On your behalf, I have been carefully watching the US results as they come in.
It seems highly likely that Joe Biden will be the 46th President of the United States of America.
He’s already flipped Arizona, the Nebraskan 2nd District and Wisconsin.
With sufficient quantities of uncounted mail-in votes from heavily Democrat-voting districts still to come, Michigan and Pennsylvania look to move into Biden’s column, with the possible addition, for similar reasons, of Georgia.
As an aside, I have been to Detroit and Atlanta. They will not vote for Trump, believe me.
Trump’s campaign have asked for a recount in Wisconsin as they have a right to do, with a margin of less than 1% according to the state’s laws. However, based on historical recounts in the state, this will garner them about 200 votes, if that – well within Biden’s margin.
Trump’s campaign will no doubt try other legal challenges and the official results may be delayed, but we are looking at President Biden.
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
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12 Comments
I do so hope you’re right Paul.
I never normally have any interest in US Politics, but this time, I was unable to sleep last night, kept waking up every couple of hours and having to switch on the TV for updates, then finding myself not being able to get back to sleep.
I don’t think I can cope with this if it goes on till Friday, or worse weeks with Legal challenges.
America needs a result and then to heal its divided country, mind you, I think the world has a lot of healing to do after 4 years of trump.
Lets hope we get a definitive result tonight
@Matt
I think that it is close enough for Biden to be taking a lot of ceourt action as Biden would if the boot was on the other foot so one can expect delay! Even if it becomes fairly clear.
The guardian is reporting that after Wisconsin being declared for Biden, he just needs (!) to maintain his leads in Michigan and Nevada.
I am no expert but Pennsylvania looks to me difficult for Biden with I think it being reported a Trump lead of 6% lead with an 18% left to count which is quite a high 2/3rds of the rest of the vote
Biden Harris will win Pennsylvania and two of the expert commentators on BBC have called for reform of the Electoral College, an obsolete committee which never meets. It .may need a constitutional amendment, but it distorts the election system.
Ideally -=19-they might also want to reform the Supreme Court, which .may need a constitutional amendment, I do not know for sure but when President F D Roosevelt wanted to this he was opposed by going against tradition and won because he won the Presidency four times, the only person to do so and was able to nominate a series of Justices to the Supreme Court.
ISBN 0-19-91313074-4
The short Oxford History of the Modern World 1607-1980 Maldwyn A. Jones.
Did anyone put a bet on?
May I suggest putting your net winnings into the bye-election fund?
I too hope you’re right on this Paul as you were in your prescient article of 2nd November.
Richard Underhill 4th Nov ’20 – 10:05pm
Black lives matter.
President Lyndon B Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act 1965, but it is time to restore the damage to it done by some states and by the Presidential campaign of Richard M Nixon across the south.
A great speech from Joe Biden. He is looking Presidential.
Married to the country, I love it and feel much that is strong about it. There months ago, just before the pandemic, I too want Paul and this view, for this good man, to be so.
He’s BIDEN: His Time…
The “Left” in the USA had to field their mildest possible character to get their vote up, Trump has actually increased the number of people who voted for him despite Covid – that is a major achievement any way you look at it. Biden will hinder a decent Brexit and bolster the EU so looks like we will have a double whammy of poor Brexit deal and Covid chaos. The markets think it is business as usual with Biden but what would happen if all the shares the central bank printed money to buy were sold at a profit to fund, say, free medicare in the USA? Covid means that Bidin can throw away his promises and reform things anyway he likes – but does he have the stomach for doing more than Obama who was a splendid chap but did not change many things. Ah well, we can look forward to Ms Harris as president in four years time…
HI Frank,
First of all, regarding the matter of share prices being inflated by monetary easing, well that might benefit a few very rich investors, the Warren Buffets and Bill Ackmans of this world (pause for ritual booing) but there are a lot of ordinary peoples savings and pensions tied up in the market, ordinary people whose dreams don’t go much beyond a happy retirement, a few games of golf and the odd cruise. We shouldn’t be sniffy about these people.
Secondly, if the shares were sold in any meaningful number the price would tank and there wouldn’t be any profit to spend.
Finally, regarding our looking forward to Ms Harris as President in four years time, I don’t think that’s a given. We don’t know a great deal about Ms Harris except that as a state prosecutor she was fond of locking up black folk for stealing a pizza and that she is quite willing, it would seem, to be flexible in her political views if that is what it takes to make it to the top. “These are my principles and if you don’t likel them, well, I have others”. As limey with no axe to grind in USA politics, I would say that the Republicans have every chance in 2024 if they come up with a conservative candidate who is just a bit less of a fool (or thug) that Donald J.
Whatever happens the USA is clearly divided down the middle, with neither side willing to compromise. Not dissimilar to the U.K. really. What ever happened to compromise?
Well, I don’t know who’ll win and if anyone has a better idea than I then I’ve not heard it…
Umpteen articles of ‘Would’ve’, ‘Could’ve’, Should’ve’ add nothing, except wishful thinking, to the situation…
@john Marriott
I like compromise but it is a myth that there not been hard fought elections in the past. Thatcher in this country, Reagan in the US etc. It’s how we resolve things without fighting a civil war.
Apathy is far far worse.
The time for compromise is after an election which the USA is far better at with its checks and balances than the UK.
@Frank West,
“…..what would happen if all the shares the central bank printed money to buy….”
The central bank is essentially a part of government so this, were it to happen, would be simply a process of Nationalisation.
And this is what you think the Tories are secretly up to?