All major news outlets are reporting that Donald Trump has been elected to a second term. Steve Holland, Joseph Ax, Bianca Flowers and Jarrett Renshaw report at Reuters:
PALM BEACH, Florida, Nov 6 (Reuters) – Donald Trump was elected U.S. president, capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House and ushering in a new American leadership likely to test democratic institutions at home and relations abroad.
Trump, 78, recaptured the White House on Wednesday after a campaign marked by dark rhetoric that deepened the polarization in the country, prevailing after two attempts on his life and a late decision by Democrats to run Kamala Harris, opens new tab when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race in July.Harris, the U.S. vice president, will deliver a speech conceding the election to Trump at around 6 p.m. (2300 GMT), two sources told Reuters.
The former president’s victory in the swing state of Wisconsin pushed him over the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency. As of 8 a.m. ET (1300 GMT) Trump had won 279 electoral votes to Harris’ 223 with several states yet to be counted, Edison Research projected.
The states that remain undecided at this point are Arizona, Maine, Michigan, and Nevada. Of those Harris is expected to carry only Maine. If that holds true, Trump will have carried all of the “battleground states”. That would raise his electoral vote total over 300, a solid victory if not a genuine “electoral landslide”.
I am gratified by this:
He also led Harris by more than 5 million votes in the popular count.
Maybe that will put the whinging over the Electoral College to bed for a while.
It appears that Republicans will have a majority in the Senate and, possibly. a majority in the House. If Mr. Trump’s agenda is what he said it was during the campaign, that raises some small hope that a few much-needed reforms will be enacted. For example, you should not be able to hide partisan activity behind the Civil Service Code.
My streak continues. In my entire life I have voted in very election but only once for a candidate that was actually elected: Barack Obama in 2008.
I’m seeing quite a bit of sour grapes from major media outlets. I hope they recognize that they’re part of the problem and a major reason that Trump was elected.
It’s still early and I don’t think that Democrats have fully apprehended what has happened to them.
I hope the Democrats keep the House – I prefer a divided government.
I would say that except that when Trump was first elected the Democrats devoted far too much attention to getting rid of him. I would expect no difference this time.
The guy who led that charge has now been elected to the Senate so he’s been rewarded for devoting that attention to getting rid of him. In other words it’s a proven path to success.
The Democrats are in the minority; they are trying to take the House. The odds are against them, as of right now, Republicans have gained 3 seats and DecisionDeskHQ has the odds Republicans have the majority at 75%.
All things considered, a more impressive win then 2016 (even if less shocking), a broader victory then 2004 (in terms of geography, demography) — we have to go back to 1988 for a better performance by Republican Presidential candidate.
It was interesting watching the night, there was more then a passing resemblance to 2016,, Trump consistently over performing the polling by a percentage or two, the non-concession by the Democratic campaign manager, the late night election call, the crazy market gyrations.
PS : Checking NYT, Colorado looks like one of the places to swing to the Democrats. Other places with such a swing were some suburbs of Atlanta, the part of North Carolina affected by Helene, the plain states in general (Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota).
Now that Republicans have a simple majority in the Senate, is getting rid of the filibuster still “long overdue”?
This is more hilarious than the first time. What is that old saying? “Denial is a river in Egypt.”
I think the Harris campaign was the strangest I’ve ever observed in that I don’t have a sense at all of who she is, and I grew up a middle class kid is not as informative as she (or her handlers) thought. I understand the circumstances were unusual, but somehow I don’t see Bush I or Gore having similar difficulty on short notice to describe a continuity and change vision. I tend to think that when the gig was over she wasn’t going to run for President, but retire to whatever financial opportunities in giving speeches, serving on committees, or lobbying/lawyering she found most attractive. I suspect Vance will be preparing to run for President as soon as he’s sworn in, if not sooner.
Candace Owens has been doing a series of investigative videos on the topic of Kamala Harris’ family, ancestry, and background.
She is as mysterious as Barrack Obama, or Barry Sartoro, her tentative conclusion is that Harris’ mother is Indian Brahman, and her father, still alive but mysteriously hard to locate, is a Syrian Jew who is part Irish. The Black aunties and uncles she has referenced are friends of her mother from Berkeley. IDK, but why so mysterious?
https://youtu.be/vrM8B1qlpqI?si=jacgaEzD3kGKxVf6
Didn’t you know it was taboo to question her blackness?
I suspect she’s probably 1/8th of sub-Saharan descent through her father (who is quite light-skinned). I have pointed out before that she is pointedly not “Afro-American”—of sub-Saharan African descent, the descendant of American slaves. Much like Barack Obama.
I suspect that anybody who has “Afro-American” friends is well aware of the cultural differences.
Civil service reform:
Elon Musk has expressed his interest in joining the Trump administration.
You think Trump is impulsive?
When he bought Twitter he fired 80% of the staff right off.
Things could really happen.
The message is clear, Americans don’t want to be governed by a permanent Ivy League elite caste.
That’s why I keep bringing up civil service reform. Without changing the law that would be illegal.
It’s not just civil service employees. The number of civil service employees is dwarfed by the number of contract employees and grant employees. Didn’t I just post on this subject? An astonishingly large proportion of the college educated depend on the government for their livelihood (like just about every country).
@Curious, if you are looking at the NYTimes “shift” graphic, I have a different take. The country is full of red arrows showing a pretty broad shift toward Trump this election, it’s not just a regional or swing state shift. But a lot of those arrows are from small counties, and three of the four most populous counties the Atlanta metro, including the one containing Atlanta, shifted towards Trump.
Dave:
Regardless of her ancestry, or President Obama’s, the willingness of American voters to get behind someone who doesn’t want to reveal WHO they are disturbs me.
As for both of them, they’re chameleons, I won’t go so far as to say Manchurian Candidates, but only because I don’t know. It’s suspicious, both rose so quickly and their campaigns were clearly professionally conducted.
Rock Stars. Americans might be wising up.
In Obama’s case it’s easy. Emil Jones sent him. That was enough.
“For example, you should not be able to hide partisan activity behind the Civil Service Code.”
Have never seen good evidence this actually happens. Regardless, is the right way to do this to replace everyone with actual partisans, likely without much competence or experience?
Anyway, you are making this much too complicated. This is largely about resentment over the inflation we had and not addressing the immigrant surge until it was too late.
Steve
Dave Schuler: I have pointed out before that she is pointedly not “Afro-American”—of sub-Saharan African descent, the descendant of American slaves.
Like others of the African diaspora, Africans were enslaved in Jamaica and Harris‘s ancestry through her father is not atypical, with most Jamaicans having and considered to be of African descent. In this case, Harris has a slave owning ancestor, Hamilton Brown from about 1800. Harris was bussed as a Black during integration.
Harris was BORN in 1964, she was bused AFTER integration. Not by federal mandate but by a voluntary school district decision.
Grey Shambler: Harris was BORN in 1964, she was bused AFTER integration. Not by federal mandate but by a voluntary school district decision.
You mean Harris was bused after the end of legal segregation. That’s not the same as integration. The Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) mandated busing for integration in 1968.
Sounds like Harris’ mom PREFERRED the company of African Americans and some busybodies on the Berkeley School Board couldn’t live with that so they sent a BUS to take little Kamala to the White school because they mistook HER for African American and THIS is the only reason she was discriminated against in Berkeley.
Thanks for your clarification.
And the King sermon.?
Oh, gee whiz.