Politics 2016 (election edition)

[Ghost of Electricity]

I have lived in Poland for a long time. I may be picking up a citizenship application on my way home from work today. One thing holding me back is that the current government here is similarly rancid.  Unfortunately  it's happening in lots of places.

[chuckrh]

i'm in shock. i have a theory that pt barnum is the true father of the country. there's a sucker born every minute. there has been a mass brain washing & now the 4th reich is here. the military/industrial complex is going to go absolutely ape shit now. they have their crazy front guy now. i'm most likely going to be dead in not too distant future but am truly scared for the younger people i care about.

[brownie]

I am speechless. I cannot believe my eyes and ears.

 

I don't understand how this man could have ever been elected.

[remphish1]

I'm in shock too.. I am hoping for the smallest silver lining. He said he'd fix infrastructure! Err that's the only thing I think I agreed with that he said

[lost highway]

I'm trying to intellectualize this emotional shit sandwich we've been served, so at least I can do something besides stare at the floor.

 

All I can come up with is this: 

 

The fact that we were caught off guard shows that there was more support behind Trump than the polls, or the media, or our insulated social circles were able to reveal. I think some of that is the fault of the echo chamber, but I think the rest is something more interesting and insidious.  

 

Trump, from the beginning, struck me as emboldening people of a certain demographic (white, mostly male) who are fed up with being told how to treat people. There are so many people in this country who's feelings are hurt when people won't put up with all of the shitty things they say. They have been quieted by a more vigilant culture which aims towards some level of equality.  They quietly voted for him.  They're tired of being told how to talk about race, or how to talk about women.  They found their guy.

 

The shocking part is in some states many of these people are actually educated women.

[Mr. Heartbreak]

The polls being so far off, in general, tells me that it was a perfect storm:

 

- Irrational hatred of Hillary, and Bill, too, for that matter (bolstered by "They killed Vince Foster," "They are blood-drinking Satanists," and about a million other nutty conspiracy theories)

- The hollowing out of the manufacturing base...see Michael Moore's dire, but correct, prediction that MI would go red

- The P.T. Barnum effect, and the plethora of stupid fuckers who will vote for anyone who does all the stuff T did (I can't even bring myself to type his name): chant "USA...USA"...throw out red meat about "strengthening the military"...and of course, repeat "Jobs" and "The economy" and "I can fix this"

- The inherent difficulty of keeping the White House for more than 8 years by either party

- The Comey factor

- Did I mention irrational hatred of Hillary?

 

For me, it's really a stunning victory for the alt-right, and a gigantic defeat for the left. Hillary isn't really any sort of leftist, so I have to believe that a Bernie defeat would have been just as bad and even more painful, really. And you can see from the map that "The Socialist" would have gotten clobbered.

On a personal level, I've realized I don't have the stomach for working on this stuff anymore. I can't let it affect my health, and it sure can. So there's another small victory for the right: one more leftie goes down, and says, "No more canvassing or phone banks for me. I'll vote, but that's it." 

I can only hope that, when my wife and I retire to Thailand in ten years, there's still some Social Security left for us. We're going to need it.

 

Some summing up by Shaun King:

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/king-donald-trump-preside-bigoted-states-america-article-1.2865282

 

Was he more qualified?

Did he have more robust policy plans?

Was he a better speaker?

Did he have more integrity?

Nah. Not a single one of those things were true. Trump won the Republican nomination because he was driven by a philosophy of white supremacy, racism, bigotry and xenophobia. It appealed so much to his base that they were willing to look past moral failure after moral failure. He was speaking their language.

Endorsed by the KKK, favored by David Duke, beloved by neo-Nazis and white supremacist publications everywhere, Trump resonated so much with white America that they elected him President of the United States.

Yes, Hillary was flawed, but no candidate was more flawed than Trump. He was simply willing to appeal to the very worst instincts of our country and it worked. I have long since believed that the United States is deeply racist at its core. This election has confirmed it.

[Winston Legthigh]

If I had to boil my fears down to one issue, it's that I fear that this election result is the equivalent of upping the ante in our War against Mother Earth. 

 

And, she'll win. There's no question about that. The fuse on this ticking bomb just got a lot shorter.

 

Trump thinks Global Warming is a hoax, and he's going to appoint a fossil fuel stooge to his cabinet. It's going to set us back decades.

[Doug C]

I expect this old catchphrase to  make a comeback:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxAlJq94-b8

[Mr. Heartbreak]

If I had to boil my fears down to one issue, it's that I fear that this election result is the equivalent of upping the ante in our War against Mother Earth. 

 

And, she'll win. There's no question about that. The fuse on this ticking bomb just got a lot shorter.

 

Trump thinks Global Warming is a hoax, and he's going to appoint a fossil fuel stooge to his cabinet. It's going to set us back decades.

