Update no.982

Update from the Sunland

No.982

2.11.20 – 8.11.20

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

 

            To all,

 

For all the believers, followers, and supporters of the Bully-In-Chief (BIC) who hoped he would “drain the swamp,” I offer my sincerest, heartfelt condolences.  I wish he had been successful, but regrettably, he was not.  I am truly sorry you are disappointed; I know how it feels.  I hope you can find the strength to look beyond this election.

 

The Biden-Harris campaign exceeded 270 Electoral College votes circa noon on Saturday, 7.November.2020, four days after Election Day, when Pennsylvania finally declared Biden the winner of the state’s 20 electoral votes.  At that moment, Biden transitioned from being a candidate to what he is now—president-elect.  He will become the 46^thPresident of the United States of America at mid-day, Wednesday, 20.January.2021.

The votes the states are continuing to count, as I write this, are now the hard ones – the provisional ballots.  All of the state voting systems flag provisional ballots as having some unacceptable anomaly, e.g., damage, wrinkling, mismarks, not being machine-readable, failure to comply with instructions, unvalidated submittals, et cetera [or hanging chads from 20 years ago].  The states are working to reconcile those provisional ballots.  All states are doing the same thing, even the states that have already declared a winner.  Four states have yet to declare a winner because the outstanding votes to be counted exceeds the difference between the two leading candidates. This election will take time, but there is nothing different from every other election we have conducted, e.g., 2000.  The results of the election are not due to be certified by the state secretaries of state until the 20^th of November.  The Electoral College is due to vote on the 14^th of December.  Congress will meet in joint session to count and report the Electoral College vote on 6.January.2021, and we will have a new president on the 20^th of January.

 

Of course, the BIC being the BIC stewing in his admixture of paranoia and malignant narcissism, he decided to take the stage on Thursday evening to tell us what he thought.  To put my opinion succinctly, the BIC’s statement was absolutely and categorically outrageous, un-American, and outright lies he has absolutely no evidence whatsoever to support anything he said.  I refuse to dignify the BIC’s despicable words and message by repeating them; the lies are far too numerous.  Further, he refused to take any questions or be challenged by the Press.  It was just more right-wing conspiracy bullshit from our very own malignant narcissist.  This is the Republican scorched earth policy in full bloom. Like the BIC’s model of governance, Nazi Germany, he demonstrated in glorious Technicolor one of his favorite tactics—accuse those he perceives as opponents of doing exactly what he has actually been doing.

The BIC relentlessly attacked the U.S. Postal Service, the states’ election processes, and especially the mail-in ballot aspect.  He incessantly told us all that Republicans vote in person on election day and Democrats are lazy and unpatriotic, so they use the mail-in ballot process.  The BIC has sown the wind with his obfuscation, misinformation, and chaos; he now reaps the whirlwind.

Regrettably, the projected Blue Wave did not come to fruition—not in the Senate, not in the House, not in the state legislatures.  The consequences: we will have to endure at least another two years of this rampant tribalism in our federal and state governments—a self-fulfilling prophesy for the anti-government faction within this once grand republic.

 

On Thursday, the BIC’s mini-me, AKA DJT Junior, tweeted out for all the world to read:

The best thing for America’s future is for @realDonaldTrump

 to go to total war over this election to expose all of the fraud, cheating, dead/no longer in state voters, that has been going on for far too long.

It’s time to clean up this mess & stop looking like a banana republic!

3:08 PM · Nov 5, 2020·              [emphasis mine]

To which, Twitter had to preface with a warning:

Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process.

Interesting choice of words, mini-me!  Disputed is an understated word choice here.  Perhaps a little primer on history might be helpful, although I doubt that mini-me like his pappy reads or even cares about history.  On Thursday, 18.February.1943, Nazi Empire Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda (I always loved that ministerial title) Joseph Goebbels extolled a gathering of the National Socialist faithful, “Sind Sie bereit für totalen Krieg?” [Are you ready for total War?].  He stimulated the believers under a massive banner—TOTALER KRIEG – KÜRZESTER KRIEG (Total War – Shortest War).  This was the first moment that Nazis voiced what would become their scorched earth policy to the German nation—victory or die!  In an odd twist of history, on the very same day, the Gestapo arrested Sophie and Hans Scholl, sister and brother, along with others.  The Scholls were students at the University of Münich and founders of Die Weiße Rose (The White Rose), a non-violent resistance movement against the Nazis.  Over the next four days, the Scholls were brutally tortured, tormented, and eventually decapitated by the Gestapo.  Mini-me’s indifference to history appears to be an appropriate punctuation on the chaos his pappy has wrought upon this once grand republic.  It is long past time for the whole family to step away from the public domain.  Be gone with you all; your time contaminating the public domain has passed.

