The night of the election. GA has just been called for Biden.
But, then rumblings start. GA electors are simply NOT going to report at all as they claim that the election was "irregular" ... this happens in several states. So, although Biden wins by millions in the popular vote, neither Trump nor Biden have 270 electoral college votes.
Over the next week this persists. The decision goes to congress.
Who with a razor thin electoral majority chooses Trump. 1/
@futurebird It drove me nuts in 2020/21 that so much of the reporting on this got it wrong-- it goes to Congress in a contingent election if no candidate gets a majority of votes counted, not if no candidate gets to 270. If some of the votes are somehow disqualified then the threshold is lower. At least that's my reading of the Constitution.
But ultimately if Republicans are committed to minority rule even without the fig leaf of a electoral college victory-- we are headed to a nasty nasty time.
Hopefully elections are won in numbers that make things clear.
But if they are willing to just ignore votes it's kind of already over. And ... Well what then?
@futurebird We're better off in a few ways than in 2020/21: fewer swing state legislatures are Republican controlled, and Trump is not currently President. The presiding VP when the electoral votes are counted will be Kamala Harris.
But it's also entirely possible that Trump will simply win a majority, unlike either previous time he ran.
If he wins it's going to be annoying. But it's not the "nightmare" of knowing nothing orderly works anymore. What's left? Slashing tires and making computer viruses?
“Well what then?” is very, very close to ‘what NOW.’
I don’t have answers, but most of my neighbors are putting Trump flags up, and I hear gunshots almost every night.
@futurebird The electors are the strongest partisans the party can find. It takes a professional imagination to imagine a way they wouldn’t do their jobs. The professional is Larry Beinhart, “The Librarian”.
@futurebird If that happens, I'll protest but also resist, including with sabotage and targeted violence, and I'll expect eventually to die as many patriots have before me. There are worse ways to go.
@futurebird@sheamusfitz With the actions of Republicans, including the Supreme Court, with stuff like the Texas border dispute, I'm very worried that they've realized that Trump is going to lose and are preparing alternatives. I hope if we push back enough they won't go through with it, but I'm also worried.