Even though Biden does seem like a "nice, decent man" I fear he won't be a strong leader. And his age doesn't help the situation. As a moderate Republican (not a Trump supporter) at least Trump has guts.

Also, it's not uncommon to vote against the other candidate, and not necessarily voting for the candidate you're voting for.

I don't trust politicians in general, and have been voting for the lesser of two evils for years.

"Trump was campaigning on opening up the country... " in the middle of the pandemic.

We had 100,000 NEW cases yesterday.

Isn't that enough data to make a decision?

Dear Diana,

Thank you for an excellent article with all your valid thoughts and questions.

I truly believe that the citizens of the United States of America should have the back of the US Government. To have a government that focuses on the wellbeing of its people in a knowledgeable, modest and considerate manner, not a government that takes all your oxygen away.

As I wrote earlier, I agree with the two-party system. I am not in agreement with a three-party system, and I believe the Trumpian party has become that third party, which now dominates the Republican Party.

Nevertheless, we are seeing something really good in that the democratic voting system is working. Let every vote be counted, that is democracy.

Some of my thoughts about the issues you have brought up:

1. Polls: The polling companies and the media endorsing these polling companies need to research why predictions were so far off. Many polling companies (and I have filled out about seven polls) ask nothing about the person answering the polls, such as level of education. Education alone may skew the results. They need to find out more about the background of the respondents.

2. Candidate Joe Biden: I would like to see an increase in a younger generation of politicians taking roles in both the Democratic and Republican parties. I admire VP Biden for his courage and his stamina at 77 years old, and I strongly believe he will invest in younger resources, i.e., Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke and more people of this age bracket.

3. Joe Biden's message: Hindsight is always easier than prediction. I believe that Mr. Trump made a terrible mistake in not being honest with the American people about the deathly severity of this horrible pandemic. As a result, many people did not take it seriously, something we have paid for and will dearly pay for in the future. Why so many people stuck and stick their heads in the sand, is something I do not understand. I wonder how many Republicans of the hundreds who were in the White House dining on burgers and fries on Election Day will be infected soon.

If Joe Biden becomes President, I want to see immediate action on major financial relief for all people and companies in need.

4. Turn-out: I love it, and I respect both parties for the massive turn-out. I actually would like to see literally every vote counted towards the election of a president. The winner takes all might have worked two hundred years ago, but not in this day and age. I can live with the opposing party in charge, if every vote were counted.

5. Choosing Donald Trump: I agree with your surprise. Why, I have to say, can decent people vote for a narcissist (Web Link a liar, a cheater, a prostitute visitor, a misogynist, a bully, a person who already apparently has 4,000 lawsuits to his name, and a person who has no shame about wanting to stop the voting in states where he is ahead and to continue counting in the states where he is trailing, is just beyond me.

Nevertheless, all the above may be influenced by genetics. Take a read about Donald Trump's grandfather:
Web Link

Finally, I have nothing against the Republican Party and peaceful Republicans. I do have everything against the Trumpian Party and violent Trumpians.

Dear Diana,

Thank you for an excellent article with all your valid thoughts and questions.

I truly believe that the citizens of the United States of America should have the back of the US Government. To have a government that focuses on the wellbeing of its people in a knowledgeable, modest and considerate manner, not a government that takes all your oxygen away.

As I wrote earlier, I agree with the two-party system. I am not in agreement with a three-party system, and I believe the Trumpian party has become that third party, which now dominates the Republican Party.

Nevertheless, we are seeing something really good in that the democratic voting system is working. Let every vote be counted, that is democracy.

Some of my thoughts about the issues you have brought up:

1. Polls: The polling companies and the media endorsing these polling companies need to research why predictions were so far off. Many polling companies (and I have filled out about seven polls) ask nothing about the person answering the polls, such as level of education. Education alone may skew the results. They need to find out more about the background of the respondents.

2. Candidate Joe Biden: I would like to see an increase in a younger generation of politicians taking roles in both the Democratic and Republican parties. I admire VP Biden for his courage and his stamina at 77 years old, and I strongly believe he will invest in younger resources, i.e., Pete Buttigieg, Beto O'Rourke and more people of this age bracket.

