Donald John Trump: 2016 President-Elect

[WendyCR72]

6 minutes ago, magdalene said:

Michael Moore, a smart man, and actually smarter than the pollsters and most of the media because he predicted that Trump might win while everybody else was going "no way" has been saying that Trump is basically so ignorant that he might do something that is illegal for the president to do. And then he would have to resign.  

How I hope Moore could be right again!

I don't. Because as much as I despise Donald Trump, he is the barrier between us and a religious zealot. Trump is no doubt a terrible choice for our country, but I truly believe it would be Pence taking women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community back to the dark ages. If only both could be tossed out. But then there's still the Republican House and Senate.

In short, we are screwed every which way but loose - at least until 2018.

[ClareWalks]

26 minutes ago, callmebetty said:

See my favorite Onion blurb is still from 2000 :

Vote, voter wasted accompanied by a picture of some kid wearing a Nader shirt. 

From The Onion: Our Dumb Century, 1992: "New President Feels Nations Pain, Breasts." Makes me laugh every time :) 

But yeah, I think it is dawning on Orange Fuckface that this job ain't all it's cracked up to be.

[magdalene]

2 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

I don't. Because as much as I despise Donald Trump, he is the barrier between us and a religious zealot. Trump is no doubt a terrible choice for our country, but I truly believe it would be Pence taking women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community back to the dark ages. If only both could be tossed out. But then there's still the Republican House and Senate.

In short, we are screwed every which way but loose - at least until 2018.

Oh, damn, I forgot about Pence for a second. Urgh.

[DeLurker]

10 hours ago, BuckeyeLou said:

I said this too....Melania wont want to leave her beautiful gold Tower in NY....she will use Barron as an excuse to stay in NY...no way she wants to live in an old house in DC.

I'm picturing her as Lisa (Eva Gabor) in Green Acres.

6 hours ago, Padma said:

I know that he doesn't have to disclose his tax returns as President. But since we, the American people, will be paying him a salary now (although if he's smart he'll donate it to charity as JFK did  Otherwise, even the deplorable supporters mght be interested to see his return. I mean. If they make $70,000 and pay 25% in taxes and the president gets 300,000 (?) of OUR money and pays NO taxes on it...hmmm. What's wrong with this picture?

What's the point of looking into his corruption and Russian ties now? It's too late unless they really find the ties to Putin that the Russian foreign defense minister described -- AND point out this makes Trump a traitor. Other than that? Pointless.

Is the Trump Foundation allowed to take donations again?  I thought NY had put the kibosh on that since they didn't file the right paperwork.  Or do anything charitable.

[Shannon L.]

3 hours ago, callmebetty said:

My mood is growing immensely better with each post made about how Trump is going to hate the day to day stuff as President . Keep going. I can't wait for the first late night twitter complaint.

For a brief moment today I almost felt pity for him. The man is so ignorant, I doubt he truly thought beyond what would happen if he won.  Has he not been paying attention for his whole life? For years now I've said that you couldn't pay me enough for this job. Anyway, I took that brief moment as a sign that I'm starting to feel a little better.  Like others, though Pence still scares me. In fact, I'm even worried that he'll get so bored that he'll start letting Pence do whatever he wants. 

Edited November 13, 2016 by Shannon L.

[windsprints]

Trump won't be taking a salary. Of course not. That may have led to info about his taxes leaking out. Of course twitter/facebook are filled with comments about how selfless he is, he won't even take $1. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-donald-trump-say-hed-refuse-to-take-a-salary-as-president/

[PatsyandEddie]

He has 75 impending lawsuits that he's involved in. Won't he have to reveal his financial info then? 

Selfless my ass! RMFE 

[SmithW6079]

3 hours ago, callmebetty said:

My mood is growing immensely better with each post made about how Trump is going to hate the day to day stuff as President . Keep going. I can't wait for the first late night twitter complaint.

Which is why Mike Pence is going to be the most powerful VP ever; he's going to handle the day-to-day running (into the ground) of the government.

3 hours ago, Padma said:

She probably isn't. But the idea of being Donald Trump's wife is very gross to many of us.  Seriously, not enough money in the world....

Apparently, for her there was.

2 hours ago, magdalene said:

Michael Moore, a smart man, and actually smarter than the pollsters and most of the media because he predicted that Trump might win while everybody else was going "no way" has been saying that Trump is basically so ignorant that he might do something that is illegal for the president to do. And then he would have to resign.  

How I hope Moore could be right again!

No, because then we have True Believer Mike Pence in charge. He's already started on making gay people second class citizens.

