;)
The Commentariat -- Nov. 10, 2016
Afternoon Update:
Julie Davis of the New York Times: "President Obama and Donald J. Trump made a public show on Thursday of putting their bitter differences aside after a stunning election upset, during a once-unimaginable Oval Office meeting. It brought together a president who has darkly warned that Mr. Trump could not be trusted with the nuclear codes and a successor who rose to political prominence questioning Mr. Obama's birthplace and legitimacy.... It was an extraordinary show of cordiality and respect between two men who have been political enemies and are stylistic opposites...." -- CW
Comrade President Trumpskyev, Moscow on Line for You! Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times: "The Russian government maintained contacts with advisers to Donald J. Trump during the American presidential campaign, one of Russia's top diplomats said Thursday -- an assertion a Trump spokeswoman flatly denied. 'There were contacts,' Sergei A. Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. 'We continue to do this and have been doing this work during the election campaign,' he said." ...
... Akhilleus: No wonder Putin was so happy Comrade Donaldavich won. Wonder how long after Trump gets his security briefing he gives BFF Vlad the inside dope on US national security secrets. And it's also no wonder Wikileaks never released anything hacked from the Trump campaign. Although I doubt a revelation like this would have done him any harm. The American right has quite a crush on the ex-KGB strongman.
ISIS and Al Qaeada Thrilled About Trump. Laura Bult of the New York Daily News. "Islamic extremists are celebrating Donald Trump's shocking victory this week, claiming the election outcome proves half of Americans' anti-Muslim sentiment, according to a group monitoring jihadism. Islamic terrorist organizations including Al Qaeda, the Islamic State and the Taliban are touting Trump's stunning win as a signal of the country's downfall, according to reports in SITE Intelligence Group cited by USA Today. 'Pro #AQ (Al Qaeda) accounts: "On 9-11 US struck w disaster at the hands of AQ. On 11-9, US struck with disaster at the hands of their own voters,"' wrote SITE founder Rita Katz on Twitter." Akhilleus
Giuliani Interviews On-Air for AG Spot. Callum Borchers of the Washington Post: "... Rudy Giuliani ... used a CNN interview Thursday morning to tout his qualification to be attorney general. Giuliani initially indicated he would take the job if he couldn't point to three other lawyers who would be just as good." Luckily for Rudy, Trump watches a lot of TV. Maybe he caught the interview. -- CW
*****
CW: I don't know what Reality Chex will look like going forward -- it's something we'll all have to figure out as we evolve -- but I know you will seldom turn to this page and find speeches by President-Elect or President von Clownstick.
Christopher Mele & Anne Correal of the New York Times: "Thousands of people across the country marched, shut down highways, burned effigies and shouted angry slogans on Wednesday night to protest the election of Donald J. Trump as president. The demonstrations, fueled by social media, continued into the early hours of Thursday. The crowds swelled as the night went on but remained mostly peaceful. Protests were reported in cities as diverse as Dallas and Oakland and included marches in Boston; Chicago; Portland, Ore.; Seattle and Washington and at college campuses in California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania." -- CW ...
... Emma Whitford of Gothamist: "The NYPD is helping the Secret Service ramp up security outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue this afternoon to levels befitting the president-elect, according to an NYPD spokesman. In addition to the row of Sanitation Department trucks parked end to end outside the tower since Tuesday, police have placed white concrete barriers emblazoned with the NYPD logo across 56th Street at the eastern intersection of Fifth Avenue." CW: Garbage trucks protecting the gilded Trump Tower. That's fitting.
Sylvan Lane of the Hill: "The Dow Jones industrial index hit an an all-time high Wednesday, reversing a massive drop triggered by President-elect Donald Trump's improbable win. The Dow surged more than 300 points briefly Wednesday afternoon, finishing with a 250-point rise. The Nasdaq and Standards and Poor's 500 industrial index rose roughly 1 percent each. Wednesday's surge reflects a promise of business-friendly, growth-focused policies from Republicans, who gained control of the White House while maintaining control of Congress.... Stocks for private prisons and coal companies boomed, while gun and marijuana company shares fell."...
... CW: Which just goes to show you that "Wall Street" investors are ignorant. Our economy has done better under Democratic presidents that Republican presidents for more than half a century. That's because the more people who participate in the economy, the more the economy grows, something that should be obvious. Republicans' "business-friendly, growth-focused policies" actually hurt the economy. There is at least some satisfaction in the irony of the gun lobby's "success" -- President von Clownstick will depress gun sales, and gun sales are the ultimate goal of Trump's biggest backer -- the NRA.
Sara Wire of the Los Angeles Times: "Votes are still being counted across the country, but it appears Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton could win the popular vote, while President-elect Trump wins the electoral college and thus the White House. At 5 a.m. on the West Coast, the Associated Press showed Clinton with 59.16 million votes nationally, compared to Trump's 59 million votes."