3. Joe Biden's message: Hindsight is always easier than prediction. I believe that Mr. Trump made a terrible mistake in not being honest with the American people about the deathly severity of this horrible pandemic. As a result, many people did not take it seriously, something we have paid for and will dearly pay for in the future. Why so many people stuck and stick their heads in the sand, is something I do not understand. I wonder how many Republicans of the hundreds who were in the White House dining on burgers and fries on Election Day will be infected soon.

If Joe Biden becomes President, I want to see immediate action on major financial relief for all people and companies in need.

4. Turn-out: I love it, and I respect both parties for the massive turn-out. I actually would like to see literally every vote counted towards the election of a president. The winner takes all might have worked two hundred years ago, but not in this day and age. I can live with the opposing party in charge, if every vote were counted.

5. Choosing Donald Trump: I agree with your surprise. Why, I have to say, can decent people vote for a narcissist (Web Link a liar, a cheater, a prostitute visitor, a misogynist, a bully, a person who already apparently has 4,000 lawsuits to his name, and a person who has no shame about wanting to stop the voting in states where he is ahead and to continue counting in the states where he is trailing, is just beyond me.

Nevertheless, all the above may be influenced by genetics. Take a read about Donald Trump's grandfather:
Web Link

Finally, I have nothing against the Republican Party and peaceful Republicans. I do have everything against the Trumpian Party and violent Trumpians.

>"First question, what happened to all those polls that ended up so very wrong -- and now two elections in a row?"

^ I read in 'The Week' that when it comes to the polls, Trump supporters tend to be secretative about their preference...as a result, the 2016/20 pre-election polls didn't mean JACK.

>"Second, while I am a Democrat, I wonder if Biden was the best candidate for his party. "

^ All things considered, who else could the Democrats have offered...Kamala Harris, a couple of socialists (Warren, Sanders), a gay candidate?

>"...how come there was such a massive Republican turnout?"

^ Remember your lower division American political science course in college? Republicans always have a higher in-person voter turnout than Democrats...and when it's raining, even fewer Democrats are known to frequent the polls.

Prediction...if Biden wins, there will still be divisiveness in this country & don't be surprised by a 2024 presidential run by Trump.

Trump followers will remain loyal to him & Trump will have 4 years to lambast Biden administration shortcomings via rallies & gatherings. A Republican-controlled Senate & conservative SCOTUS will encumber Biden + Trump will be 'only' 78 years of age in 2024...the same age Biden is at present.

Don't count Trump out...he'll be back.

Thanks Diana, for the blog.

Unfortunately I don't have good answers to your questions. It is a sad commentary, but apparently it's true, that almost half of the voters favor Trump, and as an extension of that, think like him. It's an enigma. I have friends who love Trump, even though they would give their kids a well deserved swat on the butt (with a paddle or a belt) for behaving like him. He's acting like a third world country dictator. He doesn't want to give up his power and will violate/circumvent all dictums and established legal norms to stay in power. A sad day for the democracy that we claim and are so proud to show off and hold up as an example to the rest of the world.

Many years ago my curiosity was raised and I bothered to read Mein Kampf. Hitler wrote the first part of it while he was in prison. Then he organized a political party and rose to power as the Fuhrer. We know the results of that. Could we see a reversal of that in our country now? From President to having a cellmate in a Federal Prison?

On a lighter note...I am pleased with the results of our local election for CC. I was unhappy with some of the results on the Propositions but it bears out the idea that "money talks", especially if it is campaign money from wealthy donors and businesses or organizations that have a lot of money to spend on advertising.

And lastly, I was so happy to see an empty mailbox today. No campaign ads and no bills. Another beautiful fall day in PA.

The big Republican turnout was not an endorsement of Trump,who most of us think is a mess, but a reaction to the crazed, emotionally-driven Democratic agenda,and the media who shilled for him. A media which is willing to censor stories like the Hunter Biden corruption in order to protect their chosen candidate, is a big threat to democracy. If the ticket hadn't been headed by someone as unlikable as Trump, the outcome would have been far different.

If a more progressive candidate had been nominated, it would have been a Nixon v. McGovern type result.

