Althouse: "It's hard to believe that the hole President Trump dug for himself could get deeper, but it has."

August 3, 2020

"It's hard to believe that the hole President Trump dug for himself could get deeper, but it has."

Exclaims NPR in "2020 Electoral Map Ratings: Trump Slides, Biden Advantage Expands Over 270 Votes."

And yet it's still not reassurance enough — even this unfathomably deep abyss! — after what happened in 2016.

The hole is so deep that Biden is expected to win 297 electoral votes. That's 27 more than are needed to win. You have to imagine Florida going for Trump to see a way for him to get out of that hole.

82 comments:

Jersey Fled said...: Ho Hum; 8/3/20, 10:28 AM
danoso said...: The NPR folks aren't going to like going to work on November 4th, 2020; 8/3/20, 10:30 AM
Skeptical Voter said...: And NPR are just the fellows to help Trump dig that hole deeper.; 8/3/20, 10:32 AM
Nonapod said...: Obviously it's totally in the bag then. No reason for Dems to worry at all. Heck, it's clearly so overwhelming that there's no need to even bother going out and voting for ol' Joe.

Talk about two movies.; 8/3/20, 10:32 AM
Big Mike said...: You have to imagine Florida going for Trump to see a way for him to get out of that hole.

If Biden picks Bass for his running mate that’s not at all hard to imagine.; 8/3/20, 10:33 AM
Michael K said...: Reading material for Howard and Inga and ARM. But, of course, they won't read it.; 8/3/20, 10:38 AM
Mattman26 said...: We've got them right where they want us!; 8/3/20, 10:38 AM
Dave Begley said...: NPR is whistling past the graveyard. And they well know that Trump would love to defund PBS which includes NPR. Biased Fake News.

I'm sticking with my 40 state Trump win.

This week Durham arrests Comey, Brennan, Clapper et al.

Portland federal courthouse will be torched before Labor Day.

If Biden refuses to debate Trump, he loses. If Biden does debate Trump, he loses.; 8/3/20, 10:38 AM
Gunner said...: These hypocrites would treat a 1 point Electoral College victory as overwhelming as long as Slow Joe was in the lead.; 8/3/20, 10:39 AM
Expat(ish) said...: I saw my first Biden bumper sticker today. On a Buick CUV with Challenger plates. She cut me off in traffic with a sudden and unexpected lane change.

I was expecting it because Florida, not because of the bumper stickers.

In other news I saw a Nader sticker on a Prius today, but not a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.

C; 8/3/20, 10:47 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: Heck, Biden is going to run the table with 140% of all eligible voters casting a ballot!

I am Laslo.; 8/3/20, 10:48 AM
Brian said...: It's almost like there's "No Path" to him winning...; 8/3/20, 10:50 AM
Drago said...: As one can see from the frantic pro-Beijing posts by ARM and the loony Inga, democratics require reassurance from their betters at least 4 times per day every day.

This hilarious article comes out hard on the heels of multiple polls showing Trump ahead or near even (which has to be a record for any republican in a July poll) along with Biden obviously collapsing cognitively (he didn't have much farther to fall...talk about an abyss!) and with the dems desperately seeking to re-institute complete economic shutdowns while implementing Cheat by Mail schemes in every battleground state controlled by a democrat governor....all the while pre-claiming Trump will not concede....all the while offering up a "nice country you've got there, be a shame if something happened to it" extortion threat for continued riots if the peasants don't do what they are told.

How could it get any worse for Trump than a 2016-like 98% chance of a Hillary landslide?

Very telling.

BTW, weren't we supposed to have Biden's VP pick announced already? My my. Apparently, when ARM claimed the democratics could run a turnip and win who knew finding a turnip to replace Dementia Joe would be so hard?; 8/3/20, 10:51 AM
WisRich said...: Indeed, NPR can't imagine Trump winning FL? A state he won in 2016? Let's see what the polling looks like once they focus on LV's instead of RV's.

