General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThere are legitimate questions being asked about the validity of the voting outcomes....
...especially considering the involvement of elon musk's starlink company in transferring the final count data.
But I thought post-election audits are done by the vast majority of states, or are any audits being done?
Here's some general info on post-election audits, but doe anyone know if these audits are actually being done, especially in swing states?
https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/post-election-audits
WarGamer
(15,917 posts)JoseBalow
(5,892 posts)WarGamer
(15,917 posts)Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...and those reasons don't involve tin foil.
lostnfound
(16,767 posts)BMDs - ballot marking devices heres a letter that explains what happened in November 2023.
Ballots were printed in such a way that the voter selected candidate A, the bar code that was printed corresponded to the opposite candidate.
https://stategovernment.pasenategop.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/141/2024/03/Skoglund_PA_Sen_Govt_Cmte_Hearing_Testimony.pdf
To get the ballot text to match the screen, some voters were advised to select the opposite of their vote choices on the touchscreen. That is creative and understandable, but tragic. The bar code and the ballot text did not match, and the barcode was counted. The ballot text that voters could see was irrelevant. Any voters who tried to work around the problem had their votes counted against their preferences.
As an aside, hand counting ballots is not permitted, at least not by township election judges. I do not know whether the issue is security or its opposite, but publicly visible hand counting is tried and true method. https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/judge-says-pennsylvania-township-cannot-conduct-hand-count-of-ballots/
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)notroot
(267 posts)It brings a certain clarity (like most Americans really are sexist, racist garbage people... not enough has changed since our founding), without asking for cognitive-dissonance-inducing rationalizations to explain away the FUCKING RAGE
live love laugh
(14,637 posts)Kaleva
(38,713 posts)live love laugh
(14,637 posts)Last edited Mon Nov 11, 2024, 11:23 PM - Edit history (1)
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)... fear, uncertainty and doubt.
live love laugh
(14,637 posts)reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)... where did you hear it? Facebook? Twitter? A podcast?
Kaleva
(38,713 posts)None. Just conjecture and wishful thinking.
A distraction from discussing the real reasons why Harris lost and how to correct them.
"Misinformation occurs when someone inadvertently spreads false information. Unlike disinformation, people who share misinformation do not intend to lie or deceive. Misinformation is simply false or inaccurate information nothing more, nothing less."
https://www.thefire.org/research-learn/misinformation-versus-disinformation-explained
live love laugh
(14,637 posts)If you dont like the topic then ignore it but we who wish to WILL ask to our satisfaction.
Kaleva
(38,713 posts)live love laugh
(14,637 posts)Kaleva
(38,713 posts)With no evidence, then it's just misinformation.
That answers your question to me
live love laugh
(14,637 posts)live love laugh
(14,637 posts)Kaleva
(38,713 posts)It is my right to challenge people who believe such.
live love laugh
(14,637 posts)Kaleva
(38,713 posts)live love laugh
(14,637 posts)asking questions?
Even the Harris campaign is asking questions. AND she has a FB page so it IS on FACEBOOK. 😂😂
XorXor
(689 posts)A good question to ask is if there is any evidence that supports the theory of manipulation.
So far the stuff I've seen from people is either completely unhinged and divorced from reality claims that is on par with My Pillow Guy's brand of cray-cray, vague claims that require a lot of assumptions and leaps, or people who ask questions and then ignore or actively reject any answers that don't fit what they already want to believe.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)That should definitely be discouraged.
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)... an important aspect of discourse.
NJCher
(38,415 posts)And the second one is anger.
Where is the anger?
WarGamer
(15,917 posts)Jarqui
(10,521 posts)Baldwin says access to connectivity was improved this year thanks to Starlink satellite internet.
Elon Musk's Starlink is involved with connectivity to poll sites?
It seems stupid not to take a look. Musk was all in for Trump & his disinformation on twitter
RandomNumbers
(18,286 posts)it makes no sense to me that "Starlink satellite internet" was needed, or that in ANY way it should have been used, given the potential conflict of interest factor.
NOTE: at home I use a VPN. I have been operating on the assumption that my internet service provider cannot read my traffic or influence it in any way, other than throttling or accelerating throughput.
