UKH

Have I missed a thread on this? A vital election that will massively affect the ability of the President elect to enact change (if the Democrats win both they will control the Senate).

Odd have shifted such that the Democrats are now favourites for both races.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/georgia-...

gets a mention or two on https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/the_pub/trumps_latest_flailing_throes-729...

Cheers Doug I'd spotted those. Given the huge consequencies for the world and the fact that Democrats are now poll and bookies favourites in both seats I expected more interest.

Hawley was being asked on Fox news about if he supports Trump on overturning the Presidential election result.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/05/josh-hawley-fox-news-trump-...

They were favourites last time in many senate races, I'm not confident. Fingers crossed. I think Trump's attacks on the election have really galvanized people though, seeing the attempts to remove their vote or instigate martial law until he wins the election has really pissed people off.

It's hard to know how it will play out. If the Democrats win relatively comfortably, it ought to make Trump's claims of being robbed EVEN more absurd but if Republicans win, it will bolster his efforts to get things overturned. 

His lawyer was on the news saying if the Republicans win it proves the dems threw this election to get them off their tails, but if the dems win it proves there was fraud and they can't help themselves..

Which fruitcake was that?

I do like the recently elected republicans trying to handle the slight problem that if the election was corrupt then how did they themselves win?

That was Sydney Powell, she's absolutely crazy.

She's technically not his lawyer, supposedly she was fired, but is in and out of the white house and fighting various election fraud cases. 

Well, that's convinced me!!

Is Lin Wood technically one of his lawyers?

As far as I can tell he saw people saying Sydney Powell was crazy and went "hold my beer".

She was, I didn't think she was anymore but there were reports she was going to be appointed as a special counsel to investigate the election fraud. She's still being seen at the white house so I'm not sure.

a bit of a tangent but this was posted by Robert Reich. I hadn’t heard of him before tonight, a sensible moderate friend in Wisconsin shared this on other social media. Maybe Reich has an agenda but based on simply a quick scan of his history he strikes me as just a wise commentator from the sidelines, rather than an agitator. I have not fact-checked anything 

“

Friends,

Under the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, Vice President Pence will preside over a joint session of Congress tomorrow, January 6 starting at 1 pm, where electoral votes are counted. The person with the most votes will become President. Joe Biden received 306 electoral votes and Donald Trump received 232, so Biden will be president. 

Still refusing to concede the election, Trump is falsely suggesting that Pence has the power to throw out state results. The Constitution does not give him that power. Under the Electoral Count Act of 1887, any disputes over a state’s electoral votes are to be settled by Congress. 

If just one member of both the House and Senate objects, the joint session stops, and members return to their respective chambers to debate for up to two hours, and then vote. Since over a hundred Republican House members and 13 Republican senators have said they’ll object to a number of state results – despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud – you should expect a long day. 

It would take a majority of both chambers to exclude a state’s results, which hasn’t happened since the 19th century. And it won’t happen this time, because Democrats control the House and many Senate Republicans won’t go along with this attempted coup. 

But this will set a horrific precedent and a legacy of even deeper divisiveness – even opening the possibility that if one party controls both the House and the Senate, that party could determine who becomes president by throwing out electors for the opposing party’s candidate. I doubt it would ever come to this, but before Trump I doubted many things would ever happen. He will be gone in a few days, but his loyalists in Congress remain, presumably ready to destroy democracy for personal political gain.  

RR”

Better news for Democrats

https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/1346629297684049920?s=20

Time for bed now as it looks to close to be reported any time soon.

Yeah he's a democrat but served in both republican and democratic administration's. Pretty moderate sensible guy. He's on various news shows quite a bit.

Yeah it's close and like election night they are counting early votes and day of votes at different times so it's way too close to call. Could well be a day or two.

thanks for your reply to my post about Robert Reich and also thanks for your ongoing commentary from the “field” throughout the presidential election process and beyond (and before). You obviously and naturally have taken “a side” but your observations seem moderate and balanced 

Sorry I didn't read the lin wood bit, again it's unclear. I don't think so, he said pence should be executed this week.

Thanks, its hard to stay balanced with this guy in power.

It should all be over tomorrow, It should really sink in then that his presidency is over.

Robert Reich. He was Clinton's first labor secretary, but was constantly at odds with the wall street faction (Rueben etc.) that was very influential within that administration and very antagonistic to his ideas, so he left fairly quickly. He's been one of the most influential voices in the progressive movement ever since. 
He's smart and pragmatic but definitely not a centrist by American (or even UK) standards.

They've projected Warnock to win, Perdue still leads slightly. But NYT think Ossoff will win.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/01/05/us/elections/results-georgia...

300 votes in it between Perdue and Ossoff, 97% of the vote in, but mainly democrat areas to come in

Seems Warnock has won, at least according to AP & looking hopeful for Ossoff - based on recent updates on the Guardian's live coverage. But although that will give Biden control it's still pretty close - one or two rebel Democrats could make life difficult for him

Fingers crossed until the second result comes in.

Looks like a near certain Democrat Senate to me. I wonder what tantrum the orange one will throw now.

He will be off the scale when he finds out he wont be allowed into Scotland to play golf in 2 weeks.......

From late night news reports I think he was told that last night as well, not a good day for him. Some of the exit polling has scary implications for the future: most Republicans in Georgia think the Presidential election was stolen. It's a mass delusion that shows most serious media in the US is completely defunct for them.

I rewatched Ian Hislop's wonderful documentary on fake news yesterday and hope the optimistic take, based on what followed the late 18th century US outbreak of junk journalism, is correct and this crazy period will soon calm down.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00095hv

Thank the Gods again he didn't get back in. Will enjoy watching Ian Hislop. 30 years of HIGNFY was a Christmas highlight.

It gives the Dems control because of the VPs deciding vote, so it means the Dems set the bills that come through the senate. Mcconnell is out of a job.

It won't be easy but it's significantly easier than if mcconnell was still there.

Assuming Georgia goes the way it looks like it’s going, does Schumer automatically become majority leader, or is there a process.

I think there has to be a vote like with congress and Pelosi, but I'm not sure. 

They’ve chucked half a billion dollars at this runoff. US politics is unbelievable.

Biden said vote for them and we all get 2000 dollars. Pretty powerful argument.

Though, whilst I agree the money is obscene, the UK is in no position to lecture anyone these days. It's as corrupt as any nation these days. 

It's not just bills, it's also Presidential government appointments and various other important policy that could be blocked. Ossoff lead still growing, about 16,000 now and needs to get to a bit over 20,000 to meet the 0.5% margin.

Wasn't it the Trumpster who wanted the amount raised, against the wishes of the Reps, and the Dems then jumped on it and agreed with him? 

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/23/trumps-call-for-2000-stimulus-checks-could-...

'Corrupt as any nation' is fake news.

Well any developed nation.

https://www.businessinsider.com/labour-johnson-government-must-stop-giving-...

All the deals with his friends.. it's just a massive transfer of wealth to his cronies.

Yeah, but this is now socialism, evil communism. When Trump wanted to do it, that was just giving the American people back their tax money. Key difference.

Yeah it speeds up the transition. Ossoffs team sound confident they will hit the 0.5% lead (that's to avoid the recount for those wondering about the reference).

I'm hoping Breyer retires too. RBG should have left when Obama held everything. The liberals on the supreme court need to start being more strategic.