Oof. I hadn't even thought about that. It got lost in all the racism, xenophobia and misogyny.

Yay, apocalypse!

[Winston Legthigh]

Oof. I hadn't even thought about that. It got lost in all the racism, xenophobia and misogyny.

Yay, apocalypse!

The good news is that Mother Nature isn't racist, nor sexist, though she tends to have it out for the poor folks. So, at least she and Donald are on the same page as far as that goes. 

[Tweedling]

In shock.

[ditty]

Winners

Alt Right

Corporations

Guns

Rural

Religion

ALEX BALDWIN ;-)

 

Losers

Environment

Equality for all

Health Care

MAJORITY word for the 2^nd time in 15 years

[John Smith]

Were the polls that far off? Trump won the states he had to win, and I think many of them were within the margin of error.

[kidsmoke]

If I had to boil my fears down to one issue, it's that I fear that this election result is the equivalent of upping the ante in our War against Mother Earth. 

 

And, she'll win. There's no question about that. The fuse on this ticking bomb just got a lot shorter.

 

Trump thinks Global Warming is a hoax, and he's going to appoint a fossil fuel stooge to his cabinet. It's going to set us back decades.

 

This.

[Winston Legthigh]

So, just remember. Billy Bush got fired for standing next to the guy who said "Grab them by the pussy." The guy who said it got promoted to President. 

 

Feels like one of the season finales of The Wire.

[Boss_Tweedy]

If I had to boil my fears down to one issue, it's that I fear that this election result is the equivalent of upping the ante in our War against Mother Earth. 

 

And, she'll win. There's no question about that. The fuse on this ticking bomb just got a lot shorter.

 

Trump thinks Global Warming is a hoax, and he's going to appoint a fossil fuel stooge to his cabinet. It's going to set us back decades.

 

Spot on. Nero fiddles while Rome burns.

[tinnitus photography]

well he's certainly not wasting any time:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-picks-top-climate-skeptic-to-lead-epa-transition/

[dagwave]

I'm trying to intellectualize this emotional shit sandwich we've been served, so at least I can do something besides stare at the floor.

 

All I can come up with is this: 

 

The fact that we were caught off guard shows that there was more support behind Trump than the polls, or the media, or our insulated social circles were able to reveal. I think some of that is the fault of the echo chamber, but I think the rest is something more interesting and insidious.  

 

Trump, from the beginning, struck me as emboldening people of a certain demographic (white, mostly male) who are fed up with being told how to treat people. There are so many people in this country who's feelings are hurt when people won't put up with all of the shitty things they say. They have been quieted by a more vigilant culture which aims towards some level of equality.  They quietly voted for him.  They're tired of being told how to talk about race, or how to talk about women.  They found their guy.

 

The shocking part is in some states many of these people are actually educated women.

Well said, but not clear on that last sentence, cause, I don't know.

For the record: we had bagels and strawberries for breakfast. And I'm pretty sure my hug was a little stronger before my kid walked off to school. Nothing wrong with that- hell, she's the future.

[Vacant Horizon]

There are explanations for Trumps behavior, but they are not excuses.  The fact that this man got away with locker room talk, saying 'Mexicans' are rapers and should be sent home, 'Blacks' live in squalid cities and essentially all Muslims are terrorists AND was elected president is astounding to me.  Nothing has surprised me more in my 43 years. I know children who are scared shitless or being deported or their parents 'disappeared' (yes, kids actually know about that). I know many Muslim women who are actually thinking about not wearing their head scarf, which is an absolute assault on their freedom of religion, among other things. It's profound.

 

I'm hearing so much dismissive talk about how he will not really follow through with his rhetoric. Even if he doesn't he still said it...publicly! His voters saw all of this behavior, behavior which they would never tolerate from their children or spouses, and still voted for him. I'm still having trouble understanding what these people want.  I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I also want to scream in their face. Yet again, leftists are the ones who must be empathic of the stupidity of the right. Lost Highway above makes sense when he says these people want to just be left alone and not forced to be politically correct. They also say they want an non politician in the white house.  But the president is a politician??  They are also scarred of terrorism, even though there statistically is no threat.  They're also scared of Mexicans because they took their jobs.  They didn't really nor did the manufacturing sector leave.  All these are just ignorant reasons...lack of education or being able to hear fact.  So what else is it?  Is it really hate of other, white power, fascism?  Like I said, I want to give these people the benefit of the doubt, but is that an appropriate response to this group of people? These folks were also given a steady diet of absolute BS about Clinton and Obama for the last 8 years via talk radio and Fox. I wonder if these entertainment shows are rethinking their business plan since they actually got what they wanted? Everything they've said needed to happen has...but that was just entertainment, not news.

