It's rather sobering that this is probably the best case scenario of outcomes:

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Last edited Wed Oct 28, 2020, 02:00 PM - Edit history (1)

Biden wins the election handily.

Trump never officially concedes, but doesn't do anything overt to undermine the actual vote outcome. No massive claims of fraud, no lawsuits to prohibit the certification of votes, no rallying of militia to come to his side and seize control of the government to prohibit Biden from taking office. Nor does he resign and demand a blanket pardon from Mike Pence.

Instead all he does is endlessly whine, shout, complain and attack people over Twitter for two and a half months.

Meanwhile, there's little transition to be spoken of, with most Biden transition team personnel being frozen out by their Trump counterparts. Some agencies might even actively sabotage their offices during this time to make it harder for their successors when they take over.

And with the COVID crisis being as bad as its ever been but no incentive for the Trump administration to do anything about it, the national health situation only worsens precipitously and Biden team officials are kept from being shared critical information that would help them once they take office.

But January 20th comes and goes without incident, Joe Biden is sworn in (most likely without Trump being in attendance) and becomes our 46th President without Trump leading whatever coup to to trying and prevent that from happening, and he is whisked away to Trump Tower or Mar A Lago or wherever he will live and await any subsequent legal consequences.

It's depressing that that's the very best we can hope for, even with a historic landslide, but I honestly don't see it getting any better than that.

And I can only hope it will not be substantively worse than that, either. Not that I can't completely count that out, unfortunately.

EDIT TO ADD: I have full confidence in Joe Biden's ability to win the election. And I have full confidence that the Biden Administration will hit the ground running to the best of its ability once he is sworn into office.

What I find depressing is the fact that notwithstanding those facts, the above scenario is probably the best we can expect due to circumstances not within our own control.

[dchill]

1. It could be worse.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. It definitely could be.

Hopefully it won't. Let's cross our fingers.

[Hugin]

7. It almost certainly will be worse.

Particularly, with respect to the COVID relief so badly needed.

Also, the one stable factor in this shit tornado of an economy is Federal spending which is bandaged along by a CR set to expire in early Dec. I don't see Trump willingly extending it. So, if it's to happen Congress will have to pass another CR with a veto proof majority. I don't see that happening.

I will not hold my breath.

[LakeArenal]

2. I agree. But think he'll slink out with a suitcase full of WH property.

But taken out bodily in a straight jacket works for me also.

[Hugin]

10. There goes the Madison Silverware.

I hope it's insured.

[NCjack]

27. I believe the "relocation" of expensive gifts he received as prez are

being walked out daily.

[marlakay]

38. I have this thought he hired someone

To copy art and takes the originals thinking no one will check. Then sell on black market.

[Withywindle]

41. oohhhh I bet you're right

Somebody better check.

Not like he can tell the difference anyway. Remember this story about his fake Renoir? EVERYBODY knew it was fake because the real one is in the Art Institute of Chicago. Tens of thousands of people can take a ten-minute walk and see it on their lunch break. Not Trump. He's got the realest real art. Nobody has ever seen art this real before. Many people are saying it's the realest real painting ever.

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/donald-trumps-fake-renoir

[LakeArenal]

42. I tend to be a CT. So, hmmmm, 🤔🤥😱

[Phoenix61]

4. I see people bailing. They know they'll

be out of a job in January they aren’t going to wait till then to find something else. How many positions are out there for ex Twitler trolls? Since Biden has been in the WH it shouldn’t take much time for him to get up to speed.

[VA_Jill]

30. And just exactly where

do they think they're going to get jobs? I've already heard about WH employees and other administration types polishing their resumes to try to get the "tRump stink" off of them, but I think it will stick for a long, long time. Many of them will be unemployable for a good long time. And they deserve to be.

Biden has been around Washington for a long time. He'll have a trusted advisor to call on in Obama. He may not be the strongest president, but he knows good people and should be able to field a decent team in a pretty short time. He's like a baseball manager who was never a great player himself but knows all the good ones and how to use them. He should be okay.

[onecaliberal]

5. Biden knows how a good government works and the mechanics of it all.

That will be huge. I hope there are people in the background assembling teams. They will need to be planning to hit the ground running on many facets. America depends on it.

[Clearly fogged in]

13. Agree, the no-bad-habits method of training

Just one area that better methods are known since the pandemic is in how we communicate and interact. You're thinking that in many areas we can build a better mousetrap and should plan for it?

[onecaliberal]

16. Absolutely. We have a once in a lifetime chance to reshape this country to reflect what we actually

Say we are. We absolutely can retool the economy for clean energy it would create a shit ton of jobs and start making things we depends on in America again, more jobs. In the rust belt even. And we really can implement an actual infrastructure plan to fix roads and bridges across the country. Finally we can pass laws that level the playing field and create real equity for all races/class/gender.
A rising tide lifts all boats.

[Clearly fogged in]

17. On the office management side

Changes in how business is conducted; eliminate outdated ideas, create new environment. Not only return to Obama era leadership, but childproof things like Pandemic Response.

Once in a lifetime chance

[onecaliberal]

21. Obama/Biden had a GREAT PANDEMIC PLAYBOOK.

Trump threw it away. Laid off the people who ran the department. All of these agencies need to be protected from political traitors.

Citizens United needs to be overturned. We need only Public funding of campaigns. The biggest thing is to childproof the government going forward for sure.

[RockRaven]

6. Yeah, I think that's the best of the likely scenarios. Amongst the worse but still likely ones

are a government shutdown because Trump refuses to sign a spending bill and/or lame duck Repukes/McTurtle refuse to pass one in the Senate. A government shutdown over Christmas, during a pandemic, persisting until inauguration.

