On election eve, this country is just unbelievably stressed out
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Nov. 2, 2020
WASHINGTON — The White House has been fortified, the National Guard has been called out, and gun sales are surging.
On the eve of a momentous election, a deeply divided nation is on the edge as it plunges deeper into a pandemic and unemployment rages. The country holds its breath in anticipation of what some fear could be a potential breakdown of law and order or democracy depending on what happens Tuesday.
Downtown Washington felt like a city preparing for a siege Monday as the normally bustling streets of the capital were turned into a plywood ghost town of boarded-up storefronts and windswept sidewalks.
"We do not advise parking or driving downtown," Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference last week.
Empty tour buses trundled by. Necklaces had been removed from the displays of jewelry store windows. And racks of T-shirts supporting either President Donald Trump or Joe Biden sat unsold in a souvenir shop with a large sign over the boarded-up windows letting passersby know "We are open!"
Alex Quintero, who was working to board up an office building, said that in his 30 years in construction in the Washington area, he had never seen so much plywood on downtown facades. "Sometimes we have a problem finding it in the stores," he said. "There's a lot of work to do."
And it's not just Washington. The top-rising election-related Google search term Monday was "cities boarding up for election," while "election day riots" was also in the top 10. Polls show that 6 in 10 voters say the country is on the wrong track, and a growing number are concerned about being laid off, while the economy continues to struggle and the number of people seeking unemployment benefits remains historically high.
Jon Stokes, the deputy editor at ThePrepared.com, a website to help people prepare for emergencies, said he's seen increased interest as the election nears and Covid-19 case numbers rise.
"There is a very serious uptick in anxiety around everything," he said.
The site had a massive surge in traffic in the early days of the pandemic, when people were looking for information about stockpiling food and supplies, but the recent spike also included interest in home defense and firearms. "I think the firearms stuff is related to political events," he said.
Firearms sales have been through the roof for months. The latest FBI data show 3.3 million presale firearm background checks in October, up from an average of 2.16 million for the same month in the previous five years.
Protective wood boards are placed on the front of a CVS Pharmacy near the White House on Wednesday. Businesses are preparing for possible demonstrations after the presidential election.Sarah Silbiger / Getty Images
Laurie Paul, a psychologist who practices in the Washington area, said she has seen a major rise in anxiety around the election and strained relationships in politically mixed families.
"Big time," she said. "They've talked about how they're feeling jittery or anxious and how it's hard to concentrate on work."
The election is coinciding with a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases and cooling weather, which will make it harder for people to see family and friends, and it follows months of racial reckoning that Paul and other psychologists call a "triple pandemic" of stress — the virus, the election and racial reckoning — especially for people of color.
Stephen Stein, a practicing psychologist who is past president of the D.C. Psychological Association, said he's been getting calls from people he hasn't worked with in 20 years.
"All three of these things are melding together and producing a synergistic sense of dread and isolation," he said.
Recent research by the American Psychological Association found that 68 percent of Americans say the election is a significant source of stress in their lives — a sizable increase from the 52 percent who said the same in 2016. And the feeling is across the political divide, with 76 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of independents reporting election-related stress.
"This has been a year unlike any other in living memory," said Arthur Evans Jr., the association's CEO.
Researchers with the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and MilitiaWatch released a joint report last week warning of "increased militia activity in the election and post-election period" across the country.
And left-wing anti-fascist and anti-racist groups are preparing, as well, with one organizing a large rally near the White House on election night, saying it's "ready to do whatever it takes to Defend Democracy."
Around the country, anxiety and fear are rampant, especially among Democrats still scarred by their surprise loss in 2016 who now fear that Trump and his supporters may use violence or other extralegal means to cling to power.
Beth DeBruyn, 54, a mother of two from Delaware County, Pennsylvania, said Friday that she thought Biden needed an "undeniable victory" for things to end smoothly.
"I've never experienced this feeling around an election," she said. "It's been stressful. I can't wait for the election to get here."
Dave Litko, 61, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, who didn't vote in 2016, said he decided to vote for Biden this year because he said he was "afraid that Trump was trending toward wanting to become president for life."
