Sixty Days of Chaos?

The Post-Election Period is Less Chaotic Than I Predicted, So Far

Photo by Will Reyes on Unsplash

A month ago, I wrote a piece titled “Sixty Days of Chaos Will Follow Election Day” in Dialogue & Discourse. President Trump’s reluctance to concede the election to Joe Biden makes a quick revisit to my predictions worthwhile.

Here are my predictions and comments on what has happened so far:

Uncertainty

My prediction:

It is now a near certainty that Republicans will challenge election results even if the Democratic ticket wins in a landslide. Trump and Biden are both hiring lawyers and preparing for a lengthy legal battle, one that could put the 2000 election to shame. Expect challenges to millions of votes cast by mail. Also, expect allegations of ballot-box stuffing, stolen ballots, and more. All this is likely to last at least a month and perhaps longer if Trump declines to concede defeat.

I was right about the legal challenges (but who didn’t expect legal challenges?). It remains to be seen how long the legal challenges will last.

Unrest

My prediction:

Members of the Proud Boys and Boogaloo may not vote themselves but will be out in force if Trump suffers a colossal loss. Riots and…