Oh, and Rasmussen has Trump at 51% approval today.; 8/3/20, 10:52 AM
Wince said...: Don't stop, believing, hold on to that feeling.; 8/3/20, 10:56 AM
RK said...: All the NPR tote bag ladies get a warm fuzzy this morning.; 8/3/20, 10:56 AM
Dave Begley said...: I'll make another prediction. Ann will vote for Trump and the reason why is that Biden voters tore down the statutes of Christian Heng and "Progress."

I'm a big, big believer in public art and, in fact, am working on two BIG projects in Nebraska right now.

People who destroy public art are pure barbarians and contrary to the Rule of Law. As a lawyer and former law professor, Althouse holds the Rule of Law in high regard.; 8/3/20, 10:57 AM
Matthew Heintz said...: NPR is a participant in the media's attempted coup to remove Trump. Why do they continue to receive federal funding? 93% negative coverage of Trump should be 30 years in GITMO for the whole rotten bunch of traitors.; 8/3/20, 10:58 AM
zipity said...: *snort*

Ask President Hillary Clinton how accurate the polls are.

I suspect the number of stealth Trump voters has increased by orders of magnitude.; 8/3/20, 10:58 AM
mikee said...: Trump can, and should, take New York, if he campaigns against Cuomo's COVID in nursing homes and DeBlasio's New York City. Why those two are still in office, rather than picking feathers off their tar-encrusted backsides, is a mystery to me.; 8/3/20, 11:03 AM
mezzrow said...: You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one; 8/3/20, 11:06 AM
mikee said...: Trump can, and should, take New York, if he campaigns against Cuomo's COVID in nursing homes and DeBlasio's New York City. Why those two are still in office, rather than picking feathers off their tar-encrusted backsides, is a mystery to me.; 8/3/20, 11:09 AM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: Wishful thinking, NPR.

I just finished reading the comments on Matt Tabibi's latest article. Several commenters said they did not vote for Trump is 2016 and still dislike him, but they are voting for him in November because the Democrats have become so awful. Many of the progressives in that same thread say they too are disgusted by Biden and the Dems and will vote third party.

I have seen many, many comments on Twitter and on blogs saying "I didn't vote for Trump in 2016, but am voting for him in November - but of course, I can't tell anybody that."

Who knows which way the cat will jump, but I have a feeling Dem bullying will come back to bite them in the ass.; 8/3/20, 11:11 AM
stlcdr said...: He may as well just quit, now. C'mon Mr Biden! Show us what we need to do!; 8/3/20, 11:13 AM
LYNNDH said...: Don't get cocky, vote.; 8/3/20, 11:17 AM
Professional lady said...: Anecdote - my SIL told me this weekend that my liberal 30 something niece is fed-up and voting for Trump. I told her about the Walkaway movement and out of curiosity looked up their Facebook page. There are 350K some members. 70,000 joined the movement last month alone. People (including Democrats) are getting really fed-up. Defund NPR. Let all those NPR people state their opinions, but let them find and fund their own platform to do it. I don't want to pay for it.; 8/3/20, 11:18 AM
iowan2 said...: Why would florida go for biden? Didnt the last state wide election pick a republican senator and governor?
Someone yesterday commented that August was the silly month in the media. Nothing going on, heavy hitters sequestered in the hamptons. no news to report.; 8/3/20, 11:22 AM
Thistlerose said...: I enjoyed my life during January 2020 when the unemployment rate was 3.5%, no one was marching in the streets trying to burn down federal buildings and I did not have to wear a mask if I wanted to enter a building. When I and the rest of America vote in December we need to think really hard on who will bring us from what we have now to something close to what we had then. Biden and his handlers think that the way we lived in January was evil and we should never live like that again.; 8/3/20, 11:23 AM
gilbar said...: You have to imagine Florida going for Trump to see a way for him to get out of that hole.

can ANY OF US,
Imagine a world; where the Cubans in Florida wouldn't support Jo Biden and Karen Bass?
I mean; She's the Most PRO CUBAN candidate: EVER, right?

how about Arizona?
Hard to imagine Arizona not working democrat; it has in Every election in my lifetime

Wait a minute; maybe it's ME that's suffering from dementia; 8/3/20, 11:24 AM
stlcdr said...: So I decided to hold my nose and read it: why would Florida move 'back to a toss up'? I mean, Trump is so bad, why would anyone move back to voting for Trump? Why would anyone vote for Trump? Ah...the Trump zealots.; 8/3/20, 11:26 AM
Swede said...: 2016 amnesia.