Kenneth Barton Jr., 70, a retired engineer from Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb north of Atlanta, said that no matter who wins, it will take years to "get away from" the racial tensions that have exploded into view during the Trump administration.
"It's no surprise to me that there's people like the Proud Boys out there," Barton, who is Black and supports Biden, said of the far-right extremist group. "What is a surprise to me is how many of them there are."
Multiple states have tapped National Guard troops to help poll workers backstop police in the event of massive protests. And cities like Denver have urged businesses to prepare for civil unrest.
Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, said last week that it was pulling guns and ammunition from its shelves, but it reversed the decision Friday, saying it expected any unrest to be geographically isolated.
The International Crisis Group, a nonprofit organization that typically works in developing countries and global hot zones, warned in a recent report that "the ingredients for unrest are present."
"The electorate is polarized, both sides frame the stakes as existential, violent actors could disrupt the process and protracted contestation is possible. President Donald Trump's often incendiary rhetoric suggests he will more likely stoke than calm tensions," the group warned in a report.
But for Trump supporters, the prevailing anxiety was that Democrats would lead the country down a road to socialism or communism, despite Biden's four-decade record as a moderate.
"I think communism is a serpent that's underlying a lot of politics today, usually the Democratic side," said Michael Bieda, 53, an Arizonan wearing blue sunglasses and a "Socialism Distancing" shirt, who attended a Trump rally in the Phoenix area.
Paul, the psychologist, said that while she usually works with anxious clients to put their tendency to fear catastrophes in context, it's harder to do so now when a breakdown in society seems less far-fetched.
"I feel like a lot of these worries are realistic, so it's really had to shift my strategy," she said.
When a client said he would make sure to fill up the gas tank in his car before election night, just in case, she thought to herself that it wasn't a bad idea and that she might do the same herself.
CORRECTION (Nov. 2, 2020, 9:30 p.m. ET): A photo caption in a previous version of this article misstated when the presidential election will occur. Election Day is Tuesday, not next week.
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oh come on now, what could possibly go wrong , Trump is in charge...
I voted in a lot of elections in my lifetime and have never seen one that is quite so contentious not only between the candidates but between voters.
I believe that it's possible that the US has set itself on a path to a total meltdown.
We shall see in the next few days.
The fight for the country our constitution says we are ramps up today Kavika..... You ready to go to work?
Then go repair boats MUVA....
Me.... I can multi-task. I can work at building manufacturing plants in different states while removing the support for white supremacist's out of the White House.
I bet my efforts make more short and long term jobs and does more to stimulate the economy from the standpoint contractors and cash flow...... Americans win!
Well,. that may be the goal of all of Trump's shenanagans.
Disrupt the very foundations of democracy, get people frightened and angry-- angry at each other.
And when things really start to break down-- claim you are the only one who can restore "order"-- and seize power.
(It wouldn't be the first time...
It wouldn't be the first time...
"THE COMMIES BURNT THE REICHSTAG!"
On February 27, 1933, the German parliament ( Reichstag ) building burned down.
The Nazi leadership and its coalition partners used the fire to claim that Communists were planning a violent uprising. They claimed that emergency legislation was needed to prevent this.
The resulting act, commonly known as the Reichstag Fire Decree, abolished a number of constitutional protections and paved the way for Nazi dictatorship.
More HERE
Voting out a known pathological liar, crook, bigot, moron and cheat , should be a piece of cake, a walk in the park, ----- the fact that many see it as a close contest and maybe even a Trump win says something frightening about America. It is disturbing , but evidently the reality we face.
The first time could be an uninformed fluke, the second time would be an unspeakable tragedy.
Just back from voting, no line, very quick and saw some friends I had not seen in long time. Took less time than getting a coffee at Sheetz
About 25 minutes here. Never seen this many people in our little precinct at this time of day. It was awesomesauce
Sheetz??? Do they actually filter it through sheets? What thread count?
Lines aren't bad here either, although many here don't even bother to vote as California's winner take all electoral system negates many votes anyway.
