This is the reality

[angrychair]

This is little more than trump's plan to delay or avoid the 2020 election. This is likely just setting the stage...trump is a murderous dictator waiting for an excuse.

[maxsolomon]

1. Speculation.

You could be right, or he could just see it as a temporary PR win that takes his Impeachment off the minds of America's brain-addled flibberdigibbets when Congress returns Monday.

[angrychair]

6. Killing a terrorist is PR

Killing the head of QuD is an act of war against Iran.
This isnt his plan, obviously, but part of a bigger plan to retain power and wealth.

This is a seriously dark turn. Our nation is in trouble.

I hope you are right but I'm not holding my breath.
This, for me, is a clear signal that trump has no intention of allowing elections to happen. Now if he is successful or not is a different story but that is his intention.

[leftieNanner]

2. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to cancel the 2020 election

But since they are all run by the states, he might not get away with it.

It's likely another "distraction". He definitely flies by the seat of his pants and makes up shit as he goes along. You know he doesn't pay any attention to any of his classified briefings unless they come with pretty pictures, so somebody came to him and said "we have this bad guy in our sights", and The Orange One (thinking it would make his penis bigger) said "Yeah, let's do it!"

No thought for consequences at all.

[lunatica]

3. It's definitely taken a turn towards the terrifying!

Everyone’s nerves are on the raw edge right now. Everyone who has any brains, that is.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. He can't delay or cancel the election. Period.

Am I the only one here who recalls similar claims that W would do that in 2004?

Keep in mind that even during the worst time of national crisis, the Civil War, the election was still held.

So get a grip.

[angrychair]

7. Different times, different people

It should be very obvious by now that trump and these Republicans are not playing by the same rules.

Trump has literally said he can personally shoot a US citizen and not be investigated or charged with a crime.
Not even Bush or Cheney ever made that claim.

These people are playing by their own rules. We need to realize that because it's the reality.

It may be fine but we would be foolish to discount the possibility.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

16. Yeah, I know what he said about shooting someone,

but not has he not done that, but he's actually been impeached.

What bothers me is that people give a lot of credence to cancelling the election, even the possibility of it happening.

The response that should be generated is HELL NO!!! Along with vivid statements about what people would do if the attempt were made.

[angrychair]

18. The implications of cancelling is significant

The delay or suspension of the 2020 election would be significant and fundamentally destructive to our republic.

It would be shortsighted to think that trump or Republicans actually care about those implications. Their only concern is power and wealth.
Let there be no doubt, Republicans would, without hesitation, destroy America forever if it put a single penny in their pocket.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

21. Yes, it would be significant

which is exactly why everyone must respond with a HELL NO!!! to any such suggestion.

And again, I recall how many people seriously believed that W would do exactly that, and they were wrong then.

The biggest problem confronting us regarding this November's election is that the field of candidates is still too large and too many of them or their surrogates are happy to totally trash the others.

The true danger is that whoever is the nominee will be so damaged by the process that he or she can't possibly win. I hope I'm totally wrong about that.

[angrychair]

22. I fundamentally agree

But as much as people worried about W doing it, he, himself, never once implied that he would.

That cannot be said of trump. He has clearly indicated that it's a possibility.

When you add the implication of absolute immunity and a complete and very public disregard for the legislative branch this creates a significant risk for the republic.

Americans are very ignorant politically, especially about foreign policy.
Trump has highlighted just how at risk we are for a dictator to attempt to seize control of our country.
We should not take that risk lightly.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

24. Because I pay as little attention to Trump as possible,

I am not aware that he has hinted at this.

[angrychair]

25. Here is once example

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/16/trump-says-supporters-could-demand-he-not-leave-after-two-terms/1471915001/

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

26. That's been brought up more than once,

and it's always pointed out that he would simply have all his stuff packed up and moved out.

Trying to refuse to leave is vastly different from cancelling an election. But neither one will fly.

Trump is so used to getting his way with everything that he simple does not understand (rather like a willful two year old) that he doesn't always get his way.

Eventually, sooner rather than later I hope, he's going to learn that he really is not the center of the Universe.

[Skittles]

31. Trump is going to refuse to leave, too

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Newest Reality]

5. I am pretty sure

I am not the only one who has had a concern in the back of my mind along the lines of, oh gosh, what if circumstances like a real emergency or war allowed Trump to use certain powers? He needs an excuse and something like that would deliver it and we would have even more to resist.

