intervention with an addicted relative) cannot see a path to victory, he could take the position, “You can’t fire me, I quit.” and resign (possibly fleeing beyond the reach of extradition?). This would be consistent with his personality disorder. The speech he would give in that case would include blaming the people who let him down, including his core base. He would tell them exactly what he really thinks of them as stupid, gullible, fools, marks, and losers. We know how vicious he can be that way.
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(not so) Funny how many will still support him. It’s like an abusive marriage from hell where the abuser takes away your desire to think for yourself, cuts off your support system, takes your job, health, and money, and leaves you behind. Ugh.
That’s why I want everyone to vote. I don’t want them the dems to win popular vote by a million, or 3 million and still lose. Make it that tsunami. Make the millions over in the double-digits, so there’s no mistake. Even if somehow electoral college numbers end up “close”, the tens of millions against Dump doesn’t give a leg to stand on for serious contesting.
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It is exactly like an abusive marriage, and the rest of us are the family, friends, and neighbors stuck watching it and unable to persuade the abused one to just leave. I’ve been in that position and the feeling is the same.
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I think your second scenario is correct..he will be a crazed mad dog on steroids out for revenge and destruction
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