Which is promising.

Because all of the outcomes will be the same: Trump is president and colossal liberal meltdowns with promises (unkept, as usual) to move to foreign lands.

Doing all the same things over again and expecting a different result: the definition of insanity.

So apt.; 8/3/20, 11:26 AM
iowan2 said...: Do the people getting the $600 dollar gift for unemployment believe they deserve it? We all know how unemployment works, and this gift was not going to last. It was sunsetted exactly for this reason. PELOSI sunsetted this gift for a reason. Pelosi politicizing this next covid spending bill, cant be playing well with democrats that still operate in reality.; 8/3/20, 11:27 AM
sunsong said...: Let Biden win in a landslide. Let it be so!; 8/3/20, 11:32 AM
FleetUSA said...: Vote & Pray, that's the way; 8/3/20, 11:34 AM
Michael K said...: sunsong said...
Let Biden win in a landslide. Let it be so!

I thought lefties did not believe in prayer.; 8/3/20, 11:38 AM
Mike Sylwester said...: New York Times, July 26, 1988

Dukakis Lead widens According to New Poll

55% for Dukakis

38% for Bush; 8/3/20, 11:41 AM
rcocean said...: I thought there was a poll giving Trump 50% that just came out. In any case, the problem with polling for Nov 2020 POTUS election is this country is deeply divided Politically by demographics. Blacks will vote 90% for Biden. Hispanics, Jews, and other minorities by 2-1. Whites give Trump a majority.

So, in your polls you have to forecast how many of these groups will show up and vote in November and then have your polling population match that. If you get it wrong, then your poll is crap. For example, if project the Voting population for a state will be 12% black, 65% white, 23% other. Then your poll has to match that. And that forecast has to match the actual turnout. But no one knows if that will be true. Its all a guess at this time. Will blacks, for example, turn out in record numbers? Or stay home? no one knows. Same with white working class voters.; 8/3/20, 11:43 AM
rcocean said...: As I said in another thread, I'm shocked Trump ins't winning in a landslide and will probably lose. Incredible. But when people vote their identity, and don't really care about anything else, that's what happens.

It doesn't matter how poorly the D's run say Calf, or SF, or Detroit. People in those places vote their identity and they will NEVER vote R, no matte what. We're now seeing this play out on a national scale. So the D's can nominate a senile 78-y/o fool as POTUS and the D voters don't care. He's their guy, because he has D after his name, and "As a..." they vote D. No matter what.; 8/3/20, 11:47 AM
Kevin said...: You have to imagine Florida going for Trump to see a way for him to get out of that hole.

Inconceivable!; 8/3/20, 11:47 AM
mockturtle said...: Hope springs eternal in the leftist breast.; 8/3/20, 11:51 AM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Michael K said...

Reading material for Howard and Inga and ARM. But, of course, they won't read it.

Why not? Taibbi thinks Biden will win. Of course, he may have had to put that in to get people to read it, but it's still a bit of a stretch IMO. Especially since Joe hasn't been out of his basement in months, while Trump is dominating the news.; 8/3/20, 11:53 AM
rcocean said...: Finally, as stated above, the polling in POTUS elections always seems to favor the D's for some reason. In 1980, Reagan was in most polls 4-6 points behind Carter in October 1980, yet won by 9 points! And in 2000, most of the polls in Sept/early October showed Gore with an 8% lead. And then in mid October, it all turned around for Bush.; 8/3/20, 11:53 AM
mockturtle said...: The days of taking for granted the black and Hispanic vote are over for the Dems.; 8/3/20, 11:56 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: August 17-20 is when the Democratic Nomination will happen.; 8/3/20, 11:56 AM
gilbar said...: People in those places vote their identity and they will NEVER vote R, no matter what

vote blue, no matter who; 8/3/20, 12:00 PM
Michael K said...: Why not? Taibbi thinks Biden will win. Of course, he may have had to put that in to get people to read it,