Here's a quote from the New York Times article about Trump wanting to be a part-time resident of the White House:

Quote

Mr. Trump's advisers hold out the possibility that the president-elect may spend more time in the White House as he grows less overwhelmed and more comfortable in the job.

(Emphasis mine). Because what you want in your president-elect is an admission that he's already overwhelmed with the job.

If you're not following the blog Stonekettle Station, you should. Jim Wright is a retired Navy veteran who writes about politics (among other things). Although his posts appear to be mostly liberal, he declares he is not, and I believe him, because he holds liberals accountable for their actions and opinions just as he does for conservatives. 

His November 11 post is not hopeful about the road our country faces now, thanks to Don the Con and Pence the Putrid (my words, not his). Make no mistake Trump and Pence are going to destroy America if we let them.

Bug Hunt

Edited November 13, 2016 by SmithW6079

[DeLurker]

3 minutes ago, SmithW6079 said:

Because what you want in your president-elect is an admission that he's already overwhelmed with the job.

That is probably the one statement out of his mouth that I would agree with - although I am shocked (Shocked I tell you!) he has the self-awareness to realize he should be overwhelmed.  I'd be more afraid of the president-elect not being afraid (unless they were the former VP or former First Lady).

[SmithW6079]

4 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

That is probably the one statement out of his mouth that I would agree with - although I am shocked (Shocked I tell you!) he has the self-awareness to realize he should be overwhelmed.  I'd be more afraid of the president-elect not being afraid (unless they were the former VP or former First Lady).

Actually, I don't think it was Don the Con who said it, it was his advisers.

[Deanie87]

5 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Even Oprah can't calm the ridiculousness:

http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2016/11/12/celebs-scorn-oprah-saying-hope-lives-trump-election-dont-dare/

I wish Sarah Silverman would come out with her DNC convention sass of "You are being ridiculous" admonishment to the ones who are freaking out. It kind of sort of worked when she flipped off the Bernie supporters with it. 

I want to go buy something Oprah sells. Does she sell stuff? Or just give stuff away? Maybe I will figure out how to use my years old Twitter account and tweet her some support. 

Why do you say it's ridiculous? I live in a pretty diverse area and I have gotten 3 emails in the last two days from my son's school district about racial incidents that have occurred in the wake of the election. Look around, this isn't an isolated event. Just because you and yours may not be affected by the ugliness that Trump's candidacy and victory have encouraged doesn't mean it isn't happening. I seriously doubt anyone in Oprah's orbit is feeling the effects either.

[PatsyandEddie]

IMO, Breitbart is not a reliable source for info on anything.  

[fishcakes]

Hate crimes, especially against blacks and Muslims, have spiked since the election. As of yesterday, the Southern Poverty Law Center had counted more than 200 incidents, which is more than occurred in the days following 9/11.

Edited November 13, 2016 by fishcakes

[NinjaPenguins]

Breitbart ran the Orange's campaign. 

Oprah is rich as hell and can easily leave the country if things spin out of control. Money is a great insulator. 

[Padma]

Pence will be (dangerously) there anyway, making decisions with Ryan, doing the work, doing his evil behind the scenes anyway.

Since every time I look at the news, Trump is appointing more people that I despise and planning to destroy things that I value (today it was Dodd Frank, the Kyoto and Paris agreements on global climate change and ending the nuclear treaty with Iran).

So, in this case, although I loathe Pence, too, I'm willing to gamble. I'm hoping Donald resigns and Pence chooses a VP then puts in other people that in some sense aren't as bad, even if only a few. Seriously, Trump has dug up the bottom of the swamp as his appointees anyway. I can't imagine worse people, so maybe a few would be better.

Meanwhile, the ONLY thing that cheers me is imagining the realization dawning that actually the presidency is a crappy and super-difficult job, that he's a 70 year old man who loves sitting in his office and his 24 karat triplex, having people constantly sucking up to him all day while others handle the real problems.

He HATES traveling. He will HATE Air Force One, a real step down from his 757--AND cramped and crowded with too many other people, too. No more watching cable news 24/ 7!!! He loves television. But he's got to DO stuff! Even if its photo ops and shaking hands with VIPs (Keep those sanitary wipes handy, Donald!)

If he goes to rallies NOW he'll face demonstrations--big ones. And criticism for the cost to taxpayers--and inconvenience to locals of the president's ego-driven visit. No more delusions of being adored. He will now realize he's reviled.  Not just in the U.S. but abroad.

Oh, and he hates dinner parties! lol! That Vanity Fair article about the Palm Beach dinner showed them going around the table "saying what they were grateful for" (these were rich locals who were his guests and thought this was tacky and bizarre). Before dessert came, Donald was bored and said, "I'm out" and left. (Diplomatic incident anyone??)