The resolution to this current debacle over election reportage is quite SIMPLE.
(1) If the tallying of votes is being disputed by the Trump camp, declare a moratorium on the final results and...
(2) Refer this contentious issue to the SCOTUS who rightfully should recluse itself, being that its duty is to interpret the U.S. Constitution & not get in involved in political matters. Then (and as per the Constitution), turn the election over to the House of Representatives to determine the winner of the 2020 presidential election. This in turn, will pacify the 'originalist' platform advocates who discount the Constitution as a 'living & breathing's document.
(3) Once Biden is confirmed (an assumption), there should no longer be any question from the far-right conservatives & lunatic fringe...if they truly consider themselves 'patriots'.

There is an old adage that goes, 'be careful what you wish for' & Biden will have four year in which to fulfill his main campaign promises...to eradicate Covid-19 & re-unite the nation of its decisiveness.

And if Biden fails, the 2024 election will provide American voters another option.

Done deal.

Typo/correction... decisiveness > DEVISIVENESS.

Dear Squidsie,
With all due respect, what you are saying is simply lies.
Please, give an example of crazed, emotionally driven Democrat agenda.
And then please explain how is fear mongering (example: current potus saying how deranged left is responsible for looting and damage done during peaceful protests, when in fact it has been proven time and time again that much of the damage inflicted was done by far-right instigators), direct lies from the administration (example: "we are roundining the corner on the virus! it will be gone like a miracle in the summer! virtually no-one is effected!"), outrageous hypocrisy (example: Senator Graham - a president in his last year of presidency should not be allowed to name a Supreme Court justice, and you an quote me on that when there happens to be a republican president who tries to do that). - how do you reconcile with this?
As far as media being a shill of the democratic party - really? Hunter Biden story? First of all there is zero proof that the laptop story is true. But also... Is Hunter Biden running for president? I don't believe so. Should we bring examples of outrageous behavior by the current occupant of the White House's children? Because they are doing some high unethical and potentially illegal things (example: Ivanka Trump getting numerous patents in China as a direct result of being president's daughter).
Again, how do you reconcile all this behavior? How are you ok with it enough to vote in favor of it? Is the idea of universal healthcare, police reform, finally look and higher taxes for corporations and individuals making more then $400K a year scarier then having an administration that no-one can trust, an adiministration that mishandled the pandemic so badly that tens of thousands of people died that really didn't have to. How do you reconcile it?

To be honest, regardless of the final outcome of the election (and I am still very hopeful for Biden win, as well as however slight chance of turning senate blue) my biggest fear and worry is how do we get the country to work as a whole again. Because what we have now - after the last 4 years - is a country that is on the brink of the civil war with people unable to hear each other. Coming back from Tahoe the other week we saw a big Trump train of cars decked out in flags and red hats and all that. And signs such as "make liberals cry again" and "...k your feelings".
When there is so much hate... how can we work together as a country, ever again?

>"When there is so much hate... how can we work together as a country, ever again?"

^ A very good question & concern.

This discontent has been festering even before the 2016 election & has now come to a boil.

Biden (if/when officially elected) has no easy task ahead of him.

Agree with your tranchant comment, Lee.

Unfortunately, as often happens lately, the comment you quoted from about "so much hate" was by from someone promoting exactly that. Characterizing a previous, insightful comment by "Squidsie" as "simply lies" -- rather than endeavoring to understand what in it so many thoughtful people do resonate with.

This unwillingness to see, to seriously examine assumptions, is a big part of the problem.

Common Sense, thank you very much for a further example of what I was talking about.
I asked for proof of some pretty outrageous statements someone was making - because I know that the states are false, as it have been proven, time and time again, by objective sources. But you see me as promoting hate.

This is the state the country is in :((. This makes me incredibly sad.

So another thought.
Have we gotten so far in normalizing the misinformation and lies that come from the top that when we call it out in person we are seen as promoting hate?
Thats a horrifying thought to be sure.

I've said this before - I think journalists should have held Trump and his administration accountable from teh beginning, and confronted them with every lie that have said; on the spot. They did not do it due to a long standing tradition of respect for the office of presidency...

There are certain things that are binary, without much in a way of gray areas.

One cannot be "a little bit pregnant". Either pregnant or not pregnant.
Covid19 is NOT like a flu.
There is no such thing as Alternative Facts. There are facts; and there are lies.

Lee--

Just to be clear, if the election goes to the house, Trump will win. The GOP controls more *states*, and each state gets one vote. Number of seats doesn't matter.