[lagomorph777]

8. I could live with that scenario. Many will die in that scenario, but the nation begins to recover.

[ananda]

9. Not to worry.

The WH is only a place. Biden can form a
government somewhere else.

It shouldn't include any Trumpers anyway.

[CousinIT]

11. I hope ServePro or someone can sanitize the WH and all staffer offices and meeting areas..

...before Biden moves in. Not sure how they'll do that with the Trump Crime Syndicate still in there - you know they won't cooperate. Will have to wait until they are shipped out.

Then, I hope Biden and his cabinet can get the agencies and depts all put back together within the first 6- 8 months while dealing w/ COVID. The other thing I hope he does immediately is get that court reform committee put together and get them working + get us back in Paris Climate Accord, restore integrity in civil service, and restore the USPS to full operation, fully funded, and make social security whole after Donald blasted a huge damn hole in it for 6 months. All that while repairing our relationships with our allies that Donald damaged and putting our adversaries like Putin on notice that their gig is up now.

[fantase56]

12. yep, could be worse.....

[link:

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[llmart]

14. Well I, for one, would be quite content with that scenario.

Biden will hit the ground running. He has the experience and hopefully he'll have a huge mandate and support from all of us who vote for him.

Yes, it's sobering to think we've sunk so low that we have to be content with just plain old ordinary/normal behavior from a President, but that's where we're at right now.

[YessirAtsaFact]

15. Once Trump is defeated and the Senate is full of lame duck GOP

Any chance they would vote to remove Trump for failing to do his job?

[world wide wally]

18. As soon as the election results are revealed, his minions will start rushing to the exits.

That includes his WH staff as well as his homegrown militias. By summer, Trump will be long forgotten except for repairing the damage he has done.
Memories are short these days.

[RustyWheels]

19. Federal Agencies

Fortunately, I don't think most of the Trump appointees know enough on how the 'systems' work within those agencies to effectively sabotage them. I hopeful the long-serving civil servant employees will prevent any real damage.

[bigtree]

20. I find that prospect exhilarating

...we've had bumpy transitions before. It won't make much impact on the new administration who are already gearing up for years of unraveling.

I find zero depressing about your scenario.

[cwydro]

22. We can probably forget a stimulus bill.

Smh.

[NRaleighLiberal]

23. the 40 percent cult and right wing lie TV and radio will remain

the coming months will be something to behold

[judesedit]

24. I'd like to ask what's wrong with that scenario? I'm praying for it.

[dlk]

25. It's a given, Republicans will be doing scorched earth on their way out the door

And they won’t waste any time ramping up their self-righteous rage machine once Democrats are in charge. We’re in for a very long, very bumpy ride. Republicans, for all of their malfeasance & crimes will never go quietly. You can bank on it.

[NNadir]

26. This is pretty much exactly what I expect.

The Trump Presidency disaster is very much an iceberg.

His reference to having to leave the country is very real, because better than 90% of his criminality is currently hidden.

There will be a lot of file shredding, but ultimately I expect him to seek asylum with Putin, because his criminality is too monstrous to conceal completely.

[RussellCattle]

31. Hadn't thought about file shredding, but I'm sure your're right. Breaking another law, the...

....Government Records Act, will be inconsequential in their minds.

[RussellCattle]

28. Remember when George "Dubya" Bush's people took over the White House and complained....

....that all of the "W's" had been removed from keyboards? It wasn't true of course, as was the case about a bunch of other petty things they complained about the Clinton administration leaving the scene.

[Dan]

29. Then I will say loudly "Lock his ass up"!

[CaptYossarian]

32. What transition?

Biden worked for a highly competent president for 8 years, while Trump merely floundered for 4 years.

What could Joe possibly learn from this idiot?

[murielm99]

33. Imagine what they are going to destroy.

I wonder if there is a way to sabotage all the repiggie's shredders during the transition period.

[bucolic_frolic]

34. A thought passing through my mind this AM

is how Trump is conditioning his herd to the nonchalance of covid deaths. Almost the mentality of a civil war. You just say to yourself, this can't be happening.

And yes, there will be a thousand and 999 things to try to reverse.

The country has been plundered, its assets stolen, and the legal system has been hijacked to serve the owners.

And no I doubt the transition will be as smooth as the OP.

[katracey]

35. hmmmm or

Or......Biden wins the election handily. Trump never conceded, and remain president doing very little as a lame duck. The House and new Majority Senate begins to pass new bills. These bills pile up on Trumps desk. 1 week before the inauguration, Trump states he is taking a fast trip to Mar a largo. The short vacation is with Melania, Baron, the Two Hussein brothers, his true love Invanka, and her luggage porter husband Jared . They all charter a boat to a undisclosed location where they disappear into American politics folklore. Trump is NOT at the inauguration, because he is in a small chateau in the Ural Mountains of Western Russia.


Just my thoughts........

[themaguffin]

36. Yeah, that sounds about right.

[LudwigPastorius]

37. "...the national health situation only worsens precipitously..."

Yep.

If Joe & Kamala win we're still going to conservatively see another 125,000 dead Americans before they're sworn in.

If someone had told me, 5 years ago, that we'd be facing the equivalent death toll of a 9/11 attack every three days...for an entire year..., I would have told them to GTFOutta here. But then again, I didn't expect Trump to win in 2016.

[Polybius]

39. Please post the link to this article

I'd love to read the other scenarios.

[Crunchy Frog]

40. I can't see things going as smoothly as that,

though I certainly hope I'm wrong. I'm dreading the next few weeks.