U.S. Electoral College close to formally confirming Joe Biden's win

[webfact]

U.S. Electoral College close to formally confirming Joe Biden's win

By Michael Martina and Julia Harte

 

FILE PHOTO: Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential nominee Joe Biden points a finger at his election rally, after news media announced that Biden has won the 2020 U.S. presidential election, in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., November 7, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

 

LANSING, Mich. (Reuters) -State by state, the U.S. Electoral College convened on Monday to formally confirm Democrat Joe Biden's victory as the next U.S. president and effectively end President Donald Trump's long-shot attempt to overturn the election results.

 

Members of the Electoral College in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin and Arizona - battleground states won by Biden but challenged unsuccessfully in court by Trump - all cast the states' electoral votes for the former vice president.

 

The Electoral College votes, traditionally a formality, have assumed outsized significance because of Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud in November's poll.

 

Results for weeks have shown Biden won 306 Electoral College votes - exceeding the 270 needed to win - after four tumultuous years under the Republican Trump. Biden and running mate Kamala Harris are due to take office on Jan. 20.

 

There was next to no chance that Monday's voting would negate Biden's victory and, with Trump's legal campaign to reverse the results floundering, the president's hopes of clinging to power will rest with a special meeting of the U.S. Congress on Jan. 6 where the odds against him are as good as insurmountable.

 

California, the most populous U.S. state, was expected to formally push Biden over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win overall after its electors meet at 5 p.m. ET (2200 GMT).

 

Electors of the Electoral College gathered in their respective state capitals to cast their votes in the U.S. presidential election.

 

Biden, 78, was due to make a speech at 8 p.m. ET on Monday (0100 GMT on Tuesday) calling on Americans to turn the page following the Electoral College vote.

 

"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago," he was expected to say, according to excerpts released by his transition team. "And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame."

 

Once in office, Biden faces the challenging task of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, reviving the U.S. economy and rebuilding relations frayed with U.S. allies abroad by Trump's "America First" policies.

 

THREATS OF VIOLENCE

In Arizona, at the beginning of the electors' meeting there, the state's Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, said Trump's claims of fraud had "led to threats of violence against me, my office, and those in this room today," echoing similar reports of threats and intimidation in other states.

 

"While there will be those who are upset their candidate didn't win, it is patently un-American and unacceptable that today's event should be anything less than an honored tradition held with pride and in celebration," Hobbs said.

 

Under a complicated system dating back to the 1780s, a candidate becomes U.S. president not by winning a majority of the popular vote but through the Electoral College system, which allots electoral votes to the 50 states and the District of Columbia largely based on the size of their population.

 

(Here's a graphic on how the Electoral College works: https://tmsnrt.rs/3lUKcgv)

 

Electors are typically party loyalists who represent the winning candidate in their state, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, which allocate some of their Electoral College votes based on which candidate won each of the states' congressional districts.

 

While there are sometimes a handful of "rogue" electors who vote for someone other than the winner of their state's popular vote, the vast majority rubber-stamp the results.

 

Trump said late last month he would leave the White House if the Electoral College voted for Biden, but has since pressed on with his unprecedented campaign to overturn his defeat, filing without success numerous lawsuits challenging state vote counts.

 

On Monday, he repeated a series of unsupported claims of electoral fraud.

 

"Swing States that have found massive VOTER FRAUD, which is all of them, CANNOT LEGALLY CERTIFY these votes as complete & correct without committing a severely punishable crime," he wrote on Twitter.

 

MICHIGAN MUTED

A group of Trump supporters called on Facebook for protests all day on Monday outside the state Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, one of the hardest-fought states where Trump lost.

 

But by early afternoon only a handful had gathered, including Bob Ray, 66, a retired construction worker. He held a sign that read: "order a forensic audit," "save America" and "stop communism."

 

Trump has called on Republican state legislators to appoint their own electors, essentially ignoring the will of the voters. State lawmakers have largely dismissed the idea.

 

"I fought hard for President Trump. Nobody wanted him to win more than me," Lee Chatfield, Republican speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, said in a statement. "But I love our republic, too. I can't fathom risking our norms, traditions and institutions to pass a resolution retroactively changing the electors for Trump."

 

Once the Electoral College vote is complete, Trump's sole remaining gambit would be to persuade Congress not to certify the count on Jan. 6.

 

Any attempt to block a state's results, and thus change the overall U.S. tally, must earn majority approval from both chambers of Congress that day. Democrats control the House of Representatives, while enough Republicans in the Senate have acknowledged Biden's victory to ensure any challenge would likely fail.

