Yesterday, Tuesday, November 3 was Election Day. Diane and I had dropped off our absentee ballots at a drop box in Doylestown several weeks ago. Nearly one hundred million voters nationally voted early. About 8 o’clock, I drove to the Yardley firehouse. The line extended up the hill past Abrams Hebrew Academy. Turnout this year would be exceptionally high. Facebook posts, comments, messages and emails. Dozens of Trump rallies in the past two months despite a surge in Coronavirus cases. One rally about a week ago at the Washington Headquarters Farm on Pineville road in Newtown. It complemented car parades, one from Newtown to Doylestown, another over the Washington Crossing Bridge. Large Trump signs and flags were seen on many large properties and farms.
Biden signs were common, if smaller in front of many houses. For months Biden rallies were smaller, auto rallies, distancing and masks due to the virus. Biden and his wife Jill came to Bucks, speaking at the community college.
Bucks and Pennsylvania were described as key battlegrounds. Although Biden led in many polls and some expected a Democratic landslide, most thought it would be a close election. I was hopeful but cautious. I did find it hard to believe, disturbing, frightening, how many Trump loyalists existed after his four year performance. The lies, exaggerations, attacks on opponents, Democratic Governors, the media, fake news, disregard and attempts to manipulate agencies, FBI, CDC, FDA and others. His total dismissal of the epidemic, mocking individuals who wore masks, advocated safety precautions, warned about large gatherings. His encouragement of white supremacists, dismissal of legitimate protests, false claims of Democratic socialism. The list could go on and on, gutting environmental regulations, attacks on immigration, tax cuts for the rich, reactionary educational and social policies. How could anyone but the most fanatical and racist support him.
I began to watch election news about 4 o’clock yesterday. By 8 the first returns were coming in. Florida was the big news but it looked like it would go for Trump. I slept for several hours and turned on CNN around midnight. It was pretty obvious that the election would not be decided quickly. At home in Pennsylvania, mail in votes couldn’t be counted until Election Day. Republicans had blocked an early start to the count and the PA Supreme Court ruled ballots postmarked by November 3 but received days later could be counted. Other states had similar issues.
At six I got up and learned a handful of states were still counting and no winner declared. Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina, and the blue wall, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Trump at 2 it seemed declared victory; “stop the counting.” Reality (not a big thing for Trump) was that many of the uncounted were mail in votes in urban areas and would probably lean Democratic. As the morning progressed this seemed to hold true.
By noon Trump’s lawyers needed a new strategy. They couldn’t continue to say stop counting. Biden would win; he’s ahead in enough states. So Trump will attempt to distinguish between legal and illegal ballots. Illegal will be ballots that support Biden; legal will be votes that support Trump. Trump has predicted fraud for months only he always blamed it on Democrats. It’s clear he’s the fraud. Stay tuned.
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