Say It Ain't So, Donald

Exit Polls vs Reported Voter Counts (click to enlarge)

At the voting place in Hampton, New Hampshire on November 8, there were thirty odd Hillary Clinton supporters holding placards and banners but fewer than half a dozen of Trump's people.  This was no surprise; we hade seen no Trump supporters out on the sidewalks knocking on doors throughout the election, no canvassers.


But some of Trump's people showed up on election day, and rather desultorily held placards as voters lined up to vote. What really brought them to life was when the exit poll people showed up. Then the Trump agents sprang into life, surrounding the polling people, claiming they were interviewing only women (who were expected to vote heavily for Clinton) although the pollers were clearly counting voters as they exited and approaching every fourth voter.


We had expected men wearing guns at the polls, as Trump agents had done in Virginia for early voting, and there was speculation about how the Trump people might try to intimidate voters in Hampton, which voted for Clinton by less than 500 people out of over 9000 votes cast. But the Democrats were puzzled by the concern the Trump organization focused on the exit polls.


Now we see Donald bloviating that there was "voter fraud" in New Hampshire, California and Virginia, states he lost on the way to losing the popular vote.


Why would he care about this? The election is over and done.

The only speculation I've heard which makes sense is this is a smokescreen, a distraction. If you scream fraud, you expect everyone to rally to the flag of the credibility of the voting outcome.


But there is this peculiar finding: The exit polls show Hillary winning the key swing states the voting tabulations say she lost.


Until now, I've thought whoever might have fixed the election--the Russians, the Koch brothers, Parallax View, Inc.--Trump was just their cat's paw. He had no idea. But now, listening the stories about his Tweets, I'm not so sure.