Hillary Clinton's concession speech, with a lovely introduction by Tim Kaine:
President Obama speaks about the transition:
Jonathan Capehart of the Washington Post: "The frightening thing about Trump is that he has a penchant for retribution. One campaign aide, Omarosa Manigault, told the Independent Journal Review, 'It's so great our enemies are making themselves clear so that when we get into the White House, we know where we stand.' And she added this: 'Mr. Trump has a long memory and we're keeping a list.' Yes, revenge is a dish best served cold. And when you're president of the United States, it could come under the color of law." -- CW
Kumbaya? No Thank You. Peter Beinart of the Atlantic: "The blunt truth is that most Trump supporters hold bigoted views. It's what most clearly distinguishes them from other Americans.... Downplaying the racist views of Trump supporters is an evasion of the facts." -- CW ...
... Jenée Desmond-Harris of Vox: "Donald Trump has won the presidency..., not despite but because he expressed unfiltered disdain toward racial and religious minorities in the country. The message his victory sent to nonwhites, Muslim Americans, immigrants, and their families is clear: Never underestimate the power of racism and bigotry. In his victory speech early Wednesday morning, Trump promised to serve all Americans. But he&'d already made clear what that meant to him: using his power to create a 'great again' version of America where white Christian citizens would have the dominance to which they felt entitled, despite changing demographics. And if that meant insulting and snatching back the rights of everyone else, with women caught in the crossfire, so be it. This is an unambiguous message." Thanks to Diane for the link. -- CW ...
... Jamelle Bouie: "Pundits and observers will attribute Trump's win to 'populism' or his 'anti-elite' message. This is nonsense. Trump ran for president as a nationalist fighter for white America.... More than anything, Trump promises a restoration of white authority. After eight years of a black president after eight years in which cosmopolitan America asserted its power and its influence, eight years in which women leaned in and blacks declared that their lives mattered millions of white Americans said enough.... Trump forged a politics of white tribalism, and white people embraced it.... We are still the country that produced George Wallace. We are still the country that killed Emmett Till." -- CW ...
... CW: As Bouie points out, there's a substantive difference between surreptitiously catering to white racists, as Republicans do, & embracing the white supramacists' "cause," as Trump does. ...
... ExPat Girl in Daily Kos (Nov. 9: 1:40 am): "As I watch Republican incumbent after incumbent win hold of their seat, the idea that this election was about 'change' is garbage. This was about hate. Nothing more and nothing less. There is NO WAY you get this result because something is about 'change'. The only reason 'white' America stands so squarely against every other group is to retain supremacy." -- CW
Gail Collins offers ways to accept a president-elect who is the "dimwitted, meanspirited spawn embodying the nation's worst flaws, failings and nightmares." ...
... CW: None of her ideas is convincing, particularly this one: "Don't let people tell you that the vote proves half the American population is racist." Yes, they are. Anyone who voted for Trump is a racist, an anti-Semite & all-purpose xenophobe, a misogynist & a proto-Nazi. Under normal circumstances, you can vote for a candidate you don't like much & not share his bad traits if you think he represents the lesser of two evils. But you cannot vote for somebody like Trump & get off without revealing your slimy true self. The one upside for me of the results of this election (and it would have been so if Clinton had won by a slim margin) is that I get to walk in the shoes of the black man, the Mexican, the Jew, the Muslim: I suspect every Anglo I pass on the street. ...
... The New York Times Editors disagree with me: "We Americans can be heartened by Mrs. Clinton's and Mr. Obama's decency. They were right to be gracious." CW: It's fine to be gracious to George Bush or Mitt Romney or Paul Ryan. It's an abrogation of a responsibility to democratic-republican ideals to be gracious to Donald Trump. Our Democratic leaders failed us again, as Gloria & others point out in today's commentary.
Dylan Matthews of Vox: "... Donald Trump's presidency is going to be an absolute disaster for the white working class, the white poor, and every other economically struggling person in America. The people the media is crediting with Trump's win have a tremendous amount to lose.... Trump has promised an economic agenda that will increase the ranks of the uninsured by tens of millions, that will eliminate crucial safety net programs for low- and moderate-income Americans, that could start a trade war that drives up prices and devastates the economy, and that will put in place a tax code that exacerbates inequality and leaves many families with children worse off." Read on for an excellent rundown of what Trump & his new Congressional BFFs have proposed -- and now will pass into law. -- CW ...
... Trump University, on a Grand Scale. Paul Waldman: "In modern history we've never seen a president who was less a creature of his party, and for many of Trump's supporters that was a big part of the attraction. But what they may not have realized is that when they bought Trump, they'll be getting the GOP and its agenda as part of the deal. How many of those working-class whites are on Medicaid, or use subsidies to get health coverage from the Affordable Care Act? They can kiss that goodbye. Were they hoping for a big tax cut? Sorry, when congressional Republicans write their tax-cutting bill it'll be the wealthy who reap the benefits. Hope they're ready for some new restrictions on abortion, and more pollution in their communities, and fewer rights on the job, because all that's coming too.... Eventually they'll wind up like the marks he took in with Trump University -- taken in by the flash of golden cufflinks and the power of his celebrity, they'll eventually figure out that it was all a scam. But by the time they do, the damage will be done." See also safari's comment below. -- CW ...
