Bill Maher Hypothetical: If Trump Refuses to leave . . .What will you do?

Trump doesn't have enough support within government to pull this off, and besides that, there'd be people lining up to assassinate him, and there'd be people willing to let that happen.

Not saying I agree with it, but it's the truth of the matter...

 

Yah but if the decision is between Trump and Biden, younger people besides the incel Gamergate crowd will overwhelmingly vote AGAINST Trump.

 

The bright side for the progressives who fight like hell for Bernie is a Biden administration will have to appeal and even staff to appeal to the progressive Bernie base that a Trump administration would never do. AOC will all the sudden become someone that has a ton of power in the party where a Biden cannot afford to upset in the same way that Trump cannot afford to piss off evangelicals (please don't think that I am comparing the two on a sanity level).

I get that Biden is a weak candidate, but he won because the progressives share a party with a big tent of voters that some really trust him unlike they trust newcomers. Goodwill and Trust are two attributes in a candidate that are probably under appreciated. That is something Hillary did not have even though she did well at SOS and as a Senator, but most of the country didn't really pay much attention to that, and only thought of Benghazi and "Her Emails". Biden has ALOT of goodwill & trust with Dem voters that Hillary did not have going into November. Could Biden's goodwill be lost come November.... sure. That's a risk that we all live with depending on what happens.

South Carolina really changed the race, and progressives have to respect that older African Americans have some power in choosing the candidate. In reality had Biden lost South Carolina, Bernie would probably be the nominee right now regardless of what one might think about how the ominous DNC would "rig" the primaries to get Bernie out.

I'm glad to see a more pragmatic peleincubus. Progressives will have a hell of alot more power if November produces results that get Trump OUT of the WhiteHouse than they would if Progressives stay at home because they are upset.

 

Except barring something really unusual Sanders won't be on the General Election ballot. I'm pretty confident the youth vote will go to Biden over Trump.

 

I think this is within the realm of possibility. With that though I don't think people will just be angry and not do anything. If it is pretty clear that Trump lost the election I think we enter Civil War territory. I also don't think it is a guarantee that Roberts will go along with Trump. The key word in your analysis is ambiguity. I think even with ambiguity Roberts would be very loathe to decide the election.

All of this is more reason why those of us who want to see this Administration come to an end need to work to win this election and not close. More than that we need to work to take back the Senate. A large popular vote difference, along with an incoming Democratic Senate, would do a lot to address a close Electoral College. It would show that very clearly the will of the people is against Trump.

 

Whether Progressives will have more power under a Biden Administration isn't the relevant question right now. The question is whether progressives will have ANY power under a second Trump Administration.

 

Some will make the case that under a 2nd Trump admin, Bernie's platform will serve as a more discernible alternative because things will be so much worse, it will make real change that much more achievable.

I think they are wrong. The scale of power that the Trumplican party will amass if this happens is such that it will be nearly impossible to fathom things even as simple as free and fair elections in the future. Bernie progressives are also really underplaying the importance of the next Supreme Court appointment. If Trump wins, you can just assume RBG will turn into a likely even more far right judge than Gorsuch, and John Roberts won't have the ability to veto any right wing nutcase decision the rest of his bench decides they want to pass.

Those 6 right wing justices will NOT care if there is a groundswell of progressive support with the American people after a disastrous 2nd Trump term. They will NEVER let something like M4A survive court challenges. Gun legislation... forget about it. Climate Legislation... not gonna happen if it hurts the bottom line. Womens or human rights... yeah...Not gonna happen.

 

I think it is a good question though a lot of posters have taken it to tangents about whether this hypothetical is likely or possible. To @Nook's point, it probably won't be so stark anyway -- the election results would be cast into doubt so that the electorate can't even get to a consensus on whether the election was stolen or not.

