2020 US election - It Came from Washington DC

[LynnInDenver]

The presidential election isn't done on November 3rd anyway. That's just the election of the electoral college; the actual presidential election will be on 14th of December, and there's no guarantee that the electors will vote in accordance with the voters that send them. Faithless electors as a thing crop up time and time and time again.

It would take quite a number of them doing so given the current numbers, both confirmed and projected. That doesn't say it won't happen... but on the other foot, that would basically ensure that everyone with a head on their shoulders, both inside and outside the country, would consider American "Democracy" a complete and total failure. We're already going to be treated like anything we agree to can be undone literally every four years... having the Electoral College do that would basically have anyone approached by the U.S. (or U.S. companies, given the trade shitshow with China and elsewhere) considering that we can't be trusted to keep word over anything, at best agreements will become incredibly short term with high levels of concessions... at worst we will be left out in the cold as much as a former world power can be.

Gotta say, irrespective of who you wanted as President, I lament we're repeating mistakes done in countries once considered parody of actual democracy. Now the US has little room to criticize.

And we are also the unfortunate shining example China and similar can now hold up when they make the comments like "democracies are by the people, of the people, NEVER FOR the people." And not be laughed out of the room by other democracies. The whiplash from the past few elections is way too strong for it to be otherwise.