Anxious U.S. voters choose between Biden, Trump after vitriolic campaign

[webfact]

Anxious U.S. voters choose between Biden, Trump after vitriolic campaign

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Alexandra Alper

 

A voter fills out his ballot on election day in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S. November 3, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

PHILADELPHIA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After an acrimonious presidential campaign that exposed the depth of the political divisions in the United States, Americans streamed to the polls on Tuesday to choose either incumbent Donald Trump or challenger Joe Biden to lead a pandemic-battered nation for the next four years.

 

There were no signs of disruptions at polling places that some had feared after a vitriolic campaign marked by provocative rhetoric. Voters cast ballots around the country, with long lines in some locales and short lines in others. But federal and state authorities were investigating a spate of mysterious robocalls urging people to stay home on Election Day.

 

Ahead of Election Day, just over 100 million voters cast early ballots either by mail or in person, according to the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida, driven by concerns over crowded polling places during the coronavirus pandemic as well as extraordinary enthusiasm.

 

The total has broken records and prompted some experts to predict the highest voting rates since 1908 and that the vote total could reach 160 million, topping the 138 million cast in 2016.

 

Polls opened in some eastern states at 6 a.m. EST. The most closely watched results will start to trickle in after 7 p.m. EST when polls close in states such as Georgia, though definitive national results could take days if the contest is tight.

 

Biden, the Democratic former vice president who has spent a half century in public life, has held a consistent lead in national opinion polls over the Republican president and appeared to have multiple paths to victory in the state-by-state Electoral College that determines the winner. At least 270 electoral votes, determined in part by a state's population, are needed to win.

 

Trump is close enough in several election battleground states that he could repeat the type of upset he pulled off in 2016, when he defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton despite losing the national popular vote by about 3 million ballots.

 

"I think we're going to have a great night," Trump said during an appearance in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, where he thanked campaign workers. "But it's politics and it's elections, and you never know."

 

"Winning is easy. Losing is never easy - not for me it's not," Trump added.

 

Trump, looking somewhat tired and admitting his voice was "a bit choppy" after making speeches at numerous raucous rallies in the final days of the campaign, said he was not yet thinking about making a concession speech or acceptance speech.

 

If the election result is close, it could be days before the outcome is known, especially given the surge in voting by mail due to the pandemic. Trump said the outcome could be known on Tuesday night. Trump also said he would not declare victory prematurely, saying that "there's no reason to play games."

 

Biden made appearances in the pivotal state of Pennsylvania. He first stopped at his childhood home in Scranton, where he signed one of the living room walls, writing: "From this house to the White House with the grace of God. Joe Biden 11-3-2020."

 

He later visited Philadelphia and used a bullhorn to address supporters who chanted "Joe, Joe, Joe," as he touted high turnout among young voters and women and urged anyone who had not already done so to cast a ballot.

 

"It ain't over till it's over," Biden said in front of a block of brick rowhouses, quoting the late baseball legend Yogi Berra.

 

Biden also visited a Southern-style restaurant and met local politicians. A group of largely Black supporters yelled "President Biden" and people got out of their cars in the middle of the street to snap pictures.

 

Supporters of both candidates appeared to agree the election was a referendum on Trump and his tumultuous first term. No U.S. president has lost a re-election bid since George H.W. Bush in 1992.

 

In Atlanta, Cody Sellers, 32, a registered Republican and project manager at a home improvement store, voted for Biden.

 

"Trump is the issue," Sellers said, shivering in the cold.

 

"I really think Trump is bad for our country," he added. "He's divisive. We're on a path to trouble. I'm not thrilled about Biden, but he can do the job and he cares about our country."

 

Polling shows Georgia, long a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, might be up for grabs this year but Victor Akinola, 44, said he would stick with Trump.

 

"The hopes that liberals have for a so-called blue wave is unfounded. Georgians won't vote en masse against their own local interests,' said Akinola, who works in information technology.

 

Among the most closely contested states that are expected to determine the outcome are Pennsylvania, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia, with Democrats hoping that Biden may even threaten Trump in states that once seemed certain to go Republican such as Ohio, Iowa and Texas.

 

The pandemic, which has killed more than 231,000 Americans and left millions more jobless, ensured that Election Day felt far from normal, with poll workers and voters in masks and people keeping their distance from one another.

 

In anticipation of possible protests, some buildings and stores were boarded up in cities including Washington, Los Angeles and New York. Federal authorities erected a new fence around the White House perimeter.

