Donald John Trump: 2016 President-Elect

[shoregirl]

Are we just talking people richer than Trump?

I'll add Warren Buffet to the list

Probably not richer but who knows because we have not seen trumps tax returns

Reince Priebus 

Ted Cruz (just because)

Paul Ryan

Edited October 21, 2016 by shoregirl

[KerleyQ]

1 hour ago, needschocolate said:

Well, after his looming behind her at the second debate, she probably prepared for the third debate by having large men in business suits randomly walk up behind her as she practiced her answers, so she got used to it.  

I saw someone after the third debate say how impressive it was that she didn't react at all to his "such a nasty woman" comment.  I said "given who her opponent is, some of her debate prep probably consisted of having a guy come in and stand there yelling "bitch!!" over and over at her while she speaks, just to condition herself to not so much as acknowledge any interjections like that."  

[millennium]

I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but I am kind of disgusted how the impact of the last debate has been rendered down to three sound bytes: "bad hombres," "nasty woman," and "I'll keep you in suspense."  Like nothing else happened.  Like any points Hillary made just dissipated into the ether because all anyone seems to care about is the latest outrageous utterance from Mr. Bombastic.   All I keep hearing about is "Bad Hombre" and "Nasty Woman" t-shirts and hats.   I get it, but at the same time I can't help but think that none of this is fun or funny, and that if the public keeps trivializing Trump as a boorish but amusing uncle who likes to get everybody upset by saying outrageous things at family gatherings, many people may find themselves with nothing to laugh about on November 9th. 

47 minutes ago, shoregirl said:

Are we just talking people richer than Trump?

I'll add Warren Buffet to the list

Probably not richer but who knows because we have not seen trumps tax returns

Reince Priebus 

Ted Cruz (just because)

Paul Ryan

Is it just me or does the name Reince Priebus sound like a character from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

[Bastet]

That's how it has been all along -- Trump gives a speech (or, now, engages in a debate) and proposes a bunch of horrible and/or unworkable things, lies about things he and his opponents have said/done, and throws in a few particularly crazy comments.  The latter is all that gets talked about in the media afterward.  The Daily Show did a good piece back during the primaries about how dangerous that is, and they could run it again today with equal relevance.

[AimingforYoko]

13 minutes ago, millennium said:

Is it just me or does the name Reince Priebus sound like a character from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

Oh, he's totally a Vogon.

[madmaverick]

I won't forgive the media for giving Trump $2bn worth of free media time.

[peacheslatour]

Just now, AimingforYoko said:

Oh, he's totally a Vogon.

Oh god, don't let him start reciting his poetry!

[NewDigs]

1 hour ago, shoregirl said:

Are we just talking people richer than Trump?

I'll add Warren Buffet to the list

Probably not richer but who knows because we have not seen trumps tax returns

Reince Priebus 

Ted Cruz (just because)

Paul Ryan

Bolding mine.

Nope, people who done him wrong, by not helping him.

'Donald Trump told Richard Branson during their first encounter that he would spend the remainder of his life trying to destroy five people he had asked to no avail to aid him after his latest bankruptcy, the English business mogul wrote Friday.
 

Hmm. US banks stopped loaning to him, private enterprise wouldn't loan to him.

No wonder he's leveraged so heavily through the Chinese and the Russians.

[needschocolate]

2 hours ago, atomationage said:

Drumpf blames others, even when he makes the decisions.  After the election, armchair psychiatrists will be analyzing him for years.  Maybe they'll name a syndrome after him.  He reminds me of Nixon more than anyone else that ever got close to the Presidency. 

I mentioned in a post that think there will be a lot of psychology majors writing papers titled "What is Wrong with Donald Trump" and another poster replied that he fits Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  Per the Mayo clinic website:

Quote

 

If you have narcissistic personality disorder, you may come across as conceited, boastful or pretentious. You often monopolize conversations. You may belittle or look down on people you perceive as inferior. You may feel a sense of entitlement — and when you don't receive special treatment, you may become impatient or angry. You may insist on having "the best" of everything — for instance, the best car, athletic club or medical care.

At the same time, you have trouble handling anything that may be perceived as criticism. You may have secret feelings of insecurity, shame, vulnerability and humiliation. To feel better, you may react with rage or contempt and try to belittle the other person to make yourself appear superior. Or you may feel depressed and moody because you fall short of perfection.

 

Per Psychology Today's website:

Quote

Narcissistic Personality Disorder involves arrogant behavior, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration-all of which must be consistently evident at work and in relationships. People who are narcissistic are frequently described as cocky, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding. Narcissists may concentrate on unlikely personal outcomes (e.g., fame) and may be convinced that they deserve special treatment. 

and

Quote

 

Symptoms

• Reacts to criticism with anger, shame or humiliation
• Takes advantage of others to reach his or her own goals
• Exaggerates own importance
• Exaggerates achievements and talents
• Entertains unrealistic fantasies about success, power, beauty, intelligence or romance
• Has unreasonable expectation of favorable treatment
• Requires constant attention and positive reinforcement from others
• Is easily jealous
• Disregards the feelings of others, lacks empathy
• Has obsessive self-interest
• Pursues mainly selfish goals

 

[SoSueMe]

I wonder if any of Trump's surrogates are feeling like they're circling the drain. Wonder where they'll go from there if he loses. 

[Pixel]

Has anyone seen this new thing rolling around FB? A guy posted, "No comments, just put who you are voting for. Nobody will judge". When you click into the comments on the original post, there are more than 10k comments and almost zero say Clinton. I am convinced (the original poster is a Trump supporter) that he's deleting the Clintons to create a false sense that most people are for Trump. 