>"Just to be clear, if the election goes to the house, Trump will win. The GOP controls more *states*, and each state gets one vote. Number of seats doesn't matter."

^ In which case, Trump should challenge the vote count & let the House decide the outcome pending a SCOTUS decision to disavow itself from the current election count favoring Biden.

Diana,

Typical Democrats. Blind, ignorant that some of us view a vote for Biden is a WORSE outcome than Trump despite his shortcomings. You view Biden/Harris as without faults. Get over it, 70 million people said they prefer Trump, roughly 50% of the population.
Democrats should do some serious introspection, how a man painted by the liberal media for four years as a racist, misogynist, sexist, maniac could win almost 50% of the votes. ( oh and the Russia collusion- never mind...) My guess is the democrats (socialists) message of higher taxes, regulations, green new deal, identity politics didn't work.

Your words

And what really surprised me was all those Republicans who chose Trump, knowing exactly what they were getting -- a narcissist, a liar, a president who was unable to control the pandemic problem in our country and moreover, took little interest in it, a man who had alienated many of our overseas allies. His voters decided they want more of this. They know his problems, and they have embraced them.

I truly believe that many Republican senators will want to work on bipartisan unity with candidate Joe Biden when he is elected president. They are respectable Republicans not wild Trumpians.

CNN has just announced that Vice President Joe Biden will become the 46th President of the UNITED States. Let the bi-partisan unity begin!

>" I truly believe that many Republican senators will want to work on bipartisan unity with candidate Joe Biden when he is elected president."

^ Seriously? All presumptive President Biden will have going for him is Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives.

The Republican Senate led by Mitch McConnell will derail any Biden initiatives & the 6-3 conservative-based Supreme Court will also block any progressive Democratic measures via a 'non-originalist' Constitutional interpretation.

The devisiveness of 2016-2020 is but a mere peepshow of what is to come & Biden despite his promise to reunite America & curtail the coronavirus will most likely fail as the overall task is overwhelming. And at 81 in 2024, Biden will be a one-shot/one term POTUS...with Kamala waiting in the wings & chomping at the bit.

Lastly & as former SF mayor Willie Brown noted...when it comes to elections, don't rely on pollsters, run with your bookie as the pollsters have nothing to lose.

" I truly believe that many Republican senators will want to work on bipartisan unity"

Why will they start doing that now? The magical thinking is completely disconnected from recent history.

Let's start with a Covid bill - how many will change their vote this month? Will Mcconnell even allow a vote?

>"Let's start with a Covid bill..."

^ Curious...what all-encompassing provisions/protocols should be mandated in a 'Covid Bill'?

All it proves is that this nation has at least 70,000,000 imbeciles willing to vote for a horrible person with not one redeeming quality, a narcissist, incompetent, utterly immoral, a mobster, a traitor and scam artist. It's actually very depressing that Trump received even one vote. I will recover from that depression, perhaps, only if he gets his just desserts: Life in a federal prison, to be served in the general population.

>"All it proves is that this nation has at least 70,000,000 imbeciles willing to vote for a horrible person..."

^ Given the Biden victory celebration currently being televised, it's almost like a New Year's Eve celebration.

So what's next on the agenda for the aforementioned 70,000,000 Trump supporters?

I love the hypocrisy, Trump declares victory and the left says "every vote should count". But when a few tv channels say it's over the left celebrates even though "every vote hasn't been counted". And by the way with so many close elections it's very common to have recounts. But never mind, the liberal press has deemed the race over........

Dear YP,
Something that is generally taught in high school classes:
Election is called in favor of some candidate at the time the number of outstanding ballots (which are, of course, counted) would not effect the outcome of the election. They will still be counted, of course, as we are a democracy, but the election can be called before that.
In very simple terms - we know we have 1000 total ballots cast. 900 of them have been recorded. 800 are for candidate A, 100 for candidate B. Even if every single remaining ballot (100 of them) will be for candidate B, candidate A would still win the election.
Again, this is taught in high school.

So... Biden was declared a winner because the remaining outstanding ballots out there would not effect who won...
Unlike Trump, who declared himself a winner before we go too the point of knowing where it stood.

Wanting something to be true is not the same as something being true.

And for crying out loud, we need an educational reform in this country....

Trump had an opportunity following the 2016 election to take America out of an abyss...instead he drove the nation into a deeper state of chaos & discontent.