I don't know enough about this "Starlink satellite internet" service, or about networking technical stuff in general, but it strikes me that a) no municipality/county/state should EVER sign up for a service where there would be any concern like you are suggesting; and b) if there is a technical basis that such a concern actually COULD arise, then for DAMNED sure the service should not be purchased from someone with a clear conflict of interest (i.e. ELOON).
Unfortunately I don't trust the competence of the average government IT department or leadership to handle a), so I'm left to wonder if there is a way b) could be a thing.
(Oh and Tulsa is probably the closest to a blue spot in Oklahoma that there is, for what that's worth.)
Jarqui
(10,521 posts)I'm an IT person as well but not what I would describe as a networking expert though I've been messing with them for over 30 years. I feel the same way:
When it needs to be very secure, we don't put the server on a network.
Response to RandomNumbers (Reply #62)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
Jarqui
(10,521 posts)Joe Rogan Says Elon Musk Created an App and He Knew Four Hours Before It Was Announced that Donald Trump Won the Election
https://grabien.com/story.php?id=499986
liberalla
(10,128 posts)Things that make you go Hmm....
littlemissmartypants
(26,076 posts)This is what he's referring to ...
Polymarket. That claim has been debunked already.
https://polymarket.com/trump
Jarqui
(10,521 posts)Where is the debunking?
littlemissmartypants
(26,076 posts)This is what he's referring to ...
Polymarket. That claim has been debunked already.
https://polymarket.com/trump
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)... then it MUST be true! I mean, he's some guy on the internet.
Oh, and since the M$M isn't reporting it, it must be doubly true!!!
LAS14
(14,850 posts)NJCher
(38,415 posts)But due to the insane track record of the republicans in the area of questioning results, you will not know anything until Harris/Walz has something substantial. There will be no filing 60-odd lawsuits, no claims of stolen elections without evidence, etc. No screaming to the media that the election was stolen. Nope; if there is anything there it will be handled discretely and professionally.
I'm speaking as a person who handled communications for large corporations and who wrote speeches for CEOs of Fortune 100 companies. These kinds of people know how the press can cause major damage. If there is anything there, the public won't know for quite some time.
And if/when something develops, it will be brought up not by Harris/Walz, but introduced by some third party who holds a high degree of neutrality. It will come out in a way that that seems non-partisan.
Harris is smart. She is also not afraid to take on big interests; as you all know, she took on the mortgage servicers in CA and got enormous settlements for the people who had been cheated. She's taken on JP Morgan Chase, Quest, Comcast, and more. I don't have to convince anyone here that Harris is smart.
Releasing this news would fall into the category of "crisis communication." There are a few people who specialize in this and you can be sure they'll be consulted.
What we do see a lot of, however, is fellow posters who criticize anyone for questioning. "Don't go down that path!" ""Wishful thinking!" Most likely that is because they fear Democrats repeating the idiotic way trump behaved. That is not--repeat NOT-- how this will be handled. People the calibre of Kamala Harris know how to handle this.
yellow dahlia
(396 posts)that the campaign and/or others are looking into this. I like your premise.
It is unfortunate that the unhinged claims and nonsensical audits from the grifter created an atmosphere that makes the Dems overly cautious about requesting recounts or investigations.
GreenWave
(9,620 posts)She also had the Obamas, Clintons. Biden come in to help out,
IQ 47 had no such help.
This means Harris was aware she was trailing in those states.
pnwmom
(109,650 posts)GreenWave
(9,620 posts)It follows that they were necessary to turn the tide.
pnwmom
(109,650 posts)live love laugh
(14,637 posts)Ace Rothstein
(3,302 posts)live love laugh
(14,637 posts)TheKentuckian
(26,314 posts)They have no "big guns" other than Chump.
Dude's own cabinet and VP wouldn't support him.
whathehell
(29,913 posts)yellow dahlia
(396 posts)jimfields33
(19,382 posts)would be rather insulted if they thought their election was fraud. They are responsible for the elections and did a fine job. It was the voters who gave the win to trump not the great job of handling elections in most of the swing state Governors.
live love laugh
(14,637 posts)NJCher
(38,415 posts)You pull out all the stops.
I respect Harris for what she did. By enlisting the presence of these important Democrats, she showed she was committed to the goal of winning the presidency for the Democratic party.