 

            This election turned out to be quite symbolic and apropos for the whole of 2020—the year we lost to chaos.  The election turned out to be far closer than anyone including the BIC anticipated.  FYI: the BIC believed he would win it hands down despite what the polls reflected.  Of course, as the results turned against him, the BIC chose to attack everyone—Big Media, Big Money, and Big Tech.  It is always everyone else’s fault for the BIC; it cannot possibly be his fault—he’s perfect and the greatest man to have ever existed, even greater than Jesus of Nazareth.  Reality says it all.

 

Joe Biden offered a national address Friday evening of calm, resolute perseverance, and unwavering commitment to our constitutional processes—a dramatic and graphic contrast to the BIC’s abysmal statement Thursday evening.  Then, after the announcement from Pennsylvania on Saturday, President-elect Biden gave a conciliatory and encouraging message to the nation and the world.  The brief era of the Billy-In-Chief is rapidly coming to an end.  President-elect Biden is quickly showing he is the proper leader to heal the nation or our relations with our allies.

 

Numerous folks have asked for my opinion regarding what next.  Here it is, FWIW (For What It’s Worth):

The BIC's mental health afflictions preclude any potential for admitting defeat, his failures, or his contributions to the chaos we have endured.  Most of his legal actions have been thrown out by multiple judges as meritless.  He has a few left, and he will pursue them to the bloody end.  His malignant narcissism likely portends very poor performance from him over the next three months . . . and beyond.  We have endured four years; we can endure three more months.  Of particular importance, the BIC faces multiple criminal investigations by state authorities, and he may well face federal criminal investigation once his qualified immunity is removed at noon on 20.January.2020.  I cannot imagine President Biden giving him a federal pardon like Gerald Ford did to protect Nixon.  What I can imagine is a private deal with Pence to pardon him when (if) he resigns before 20.January.

 

The BIC deserves appropriate credit.  I acknowledge 100% credit to him for the historic turnout of eligible voters for this election.  Regrettably, it was his negative conduct, behavior and performance that induced so many to go to extraordinary lengths to vote despite all the Republican efforts from the BIC on down to local jurisdictions to suppress the vote.  The majority of We, the People, would not be denied, and we have the BIC to thank for that.  The nation is embarrassingly notorious for low voter turnout for presidential elections, in the 55% range.  While the final vote count is not yet complete, it appears that voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election will likely be in the 70% range—still too low.  In 2016, the BIC lost the popular vote 63M to 66M, but he was duly, properly, and constitutionally elected POTUS by the Electoral College.  He will likely lose the 2020 edition as well—71M to 76M (so far; the count continues).  Thank you, BIC.

 

            Comments and contributions from Update no.981:

Comment to the Blog:

“My favorite prediction source, fivethirtyeight.com, has Biden clearly favored to win the election as of this morning.  The Senate is not as clear-cut, but the Democrats’ odds are decent.  Remember, if the Democrats take control of the Senate, Mitch McConnell cannot be the Majority Leader even if he’s re-elected.

“Various down-ballot races also matter, especially control of state legislatures.

“This morning’s local election story included the fact that people turned up at 4 a.m. for a 7 a.m. opening of our county’s sole early polling place.  Whatever else happens, turnout will break records.

“I’ve come to see Sweden’s approach to the current virus as probably the best.  True containment has proved impossible.  See Europe for multiple examples.  Sweden has taken measures to slow the spread, such as limiting large gatherings, but they didn’t seek true containment; they have focused primarily on treatment.  In the long run, Sweden will probably be damaged less than the rest of the world.

“I guess I didn’t clarify.  I carry an N95 or better mask at all times, but I use those only for my asthma symptoms.  I typically wear the medically useless masks for relative comfort in situations where I might encounter people who would argue if I didn’t.

“Regarding the firearms issue, a few thousand fools with automatic rifles trying to take on the United States military is either a comedy or a tragedy, but it wouldn’t last long.  In any case, it’s irrelevant and they’ve missed their chance.  Oligarchs and their tools have already taken over the government and the attempt to overthrow them is the election.  The ‘a few bad actors’ approach has failed in firearms control as badly as it has in politics and police work.”

My response to the Blog:

            We shall soon see how good the predictions are.  While I find polls and predictions interesting, I put very little weight on them—disappointed too many times.  After all, they are attempting to predict the future, and they are only as good as the integrity of the sources.  I was gobsmacked with the 2016 results.  It can happen again.

