NOVEMBER 9, 2018


NEWS AND VIEWS


OPERATION FAITHFUL PATRIOT???

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-interest-the-caravan-invasion-has-apparently-waned
Trump’s interest in the caravan ‘invasion’ has apparently waned
11/09/18 09:20 AM
By Steve Benen

Ben Rhodes, a leading national security adviser in Barack Obama’s White House, asked a good tongue-in-cheek question this morning: “Anyone seen any breathless television or front page updates on whether the Operation Formerly Known As Operation Faithful Patriot has repelled the invasion of the United States of America?”

For those unfamiliar with the “Operation Faithful Patriot” label, it was the name the Trump administration gave to Donald Trump’s recently launched military mission at the U.S./Mexico border. The day after the midterm elections, however, military officials, without explanation, decided a name change was in order. A Pentagon spokesperson told NBC News that the operation will now simply be referred to as “border support.”

The name-change is emblematic of a larger shift on what was a Republican obsession up until a few days ago. The Washington Post’s Eugene Scott noted yesterday:

Before the midterm elections, President Trump crossed the nation warning those attending his rallies of the oncoming threat of about 7,000 Central American migrants who are traveling through Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.

While campaigning in Chattanooga, Tenn., for Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn last Sunday, Trump suggested that the migrants were looking to come in and disrupt Americans’ lives.

“That’s an invasion. I don’t care what they say. I don’t care what the fake media says. That’s an invasion of our country,” he said before rally attendees began chanting “Build the wall.”

The emphasis, however, seemed to shift just as soon as the voting stopped.

For example, the president published furious tweets about the “caravan” and “illegal immigration” in the days leading up to Election Day, but not since.

The issue came up briefly during Trump’s post-election White House press conference, but only after a reporter brought it up, not because the president saw it as a major point of concern.

A cynic might wonder if maybe, just maybe, Trump exploited a bogus issue, designed to stir passions of far-right voters, relying on a strategy rooted in a combination of racism and fear. And now that Election Day has come and gone, the president no longer feels the need to keep up appearances.

Explore:
The MaddowBlog, Donald Trump, Equality and Immigration


I SAW SANDERS' STATEMENT AND DIDN'T KNOW QUITE WHAT HE MEANT IN THE WAY IT WAS WORDED. HE HAS CLARIFIED IT FULLY HERE. AS FOR WHY ANYONE WOULD BE ANNOYED THAT HE STATED SOME WHITES WERE WITHHOLDING THEIR VOTES FOR BLACK PEOPLE, WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT, I'M SURE IT'S TRUE AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN. I STILL HAVE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, AND I BELIEVE THAT ALL IN ALL, MOST DEMOCRAT/PROGRESSIVES WANT TO SEE HONEST POSITION STATEMENTS AND GOOD FOLLOW THROUGH ON THEM. THE MILQUETOAST TECHNIQUE OF THE CLINTON GROUP TURNS ME TOTALLY OFF IN A PERIOD WHEN THERE IS A REAL NEED FOR FIGHTERS.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/08/665809570/bernie-sanders-clarifies-comments-about-racism-hurting-black-candidates?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social
Bernie Sanders Clarifies Comments About Racism Hurting Black Candidates
November 8, 20184:35 PM ET
Scott Detrow
Congressional Correspondent

PHOTOGRAPH -- Bernie Sanders, pictured in 2016, insists progressive proposals touted by candidates in 2018 midterms demonstrates strength of movement in key battleground states, Lydia Thompson/NPR

Progressive superstars like Beto O'Rourke, Andrew Gillum, and Stacey Abrams all either lost or are trailing extremely close races in Texas, Georgia, and Florida. But Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders insists Democrats' takeover of the House of Representatives and other key wins are a vindication of the progressive posture he's long advocated for.

"Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum ran brilliant campaigns. Created enormous excitement at the grassroots level, and were running in states that are tough states for Democrats," Sanders told NPR. (Abrams has not conceded in the Georgia gubernatorial race, Gillum initially conceded his race for governor late Tuesday night but his campaign is now suggesting they may await a possible Florida recount.)

In an earlier interview with the Daily Beast, Sanders appeared to have placed part of the blame for Gillum and Abrams' apparent losses on the fact that neither state had ever elected an African-American governor. "You know there are a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American."

Sanders' spokesman insists those remarks were taken out of context. Speaking to NPR, Sanders said any votes Gillum or Abrams lost over their race were entirely due to what he called "racist" campaigns run by their Republican opponents.

"There's no question that in Georgia and in Florida racism has reared its ugly head. And you have candidates who ran against Gillum and ran against Stacey Abrams who were racist and were doing everything they could to try to play whites against blacks," he said. "And that is an outrage, and we have got to continue doing everything that we can to fight all forms of racism."

ELECTIONS
Why Democratic 2020 Hopefuls Are So Invested In Stacey Abrams

Gillum's campaign repeatedly pointed to what they deemed racist statements by Rep. Ron DeSantis and his supporters, a charge DeSantis vehemently denied. In a memorable moment, Gillum turned to DeSantis during a debate and said, "I'm not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist. I'm simply saying the racist believe he's a racist."

As Sanders surveys Tuesday's results, the once-and-possibly future presidential candidate says the most telling Democratic victories came in the Midwest.

"Trump became president because he lost the popular vote, but he won the Electoral College in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Well, three out of four of those states elected Democratic governors, and all four of those states elected Democratic United States Senators," Sanders said. "So I think Trump's victories in those very important states may not be longstanding."