 

A judge ordered the U.S. Postal Service to sweep some mail processing facilities on Tuesday afternoon for delayed ballots and immediately dispatch them for delivery in pivotal states such Pennsylvania and Florida among other places.

 

Meanwhile, the FBI was investigating a spate of mysterious robocalls urging people to stay home on Election Day. New York state's attorney general also was looking into such robocalls.

 

Wall Street's main stocks indexes jumped as investors bet that the election could end with a clear victory for Biden and a swift deal on more pandemic-related fiscal stimulus.

 

ANXIETY AND DIVISION

Trump, 74, is seeking another term in office after a chaotic four years marked by the coronavirus crisis, an economy battered by pandemic shutdowns, an impeachment drama, inquiries into Russian election interference, U.S. racial tensions and contentious immigration policies.

 

Biden, 77, is looking to win the presidency on his third attempt after a five-decade political career including eight years as vice president under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

 

Voters on Tuesday will also decide which political party controls the U.S. Congress for the next two years, with Democrats narrowly favored to recapture a Senate majority and retain their control of the House of Representatives.

 

Biden, who has put Trump's handling of the pandemic at the center of his campaign, promised a renewed effort to combat the public health crisis, fix the economy and bridge America's political divide. The country this year was also shaken by months of protests against racism and police brutality.

 

Trump on Tuesday again downplayed the pandemic, saying the country is "rounding the corner" even as numerous states set records of new infections in the final days of the campaign.

 

The most closely watched results will start to trickle in after 7 p.m. EST (2400 GMT).

 

Some crucial states, such as Florida, begin counting absentee ballots ahead of Election Day and could deliver results relatively quickly on Tuesday night. Others including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin are barred from processing the vast majority of mail-in ballots until Election Day, raising the possibility of a vote count that could stretch for several days.

 

Trump has asserted, without evidence, that mail-in ballots are subject to fraud. He has also argued that only election night vote tallies should count, even though states have historically taken more time to finalize tallies. He has suggested he might try to use the courts to halt counting.

 

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Doina Chiacu in Washington; Additional reporting by Steve Holland and Susan Heavey in Washington and Katanga Johnson and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Writing by Joseph Ax and Alistair Bell; Editing by Will Dunham and Paul Thomasch)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-04

 

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[nobodysfriend]

...and the winner is ... ?

Anyway ,  fundamental change is needed ... but that will be provided by none of the candidates ...

Edited November 4, 2020 by nobodysfriend

[canuckamuck]

It's a lot closer than I thought it would be. It's going to be a nail biter once again.

Trump might get the popular vote and the house, but lose the White house. and the senate.

Too early to tell of course.

[alex8912]

I’m in Florida now and I think Trump will def win here. I also can’t believe I was able to post before the guy who always posts first or second. Biden is doing pretty bad. May the meltdowns begin! ????

Edited November 4, 2020 by alex8912

[Jingthing]

27 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

It's a lot closer than I thought it would be. It's going to be a nail biter once again.

Trump might get the popular vote and the house, but lose the White house. and the senate.

Too early to tell of course.

No chance that the Republicans take the house.

 

The senate is still a toss up.

 

The white house as well.

 

Biden will win the popular vote.

 

At this point I think its quite likely that 45 will prematurely declare victory throwing the country into chaos as it could take weeks to count all the votes in Pennsylvania, etc.

 

He will try to shut down the counting in the courts.

 

Odds of election related violence are up.

 

 

[canuckamuck]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

No chance that the Republicans take the house.

 

The senate is still a toss up.

 

The white house as well.

 

Biden will win the popular vote.

 

At this point I think its quite likely that 45 will prematurely declare victory throwing the country into chaos as it could take weeks to count all the votes in Pennsylvania, etc.

 

He will try to shut down the counting in the courts.

 

Odds of election related violence are up.

 

 

There will be violence if Trumps wins of course. And the win will disputed either way, because that is the condition of America now. Everyone has their own truth.

 

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

There will be violence if Trumps wins of course. And the win will disputed either way, because that is the condition of America now. Everyone has their own truth.

 

That's very biased. It's people on the 45 side that have threatened starting a civil war if Biden wins.

 

But I obviously agree if 45 wins by stopping the counting that's a dictator move and yes there would be some violent response. 

