Politics - News Analysis
Americans Horrified (and Scared) After Trump Suggests Delaying the November Election
We covered the original tweet in which Trump floated the suggestion about delaying the election within our column on Trump’s morning tweetstorm. He is screaming about mail-in ballots, which he knows will allow more people to vote, and vote accurately because they leave the best paper trail. At that point, he threw out the “suggestion” that the election might be delayed:
With Universal Mail-In Voting (not Absentee Voting, which is good), 2020 will be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history. It will be a great embarrassment to the USA. Delay the Election until people can properly, securely and safely vote???
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 30, 2020
Because the issue is so serious, people immediately jumped on even floating the idea. He cannot be allowed to get away with this, even the suggestion:
The president wants schools to reopen but he wants to delay the election. Curiouser and curiouser!
— Molly Jong-Fast🏡 (@MollyJongFast) July 30, 2020
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He wants to survive as president, that is all. If there was ever any doubt (and there wasn’t) that Trump doesn’t care about the country, only his own political survival, this seals it. Kids should go sit in school with poor teachers who are overworked and underappreciated in the best of times, BUT, we should delay the election.
And the GOP?
Trump floating a delay of the election may be a distraction from the GDP news. But it still is deadly serious. GOP lawmakers saying they haven’t seen or don’t respond to his tweet won’t particularly cut it today
— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 30, 2020
No. The “I haven’t seen it” excuse won’t work this time. One doesn’t need to “see” a proposal to delay the election to have an opinion on it and there is only one acceptable opinion.
Trump can’t delay the election.
The date of the presidential election is set by law and cannot be moved unless that law changes, which would require both houses of Congress to vote in favor of doing so. https://t.co/CUi9jfeGU8
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) July 30, 2020
While this is certainly true, when has Trump ever been restrained by laws? If he is talking about delaying the election, it will impact the election’s legitimacy one way or another, which might be his entire strategy.
Meanwhile, Mediaite cites a New York Times story from earlier in the year regarding the difficulty in moving the election:
The date of the general election is set by federal law and has been fixed since 1845. It would take a change in federal law to move that date. That would mean legislation enacted by Congress, signed by the president and subject to challenge in the courts.
To call that unlikely would be an understatement.
It just isn’t happening unless Trump imposes martial law which makes all other laws inoperable. This is the danger that scares people. Trump keeps ratcheting up the tension and stability in the country.
He must be pinned down, and the GOP put out some mealy-mouthed excuses today.
Take a look at what’s going on over at Twitter:
For 7 years, I covered dictators and strongmen in West and Central Africa. The No. 1 move of an incumbent who thinks he’s going to lose an upcoming election, is to delay the ballot citing security concerns or else technical issues – “oops, ballots couldn’t be printed in time!” https://t.co/fcDW8RQmrR
— Rukmini Callimachi (@rcallimachi) July 30, 2020
The GDP has contracted 32.9%, which is WORSE than the Great Depression.
No wonder trump is trying to delay the election.
Try it, Spanky, and we'll have President Pelosi faster than you can say "Fake News."
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) July 30, 2020
America has never postponed a presidential election—not through two World Wars, a Civil War, or the Spanish flu. The President's suggestion to delay the 2020 election is troubling, dangerous, and another sign he has lost touch with reality.
Register, then vote on November 3rd. https://t.co/VWovcDxJky
— Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) July 30, 2020
The general election will take place on November 3rd. Period.
We aren't going to delay an election just because this impeached President's poll numbers are falling. https://t.co/MeTI5MB9kd
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) July 30, 2020
Vote by mail is safe and secure.
You can’t delay the election.
150,000 Americans have died from #COVID19.
Stop tweeting. Do your job. https://t.co/9Jvn2yKxti
— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) July 30, 2020
I know everyone says that Trump can’t delay the election.
But Trump has gotten away with doing so many things that we were also told he couldn’t do.
I don’t think this is the end of the story. Barr probably has something up his sleeve.
— *you're (@RKJ65) July 30, 2020
Weird how Trump doesn't think Covid is a big deal when it comes to having rallies or children going to school but it's suddenly serious enough to delay a presidential election.
— Geraldine (@everywhereist) July 30, 2020
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Peace, y’all
Jason
[email protected] and on Twitter @MiciakZoom
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