Several Democratic leaders are reading the party's major gains in the House and reclaiming of governorships and other key posts as an endorsement of moderation. Many of the Democrats who flipped suburban Republican-held House seats shied away from the no-holds-barred assault on President Trump that so much of the Democratic base has gravitated to over the past two years. Sanders, who won another Senate term Tuesday running as an independent, clearly disagrees with that assessment. "Democrats are fighting back because many of those Democrats are now running on progressive agendas."

"When the freshman class in Congress takes office in January it is going to be the most progressive freshman class in the modern history of this country," he said. "You're going to have many people there who won elections based on the fight for Medicare-for-all, based on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, based on making sure we lower the cost of prescription drugs."

As More Democrats Embrace 'Progressive' Label, It May Not Mean What It Used To POLITICS

Sanders certainly isn't a disinterested observer on the question of whether or not the Democratic Party's future lies in bold progressive or strategically moderate positioning. Despite never joining the party, he finished second in its 2016 presidential primaries, and is considering whether or not to try again in 2020.

Like many other possible 2020 candidates, Sanders made sure to include key primary and caucus states like Iowa and South Carolina on his travel itinerary in the final weeks of the midterms.

Sanders bristled at the widely-accepted idea that the 2020 primary is already underway. "Never-ending elections," he said, "are very unfair to the American people who get a little bit sick and tired of that."

But with the Democratic field expected to be well into the double digits, Sanders acknowledged he won't be able to wait as long as he'd like to announce a run. "I'm going to have to make a decision in the not-too-distant future," he said, "But I think we have a few months to make that decision."


THERE ARE ALWAYS SOME COUNTIES THAT ARE SLOW TO GET THEIR VOTES COUNTED, BUT THAT WON'T DO ANY HARM. I WOULD RATHER HAVE THAT THAN GLITCHES PAPERED OVER WITHOUT BEING CORRECTED. I THOUGHT EVERY STATE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE PAPER BALLOTS AS BACKUPS NOW?

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/08/665628723/its-not-over-days-after-election-these-races-are-still-undecided
It's Not Over: Days After Election, These Races Are Still Undecided
November 8, 201812:53 PM ET
Updated at 3:01 p.m. ET
BRIAN NAYLOR Twitter

PHOTOGRAPH -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams addresses supporters at an election watch party on Tuesday. Abrams has not conceded to her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, contending there are thousands of absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

It's two days after the midterm elections, and there are still a few things unknown about the outcome. There are several House races and a handful of Senate seats still up in the air, along with two high-profile governors' races in Georgia and Florida.

Some may be decided shortly, but a few may not be called until next week or later. Democrats have picked up 30 House seats, more than enough to recapture control of that chamber. But there are still about a dozen undecided, competitive House races held by Republicans, and Democrats lead in six. They are listed below (results as of 1:45 p.m. ET Thursday):

CA 10 R leads 50.6-49.4 or 1,287 votes
CA 25 D leads 51.3-48.7 or 4,117
CA 39 R leads 51.3-48.7 or 3,879
CA 45 R leads 51.7-48.3 or 6,223
CA 48 D leads 50.7-49.3 or 2,682
GA 7 R leads 50.2-49.8 or 890
ME 2* R leads 46.1-45.7 or 921
NJ 3 D leads 49.8-48.9 or 2,622
NY 22 D leads 50.3-49.7 or 1,293
NY 27 R leads 49.5-48.4 or 2,910
TX 23 R leads 49.2-48.7 or 1,150
UT 4 D leads 51.3-48.7 or 5,042
WA 8 D leads 52.9-47.1 or 12,576

*Only 88 percent of precincts are reporting, and ranked-choice votes* need to be reallocated. There were two independents who ran, who were seen as liberal. Combined they earned more than 22,500 votes.

Full election results can be found here.

2018 House Election Results For Congressional Races
POLITICS
2018 House Election Results For Congressional Races

Maine's 2nd District race, profiled here, has one of the oddest potential outcomes — the Republican incumbent is leading, but a newly implemented way the state counts votes very well could hand the race to the Democratic challenger.

Democratic Control Of The House Is Trouble For Trump, And 6 Other Election Takeaways
ANALYSIS
Democratic Control Of The House Is Trouble For Trump, And 6 Other Election Takeaways
Republican Bruce Poliquin currently leads Democrat Jared Golden by 921 votes with 46 percent of the vote. But there were also two independents in the race, Tiffany Bond and Will Hoar. Under Maine's unique ranked-choice voting law, if no candidate receives a majority — that is 50 percent plus one of the vote — the Maine secretary of state conducts a recount.

The last-place finisher in the contest, who appears to be Hoar, will be eliminated. The second choice his voters listed on their ballots will be awarded to the respective candidates. And if that still doesn't produce a majority winner, then the third-place finisher is eliminated and the process repeats.

This Maine District Went For Obama, Then Trump. Now It's A Toss-Up
ELECTIONS

This Maine District Went For Obama, Then Trump. Now It's A Toss-Up
Golden has said he will abide by the final results, but Poliquin didn't answer a question put to him during a debate last month about whether he would. It's possible he could decide to file a court suit to contest the process. So it may be a while before we know who will represent the voters of the largest congressional district geographically east of the Mississippi.

The uncalled governors' races are in Florida and Georgia.

