Can Trump win with 'fantasy' electors bid? State GOP says no

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By BOB CHRISTIE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI

Republican leaders in four critical states won by President-elect Joe Biden say they won’t participate in a legally dubious scheme to flip their state’s electors to vote for President Donald Trump. Their comments effectively shut down a half-baked plot some Republicans floated as a last chance to keep Trump in the White House.

State GOP lawmakers in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have all said they would not intervene in the selection of electors, who ultimately cast the votes that secure a candidate’s victory. Such a move would violate state law and a vote of the people, several noted.

“I do not see, short of finding some type of fraud — which I haven’t heard of anything — I don’t see us in any serious way addressing a change in electors,” said Rusty Bowers, Arizona’s Republican House speaker, who says he’s been inundated with emails pleading for the legislature to intervene. “They are mandated by statute to choose according to the vote of the people.”

The idea loosely involves GOP-controlled legislatures dismissing Biden’s popular vote wins in their states and opting to select Trump electors. While the endgame was unclear, it appeared to hinge on the expectation that a conservative-leaning Supreme Court would settle any dispute over the move.



FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2020, file photo supporters of President Donald Trump protest the election outside of the Clark County Election Department in North Las Vegas. Republican leaders in four critical states won by President-elect Joe Biden say they won’t participate in a legally dubious scheme to flip their state’s electors to vote for President Donald Trump. Their comments effectively shut down a half-baked plot some Republicans floated as a last chance to keep Trump in the White House. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-legislature-pennsylvania-b199b2debc87fbb20612a48835bc0dba

[mdbl]

1. I applaud their integrity

even though it blows my mind that this was an issue to even worry about.

[AZ8theist]

4. Bowers represents LD25, where I reside...

He has no integrity.

[mdbl]

6. You mean he'll pull a Lindsay Graham?

[dware]

7. It would seem in this instance that he does have some integrity. nt

[AZ8theist]

32. He's a lifer with no possible threat of losing. He can say whatever he wants.

[dware]

33. Ok. nt

[oldsoftie]

13. Well this same idea was brought up in '16 too. Just not as seriously.

[Turin_C3PO]

17. True but at least

we had a moral case given that Clinton won the popular vote. Not that it would’ve been legal but it would have represented the majority‘s will.

[usaf-vet]

2. I fairly sure it was for SELF interest. Some of key players in a state are worried about....

.... congressional investigations they might have to face.

Right? RoJo aka Ron Johnson has some explaining to do when it comes to his activities trying to dig up dirt on Hunter Biden.

He and Rudy G. deserve nothing less than Hillary emails, Benghazi, Trump's Spygate, and dozen of other repug hearings that turned up nothing!

Especially in comparison to a QUARTER of A MILLION Americans dying from Covid-19

[Sloumeau]

3. Three sentences makes clear exactly what Trump's plan was:

First, we have this sentence:

“I do not see, short of finding some type of fraud — which I haven’t heard of anything — I don’t see us in any serious way addressing a change in electors,” said Rusty Bowers, Arizona’s Republican House speaker, who says he’s been inundated with emails pleading for the legislature to intervene.

This shows that Republicans might have actually tried to flip electors if Trump had been able to show examples of fraud. Fortunately, Trump's lawyers have been unable to do that.

Then, we have these two sentences:

The idea loosely involves GOP-controlled legislatures dismissing Biden’s popular vote wins in their states and opting to select Trump electors. While the endgame was unclear, it appeared to hinge on the expectation that a conservative-leaning Supreme Court would settle any dispute over the move.

So, we see that after GOP-controlled legislatures selected electors, in defiance of the will of the people, Team Trump figured that the Supreme Court would rule in Trump's favor when Biden's lawyers asserted that the move by legislatures was illegal. This is why it is great that Biden had a team of lawyers ready to jump on the phoney assertions of fraud from the very beginning. It might have worked too, if it weren't for all of those dang kids voting for Biden, working the polls, and being poll watchers.

Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

[Ligyron]

10. Trump: "and we would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for those meddling kids!"

[not_the_one]

21. "Trump figured that the Supreme Court would rule in Trump's favor"

Because it is not EXPLICITLY written that it can't be done... and STATES control the elections.

Close any loopholes that may ever be used to do an end run around the will of the people, by EITHER party.

We need to address every single "issue" that was considered because "it is not explicitly written". ESPECIALLY whether a sitting president (or ANY person) can NOT face charges for crimes committed WHEN the crimes occurred.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

5. I never trust a single thing any Republican says, when they

say they will do something that is fair, just, decent, and honorable.

Long experience has proven to me that this is a wise position.

I'm watching my back, and will believe it when I see it.

