Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Are We Heading for Electoral Disaster in November?
I don’t normally abuse my podcast privileges to post up promotions for the Power Line Show, but I think I have a mini-scoop today. Everyone is freaking out about the recent and highly publicized report of the Transition Integrity Project, whose simulations of potential scenarios for a contested election in November yielded frothy news stories about riots in the streets, either Trump or Biden refusing to recognize the election result, rival slates of electors coming to Washington, western states demanding secession, and, most alarming of all, what might the military do?! It all makes for great copy. Also hysteria.
As it happens, I know one of the leaders of this project, Nils Gilman. He’s a very smart lefty, and he readily agreed to do a long-form podcast interview with me about the TIP report and other things. We try to take a non-hysterical look at the subject, and work through some of the serious problems of holding a national election in the midst of a pandemic. I think the conversation/argument we have here is a model of the kind of civil discourse that is the aim of Ricochet.
It’s a long conversation, though we barely scratched the surface of some issues, and didn’t even get to all the main issues we wanted to discuss. But it’s very fast paced, and hopefully you’ll want to have us do an encore. Do let me know!
You can take it in here.
Published in Elections
A great podcast.
I will definitely listen to this.
I’m teaching history this year & my department has just been talking about how to teach/prepare for the election.
Biden is so far gone, he’ll refuse to to recognize the election result even if he wins . . .
I suspect that is the plan.
Thanks for the link to the excellent podcast. I have followed Power Line for years, and the only thing that keeps me from checking in several times a day is that annoying ad that comes up in a new browser tab.
I’m afraid that it will take an overwhelming victory by one side or the other to avoid a violent reaction. Or, in Hugh Hewitt’s wise words, if it’s not close, they can’t cheat.
I think even the Biden campaign has called him a transitional figure… but refuse to give any clarity about what comes next…
I think it would be a disaster if neither party concedes the election – what if, there where 2 inaugurations? What if Trump keeps the white house, and democrat president takes up office space on capital hill somewhere…
2 news conferences on every day, 2 policies on every issue – the other president exercises power through the congress.
We can avoid electoral disaster if Trump wins decisively
He won 30 states in 2016?
He can win 35 or 40 states this year.
He will do better in the cities because of riots, looting, defunding police nonsense, etc.
This is why I think the Dems will spot a Biden loss and emphasize holding on to the House and retaking the Senate. My guess is they’re more worried about losing those than gaining the Presidency.
Another thought – watch to see if Biden campaigns more for his Veep than he does for himself. That would mean he knows he’s being propped up, and would be happen just to go down in history as The
ManPerson Who Beat Trump.Sadly no. I think that any victory will be called into question by the loser. The larger the margin, the larger the conspiracy. If most votes go through the post office, it would only take 1 or 2 people in sorting stations to misdirect ballots from districts that vote strongly the wrong way. A conspiracy of 20 people scattered across fly over country could deliver an election.
Also can ‘October Surprise” become obsolete? if you hold your surprise to October, 1/2 the votes have already been cast – it’ll be too late to change the outcome of the election. It should be a labor day or back to school special surprise…
The only way I see us coming out of this without major grief is a Nixon/Mondale sort of result. I honestly think the potential is there. Ordinary people are tired of being told what filthy white supremacist fascist bigots they are. Doesn’t seem like the way to get them to vote for the name-callers.
I don’t think we’ll see Biden campaigning much for himself or anyone else. See Jim Geraghty’s column this morning.
https://donsurber.blogspot.com/2020/08/37-states-even-with-mail-fraud-voting.html#more