In Georgia, Republican Brian Kemp holds a narrow lead over Stacey Abrams. Kemp has declared victory, but Abrams has not conceded, contending there are thousands of absentee and provisional ballots yet to be counted.

In Georgia, Kemp Claims Victory, But Won't Oversee Potential Recount
POLITICS
In Georgia, Kemp Claims Victory, But Won't Oversee Potential Recount
In Florida Senate Race, Razor-Thin Margin May Lead To Recount
NATIONAL
In Florida Senate Race, Razor-Thin Margin May Lead To Recount

In Florida, The Associated Press has called the race for Republican Ron DeSantis over Democrat Andrew Gillum. While Gillum has conceded, the race is tightening and is in the range to trigger a recount. The margin is now less than 0.5 percentage points.

The same holds true for Florida's U.S. Senate race, where Republican Rick Scott has a narrow lead over Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson. That race's margin is currently just 0.2 percentage points.

Republican Martha McSally speaks at a rally for President Trump on Oct. 19 in Mesa, Ariz. McSally is in a tight Senate race with Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.
Ralph Freso/Getty Images

The Arizona Senate race is also up in the air. There, Republican Martha McSally has a lead of some 15,000 votes over Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, but some 600,000 mail-in ballots have yet to be counted, a process that could take a week or more to complete.

Finally, the special election for a Senate seat in Mississippi goes to an automatic runoff between the top two finishers, Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the position, and Democrat Mike Espy. That will take place on Nov. 27.

ABOUT RANKED-CHOICE VOTES* -- THIS METHOD WOULD SOLVE THE DNC’S UNFAIR SYSTEM AS LONG AS NOT JUST MOST, BUT ALL OF THE SUPERDELEGATES WERE ELIMINATED. WE DON’T NEED SOMEBODY ELSE MAKING OUR DECISIONS FOR US. I WANT THE REAL VOICE OF THE PEOPLE TO BE HEARD AND OBEYED. DOING THINGS THE WAY THEY STILL DO, EVEN AFTER THE 1968 ELECTION, TO ELECT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IS GROSSLY UNFAIR, AND IN NO WAY BETTER! BESIDES, THIS IS MUCH EASIER TO COUNT, AND SHOULD BE FASTER. WE STILL HAVE THE OLD “SMOKE-FILLED ROOM” SYSTEM OF PRIVILEGED VOTERS MAKING THE DECISION.

THAT KIND OF THINKING GOES BACK TO A TIME WHEN THOSE IN OFFICE “FEARED THE EXCESSES OF DEMOCRACY,” AND IS BASED ON THE IDEA THE VOTERS ARE TO A GREAT DEGREE TOO STUPID TO DECIDE ELECTIONS, SO THEY PUT UP AN ORCHESTRATED SHOW INSTEAD. THE FACT THAT BERNIE SANDERS DIDN’T GET THE NOMINATION BOTHERED ME, DISAPPOINTED ME, BUT IT WAS THE EXTREMELY UNFAIR WAY IN WHICH THE WHOLE THING WAS CONDUCTED THAT SOURED ME ON THE PARTY, AND I AM NOT ALONE IN THAT. MORE IMPORTANTLY, I THINK IT IS AN ISSUE THAT WON’T GO AWAY, SO THE PARTY REALLY SHOULDN’T IGNORE IT AS BEING “SOLVED” ALREADY.

RANKED CHOICE IS THE WAY TO GO!

https://www.fairvote.org/rcv#where_is_ranked_choice_voting_used
Solutions Ranked Choice Voting / Instant Runoff
Ranked Choice Voting / Instant Runoff

Ranked choice voting (RCV) makes democracy more fair and functional. It works in a variety of contexts. It is a simple change that can have a big impact.

With ranked choice voting, voters can rank as many candidates as they want in order of choice. Candidates do best when they attract a strong core of first-choice support while also reaching out for second and even third choices. When used as an "instant runoff" to elect a single candidate like a mayor or a governor, RCV helps elect a candidate that better reflects the support of a majority of voters. When used as a form of fair representation voting to elect more than one candidate like a city council, state legislature or even Congress, RCV helps to more fairly represent the full spectrum of voters.

SEE THE RANKED CHOICE MAP

Where is Ranked Choice Voting Used?
Benefits of Ranked Choice Voting
Problems RCV Can Help Solve
How RCV Works
FAQ
Resources and Links
Endorsers
Research on RCV
RCV Legislation
RCV and Election Administration
Try RCV using OpaVote


Using RCV now:
Basalt, Colorado: Adopted in 2002 and will be used when three or more candidates run for mayor.
Berkeley, California: Adopted in 2004 and has been used since 2010 to elect the mayor, city council and city auditor
Cambridge, Massachusetts: In use since the 1940s in multi-winner RCV form for the nine seat city council and six seat school board elected citywide
Carbondale, Colorado: Adopted in 2002 for mayor when there are three or more candidates
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Adopted in 2006 and fused since 2009, in elections for 22 city offices, including mayor and city council in single winner elections and some multi-winner park board seats
Oakland, California: Adopted in 2006 and fused since 2010 for a total of 18 city offices, including mayor and city council
Portland, Maine: Adopted in 2010 and first used in 2011 and 2015 for electing mayor
Maine: Adopted in 2016 and first used in June 2018 for all state and federal primary elections
San Francisco, California: Adopted in 2002 and used since 2004 to elect the mayor, city attorney, Board of Supervisors and five additional citywide offices
San Leandro, California: Adopted as option in 2000 charter amendment and used since 2010 to elect the mayor and city council
Santa Fe, New Mexico: Adopted in 2008 and used since March 2018 for mayor, city council, and municipal judge
St. Paul, Minnesota: Adopted in 2009, used since 2011 to elect the mayor and city council
Takoma Park, Maryland: Adopted in 2006 and used since 2007 in all elections for mayor and city council
Telluride, Colorado: Adopted in 2008 and used since 2011 to elect the mayor when three candidates run, as in 2011 and 2015

