Trump to supporters: 'go out and watch' on election day

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Poll watching is a thing. It happens with every campaign. I spent five hours at the polls in 2012 before heading to the election night party.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Poll watching is a thing. It happens with every campaign. I spent five hours at the polls in 2012 before heading to the election night party.

Yeah, that's exactly what Trump is talking about.

You can read his mind now too?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Poll watching is a thing. It happens with every campaign. I spent five hours at the polls in 2012 before heading to the election night party.

Yeah, that's exactly what Trump is talking about.

You can read his mind now too?

Not real hard to, since his supporters are dumb bigots, he can't be real nuanced.

Be careful, or InvisbleObama will report you for being mean.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Poll watching is a thing. It happens with every campaign. I spent five hours at the polls in 2012 before heading to the election night party.

I would never send untrained vigilante "poll watchers" to a polling place like Trump is suggested.  Any campaign that does that is going to end up with some of their most paranoid, inappropriate people showing up.  There are official programs for poll watchers for a reason.

It is far, far more likely that BLM protesters start showing up on election day and forming a human chain around polling stations in suburban white precincts. Have you not followed this election at all? Have you seen who is committing most of the political violence?

Hint, hint: young rich white kids backing Bernie.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

You guys are aware that precincts require people to stand like a couple hundred feet away, right? Even if a hundred Trump supporters show up with signs, they'll be so far away from the doors that no reasonable person would be intimidated. And if they went over the line (usually marked with traffic cones), a police officer will be on hand to keep them back.

Again, I am far more worried that the BLM movement might pull their usual tactics of blocking critical places. They shut down a bridge in San Francisco on rush hour, they blocked Department Stores on black Friday and shoved shoppers who tried to enter anyway, and they frequently enter crowded cafes and stores to make their points. While I am on the whole supportive of the movement, lets be real here about who is more likely (if at all) to go out and cause trouble on election day.

Of course, the hysterical Clinton-klan and their conspiracy theories cannot be met with any form of logical or civil debate, but whatever, keep on making up stories if it makes you guys feel safe.

Poll watching is a thing. It happens with every campaign. I spent five hours at the polls in 2012 before heading to the election night party.

I would never send untrained vigilante "poll watchers" to a polling place like Trump is suggested.  Any campaign that does that is going to end up with some of their most paranoid, inappropriate people showing up.  There are official programs for poll watchers for a reason.

It is far, far more likely that BLM protesters start showing up on election day and forming a human chain around polling stations in suburban white precincts. Have you not followed this election at all? Have you seen who is committing most of the political violence?
Hint, hint: young rich white kids backing Bernie.

Now, you are just being stupid and trollish. Typical for you.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. Another angry young white male liberal hurling insults and eventually, probably punches. Menace!

Poll watching is a thing. It happens with every campaign. I spent five hours at the polls in 2012 before heading to the election night party.

I would never send untrained vigilante "poll watchers" to a polling place like Trump is suggested.  Any campaign that does that is going to end up with some of their most paranoid, inappropriate people showing up.  There are official programs for poll watchers for a reason.

It is far, far more likely that BLM protesters start showing up on election day and forming a human chain around polling stations in suburban white precincts. Have you not followed this election at all? Have you seen who is committing most of the political violence?

Hint, hint: young rich white kids backing Bernie.

In a vacuum, I probably agree -- although your example might be a little hyperbolic, since I think BLM's tolerance for negative attention probably stops before interfering with people voting.  But you seem to be presuming I'm arguing that the right is more politically violent than the left.  I didn't say anything like that.  In fact, I agree that the left seems to feel more moral license to do stuff like that right now.  What I am arguing is that Trump is saying stuff that is irresponsible, self-centered, and stupid.  

If you're counter-arguing that I'm wrong to focus on what Trump is saying and not what BLM might do...Trump is the Republican nominee and you are voting for him for President of the United States, so frankly I care about his terrible judgment a lot more than I do BLM activists'.

I think the whole thread is hyperbolic, though. There isn't polling fraud nor is there widespread voter fraud. If Trump loses, which he most likely will unless Clinton implodes (which is still, IMO, a possibility that shouldn't be discounted).

Of course, Atlas Democrats, 90% of whom are one year newbie trolls, will keep making these stupid threads and I think it is correct to note that if anyone is inclined to act violently at the polls, it is the BLM movement. As I mentioned, I am supportive of Black Lives Matter and I think their voice should be taken more seriously by Trump, and I don't think that BLM will cause any disruption on election day. But given their history, or worse, the history of the young white male Bernie supporters (remember Nevada?), I think if anyone is going to be facing intimidation at the polls, it will be Trump supporters.

As we've discussed in IRC, this will probably be blocked by the courts.

If it's an official program, probably. But the courts can't stop an open-carry nuts from going to the polls and intimidating voters on their own until after the fact.