 

In 2016, Trump won the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. The formal vote earned extra attention when some Democratic activists called for electors to "go rogue" against Trump. In the end, seven electors broke ranks, an unusually high number but still far too few to sway the outcome.

 

(Reporting by Michael Martina in Lansing, Michigan; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta, Joseph Ax, Brad Heath and Jan Wolfe in Washington; Writing by Alistair Bell and Joseph Ax; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-15

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[placeholder]

According to a rather large faction of Trump supporters, this means that martial law is next on the agenda.

[PatOngo]

What you gonna do now, when reality sets in, Proud Boys?

[placeholder]

16 minutes ago, placeholder said:

According to a rather large faction of Trump supporters, this means that martial law is next on the agenda.

Actually, I got the lunacy wrong. First it's going to be a Congressional reversal of the electoral college vote. Then, when that fails, it's going to be martial law.

[Jingthing]

25 minutes ago, placeholder said:

According to a rather large faction of Trump supporters, this means that martial law is next on the agenda.

Many people won't know what you're talking about, but I do.

I've been reading the Mr. trump fans social media.

Indeed they are now openly advocating for numerous horrifically authoritarian measures.

 

Including --

 

Martial law

Military coup to keep Mr. trump in power

Armed militias in lieu of military cooperation

Succession

Civil War

 

Polls are showing the vast majority of republicans think the election was stolen by Biden and that he can't be a legitimate president. Of course they are parroting their leader.

That's bad enough (it's very bad), but the more critical question is what percentage of Americans favor the items on that list. I think it's clear that it's not a majority of republicans. But even if it's only one percent (and it appears to be much higher than that) world history shows that a small number of people are capable of a massive amount of destruction.

 

Anyway, congratulations (again) to President Elect Biden and Vice President Elect Harris.

[Jingthing]

10 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

What you gonna do now, when reality sets in, Proud Boys?

What does reality have to do with their movement?

[Tug]

It’s official calif just cast 302 for joe and kamala trumps flushed!!!yippie!!! Back to sanity make politicians boring again!!!

[Jingthing]

Well, it's now official. 

The electoral college count now has Biden over 270.

But don't expect Mr. trump to concede. Ever. 

[Tug]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

Well, it's now official. 

The electoral college count now has Biden over 270.

But don't expect Mr. trump to concede. Ever. 

Who (blank) cares he will fade hopefully to prison for insurrection expect the mother of all tweet storms and one epic temper tantrum hopefully he won’t get to many killed 

[Jingthing]

3 minutes ago, Tug said:

Who (blank) cares he will fade hopefully to prison for insurrection expect the mother of all tweet storms and one epic temper tantrum hopefully he won’t get to many killed 

Honestly, we don't know that.

He will retreat to Mar Lago and declare his candidacy for 2024.

He will try to continue to bully the entire republican party.

Oppose him and you get hate tweeted and primaried out.

President Elect Biden for whatever reasons has made it clear that he won't be trying to force legal consequences on Mr. trump.

His attorney general might. The state of New York more likely might.

But we don't know and he has a massive legal defense fund largely raised by his recent grifting. 

Then there are his children who may also be his proxies.

Put him in jail and he becomes a martyr which will likely inspire many of his loyalists to violence. 

So I don't see how anyone can predict anything with confidence about the future of Mr. trump except for some basic things such as that he won't concede and will try to make Biden's presidency illegitimate. 

[Tug]

The tantrum blame storms starting billey Barr just got canned (so did donald)lol

[PatOngo]

Good riddance DJT you one term loser clown! ???? 

[webfact]

U.S. Electoral College formally confirms Joe Biden's victory over Trump

By Michael Martina and Jarrett Renshaw

 

A small band of Trump supporters march with flags as electors gathered to cast their votes for the U.S. presidential election at the State Capitol complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 14, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst?

 

LANSING, Mich. (Reuters) - Democrat Joe Biden on Monday won the state-by-state Electoral College vote that formally determines the U.S. presidency, all but ending President Donald Trump's floundering campaign to overturn his loss in the Nov. 3 election.

 

California, the most populous state, delivered its 55 electoral votes to Biden on Monday afternoon, officially putting the former vice president over the 270 votes needed to secure the White House. Based on November's results, Biden earned 306 Electoral College votes to the Republican Trump's 232.

 

Earlier in the day, electors in several major battleground states where Trump has unsuccessfully sought to reverse the outcome - Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - also voted for Biden, who is set to take office on Jan. 20 alongside running mate Kamala Harris.

 

Traditionally a formality, the Electoral College vote - set for Monday by federal law - assumed outsized significance because of Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud.