Upcoming implementations:

Amherst, Massachusetts: Adopted charter in 2018 with ranked choice voting and passing implementation statute before projected first use in 2021.
Benton County, Oregon: Adopted by voters in 2016 for elected county offices including sheriff and county commissioner. It will be used in 2020.
Las Cruces, New Mexico: Adopted by the city council in 2018 for all municipal elections beginning in 2019.
St. Louis Park, Minnesota: Adopted in 2018 for municipal offices including mayor and city council. It will be used in 2019.
Memphis, Tennessee: Adopted by voters in 2008, awaiting implementation.
Advisory or option for future uses:
Davis, California: adopted in 2006 as an advisory referendum for fair representation form of RCV and awaiting state law change.
Ferndale, Michigan: adopted by voters in 2004, awaiting implementation readiness.
Santa Clara County, California: approved by voters as option in 1998.
Sarasota, Florida: adopted by voters in 2007, awaiting implementation readiness.
Vancouver, Washington: approved by voters as option in 1999.
For overseas voters in runoffs
Arkansas: Adopted in 2005, first used 2006, and was extended to all local runoffs in 2007.
Alabama: By agreement with a federal court, used in special election for U.S. House, 2013; became law for all federal primary runoffs in 2015.
Louisiana: Adopted and used since the 1990s for state and federal general election runoffs; also includes out of state military voters.
Mississippi: Adopted in 2014 for use in federal runoffs.
South Carolina: Adopted and first used in 2006 for state and federal runoffs.
Springfield, Illinois: Adopted in 2007 and used since 2011.
RCV on Campus

Over 50 colleges and universities in the United States use ranked choice voting to elect some or all student government positions. That means that over 700,000 students across the country are empowered with more choice in electing student leaders.

Full list of colleges and universities using RCV for student government elections

Private Organizations and Corporations

Recommended by Robert’s Rules of Order for organizational elections conducted by mail, ranked choice voting is used widely among private associations organizations. Probably its highest profile use by a private organization is in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who use RCV to nominate and select winners of the prestigious Academy Awards. Ranked choice voting in multi-winner elections is commonly used by British organizations as well.

Too many organizations use RCV for a comprehensive list. Here is a partial list of private organizations and corporations using RCV.

Public Elections Internationally

Ranked choice voting is used by every voter in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Malta, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, often with the multi-winer, proportional form of it (“single transferable vote”). RCV also is used in party elections and local elections throughout the English-speaking world, including national leaders of the major conservative parties in Canada and New Zealand and major liberal parties in Canada and United Kingdom.

Examples of uses of RCV include: Australia (federal House of Representatives and nearly all state and local government elections and a multi-winner form of it for senate elections); Ireland (for president and multi-winner form for parliament and many local elections; Malta (multi-winner form for parliament; New Zealand (for mayor and city council in major cities such as Wellington, along with health board elections); Northern Ireland (multi-winner form for regional parliament and most local elections); Scotland (multi=winner form for all local government elections. In India, Nepal and Pakistan elected officials use the multi-winner from of RCV to select their national senates and in the case of India its president. Forms of RCV are also used to elect the mayor of London and president of Sri Lanka.

International election systems


THE THIRD SAFEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY – RIGHT. I WONDER HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HE HAS HURT. A NEIGHBOR SAID THAT HE WAS VERY UNFRIENDLY, SO HE WAS APPARENTLY VERY FREQUENTLY ANGRY, THE POLICE AND THEIR MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST DIDN’T THINK HE NEEDED TO BE TAKEN INTO CUSTODY. HE IS PROBABLY CAPABLE OF A MUCH SOFTER OUTER APPEARANCE AT TIMES, SUCH AS WHENEVER HE GETS INTO TROUBLE. THE TRACK COACH SAID THAT HE WAS KNOWN TO HAVE PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL, BUT THE ADMINISTRATION WANTED HER TO “ACCEPT AN APOLOGY” FOR WHAT IS A GROTESQUE SEXUAL ASSAULT MEANT TO SHAME AND INTIMIDATE HER. ARE HIS PARENTS WEALTHY AND INFLUENTIAL IN THE AREA? SOMETHING SPECIAL IS GOING ON IN THIS SITUATION. IF A POOR BLACK KID DID WHAT HE DID, HE WOULD BE IN PRISON NOW.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ian-david-long-suspect-thousand-oaks-california-mass-shooting-former-high-school-track-coach-says-bar-shooting-suspect-groped-assaulted-her/
CBS NEWS November 9, 2018, 12:42 PM
Former high school track coach says bar shooting suspect groped, assaulted her

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. -- A former track coach at Newbury Park High School in California says Ian David Long, the 28-year-old suspect in the Wednesday mass shooting at a Thousand Oaks bar, assaulted her while he was a student there.