 

Finally, I am absolutely baffled by the irony that these poor white folks are precisely the people the left cares about and wants the end their economic oppression.  Yet they've been hoodwinked into dismissing us and hate speech against the left AND they vote for candidates who perpetuate the system that actually is the cause of their misery!!  WTF!

[KevinG]

Finally, I am absolutely baffled by the irony that these poor white folks are precisely the people the left cares about and wants the end their economic oppression.  Yet they've been hoodwinked into dismissing us and hate speech against the left AND they vote for candidates who perpetuate the system that actually is the cause of their misery!!  WTF!

 

I think it essentially boils down to this.  Looking at the breakdown of the vote it was largely rural areas that voted Trump.  In these areas the population of minorities, especially Muslims and LGBTQ, are relatively small or nonexistent.  This lack of first hand contact and experience with these groups does not really allow the sort of empathy required to understand the consequences of Trump's words.  If all you hear on the news and your Facebook feed is that Muslims are terrorist it is easy to quietly go along thinking all Muslims are bad and vote for Trump.  This compounded by the recovery of the last half decade or so that saw poor middle class whites left behind made it even easier to vote for Trump.  

 

Trump did something very well, he tied Clinton to Obama.  Essentially saying that Clinton would be an Obama third term.  Look at the last eight years, it got better for these minority groups (talking in general BTW, a true debate on this could be had).  Poor non college educated people felt left behind.  It is important to make the distinction that they felt left behind and who was the cause of this (congress, president, big business, etc.)  Just like in Football it is a lot easier to fire a head coach then it is to fire a the whole team.  These working class whites did not want an Obama third term.  They felt if Clinton was elected they would further and further marginalized.  He also was purposely vague on what he would do and the specifics when presented were met with indifference, by the media and his supporters.  People just did not want another third term.  

 

I do agree with you, the people who voted for Trump have been hoodwinked.  His presented policies will likely hurt these very people that supported him.  But in this election the history of the last eight years, showed their way of life declining, they simply could not afford another term of this.  

[calvino]

Democracy can be an awkward process.

 

[ditty]

People Share Frightening Images In The Aftermath Of Drumpf’s Victory

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/day-1-trumps-america_us_582497afe4b0cdd5e7e99e86

[Lammycat]

Democracy can be an awkward process.

 

As well as show glimmers of hope....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/10/donald-trump-due-to-meet-president-obama-as-backlash-begins-with/

[lost highway]

Obama needs a thought bubble, "I've spent 8 years and almost cleaned this shit up and now this guy's gonna fuck it up again."

[Vacant Horizon]

I think it essentially boils down to this.  Looking at the breakdown of the vote it was largely rural areas that voted Trump.  In these areas the population of minorities, especially Muslims and LGBTQ, are relatively small or nonexistent.  This lack of first hand contact and experience with these groups does not really allow the sort of empathy required to understand the consequences of Trump's words.  If all you hear on the news and your Facebook feed is that Muslims are terrorist it is easy to quietly go along thinking all Muslims are bad and vote for Trump.  This compounded by the recovery of the last half decade or so that saw poor middle class whites left behind made it even easier to vote for Trump.  

 

Trump did something very well, he tied Clinton to Obama.  Essentially saying that Clinton would be an Obama third term.  Look at the last eight years, it got better for these minority groups (talking in general BTW, a true debate on this could be had).  Poor non college educated people felt left behind.  It is important to make the distinction that they felt left behind and who was the cause of this (congress, president, big business, etc.)  Just like in Football it is a lot easier to fire a head coach then it is to fire a the whole team.  These working class whites did not want an Obama third term.  They felt if Clinton was elected they would further and further marginalized.  He also was purposely vague on what he would do and the specifics when presented were met with indifference, by the media and his supporters.  People just did not want another third term.  

 

I do agree with you, the people who voted for Trump have been hoodwinked.  His presented policies will likely hurt these very people that supported him.  But in this election the history of the last eight years, showed their way of life declining, they simply could not afford another term of this.  

 

Nice interpretation. (not being sarcastic) I hate to say it, but you may be giving 'them' more credit than they deserve. I didn't hear much from Trump supporters concerning economic matters.  It was more xenophobia, fear of terrorism and 'someone to shake things up'. Of course, standard of living is going to hell for the majority of Americans...even those with degrees.  We are the ones that end up paying for everything the government does.  Not the elite rich and not the ones who have no money. So Obama and Clinton were no better. Government has the roll of funneling money from worker to capitalist in our country.  We are squeezed and squeezed.  Obviously systemic change is desperately needed. But I never expected a majority of people in this country to go so far right (?) with their anger. Again, they were hoodwinked by lies, rhetoric, emotional manipulation and, as you said, lack of any contact with diversity in our country. Imagine if these folks were non violent revolutionaries! They have EVERYTHING in common with Black Lives, immigrants,poor veterans, uninsured etc. Yet they see 'them' as their enemy.