Oh, I think so. His arguments are pretty good and lead only to one conclusion.; 8/3/20, 12:06 PM
Gk1 said...: I had a liberal friend complain this weekend that they wish the media would stop posting polls showing Biden so far ahead as A)Its seems to good to be true B)It will be an even more soul crushing blow this November if the media was again blowing smoke up his ass to make him feel better. C)He suspects there are millions of new Trump voters too scared or not covered by the polls to show how close the election really is and he now has no idea what will happen this fall.

The media has to somehow pretend its total botching of the 2016 outcome doesn't still haunt it's credibility today.; 8/3/20, 12:10 PM
gilbar said...: rcocean said...
Finally, as stated above, the polling in POTUS elections always seems to favor the D's for some reason.

Don't forget President Dukakis July Polling showed him WAY ahead of VP Bush
HELL! Polls showed MONDALE ahead of President Reagan; 8/3/20, 12:17 PM
gilbar said...: i see Mike Sylvester beat me to it!; 8/3/20, 12:18 PM
Krumhorn said...: Damned if I understand why NPR hasn't been de-funded after all these years. It's just a relentless barrage of state-funded leftie bullshit.....except for the music.

- Krumhorn; 8/3/20, 12:26 PM
n.n said...: People in those places vote their identity and they will NEVER vote R, no matter what

Diversity breeds adversity. #PrinciplesMatter; 8/3/20, 12:27 PM
n.n said...: A veritable black hole... whore h/t NAACP; 8/3/20, 12:27 PM
Leland said...: Maybe if NPR trashes Florida a bit more? Maybe even give more praise to Cuomo's handling of COVID as an example for Florida to follow. That should convince the retired voters to vote DNC.; 8/3/20, 12:31 PM
Mike of Snoqualmie said...: Joe Biden is the "yellow dog" candidate. As in Southern voters who were willing to "vote for a yellow dog before they would vote for any Republican."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_dog_Democrat; 8/3/20, 12:35 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: "You have to imagine Florida going for Trump to see a way for him to get out of that hole."

You have to imagine a bit more than that. On the NPR map, Trump would have to win all five toss-ups - Wisconsin, Ohio, Arizona, North Carolina, and Georgia - plus Florida. The most althouse.blogspot.com-centric outcome would be if Trump wins all those states but Wisconsin is disputed and goes to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Let's call that the Hans Christian Heg's revenge scenario.; 8/3/20, 1:03 PM
exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...: The media has conveniently forgotten that the Dem candidate for Florida governor was discovered in a Miami Beach motel room stoned out of his mind on crystal meth and in the company of a boy toy back in March:

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ny-andrew-gillum-found-inebriated-in-miami-hotel-room-cops-say-20200313-4lbccf6vozahdng4y5zkm72ude-story.html

But I bet Floridians haven't forgotten. Talk about dodging a bullet. Can anybody honestly think that Gillum would have handled Wuhan flu better than DeSantis?

Gillum is a poster child for Dem corruption and incompetence.; 8/3/20, 1:18 PM
Bob Smith said...: I’m so old I remember one of CNN’s revolving mookies election night about an hour before the polls started closing madly circling the states Hillary was sure to win. He had her approaching landslide territory. Then the votes were counted.
What this foo-foo is really all about? Trying to suppress the downstream vote so the Dems keep the House and get the Senate back.; 8/3/20, 1:28 PM
steve uhr said...: Ann. Aren’t you assuming all the toss up states go to Trump? If they split evenly then Biden wins even without Florida.; 8/3/20, 1:33 PM
J. D. Canals said...: I'm an Independent, white, Latino, registered voter in the 'swing' state of NC.
I get polled twice a week, and because of that, I have to go to confession every week. ;-); 8/3/20, 2:00 PM
Jim at said...: Trump's approval rating is seven points higher than Sainted Barack H. Obama during the same point in his presidency, but Biden's going to nab 300 electoral votes.