That was a concern since he TOOK office.

[BillyBobBrilliant]

8. I fear that there is

collusion...Trump goes to war...Russia gets in...Trump surrenders America...Putin makes him governor of the American states of Russia for life -- with the promise of birthright succession.
The idea is as crazy as any I've heard.

[MineralMan]

9. The election will be held as usual.

See this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1916_United_States_presidential_election
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944_United_States_presidential_election
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952_United_States_presidential_election
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_United_States_presidential_election


We have had elections during wartime. We will have an election, regardless of anything. There is no mechanism for delaying or canceling an election. We hold presidential elections every four years, and congressional elections ever two years. We will continue to do that, despite Trump's whims or willfulness.

[angrychair]

11. I appreciate the point

I do but I reference my response #7:

Different times, different people
It should be very obvious by now that trump and these Republicans are not playing by the same rules.

Trump has literally said he can personally shoot a US citizen and not be investigated or charged with a crime.
Not even Bush or Cheney ever made that claim.

These people are playing by their own rules. We need to realize that because it's the reality.

It may be fine but we would be foolish to discount the possibility.

[MineralMan]

12. Once again, there is no mechanism that allows a President to

stop an election from taking place. I've read our Constitution multiple times. If there were such a thing, I would have seen it. I recommend reading through that document at least once every few years, so you'll be familiar with it.

[MineralMan]

13. No matter how often you repeat that response, the election will be held.

In the first place, elections are run by the individual states. The President has nothing to do with them. Nothing. They are independent of the Executive Branch.

[angrychair]

15. Improbable, not impossible

But there are mechanisms that make it more possible that impossible.
The 'Emergency Powers Act' gives a president significant powers that could be used with brutal implications.

It's not impossible, just improbable.

This president has significant leanings toward dictatorship and so we would be foolish to disregard the possibility.

Its enough that major publications like The Atlantic and Washington Monthly has seriously looked at the possibility:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/01/presidential-emergency-powers/576418/

https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/april-may-june-2019/how-trump-could-lose-the-election-and-remain-president/

[smirkymonkey]

17. +1000

I agree. We are dealing with a whole different animal here. There has never been a president or an administration who has disregarded the constitution and the rule of law like this one. I put nothing past them. Anything can happen and all of it will be bad for democracy.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

10. Each state runs its own election. Trump can't stop shit.

[angrychair]

14. I hope you are right

But there are mechanisms that make it more possible that impossible.
The 'Emergency Powers Act' gives a president significant powers that could be used with brutal implications.

It's not impossible, just improbable.

This president has a significant leanings toward dictatorship and so we would be foolish to disregard the possibility.

Its enough that major publications like The Atlantic and Washington Monthly has seriously looked at the possibility:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/01/presidential-emergency-powers/576418/

https://washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/april-may-june-2019/how-trump-could-lose-the-election-and-remain-president/

[MineralMan]

19. You will see that I am.

[angrychair]

23. I hope so

Americans are becoming openly hostile to intellectuals and factual analysis and increasingly lazidazical and apathetic about politics.
Trump has highlighted just how at risk we are for a dictator to attempt to seize control of our country.
We should not take that risk lightly.

[0rganism]

20. not just "waiting for an excuse", more like fishing for one

he'll ratchet up the pressure on multiple unstable regions of the world until one of them snaps and hits back somehow.
then he'll have his causus belli prepped for his re-election campaign, assuming the hit-back leaves us in a position to have an election at all

[pangaia]

27. It's not trump. It is REPUBLICANS!!!!

[Hoyt]

28. He's an ass/fool and worse, but he's not going to delay election.

I don’t think he will do well in 2020 if he has us in a full-scale war with Iran come next fall.

[roamer65]

29. Canceled election means no federal elected officials.

Government stops, federal worker and military pay stops. The federal government ceases to exist.

At that point the Constitution is an invalid compact and states take over their own affairs.

[brettdale]

30. I know its trump

But even if there is a war the election will go ahead.

[duforsure]

32. We've already seen many times

How capable trump is at doing things never tried before , especially illegal things. Canceling an election by declaration brought on by manipulated facts to escape from accountability by corrupted means is one of his specialties. He's desperate now too, as it all closes in on him, and he can;t stop it . He's liable to try anything, even threaten this country with other outside influences. Like cyber attacks right before the election making it be called off, using it as an excuse.