... CW: Yes, but as it ever has been, for these people, white supremacy and misogyny trump their own personal well-being. To that extent, they are selfless. ...
... BTW, in case you think Waldman is wrong ...
... Burgess Everett of Politico: "Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled the Senate would move swiftly to repeal Obamacare now that the GOP Congress will have a Republican president next year." -- CW
Rick Noack of the Washington Post: "Americans opposed to Donald Trump have frequently joked about moving to the United States' northern neighbor, Canada, should Trump really become president. As that scenario started to become increasingly likely Tuesday evening, Canada's immigration website suddenly went down.... "In the hours just after Trump's victory was called, Americans were searching for jobs in Canada at ten times the rate of previous nights," Jed Kolko, an economist..., was quoted as saying in a news release." -- CW ...
... Anna Fifield of the Washington Post: "Web traffic from the United States to the New Zealand government websites that deal with immigration has skyrocketed. The Immigration New Zealand website, the government's immigration department site, usually gets about 2,300 visits from United States Internet addresses each day. In the 24 hours until 9 a.m. New Zealand time on Thursday, it had received 56,300 visits from the United States -- a 25-fold increase in traffic." -- CW
Elliot Hannon of Slate: "Donald Trump's victory has sent America's allies and adversaries scrambling.... One early indicator of the anxiety and anticipation that the U.S.'s interaction with its regional and global partners is set to change is Cuba's almost immediate decision to hold five days of military exercises to 'maintain the country's defense preparedness.' The Cuban government did not explicitly link the nationwide 'Bastion Strategic Exercise' to Trump's election, but the military drills in the past have been ordered during contentious periods with the U.S." -- CW
Senate Election
Adam Sexton of WMUR: "Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan is declaring victory in her U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte. 'As we've gotten more results overnight and this morning, it's clear that we have maintained the lead and have won this race,' Hassan said Wednesday morning at a press conference. Ayotte's campaign responded, making it clear that she has no plans to concede the race to Hassan.... With 99 percent of precincts reporting as of 11 a.m., Hassan leads Ayotte by less than 1,000 votes." -- CW ...
... Update: Per this NYT graphic, it appears the AP has now projected Hassan as the winner. So. if the vote holds, that's a total of 48 Democratic Senators, or a pick-up of two. (Louisiana is to be decided in a run-off Dec. 10, but it's unlikely the Democrat will win.)
... BTW, Clinton, too, is now leading in New Hampshire, tho the race has not been called. Arizona & Michigan, the other two states not yet called, are "leaning Trump."
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Reader Comments (51)
The Dow Industrials announced today that Trump is not going to do any of the things he promised the deplorables. The Dow would not be up $256 if anyone thought Trump was going to start a trade war with China, build a wall, or deport more undocumented persons than Obama has
Trump will be taken over by movement Republicans and the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer.
The saps that believed him still have no champion.
It is time for a New Deal, we need an FDR.
@carlyle: Couldn't agree more. With all of it.
Marie
And Mike Pence, wearing a red beanie, will indulge his perverted belief that he is entitled to direct all conduct related to female genitalia while the newly constituted SCOTUS sings along with a tune made popular during the crusades.
@carlyle
"It is time for a New Deal, we need an FDR."
We had one in Bernie, but we blew it.
Speaking of markets ... according to NPR Marketplace about 6:15 Wed, Corrections Corp. America stock was up 43% on this day.
CCA runs deportation holding centers as well as prisons.
The DOW was down 800 points before it went up 256. Anyway I've never thought of it as a political action prognosticator.
Those 'Movement Republicans' such as Attorney General Rudi Giuliani and Secretary of State Newt Gingrich concern me just as much as Trump himself. And then there are those towers of political acuity Trump will recruit from among his industrial supporters.
Just read somewhere that past presidents enacted an average of 73% of their platform promises. Against an unprecedented wall of resistance Obama enacted 70% of his. With the senate, house, and courts in New Republican control, how many of Trump's promises do you think will get enacted? 80%? What's your favorite? The New Republican healthcare? The defeat of Rowe-Wade? The end of Climate-warming or the EPA? So many goodies to look forward to!
Jenee Desmond-Harris, VOX "Trump’s win is a reminder of the incredible, unbeatable power of racism." Lots of pundit and writers trying to argue against this idea. Can't heal if you won't treat the disease.
http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/9/13571676/trump-win-racism-power
Walking it all back already, the Cons are saying trump won't enact his many promises, from agriculture businessmen who don't want to lose their cheap, powerless labour, to those who didn't really want to repeal ObamaCare after all. I agree with Cowichan, it's either bad or worse in trump and the Con congress. They aren't going to rein him in, they will be going further. trump's coterie is even worse than he is, and he will have no idea what they are doing. And won't care.