Dominique Colell told CBS Los Angeles her "jaw dropped" when she saw Long identified at [sic] the suspect on the news.

"He attacked me. He attacked his high school track coach," Colell said. "Who does that?"

Authorities say Long, a former Marine combat veteran who had been stationed in Afghanistan, used a .45-caliber Glock handgun with an illegal, extra-capacity magazine in the shooting that left 12 dead. Witnesses said he first shot a security guard outside the bar and deployed smoke bombs before going in and aiming at employees and customers, reports CBS News correspondent Carter Evans.

Long, who lived with his mother in Newbury Park, then apparently killed himself.

Colell told CBS Los Angeles that Long groped and assaulted her over a cell phone while she was his high school track coach. Colell said it happened during practice when someone found a phone and she was trying to figure out who it belonged to.

colell.jpg
Dominique Colell CBS LA

"Ian came up and started screaming at me that was his phone," said Colell. "He just started grabbing me. He groped my stomach. He groped my butt. I pushed him off me and said 'for that — you're off the team.' "

Colell said she didn't report the incident because she was encouraged by other coaches and the school to accept an apology to not ruin his future in the Marine Corps.

"I should have reported it then," Colell said.

A school district spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBS News.

Officials had previously implied that Long may have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder because of his military background, but Colell says he showed signs of aggression before his military service. The Marine Corps said Long entered active duty in Los Angeles in August 2008 and served until March 2013. He ranked as a corporal in 2011 and his military occupational specialty was machine gunner, the Marine Corps said.

Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said his department's mental health crisis team was called to Long's home in April for a disturbance call and concluded that Long did not need to be taken into custody under a "5150" order, an evaluation that determines whether a person needs to be involuntarily held for up to 72 hours because they are a threat to themselves or others.

The episode was thought to be possible PTSD, Dean said.

"There are hundreds of thousands of people with PTSD," said Colell. "They don't go around shooting people. This kid was mentally disturbed in high school. There were signs and the administration knew it."

Authorities say they are still investigating a motive.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


FLORIDA HAS DONE IT AGAIN! RUBIO, POOR GUY, CLAIMS THAT THE PURPOSE OF THE RECOUNT IS SO DEMOCRATS CAN “STEAL THE ELECTION,” AND THAT SENATOR BILL NELSON, THE DEMOCRAT WHO HAS LONG HELD THE SEAT, ADMITTED TO CHEATING. ALSO, THERE IS ANOTHER FAULTY BALLOT PROBLEM AND A GOOD 1/5 OF THE BLACK VOTE HAS BEEN ELIMINATED BY REPUBLICAN MANIPULATIONS BY RICK SCOTT, THIS ARTICLE SAYS. I DON’T KNOW IF NELSON IS CAPABLE OF CHEATING TO WIN OR NOT – I DON’T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT HIM – BUT HE IS NOT STUPID ENOUGH TO ADMIT DOING IT. BESIDES, THE REPUBLICAN RUBIO HAS PRESENTED NO PROOF OF HIS ALLEGATIONS. THAT’S RIGHT OUT OF DONALD TRUMP’S PLAYBOOK. WATCH HIS TWEETS THAT ARE EMBEDDED IN THE TEXT BELOW.


ARTICLE #2 FROM NPR IS ON THE SAME STORY LINE:

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/09/666018707/trump-scott-spread-claims-of-voter-fraud-as-florida-race-narrows
ELECTIONS
As Florida Races Narrow, Trump And Scott Spread Claims Of Fraud Without Evidence
November 9, 20189:45 AM ET
Updated at 4:20 p.m. ET
MILES PARKS
EMILY SULLIVAN
BRIAN NAYLOR

PHOTOGRAPH -- President Trump speaks to reporters at the White House on Friday. The president has joined Florida Gov. Rick Scott in amplifying claims of voter fraud in the state's Senate race despite lack of evidence.
Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Days after midterm voting, as ballots are still being counted, Republican lawmakers who are holding on to tight leads in midterm states are alleging foul play and voter fraud. The claims were amplified by President Trump, without evidence, on Friday morning.

"You mean they are just now finding votes in Florida and Georgia — but the Election was on Tuesday?" he wrote in a tweet. "Let's blame the Russians and demand an immediate apology from President Putin!"


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
You mean they are just now finding votes in Florida and Georgia – but the Election was on Tuesday? Let’s blame the Russians and demand an immediate apology from President Putin!

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10:58 AM - Nov 9, 2018
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Current Florida Gov. Rick Scott, locked in a tight Senate race, said in a news conference Thursday night that "the people of Florida deserve fairness and transparency and the supervisors are failing to give it to us."

"Every Floridian should be concerned there may be rampant voter fraud in Palm Beach and Broward counties," he said. "I will not sit idly by while unethical liberals try to steal this election from the great people of Florida."


Troy Kinsey
✔
@TroyKinsey
Rick Scott press conference https://www.pscp.tv/w/brTZBDI2NDc2Nzd8MVprSnprUEFuUXd4dhQ-JBRJE373C4P3oOsxxjBGfM8CrZs3HkxT1GfNMy1n …

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8:23 PM - Nov 8, 2018 · Tallahassee, FL
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Scott's race against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson seems to be headed toward triggering a mandatory recount. Florida law says any race within a 0.5 percent margin must go to a recount, and as of 9 a.m. Friday, Nelson trailed Scott by 0.18 percent.