Yep. OK.; 8/3/20, 2:18 PM
Matt said...: How do they square election polls showing losing alongside approval polls that show him at the same level as Fauxbomba at this point in his presidency?; 8/3/20, 2:25 PM
mockturtle said...: Steve Uhr deduces: Ann. Aren’t you assuming all the toss up states go to Trump? If they split evenly then Biden wins even without Florida. .

Have a wet dream did you, Steve?; 8/3/20, 2:32 PM
gilbar said...: steve uhr thinks it's not just Possible; but, TRUE that Georgia is a "Toss Up State"
put the pipe Down Steve, you're high enough; 8/3/20, 2:33 PM
Mr. T. said...: HEY NPR!OVER HERE!

REMEMBER HOW YOU CARRIED THE WATER AND CALLED THE ELECTION MANDATE FOR MIKE NIFONG? HOW DID THAT WORK OUT FOR YOU??; 8/3/20, 2:36 PM
The Vault Dweller said...: Unfortunately for Trump, Biden isn't unlikable like Hillary. He is just sad. Hillary lost lots of votes because people thought she was evil. It is tough to see Biden as evil, even if he had a terrible past full of awful actions, which he really doesn't. He has been centrist for most of his political career. While that might make the far left of the Democrats ill, it won't negatively effect the swing votes in the middle. Also, he seems like an affable fellow. Again unlike Hillary who comes off as evil to many.; 8/3/20, 2:49 PM
Equipment Maintenance said...: I'll say it again: The Democrats are TRYING to lose. I don't know why, and that worries me.; 8/3/20, 2:52 PM
rehajm said...: You have to imagine Florida going for Trump to see a way for him to get out of that hole.

Nate (yes, that Nate) does a good job ranking the position of swing states..

However, the Electoral College looks like it could still give Trump an advantage, just like it did four years ago. It’s hard to see that advantage now because Biden leads in nearly every swing state, but if you look at each state’s polling average relative to the national polling average3 (the rightmost column in the table below), you get a sense of whether the state is redder or bluer than the country as a whole. As you can see, by this metric, many of these states lean more toward Trump than the country does. That means that, if the overall race tightens, those states could slide into Trump’s column, allowing him to once again win a majority of electoral votes even if Biden wins the national popular vote.

So it isn't hard to see how a small misassumption about the 2020 electorate shifts swing states one way or another, and how sensitive those states are to changing color.

The major error in 2016 was assigning Obama's voters to Hillary. A small error in the electorate assumptions led to the very wrong predictions.

Nate has in order of 'more red' than the nation: TX IA GA NC OH AZ PA FL WI NH NV MI.

Using the above ranking it would be difficult to see the scenario NPR speculates about..; 8/3/20, 3:09 PM
Susan said...: I wonder what it would take for the media to figure out that push-polling doesn't work anymore?

How many elections, do you suppose?; 8/3/20, 3:24 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: If the pussy tape couldn't sink Trump in 2016 it's difficult to imagine what could do it in 2020. Shiny Objects invariably outweigh policy. Indeed, most voters couldn't tell you anything about the policies of the candidates. The Donks know this. Biden is their white flag, at least for this outing.; 8/3/20, 3:27 PM
Bob Loblaw said...: I'm sticking with my 40 state Trump win.

I wouldn't go that far, but I'll be very surprised if Trump doesn't win a second term in November. Progressives have grossly overestimated the appetite among voters to see rioting and looting on the news every day. They've also overestimated voters' appetite to see a vegetable elected president.; 8/3/20, 3:57 PM
Michael K said...: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ny-andrew-gillum-found-inebriated-in-miami-hotel-room-cops-say-20200313-4lbccf6vozahdng4y5zkm72ude-story.html

But I bet Floridians haven't forgotten. Talk about dodging a bullet. Can anybody honestly think that Gillum would have handled Wuhan flu better than DeSantis?

Gillum is a poster child for Dem corruption and incompetence.