Marie, we need to relax for awile because no one, including the Trump has a clue what anything will look like going forward. However, as a start, we do hear that Rudi Fooliani, Nut Gingscum and maybe Chris Shitstie will be major players. And I seriously like your decision about no speeches from the fake POTUS.
Once again the contrast couldn't be greater. From Pelosi, Warren, the President and Sec Clinton, all are asking for Americans to work together. Rather than McConnell's vow to make the new guy a one term president, and never co-operate. Ryan is planning to scrap the filibuster so they don't have to make any compromises. There is an enemies list already from Omarosa and others. Truly deplorable.
Protests all over the country: HE IS NOT MY PRESIDENT!
Let the fun begin.
Marvin, nor mine.
The Dems don't benefit from being grown ups. In fact it only ever hurts them as they are tagged for the fiascos the Cons cause - Clinton/Iraq. Rather than trying to temper trump's temper, Dems need to put air between them and the con jobs. There is only bipartisanship when Dems cave. We need some nasty if we don't want to see swathes (swatches?) of people suffering. There has not even been a thought of nominating SC justices who might be acceptable, just nuke the filibuster and go for broke. Day One. Talk of healing is beyond ironic when dismantling the ACA and disabling the EPA will cause actual suffering, illness, and death. Then, Day Two.
It struck me this morning:
The ignorant gullible American public has elected an ignorant vindictive bully over an honest, accomplished, capable woman. Aided at every step by the media. Every pundit who wrote about the bully's actions had to insert a paragraph about Hillary not being "transparent" or, basically, not defending herself effectively against an unrelenting, decades-long series of attacks ("investigations") by repubs.
Isn't this classic talk about an abused wife? If he hit you, you must have done something to provoke him?
@Gloria. Exactly. You might call it "appeasement." Or the "normalization of radical racism." I think Obama is making a terrible mistake in meeting with Trump. We may have to accept him as president of an overtly racist country, but we don't have to make a show of it. Trump deserves the same respect we show Kim Jong Un & other tinpot dictators.
Marie
Paul Waldman writes, "they'll eventually figure out that it was all a scam. But by the time they do, the damage will be done".
That's the major problem, is that they won't 'figure it out', at least if 'it' is the truth. If/when they repeal Obamacare and it turns out to be a disaster, they'll blame it on Obama. Any economic recessions will be blamed on Obama. None of the blame is ever laid upon the GOP. They're kung fu artists of deflection. They've perfected the art of misinformation. And their sheeple, all cowed under the comforting blanket of right wing media, will never let truth enter their orbit. Hell, they even tried to pin Al-Qaeda/Afghanistan/Iraq/great recession on Obama. They have no shame and their followers have been programmed to follower their oracles. Even worse, say some do find out they've been had by the GOP. They're such fervent tribalists at this point, that wouldn't even change their vote for lack of a 'better' option.
For an anecdote, I've been Facebook feuding with Trumpbots since the election. One claimed that the only anti-women's rights candidate was Hillary, because the only "rapist" in this election was her husband and she enabled him. I sent him a link to a New York Mag and a Politico piece listing all of the accusations/scandals linked to Trump (with numerous links to other sources in the articles), and his only reply was: "Look at the liberal sources...so sad!" This man (white guy, in his mid-50s) is an anesthesiologist who lives in a giant house in a gated community in the most expensive district in Kansas City. He's clearly a very intelligent and successful man, but a Trumpbot through and through. It's like they've built up a giant wall (!) to protect their brains from conflicting narratives. He wouldn't even read the info. If it's not Breitbart/whatever it's not legitimate.
I don't see how you break those walls down.
Safari, exactly right! And that's why appeasement = failure. It's amazing that the two darlings of the starry eyed are the first to want to work with the trumpoids. I wish I thought they were playing a long game, and just talking, with no intention of making nice.
This is how you lose in 2018, and then 2020.
Well, the Russians and the Jihadists are cheering, so I guess that's something.
@ safari: I'm wondering whether your anesthesiologist might be the kind of conservative that just wants more of what he's got and figures going with Trump (or any Republican) he will get it. These kinds of people don't care what Trump says-––they aren't listening to any conflicting arguments because that would mean they would have to think and thinking for them makes their reasons for going with a flim flam man flimsy and foolish and of course, their greed would be exposed And you're right, safari, they build their own walls. OR––maybe your guy is truly a racist and/or all those other negative tags. Very so called intelligent, successful people have done some pretty despicable things––like serial murders.
