Politics 2016 (election edition)

[Winston Legthigh]

If by "you guys" you mean some of the the fringe GOP, then that is a valid point.  But the way this conversation, and similar conversations elsewhere, have been going, it seems as if folks are asking why this is the final straw for people in general.  The truth is, virtually all Democrats and a large number of Republicans have been outraged by Trump's earlier statements about Mexicans, Muslims, women, etc.  Enough so that Clinton, entirely rightly, called some of his supporters a basket of deplorables. That has been a pretty high profile piece of news since she said it.  So, to suggest there hasn't been large scale outrage across the board is factually incorrect.

Right, but it's only been since Friday that a bigger component of elected members of the GOP (and it's still a small handful) to actually denounce him. 

 

By "you guys" I mean GOPers, like McCain, who came out with a statement against him. 

[ditty]

Trump admits there are more tapes http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/trump-more-attacks-if-more-tapes-surface-783196227923 and he admits in 5 seconds or less

[jff]

Right, but it's only been since Friday that a bigger component of elected members of the GOP (and it's still a small handful) to actually denounce him. 

 

By "you guys" I mean GOPers, like McCain, who came out with a statement against him. 

 

Frankly, I think it's a good thing that people like Jeff Sessions, and others are digging in their heels and doubling down in favor of Trump. If they don't believe walking up to a woman and grabbing her by the vagina is sexual assault, what DO they think is sexual assault? Ultimately, this will be their downfall and that will be good for all of us.

[Winston Legthigh]

Frankly, I think it's a good thing that people like Jeff Sessions, and others are digging in their heels and doubling down in favor of Trump. If they don't believe walking up to a woman and grabbing her by the vagina is sexual assault, what DO they think is sexual assault? Ultimately, this will be their downfall and that will be good for all of us.

It really seems like the party is imploding. Donald is now wasting his time going after people like Paul Ryan for not supporting him over the weekend.

 

I think lost highway was right in one of his posts further back - that the future of conservatism probably lies with Libertarianism. If they could create a viable party for fiscally conservative, socially liberal idealists, I could probably get behind that. 

[jff]

It really seems like the party is imploding. Donald is now wasting his time going after people like Paul Ryan for not supporting him over the weekend.

 

I think lost highway was right in one of his posts further back - that the future of conservatism probably lies with Libertarianism. If they could create a viable party for fiscally conservative, socially liberal idealists, I could probably get behind that. 

 

Libertarians shoot themselves in the foot by constantly going after the presidency.  Libertarians should try to fill as many state and local positions as possible and implement their policies at that level. If their policies bring positive results, use that as leverage in races for higher offices.  Third party success can only come from bottom up. 

[LouieB]

Tell that to the Greens too.

 

LouieB

[Winston Legthigh]

The crazy thing about the leaked video is that Billy Bush is getting the worst of it. He's getting fired by NBC, but the big whale, (The Donald) is still in line to potentially be the most powerful person in the world?

 

So, what I've learned is - the video is too damaging for an Entertainment Muppet, and he's going to lose his job, but the video is NOT too damaging for the person who wants to be the next POTUS? Got it.

[jff]

Tell that to the Greens too.

 

LouieB

 

Yes, all third parties. 

[jff]

The crazy thing about the leaked video is that Billy Bush is getting the worst of it. He's getting fired by NBC, but the big whale, (The Donald) is still in line to potentially be the most powerful person in the world?

 

So, what I've learned is - the video is too damaging for an Entertainment Muppet, and he's going to lose his job, but the video is NOT too damaging for the person who wants to be the next POTUS? Got it.

 

Also worthy of noting that Billy Bush was on the clock.  They weren't in a locker room.  I don't mean to let Bush off the hook, but his job was to sit there and be chummy with Trump until it was time for them go on air, or do whatever business it was that brought Trump to Access Hollywood.  Bush probably would have been fired if he had challenged Trump when he was making those statements.

[NoJ]

one of the benefits of not having cable tv for the last 20 years is never having to know who or what a Billy Bush is until just the other day.

[Winston Legthigh]

one of the benefits of not having cable tv for the last 20 years is never having to know who or what a Billy Bush is until just the other day.

Yes, but that also means you've missed out on Real Housewives of Orange County et al, so there. 

[jff]

one of the benefits of not having cable tv for the last 20 years is never having to know who or what a Billy Bush is until just the other day.

 

 Access Hollywood is an NBC show.  

[NoJ]

I have a bunch of big trees surrounding the house so tv reception for some channels can be spotty or non existent. We don't get CBS at all and NBC only if we try real hard.

[jff]

I have a bunch of big trees surrounding the house so tv reception for some channels can be spotty or non existent. We don't get CBS at all and NBC only if we try real hard.

 

We have the same problem, and it's so bad we decided to sign back up for basic cable for the first time in years.  It's the only way we're able to watch TV in real time.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Yeah, I meant exactly what Winston said: you guys (GOPers like McCain) were OK with him through everything he's done and said up until this one statement?