The job is tedious. The office isn't like HIS overlooking Central Park. The residence isn't like HIS, overlooking Manhattan. He's not free to jet off to Mar-a-lago or play golf whenever he feels like it. It's expensive! It's complicated and involves lots of people! He will never really be alone again and he's really not a "people person" at all. Per Tony Schwartz, he doesn't like them! And he's got a short fuse!

Oh, and this is GREAT!!! Ever since Jack O'Donnell (pres of Trump Plaza) wrote the unflattering "Trumped" Donald has had EVERYONE, even campaign volunteers, sign a super-strict NDA.  Can't do that any more! Stories will leak out and they will be UGLY!!!!! He will be FURIOUS~!!!!  Mental breakdowns for sure.

Oh, and re: Twitter. Obama's giving him his current account. It's kind of awful to think of, but he WILL be able to tweet on that one.

He will hate that, too.

[SmithW6079]

4 minutes ago, Padma said:

Pence will be (dangerously) there anyway, making decisions with Ryan, doing the work, doing his evil behind the scenes anyway.

So, in this case, although I loathe Pence, too, I'm willing to gamble. I'm hoping Donald resigns and Pence chooses a VP then puts in other people that in some sense aren't as bad, even if only a few. Seriously, Trump has dug up the bottom of the swamp as his appointees anyway. I can't imagine worse people, so maybe a few would be better.

No. Pence the Putrid is even scarier than Trump, because he seems reasonable, but he's not. If we become the Christian States of America, it will be because of Pence, who identifies as a Christian first, then a conservative, then a Republican.The loss of civil rights, homosexuals reduced to second-class citizens, the deportation (or national registry) of Muslims, the abolishment of abortion rights -- that will be Pence's handiwork.

If Pence became president, his administration will make the ayatollahs seem liberal.

And for someone who claimed to be an outsider, Trump's potential cabinet is all members of the Washington insider swamp.

[GHScorpiosRule]

In addition to everything Pence stands for, I hate him for forever ruining Race Bannon for me.  I can never look at Race as a sexy beast ever again.

[BW Manilowe]

The only thing Trump might like out of this whole thing is the Presidential Library & Museum he eventually gets to build, since it's a museum to himself. (Shrugs)

[windsprints]

Trump says his social media power key to victory

Quote

 

LESLEY STAHL: But you’re going to do that as president?

DONALD TRUMP: I’m going to be very restrained, if I use it at all, I’m going to be very restrained. I find it tremendous. It’s a modern form of communication. There should be nothing we should be ashamed of. It’s-- it’s where it’s at.  I do believe this, I really believe that-- the fact that I have such power in terms of numbers with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et cetera, I think it helped me win all of these races where they’re spending much more money than I spent. And I won. I think that social media has more power than the money they spent, and I think maybe to a certain extent, I proved that.

 

[NinjaPenguins]

Good lord, he makes George W. Bush sound like a poet.

[Rapunzel]

30 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

The only thing Trump might like out of this whole thing is the Presidential Library & Museum he eventually gets to build, since it's a museum to himself. (Shrugs)

If he stays in office long enough and doesn't get impeached and subsequently ousted (I still have hope that he will be impeached as some are predicting), I don't know that he'd have anything named after him if he were found guilty during his impeachment proceedings. I don't think Nixon ever got a library, did he? Just curious since Nixon was impeached and, in fact, resigned before he could actually be tried/found guilty  (though I don't think he really had a choice about resignation at that point - the writing was on the wall). Bill Clinton was impeached, but was found not guilty so stayed on as President. 

Andrew Johnson was the only other President to ever be impeached and he was found not guilty as well. Others (though not Presidents)  have been  impeached as well, mostly federal judges and a couple of senators, a cabinet member, etc., but it appears to be mostly judges that were actually found guilty. One judge from KS was impeached due to drunkenness back in 1873. He ended up resigning. Is drunkenness still even considered an impeachable offense? If so, I would think there would have been a lot more impeachments.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Rapunzel

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh Jeebus Fucking Christ.

[windsprints]

7 minutes ago, NinjaPenguins said:

Good lord, he makes George W. Bush sound like a poet.

Hahaha!!!

 

His tweets always sound like an 11 year old wrote them. He's not articulate or polished in his writing and speaking at all.  I have no plans to ever listen to another speech of his (unless is a resignation or something) but I wonder if he's going to do any work on that to appear more Presidential. Let's hope at least he gets the sniffing under control.