Why did we ever think we were a country of unity? Haven't we always had these stark divisions? Obama's and Clinton's speeches yesterday urged us Americans to recognize we are a country of laws and our democracy is something to be protected and cherished. In other words many of you voted for someone we both distain with every fiber of our beings, but we must follow protocol and carry on.
But the protest marches in our streets last night send a different message.
This election was about freedom.
Last week I was sitting in a restaurant with a friend, and we were talking about the election. It occurred to me that people sitting at nearby tables could hear our conversation, if eavesdropping were their wont. It didn't matter to us because we didn't say anything we would be ashamed to have strangers hear.
But what if I were a Trump supporter? I'd have to whisper to my friend what I thought about "the blacks"; I couldn't openly discuss "Muslim terrorists." I couldn't talk about "feminist ballbreakers." I couldn't make jokes about "the gays." Hell, I couldn't even tell Polish "jokes" or make fun of people with disabilities. This would be true not just in the restaurant but at my place of work, maybe if I were in a bar, in the grocery story, at a church supper, wherever. Our society has made shameful the real views of Trump supporters. In most social situations, Trumpbots have had to squelch their speech for years. Trump promised to give them back their "freedom" to be boors. He didn't just encourage their worst tendencies; he embodies them.
For those of us who abhor those tendencies, the election was about the freedom of all people to expect and receive respect, to receive not only "equal protection under the law" but also under normative societal standards. Those standards I accept have been crushing bigots. Now the bigots have free rein to crush the standards and impose their own, debased norms. We'll see how that plays out.
Marie
Thank you, Marie, Gloria, et al. I have gone from sad to fully angry. We will never know what prompts idiots to follow a savior, but we know they. are. idiots. Our neighbors shot off firecrackers at 3 am and then offered my husband a drink. They know we are not repugnican, as we have lived side-by-side for 25 years. They had no pause to consider how we felt and that it was 3 am. I am so mad at them and the others that I no longer care if they have health insurance or not. When they end up on the street, I will question whom they voted for before offering anything. I also feel like being in a gated community, but in a Democratic gated community. And I am not heartened by graciousness displayed by our leaders, OR our faux leaders. No links to these people, Marie-- thank you-- all morning I have been turning off NPR and the teevee folks-- back to basics with classical music.
"They aren't going to rein him in, they will be going further. trump's coterie is even worse than he is, and he will have no idea what they are doing. And won't care." (Gloria)
This is what I fear––Trump will be like one of those putty people that kids play with–-you can twist and mold them into whatever you want. The Republicans now have a leader they can truly lead. Trump is out of his element now and he knows it. He will preen and command attention, but he will be the Charlie McCarthy to all those puppeteers who will be speaking for him and pulling whatever strings they deem necessary. I despair.
And will someone please explain why we still have that arcane 18th century thing called the Electoral College. Hillary got the popular vote just like Gore––second time candidates that most people voted for didn't get who they voted for.
We need clarification. We have elected a pussy grabbing President. Does this mean pussy grabbing is socially acceptable.
I mentioned this to my wife of sixty two years and she threatened to break any arm including mine that took any liberties with her.
How vigorous a response is legal. Probably it will not be acceptable to shoot the perp but how much damage can the victim cause with approval?
A crochet hook is as good as a bayonet. Hold the blunt end of he hook in he palm of he hand in a thimble. With the shaft between the second and third finger push the pointed end into the soft tissue of the attacker's face or throat.
When grabbed, lean both elbows on the attackers chest push straight up. To remove the hook takes surgery.
Marie: I know you can't print this but tell all your friends about the pocket book bayonet.
You know what I've had a gutful of? The New York Times allowing how we can be heartened by the graciousness and decency of Obama and Clinton. You, NYT, helped create this national nightmare, this terminal cancer, this monster Donald Trump. How dare you lecture me about decency.
Next 4 years - no news, no newspaper except for the comix, sports, and weather. Lots of Jane Austen. We got through Reagan (though the damage will last the rest of my life) and we'll get through this.
Get out your checkbooks and start writing.
Send as much as you can to the ADL, ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood, and the Sierra Club.
Put your money behind the organizations that have the people and processes in place to fight the battles we're going to have to fight for the next four years just to hold the line.
Then start writing to Elizabeth Warren about 2020.
Totally agree with you, Marie. I was disappointed in Obama for extending his hand. I was so hoping that he would decline participation in inauguration day. Trump holds nothing but contempt for Obama. Why would Obama let himself be humiliated one last time by this monster?
Natives in my red state are furious that anyone dares to say anything bad about the glorious Führer. We should all be happy to free from that awful Obama person, not to mention that treasonous witch, Hillary. Protesters proclaiming that "He's not my president" should be shot or at least arrested. When I pointed out to one guy who voiced that opinion that they have First Amendment rights too, he said, well then we'll just have to introduce them to our Second Amendment rights.