Edited November 4, 2020 by Jingthing

[canuckamuck]

5 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That's very biased. It's people on the 45 side that have threatened starting a civil war if Biden wins.

 

But I obviously agree if 45 wins by stopping the counting that's a dictator move and yes there would be some violent response. 

It's a powder keg for sure. Rioting from the right has yet to be seen. The left have a real taste for it though. If the right felt there was more than the usual amount of cheating involved, that might bring them out. 

We will know very soon either way.

 

[JonnyF]

49 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I’m in Florida now and I think Trump will def win here. I also can’t believe I was able to post before the guy who always posts first or second. Biden is doing pretty bad. May the meltdowns begin! ????

Trump has Florida and Texas. Georgia and NC looking good too. He even has a lead in Virginia although that may change as only about 65% of votes are in.

[AbeNormal]

Looks to me at this point like Trump has it 555

 

 

 

 

[canuckamuck]

Just now, AbeNormal said:

Looks to me at this point like Trump has it 555

 

 

 

 

Should be at least 290 for 45. Turns out the plywood is going to be a good investment

[alex8912]

The country won’t be thrown into chaos. Just CNN and some dudes in Thailand and a few cities will have some stupid protests. Honestly what a bunch of babies. Tromp just got Ohio. I’m quite surprised. 

Edited November 4, 2020 by alex8912

[Tug]

Rite now Biden has 192 electoral votes to trumps 112 many of the states are still counting the votes received today and haven’t counted the early votes yet (I know it’s weird you would think they would have counted them allready)many states don’t I’m not sure about the senate but I think the dems picked up 2 so far it’s still going to be a few days to know for sure but it’s looking like Biden’s going to Will the dems have retained control of the house (Biden’s way ahead in Arizona but they haven’t called it yet that’s + 11 so Biden’s up to 203 electoral votes

[alex8912]

4 minutes ago, AbeNormal said:

be careful what you say here, bad things can happen if certain people on TVF don't agree with your opinion especially about Trump, shame really 

I know. You think this would be a very healthy back and forth but it won’t. Always hated tattletales since first grade. Everyone should have a voice. 

Edited November 4, 2020 by alex8912

[meechai]

Just now, Tug said:

Rite now Biden has 192 electoral votes to trumps 112

Ummm here in the USA it is 223-204 ????

 

 

[n00dle]

74 and 77 years old. 

 

It is definitely time for some new blood when the people running the country wouldnt even be considered fit to drive in most countries.

[meechai]

48 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

No chance that the Republicans take the house.

 

The senate is still a toss up.

 

The white house as well.

 

Boy I remember you telling everyone it was Madame President Hillary & get used to it....

You of course were so wrong & you have not gotten better at guessing/seeing the obvious

 

But about your above 3 predictions....I'm thinking likely 0/3

But we will see soon enough ????

Edited November 4, 2020 by meechai

[meechai]

44 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

There will be violence if Trumps wins of course. And the win will disputed either way, because that is the condition of America now. Everyone has their own truth.

 

 

If there is violence it will just be the same private property destroying group as back when Hillary imploded ????

[JonnyF]

9 minutes ago, n00dle said:

74 and 77 years old. 

 

It is definitely time for some new blood when the people running the country wouldnt even be considered fit to drive in most countries.

 

Obama was 'new blood' and look how that went.

[Tug]

24 minutes ago, meechai said:

Ummm here in the USA it is 223-204 ????

 

 

I don’t watch trump news msm is or was last time I looked was calling it as I stated we won’t know for a bit yet 

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, canuckamuck said:

It's a lot closer than I thought it would be. It's going to be a nail biter once again.

Trump might get the popular vote and the house, but lose the White house. and the senate.

Too early to tell of course.

Biden only about 2 million ahead in the popular vote according to The Guardian. Now isn't that a turn up for the books! So, when Trump hopefully wins we won't be, told for the next 4 years that he lost the popular vote by a huge margin. Republicans are well ahead for the house. So even if Biden wins, he will be restrained from going too far left.

That really, IMO says much about Biden that he isn't far ahead of Trump in the popular vote.

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

But federal and state authorities were investigating a spate of mysterious robocalls urging people to stay home on Election Day.

IMO that will be spun as a GOP tactic, but that would be barking IMO, as most know that Republicans are the ones going to be voting en mass today.