Whether the Biden-Harris administration can deliver the goods remains to be seen but it was time for a change of course.

YP,

I actually agree,the vote will eventually be counted no matter what.

But the "statistical" information shows that a "prediction" is significantly strong, it is not like a "polling" company, the ballots are not subject to deceptive information from the voters.

The Polling the country uses at this time has proven to be a waste of money and effort, people LIE to the poll takers.

For example if there is 100K votes left and say one candidate is 30k votes ahead, in order to win the person behind would need to get 66% of that voting group.

But the problem we are seeing is that the remaining vote group is showing the opposite trend. The candidate with the deficits are losing ground. That is why there is a "prediction" or a "statistical determination" of a victor.

But it WILL eventually have ALL votes counted. Realize even FOX came up with the same numerical conclusion, the calculations are all based on the same mathematical rules. The real issue is that Arizona and Georgia are still trending to a Biden victory too.

>"Wanting something to be true is not the same as something being true."

^ Applies not only to elections but to religion as well.

Amazing - Ms. Diamond has displayed the exact reason so many R's vote. Diane you loaded an opinion of DT as part of your blog. All have had to put up with the SJM and SFC, NYT's 4 years worth of diatribe directed at the President of the US. It is like anyone that expresses an opinion is required to put in the same "personal opinion" in order to be printed? Is that a requirement of the job? The American public deserves better that that. The American Public does not need 4 years worth of nasty opinions directed at their national leaders. We held our noses as Obama went on his "apology tour". We held our noses as he threw money at other countries.

DT came into this job as a private person - not a government employee. He has worked hard, as has his family - in private enterprise and been very successful. Meanwhile government employees who work on taxpayer dollars have been using their positions to enrich themselves - a topic the the press has chosen to ignore.

During this campaign Fb has shown much footage of Biden's past speeches and positions on major issues where good decisions where absent. He is not competent and you all chose to ignore that.

As a business person DT recognized that the Paris Accord is a badly negotiated document. You all fail to recognize that the European Union totally controls the projects and finances of it's member countries. China and India are the major bad boys in climate world and were included as "emerging countries" which means they had no goals or financial contribution. The US was the financial Stucky for the EU countries and the people who negotiated that agreement were totally incompetent. They gave away the US dollars and ability to control any aspect of the agreement. That is a trait of the people in charge at that time - throw money at other countries so they "like' us. No - they hate us.

DT has been very successful in getting all of the other countries to meet their obligations in world wide organizations. And the majority of complainers just focus on his tweets. It is like the view of the world has sunken to some low level of regard to the people who contribute their time and energy to getting the best for the US.

WE have added back Darryl Issa in San Diego - YEAH And now we are going to monitor and comment on every D stupid move that goes on for the next four years. Teams move from Defense to Offense. So the D's now have the ball? Can they score any points? Or just give money away to other countries? Game on.

Trump entered the white house as someone who hadn't achieved anything legitimately. He has failed in everything. When he was young his father bailed him out of every mess he created, later on it was his lawyers and mobster tactics. The over quarter of million covid19 casualties which resulted from his unprecedented incompetence, stupidity and inability to care about others is a perfect example of his tenure as President*. His only success has been in being Putin's loyal and obedient puppet. He is a singular failure, a talentless person who bullied, cheated and conned his way through life. He was someone incapable of bagging groceries, no offense to grocery baggers, who scammed his way to an imaginary fortune built on numerous bankruptcies, using legal loopholes to escape, while in reality owning more than a billion dollars he has no intention of repaying.

He will finish out his worthless life in prison, still not sufficient punishment for such a horrible excuse for a human being.

>"So the D's now have the ball? Can they score any points? Or just give money away to other countries? Game on."

^ If you're talking football...picturing the D's giving up 'safeties' & then being relegated to kicking-off & surrendering the ball.

Meanwhile the 'other countries' will be in the stands watching the game...courtesy of their FREE season tickets.

There will no longer be a home team in America...just visiting teams.

In number 2 of my first comment above I mentioned that I believe President-Elect Joe Biden will invest in younger resources. I am delighted to see the members he just appointed to the COVID advisory board. It appears that the average age of the members is around early to mid forties.

Web Link

Watching the news today the young D progressives are losing out. They are the reason that the D Party lost seats. One D rep from Texas said that they could manage their own districts but stay out of other people's business. No one likes them. Look at all of the press they have got.