 

I don't think his statements on that tape are actual proof that he committed sexual assault, by the way. I've watched it all the way through, twice (because it really is enjoyable seeing him get taken down a peg for being such an asshole), and I'm not seeing it as a confession. He's enough of a douchenozzle to say garbage like that in an effort to "look cool," hence his crappy excuse that it was locker room talk.

 

Now, if a whole shitload of women start coming forward and saying, "He did exactly that to me," a la Bill Cosby, then maybe I'd say he's likely guilty. The guy is a total troglodyte, but so far there are no accusers that I'm aware of.

[Winston Legthigh]

Now, if a whole shitload of women start coming forward and saying, "He did exactly that to me," a la Bill Cosby, then maybe I'd say he's likely guilty. The guy is a total troglodyte, but so far there are no accusers that I'm aware of.

Oh, there's some...

[Mr. Heartbreak]

Oh, there's some...

Jesus, I forgot about the ex-wife's accusation. I wasn't aware of the middle story. But the account of the woman who was a 13-year-old girl at the time is particularly chilling:

 

 

...says she screamed for him to stop at which point he struck her in the face while screaming “that he would do whatever he wanted.”

That mirror exactly what he says on the tape: "You can do whatever you want."

[Winston Legthigh]

Wow. Check this out. Thank God for Women's Suffrage. 

 

If only men voted it would be a Donald landslide? Oh my fellow men...

 

Blame the Romans I guess. Women were more powerful in Celtic society, and the Romans crushed that out of existence. 

[calvino]

Wow. Check this out. Thank God for Women's Suffrage. 

 

If only men voted it would be a Donald landslide? Oh my fellow men...

 

Blame the Romans I guess. Women were more powerful in Celtic society, and the Romans crushed that out of existence. 

 

My wife showed me these maps last night --- crazy. Yes, glad for the 19th Amendment (and the 15th).

[KevinG]

I am so tired of this false equivalency that people are using to defend what was said. Saying that how can you criticize Trump, when female star X dresses provocatively, or every man has used those words in conversations. But what galls me so is not the language. I honestly have no problem with the language. And in all honestly I have used the same words as he has. But as crude as it its, the language is fine. What the issue is and has been for me is Trump is talking about grabbing and forcing himself on women without their consent. He is talking about doing something that would get you arrested. This is what needs to be discussed. Not the word pussy, that is not the problem. He is talking about sexual assault.

 

So to refer to this as a lewd video or make out to be some sort of locker room banter, is wrong. We need to discuss this video as it is, it is a video glorifying sexual assault.

[John Smith]

And...most people grow out of saying juvenile stuff like that way before they turn 59.

[KevinG]

Wow. Check this out. Thank God for Women's Suffrage. 

 

If only men voted it would be a Donald landslide? Oh my fellow men...

 

Blame the Romans I guess. Women were more powerful in Celtic society, and the Romans crushed that out of existence. 

 

Speaking of those maps, this is just funny:

 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/19th-amendment-exists?utm_term=.uspkljl57r#.avn6BrBY2G

 

Oh Eric, you tried so hard.  

[Winston Legthigh]

Speaking of those maps, this is just funny:

 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/maryanngeorgantopoulos/19th-amendment-exists?utm_term=.uspkljl57r#.avn6BrBY2G

 

Oh Eric, you tried so hard.  

Wow. Ouch.

 

I guess women's suffrage isn't part of Making American Great Again.

[Winston Legthigh]

 

NEW YORK—Advising pundits, reporters, and the general public to rein in their indignation for the time being, Republican nominee Donald Trump admitted Friday that he knew his recently unearthed comments about groping women and attempting to engage them in extramarital affairs were pretty bad, but that everyone “should really save [their] energy” for what he was going to say next. “I’m fully aware that what I was recorded saying about using my celebrity status to sexually assault women is extremely vile and disturbing, but I want you to know that you’re really best saving your outrage and disgust for some thoughts I still haven’t verbalized yet, believe me,” said Trump, noting that if everyone worked themselves into a frenzy at his assertion that he couldn’t help but make aggressive advances on every woman he finds physically attractive or his use of the phrase “grab them by the pussy,” they simply wouldn’t have the stamina to denounce a series of forthcoming statements that the candidate assured would be even more reprehensible. “Look, I get it. What I said, frankly, should not be accepted in civil society, let alone by a major party candidate for president of the United States, but we’ve got another whole month until the election—I’m going to say a lot more unconscionably repulsive things. Trust me, you will be much more sick to your stomach with the stuff I’m going to say after this. It’s going to be so, so revolting.” At press time, Trump was standing at 44 percent in the national polls.

 

http://www.theonion.com/article/trump-i-know-was-pretty-bad-lets-just-say-youre-go-54130

[Ghost of Electricity]

I'm surprised the Onion hasn't yet run a story about Bill Cosby nominating Trump.

 

 

Also, didn't the orange monkey once say something along the lines of "i'll be so presidential you won't believe it, you'll be falling asleep" or some such B.S.?  Strange definition of presidential.

 

 

Last point for today: it's pretty sad that despite the fact that we as human beings know about confirmation bias, we don't do anything to avoid falling into the trap, but rather rush headlong into it with passion and fury. This is true of both sides, but more true of the Repugnacins. (Oops, did I just fall into it myself?)