Yes, the Black Panther Party is known for their support and use of the open-carry laws.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

You guys are aware that precincts require people to stand like a couple hundred feet away, right? Even if a hundred Trump supporters show up with signs, they'll be so far away from the doors that no reasonable person would be intimidated. And if they went over the line (usually marked with traffic cones), a police officer will be on hand to keep them back.

Again, I am far more worried that the BLM movement might pull their usual tactics of blocking critical places. They shut down a bridge in San Francisco on rush hour, they blocked Department Stores on black Friday and shoved shoppers who tried to enter anyway, and they frequently enter crowded cafes and stores to make their points. While I am on the whole supportive of the movement, lets be real here about who is more likely (if at all) to go out and cause trouble on election day.

Of course, the hysterical Clinton-klan and their conspiracy theories cannot be met with any form of logical or civil debate, but whatever, keep on making up stories if it makes you guys feel safe.

The only one "hysterical" here is you.
With you BLM bull.
Afraid they might "shake" your bus while your in it ? ..... do you need mommy to hold your hand.

Your the one who is actually afraid that Trump supporters will spoil the election by attacking Clinton voters, even though the only people who have any history of doing such things are Bernie bots and a handful of BLM protesters. This country doesn't really have any tradition of political violence. Are you going to argue that point or are you just going to ignore Alcon's advice?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

You guys are aware that precincts require people to stand like a couple hundred feet away, right? Even if a hundred Trump supporters show up with signs, they'll be so far away from the doors that no reasonable person would be intimidated. And if they went over the line (usually marked with traffic cones), a police officer will be on hand to keep them back.

I'm not sure why you are assuming these will be people with signs.  Every state I know of has prohibitions on electioneering activity within a given range of a polling place, but I don't know of any prohibitions that extend to "observing," which is what Trump is asking for.  If people show up in polling places and claim they have the right to stay and watch, I'm not sure most states even have statutes to deal with that.

And, yes, I've worked the polls too.  I've even had someone show up and claim they can observe.  Fortunately it was a low-turnout primary, because dealing with him, looking up the state statute, and figuring out how to get rid of him when he demanded to check voter signatures was a serious distraction.

Do I think this will be a serious source of systematic intimidation?  Almost certainly not.  Do I think this is a mind-numbingly stupid thing for a Presidential candidate to say?  Yes.  And, more to the point, I don't think Trump cares, and it's another manifestation of personality traits that make it baffling to me that you are remotely satisfied that he's your nominee.

Of course, the hysterical Clinton-klan and their conspiracy theories cannot be met with any form of logical or civil debate, but whatever, keep on making up stories if it makes you guys feel safe.

Are you seriously addressing me?  Look at my recent history.  I just spent several posts arguing against people downplaying the email issue for Clinton.

Again, I am far more worried that the BLM movement might pull their usual tactics of blocking critical places. They shut down a bridge in San Francisco on rush hour, they blocked Department Stores on black Friday and shoved shoppers who tried to enter anyway, and they frequently enter crowded cafes and stores to make their points. While I am on the whole supportive of the movement, lets be real here about who is more likely (if at all) to go out and cause trouble on election day.

...

Of course, Atlas Democrats, 90% of whom are one year newbie trolls, will keep making these stupid threads and I think it is correct to note that if anyone is inclined to act violently at the polls, it is the BLM movement. As I mentioned, I am supportive of Black Lives Matter and I think their voice should be taken more seriously by Trump, and I don't think that BLM will cause any disruption on election day. But given their history, or worse, the history of the young white male Bernie supporters (remember Nevada?), I think if anyone is going to be facing intimidation at the polls, it will be Trump supporters.

I think your observation that the left has been more likely than the right to engage in this behavior recently is true.  But, dude, you literally just responded to a post entirely written to complain you weren't addressing my argument (after your "have you not followed this election at all?" condescension) by ignoring my argument again.

I think the tendency to inhibit democratic participation is often a function of which group is most convinced that democracy is illegitimate.  The Sanders supporters and BLM people definitely fit that bill.  However, it's not like Trump supporters don't have those tendencies too, and we now see Trump actively trying to plant the seeds of distrust in the legitimacy of democracy.  If there's anything that's going to make his supporters higher-risk than the Sanders and BLM people, it's Trump saying stuff like this.

And, regardless of the ultimate effect, let me reiterate my main point again: this is a stupid, irresponsible thing for Trump to be saying and he does not care.

The last two posts were directed towards that the I-CA avatar who spews white noise, not you, so please don't take those attacks personally, they were not intended to be directed at you. As to your arguments, you are making a false image of the average Trump supporter to fit this narrative that Trump's talk is dangerous. The average Trump supporter isn't the neo-Nazi biker. The average Trump supporter is a middle class white American who has no desire to turn their anger on anyone in any way other than at the ballot box.

If Trump supporters show up at the polls to watch, you'll see nothing more than a crowd of 48 year old white housewives with Make America Great Again signs and tacky red white and blue clothing apparel. These aren't Golden Dawn activists were talking about here.