I'm Sorry, but

[Lyle]

The POTUS apparently has the right/power, to pardon anyone for anything that they may have done or will do up until he leaves office. I am fully expecting a pardon to all the protesters in the Capitol building protest/riot. I remember vaguely him saying something like I'm the POTUS and can do anything I want. No wonder people are scared.
Interesting times still ahead.

[Kuffy]

I am fully expecting a pardon to all the protesters in the Capitol building protest/riot.

Not a chance. He has already condemned the actions of the violent protesters, just as he has done in the past for both right and left. I'm still waiting for war with North Korea, but it seems Trump was too busy brokering better relations between N. Korea and the USA/world, while also being busy brokering peace deals in the middle east. I truly hope the wars that Trump started end soon...but I guess they'd have to start first. lololol. So much fear mongering through the press. Without Covid, the red wave would have wiped out any hint of blue. Makes ya think about how and why Covid was let out of lab, but I don't deal in conspiracy.

[doug3030]

Without Covid, the red wave would have wiped out any hint of blue.

Possibly so, but there's no sure way of finding out.

What cannot be disputed is that despite Covid and everything else that happened during his presidency he still got just under 50 % of the vote.

I read somewhere (sorry, cant find the reference again) that 54% of Americans surveyed felt that they were better off under Trump.

The US is a very different environment to Australia. In a country where a fair percentage of the population go to bed with a loaded pistol on the bedside table, maybe a President who sleeps next to the Nuclear First Strike Option Button is something that appeals to them.

[woodPixel]

Stan Grant wrote this today on the ABC News .... The sick politics at the heart of this week'''s US crisis go deeper than Donald Trump - ABC News

As an outsider, it looks like a country about to tear itself apart.

[rrich]

In Florida there is 'The Intra Coastal Waterway'. A funny name for a navigable waterway or almost a fresh water river with many inlets to the Atlantic ocean. A city on the West side of the ICW is West Palm Beach. When Connie and I were married we went straight from the church in the Daytona Beach area to find a place in the West Palm Beach area where I was to start a new job. On the East side of the ICW is Palm Beach.

In Florida many retirees supplement their income with rental flats. Usually the way to find these rentals is to cruise the streets looking for "For Rent" signs. So being stupid we are cruising the streets of Palm Beach looking for a place to rent. Suddenly there is a police cruiser, lights flashing behind us. I pull over and the cop gets out, hand on his gun and starts the conversation with "What the eff do you think you are doing? We have had about 20 calls reporting you two." When I explain, he goes back to his cruiser and comes back with a general area map. He shows us the 'Politics' of the general metro area. He pointed out areas where we are likely to find rental housing and the relative costs to expect in various areas. He explained that Palm Beach residents don't like newcomers no how and generally dislike renters. We found a place in Rivera Beach with an Italian couple that could have been our grandparents, treated us as such and we treated them as grandparents.

Now that you understand the environment, to gain the zoning changes necessary for the Mar-a-Lago Club, it was necessary to guarantee that no one would live at the club permanently and not more than 21 days per year. Oh how the snake in the grass turns on one to bite them in the rear end. It seems that the residents of Palm Beach do not want Trump as a resident no where, no how. They are using the zoning to prevent Trump from living at Mar-a-Lago. There are some 80 million people in the US living in terror. They are all afraid that Trump may want to come and live near them.

[Lyle]

Hearing themes like "make America great again ", "black lives matter", "antifa", etc ad nauseam.
Makes you wonder when the United fell off the United States of America?
How do you fix the pleyhora of troubles and issues. Not an easy, quick or cheap solution.
Hopefully things'll cool down to somewhat normal again.
USA is not alone in its' troubles.
What's that saying "throwing stones in a glass house ".

[woodPixel]

Lyle, true. We need to reflect that it is, ultimately, a human experience.

Reminds us that Australia is hardly free of contention and divide.

[BobL]

Possibly so, but there's no sure way of finding out.
What cannot be disputed is that despite Covid and everything else that happened during his presidency he still got just under 50 % of the vote. 50%

In terms of total votes, DT got 46.5% - so not really just under, Biden got 51.3% that's closer to "just over" but in comparative terms it was pretty decisive.

However, in terms of electoral college votes the trigger margin was just 0.02% - if DT had got just 42,000 votes more in the right states the electoral college would have been tied qt 269 all and then the House state delegations would have then decided the election. As republicans will hold the majority of "state delegations" in the new Congress, and they undoubtedly would have chosen Trump.

This is an interesting relatively non-partisan analysis of the election results
The 2020 Election by the Numbers | Council on Foreign Relations

[doug3030]

In terms of total votes, DT got 46.5% - so not really just under, Biden got 51.3% that's closer to "just over" but in comparative terms it was pretty decisive.

"Just under" and "just over" are relative terms and context dependent. As a margin in an election, 46.5% to 51.3% is a comfortable win.

But when the election is won and the 46.5% don't see it as fair, and they are the side with all the guns, if they decide to take matters further then I know who the smart money would be betting on.

What's going on in the US right now is uncharted territory. could well play out in ways that we would not want to see. I hope that cooler heads prevail and the will of the people who voted is respected.

However the situation is currently reacting more along the lines of a cult than a political party and that could be very dangerous.

Think about world politics. If our major ally and treaty partner whom we rely on for our defence suddenly hobbles itself with internal squabbles, will we be able to rely on them if another major player on the world scene decides to take the opportunity to make some changes in our region while there is nobody available to assist us?

[BobL]

"Just under" and "just over" are relative terms and context dependent. As a margin in an election, 46.5% to 51.3% is a comfortable win.

But when the election is won and the 46.5% don't see it as fair, and they are the side with all the guns, if they decide to take matters further then I know who the smart money would be betting on.

Humm . . . . the 46.5% don't own ALL the guns with registered republicans are about twice as likely to own a gun as others. To make matters worse most gun owners (on all sides) are not competent gun users and end up killing and injuring themselves, or many of their own, (ie criminal V criminal) as others. A really sad indictment of this is that of the ~40,000 annual gun deaths in the US ~24,000 are suicides.

[doug3030]

Humm . . . . the 46.5% don't own ALL the guns with registered republicans are about twice as likely to own a gun as others. To make matters worse most gun owners (on all sides) are not competent gun users and end up killing and injuring themselves, or many of their own, (ie criminal V criminal) as others. A really sad indictment of this is that of the ~40,000 annual gun deaths in the US ~24,000 are suicides.

Whichever way you want to spin it, it still means that there are enough guns, or more specifically, idiots with guns in the US to tie up enough of their national resources to make it difficult if not impossible for the US to carry out it's self-appointed role as the world's policeman. If it comes to that, and I hope it doesn't, there are serious implications for Australia and our region.

[BobL]

Whichever way you want to spin it, it still means that there are enough guns, or more specifically, idiots with guns in the US to tie up enough of their national resources to make it difficult if not impossible for the US to carry out it's self-appointed role as the world's policeman. If it comes to that, and I hope it doesn't, there are serious implications for Australia and our region.

Definitely agree there's too many guns all round.

[Mobyturns]

6th Jan 2021 ??


And who said "We welcome in the new year and see out 2020 - it can't get any worse." It's not off to a good start in the good ol' USA.

[ubeaut]

Threads closed at OPs' request.

Good move.