It's scary. It really is. Trump has unleashed deep wells of hatred that have been brewing for years. My guess is that eight years of suffering under the shame of having that horrible nee-groe in their White House has now given them permission to be openly hateful to the point of suggesting murdering anyone who expresses a different opinion.
Also, I pointed out, I don't recall any Republicans denouncing their party when its leaders stated on day one that Obama would be parried and countered at all turns and made a one term joke, in effect declaring that "He's not our president". His response was that he was a joke and didn't deserve any respect. Oh, but Trump does.
I don't see how we bridge this divide.
Beneath most of this animosity is an inability to accommodate multiple world views, to handle nuance, gray areas, and fine (and not so fine) distinctions between political positions. It's true that there are some positions one would not want to accommodate. A terrorist stance, for example. But barring extreme positions, there is a lot of middle ground.
Wingers have been taught that everything is black and white. Fox reminds them of this every day. We're right, they're wrong is the underlying message. And for religious minded wingers (most of them), it's even more so. A thing is biblical or it's not. If it's not, it's wrong. Straight up and down. Of course they don't say how voting for Trump, a twice divorced, serial adulterer, liar, cheater and friend to murdering gangsters, fits in with this world view. But as with everything else, I'm guessing it's the perpetual sense of victimhood that allows them to give each other passes for outrageous and otherwise appalling behavior.
My sense is also that in the past, even people who weren't that well educated (in the book larnin' way) were still able to appreciate the difference between right and wrong and understand that few things in life are all right and all wrong. That people can have different points of view and still live and work together. What we have now is a generation of wingers who don't even see the point in trying. Much easier to threaten to shoot or physically harm anyone who has a different point of view. And even better when your president feels the same way.
And there is a difference between those who denied that Obama was their president and those today who are declaring that Trump is not theirs. Obama acted as if, and believed that he was, president of all Americans, and had a duty to act on their behalf. Trump believes nothing of the sort. He will be a president to a small number of Americans and the rest can go hang. And if they don't do it themselves, he'll see if he can't help that along.
Nancy,
Re: the Times complicity in putting the Trump Monster in the White House, right on, girl. Nail on the head.
Trump gets his first full national security briefing today. I shudder to think about it. After a previous briefing, he flat out stated that the national security experts were wrong. He didn't have any information to the contrary, it was just his "feeling". Shit almighty, we've got another "go with my gut" idiot back in charge. Because that worked out so well the last time.
Trump has put on the face of a serious (okay, semi-serious) "leader" at least for a few hours. As far as I know, he hasn't said anything typically nuts for almost a whole day. But we've seen this before. Trump is who he is and he's not gonna change. And who he is is an ignorant buffoon, a self-indulgent, no information clown who doesn't even merit the distinction of dilettante. At least a dilettante is keen to give it a whirl with at least a momentary intention of seriousness.
Trump, in his narcissistic bubble untouched by real world concerns or data, believes his own fact-free judgement to be superior to anyone and everyone, including professionals who have been doing a single job (monitoring national security, eg) for decades. Heaven help us if we have anything along the lines of a Cuban missile crisis or a 9/11 (look how badly the last "go with my gut" guy fucked that up). Bush had his own idea of how things should be and Trump will too. How is it that Confederates put such weak minded, amoral lamebrains in the White House?
Trump will be Trump. And once he's ensconced in the White House, the coolest toys on the planet will be in the sole possession of a snarling, 9 year old little shit-stick with the self control of a paranoid schizophrenic on crack.
Briefings, schmeifings. He'll do whatever he wants. Hope I'm not in the fallout zone when he decides nuclear war would be AWESOME, dude! Just the best!
Still sorting it out.
Three factors at work Tuesday night.
Agree that much of it is about race, whether that doctor in Kansas City has the self-awareness or balls to admit it. These folks fear that whiteness and its attendant privilege is coming to the end of the road, and that sense was only exacerbated by the two terms of a black and hence illegitimate President.
Aside from Obama's presence in the Oval Office, since the 60's Democratic Party has deliberately tied itself more firmly to the non-white electorate, too successfully perhaps, to keep its winning coalition of labor, progressives and minorities together. With the decline of union influence, the Dems have certainly lost most labor. The headlines preceding the election proclaiming that Latinos in large numbers would buoy HRC may have been true but they could have only heightened white angst. Can't help but wonder how many white votes, even among white suburban women, that might have stimulated.
Truth be told, the other Democratic weakness has to be its alliance with Wall Street, particularly its predatory financial arm, an alliance has been with us since Bill Clinton. It worked for him, he was elected twice, but the downstream consequences were not good for most working people. The Wall Street connection was highlighted by Democratic primary infighting; I don't think that helped.
That the Republicans promoted similar policies and practices during the Clinton years and since has since been lost in the shuffle of history, in part because it's more complicated than most voters know or care to find out and in part because the Right's propaganda machine has had eight years or more to make them forget Republicans also supported trade deal that benefited their corporate masters at the expense of workers and that they eventually brought us the Iraq War and Bush Crash, which together caused the deficit to soar. That deficit, of course, was like so much else all Obama's fault. In that context, whether the TPP was a good geopolitical or economic idea or not, it was a dumb political one. Obama should have been smarter.
