Friday, November 06, 2020

The Friday After 9:13 PM

The numbers have changed a bit during the day but that's about it. It's still the same four states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. 

Biden's lead in Pennsylvania (20) is 21,000 votes with 5% left. 

Biden's lead in Georgia (16) is 4,000 votes with 1% left. 

Biden's lead in Arizona (11) is down to 29,000 votes with 5% left. 

Biden's leads in Nevada (6) is 22,000 votes with 8% left. 

So Biden has gained ground in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada but continues to lose ground in Arizona. 

There is a bit of a side story to the Arizona numbers. The two main sources for "calls" are Edison Research and the Associated Press. Fox News seems to have its own analysts and a backroom analyst by the name of Arnon Mishkin called Arizona for Biden Tuesday night. 

Trump went absolutely ballistic over the call and not only berated Fox News but Mishkin as well. 

Trump and company apparently sent out a tweet complete with Mishkin's donation history to Barack Obama and Act Blue calling him a "Democratic Operative" and a "Clinton-voting, Biden-Voting Democrat." 

Now aside from the inappropriateness of lashing out at someone who is essentially a senior clerk this is symptomatic of today's culture where, when someone disagrees with you, they attack you personally rather than trying to refute what you said. 

I think a reaction along the lines of Mishkin is entitled to his opinion but we believe he's wrong and time will prove us right would have been a lot better. Even if they had implied, or even outright said, his conclusion might be colored by his political opinions, it would have been on the border of inappropriate but not all that bad.

Mishkin's reaction to the Trump campaigns assertion that they will win Arizona was "If a frog had wings."

Now, that was a cute rejoinder but it doesn't help any when you bring yourself down to their level.

In any event the Trump campaign insisted then, and continues to insist, that Trump will win Arizona and it has been moving in that direction ever since. I wonder if Arnon Mishkin is going to end up with egg on his face?

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