2020 presidential election straw poll

[BigFatMeanie]

You don't like participating in national elections in a meaningful way?

Participating in a meaningful way is precisely why I vote the way I do.

[fusnik]

I think Trump is going to lose too. I think he'll get more votes than the pollsters think he will - but he's lost a lot of folks I know who voted for him last time around.

For the record - as long as we're talking about smart people believing in stupid boogeymen - the "peaceful transition" thing has got to be one of the dumbest I've ever heard.

Trump doesn't have a choice. As Biden himself said during the debate - if Trump is voted out, he will be gone. He'll be out of the White House and he won't be president. He doesn't have the support he would need to try to stage any kind of coup. Sure - people will vote for him. But they aren't going to grab their guns and try to keep him in office - not in any meaningful numbers. You may have a handful of kooks like those who wanted to kidnap the governor. But it just isn't going to happen. There will probably be some court fight and some mean words said on twitter. But if he doesn't get the EC numbers he needs to win, Trump will be gone. And there won't be any need for a war or any kind of physical force to get him out.

Couple things:

Norms are important. It’s important for our Republic to survive for the entire electorate to be comfortable with the elections regardless the outcome. He’s absolutely destroying any semblance of a free and fair election. All things with him are interconnected, it’s an extension of the peaceful transition questions it’s absolutely not dumb to discuss.

Let’s run a thought experiment, let’s say he loses by a slim margin. We’ve had 4 years of him radicalizing the GOP to believe that elections are rigged and aren’t fair and that the deep state is attempting to steal the presidency from him. You think that all his followers are going to think yeah it’s cool no biggie. He tweeted liberate Michigan and you had a bunch of people plotting to kidnap and kill a sitting governor. You don’t think over the presidency there is a high probability of more of this?

You think he’s going to lose and be gracious?

[Harry Tic]

LOL at all the "Other" votes. Are you all writing in the name of Mitt Romney's wife too?

UVACoug, I actually wish more people who are opposed to Biden would realize that they don't have to casting a vote for president. There's no shame in not voting for either of the two and voting conscientiously down-ballot. I wish more people in my neck of the woods that are "torn" would just skip that vote and cast a vote in the less tendentious races.

[Eddie]

...You think he’s going to lose and be gracious?

Of course not. I just think that he's going to be gone. Throwing a temper tantrum as he goes, most likely. But he'll be gone. And Biden will be sworn in and take office and move forward.

As far as your thought experiment - the truth is we are all screwed no matter what happens. If Trump wins there will be protests, riots, and places getting burned to the ground as a result. And if Trump loses, there's the potential for his followers to do something stupid too. But Trump will be gone - and there won't be violence or force required on that front. The passing of power will be peaceful, no matter how stupid Trump is for not saying it out loud when asked by reporters.

Now - if you're talking about all of the followers being peaceful - nothing we've seen over the last 6 months has shown me that either side is capable of that. Regardless of what Trump says or does.

[fusnik]

Of course not. I just think that he's going to be gone. Throwing a temper tantrum as he goes, most likely. But he'll be gone. And Biden will be sworn in and take office and move forward.

As far as your thought experiment - the truth is we are all screwed no matter what happens. If Trump wins there will be protests, riots, and places getting burned to the ground as a result. And if Trump loses, there's the potential for his followers to do something stupid too. But Trump will be gone - and there won't be violence or force required on that front. The passing of power will be peaceful, no matter how stupid Trump is for not saying it out loud when asked by reporters.

Now - if you're talking about all of the followers being peaceful - nothing we've seen over the last 6 months has shown me that either side is capable of that. Regardless of what Trump says or does.

Both sides it, hot take alert.

[BigFatMeanie]

I'm not sure why people are laughing at the number of "other" votes. 40% of registered voters in Utah are independent. 21.5% voted for McMullin last presidential election. Is it really hard to believe that people won't vote for either of the two major party presidential candidates?