But, if I'm convinced it was stolen, what will I do? Not much. Might attend a protest if there isn't too much violence. But mostly, I have too much I'm not willing to risk on a longshot gambit to save democracy. I'm not putting my employment at risk, I'm not risking being indicted, I'm not risking getting shot or beaten. I have my kids to consider. They might appreciate that their father stood up for their freedom, but they'll suffer worse life outcomes if that father is unemployed, jailed, or dead with probably very little to show for his efforts. Maybe 15 years from now when they all have their college degrees, I can throw my life away for my principles.

 

I fully agree. If the previous four years of Trump haven't convinced Progressives of how damaging this presidency is I'm not sure anything will. I am encouraged by Sanders dropping out and I believe he will do his utmost to defeat Trump.

 

This is a question I never hope to answer and honestly I don't know what I would do. I'm in the position that I don't have kids but I have a lot to lose. Being an actual rebel isn't an easy thing and for as much as we like to romanticize and celebrate America's revolutionary heritage most people in the colonies either didn't materially support the revolution and there were plenty that sided with the British. I also know from places like Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka the horrible toll of sectarian violence. It was one of the reasons why I was very worried about the situation in Hong Kong in 2019 (that seems like years ago) and what might happen to my family.

Considering all of that though if Trump, any President, were to breach the Constitution in that way with a complicit USSC then the Constitution becomes meaningless. I don't think this will just be where people just grumble and do nothing I think there will be people willing to fight. Look at Hong Kong. Prior to this your typical Hong Kong youth was like many First World youth, obsessed with video games, fashion, and K-Pop. Not in the best of shape and living in a society with no material hardship. Soft.. Those people were willing to stand up against a state that has in recent history killled it's own people with tanks. I don't think Americans are any softer than the people of Hong Kong.

 

He's not going to accept defeat. Never has even when it is obvious he lost.

He was impeached and still doesn't think he was.

He won't leave peacefully.

What will I do.... think seriously about leaving the country.

You hosers think I'll miss the Texas winters when I'm living in Canada eh?

 

Trump and GOP will do everything they can to remain in power, and the conservative SCOTUS will be right there to legazile any illegallity.

 

Let's assume for a moment it is pretty obvious that it is stolen, and then you see the President push to curtail voting...... would you consider leaving the country? Personally I would not lose because my side lost, but if I see democracy essentially gone I would take my children and wife and leave the USA. Likely for England or Northern Ireland.

 

I'm sure there will be some. But how many, really? I'm guessing not enough. Too many people like me who aren't willing to make personal sacrifices for something that seems unattainable anyway. If something achieves a critical mass, then maybe I and other late adopters jump on the bandwagon. Far more likely I think is the discontent is expressed in other ways -- disengagement from politics, cynicism, criminality, corruption.

 

I'm a dual citizen, so it is probably easier for me than most to just pick up and leave. My daughter has been begging me to move to France anyway. But I don't know if I would leave. It's awfully disruptive. And as a white, cis, heterosexual male, I don't have a lot to personally fear from a de-democratization of the country anyway. Besides which, it seems like democracy is on the ebb across the planet. How long before we have authoritarian wannabes running Canada and France?

 

It does depend who does. If this is just a bunch of angry Members of Move On deciding to join Antifa that wouldn't make a difference and likely strengthen Trump's position. If it is mayors of major cities and governors of states that is a different matter. That is what I mean by entering civil war territory.

 

I could leave also and have had offers to become a Singaporean. I could probably go to Taiwan and Hong Kong because of family connections. I don't consider myself a Singaporean, Hong Konger or Taiwanese. I would have a hard time living with myself if I felt like I abandoned my country at a time of crisis.

As I said hopefully we never come to this point.

 

I'm Chinese and I'm slowly getting spooked out by the divisiveness and anger growing around the country.

I don't fear for my safety but if worse came to worse, I don't think I'd ever move to Taiwan either.

It's not bad, but I'm too Americanized to want to leave the country I was born in.

Not sure about taking stands, but sometimes you have to when you have no other choice.

 

That was basically my earlier point. We have learned what the Supreme Court will do if they get the chance to put their weight on the scale. We know this from Bush v. Gore. The election CANNOT remain close, or there will be recounts, and the Supreme court will have precedent to give their involvement credibility.