[Kromm]

3 hours ago, magdalene said:

Oh, damn, I forgot about Pence for a second. Urgh.

Plan B then. The Gerald Ford plan.

Pence has to do something first and be forced to resign, and THEN Trump, in that order, so that a Gerald Ford figure can take over.

Not that Gerald Ford provided the US with anything but comedy, but he IS the US' sole example of a non-elected President.

This person would need to be approved by both the Congress AND the Senate (as the V.P.) so I wonder who would be acceptable to the upcoming versions of those. Certainly a Republican, since all that's needed is a majority, but it probably couldn't be anyone too radical... since the majority is so slim and even a few holdouts could derail a total nutter.

A German newspaper reacted to the election results like this. Really it needs no translation:

[KIMBERLYANN11]

I call Pence "assassination insurance".  Trump knew 100% what he was doing when he picked that guy.  

[twoods]

3 hours ago, Deanie87 said:

Why do you say it's ridiculous? I live in a pretty diverse area and I have gotten 3 emails in the last two days from my son's school district about racial incidents that have occurred in the wake of the election. Look around, this isn't an isolated event. Just because you and yours may not be affected by the ugliness that Trump's candidacy and victory have encouraged doesn't mean it isn't happening. I seriously doubt anyone in Oprah's orbit is feeling the effects either.

That pisses me off. Thinking that kids are causing racial incidences tells me that they are learning this crap from their close minded parents. Why else would middle students chant "build a wall" to Latino kids? They are hearing this at home and spewing that same hatred to others. Parents should be held accountable for these despicable actions, just like Trump should. He made it okay to make fun of people and to question what an "American"should be. 

[Padma]

2 hours ago, Rapunzel said:

... I don't think Nixon ever got a library, did he? Just curious since Nixon was impeached and, in fact, resigned before he could actually be tried/found guilty  (though I don't think he really had a choice about resignation at that point - the writing was on the wall). Bill Clinton was impeached, but was found not guilty so stayed on as President. 

He has a very nice library in his birthplace, Yorba Linda, CA. (Somehow I think Trump would want his in Manhattan, not Queens.) It's quite nice--remodeled with video and touch screens--and most of all, now shows a more complete portrait of Nixon good and bad, including a lot about Watergate.

I'm imagining a Trump museum based on his campaign---wow, that would be a bizarre candidate fun house--Exhibit 1: "His announcement insulting Mexicans"... Exhibit 2: "He sa ys POWs aren't heroes because they were captured" Exhibit 3: The first debate question--followed by his CNN response, "...blood from her wherever."  Exhibit-- And then December 7, He announces a plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.  And let's not forget the video of "Grab her by the pu--y!"

Even his life story would be interesting--all  those lawsuits, marriages, the fraud trials for Trump U... on and on. That would be a very fascinating place! Not a lot of "role model stories" from it though.

[Rapunzel]

2 minutes ago, Padma said:

He has a very nice library in his birthplace, Yorba Linda, CA. (Somehow I think Trump would want his in Manhattan, not Queens.) It's quite nice--remodeled with video and touch screens--and most of all, now shows a more complete portrait of Nixon good and bad, including a lot about Watergate.

I'm imagining a Trump museum based on his campaign---wow, that would be a bizarre candidate fun house--Exhibit 1: "His announcement insulting Mexicans"... Exhibit 2: "He sa ys POWs aren't heroes because they were captured" Exhibit 3: The first debate question--followed by his CNN response, "...blood from her wherever."  Exhibit-- And then December 7, He announces a plan to ban all Muslims from entering the United States.  And let's not forget the video of "Grab her by the pu--y!"

Even his life story would be interesting--all  those lawsuits, marriages, the fraud trials for Trump U... on and on. That would be a very fascinating place! Not a lot of "role model stories" from it though.

Thanks Padma - Nixon was before I was born, and I generally don't pay attention to many Presidential Libraries being opened as I really don't typically even spend much time watching the US news as, due to my job, I'm really only here a week or two each month. If it makes the overseas news, like the BBC or something,  then I might catch it, depending on which country I'm in.

I remember being in Amsterdam when both the Republican and Democratic conventions happened. They did air there. The Dutch response to Trump was fascinating - like most others that I deal with in Europe, they didn't think he stood a chance and hoped he would never be President given the potential global impact it could have.

[Jaded]

This was on the Home Shopping Network tonight.

[ruby24]

Do you think if another billionaire (a real one) genuinely offered Trump a billion dollars to step aside, cover all his debts, etc., that he would do it?

