14 Comments
Aug 22Liked by David Kurtz

Thank you for your vigilance about the dangers from djt. We cannot assume vigilance any longer from the media. As to djt's scheme to get election outcome thrown into HR: when will Ds acknowledge to voters and exhausted grassroots volunteers/donors dangers such as this? We cannot assume D leaders are planning [in private] to foil this scheme. They/we were not prepared for Bush v. Gore. Same refrain for Bush v. Gore II. Isn't this "silence" by D leaders a disservice to Ds on the ground? And what might be the civic results should djt scheme[s] work?

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You are probably quite correct about the media at large. Shows on MSNBC have been regularly speaking about this but that is a small sliver of media coverage.

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You don't have to assume, just learn the facts. Harris has hired a small army of lawyers including the bulldog Marc Elias. https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/17/2263891/-Harris-Walz-Campaign-Legal-Team-is-Ten-Times-Bigger-than-Biden-s-was-in-2020-Hires-Marc-Elias-too

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tRump has been telegraphing his "we already have the votes" message for some time now, and quite honestly, he is beginning to realize that winning the election legitimately is slipping away, perhaps even irrevocably. His campaign appearances lately have been low-energy, and all that is left in his attack repertoire is stupidly juvenile slagging-off of Kamala Harris, i.e., going personal.

The tRump campaign is devoid of a national ground-game, and quite publicly are pushing the notion that it's in the bag, and a loss would ONLY be a result of Dem "cheating.

Dems are at DEFCON 1 status, and are fully prepared - in advance rather than ad hoc - to intercept and quash MAGA election officials' attempts at hanky-panky. I mean, there is some real horse-shite scenarios being spun out about putting the fix in, throw it into a GOP house, get the "fraud" lawsuits up to SCOTUS, etc., etc., but the odds just don't favor such eventualities, especially given the Dems advance preparations in place.

But, we can all agree that tRump won't go away peacefully, and neither will his supporters. Fortunately, he and his MAGA lot aren't in government, don't hold the levers of power in their hands, and the Biden administration has the DOJ, US Attorneys, and other elements of federal law enforcement to ensure that votes are counted, certified, and passed onto each state's electors.

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The DOJ should launch investigations into state officials who may not certify the elections in their states for no good reason. If they equivocate, arrest them until after the election. Is that protecting democracy? I think so.

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Judy Woodruff is Andrea Mitchell lite.

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Thanks for including the January 6th video - it's so powerful. There have been many great speakers and great videos at the DNC, it's hard to remember them all but this is one that stayed with me.

I agree with your assessment of the Big Lie with a Twist. It's not tin foil hat territory at all, they're working on making that happen at the lowest levels of electoral government. Thankfully, they're not doing it in secret; I've read or seen enough that gives me some hope that there's still time to intercept them.

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We are in unprecedented times, so it's very hard to see all the possibilities unfolding for how TFG will cheat. But perhaps more importantly, it's hard to imagine using all the levers we have to stop it.

At the end of the day, I don't believe Biden has come all this way just to let the American experiment die. If the election is a blowout for Harris but TFG looks like he will steal it, Biden does have some outside the box options. The Supreme Court has granted him some "official duty" powers, with one justice specifically providing an example involving Seal Team Six. Is that not a perfectly legal remedy at this point?

Yes it's unthinkable, but we have to look at the long arc of history and what it would mean not just for the US but the world if TFG is allowed to steal our futures.

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Clinton was the 1st president I voted for. The ballot came while I was in Basic training. I had to hide it under the mattress til there was time to fill it out.

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Yes it very well could happen again in Jan . Why because diaper donnie tells them too . Between SCOTUS , Election officials in some states , and others only on way to avoid it . Vote blue down the line . So he gets beaten so bad , it will be over .

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One of the key reasons MAGA thought the election was stolen was that Trump's crowds vs Biden's COVID basement campaigning just didn't add up in their minds. "How could he have LOST?!?"

Imagine this. Compare Harris-Walz current enthusiasm vs Trump's hiding in mar-lago and his weak rallies. If Trump wins anyway, wouldn't you think he stole the election? I would.

Further, let's say Harris's lawyers open lawsuits claiming fraud, (for which there may be plenty of evidence,) but due to SCOTUS corruption, the suits were thrown out. Would that satisfy you? It wouldn't for me, either.

I would feel the election was stolen and the courts were rigged against us.

That's how they felt in 2020. No matter the truth, if the above hypothetical situation occurred in 2024, how we would then feel is how they felt.

And they had no way to prove it.

Weird.

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I had already figured out the Trump scenario after reading the NC comments. As usual he’s saying the quiet part out loud. To me the switch from trying to win to trying to steal is obvious.

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I have this fantasy, a hopeful wish, that if Felonious Trump steals the election, We, the People don’t accept it. All this hope and joyful power in the People that I am seeing and feeling, makes me wonder if we are more than the fraudsters, bullies, and even the “Supreme” Court. It may be a crazy thought, but this wave that’s building feels strong and determined to Not Go Back.

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I’m so old I remember all the way back to ca. 2015 when Trump said he could only lose if there’s fraud and he would not commit to accepting the election results. [Further comments on that omitted on obscenity grounds. YO-YO with that.]

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