You, however, seem to be implying she knew she was going to lose. If that's what you're saying, do tell us how she knew that? And don't tell me "internal polling" unless you can provide a source who admitted to the results of the internal polling and when they did so.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)Im not sure how his guess being right about something once and wrong another time .means anything?
pnwmom
(109,650 posts)who disappointed many Democrats before the election by saying that he wasn't seeing the kind of support she needed in Michigan. And he turned out to be right.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)I just cant see how one guys guess is in any way significant.
LeftInTX
(31,176 posts)He's no more magic than you or I.
stillcool
(32,840 posts)Democratic candidates need to do that, because they need way more votes than their Republican counterparts to win.
NJCher
(38,415 posts)It could simply mean that she had priorities and those priorities were the swing states. Anyone with good time management skills would do this.
trump, on the other hand, has no time management skills nor does he have executive ability to determine such priorities. He went to MSG when he should have been in the swing states.
There were times when he played golf and didn't even campaign.
Response to GreenWave (Reply #5)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
LymphocyteLover
(7,057 posts)EndlessWire
(7,339 posts)What is this about??
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Edit to add:
See reply #6
EndlessWire
(7,339 posts)at all about it. I want to know about it. Are you kidding?? Did we send voting results somewhere using STARLINK???
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)....yes, they used starlink...
"Baldwin says access to connectivity was improved this year thanks to Starlink satellite internet."
Source: https://abc30.com/post/tulare-county-sees-larger-voter-turnout-during-2024-presidential-election/15519472/
EndlessWire
(7,339 posts)Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)By default. You do need connectivity for voter processing.
Please take the tinfoil off.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...do you have a legitimate link that verifies no voting machines nor tabulators are internet capable?
Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)The guidelines are labeled voluntary but they reflect best practices that have been adopted by all states.
https://www.eac.gov/voting-equipment/voluntary-voting-system-guidelines
In North Carolina, for instance, it is against the law for voting machines to have external connectivity. This is such an obvious security measure that Im surprised we are discussing it.
]https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/voting-equipment
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)All states have their standards on line and they all address connectivity - feel free to explore them. You can also look at the sites of the manufacturers while you are at it.
Once again, this is such an obvious security measure that you are going to have to provide some facts rather than waving your hands about and spouting vague arguments.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)....this very obvious security measure has been a concern since the birth of computerized voting machines, has it not?
onenote
(44,862 posts)What you're expressing concern about are the same things they claimed resulted in a "rigged" result. Dozens of experts testified otherwise and we justifiably ridiculed the Trump/Giuliani/Pillow Guy for their claims.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...blame others for things they themselves are doing.
Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)I worked in government IT for decades and understand the measures in place.
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)....has admitted to breakng that law when she said "access to connectivity was improved this year thanks to Starlink satellite internet."
(c) (1) No part of the voting system shall receive or transmit wireless communications or wireless data transfers.
(2) A network connection to any device not directly used and necessary for voting system functions shall not be established. Communication by or with any component of the voting system by wireless or modem transmission at any time is prohibited. A component of the voting system, or any device with network connectivity to the voting system, shall not be connected to the internet, directly or indirectly, at any time
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)It's the voter system. They need internet to access state voter information for provisional ballots and same day registration.
Starlink is being used to help ensure everyone can vote, not to transmit voting information.
California has no system to electronically transmit votes from County officials to State officials. Who exactly would Tulare County be sending the votes to illegally if they were doing so?
lostnfound
(16,767 posts)ES&S tells First Coast News in an email that modems, which provide internet connection, are not on tabulators by default and are only installed in tabulators in states that allow them, such as Florida.
This is the case for the new tabulators that will be used in Duval County. Holland says the tabulators are a newer, upgraded version of the tabulators currently used, but work faster.
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)Response to Abnredleg (Reply #26)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
live love laugh
(14,637 posts)Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)We lost, and it really shouldnt be a surprise.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)Right now the results are unofficial until that process is complete. The fact that you dont know this should be reason for you to take the time and effort to understand the process.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)General best practice recommendations are not verifiable instances of those practices being excercised.
Abnredleg
(1,016 posts)Its just routine procedures that get done without fanfare.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)LeftInTX
(31,176 posts)stillcool
(32,840 posts)different voting equipment, and different rules for conducting audits, and/or recounts. A recount and an audit of a percentage of the vote isn't the same thing.