So the mayor of Philadelphia and Chuck Schumer are already starting to wrack up notable stupid comments. They are like some people out of a 1950s movie. How about HRC that was screaming on FB to not concede.

Mauricio - You have fallen off the ledge. What type of info do you access? You don't make sense. What do you have in the game that has been disrupted?

Side note - I have relatives that have hotels in Europe and can tell you that it is not an easy route to go. A lot of unknowns regarding locations, local uprisings, many issues that occurred before the Covid. Financial issues in the hotel business are not unique to DT. I have an REIT account and it has not gone well - overall property issues are not going well overall.

"First question, what happened to all those polls that ended up so very wrong -- and now two elections in a row?"

Let's not forget the obvious. There's a reason no results are announced until the voting closes on the west coast -- it changes voting patterns. The news kept announcing record numbers of early Democratic voters, so it's hardly surprising that fewer people showed up in person than might otherwise have. The poll results, too, could have an impact. Additionally, there is a bystander effect, especially when things are this urgent. Every individual must realize that if they think to themselves that it's so urgent that it will be fine if they don't make it, millions of other people will be thinking the same, and not enough people act. Every individual has to vote like they're the only one in the room so that everyone shows up. Lastly, Republican voter suppression tactics and gerrymandering are real, part of why Biden can win by like 5 million votes, and get more than 50% of the vote, and the election still be "close".

"Second, while I am a Democrat, I wonder if Biden was the best candidate for his party."

I wish voters would stop acting like they're voting for God. This is a democracy. If voters who swept Obama into power had bothered to understand how important the balance of power in Congress is, they would have started working on the midterms the next day and bothered to show up instead of just criticizing that they didn't get what they wanted. The balance of power in Congress is how Lincoln was able to get Emancipation; it's why reconstruction failed, and why we got the racist Supreme Court that gave us Jim Crow laws, and much of why we have such gross income inequality now because of an unbroken conservative majority for 50 years ruling over and over again for the superrich/plutocracy against ordinary people.

This is not a ranked choice system, it's winner take all. Joe Biden won, but now the rest of us have to ask ourselves what can we do to help rebuild our country and ensure that Biden has the support to ensure we solve the big problems plaguing our country.

Joe Biden will be as great a President if we the people roll up our sleeves for the good of our nation, including making plans to increase the vote in the midterms, and getting involved instead of criticizing if everything isn't perfect. People can start by not humoring all this craziness on the right, with all the lies they believe and spread. How many Democrats regularly call and write Republican lawmakers to let them know when they're doing something bad AND good? What about an honesty pledge submitted to all the lawmakers, with bipartisan fact checkers scoring them on how they do?

"Third, was Biden's message the right one? "

I agree with you that Democrats missed a huge win by failing to focus on their inherent advantage with the economy. And when they did talk about it, they didn't do it well. It's like they think arguing is letting people say all kinds of horrible things for decades and getting in one good "aha" article in an egghead journal once. Right now, misinformation spreads quite efficiently through rightwing networks and it's really important for people on the left to start learning how to counter.

Have you seen the study done by some Princeton researchers a few years back, looking at how the economy does under different administrations, and as far back as the parties have had their current ideologies -- 100 years -- Democrats have significantly outperformed Republican administrations by virtually every measure. It's possible to cherry pick one measure over a small amount of time, but looking at ANY sufficiently large length of time, like 20 years, Democrats were better with the economy. The last 3 years of the Obama administration were better than the first three years of Trump's before the pandemic. Trump (and pretty much every Republican before him) threw us into horrible debt/deficit even in a good economy. Republicans have utterly lost any case for being better fiscally, and yet Democrats can't somehow seem to talk about it. I heard interview after interview in which people stated their belief that Trump would be better for the economy while serious economists said Biden would be.

But no one seems willing to really counter the Republican lie machine as long and as hard as is necessary, they just give up and let them lie and further build up the false framing that made all their lying this time around so believable to so much of the country.

"Next, how come there was such a massive Republican turnout? "

First of all, Biden got more than 50% of the vote. The most votes in history. THAT was massive.

What you really mean is how could anyone witness what we all just witnessed and still be willing to vote for him?

