What will Nov. 3, and beyond, actually bring us on presidential election results?

Some very interesting, and possibly scary, thoughts, per the latter part of the post today.

Bill Barr: Officially Trump's fixer, says Norm Eisen. NPR adds more, about how Billy Bob is enabling Trump's BS on voting by mail. Speaking of ...

Despite Trump AND Republicans consistently for years claiming that Democrats, especially minorities, are most likely to "cheat" on voting by mail, many Blacks still distrust it, even during the pandemic. The story notes that Black and Hispanic ballots by mail are rejected at a higher rate than White ballots. (No information on Asian or American Indian ones.) Since Trump's postmaster general is cutting OT pay, and thus further slowing the mail, I can't blame their stance. Speaking of ...

Ben Smith discusses how media in general and TV in particular could botch election coverage. Speaking of ...

Look at all the different ways a transition in a disputed presidential election could play out. Dems lost the EC twice this century and yet, other national Dems haven't pushed Elizabeth Warren's effort to abolish it. (Yet another reason I'm not a Democrat.) Dems continue to fear ANY new traction for Greens more than they do continued Electoral College problems?

Eisen was one of the participants in role-play gaming this, which had one of four possible scenarios:
Each scenario involved a different election outcome: An unclear result on Election Day that looked increasingly like a Biden win as more ballots were counted; a clear Biden win in the popular vote and the Electoral College; an Electoral College win for Trump with Biden winning the popular vote by 5 percentage points; and a narrow Electoral College and popular vote victory for Biden.
In the scenarios, the team playing the Trump campaign often questioned the legitimacy of mail-in ballots, which often boosted Biden as they came in — shutting down post offices, pursuing litigation, and using right-wing media to amplify narratives about a stolen election.
My guesstimated order of likelihood, within the four?
No. 1, 35 percent;
No. 2, 40 percent;
No. 3, 10 percent;
No. 4, 15 percent.

Per Smith, yes, the US not having a national election commission (a real one, not the joke called the Federal Election Commission) is itself a problem.

And, in none of the four scenarios, do I expect Dems to be any more solicitous of getting rid of the Electoral College than they are now.

I stopped the presidential campaign tax donation

You all probably know the one I'm talking about.

That little check box at top right of your federal income tax return where you can contribute up to $3 of your taxes to the federally-financed presidential re-election campaign fund.

Ever since Barack Obama escalated opting out of the system to a new level in 2008, and doing an ethnically dubious head fake on John McCain in the process, I've become less enamored of it.

The 2012 election, even setting aside Citizens United, raised those feelings even higher.

And, since things like the Federal Election Commission are stacked and biased in favor of the two major parties, why should I help something that Democrats as well as Republicans abuse, and that will never, ever, under current structure, help Greens.

Fuhgeddaboudit.

This year, for the first time since I became an even halfway liberal adult, I refused to check the box. And will continue to not check it in the future.

But, I'll still vote for third-party options, and tout them, whenever and wherever I can.

If nothing else, just to be a pain in the ass to the bipartisan political establishment.

That, too, is part of my First Amendment right.

For now, at least.

Bush loses last few marbles on FEC compromise

The Preznit and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have agreed to three new Federal Election Commission compromise member being nominated, but Bush insists on continuing to push Hans von Spakovsky , claiming he would get confirmed if offered a full Senate vote:

The White House believes he “would be confirmed by the Senate if allowed a vote,” said White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in a letter to Reid on Tuesday.

Any Democrat who does vote for him deserves to be flogged, then tarred and feathered.

“We will work towards the confirmation of the remaining nominees and expect to defeat von Spakovsky,” Reid spokesman Jim Manley said.

But, does Bush really believe that Clever Hans can get nominated? What a doorknob.

We need John McCain and one campaign staffer (presumably female) …

For a special appearance before the Federal Elections Commission.

Given John McCain’s alleged affair with a whiff of regulatory impropriety coming close on the heels of his “I was for public campaign financing before I was against it” attempt to apparently defraud the Federal Election Commission and the American taxpayer, via his campaign committee, and the currently quorum-less FEC now saying McCain’s fiscal sleight of hand needs another look, it’s clear we have the stage for a perfect train wreck.

The Schmuck Talk Express™ needs to have casual sex with one of his campaign staffers, ideally someone in either fundraising or legal issues, so as to have direct connection with his loan agreement, so he can then go interfere with the FEC on her behalf!