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)live love laugh
(14,637 posts)ElementaryPenguin
(7,850 posts)EndlessWire
(7,339 posts)How would we find out how they did it, if they did? We'd need a forensic software analyst, wouldn't we?
I just cannot fathom Trump winning the popular vote. How can we find out how many states used Starlink? We should demand a hand recount, if it turned out that Elon's Starlink was used. GHC, I can hardly stand all this crap.
Why isn't the United States using its own satellite system? Didn't we find pieces of Starlink in Russia?
The entirety of California used Starlink? Or just Tulare County? (Tulare County is just below Fresno, sort of in the middle of Cali--find it on the map at the link.)
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...that should be enough to require "risk limiting audits" (RLA's) to be performed in any precint where this "connectivity" was used, for national peace of mind if nothing else.
More on post-election audits: https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/post-election-audits
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)It is illegal to do so.
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=ELEC§ionNum=19205
Starlink is used in rural areas to provide internet access to poll workers to access state voter data so that provisional ballots and onsite registration can be done.
In other words, Stalink is being used to ensure anyone who is eligible can vote. Not as a nefarious plot to get Trump extra votes.
Quakerfriend
(5,669 posts)states- sorry, no link.
LeftInTX
(31,176 posts)your results via Starlink.
Here we have USB drives that are driven to elections office.
The results from each USB drive are then added up. They are then released to the unofficial media report. The resuls you see on election night are always unofficial BTW
Media results are sent via internet to various media sites.
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)... Comcast or Verizon. It's like having a cable or fiber optic connection to the internet. If some county is out in the wilderness and needs broadband service, they might use Starlink because Verizon and Comcast are not available. Folks in rural areas may have limited connectivity, and this is an option.
One county out in the boondocks using a satellite ISP isn't a big deal. It isn't even a little deal. It isn't anything at all.
BTW, Voting machines are not connected to the internet.
SoFlaBro
(3,366 posts)Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Response to Think. Again. (Reply #25)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Response to Think. Again. (Reply #43)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
SoFlaBro
(3,366 posts)Much like if you start walking, at some point you will reach Brazil.
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)The systems are not connected to a network or the internet. They are air gapped. It's like trying to hack my microwave.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...has stated " access to connectivity was improved this year thanks to Starlink satellite internet."
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)There is no vote calculating/reporting system to transmit to. It doesn't exist.
You want people to be able to cast provisional ballots and register at polling sites right? You need internet for that to happen and many rural areas of Tulare county are in mountainous areas without internet or cell reception.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...as advised by The National Conference of State Legislatures...
https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/post-election-audits
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)This is California. We have a robust voting system.
LeftInTX
(31,176 posts)It maintains lists of registered voters, wait times, indicates who has voted etc.
It is not connected to ballots.
reACTIONary
(6,193 posts).... you reach alpha centauri.
Response to Think. Again. (Original post)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)Dont you think if she thought something was there, aside from some folks on the internet with over-active imaginations, that she might want to do something about it
and
you know, become president?
Come on people, this isnt so difficult.
Response to tritsofme (Reply #69)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)Zero evidence in both cases.
The difference is that Democratic leaders do not indulge their fringes by validating baseless conspiracy theories and then proceed to exploit them for money.
Response to tritsofme (Reply #90)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)It can only mean a few things.
She and her entire campaign are too stupid to realize it was stolen
Or she was somehow complicit in stealing the election.
Or she understands she lost, and has no interest in spreading Trump-style baseless conspiracy theories.
Im betting on the latter. How about you?
Response to tritsofme (Reply #102)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)Response to tritsofme (Reply #111)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)LeftInTX
(31,176 posts)and pocket the money!
Why isn't Mark Elias and Kamala involved!
Response to LeftInTX (Reply #141)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
The_REAL_Ecumenist
(891 posts)a half ago ...& she must have expected that pumpkin head was going to cheat because TURNS OUT that her fundraising commitee has allocated some of the funds toward a "RECOUNT ACCOUNT"...LO & BEHOLD...