To anyone who's been paying attention, about 39%-45% of the population would vote for a brown bag if it was a Republican brown bag, including one filled with lies. That's been true as long as I can remember going back to at least Reagan. Trump saw this, and is probably why he ran as a Republican, because he's actually on record as saying he noticed Democrats are better for the economy.

Apparently you don't spend enough time listening to friends and family whose brains have been co-opted by rightwing media. Or you didn't hear the constant aggressive lies and misinformation before the election and now (or maybe didn't take it seriously to counter it, because I heard a lot of people talking about how they thought Trump would be better for the economy and no one, absolutely no one, countering with facts about how he'd damaged the economy. I still read people worried Biden will raise their taxes, when Trump brutally raised taxes on tens of millions of Americans in blue states and we heard not word one about it in the media, all the while Trump claimed falsely that he cut everyone's taxes.) Remember when Trump lied about the size of the crowds at his inaugural even though anyone could see it was a lie? Well guess what -- he got low-risk feedback about whether he could get away with bold-faced lies and how much of the country was loyal to him even if he boldly lied in plain sight.

Simple answer to your question: people believed the Trump/Repulican lies. And now they're relentlessly and loudly accusing Democrats of being the liars THEY are (both Republican lawmakers and the ordinary people who are lying to themselves) without any real grounds, because they have believed the lies. The lying has been effective, though, hasn't it? All your Republican friends will tell you how "corrupt" Hillary is with no true specifics or perhaps no specifics at all. If you care about this administration being effective and for the future of our democracy, it's really, really important to get out in front of that one, or there will be no uniting happening, period.

And for heavens sake, why aren't we holding them accountable for the hypocrisy? I mean, the very people who claim they want this to be a "Christian" nation again, have any of them read the Bible and all the many pointed things Jesus said against hypocrisy? (Nothing at all against gay people; lots against religious hypocrites like Trump.) And all the many things Jesus said about loving others sacrificially, about peacemaking, about turning the other cheek, etc.?

It really does come down to Republican lying. A lot of people have been scared into believing that we will get Soviet-style Communism/Socialism from Democrats,which has been used effectively to thwart our developing universally available healthcare since the 50's, even while every last first-world nation on the planet now has some form of universal low-cost healthcare for all (cheaper and better than what we are doing per person, too). I've seen it in my own family, people who fled communism so pulled into the rightwing cult of lies that they have gone out and gotten guns. Talk of how scared they are of their taxes being raised even while they send us funds, because of how brutally Trump raised our taxes. (Note, those funds didn't come out of their taxes being reduced, somehow it was only dozens of dollars per annum.)

You want to know why so much turnout, go talk to the people at Stanford who observe the internet and how the lies spread on social media filter efficiently into the community and people who don't even use social media, especially on the right.

"Also, the GOP comeback in several states was amazing."

GOP has perennially done a better job getting out the vote, and ensuring their base understands the importance of downballot races. Also, the GOP keeps working at overturning elections at all levels, including at the state level which gives them an advantage for how districts are drawn.

The question really should be, with all the Republican scheming against democracy and against ordinary people (in favor of the super rich) for the last 50 years, what can we all do to ensure that this new administration can succeed in ACTUALLY making America great again?

>"Joe Biden won, but now the rest of us have to ask ourselves what can we do to help rebuild our country and ensure that Biden has the support to ensure we solve the big problems plaguing our country."

^ In terms of rebuilding the American consumer economy we are trying to do our part by no longer buying ANYTHING manufactured in China & while this measure (if initiated on a far larger scale) may impact some American-based resellers, so be it.

Case in point...it was very disturbing to learn during this time of pandemic that the N95 masks we purchased were advertised as SOLD by an American company but they were actually 'made in China' where the pandemic originated...talk about irony & questionable profiteering on both ends. Needless to say, the masks were promptly returned to the vendor.

And our 'in-house' buying practices will now apply to ALL Chinese-manufactured products (including Apple products & all the way down to paper clips).

American manufacturing will have to get back on the ball as well.

>"The balance of power in Congress...it's why reconstruction failed, and why we got the racist Supreme Court that gave us Jim Crow laws,"

^ Re-read your American history as an 'imbalance of power' in Congress (i.e. the Dixiecrats) was attributable to the end of Reconstruction.

