Molly Hankwitz on Fri, 13 Nov 2020 23:26:30 +0100 (CET)


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Re: <nettime> why is it so quiet (in the US)


Felix et al

Not misreading the situation at all imho.
Trump hasn't a leg to stand on unless the newly-lined Pentagon gets behind him. Very unlikely.
The worst thing that could continue to happen is increased national vulnerability to hostile powers (maybe there aren't any?)
or total slowing down of covid response because of Trump's recalcitrance or other mess.
I think he is starting to get it that he lost (according to NYTimes today, Friday 13th)

The Republican Party on the other hand has been galvanized by Trump's presidency and they are something to be afraid of, especially if they catch QAnon fever and get their way on the Supreme Court with cases involving women's rights. This is where Trump has done their  bidding while being hung out as a teaser.
Lindsay Graham and McConnell are frightening.
There could be a Republican effort to hasten already harsh actions against the detained and other disgusting "policies" of the TA

The Democratic Party is also quite wobbly despite cool Joe Biden.
Hence, the Dem liberals who lost accusing Squad of hurting their chances of re-election because the Squad is "too radical"
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez continues a brilliant streak against sluggish, neo-liberal Dems.
This is a potentially paralytic cleave to what could be an organized front.

However, recent history of Dems shows neo-liberals at fore.
Let's hope we win the Senate race in Georgia because we will have more power.

At the moment, though, its quite uneasy yet hopeful, I would argue. Relief set in. Biden is a more agreeable chap.
It's good to hear that overseas right-wingers are ducking more.

peace
Molly


molly hankwitz - she/her


On Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 1:10 AM Felix Stalder <felix@openflows.com> wrote:
Hi everyone,

I must admit, amidst post-terror assault on civil liberties and covid
cases spiraling out of control here in Austria, the US election drama
has moved a bit lower in my attention, but not that much.

>From what I understand, the numbers show that Trump lost. Period. No
recount will change that.

But, the game of the Republicans is to create so much doubt about the
fairness of the elections (without any evidence) to make it impossible
to certify them in time. Frivolous lawsuits are great at gumming things
up. This would then allow the Republican dominated legislatures in swing
states to appoint their own electors which would bring Trump the
majority. In the mean time, the minister of defense, who previously
refused to send in troops against mostly peaceful protestors, has been
fired and replaced with a loyalist. Apparently, similar moves are in the
wings for the FBI and CIA.

I know, Trump is often portrayed as an incompetent child, and the
strategy is totally outlandish, but the Republican party has shown to be
a pretty ruthless and successful power machine playing both a short and
a long game, and it's exactly the outlandishness of the strategy that is
its strongest point.

In the mean time, the democrats pretend all of this to be irrelevant (an
'embarrassment' at worst) and happily appoint a transition team full of
corporate insiders like it's 1992.

Am I totally misreading the situation?

Felix






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