The last is something we all know. It's the personalities the two candidates projected. One was all about intelligence and thought. The other all about action. People want a doer. Some may admire how well someone thinks and talks (looking at me, kid), but the masses want to see Something Done, and if those somethings are in line with their prejudices and fears--those brown folks are taking all our jobs and mounting terrorist attacks on us, so let's kick of keep them out--I'm going to go with the Action Figure. The contradictions and seaminess don't matter.
And one more thing (four of three), HRC is a woman. Can't put a number on it, but I'm guessing that lost her a significant percentage of the uneducated white worker vote.
@ Akhilleus
"Hope I'm not in the fallout zone when he decides nuclear war would be AWESOME, dude! Just the best!" I, sadly, am - both in my home and in my office. I am terrified.
Andrew Sullivan gives a scathing preview of what is to come:
"A country designed to resist tyranny has now embraced it."
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/andrew-sullivan-president-trump-and-the-end-of-the-republic.html
Like everyone else feels, the hand reaching is maddening. Trump is decidedly not the issue. People, especially the youngins' need to see what a real president in a democracy looks like. Frankly, there's no better motivation than to reinforce an outstanding president, whose grace, smarts and dignity will make him among the most important of Presidents. Whatever Trump does to unravel Obama's legacy, he can't ever damage him in a way that elevates himself. Remember, Obama always plays the long game. I'm pretty sure he hasn't left the building never to be seen again.
Omarosa actually made me laugh, when WE get to the WH. Please. Look in the mirror, you're black. I bet your backside meets the curb pretty quick.
Looking ahead. I love Warren too, but let's see what Kamala Harris does. She's been pretty good as AG here in CA. As AG, we don't have much info beyond her LE positions. I'm anxious to see who will lead the DCC. Should be someone who is willing to burn the house down to get what we need.
Voting against yourself.
Today I found out that a young woman I work with, a part time employee, with a little baby, who is on partial assistance and was getting her insurance through the ACA, voted for Trump. She's a nice kid if not overly bright. Aghast, I asked her if she realized that she voted for her insurance--and that of her newborn--to be taken away. She was taken aback at first but recovered long enough to state that Obama had screwed it up so badly that it was going under anyway. I asked if she had had insurance before that. She said no. I left her flailing in the Kool Aid. That poor baby.
How do they do it? I'm a little in awe of a party that can cadge votes out of people they are dead set against, people who are, in effect, asking to be screwed and are happily, gleefully obliged.
The "Give him respect because he is the President-elect" is exactly like the GWB years, a sentiment that vanished for President Obama.
I am torn. On the one hand, I feel that the office and title deserve respect, though the human being must earn it, an insurmountable task for trump as far as I can see. On the other hand, understanding that distinction is probably beyond most trump supporters.
Republicans for the last eight years have flagrantly disrespected both Obama and the office in an infuriating way. They have also made a mockery of their own responsibilities in their positions of power, which makes it hard to even respect the office of Speaker and Senate Majority Leader.
Maybe I've just answered my own dilemma.
RE: News of Russian contacts with Trump campaign
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/with-trump-about-to-learn-the-nations-deepest-secrets-a-sense-of-dread-in-the-intelligence-community/2016/11/09/e4206810-a676-11e6-ba59-a7d93165c6d4_story.html
NiskyGuy,
Not only did the Confederate Despicables disrespect the president, they disrespected, spit on, actually, everyone who voted for him. And, as I said before, there is a difference (I don't know if it's enough of a one, but it is a difference) between Obama and Trump. First, Obama is a rational, serious person. Trump is a vicious demagogue, a tax dodger, draft dodger, swindler, and racist bigot who suggested that his opponent should be murdered just because she had the temerity to oppose him.
The Confederate Party has no self-respect, no seriousness, no integrity, no honor, and no ethics. It's a collection of greedy, racist, misogynistic pigs who rig elections to stay in power. They are about as amoral a bunch of depraved frauds as one could imagine.
Neither they nor their "leader" are worthy of respect, but as they say in the military, you salute the rank, not the person.
I'm torn as well. I think, at this point, all I'm willing to say is that Trump has a chance to earn some respect, but he doesn't get it right away. His outrageous campaign disallowed automatic respect. I'm not too worried about that however. As I said earlier, Trump is who he is. He's not going to change. He's a scumbag now, he'll be scumbag on Inauguration Day. He'll be scumbag when he's voted out of office in four years.
They are trying to tell us Orange is the new Black.
Christ almighty!
