I can't think of a time our country has been in worse shape. Between the pandemic and Donald Trump, it will take a generation at least -- well beyond my life span -- to regroup and recoup what we had that went down the drain with Trump's ineptitude and inability to believe in anything outside the bubble of his alternate universe built on false facts.

I had hoped that he would have quit by now. Instead, he's making himself more of a laughing stock, "here and anround the world" (as CNN would say).

Why isn't someone directing the FAA to shut down air traffic for Thanksgiving week? Could it be Donald Trump wants as many of us to die as possible as revenge for his election loss? Even he isn't flying to Mar-a-Lago on AF One for the holiday. That ought to tell you something. (Yes, maybe he's afraid his "things" will be gone when he gets back, but what does he own at the White House beside his clothes and the mattress he had shipped in? Doesn't the rest belong to the Government? Answer: I have no idea, which is why I'm asking the question.)

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Democrats have turned some major ruby red states blue: The media has now called Georgia (in addition to AZ and PA) for Joe Biden.

The Electoral Vote total is now 306-232.

Goodbye Red States, Goodbye Trumps, Welcome Biden/Harris, we've got a lot of damage to reverse and a lot to do. So let's get to work.

Honestly, I'm much more concerned about COVID-19 than I am about how Trump leaves office. No matter how he tries to spin it, Trump's lasting legacy will not be that he was cheated and robbed in his bid for re-election. It will be the tens of thousands of deaths he failed to prevent because of his failure as a leader.

I am electioned-out. I haven't read the news about him or his lawsuits or the vote tally in a few days (which feels like an eternity and has been quite liberating). But I'm going to break my silence of the past few days to share my prediction as how Donald Trump plans to get himself out of the election fiasco he has created, and why we shouldn't fall into the trap of celebrating his defeat on Thanksgiving.

I predict within days Donald Trump will announce he quits. That's right. He'll resign. He will say the vote was rigged and since no one will do anything about it, the country doesn't deserve him. Before Thanksgiving (or certainly before Christmas) I predict he'll head to Mar-a-Lago, never to be seen at the White House again. Glory, Glory Hallelujah. [More...]

Yes, the vote tallies in the four critical states can change, but probably not enough to make Donald Trump anything but a loser. Two of the lawsuits he filed yesterday have already been dismissed. I'm not celebrating yet, but this song has been popping into my head since yesterday:

All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home
All your reindeer armies, are all going home
The lover who just walked out your door
Has taken all her blankets from the floor
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue

Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you
Forget the dead you’ve left, they will not follow you
The vagabond who’s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore
Strike another match, go start anew
And it’s all over now, Baby Blue

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Update 7:40 pm: CNN just interviewed Richard Barrett, the head of vote counting somewhere in Georgia. He was the best, most composed, intelligible guest all night (even though the guy interviewing him was a jerk. He asked, "Are all of these ballots legal?" Like the guy would say no?) He was also very nice looking. And he managed to keep repeating the word "adjudcated" like it was sexy or something. I hope he gets promoted.

New numbers in Maricopa, AZ increase Joe Biden's lead the state.

Biden is also ahead in Nevada, and those two states are all he needs,according to John King. Biden does not need PA. And he may take Georgia for good measure.

[More...]

There are other things happening in the world, besides the presidential election.

Here's a place to discuss them, all topics welcome.

If you want escapism, I recommend Tehran on Apple TV (only 8 episodes) and as always, Money Heist and Reign on Netflix.

Like many of you, I have been on edge for days. I don't know what is going to happen. No one does. Watching Donald Trump's rallies this weekend, with lie after lie on everything from COVID to the economy to why minorities should love him, and watching them mindlessly cheer him, leaves me little hope.

And there's Biden, with no charisma at all. Only die hard Democrats and Trump haters will come out for him.

I do believe one of them will win decisively and we will have a winner in short order, although perhaps not on Tuesday night.

And a special Bronx cheer for the idiot son of Donald Trump who said on Fox on Thursday that Covid-deaths have been declining to almost nothing. The very day he said that, more than 1,000 Americans died.

The horrendous storm created by Donald Trump in all his infamy better end soon. The toll to the United States if he is not dethroned decisively is unimaginable.

Mark Meadows, Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, made quite the admission Sunday when he said during an interview that the U.S. can't control the coronavirus.

The numbers are getting grimmer by the day: Yesterday, the total number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. hit 8,575,000. Deaths now exceed 224,000.

Several states are running out of hospital rooms. More than 41,000 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19.

Donald Trump has run this country into the ground with his ineffectiveness and lack of ability to prepare for and meet emergencies. If he is re-elected, Americans have only themselves to blame.

We get the government we elect. VOTE!

I can't wait until Donald Trump is no longer headline news. I'd also like to believe that there will come a day when those over 65 are released from COVID-19 house arrest.

Here is a new open thread, all topics welcome.

95% of the time I think the election will be a slam-dunk for Biden and a decisive rejection of Donald Trump. But then, I think of all the millionaires and billionaires exercising their clout for Trump, and the unknown faction -- the number of marginalized, unhappy, under-informed lost souls out there somewhere in rural America, and I wonder, could they bring the election home for Trump?

The Wall St. Journal today has a "path to victory" chart in which you can move the battleground states into either candidate's column to see how they can reach 270 electoral votes. (Note: Paywall, but I think the NY Times had a similar feature a few weeks ago).

Biden starts way ahead of Trump with 226 electoral votes to Trump's 165. But, Florida is big, with 29 E.V. and Texas has 38. PA, Ohio and MI are next with 20, 18, and 16. Personally, I think Biden will take Florida, but even if he does, Trump could still win. For example, if the only undecideds Biden takes are FL, IA and NV.

Biden has the edge, and I hope he trounces Trump in a landslide, so Trump can never claim his legacy is anything but the failure that it is. [More...]

Donald Trump loses once again, this time in the Second Circuit appeals court which upheld the refusal of the trail court to quash subpoenas in New York state investigation of Trump wronging.

The decision is Trump v. Cyrusr, 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 31772 and is available free here.

CNN has the worst talking heads for the debate: Van Jones, former Republican Senator Rick Santorum. What hole did they find Santorum in?

I'm changing the channel.

I wonder who prepped Donald. If it's Jared , and Trump did as bad as he did in Tulsa, I wonder if he'll be sent packing finally.

Some other CNN commentator just said this will be an evenly matched debate. Seriously?

I'm going to listen in the car while getting groceries. I have three words for Donald Trump.

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