Today Is THE Day: Let's Do This
“Normalcy, as we called everything before Trump’s regime, is what got us here in the first place.”
Vote, if you haven’t already. Make sure everybody you know votes.
Now is the time to remember that millions of Americans –largely led by women and inspired by the resolve of people of color– have worked long and hard to save our country from anti-democratic forces intent on eliminating the rule of law.
There will be chaos, at points.
As far as today is concerned, Twitter has announced they’ll be cracking down on tweets claiming official results that were out of step with the 7 outlets they said they'll be relying on: ABC News, AP, CNN, CBS News, Fox News, NBC News, and Decision Desk HQ.
Please don’t be a part of the problem; don’t share information from sources you’re not willing to endorse.
https://twitter.com/oneunderscore__/status/1323670311179616259?s=20
It’s been a marathon. Over the one thousand four hundred and fifty seven days since the last presidential election, we have watched as the very foundations of our democracy have been steadily eroded. It’s been a horror show.
Ethical standards established in past administrations dating back to the founding of this country have been discarded; those who dared raise an alarm have been ridiculed and punished.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, requires a protective detail for himself and his family and is vilified at rallies for insisting that science, not politics direct the nation’s COVID-19 response.
A free press has been denounced as fake news repeatedly, to the point where conspiracy theories now serve as the basis for civic education. Our military was asked to participate in the suppression of free speech so a president could have a photo opportunity.
Ideological tests are becoming the basis for employment, government contracts, and even disaster relief. Elected officials no longer feel the need to hide the xenophobia, racism, and misogyny implicit in policies affecting millions of Americans. Etc, Etc.
The reign of Donald J. Trump should be coming to an end. He’s made it perfectly clear his departure won’t be easy. His political allies have decided to place personal loyalty over patriotism, or cower in a corner fearful of his wrath.
There is now literally a wall around the White House.
https://twitter.com/InTheNoosphere/status/1323402594438402048?s=20
The President of the United States has all but promised violence in the streets, to the point where Twitter felt obliged to take action to prevent its further spread.
There will be protests.
Right wing social media accounts and assorted media have telegraphed scenarios designed to motivate extra-legal organizations and lone wolves to “defend” the administration. The first tweet concerning polling places I saw this morning was about an individual accosting waiting voters to accuse them of being “antifa.”
On the left, there are preparations for peaceful protests organized around the demand that every vote be counted. Should the administration attempt to subvert the electoral process, these protests will be ongoing. Assorted unions have engaged in serious discussions about facilitating a general strike.
I can only hope that all this nervousness is unwarranted; that the President’s coterie keeps their actions --they will make accusations and file lawsuits-- above board.
What we’ll be seeing tonight and tomorrow will be “unofficial results” (i.e., partial counts and projections from newsrooms).
In some states these numbers will reflect ballots cast through in-person voting and have been counted so far. Absentee ballots are counted later. In other states, absentee ballots are counted ahead of Election Day and are included in their unofficial results.
States are not expected to report final results on election night and, in fact, never have. This year, given the surge in mail-in voting due to the pandemic, it will take longer than usual to count all the ballots.
In the days following voting, results are certified by election officials counting eligible outstanding ballots and correcting reporting errors in the unofficial results.
The idea is to ensure that every valid ballot cast is counted and included in the official tally. Every year, this process identifies errors in the unofficial results. This is not an indication of a broken or "rigged" election.
California, by the way, has nearly three million more registered voters than it did at this time four years ago. California Republicans earned only 8% of the new voters, nearly 54% went Democratic, and nearly 26% opted for no party preference.
Once the dust settles, it needs to be restated, that this election has been about more than dumping the incumbent.
Here’s Jelani Cobb at the New Yorker, saying it as well as it could be said:
For the past four years, people on the left have assailed Republicans for cowering before Trump. In fact, they were cowering before the people behind him. A Republican Party still beholden to that group would reflect its prerogatives. This is not to say that voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will make no difference, but, as with the pandemic, we’ve learned to manage our expectations when people talk about magical cures for complex problems.
It is not an exaggeration to say that our survival depends in some large measure on Donald Trump being defeated in this election. But we should not conflate a Democratic victory with a return to normalcy. It won’t be. And we should recall that normalcy, as we called everything before Trump’s regime, is what got us here in the first place. (Emphasis mine.)
https://twitter.com/louismirante/status/1323667669812273153?s=20
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