[Ceindreadh]

9 hours ago, windsprints said:

Trump won't be taking a salary. Of course not. That may have led to info about his taxes leaking out. Of course twitter/facebook are filled with comments about how selfless he is, he won't even take $1. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-donald-trump-say-hed-refuse-to-take-a-salary-as-president/

He said that during the campaign though. Does anybody really believe he's going to follow through on it, and if he doesn't, is there any way to find out? I mean, would security/confidentiality issues preclude anybody from confirming whether he was taking the salary?

 

Re the official Twitter account, when is that likely to be handed over? I want to make damn sure I unfollow it that day. (Would really love to see the follower numbers plummet!)

 

(apologies for the double post, my reply box kept coming up with the above post and wouldn't let me overwrite it)

[zxy556575]

Quote

If you're not following the blog Stonekettle Station, you should. Jim Wright is a retired Navy veteran who writes about politics (among other things). Although his posts appear to be mostly liberal, he declares he is not, and I believe him, because he holds liberals accountable for their actions and opinions just as he does for conservatives. 

Interesting post, thanks. Wright recommends that voters on both sides reach out to each other, and I agree, except I have nothing in common with the rural God and pickup crowd, nor they with me. It's an impasse. I think there's a realistic chance with the urban manufacturing/blue collar crowd, though.

I've been thinking about superficial factors that influence voters, such as likeability, height, and physical appearance. Agent Orange is tall, I'll give him that, but he won despite being butt ugly and charmless.

With regard to job loss being a factor in favor of Trump, the BLS unemployment rates are 4.8% for Ohio, 4.1% for Wisconsin, 4.6% for Michigan and 5.7% for Pennsylvania. The national average is 4.9%.

Oh, the doctoral dissertations we'll see.

Edited November 13, 2016 by lordonia

[KIMBERLYANN11]

I am in Michigan and at the beginning of the Obama administration, the company I work for was in dire straits.  We are a business that relies on the economy and jobs.  If people are hiring, we do great.  If companies are closing we lose business.  We had several horrible rounds of layoffs and worried that we'd have to close.  After eight years of Obama, we have almost more business than we can handle.  I have work to do for business starting 12/1 that won't get done, not to mention the first of the year.  We are hiring like crazy.  Some experience is preferred, although we've hired a former grocery store manager and a party planner and some relatives of bigshots with no experience in anything.  You just need to be someone who can pay attention and learn - no degree necessary.   We have so much staff that we have had to relocate departments to different buildings (we have three now) and we're projecting a 2018 move into a new building that we're having built. If the job situation here was shitty, we wouldn't be able to do that. I actually work in an area that used to be a boiler room area and was converted so that we could squeeze more staff in.  We have big exposed pipes lining the walls and ceiling.  Not your typical office space

Yet I have cow-orkers who say they voted Trump because of jobs.  The cynic in me thinks that the whole vagina issue scares the hell out of them and they're trying to justify their opinion, the other non-cynic side thinks they are just stupid sheep.  One guy insists that Trump is going to literally in person go open all the closed factories - like with an actual key.  

Edited November 13, 2016 by KIMBERLYANN11

[Captain Carrot]

I wanted to apologize for comments I posted yesterday. I still believe that a sizable portion of Trump voters are baby boomers that have engaged in a toxic form of nostalgia. But there are plenty of people from that generation that were fervent supporters of Hillary Clinton, and there are plenty of people in my generation that plenty of people in younger generations that fell for Trump's BS. Also, I make it a rule not to put anything in a post that I wouldn't say to someone's face, and I broke that rule yesterday.

 

Now to be a little petty. I'm remembering all the people in my life that voted for Trump, or didn't vote for president because they were "equally bad". So, at least "I get to say I told you so" once reality sets in.

[PatsyandEddie]

DT needs to do a PSA that helps to calm the fears of those who are experiencing verbal and physical assault because of their ethnicity, orientation,religion etc. He needs to insist that bigotry of any kind has no place in America.  

[Danny Franks]

4 hours ago, lordonia said:

 

With regard to job loss being a factor in favor of Drumpf, the BLS unemployment rates are 4.8% for Ohio, 4.1% for Wisconsin, 4.6% for Michigan and 5.7% for Pennsylvania. The national average is 4.9%.

The problem is, they're constantly being told that unemployment is a problem, and a lot of them may feel their jobs are unsafe, or their wages have stagnated, or they're perhaps not doing as good a job as they were doing ten years ago, or might have been doing if the economy hadn't tanked in 2008.

And once people feel like that, it's so much easier to paint them a picture where they're the desperate, crying out for help. The right wing are experts at this. Experts at turning the poor against each other. Until the left manages to find ways to unite people again, they will never prevail.