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/11/11/kamala-harris-fundraising-committee-allocated-donations-to-recount-account-fine-print
https://kmph.com/news/nation-world/harris-fundraising-committee-allocated-donations-to-recount-account-fine-print-shows-harris-victory-fund-campaign-in-debt-actblue-kamala-trump-presidential-election
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)The_REAL_Ecumenist
(891 posts)has happened when the REPUBLICANS have cheated:
1 Gore V Bush
2 trump V HIllary Clinton
3 trump v Kamala Harris
Response to The_REAL_Ecumenist (Reply #106)
tritsofme This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to Think. Again. (Original post)
polichick This message was self-deleted by its author.
tritsofme
(18,736 posts)I really dont understand how some folks work out this nonsense in their heads.
Cetacea
(7,398 posts)tritsofme
(18,736 posts)lol
Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)Are a regular part of the voting process carried out by State and local officials.
That not a single one has come forward, even in Blue States like CA, MA, NY, NJ, MD and IL where Trump improved by 8%-11% and indicated they have some irregularities is our clue that no widespread plot to install Trump is afoot.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)??
Response to polichick (Reply #38)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
2naSalit
(94,035 posts)Here's a compilation of the voter suppression / vote manipulation evidence so far...
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219693337
Response to 2naSalit (Reply #39)
polichick This message was self-deleted by its author.
ananda
(31,042 posts)Recounts would solve the whole thing.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)reACTIONary
(6,193 posts)ForgedCrank
(2,446 posts)in the election system. But in my opinion, not what is being suggested.
The real issue is that it is somewhat sloppy in record keeping and solid identification requirements. When it is all said and done, there should be verifiable evidence for each and every vote that can be audited and traced back to the voter if need be. It's not that I think there is vote cheating going on, it's just that these measures would once and for all make all of these conspiracy theorists shut up and accept the results. There should be opening left that allows elections to be contested when it is done.
I know that it seems like giving them what they want, but it's the only way to make this bullcrap stop once and for all.
Response to ForgedCrank (Reply #45)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
ForgedCrank
(2,446 posts)Response to ForgedCrank (Reply #193)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
ForgedCrank
(2,446 posts)apparently had something important to say but appear unwilling to say it.
I stand by it. When the Trumpers were screaming about stolen elections, I called them what they are. This is no different. If you disagree that we need a system with security good enough to discount and eliminate this silliness, then say it.
Response to ForgedCrank (Reply #195)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
ForgedCrank
(2,446 posts)I'm glad we agree.
you as well
Meowmee
(6,473 posts)But I could be wrong. If you want to do a recount, you have to meet a certain standard in the percentage of the votes. In order to find out if anything went on in programming, you have to do a forensic examination of the digital events not just ballots.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)pnwmom
(109,650 posts)and if hand-audits of the tabulations ever indicated a problem, they could count the rest by hand, too.
And in WA there was no shift to Trump. He lost to Kamala by virtually the same margin as he did to Biden.
They probably have them here too, but Im just not familiar with it. The problem is, though if there were a program in the software designed to shift votes, you would have to do a forensic examination of that- theres a post here about that by someone who is a software programmer. Also ballads can be destroyed and not counted. We all know that. Im not saying enough of all of this happened to change the results but I am suspicious.
A lot of people on Twitter apparently said their mail in ballot was never counted and thats just a few that I noticed not everyone would even be there or post about it.
Red states like Texas were stopping people from watching at polls, etc. I think its naïve to think there is not some level of cheating by whatever means in each election the question is how much and did it affect the end result?
At x everyone was sure that he would win and I mean his supporters. In my area, there were no signs this time- almost none. The only signs that I saw were for Democrats in this area and nationally on one house. I saw some flag signs for the psycho on a bridge and that was pretty much it.
pnwmom
(109,650 posts)it would have been revealed in our automatic hand counts of paper ballots -- which are securely held at all times. And there are observers from all parties at these proceedings.
New Mexico, as I understand it, has a similar system. And they also ended up with 2024 results very close to those of 2020.
Meowmee
(6,473 posts)Because they can program it to look normal only do what its supposed to do at the time of the election and then maybe even change back to whatever the paper ballot counts was. Plus if ballots were not counted in large numbers that is a whole separate issue obviously.
Also, Im not sure about this, but I dont think all of the states use paper ballots anymore. Do they? I already was very unhappy about the use of digital devices in our elections. We have a paper ballot, but then it is counted on a machine and we also have to sign in on an iPad now.
I always take a photograph of my ballot now before I take it to the machine ever since 2016 because I dont trust the system anymore.
pnwmom
(109,650 posts)I'm saying that they hand-count samples of the paper ballots and if there were a discrepancy between the paper count results and the tabulated account, they could recount by hand all the ballots.