The 'Compromise of 1877' followed a highly disputed 1876 presidential election (Hayes vs Tilden) where the margin of victory was 1 electoral vote & a 50%-47% popular vote differential.

It was a trade of sorts...the presidency for Jim Crow.

One of the reasons Democrats have done poorly in congressional races this cycle is that hundreds of thousands of ballots were never delivered by the Postal Service. Trump had installed one of his henchmen as Postmaster General for the sole purpose of sabotaging the mail-in voting, after he encouraged his cultists to vote in person and not by mail. Nearly all mail-in votes were Democrats, and the sabotage was always perpetrated in Blue areas.

De Joy, the criminal who is responsible for this will be dealt with by Biden's Justice department, as will be William Barr, but the damage is irreversible as the anti American GOP has strengthened its position in the House to the detriment of the nation.

From the Mayo Clinic's website on Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Web Link

A mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial affairs. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they're not given the special favors or admiration they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships unfulfilling, and others may not enjoy being around them.

Symptoms:

Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance
Have a sense of entitlement and require constant, excessive admiration
Expect to be recognized as superior even without achievements that warrant it
Exaggerate achievements and talents
Be preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
Believe they are superior and can only associate with equally special people
Monopolize conversations and belittle or look down on people they perceive as inferior
Expect special favors and unquestioning compliance with their expectations
Take advantage of others to get what they want
Have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others
Be envious of others and believe others envy them
Behave in an arrogant or haughty manner, coming across as conceited, boastful and pretentious
Insist on having the best of everything �" for instance, the best car or office

At the same time, people with narcissistic personality disorder have trouble handling anything they perceive as criticism, and they can:

Become impatient or angry when they don't receive special treatment
Have significant interpersonal problems and easily feel slighted
React with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make themselves appear superior
Have difficulty regulating emotions and behavior
Experience major problems dealing with stress and adapting to change
Feel depressed and moody because they fall short of perfection
Have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation

Causes:

Environment ? mismatches in parent-child relationships with either excessive adoration or excessive criticism that is poorly attuned to the child's experience
Genetics ? inherited characteristics
Neurobiology �" the connection between the brain and behavior and thinking

These are the words from one of THE best, if not THE BEST, medical institutions in the world.

>"From the Mayo Clinic's website on Narcissistic Personality Disorder..."

^ Now that POTUS45's personalty disorder has been clarified...what about the mindsets of the 70 million who voted for him?

Anneke - the majority of people in politics qualify for your Mayo notes. Yes - you want to poke the bear but the D party has a giant zoo filled with members who are now going after each other. The progressives vs the middle of the road vs the conservative D's - yes they are there. And they are not going to vote for the far left progressive issues. They can't stand them.

Mauricio - you have conducted a witch hunt but never mentions Gavin Newsome. Have you not noticed that this state is RUN by the Gov.? Is it verboten to mention his name? Do you belong to a group that directs how you respond to topics?

Read you local news papers - Dan Walters of Cal-Matters has a opinion column which continually points out what is going right and what is going wrong in this state. And right now the Gov is irritating a lot of people. LA is a major city. More votes in LA than SF. There is more to this state then Silicon Valley and the city of SF.

I have to laugh at Citizen who must be writing a book. As the D party takes over it will have to deal with the cities that it has allowed to be trashed and burned. Seattle, Portland, Chicago.

All of the Media who got PAID to disabuse the President of the US - a major embarrassment for their "professional" identity. What do they teach in journalism school these days? Maligning people who have been voted in to a "government" job.

A newly=elected President who is too ill to lead in the actual jobs a president is suppose to do. How will the media now have to work around that situation? They will have to actually think and produce a professional opinion. Look at how much money they have made on DT. Now they will have to think up something else to vilify.

If the D party was on the Offense - they will now be on the Defense. Can't wait to see how this all turns out - what levels of creativity will be employed to keep that paycheck coming in.

Brookings recently did a study with the title "Biden-voting counties equal 70% of America's economy." In short, it proves that wealthy urban and suburban voters went for Biden, while "poorer" areas went for Trump. And anyone who wants to know why that is needs to look beyond simple answers like economics and skin color, and learn a little about what being left behind does to people psychologically. Yes, the divide will be with us for a long time, because there is no easy fix for things like anger, anxiety, resentment, etc. It's one couch session at a time.