It's become clear that truth and facts in this election have been just about the last things on anyone's mind. People can fact check Trump and Clinton until the cows come home, but it's evident that the majority of people didn't believe either of them. It's just that Trump managed to fool more people into voting for him.

This is why the Democratic party has to find its integrity, it's transparency and to rediscover its links to a broader swathe of the people than the Republicans can ever hope to win. All those people who did vote for Trump because they felt their lives were shit? A lot of them will vote for a Democrat who convinces them he can help them.

[windsprints]

In case anyone is wondering why he's on twitter this morning slamming the NY Times - they ran this full page ad today from ACLU:

http://www.attn.com/stories/12739/aclu-threatens-to-sue-donald-trump-new-york-times

Edited November 13, 2016 by windsprints

[windsprints]

59 minutes ago, PatsyandEddie said:

DT needs to do a PSA that helps to calm the fears of those who are experiencing verbal and physical assault because of their ethnicity, orientation,religion etc. He needs to insist that bigotry of any kind has no place in America.  

He won't do that because that would require him publicly admitting that the majority of people oppose him.

Sadly, Republicans who opposed him are now congratulating him:

 

[zxy556575]

And will that same weak-kneed Republican leadership oppose him on some of his more unconstitutional and suppressive ideas? The Magic 8 Ball replies "don't count on it."

[NewDigs]

1 hour ago, stewedsquash said:

You say you have nothing in common. And yet, in the identity invisible world of this site, you have interacted with me many times, both of us pleasantly, exchanging posts, liking posts all over this site. I am a Christian woman (who does not go to church at the moment), live in the rural south, and have a crossover Lexus car I drive plus my pickup to take me to my turkey farm. I am also a small business owner, of several businesses. So it is possible if you peel away the prejudging of people based on things like that, your rural God pickup crowd, and get to know people's minds first, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that people will get along, whether they have things in common or not. Or even if you do prejudge people first (I admit I do this, it is human nature I think), and still reach out to the person, great things happen, one little bit at a time.

On Friday I went uptown (nothing spiffy like NYC, just a one stop light country town) to get my Dunkin Donut's iced coffee refill in my own Corkcicle cup, I saw a black lady in an expensive car. She had a tag on the front from a nearby predominately black university. I went in and had to come right back out for something. I tapped her window. I asked her if she had been able to go see President Obama when he came to speak at her university a few weeks ago. She said she had tickets, went to get them, they were gone, was told to come back and stand in line. She said she decided not to because the lines were long and not much chance of getting in. I told her while I would have liked to have seen him, and just between us ladies, wouldn't you have rather have seen Michelle? She guffawed and said Girl! You know it! 

I would venture to say I don't have much in common with that lady. She was black, I am white. She has several degrees, I have a HS diploma. She travels, I rarely venture out beyond my state. She has fears I could never imagine, I have fears to which she can't relate. And yet, I met her, talked to her and it was nice. 

I guess my point is, there doesn't have to be such a closing of our minds. Yes there is real fear, but we can't let that fear be taken by others and transmorgified (sorry reading Version Control by Dexter Palmer) into something bigger than it really is. 

I have had to take a breath, and continue to like, interact, not ignore, posters now that I have had another view of them in the political forum. I had no idea that the ones I had thought so kind, had such, to me, ridiculously mean things to say. The blinders came off, and I decided to still reach out and interact with them in other areas of the site, just as before. Because that is what you do, in my opinion, you reach out to people in the world, whether they are just like you or not.

 I appreciate your thoughts. 

However, I think there is a big difference between sharing commonality while decrying the latest Housewife or Duggar stunt and sharing commonality with folks who appear to be happy following an agenda that directly impacts the general population in what many (over half?) see as harmful.

When Trump makes, imho, very unkind statements and speaks of plans I disagree with for the nation I am much more directly impacted and will feel more strongly and probably more negatively than if, say, Bethenny gets married.

[NinjaPenguins]

I sense those Republicans are scared of some presidential retribution after the inauguration. 

[sistermagpie]

2 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

5 hours ago, lordonia said:

 

You say you have nothing in common. And yet, in the identity invisible world of this site, you have interacted with me many times, both of us pleasantly, exchanging posts, liking posts all over this site. I am a Christian woman (who does not go to church at the moment), live in the rural south, and have a crossover Lexus car I drive plus my pickup to take me to my turkey farm.

Hey, I have a job where I talk to people who are no doubt Trump voters fairly often. We have perfectly pleasant conversations--really nice ones, actually, since my job is often to listen to them talk about their lives. I have no problem seeing them as people. But in some ways that makes it doubly shocking when they remind me that their sweetness (and sometimes that sweetness is a performed aspect of their local culture, if that makes sense) is sitting on firm beliefs about taking rights away from people who aren't doing them harm.