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Meanwhile, A Florida circuit court judge has ordered Broward County Elections Supervisor Brenda Snipes to provide records on the total number of ballots cast, the number counted and uncounted, and data on vote by mail for the county by 7 p.m. ET tonight, siding with Scott.

At an emergency hearing on Friday, Snipes' attorneys suggested this could slow counting.

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz said to reporters outside the courtroom "We're here to get her records to show that there is fraud or there isn't fraud."

Scott has asked state law enforcement to investigate the elections offices of Palm Beach and Broward Counties for wrongdoing, without evidence of what should be investigated. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has said they are not investigating, that no allegations of fraud have been brought forward and there has been no written request from Scott yet.

Nelson released a videotaped statement Friday afternoon accusing Scott of abusing his office to undermine democracy and "stop a complete and accurate counting of all the votes in Florida."

Previous claims of widespread voter fraud, including Trump's claim that millions of people voted illegally in 2016, are considered false by voting experts. One investigation, published in 2014, found 31 possible cases of in-person voter fraud out of more than 1 billion ballots cast over a 14-year period.

2018 Florida Midterm Election Results
ELECTIONS
2018 Florida Midterm Election Results
Scott claimed victory Tuesday night and has filed lawsuits against two county election officials, in Palm Beach and Broward counties, alleging their offices have withheld voting records.

Trump echoed Scott's claims Thursday night, tweeting that "Law Enforcement" would look into election fraud in Florida.


Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Law Enforcement is looking into another big corruption scandal having to do with Election Fraud in #Broward and Palm Beach. Florida voted for Rick Scott!

123K
9:38 PM - Nov 8, 2018
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Nelson's election attorney, Marc Elias, tweeted Friday that "as the counties continue their work, I expect that margin will narrow further. And then the State will conduct an orderly recount."

Trump has a history of calling out fraud, without providing evidence to back up his claims. No widespread claim of voter fraud by the president has ever been proved true. He even created a commission to investigate alleged fraud after the 2016 election, but it dissolved without releasing any findings.

"They're finding votes out of nowhere, and Rick Scott who won by — it was close, but he won by a comfortable margin, he easily won but every hour it seems to be going down," Trump said outside the White House Friday. "I think that people have to look at it very, very cautiously."

FACT CHECK: Trump Repeats Voter Fraud Claim About California
FACT CHECK
FACT CHECK: Trump Repeats Voter Fraud Claim About California
In the case of Florida still counting ballots more than 48 hours after polls closed, David Becker, the executive director for the Center for Election Innovation and Research, told NPR it is extremely common for a voting jurisdiction to be taking as long as Broward County is.

"Election officials are literally just counting the ballots. This isn't corruption or fraud," Becker said. "It is literally the best of democracy. Let election officials do their job and count the ballots."

Georgia: Republican Kemp claims Abrams trying to "create new votes"

In Georgia, gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is hoping to force a runoff with her Republican opponent, Brian Kemp, who resigned his post as the state's secretary of state on Thursday.

Kemp has already claimed victory, and his campaign released a statement saying Abrams was trying to "steal" the election in a courtroom.

In Georgia, Kemp Claims Victory, But Won't Oversee Potential Recount
POLITICS
In Georgia, Kemp Claims Victory, But Won't Oversee Potential Recount
"Abrams campaign is trying to create new votes, because they know it's their only remaining hope," said Ryan Mahoney, the Kemp campaign's communications director, in the statement.

But Abrams' campaign maintains it just wants all provisional and absentee ballots to be counted before she decides to concede. The Associated Press has not called the race, and votes have continued to be counted this week.

Kemp holds about a 63,000-vote lead, with 50.3 percent of almost 4 million votes. He needs to finish above 50 percent to avoid a runoff election.

2018 Georgia Midterm Election Results
ELECTIONS
2018 Georgia Midterm Election Results
Lauren Groh-Wargo, Abrams' campaign manager, wrote on Twitter that if Kemp "cared about Georgians and being a legitimate [governor], he would wait until results are certified."

Abrams' campaign has questioned a number of aspects of the state's election administration, which Kemp oversaw until Thursday, including the fact that hundreds of votes came in from absentee ballots in Cobb County, according to the AP, after Kemp's office said all absentee ballots had already been counted.

"He is making a joke of our elections system and stepping on basic rights," Groh-Wargo said. "This is despicable."

She noted that many jurisdictions across the country are still tabulating results as well. Overnight Thursday for instance, the lead swapped in the Senate race in Arizona, with Democratic nominee Kyrsten Sinema pulling slightly ahead of Republican Martha McSally.

It's Not Over: Days After Election, These Races Are Still Undecided
POLITICS
It's Not Over: Days After Election, These Races Are Still Undecided
In California, more than 4 million votes have yet to be counted.

Florida's governor's race also looks headed to a mandatory recount, as the votes that have trickled in this week have also pushed the race between Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum under the 0.5 percent threshold.

Gillum already conceded the race on Tuesday night, but he tweeted Thursday night after Scott announced his lawsuits against the two elections supervisors.

"Counting votes isn't partisan — it's democracy," he said.


http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/marco-rubio-opposes-recount-in-florida-senate-race.html
FLORIDA RECOUNT 6:24 P.M.
Marco Rubio: Democrats Are Trying to Steal Florida Senate Race by Counting All the Votes
By Eric Levitz@EricLevitz

PHOTOGRAPH OF RUBIO SPEAKING, CAPTION: He knows exactly what he’s doing. Photo: Jeff Mitchell/Getty Images

On Tuesday night in Florida, Democratic senator Bill Nelson conceded a Senate race to Republican Rick Scott, because he was trailing the Florida governor by more than 57,000 voters. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, meanwhile, conceded Florida’s governor race to Republican Ron DeSantis, because he was trailing the congressman by an even larger margin.

