Second Battle of the Golden Fiddle

[Grant]

Ossoff and Warnock lead with <1% of the vote counted.  Place your bets.

[kidv]

https://youtu.be/3bMGfae6ls0

Wow.

[TheDrake]

Damn your eyes, now I've got a tab open to live vote totals. No predictions.

[Grant]

Is it just me or are they counting votes a lot faster this time? 

That would make it really really fast for Georgia. 

Over/Under on how many days it takes for Georgia to call this election? 

I say one week.  For the first count. 

Then first and second recounts. 

[TheDrake]

Looks like they were able to preprocess a lot of absentee ballots as far as opening them and validating. So some counties were able to quickly scan those off, and report partial results.

[DonaldD]

Well, this looks surprising... except the numbers are from primarily Democrat early voting, so...

[TheDeamon]

Well, this looks surprising... except the numbers are from primarily Democrat early voting, so...

Wouldn't be shocked if it holds true, Trump is still fighting.

And I said upfront that if he was still fighting when this vote happened it was going to encourage anti-Trump voters to turn out and vote Democrat.

That part of his fight also consists of his regular goto of tin-foil hat conspiracy claims also feeds to pro-Trump boycott effort "because the vote is rigged" so voting is pointless--thus reducing turnout in favor of Republicans.

Will be interesting to see the outcome, but I'm not going to watch the blow by blow of it unfolding.

If the Republicans win, I'll be amazed. If they lose, it's because of Trump. If the result splits(1 dem, 1 republican), I'll be amused.

I'll be concerned if the Dems win both seats though. Democrat control of the Senate with some of the insane things some Democrats have been talking about doing... I just hope there are enough Democrats with spine enough to not allow that insanity to happen. In any case, the 2022 midterms should be "interesting" to say the least, especially as everyone waits to see what happens with the Electoral College Votes in the morning.

[Grant]

Is it physically impossible for Atlanta to get it's poop together? 

I mean, they just went through a whole three months with huge amounts of pressure and criticism.  They were basically called incompetent by the Sec of State, not for inaccurate results, but for taking so damn long and not being able to use the machines correctly.  You would think they would really put their back into it this time.  Show the country that they can do it right. 

But noooooooooooooo. 

DeKalb County doesn't seem to be even trying. 

We're going to be waiting a week to find out who won this election, and it's going to be on Atlanta. 

[Grant]

Last time Georgia had two elected Democrat Senators:
 
1986-1992

[Grant]

Years Georgia has had two Republican Senators:

16

[Grant]

So Warnock is beating Loeffler more than Ossoff is beating Perdue.  That means we have some people who split their vote in Georgia.  Why? 

There seems to be no reason to split the vote if they're trying to maintain some sort of balance.  One win is all the Republicans need to maintain tenuous control. 

The only answer would seem to be differences in the candidates.  This would seem to be an "anti-partisan" thing to do according to the theories of some people around here.  I guess they're still only 1% of Georgia voters though.

[Grant]

Where is the DeKalb County early vote?  I don't condone death threats but perhaps I can make exception for tar and feathering threats. 

[Grant]

Well, I for one am very sorry to be seeing the end of the Cocaine Mitch Era.  I don't really foresee how Joe Manchin now being the most powerful man in America will be an improvement. 

[Grant]

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/republicans-turn-on-trump-georgia-loss-455305

The knives are coming out and the cowardly RINO deep state traitors are threatening the Orange Messiah and his loyal patriot supporters.  Won't they be surprised on January 20th? 

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/republicans-turn-on-trump-georgia-loss-455305

“Trump is the cause of this, lock, stock and barrel,” said one Republican strategist. “But when you’re relying on someone to win you a Senate race that also lost statewide eight weeks prior, you’re not in a position of strength.”

When asked why Republicans didn’t prevail on Tuesday, a senior Senate Republican aide simply said: “Donald J. Trump.”

The frustration stems from the days after the Nov. 3 election. While Republicans tried to reset in Georgia and prepare for the two runoff races, the president set off a civil war within his own party as he launched a divisive campaign to overturn the 2020 election.

“He is the Dems’ best base animator,” said one GOP strategist involved in the Georgia races. “Look at how high turnout was on their side compared to historical trends. Look at how much their candidates raised. He steps back after Election Day and denies them that oxygen. He didn’t.”