 

Too early to call, but a GOP house ( and hopefully senate ) will be as good as it can get with a Biden presidency. Remember who controls spending.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 hour ago, canuckamuck said:

It's a powder keg for sure. Rioting from the right has yet to be seen. The left have a real taste for it though. If the right felt there was more than the usual amount of cheating involved, that might bring them out. 

We will know very soon either way.

 

Seems some are willfully ignoring which side has been doing the rioting so far.

[Jingthing]

36 minutes ago, meechai said:

 

Boy I remember you telling everyone it was Madame President Hillary & get used to it....

You of course were so wrong & you have not gotten better at guessing/seeing the obvious

 

But about your above 3 predictions....I'm thinking likely 0/3

But we will see soon enough ????

Please read more carefully.

I only predicted the house and you can bet your own house that I'm right about that.

Don't know yet about the senate or president. 

[Jingthing]

18 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Biden only about 2 million ahead in the popular vote according to The Guardian. Now isn't that a turn up for the books! So, when Trump hopefully wins we won't be, told for the next 4 years that he lost the popular vote by a huge margin. Republicans are well ahead for the house. So even if Biden wins, he will be restrained from going too far left.

That really, IMO says much about Biden that he isn't far ahead of Trump in the popular vote.

 

IMO that will be spun as a GOP tactic, but that would be barking IMO, as most know that Republicans are the ones going to be voting en mass today.

 

Too early to call, but a GOP house ( and hopefully senate ) will be as good as it can get with a Biden presidency. Remember who controls spending.

The Republicans won't take the house! Period. End of.

 

Perhaps some people don't know what the house means.

 

It means the house of representatives.

 

As opposed to the senate.

 

Edited November 4, 2020 by Jingthing

[Grumpy one]

Thank God I am not a US citizen

One way you get an orange geriatric who wants to rule the world

On the other hand you get a geriatric of unknown charms 

Good luck to you all

[simple1]

20 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

<SNIP>

Too early to call, but a GOP house ( and hopefully senate ) will be as good as it can get with a Biden presidency. Remember who controls spending.

 

It's already been declared Dems retain the House. I presume you won't post a sneering emoji this time as comes from Fox.

 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-democrats-control-of-house-senate-2020-election

[xylophone]

8 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

Thank God I am not a US citizen

One way you get an orange geriatric who wants to rule the world

On the other hand you get a geriatric of unknown charms 

Good luck to you all

No way that I can understand US folk if trump wins, because he has proven himself to be a liar and a cheat and to be inherently dumb, so what else is needed for the US public to get rid of this idiot?

 

Given that the alternative is not a lot to "write home about", it still points to the fact that trump has lied and cheated his way through his term, and I like this quote from a US voter.......

 

"It's time to rebuild the heart of what makes us a great country. That starts with electing leaders of character who are truthful and will put the country's welfare ahead of all else, and who will show respect for all people regardless of their gender, their race, their religion or their political beliefs."

And trump doesn't fit this description in any way, shape or form. Sad times if the clown wins.
 

[thaibeachlovers]

14 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The Republicans won't take the house! Period. End of.

 

Perhaps some people don't know what the house means.

 

It means the house of representatives.

 

As opposed to the senate.

 

I am well aware of what the house is vs the senate.

According to Politico the Dems have 143 and the GOP 154 at the moment.

It's a while till the election is called though so it's anyone's guess at the moment.

 

Senate GOP 46 to 45 for the Dems.

 

House just got another GOP seat while I was writing the above, oops, make that 2 more.

[onthedarkside]

Note to members:  if you plan on posting any results information here or elsewhere in the forum re the U.S. election, please make sure it is from credible news sources (not social media or 3rd party sources) and that you include a corresponding web link to the source site/information.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, xylophone said:

No way that I can understand US folk if trump wins, because he has proven himself to be a liar and a cheat and to be inherently dumb, so what else is needed for the US public to get rid of this idiot?

 

Given that the alternative is not a lot to "write home about", it still points to the fact that trump has lied and cheated his way through his term, and I like this quote from a US voter.......

 

"It's time to rebuild the heart of what makes us a great country. That starts with electing leaders of character who are truthful and will put the country's welfare ahead of all else, and who will show respect for all people regardless of their gender, their race, their religion or their political beliefs."

And trump doesn't fit this description in any way, shape or form. Sad times if the clown wins.
 

That has been pointed out many, many times over the past 4 years.

IMO, people are voting against Biden, not so much for Trump. Dems should have picked a better candidate, as the race would have been called already, IMO.