I guess no one will investigate what he said.
pnwmom
(109,650 posts)why didn't it happen in New Mexico or Seattle, which don't have much in common except paper ballots that can be re-counted.
Meowmee
(6,473 posts)They are just handing the country over to a a fascist, for good now, without a fight.
Cha
(306,126 posts)stillcool
(32,840 posts)from the outcome of the election, to the non-response. The quiet is so loud.
Cha
(306,126 posts)It?
And, incredible that they Announced it on Russian State TV.. Exposing TSF. I guess they're Thumbing their ugly Nose at America and the CIA.
stillcool
(32,840 posts)the ramifications are certainly global, and who knows how that affects things. Too big for me to ponder.
Cha
(306,126 posts)Now We RESIST. Now We Fight.
Response to Cha (Reply #115)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
Cha
(306,126 posts)Kid Berwyn
(18,592 posts)Teamwork.
Trump says what happens in Putin meeting is 'none of your business'
Trump smiles like a serf for Putin
As the World Burns, All Roads Lead to Putin
Find me a conflict zone, and Ill find you a Kremlin operative with a blowtorch.
GREG OLEAR
WhoWhatWhy.org, 10/12/23
Taken together, the momentous events of the past month the Russian scorched earth tactics in Ukraine, the Azeri offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, the abominable Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, and, yes, the GOP dysfunction in Congress that has hamstrung the U.S. government at this critical moment represent an existential threat to the post-Westphalian world order, as former British diplomat Arthur Snell characterized the war in Ukraine.
SNIP
As president, Trump allowed Sergei Lavrov and Sergei Kislyak, high-level Kremlin officials, access to the Oval Office. He joked around with them. And he shared with them top secret intelligence from Israel, regarding Iran. For all we know, the piece of intelligence Trump gave the Russians that day was subsequently shared with the Iranians, who gave it to Hamas, which used it in planning its attacks on Israel over the weekend.
SNIP
The Kremlin contagion has only spread. Republicans in Congress seek to obstruct, to weaken, to starve funds for aid to Ukraine, to leave vacant ambassadorships and key military appointments.
I dont know if Putin pays the likes of Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA); or if Moscow has enough kompromat on them to pull their marionette strings; or if they are just dumb fascists who sincerely hate democracy and have a hard-on for weirdo strongmen; but, by behaving the way they are, they are actively helping the Kremlin.
SNIP
Curious, is it not, that tensions escalated in Ukraine, and Armenia/Azerbaijan, and Israel/Palestine right after McCarthy was ousted, during an interregnum where the speakers chair is vacant, and Congress therefore cannot function? The primary reason the Republicans tried to shut down the government, remember, is that they objected to sending aid to Ukraine. Gee, I wonder who benefits from that?
CONTINUES
https://whowhatwhy.org/politics/international/as-the-world-burns-all-roads-lead-to-putin/
Inside Joke:
Then Pee-resident Trump gestures to Russia's then-ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak, as he speaks to still-Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. (Alexander Shcherbak/TASS/Getty Images)
I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job," Trump said, according to The Times. "I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off.
"I'm not under investigation," he added.
They all laughed.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/10/527755991/trump-meets-with-russias-lavrov-at-the-white-house-today
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-nut-job-james-comey-russia-2017-5
Inside Job:
IMPOTUS: "I actually took one when I -- very recently, when I -- when I was -- the radical left were saying, is he all there? Is he all there? And I proved I was all there, because I got -- I aced it. I aced the test. I took it at Walter Reed Medical Center in front of doctors. And they were very surprised. They said, that's an unbelievable thing. Rarely does anybody do what you just did."
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/politics/trump-hannity-coronavirus/index.html
https://www.thedailybeast.com/russias-state-tv-calls-trump-their-agent
Whats another word for being Putins Agent? Traitor.
And NOT SEEN on TV:
Cha
(306,126 posts)stillspkg
(113 posts)Investigate please!!
Botany
(72,789 posts)They cheated and I am sure Musk and his Starlink were in on it along with Russia too. The #s make no sense.
ColinC
(11,061 posts)But they don't have anything to do with mysterious vote switching or shadowy schemes to manipulate the votes after they were cast. They are mostly baked into our campaign finance laws (or lack thereof), dillution of the VRA, and completely legal.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)ColinC
(11,061 posts)Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Zeitghost
(4,557 posts)??