            Yes, of course, the down ballot positions are very important.  I did my best to research every single person including the judges for retention.  I have done the best I can; the deed is done.

            I want to be pleasantly surprised by the voter turnout.  Our traditional turnout has always been an embarrassment for any democracy.

            At the end of the day, government policy is of little value without leadership to inspire the population to comply and support the policy.  We bear witness to what happens with the paucity of leadership.  It is also why prohibition can never work in a free society.  Because of our current POTUS, far too many American citizens have rejected the government policy (which he continually contradicts).  In fact, he has so contaminated a large portion of our citizenry that I doubt the pandemic situation is recoverable even with more positive leadership.  So, thx to the BIC, I am afraid we are in for a long haul to reach some semblance of what used to be normal.  The fact that Sweden and so many other nations have done monumentally better than the United States speaks volumes.  The facts are undeniable no matter how much the BIC wants to do so.  He cannot will it away.  So we have what we have.  We live with it and must endure.

            I understood that but thank you for the clarification.  Any mask is better than no mask.

            Interesting observations re: “bad actors.”  I suppose those bad actors acting up really does not matter, except to anyone caught in a particular event by happenstance.  Even if all of the BIC’s snake-oil consumer minions take up arms, they are a minority.  I am confident such militant action will be dealt with aggressively and effectively.  Perhaps that would be a cathartic episode—an unfortunate spasm to flush out that element among us.  We shall see how this plays out.

 . . . Round two:

“Any given prediction or poll is subject to error, and it’s important to remember that any legitimate prediction is a percentage or ratio, not an absolute (2016, for example).  Nonetheless, services such as fivethirtyeight serve a purpose for me.  By studying large numbers of polls, analyzing their quality, and applying statistical analysis, they come up with trends and tendencies hidden in the flood of numbers.  That’s useful information.

“So far, we have high turnout here with a few glitches, but none too dramatic so far.

“We have a choice in leadership today between the Chump’s disastrous policies and personality versus the people who finance the DNC and therefore Biden.  Good luck.

“No, any mask is not better than no mask.  I have to use a device to keep my nostrils open with the masks, and every one of them makes breathing harder despite having no measurable effect on virus transmission except as specified.

“That ‘bad actor’ trope is an excuse for a failed system in many instances, including firearm deaths.”

 . . . my response to round two:

            I respond to your latest contribution on Wednesday morning.  Predictions are now moot.  The news [all channels] is nauseating to be blunt.  The nightmare scenario appears to be coming to fruition.  The count is still on-going so the deal is not done, yet.

            Positive signs appear to have turned sour.  Ohio has been called for the BIC, and since Ohio is often noted as a bellwether, the result is . . . .

            We, the People, have made our choices.  We only count and report results from now on.

            I’m not sure what your point is re: ‘bad actors’?

 . . . Round three:

“The longer counting time is not the nightmare.  The Chump's reaction to the count could become the nightmare.  His premature statement of victory is meaningless.

“We shall see what we see.  Most of the uncounted votes are early ones, and they may change the trend.  What worries me is that so many Senate races are still uncounted.

“I'm not going to explain ‘bad actors’ versus ‘systemic issues’ again right now.  I'm distracted by the election.”

 . . . my response to round three:

            Agreed.  The nightmare scenario is a close election that will stimulate the BIC to flood the Judiciary with lawsuits of multiple bases that will clog the works for a long time.  I’m not concerned about the counting; it normally takes days or a week for secretaries of state to certify the final count in their respective states.  Earlier this morning, the BIC picked up his chant of stop the vote counting, fraud, abuse, stealing, lying, et cetera ad nauseum.  We are in the next phase.  He said he was not going to prematurely declare victory, but that is exactly what he did this morning—“We won!”

            I’ve been scanning all of the news channels this morning.  Reporting is essentially the same . . . so far.

            Alrighty then!  We are all focused on the election results.

 . . . Round four:

“Agreed on the facts.  Scanning all the news channels for more than a few minutes would cost me my sanity in the best of times, and these are not the best times.”

 . . . my response to round four:

            Amen, brother!

 

Another contribution:

“Gooday young man-are you coping with this? If I were you I’d just crack open a bottle of Malt have a good drink and fall asleep for a day or so-it may be sorted by then but then again, it may not be.

“But didn’t we expect it to end thus. Just as expected that snake oil man will not go quietly will he.