The GOP blame game has expanded beyond Trump to some of his party acolytes. One party official suggested RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel — Trump’s hand-picked party leader — should step down, only a day ahead of the Republican National Committee’s annual Winter Meeting in Amelia Island, Fla.

“I think the blame will be spread around, but a party chairman losing a presidential election and losing the Senate majority should, out of honor, offer her resignation even if the committee doesn’t accept it,” the Republican official said.

McDaniel spent the months leading up to the election trying to support the president’s efforts to subvert the election, while simultaneously addressing concerns his efforts might suppress the Republican vote in Georgia. In late November, McDaniel pleaded with Republicans to vote in the runoff elections after people at a campaign stop repeated Trump’s false claims and told McDaniel the election was “already decided.”

“Turns out if the leader of a party spends two months actively delegitimizing elections and saying voting doesn’t matter, voters listen,” said a Republican who worked on the runoff races. “There was one decisive factor in Georgia and anyone who says otherwise is probably sharing substances with Lin Wood.”

Josh Holmes, former chief of staff and campaign manager to McConnell, pointed out how poorly Trump’s message had played in the Georgia suburbs.

“Suburbs, my friends, the suburbs,” Holmes tweeted. “I feel like a one trick pony but here we are again. We went from talking about jobs and the economy to QAnon election conspiracies in 4 short years and - as it turns out- they were listening!”

Trump’s closest allies pointed the finger right back at McConnell, arguing his decision to block the Trump-backed $2,000 Covid stimulus checks doomed the Georgia candidates.

[DonaldD]

You jest, but it is true.  The Republican Party sold its soul for short term electoral success, and now that soul is owned by the most despised man in the country.  Those blaming Trump now are the same people who were too cowardly not to tie their own success to him in the first place.

[Grant]

I am unsure whether to view the President's latest efforts as proof that he is :

1.   A petulant child, with complete lack of maturity

2.  Losing touch with reality and descending into madness

3.  The perfect embodiment of evil on the face of the earth.  The avatar of Satan.  Consistently trying to tempt other human beings into committing evil, election fraud, and crimes against the Constitution of the United States, while wrapped in the highest office of the land, perhaps the greatest power of any human being on earth, making him the greatest domestic enemy of the United States since Jefferson Davis.  All while gathering an army of fanatical followers marching to the fife of conspiracy theories and distrust. 

[Kasandra]

Thank you, Donald Trump!

[yossarian22c]

Thank you, Donald Trump!

I don't think the temporary political power is worth the long term damage he's doing to our country.

[Grant]

I don't think the temporary political power is worth the long term damage he's doing to our country.

I didn't know you were a Republican, Yoss. 

[LetterRip]

Random asside - love the title.

[msquared]

You have to be careful or Charlie will sue for copyright infringment.

[Grant]

You have to be careful or Charlie will sue for copyright infringment.

I think Charlie died.  I think the 'Rona got him.  RIP. 

[Grant]

Anybody concede yet?  Or are we going to have to deal with another round of fraud BS and recounts out the wazoo? 

[DonaldD]

I'm pretty sure Ossof/Perdue is in mandatory recount territory, so that won't be over for a while, regardless.

[NobleHunter]

Only just, apparently recount is mandatory at 0.5% and it's at 0.4%-ish right now. It could easily widen enough to get out of range by the time they finish counting.

[yossarian22c]

Latest totals expand Ossoff's lead to 50.4% to 49.6% about 35,000 vote lead. Warnock's lead is about twice as large. Big enough neither should face any kind of challenges for long. Does anyone know when they would be seated? I was surprised that Loeffler and Purdue were on the floor yesterday, its technically the new congress, maybe state law leaves the current senator in place until after the runoff is complete?

[wmLambert]

What is sad about the Georgia run-off voting is that a Rad state that has dome well is turning purple due to the cast-offs blues escaping their old messes - and bringing their own problems with them.

[DonaldD]

Latest totals expand Ossoff's lead to 50.4% to 49.6% about 35,000 vote lead. Warnock's lead is about twice as large. Big enough neither should face any kind of challenges for long. Does anyone know when they would be seated? I was surprised that Loeffler and Purdue were on the floor yesterday, its technically the new congress, maybe state law leaves the current senator in place until after the runoff is complete?

My understanding is that Loeffler's term, when she replaced Isakson, was not to end until January 2023 (barring a special election, which there was).  So exactly when her term now ends is another question.  I guess Perdue and Loeffler are now in their very own, personal, lame duck sessions.