Can you imagine Hacky Giuliani as the AG? He'd be promoting the death penalty for bad penmanship. The guy is so far off the rails he's like a freight train on a dirt road. If Trumpado starts rewarding losers like Giuliani and Chrisco with plummy cabinet postings, it will be a clear sign that his presidency will be done before the SOTU. (Speaking of which, I'm taking odds right now about how many times the words "I", "me", and "my" will be used in that speech. Right after that will come "amazing", "great", "best", "sad", "losers", "disgrace", and...oh, did I say "I"?) Naturally, I won't be watching that screed. It would be like ingesting televised ipecac.
I heard him being all magnanimous and shit about his meeting with Obama, but that mask only stays on for so long. The president is a civilized, learned, and decent man. Trump is none of those things (civilized, learned, decent, nor a man). The second someone calls him out for being a rank amateurish ignorant schmoe, he will go ballistic. I understand his enemies list is already pages long. Nixon took a couple of years to develop his list and it ended up going from 20 to a couple of hundred. I have no doubt that Donaldo's list is already in the thousands.
I'm betting Marie is on it.
The December issue of Architectural Digest has a 12 page spread on
the tastefully decorated Obama private quarters in the White House.
I plan to invest in gold leaf futures, if there is such a thing, because
as I remember there was a shortage of gold leaf the last time trumpus
decorated; I think it was Mar-a-lago.
And I keep reading that we have to bring the country together, love
thy neighbor (she's a died in the wool republican), etc. etc. Well
personally I think that ain't gonna happen in my life time. My partner
of 26 years informed me yesterday that we aren't going to Ohio for
the family Christmas get together this year. They voted for trumpus.
He could overlook them voting for Reagan and the Bushes, but this
is just too much to swallow. And I love my sister in Georgia, but she
says that she wouldn't vote for Hillary but did a write-in vote for
someone who wasn't even running or registered in Georgia.
Back to the wine cellar!
Answer to my own question re: the electoral college:
https://www.reference.com/government-politics/purpose-electoral-college-c9f12a8548d434ee
I wonder how these last two days would have looked if the roles were reversed, Clinton wins the electoral college and Trump wins the popular vote? Somehow I'm thinking more chaotic.
Forrest,
I doubt Trumpado foots the bill for actual gold leaf unless someone else is paying for it (cheated investors). He probably opts for Dutch metal or some other faux leaf product. Oh, wait a minute. In this case, we, the American taxpayers, will be forking over the money for the Trump redesign. Crap.
In which case we can expect to pay for the neon signs across the facade that will blare "Trump House" and hand beaten gold leaf that will be applied copiously to every interior surface with plenty of gaudy gewgaws hanging from crude, garish ceiling fixtures found only in Trump penthouses and fin de siècle bordellos.
The wine cellar sounds eminently reasonable. Stock up on some good cheese while you're at it.
And I too am just a wee bit tired of hearing how we all have to suck it up and accept our fate and be good little goosesteppers now that Herr Drumpf is in charge. Well fuck that. When the black guy was sworn in they were screaming "REVOLUTION! BREAK OUT THE GUNS!"
Wine cellar. That's the ticket.
Justaguy,
"Chaotic!"
Hey! You've been given the Understatement Award of the Year. I was thinking more like "armed revolt" spurred on by the Orange Lie Hole.
This article in today's WaPo says that voter ignorance and apathy is built into democracy.
"Hey! You've been given the Understatement Award of the Year. I was thinking more like "armed revolt" spurred on by the Orange Lie Hole." I was kinda thinking along the same lines.
There's no question that the transfer of power does not represent any respect for Trump. It's entirely to reinforce a bedrock of our democracy, not only for a domestic audience, but to salavage any shred of respect that the U.S. might have left in the world. I do mean shred. Not sure how Obama can do it preemptively, but he needs to execute a pardon for Clinton. I fully expect her prosecution and conviction. It's been the fever dream of too many now in power.
It sure would be emotionally satisfying to see Obama expose vC in front of a camera, vC would obviously be no match. But, I don't want to diminish Obama by asking him to act out my heartache and rage. He will find the most effective way. He has depth of strength and grace that few can achieve.
I wonder if the U.S. can ever recover its respect in the world.
And here is an interesting WaPo piece on how the Alt-right kampfers feel really good about their prospects with DJT, but they will keep an eye on him just to make sure. And one guy now says that he can feel the tension lift, and he can enjoy riding his Harley again and feels so good he's going to put a lift-kit on his '91 jeep and go riding in the woods.
From The Root. Michael Arceneaux criticizes the Kristol article in NYT. Uses Kristof's NYT article as the pivot point.
http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2016/11/we-owe-donald-trump-as-much-respect-as-he-gave-us-during-his-run-for-president/
Sorry to be so chatty. This was posted after the "transition meeting" betw Obama and vC. Presser notes. Earnest states that the President's views on vC fitness have not changed. Smooth transition is his only concern.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/josh-earnest-barack-obama-still-thinks-trump-unfit