With all due respect but you guys are starting to overthink this.
First of all the score in the house is currently at 216 R vs 208 D, while 218 gives you the control. Therefore as it looks on seat by seat basis Republicans will have even more slim majority than they had. Which was already razor thin. What evidently means that there is no MAGA majority for the most crazy stuff.
Kinda the same is with the senate where should be 53 out of 100 majority. What is simply too thin for ultra radical changes, especially due to establishment republicans that are still in the mix. Therefore this will probably flip back in 2026. Especially if Trump masses up, what is evidently possible.
US could actually use some sorting out when it comes to street crime and pointless spending.
Some ultra large changes in foreign policy also aren't possible, especially not over the night. In other words there are plenty of industries that are fully reliant on the policy as it is now. Not to mention that many of these are in the red states. So all the changes will have to be gradual if he doesn't want blue tsunami in 2026.
The real question should be more like: can either party keep the top position of US in the world? That one is actually much bigger enigma. But when it comes to these elections in particular I think you are kinda overthinking all of this.
Many of us do need to think ahead enough to plan for possible contingencies that could affect us badly. We should not act precipitously in the moment, but consider what might happen, how we would respond, and start lining up the necessary resources in case a response becomes necessary. Most in jeopardy are heath care for certain segments of the population, legal protections enabling people to remain employed or have their family unit recognized, and the historical record. This last may seem hyperbolic, but some states have already began limiting the teaching of U.S. history regarding slavery, whitewashing what actually happened during those years.
A significant danger once Biden is out of office, is that there will simply be a lack of enforcement of existing protective laws. For example: in the days after the election, a spate of text messages were sent to black people, including many students as young as middle school, ordering them to report to buses in their area that would take them to work on some southern plantation as slaves. The FBI and other law enforcement are investigating this as the harassment and threat that it is. I would imagine once Trump is president again, the response might be: "Come now, surely you didn't take that seriously? It's just a harmless prank. Ignore it." Now extend this across the range of hostile acts or common crimes people might experience. Law enforcement might be quicker to respond and take seriously reports from certain groups than others. Or even other emergency responders like paramedics. Witness the response to Hurricane Maria that devastated Puerto Rico when Trump was president before, vs. the recent response to Helene and Milton.
We can hope for the best, or at least not so bad, but need to be prepared for the worst.
There is something fishy about this election. The fact that democrats were seeing record registrations and yet she still underperformed Biden. The way Trump was smugly saying it didn’t matter and he would win no matter what. I think the right found a way to put their finger on the scales and there should be investigations, otherwise it’s going to keep happening.
I think the Dems kind of shot themselves in the feet by repeatedly saying that our elections are fair, because now it will look bad if they call for any investigations.
My gut is telling me a lot of shenanigans happened. With republicans in power, they will likely bury or destroy any evidence of wrongdoings on their part.
I was half hoping the Harris campaign would mount the same sort of "stop the steal" movement Trump pulled the last time. The desire not to stoop to their level competes with wanting to give them a taste of their own medicine. Given the concerted efforts at voter suppression in key swing states, they might actually have a better case than Trump ever did. He complained about fraud even when he won before. Now that's a sore winner.
I don't think you can compare other country dynamics to the dynamics within the United States, even if some of the groups are superficially similar, especially in light of the two-party system versus a more coalition government. It will remain to be seen, but some people are gonna be pretty fubar by this development.
As I mentioned yesterday in my blog, I fortunately fit the requirements for an online passport renewal and got it in yesterday -- so hopefully I'll have it in hand if things go badly for people in my situation. As said, preparations are still needed. You'd rather have options on the table, if things sour.
Today I have started to consider how I am going to respond if I am required to sign a loyalty oath to our New Fearless Leader as an employee of fedgov. Obviously you all know my actual feelings about this, but there's something to be said about being a quiet resistance and/or still having access to fight from within -- I still care about the citizens I have been assisting with my technical skills over the years. I have no idea if this will occur for my particular agency or what kind of "loyalty" this would mean, aside from them just giving themselves an easy way to have people leave voluntarily or fire people who do not comply with an agreement in some way. I also have no other financial partner to depend on; I am alone.
This is why I am glad I work for a contractor now, not back with the government. As a private company, requirements on the federal workforce don't apply, at least not directly. I was hired into a position that requires significant experience and highly specialized expertise, and they had been trying to fill for close to a year. Of course, Americans do have a great propensity for shooting themselves in the foot.