And then, Nelson and Gillum discovered that there were more outstanding votes from heavily Democratic counties than they had realized. By Thursday afternoon, Nelson’s deficit had fallen to just 17,000, or 0.22 percent. State law requires a manual recount of any election with an initial margin under 0.25 percent. Gillum’s deficit, meanwhile, fell to 38,000, or 0.47 percent, which is under the 0.5 percent threshold that triggers an automatic machine recount, under state law.

More significantly (and alarmingly), irregularities began to emerge in Nelson’s pattern of support. Specifically, an aberrant percentage of voters in Broward County marked their ballots for gubernatorial candidates — but left the Senate ballot-line blank.

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

Matthew Isbell
@mcimaps
OMG. Looking at county-level undervote. Broward stands out for having 3.7% of its ballots left blank for #FLSEN but cast for #FLGOV. No other county comes close, and Palm/Dade had more votes for Senator. Either this is ballot design or machine error. #flapol #sayfie

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It’s possible that this was a product of bad ballot design (similar to the infamous “butterfly ballot” that led some Broward County voters to accidentally vote for Pat Buchanan instead of Al Gore in 2000). Specifically, many voters in Broward County reported having had difficulty finding the Senate race on the ballot, as it was tucked beneath a long block of voting instructions on the ballot’s left-hand column.

View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter

David Smiley
✔
@NewsbySmiley
I’m at @BrowardVotes HQ. Here’s an image of a ballot to aide discussion about whether layout caused undervotes in the US Senate race

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This theory is buttressed by the fact that undervoting in the Senate race was especially pronounced in Florida’s 24th Congressional District, where no House race was listed (as the incumbent ran unopposed), and thus the Senate race box was even lower down on the ballot’s left-hand side.


Patrick Murray
@PollsterPatrick
I randomly picked a precinct in each CD. Here's Sen-Gov dropoff:
FL20 (C005): 97.5%
FL22 (A001): 95.7%
FL24 (M001): 97.8%
FL24 (Q050/051): 89.6% !!!

It was low in each precinct compared to rest of state, but especially low where no House race was on ballot. Poor design!

Steve Kornacki
@SteveKornacki
Replying to @SteveKornacki
To put some numbers on this: Broward County has a population of nearly 2 million. About 90,000 of them -- a little under 5% -- live in the FL-24 portion. Overall, there were at least 700,000 ballots cast in Broward, so probably around 30,000 of them are from the FL-24 portion.

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If ballot design produced the undercount, then nothing can be done to rectify the error. But it is also possible that vote-processing machines in Broward suffered a technical glitch that caused them not to read Senate votes that were properly marked on paper ballots — and if that is the case, then a recount would very likely tip the Senate race to Nelson.

For this and other reasons, lawyers for Nelson and Gillum decided to call on the state of Florida to honor its statutory obligation to perform a recount.

In response, Florida senator Marco Rubio decided to accuse the Democratic Party of conspiring with Broward County election officials to illicitly overturn the will of the electorate, and illegitimately install Bill Nelson into the U.S. Senate.


Marco Rubio
✔
@marcorubio
Long but IMPORTANT THREAT ON ELECTIONS IN #FLORIDA.#BayCounty was hit by a Cat 4 Hurricane just 4 weeks ago,yet managed to count votes & submit timely results.

Yet over 41 hours after polls closed #Broward elections office is still counting votes? #Sayfie

1/6

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Marco Rubio
✔
@marcorubio
Replying to @marcorubio
#Broward supervisor:
- says she doesn’t know how many ballots are left to be counted; &
- Isn’t reporting hourly or regularly,but rather releasing thousands of additional votes,often in the overnight hours,that are chipping away at GOP leads

2/6 #Sayfie

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Marco Rubio
✔
@marcorubio
Replying to @marcorubio
#Broward elections department has a history of violating the law:

A court found they improperly handled votes by mail:https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/08/13/judge-sides-with-florida-gop-in-absentee-ballot-dispute-with-broward-county-555553 …

Court found they destroyed ballots in 2016 in violation of state & federal law:https://www.politico.com/states/florida/story/2018/05/14/florida-to-monitor-broward-election-chief-after-judge-finds-unlawful-ballot-destruction-in-wasserman-schultz-race-415832 … #Sayfie

3/6

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Marco Rubio
✔
@marcorubio
Replying to @marcorubio
Now democrat lawyers are descending on #Florida. They have been very clear they aren’t here to make sure every vote is counted.

- They are here to change the results of election; &
- #Broward is where they plan to do it.#Sayfie

4/6

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Marco Rubio
✔
@marcorubio
Replying to @marcorubio
A U.S. Senate seat & a statewide cabinet officer are now potentially in the hands of an elections supervisor with a history of incompetence & of blatant violations of state & federal laws.