Of course, I'm sure they'd feel the same way about me being a baby-killer, but I'm still happy to stand up for that. Not that I do it with them, since this is a work thing. Whatever they say about politics we'll smile and nod.

Edited November 13, 2016 by sistermagpie

[parisprincess]

Of course these people are going to congratulate Trump on his win. That's what decent people do. I guess he doesn't understand the concept since he threatened to not even concede the election if he lost. What's he going to do, tweet every single congrats he gets? He's so damned clueless!

[KerleyQ]

22 hours ago, stormy said:

Honestly, as a life long democrat that was born and raised and still lives in Minnesota, it was shocking to me that Hillary only won the state by 40,000 votes.  When fivethirtyeight says my state is turning more red, I refuse to believe it, but hell we gave the country Michelle Bachmann and our self inflicted wound of Jesse Ventura.

But you've given us Dayton, who has to be my favorite current state governor in this country right now.  I so wish the Democratic party would point to what he's done, economy-wise, contrast it to what guys like Walker and Brownback have done, and paint the full picture of how horrible the TP/GOP economic policies actually are for everyone who isn't in the top 1% (and that even without the generous handouts to the top 1% that they feature, MN's economy has been good to them, along with everyone else in the state).  I don't know why this isn't a bigger thing.  I had to read up and research it all on my own.  I so wish he'd consider a 2020 run.  Him and Elizabeth Warren on the same ticket would be amazing.  

19 hours ago, Rapunzel said:

Ok, so let's review how some of our crucial tax dollars will likely be spent with Trump as President:

• Safeguarding and securing Trump Tower in NYC, room and board for the Secret Service Agents who have to be there with him and his family.
• Transportation (helicopter and/or motorcade back and forth every weekend or perhaps even more often, if he is needed in DC for a critical situation)
• Safeguarding and securing Mar-a-Lago in FL so he can "Winter" there, with transport back and forth to DC on a regular basis because, he can't just take the "Winter" off and will need to be in DC. Also, room and board for Secret Service Agents who will have to be there with him and his family.
• Security for all the rallies he still plans on holding to boost his ego

And the list goes on...

Yet, he's not the one for the "white, wealthy elite." That was Hillary and that's why some people didn't vote for her? How can a person honestly believe that this man is for the working class and will help improve America, bring jobs back, etc.? All he is going to do is spend a shitload in taxpayer money on these frivolous things that don't do a damn thing to improve our Country or protect its citizens (and I mean all citizens - minorities, immigrants, LGBT, etc.). How wasteful can one person be? People can lose their jobs and homes given the policies (of lack thereof) that he and his minions are proposing, yet he's going to spend a fucking fortune on things that are not at all necessary? What bullshit.

ETA: I just cant' help but be reminded of the scene in "House of Cards" when Frank Underwood wins VP and, when they refuse to live in the VP Residence, he makes them completely retrofit his house. The renovations looked to be enormous and horribly expensive (and this was for a decent sized, but not enormous, Georgetown townhouse, I believe). I can only imagine what it would cost to secure Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago in the same manner.

Don't forget the other costs associated with those rallies - venue rentals, local lodging for Trump, whoever he brings along to appear with him, and the SS, and any speaking fees due to the various guest speakers (because he needs an opening act to fawn over him before he comes out to be the main attraction).  

17 hours ago, ulkis said:

@KerleyQ, why do you think Melania was/is looking to divorce?

It's just an impression I get, one of those things I can't quite put my finger on.  She seemed to not be fully into participating in the whole campaign, aside from the appearances that were "musts" for the candidate's spouse, and I just get this general sense of "done with him," from her.  Although that could just as easily be "done with this campaign crap."  Plus, if she was ever going to do it (and I fully believe she would at some point), that would have been the perfect set up for her to do so.  Most people would understand her taking her son and getting out after the Bush tape, and some of the more appalling things he's said during the campaign, not to mention the recent revelations of the amount of cheating he's done on her - especially during her pregnancy, when he was on the record "joking" about her weight gain making her less attractive.  And, like I said, if she was smart at all, she's negotiated 1 or 2 revisions to his notoriously stingy pre-nup over the course of this campaign.  So it is likely more financially feasible now for her to get out.  Now that he's won (which I think she, like most of us, including him, doubted would happen), she's in for 4 more years.  I predict that, once he's out of office, she waits a suitable time and then tries to, as quietly as possible, end things.  (Because my other prediction about any renegotiation to the pre-nup would be that she agrees to remain at his side for the duration of the campaign and any possible term(s) as POTUS.  There's no way he would have been careless enough to not make that a condition if he was going to renegotiate).  