I officially left the Republican party the day they nominated Trump. I was a registered independent until a couple of months ago when I officially joined the United Utah Party. The UUP hasn't endorsed a candidate for president as far as I know, although the chair of the party has publicly stated he's voting for Biden. I will not vote for either Biden or Trump. Like UVACoug, I'll investigate some of the other candidates on the ballot and will either vote for one of them, or write someone in, or simply not vote on that race.

Also like UVACoug, I'm voting for Spencer Cox for Governor

I won't be voting for the UUP candidate for state auditor, Fabbi. Dude is just too dorky-looking for me. I know nothing about his politics but I can never vote for someone who dresses like Al Capone's bookkeeper.

I live in Utah's 4th district. I'll vote the UUP candidate Jonia Broderick for that. I'm definitely not voting for Burgess Owens (too much crazy). I considered voting for Ben but decided that if I was going to join UUP I should support at least some of their candidates. Interestingly, Burgess and Ben are debating tonight start in about 10 minutes, but I'm not watching it. Instead, I'm headed to Harbor Freight to get some tools I need for an AR-15 build (seriously, and no old_gregg, it's not a Daniel Defense).

I live in Utah's state house district 50. UUP isn't running a candidate in State House District 50 this year so I'll almost certainly vote Republican for Susan Pulsipher.

[BigFatMeanie]

Both sides it, hot take alert.

In your absence I forgot how much of an ass you are. Things haven't changed, I see.

[fusnik]

In your absence I forgot how much of an ass you are. Things haven't changed, I see.

Lol.

I honestly don’t remember who you are.

[Lost Student]

Exactly those are Trump votes.

If you look at Trump and Biden it’s the choice between a flaming pile of shit or a salmon salad. The ‘other’ voters apparently see those choices and say, I don’t really like fish, how hot is the flaming part of the pile of shit?

Moving the goal posts here.

[Commando]

I'm not voting for Biden or Trump for the same reason I didn't vote for Hillary or Trump.

Because you low-key like Trump and he could use the support?

[Northwestcoug]

I just posted this in the Supreme Court thread but it belongs here; sorry for the double post.

In related news, I submitted my ballot earlier this afternoon. Based on known votes thus far in California, Biden is carrying the state unanimously. I'm not, nor have I ever been, a big fan of Biden, but I think one let's oneself off the hook by voting third party in an election like this one. There are only two people who can win this election, and I think one needs to take some responsibility for Biden if one rejects Trump, which I do enthusiastically. I fully expect to have a lot of problems with a Biden/Harris administration, but I also expect all of those problems to fall within the spectrum of normal political disagreements. I want to obliterate Trumpism.

Goooood. Let the hate percolate through you until it boils over into fury that the GOP allowed Trump to be foisted upon this country!

A vote for Biden in 2020 is the same as a Hillary vote in 2016, even in parts of the country where it doesn't matter. It may not work, but a landslide democratic victory is the first step in purging Trumpism from the GOP. Our broken system requires the semblance of two serious national parties. And before DH calls this black and white thinking, I really do want a functioning GOP, and not a culture warrior party, to keep the democrats honest.

[BigFatMeanie]

Because you low-key like Trump and he could use the support?

Yeah, that must be the reason.

[Lost Student]

Goooood. Let the hate percolate through you until it boils over into fury that the GOP allowed Trump to be foisted upon this country!

A vote for Biden in 2020 is the same as a Hillary vote in 2016, even in parts of the country where it doesn't matter. It may not work, but a landslide democratic victory is the first step in purging Trumpism from the GOP. Our broken system requires the semblance of two serious national parties. And before DH calls this black and white thinking, I really do want a functioning GOP, and not a culture warrior party, to keep the democrats honest.

I agree, and why I'm most likely going to be ridin' w/ Biden.

[Commando]

Yeah, that must be the reason.

Glad we've come to an understanding.

[Commando]

I agree, and why I'm most likely going to be ridin' w/ Biden.

OMG I would have murdered someone by now if I lived in Idaho. I can't even stand the Idahoans on my social media...