 

Biden planned a prime-time address at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday (0030 GMT on Tuesday) to mark the occasion and call on Americans to "turn the page" on the Trump era.

 

"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago," he was expected to say, according to excerpts released by his transition team. "And we now know that nothing — not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame.

 

"In this battle for the soul of America, democracy prevailed."

 

There was next to no chance that Monday's voting would negate Biden's victory and, with Trump's legal campaign to reverse the results failing, the president's dim hopes of clinging to power rest with persuading Congress not to accept Monday's electoral vote during a Jan. 6 special session - an effort that is virtually certain to fail.

 

Once in office, Biden faces the challenging task of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, reviving the U.S. economy and rebuilding relations frayed with U.S. allies abroad by Trump's "America First" policies.

 

THREATS OF VIOLENCE

In Arizona, at the beginning of the electors' meeting there, the state's Democratic secretary of state, Katie Hobbs, said Trump's claims of fraud had "led to threats of violence against me, my office, and those in this room today," echoing similar reports of threats and intimidation in other states.

 

"While there will be those who are upset their candidate didn't win, it is patently un-American and unacceptable that today's event should be anything less than an honored tradition held with pride and in celebration," Hobbs said.

 

A group of Trump supporters called on Facebook for protests all day on Monday outside the state Capitol in Lansing, Michigan, one of the hardest-fought states where Trump lost.

 

But by early afternoon only a handful had gathered, including Bob Ray, 66, a retired construction worker. He held a sign that read: "order a forensic audit," "save America" and "stop communism."

 

Under a complicated system dating back to the 1780s, a candidate becomes U.S. president not by winning a majority of the popular vote but through the Electoral College system, which allots electoral votes to the 50 states and the District of Columbia largely based on the size of their population.

 

(Here's a graphic on how the Electoral College works: https://tmsnrt.rs/3lUKcgv)

 

Electors are typically party loyalists who represent the winning candidate in their state, with the exception of Maine and Nebraska, which allocate some of their Electoral College votes based on which candidate won each of the states' congressional districts.

 

While there are sometimes a handful of "rogue" electors who vote for someone other than the winner of their state's popular vote, the vast majority rubber-stamp the results.

 

Trump said late last month he would leave the White House if the Electoral College voted for Biden, but has since pressed on with his unprecedented campaign to overturn his defeat. On Monday, he repeated a series of unsupported claims of electoral fraud.

 

"Swing States that have found massive VOTER FRAUD, which is all of them, CANNOT LEGALLY CERTIFY these votes as complete & correct without committing a severely punishable crime," he wrote on Twitter.

 

TRUMP'S GAMBIT

Trump had called on Republican state legislators to appoint their own electors, essentially ignoring the will of the voters, but lawmakers largely dismissed the idea.

 

"I fought hard for President Trump. Nobody wanted him to win more than me," Lee Chatfield, Republican speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, said in a statement. "But I love our republic, too. I can't fathom risking our norms, traditions and institutions to pass a resolution retroactively changing the electors for Trump."

 

Once the Electoral College vote is complete, Trump's sole remaining gambit would be to persuade Congress not to certify the count on Jan. 6.

 

Any attempt to block a state's results, and thus change the overall U.S. tally, must earn majority approval from both chambers of Congress that day. Democrats control the House of Representatives, while enough Republicans in the Senate have acknowledged Biden's victory to ensure any challenge would likely fail.

 

In 2016, Trump won the Electoral College despite losing the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton by nearly 3 million votes. The formal vote earned extra attention when some Democratic activists called for electors to "go rogue" against Trump. In the end, seven electors broke ranks, an unusually high number but still far too few to sway the outcome.

 

(Reporting by Michael Martina in Lansing, Michigan; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta, Joseph Ax, Brad Heath and Jan Wolfe in Washington; Writing by Alistair Bell and Joseph Ax; Editing by Soyoung Kim and Howard Goller)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-12-15

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[riclag]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

There was next to no chance that Monday's voting would negate Biden's victory and, with Trump's legal campaign to reverse the results floundering, the president's hopes of clinging to power will rest with a special meeting of the U.S. Congress on Jan. 6 where the odds against him are as good as insurmountable.

So it appears the next important dates in the process are   January 6 and the 20th! 

[Thailand]

Pardons will be flying off the shelves now,special prices for any remaining close allies. 

Self pardon, but then that would of course indicate wrongdoing. May have to ask Joe for one, now that would be funny.

[candide]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Well, it's now official. 

The electoral college count now has Biden over 270.