I don't know what they use to make coffee but it is good and I get a free cup every week
they used to make great hot dogs
May/ vary in different areas, but I believe I've read that this election may set a record for early voting--- apparently lots of people voted early/
What did everyone expect would happen? A large, record setting voter turnout will marginalize fringe elements. Political leaders have been currying support from the fringe because they want votes. Whoever wins the elections won't be throwing the political fringe under the bus as has happened in the past; the political fringe elements aren't going to allow themselves to be marginalized. And we have allowed the political fringe to control the streets. Protests that are little more than mob violence have become acceptable political activities.
We have been experiencing the same trajectory of escalation that got us stuck in Vietnam. Except this time it's happening inside our own country.
Its true== trump especially has motivated every type of nutcase from Q Anon to David Duke of the Klan!
(Actually it started in 2016):
David Duke , who once led the neo-Nazi, white-supermacist organisation, tweeted the claim on election night.
“This is one of the most exciting nights of my life,” Mr Duke wrote.
“Make no mistake about it, our people have played a huge role in electing Trump!”
I'm not stressed just relieved that this day has finally come. I will try not to worry about violence, or hanging chads, or accusations of voter fraud, accusations of voter suppression, voter intimidation, or the price of coffee tomorrow,
There's too much that's out of my span of control so I don't see the point of stressing.
Excellent attitude. Seriously. Kudos TG.
'Bout time that someone else on this site realized that stressing over that which you cannot control wholly, doesn't mean chit in the end.
Thanks, Jim
We rarely agree, but this time you are spot on.
And of course you are qualified to speak for everyone on this site!
(How do you know what everyone had been feeling-- or their attitude toward the the upcoming Election had been?) I, for one, have not been stressed out about the election....so I wouldn't be surprised if you were also wrong about several other people!
Where in the hell did I say everyone? Look at the plethora of comments for the last 4 years here FFS. And several is a subjective word. And your comments throughout this period belies this one post of yours.
And FYI, voting up one's own posts is bad form..................
According to my last read, much of if any of the violence predicted for today has not turned out so far. What a surprise. I voted early a week ago so no big deal to me. Walked into my local courthouse, went to the drop box in the middle of the main lobby and put my ballot in. Funny thing was there was not another person in sight. Fringe benefit of living in a small rural border community with only about 13,000 population. Been very calm here today with a business as usual attitude by the town.
Well that is a good thing!
There's an old saying inthe news business:
If it bleeds it leads!
Relatively unimportant stories may make headlines (and sell more papers!) if they have an element of sensationalism in them! (or if they aren't inherently sensational-- if the paper can present them as such!)
Sensationalism is pretty much the name of the game anymore with much of the mainstream media. Factual and conscientious journalism is seemingly becoming more and more a archaic concept these days.
Win or lose, the sun will come up tomorrow.
I honestly don't get the angst. If you are happy with your life, you'll be happy tomorrow. If not, you won't be no matter what happens.
Are you saying that Fox News has been over-sensationalizing the riotingand the looting-- and they really aren't effectinganyone nearly as much as Fox news claims?
If so-- that would be shocking!
I am shocked, shocked I tell you
To this point, we see only the first stirrings of social upheavals to come. If Trump attempts to override the election results, expect widespread unrest. These will be met with essentially a militarized response. That is the point of the amassed hardware.
In which cities were these taken?
The bottom photo looks familiar.
Is that happening tonight ?
What is the date of the bottom photo?
Was it taken tonight?
No, it's not happening tonight. The pictures represent what I think will happen tomorrow night......burning and looting
But you labeled them:
Shall I post a picture of trump having sex with a baby-- would it be OK if I labeled it Wednesday night because IMO I think its what would happen Wednesday night?
You're lucky this isn't my [website- deleted]
Should deliberately posting false information be allowed on NT?
What false information? Above the pictures I typed "Democratic controlled cities Wednesday night" It's a prediction, I didn't present it as fact.
[removed]
[Deleted]
Krishna and Monster Mash stop insulting
Ok-- good suggestion!