Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with his wife Jill Biden, speaking to supporters in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo / Andrew Harnik, AP
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden with his wife Jill Biden, speaking to supporters in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo / Andrew Harnik, AP
EDITORIAL
It was difficult to suppress a grimace when a confident Joe Biden declared the Democrats on track to claim the White House, telling America: "We believe we will be the winners."
Given the not-so-veiled threats from the camp of Donald Trump, it is looking increasingly likely this will bean election where no one wins.
Trump has been trying for months to undermine public confidence in the election should he not win outright. He has repeatedly prevaricated when asked whether he would accept the election as the will of the people.
I am confident we will emerge victorious, but this will not be my victory or our victory alone. It will be a victory for the American people, for our democracy, for America.
In striving to head off the inevitable, the Trump campaign has now filed lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Michigan — laying the groundwork for contesting the outcome in undecided battleground states that could determine whether Trump snatches another four years in the White House.
Suits in both states were demanding better access for campaign observers to locations where ballots were being processed and counted.
President Donald Trump pumps his fist after speaking in the East Room of the White House, early Wednesday. Photo / Evan Vucci, AP
The campaign also sought to intervene in a Pennsylvania case at the Supreme Court, contemplating whether ballots received up to three days after the election could be counted.
Our lawyers have asked for “meaningful access”, but what good does that do? The damage has already been done to the integrity of our system, and to the Presidential Election itself. This is what should be discussed!
Trump's camp demanded a temporary halt in the counting in both states until it was granted "meaningful" access in numerous locations and allowed to review ballots that had already been opened and processed.
The campaign also said it would ask for a recount in Wisconsin, which Biden was leading.
In defiance of Biden pleading for the nation to wait for all ballot papers to be counted, Trump tweeted on Wednesday that he had "claimed, for Electoral Vote purposes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (which won't allow legal observers) the State of Georgia, and the State of North Carolina, each one of which has a BIG Trump lead".
We have claimed, for Electoral Vote purposes, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (which won’t allow legal observers) the State of Georgia, and the State of North Carolina, each one of which has a BIG Trump lead. Additionally, we hereby claim the State of Michigan if, in fact,.....
With each new update vote, Biden and deputy Kamala Harris were on track to win more popular votes than any other ticket in history. As they inched closer, the internet was deluged with claims of "secretly dumped ballots" bolstering Biden in key states. Trump also tweeted this before the post was removed by Twitter as an unconfirmed allegation.
Municipal workers extract Luzerne County ballots from their envelopes in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Photo / Mary Altaffer, AP
The road to the White House is now almost certainly through the Conservative-stacked Supreme Court. Many saw it coming but most hoped Trump wouldn't do it.
The appointment of Amy Coney Barrett days before the election provided Trump with an ace up his sleeve. And now we can all see it.
The Biden campaign has already begun seeking donations for what it is calling the "Biden Fight Fund".
No matter what Trump says, we must count every single vote. Donate to the Biden Fight Fund today to ensure we have the resources we need to fight to ensure this process remains fair. https://t.co/U4X9OiePJG
Covid-19 infections in the US have passed 9.5 million, with almost 100,000 new cases daily and are yet to spike, particularly alarming given Trump's last week of mass rallies.
What this will do to an anxious nation on the precipice of chaos over the untethered health crisis and a tinderbox of racial division is too terrible to contemplate.