Read Here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article220841135.html …

5/6#Sayfie

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Behind the curtain of the most controversial elections department in South Florida
The Broward County Elections Department has come under fire in recent years for a series of glitches, mistakes and errors that have many wondering if their votes will count this November.

miamiherald.com
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Marco Rubio
✔
@marcorubio
Replying to @marcorubio
#Broward election supervisors ongoing violation of #Florida law requiring timely reporting isn’t just annoying incompetence. It has opened the door for lawyers to come here & try to steal a seat in the U.S. Senate & Florida Cabinet
#Sayfie

6/6

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Rubio offered no evidence to support the claim that Democratic lawyers have been very clear that they don’t want every vote to count, and are merely seeking to win the election by any means necessary (even if that involves not counting all the votes), nor did he specify what “ongoing” violations of the law Broward County election officials were engaged in (notably, the “elections supervisor with a history of incompetence” was appointed by former Republican governor (and Rubio ally) Jeb Bush).

The Florida senator also neglected to mention the fact that more than 20 percent of voting-age African-Americans in Florida were prohibited from casting ballots in Tuesday’s election — largely because Rick Scott made disenfranchising them a top policy priority.


Taniel
✔
@Taniel
The fact that we're treating an election in which more than one in 5 African Americans were disenfranchised as anything but a grotesque farce is a massive indictment of the U.S. media and of so much of our entire political discourse.

Taniel
✔
@Taniel
Under Crist, 155K people who completed a conviction regained voting rights over 4 years.

Scott became governor & restricted rules further. Just 3K people regained voting rights! Over 8 years!!

Scott DIRECTLY suppressed the vote of hundreds of thousands. Now he's up 17K.

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To be sure, it is perfectly reasonable for Republicans — or anyone else, for that matter — to demand an explanation for why it is taking Broward County so long to finish its initial vote count (as opposed to the impending recount that will likely follow its completion). But as of this writing, there is simply no reason to believe that the delay is the product of anything worse than incompetence. Even after Nelson conceded Tuesday night, the New York Times’s forecasting algorithm was only giving Rick Scott a 53 percent chance of winning the election — because, based on the vote totals in other parts of the state, the model assumed that there had to be a lot of missing votes in (heavily Democratic) Broward County. Which is to say: One doesn’t need to invoke a vast left-wing conspiracy to explain why Nelson gained votes between election night and Thursday afternoon. And yet, Rick Scott and Donald Trump have now joined Rubio in doing so.

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Nate Cohn
✔
@Nate_Cohn
I understand why the late ballots in Florida seem like a surprise. But when we turned off the needle yesterday, it seemed like there just wasn't enough counted in south Florida; turned it off w/Scott having virtually no edge at all

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Many #NeverTrump conservatives like to fantasize about a world in which Marco Rubio won the 2016 GOP nomination — and, as a result, the Republican Party retained its commitment to civility over demagoguery, and democratic ideals over the raw pursuit of power. There are many problems with this fantasy. But two conspicuous ones are that Rubio spent much of his 2016 campaign baselessly accusing America’s first black president of deliberately sabotaging the country (“he knows exactly what he’s doing”); and that he is now telling his supporters, without evidence, that if Bill Nelson wins a recount they should regard the outcome of the 2018 Florida Senate race as illegitimate. Which suggests that reckless demagoguery would still have a place in Republican politics – even in a universe where Donald Trump didn’t.


WRAL IS RALEIGH, NC, AND ACCORDING TO BIAS CHECK IT IS AMONG THE LEAST BIASED, WITH FACTUAL REPORTING, SO THESE STORIES SHOULD BE TRUE.

https://www.wral.com/not-real-news-a-look-at-what-didn-t-happen-this-week/17982674/
POLITICAL NEWS
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
NOVEMBER 9, 2018 Posted 14 minutes ago

PHOTOGRAPH – EX-PRESIDENT OBAMA SPEAKING By The Associated Press

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked these out. Here are the real facts:

___

NOT REAL NEWS: FLASHBACK: Obama kicks out reporter at press briefing

THE FACTS: Former President Barack Obama did not throw a reporter out of a press conference for asking a question in 2015, as a claim circulating widely online suggests. The false claim surfaced after a heated exchange Wednesday between President Donald Trump and CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta, whose White House press pass was suspended afterward. Some social media users then circulated a video they said showed Obama kicking a reporter out of press briefing. As reported by the AP, Obama was actually responding to a protester who was heckling him during a gay pride month reception at the White House in June 2015. "Shame on you, you shouldn't be doing this," Obama told the protester, adding he had the option of staying quiet or being removed. The protester was removed.

NOT REAL NEWS: CNN anchor shown laughing as American flag burns

THE FACTS: An image circulating online that shows CNN anchor Don Lemon laughing during an apparent segment about Democrats burning flags on Election Day was fabricated. A CNN spokeswoman told the AP on Tuesday that the image of Lemon, which was paired with a banner claiming "Dems celebrate 'blue wave' burning flags on Election Day," is false. The banner identified the show as "Reliable Sources," which Lemon does not host. He is the host of "CNN Tonight."

___

NOT REAL NEWS: Voting machine rigged in Ohio precinct

THE FACTS: An Instagram video shared widely online Tuesday showed a voter selecting Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine on a touch screen, but then receiving a paper record reflecting a vote for Democratic candidate Richard Cordray. The video was circulated on social media as evidence that a machine was rigged. Aaron Sellers, a spokesman for the Franklin County Board of Elections, told the AP in an email that the machine in question had a paper jam that showed a previous voter's choice. Sellers says the voter who experienced the problem got a poll worker to cancel out the vote on the machine in question and then voted successfully on another machine.

___

This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.



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