Steve Uhr has forgotten, or probably never even knew.; 8/3/20, 4:21 PM
Michael said...: Myself and several veterans of the Gary Johnson campaign in 2016, are seriously considering a vote for Trump, even though the Libertarians are running a solid candidate in Jo Jorgenson. I frequently hear that while DJT is a sh!tball, the forces behind Biden are a real threat to the country.; 8/3/20, 4:22 PM
Kalli Davis said...: NPR is re-using RealClearPolitics the averages which 87% of is compromised of register voters.; 8/3/20, 4:26 PM
steve uhr said...: I simply made a statement of fact. The gross attacks are unwarranted but par for the course here.; 8/3/20, 4:42 PM
phantommut said...: It is tough to see Biden as evil, even if he had a terrible past full of awful actions, which he really doesn't.

I don't agree with that, but I pay more attention to politics than most, and it is absolutely true Biden isn't personally repulsive. OTOH, if he chooses Kamala then the repulsive factor comes back into play.; 8/3/20, 5:12 PM
DavidUW said...: Trump has never won Florida!; 8/3/20, 5:14 PM
Paul said...: If you believe in polls then... Rasmussen now says Trump has 50 percent.

But the only poll I will believe in is called the Election. And that's a few months down the road.; 8/3/20, 5:30 PM
Paul said...: Expat(ish) said...

" I saw my first Biden bumper sticker today. On a Buick CUV with Challenger plates. She cut me off in traffic with a sudden and unexpected lane change.

I was expecting it because Florida, not because of the bumper stickers."

Here in Texas I have not seen ONE Biden sticker. A Bernie 2020 but not a Biden. I've seen dozens of Trump stickers though (I don't put any stickers on my car.. none.); 8/3/20, 5:33 PM
DavidD said...: “...even if Biden wins the national popular vote.”

Which, as we know, is nonexistent and completely irrelevant.; 8/3/20, 5:58 PM
Iman said...: Blogger sunsong said...
Let Biden win in a landslide. Let it be so!

LOL, he has a better chance of dying in a landslide...; 8/3/20, 6:32 PM
Michael K said...: teve uhr said...
I simply made a statement of fact. The gross attacks are unwarranted but par for the course here.

You mean a statement of fact that Gillum did not get stoned with a boy toy in a motel?; 8/3/20, 7:24 PM
Lewis said...: Idiots, by definition, idiots. What about Auden, my own British bastard:

September 1, 1939
W. H. Auden - 1907-1973

I sit in one of the dives
On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.

Accurate scholarship can
Unearth the whole offence
From Luther until now
That has driven a culture mad,
Find what occurred at Linz,
What huge imago made
A psychopathic god:
I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return.

Exiled Thucydides knew
All that a speech can say
About Democracy,
And what dictators do,
The elderly rubbish they talk
To an apathetic grave;
Analysed all in his book,
The enlightenment driven away,
The habit-forming pain,
Mismanagement and grief:
We must suffer them all again.

Into this neutral air
Where blind skyscrapers use
Their full height to proclaim
The strength of Collective Man,
Each language pours its vain
Competitive excuse:
But who can live for long
In an euphoric dream;
Out of the mirror they stare,
Imperialism's face
And the international wrong.

Faces along the bar
Cling to their average day:
The lights must never go out,
The music must always play,
All the conventions conspire
To make this fort assume
The furniture of home;
Lest we should see where we are,
Lost in a haunted wood,
Children afraid of the night
Who have never been happy or good.

The windiest militant trash
Important Persons shout
Is not so crude as our wish:
What mad Nijinsky wrote
About Diaghilev
Is true of the normal heart;
For the error bred in the bone
Of each woman and each man
Craves what it cannot have,
Not universal love
But to be loved alone.

From the conservative dark
Into the ethical life
The dense commuters come,
Repeating their morning vow;
"I will be true to the wife,
I'll concentrate more on my work,"
And helpless governors wake
To resume their compulsory game:
Who can release them now,
Who can reach the deaf,
Who can speak for the dumb?

All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.

Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.; 8/6/20, 7:24 AM