It's all speculation on my part, but I see it happening after he's out.  

6 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

He said that during the campaign though. Does anybody really believe he's going to follow through on it, and if he doesn't, is there any way to find out? I mean, would security/confidentiality issues preclude anybody from confirming whether he was taking the salary?

 

Re the official Twitter account, when is that likely to be handed over? I want to make damn sure I unfollow it that day. (Would really love to see the follower numbers plummet!)

 

(apologies for the double post, my reply box kept coming up with the above post and wouldn't let me overwrite it)

Someone will need to hold his feet to the fire and demand proof of the donations (from his personal account, not from his "foundation" or his companies).  We all remember that he claimed to be raising money for veterans' groups that he held onto until the Washington Post put the pressure on him for not donating yet.  His followers will take him at his word, even though he's given every reason not to, but the rest of us absolutely need to hold him accountable for making the promise and living up to it.  

[Chicken Wing]

14 minutes ago, parisprincess said:

Of course these people are going to congratulate Trump on his win. That's what decent people do. I guess he doesn't understand the concept since he threatened to not even concede the election if he lost. What's he going to do, tweet every single congrats he gets? He's so damned clueless!

Indeed. They're congratulating him because they have to, because it's par for the course for who they are and the positions they're in. It's what you do. It doesn't validate anything Trump has said or done, though. It doesn't mean he's "won" them over or that they have changed their minds about him. Obama called him on Election Night to congratulate him, invited him to the White House, had a reportedly pleasant and productive meeting with him ... and yet the fact remains, according to press secretary Josh Earnest later that same day, that the president meant every word he has previously said about Donald Trump -- unfit, unqualified and dangerous for the country -- and none of that has changed. But democracy has spoken, and it is his responsibility to put that aside and carry forward as our tradition demands. Doesn't mean he likes it -- or him.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[KerleyQ]

1 minute ago, Chicken Wing said:

Indeed. They're congratulating them because they to, because it's par for the course for who they are and the positions they're in. It's what you do. It doesn't validate anything Trump has said or done, though. It doesn't mean he's "won" them over or that they changed their minds about him. Obama called him on Election Night to congratulate him, invited him to the White House, had a reportedly pleasant and productive meeting with him ... and yet the fact remains, according to press secretary Josh Earnest later that same day, that the president meant every word he has said about Donald Trump -- unfit, unqualified and dangerous for the country -- and none of that has changed. But democracy has spoken, and it is his responsibility to put that aside and carry forward as our tradition demands. Doesn't mean he likes it -- or him.

Exactly.  It's protocol for certain people to congratulate him, whether it's sincere or not.  I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that we won't see the same warmth develop between him and the Bushes, Clintons, or Obamas that has developed between those three families, partly originated when they were working together on transitions.  Everyone is offering up the expected congrats, but none of them are interested in extending some kind of familiar, friendly relationship.  You're not going to see Michelle or Laura affectionately hugging Donald at some future event.  

[windsprints]

Its always been protocol for top party members to support and endorse their party's candidate but that didn't happen. Romney was one of the more outspoken prior to the election and now he's all about protocol?

[Chicken Wing]

It's equal parts protocol and politeness, really. They are offering their official congratulations because it's what expected of them, and because it's just the decent thing to do. For those who didn't support or endorse him as their standard bearer during the race, although it's "protocol" to do so, it's also usually protocol for said standard bearer to actually be someone deserving of their support and endorsement, and many did not feel that way and I feel safe to say that, like Obama, their minds haven't changed on that now. But it's done, and their positions demand that they offer a congratulatory word -- even if it's "just because."

Edited November 13, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[HumblePi]

For anyone interested, Donald Trump will be on 60 minutes tonight. I'm not sure if it's live or pre-recorded but I'm guessing pre-recorded.

[Rapunzel]

34 minutes ago, parisprincess said:

Of course these people are going to congratulate Trump on his win. That's what decent people do. I guess he doesn't understand the concept since he threatened to not even concede the election if he lost. What's he going to do, tweet every single congrats he gets? He's so damned clueless!

Agreed. 

If Trump feels he has to Tweet every single "Congrats" he gets, that just shows all the more how insecure he is and how much he needs to feel validated. This is a man with some severe emotional issues and he absolutely has to feel loved and adored. It's ironic that he is trying to be loved and adored by spewing so much hate in the form of racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia, etc.