How do you feel about the result of the US Election?

[AB Editor]

 

This poll is closed.

How do you feel about the result of the US Election?

• Positive - 194 votes
• 51%
• I don’t care - 78 votes
• 21%
• Negative - 42 votes
• 11%
• Neutral - 34 votes
• 9%
• Mixed Emotions - 30 votes
• 8%

See final stats

Stats until: 01:03 Sun 22nd Dec 2024 (Refreshed every 5 minutes)

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[Mamyalynne]

Only just seen this on the home page, ta Naomi.

[jim360]

I think "mixed emotions" captures it best. Relieved, certainly, but the aftermath looks set to be dragged out for ages and I don't think the result was decisive enough to allow the country to move on. That, and the fact that the Senate looks set for Republican control, means that the next two to four years feel likely to be filled with endless stalemates.

[ichkeria]

If there was a button above “Positive” I’d have chosen it :-)

[ichkeria]

That seems a bit pessimistic to me Jim.
I’d have liked Biden to win by more but the only thing that I find in any way negative is simply they so many people voted for Trump. But maybe it’s not surprising given Trump campaigned so vigorously on the ground. He was right as it turns out to “big up” the scale of his rallies and their effect.
The Senate could still go Democrat yet, but given Biden is a man of the centre and wants to be conciliatory, it might be no bad thing for there to be at least for a while a check on some of the Democrat policies and personalities. If the Republicans are in turn willing to respond.

[New Judge]

I'm completely nonplussed by the whole affair. If it means it will be off my telly any time soon that's a bonus. I have never known the TV companies give so much air time to what is essentially a one-liner.

[jim360]

Well, it may be that the Senate Republicans are waiting to see the results of Trump's death throes before deciding whether or not to work with Biden. But I'm not sure I agree it's *that* pessimistic. It would be 2014-2016 all over again, when Obama's agenda was frustrated time and again, except possibly even more so: at least by 2014, Obama had had six years to put some of his agenda into place.

It's worth bearing in mind, for example, that Biden's Cabinet picks all have to be approved by the Senate. Ditto any judges he nominates: in the SCOTUS, for example, three members currently are over 70, including 82-year old Breyer, who is one of the three remaining liberal-nominated Justices. If he dies or steps down, it would not be too difficult to imagine the Senate refusing to allow Biden to nominate a Justice as long as they are able, just like they did when Scalia died and Obama tried to nominate Garland, and just like they didn't when Ginsberg did and Trump and McConnell forced through her replacement in barely a month.

I don't have a problem with the principle of a Republican Senate frustrating any of Biden's potentially more "radical" policies, but I can easily see a scenario in which they frustrate as much as possible of what he tries to do. If so, the 2022 midterms could be particularly crucial to help resolve the stalemate, or cement it.

In short, I'm not optimistic that the next two years will be all that productive. As long as the Republicans are still taking their cue from Trump and, in particular, McConnell, I don't think I'll be optimistic at all that the US can return to compromise and cooperation.

[naomi24]

I'm sitting back with the popcorn waiting for the verbal gymnastics to begin.

[ichkeria]

I’m probably looking at it more from an outside perspective Jim.

It looks like Biden is going to undo a few of Trump’s “achievements” such as withdrawing from Paris, WHO, etc.
Meanwhile I hope Rep Senator “Perdue” who is facing a runoff in Georgia, lives up to his name :-)

[iluvmargie]

Mixed emotions for me!

[jim360]

I'd like to think so about Perdue, especially as he ran antiSemitic attack ads against his opponent, but we'll see.

[ichkeria]

“ It's worth bearing in mind, for example, that Biden's Cabinet picks all have to be approved by the Senate”

Putting my purple hat on, I’d say that might be good of it keeps Sanders and co at bay.
A friend of mine has suggested Biden could nominate a few Republicans to spark Senate by-elections :-)

[jim360]

I'm envisaging a scenario in which they block everyone he appoints, I suppose.

[Mozz71]

Jim, doesn't Biden have the ability to increase the number of Supreme Court Judges to give him a numeric advantage of Liberal judges?

[ichkeria]

Sorry, I’m not Jim but yes in theory the number of Supreme Court judges could be increased.
But it sound need legislation to get through both Houses

[jim360]

I don't think Biden could do that unilaterally, and in any case he'd still have to nominate judges to fill those positions -- which a Republican-controlled Senate would, of course, block.

[ichkeria]

You’d first need to increase the number to more then 9 through legislation (and you can’t just dismiss current ones)
If Biden was to do this it would be pretty obvious what he was up to, even before you got to the voting stage and then the appointments
This is why the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett was controversial

[Old_Geezer]

Need to reserve judgement. When a past IRA sympathiser gets in one has to ask oneself if he's now past that. When his party wasn't interested in getting going on a trade deal last time they were in one wonders if that's changed. When a new president seems to want to dictate how we deal with Brexit, it's a worrying sign. However hopefully the change of president may result in America taking a responsible attitude to many global issues dropped by the previous president.

[Smowball]

My FIL said to me he is just really surprised at how many people voted for an elderly 78 yr old with dementia.....

[jim360]

Perhaps because the 78-year-old is at least a decent human being.

[New Judge]

//Perhaps because the 78-year-old is at least a decent human being.//

I'm afraid my jury is out on that one. Anybody appearing in a photograph standing next to Jerry Adams loses a few points on my decency-ometer.