[Turin_C3PO]

18. Good thinking,

however this was always an unlikely scenario. I’m 95% sure the Supreme Court wouldn’t have allowed anything like that.

[kentuck]

8. He would have to change the electors in at least 3 states.

That will be very difficult to do.

They need to back up the U-Haul.

[brooklynite]

9. Taking all the fun out of the conspiracy theory biz...

[Thekaspervote]

15. Including right here!! posted DOZENS of times with absolute certainty it would happen

[Turin_C3PO]

19. I do understand why people

think like that given how immoral and treacherous Trump and the GOP have been the last four years. But yeah, flipping electors was never gonna happen.

[Thekaspervote]

24. Agree! Even as I referenced links to SCOTUS rulings to some of those posts, as to why it wouldn't

Happen, I would be lying if I said there weren’t times I wasn’t fearful they would try it.

My comment here is as much pointed at those that posted long diatribes about how this would happen with no proof. It really ramped up anxiety..and that’s just wrong

[Turin_C3PO]

26. Yeah,

people were making themselves sick with anxiety, saying they couldn’t even sleep due to worry. I felt bad for them but they should have been more realistic and not believe far-fetched theories.

[not_the_one]

23. Thank you. Glad you were paying attention.

I would much rather see what may be coming, rather than singing la la la la, with my fingers in my ears, and be blindsided.

I am in good company with Malcolm Nance. His opinion carries a LOT more gravitas than mine. Or yours.

[Turin_C3PO]

25. But there's plenty of experts

who aren’t named Malcolm Nance who explained why those conspiracy theories would never happen. I respect Nance but he’s not correct on everything.

[Thekaspervote]

29. I don't think anyone was going lalala. I never posted ANY disagree comments without links

To SCOTUS rulings, what gop legislative majority leaders were saying, or other sources Neil Kaytal, Joyce Aileen and even Malcolm Nance from his interviews with Stephanie Miller.

It was NEVER just my opinion...so please

conspiracy theories take legs very quickly and produced a lot of unnecessary anxiety..even here.

Here are the links I used repeatedly written by Laurence Tribe, UW law prof and others....if you care to educate yourself

https://verdict.justia.com/2020/09/30/no-republicans-cannot-throw-the-presidential-election-into-the-house-so-that-trump-wins

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2020/07/14/supreme-courts-faithless-electors-decision-validates-case-for-the-national-popular-vote-interstate-compact/

https://whyy.org/articles/as-legal-challenges-fizzle-pa-gop-reaffirms-it-will-not-seek-to-override-popular-vote/

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/11/10/pa-electoral-college-popular-vote/

https://www.wisn.com/article/gop-lawmaker-suggests-wisconsin-electors-choose-presidential-winner/34622122

[BusyBeingBest]

11. Who's seriously left in the GOP who still wants to throw himself on the fire

for the Orange Loser in his waning days?

[NCDem47]

12. Oh, you know the GOP...

Future headlines:

"[FILL IN THE BLANK] starts to backpedal on earlier statements."

When somebody gets to them and just about twists their arm off.

LOTS of that going on in the last fiour years.

[William Seger]

14. Abolish the Electoral College and we'll never have to worry about that again

[Rebl2]

16. 100% Agree!!!

[not_the_one]

28. The very fact that this little scheme was considered

should be grounds enough for the EC to be abolished.

Cue the naysayers, "It Can't Be Done", "Constitutional Convention", "34 States Will Never", blah blah blah.

Things don't happen because they are never tried.

We should put Pete in charge of explaining everything. He could do it in a way that would allow everyone to see the danger of the EC, and cooperate in a solution that honors the "one person = one vote" ideal.

NOTHING happens if it is never tried. That is a basic tenet of the "conservative" philosophy. CHANGE is BAD. (Unless, of course, it will financially benefit the rich, and be paid for by the rest of us.)

[crickets]

34. Thank you. The first step to achieving change,

whether you think it will be successful or not, is to try. The effort, and all that goes with it, is enough to start moving things in the right direction. First effort doesn't work? Try again. Eventually change happens, but not if no one tries.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

20. This is an open admission by the Trump people that the only way they can win is if they cheat. n/t

[Major Nikon]

22. They don't care

These people are zealots and useful idiots who are so firmly vested in their cause they could give two shits about anything remotely democratic.

[onetexan]

31. Correct, they justify cheating as they have continuously

Justified the con's bad behavior.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

27. "a half-baked plot" - finally, some truth telling in journalism! I really thought for a while I

might never see that again in my lifetime.

Although far too many news sources are using the word "misinformation" for republican statements, rather than the more correct "disinformation " or "lie."

[elleng]

30. THANKS to them,

and thank YOU, O-Steve, for the info.