“There is much in the news to divert us from your election.  Our Brexit talks with the EU are on the verge of collapse, our economy is stretched to the very limit and beyond and just today, I hear from one of my banks that the interest rate is to be cut to 0.01%-They soon be charging us to hold our savings!  My God Cap, what a world. And if I may add to that we have started a 30-day lockdown as off today with pubs, cafes, non-essential shops are closed.  Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, a service in the church is banned so we plan to meet at the War Memorial on the 11^th November to lay our wreaths.  No singing eating or drinking.  Social spacing to be observed.

“Well Cap we must all look, should we survive, to a brighter future.

“Stay positive my friend-that beer will be waiting for us.”

My reply:

            The news has been nauseating.  I’ve had to turn it off and confine my news absorption to one or two times a day.  This is my worst nightmare—a close race, where the closeness will instigate the BIC to file multitudinous lawsuits in his relentless efforts to tarnish the legitimacy of the election, cast doubt on the results, and tear down our fundamental institutions.  Fortunately, stronger, more resilient citizens have remained in control, but it will soon be up to the judges, which makes the malfeasance of Senator McConnell all the more odiferous and revolting.  I’m afraid we have to endure another week of this phase.  The states will begin to certify their results next week.  As I write, the results are still too close to call.

            If everyone did their part to break the chain of infection, there would be no need for lockdowns.  Unfortunately, in free societies, individuals think their freedom of choice is more important than the collective safety and well-being.  Oh well, life goes on.

 . . . Round two:

“Cap good day-just heard that your law enforcement teams are quite capable of evicting trespassers out of the White House! 

“It’s running too damned close and do you know, I haven’t put in my order for snake oil! Perhaps you might have some to spare.

“Will he go with grace?”

 . . . my reply to round two:

Yes, they are, and I'm sure they are prepared.  None of the BIC's magic snake-oil elixir from me, my friend.

 . . . Round three:

“Cap, well we can live without snake oil! 

“Well Cap, the result has arrived this side, bloody well done, the American life can begin again-without doubt America will be strong again. The next few weeks are critical, your country must pull together and blossom as the democracy we know you are.  You can do it. 

“Now enjoy that glass that I suggested last time we spoke, in fact pour another, I’m going to.”

 . . . my reply to round three:

            Yes, we can and must.  Unfortunately, there are far too many American citizens who have become addicted to the nasty stuff.  They will continue to consume the vile substance until they can be weaned.  I cannot see a cure, regrettably.

            Yes, spontaneous celebrations blossomed across the United States once the news of President-elect Biden’s victory was announced.

            Yes, the next few weeks, and three months, will be critical.  President-elect Biden has given us the correct tone and message, but we must not be naïve; there will be resisters.  Some have predicted revolution.  I am not one of those.  Any attempt at revolution will be met with the same response previous attempts have been met.

            We had guests staying with us this weekend who were not interested in celebrating.  Jeanne and I will pop the cork on a bottle of the “bubbly” this evening to celebrate yesterday’s announcement.

            Hope has returned to us.  The hard work will soon begin.  We have an awful long way to go in healing the nation and the damage done to our allies.  We have so much damage to be repaired, but there is hope this once grand republic will eventually return to Grand status.

 . . . Round four:

“We have a rather gorgeous November day over here-I guess the ‘weather gods’ are watching your FOX channel too.

“Our virus rate is declining, slowly-well we are all locked down again till December 2^nd. No Sunday remembrance service and veteran’s parade of course but we did a pretty good job putting one out on the web. It was well viewed.

“As all our pubs are closed except for takeaways we have collected a batch of lunches for our more elderly legion members who today, would have without any doubt attended church and our village memorial.

“Enjoy your bubbly you deserve it.

“Looking forward to the blog Cap-it will be a good ‘un.”

 . . . my reply to round four:

            Enjoy your bonny weather day, my friend.

            Thank goodness, the aggressive measures of HMG to stem the infectiousness of the virus are yielding positive results.  Regrettably, thanks in toto to the BIC’s grotesque mismanagement of the pandemic, we are currently experiencing the worst infection rates yet seen.  The trend line in the United States is exponentially upward like a rocket. I am not a fan of the economic disruption that a lockdown brings, but I am far more concerned with the infection rate and the consequent hospitalizations and fatalities.  We have the BIC trying to tell the American people that doctors and nurses are conspiring against him because they make more money.  Outrageous is a grossly understated word for the BIC’s conduct.  We can celebrate the success of HMG to hold down infections until an effective vaccine is available.

            We will enjoy the bubbly; we always do.

 

            My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)