But don't expect Mr. trump to concede. Ever. 

Let's hope Trump won't complain about a suspect peak when California voted and declare the electoral college vote was rigged! ????

[J Town]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

<snip>

That's bad enough (it's very bad), but the more critical question is what percentage of Americans favor the items on that list.

<snip>

"Texas lawmaker to file bill calling for vote on secession from US"

 

Texas lawmaker to file bill calling for vote on secession from US | TheHill

[J Town]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Well, it's now official. 

The electoral college count now has Biden over 270.

But don't expect Mr. trump to concede. Ever. 

I just watched an Ari Melber interview of a stubborn old white guy Republican politician (didn't catch his name). Ari kept drilling on the guy asking him a Yes or No question - "Do you think Joe Biden is now the president elect" - and the guy kept deflecting. Finally, after multiple direct questioning, the guy finally answered "No." This isn't entertaining any more. This representative kept parroting the same bs that's been spewing from 45, debunked over 50 times. This is a direct attack on the democratic process and will be looked at as a dark, shameful time in history.

 

 

 

[J Town]

1 hour ago, Tug said:

The tantrum blame storms starting billey Barr just got canned (so did donald)lol

Billy Barr recently dismissed 45's blame tweets as a "deposed king ranting." I don't think he's gonna get a very good letter of reference.

[Chomper Higgot]

42 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Pardons will be flying off the shelves now,special prices for any remaining close allies. 

Self pardon, but then that would of course indicate wrongdoing. May have to ask Joe for one, now that would be funny.

He might sell a few, and he will pardon those who have dirt on him, but he’s not going to be doing anyone any favors for free.

 

He views those who tried to help him as he failed as the cause of his failure.

 

Billy Barr being an example.

 

 

[Sujo]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

So it appears the next important dates in the process are   January 6 and the 20th! 

Not important for trump.

[animalmagic]

45 has just signed his latest legal challenge to the election results.

It starts - 'Dear Santa'

[J Town]

52 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Not important for trump.

I'd beg to differ. 20 Jan 2021 is a TOXIC date that probably keeps him up at night. That's the day he removes the crown, thus all the protections melt away, and he becomes citizen 45. Oh, that date is quite important to him!

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, riclag said:

So it appears the next important dates in the process are   January 6 and the 20th! 

What about the military coup? The one that great patriot and would-be traitor, Michael Flynn is calling for? When is that scheduled to take place?

[Chomper Higgot]

2 hours ago, riclag said:

So it appears the next important dates in the process are   January 6 and the 20th! 

So what’s the next ‘cunning plan’, burn the calendar?!

[animalmagic]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Many people won't know what you're talking about, but I do.

I've been reading the Mr. trump fans social media.

Indeed they are now openly advocating for numerous horrifically authoritarian measures.

 

Including --

 

Martial law

Military coup to keep Mr. trump in power

Armed militias in lieu of military cooperation

Succession

Civil War

 

Polls are showing the vast majority of republicans think the election was stolen by Biden and that he can't be a legitimate president. Of course they are parroting their leader.

That's bad enough (it's very bad), but the more critical question is what percentage of Americans favor the items on that list. I think it's clear that it's not a majority of republicans. But even if it's only one percent (and it appears to be much higher than that) world history shows that a small number of people are capable of a massive amount of destruction.

 

Anyway, congratulations (again) to President Elect Biden and Vice President Elect Harris.

The five authoritarian measures you refer to above are extremely scary, and frighteningly possible, especially as there are GOP politicians from Texas openly calling for secession.

Almost 10 years ago Putin referred to the break up of the Soviet Union as the 'greatest geopolitical catastrophe', I wonder if he would feel the same way about the break up of the United States?  Revenge is a dish best served cold?

Putin: Collapse of the Soviet Union was 'catastrophe of the century' | The Independent | The Independent

 

 

[FritsSikkink]

3 hours ago, riclag said:

So it appears the next important dates in the process are   January 6 and the 20th! 

What you want to do on the 6th? The house is in the hands of the Democrats, so nothing will happen.

[onthedarkside]

3 hours ago, J Town said:

Billy Barr recently dismissed 45's blame tweets as a "deposed king ranting." I don't think he's gonna get a very good letter of reference.

 

That was a false report/quote that didn't actually come from Barr, AFAIK. It was a UK Daily Mail distortion of a CNN report, that correctly attributed that comment to some other unnamed source.

[onthedarkside]

A post misattributing another member's comments has been removed, along with replies.

 

[PatOngo]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

What does reality have to do with their movement?

The 2nd amendment!