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)I know they're still counting votes in some states, can't really audit if you haven't finished counting.
lostnfound
(16,767 posts)December 2023
The letter sent this week outlines what is known publicly about the efforts to access those voting systems, which began in the weeks after the Nov. 3, 2020, presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden. It cites a Dec. 18, 2020, meeting in the Oval Office in which Trump allies, including lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani, discussed a desire to access voting machines in presidential swing states Trump lost, according to congressional testimony. It also details subsequent efforts to secure that access.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...or the fact that other stolen machines have shown up on ebay.
tenderfoot
(8,918 posts)eom
Igel
(36,355 posts)Early results, which are unofficial and potentially meaningless. Mistakes happen and if they're going to happen, this is the place.
Official canvassing. These are done in person. They compare the final first results with the careful results obtained from the machines or from hand-counting/machine-counted ballots. If there's a problem, they double check. Until the initial canvassing the machines are sealed (i.e., secured with an official seal) and then resealed until all's clear or they're needed for the next election. Ballots are secured and under seal, as well, if they're on paper. Each jurisdiction does its own count--no need for much to over over risky internet, but if it does it's just aggregate numbers.
Many states do spot checks to make sure machines are accurate and there are no glaring errors.
In the event of a mandatory recount, it's good that the machines are sealed and paper ballots are secured (because a "recount" is just a recanvassing; if machine, that's quick; if paper recounts, that takes longer).
If a losing party wants to foot the bill (in most states) for a recount, and it's within any margin that the state legislature imposed, sure, why not. But SCOTUS said there's a drop-dead date for having results certified and submitted to the EC and after that there's no guarantee the state's Electors will be seated.
A week or two prior to elections, everybody was shouting how the federal government said that the elections were secure and sound and never more secure--because it shouted down Trumpsters bellowing otherwise. The discourse has pivoted on a dime (and, personally, it fells, cet. par., like when I first signed up to DU, post-election '04).
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...through an unofficial server in a Tennessee warehouse before shunting them back to be officially counted?
Almost gave carl rove a heart attack on national television when he realized the cheat had been superceded.
Cetacea
(7,398 posts)...due to "a threat from Al-Qaeda" . Really. Ohio was 2004's Florida.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Algernon Moncrieff
(5,960 posts)We got whipped. Kamala didn't get the job done. Accept that and figure out the next move.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...verify the results through post-election audits or recounts.
I accept that and I am hoping the next move is verification of the voting outcomes.
Thank you for your input.
Algernon Moncrieff
(5,960 posts)Misogyny? Yes
Racism? Yep
The Economy? Mostly that.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)Algernon Moncrieff
(5,960 posts)I posted several months ago that we should have had an open convention and I got juried. I hate to tell DU I told you so....
Babajida
(77 posts)Response to Babajida (Reply #174)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)I believe there is a far better chance of trump and friends cheating than there is of Harris' campaign being so disliked by the majority of American voters.
Response to Algernon Moncrieff (Reply #163)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
Response to Algernon Moncrieff (Reply #160)
Chin music This message was self-deleted by its author.
Cetacea
(7,398 posts)It wasn't the hanging chads. It was suppression of the black vote.
Then SCOTUS stopped the counting.
Five major newspapers eventually counted the votes. Gore won. Nobody cared at that point due to to 9/11 and Bush's 90 precent approval rating.
questionseverything
(10,313 posts)And you are correct, it was in black neighborhoods, voters would darken the oval by his name and also write in his name even though the intent of the voter was clear the machines didnt count them because there were two votes
kerry-is-my-prez
(9,454 posts)Think. Again.
(19,730 posts)...but obviously audits and recounts are the only way to know if anything is amiss.
What's the old saying? "Trust, but verify".
yellow dahlia
(396 posts)RECOUNTS - hand counted paper ballots.
Dem4life1234
(2,040 posts)This is a thief, a conman who needed to win to keep his ass out of prison and to continue to grift.
It almost seemed too good to be true for him to go away. This monster will try to win at all costs. I remember when he announced he would run again, he just will not go away. He craves it. This is not your random generic GOP candidate. He is a grifting conman along with the nefarious characters who are backing him.