Just curious if anyone else had seen this and what they thought. On the plus side, it's made it easy for me to identify who to defriend.

27 minutes ago, SoSueMe said:

I wonder if any of Trump's surrogates are feeling like they're circling the drain. Wonder where they'll go from there when he loses. 

Fixed it for you. 

[SoSueMe]

8 minutes ago, Pixel said:

Has anyone seen this new thing rolling around FB? A guy posted, "No comments, just put who you are voting for. Nobody will judge". When you click into the comments on the original post, there are more than 10k comments and almost zero say Clinton. I am convinced (the original poster is a Trump supporter) that he's deleting the Clintons to create a false sense that most people are for Trump. 

Just curious if anyone else had seen this and what they thought. On the plus side, it's made it easy for me to identify who to defriend.

Fixed it for you. 

Thanks!!!

Gosh I hope you're right :)

[Cobalt Stargazer]

4 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Oh, he's totally a Vogon.

I've heard it posited that he's actually a Ferengi, but I don't think anyone knows for sure what he is. Other than the obvious.

[BoogieBurns]

13 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I might be wrong in thinking that Trump did not leave the space around his chair and podium at the stalking debate. Wasn't it Hillary who went over to his side of the stage? He didn't go over to her side when it was his turn did he? Trump is a big guy so of course when the pictures show up of him in the background, on his side of the stage where she is also, he is going to look like he is crowding her. But didn't the opposite happen? She got in his space, in front of him. 

It sure is a strange world. 

She went to speak with the person asking the question. He could have sat down. They were encouraged to talk directly with the people. 

[HumblePi]

6 hours ago, needschocolate said:

And some think that he has no interest in being president, he just wants to win the election.  But I don't see anything in his behavior during the campaign that would lead me to think that he would go along with what anyone else had to say or let someone else make the decisions (except, I suppose, if he realizes that if he lets others make the decisions, he would have someone else to blame when things go wrong).

Well, after his looming behind her at the second debate, she probably prepared for the third debate by having large men in business suits randomly walk up behind her as she practiced her answers, so she got used to it.  

As for the touching, she was likely comforted by the fact that she was in a room full of witnesses, she was wearing pants, and he probably doesn't think she is good looking enough for more than a shoulder pat.

I've said this from the beginning when there were still 82 (at least it looked like that many)Republicans wanting to be President. It was like a YouTube video of a Republican flash mob. I thought from the beginning that Donald Trump was out for revenge on Barack Obama for his comments directed at Donald at the White House Correspondent dinner. That's when the wheels of revenge and payback settled in Donald's twisted mind. He hits back, he gets revenge, he finishes on top at any cost no matter who he crushes or how he goes about doing it.  Think about it seriously, does Donald Trump want to give up control of his businesses entirely to his children, just relinquish control?  Does Donald and Melania really want to plant themselves in that dump (the White House) for four long years running a country. Will he put Mar-a-Lago up for lease since they won't have the time to spend there? It's a ridiculous scenario I know, but it's logical, Donald doesn't want the job, he only wants to defeat Hillary and thumb his nose back at President Obama. I know that Donald has NPD. I've worked in mental health and I actually dated a guy with NPD. There's no happy ending for anyone associated with someone that has NPD and there's no cure, no amount of counseling, no drugs, no therapies that will ever 'cure' them.

 

4 hours ago, KerleyQ said:

I saw someone after the third debate say how impressive it was that she didn't react at all to his "such a nasty woman" comment.  I said "given who her opponent is, some of her debate prep probably consisted of having a guy come in and stand there yelling "bitch!!" over and over at her while she speaks, just to condition herself to not so much as acknowledge any interjections like that."  

People don't understand that Hillary Clinton has been involved in politics in some area or other since she's 14 years old. She went through trial by fire many times over and has heard all the nasty, dirty and disgusting things said to her that anyone can possibly say to a woman. In other words, she acquired a very thick skin. Insults, accusations and demeaning remarks roll off her back. She's way too smart to engage in the game Trump tries to draw her in. To put it in three words, 'she's a politician'.

[PatsyandEddie]

Donald saw the comments on line that were complaining about him lurking around her. He spun it to say she was the one in his space. She crossed the stage to speak directly to the person who was asking the question. When finished, she returned to her seat while he paced, turned his back and looked cranky.  At least that's how my family saw it. 

I can't see Putin stalking her. He would be very aware of how that would look to the rest of the world. DT has zero self-awareness from what I've observed. 

Edited October 22, 2016 by PatsyandEddie

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Well why is she complaining then? I find myself wondering, what will she do when Putin stalks her? Will she go on Ellen and say Putin is stalking me, I wonder what the papers will say?

eta Hey @HumblePi

1. Putin would understand that it makes you look ridiculous to pace the stage 2. Putin understands the optics that it wouldn't make him look like he was looming over her because he is only 2 inches taller.

[millennium]

4 hours ago, Bastet said:

That's how it has been all along -- Trump gives a speech (or, now, engages in a debate) and proposes a bunch of horrible and/or unworkable things, lies about things he and his opponents have said/done, and throws in a few particularly crazy comments.  The latter is all that gets talked about in the media afterward.  The Daily Show did a good piece back during the primaries about how dangerous that is, and they could run it again today with equal relevance.

It's the fault of the impotent press.   Today it was all about the "zingers" Trump and Clinton threw at each other at the Al Smith dinner.  The gravity of what's at stake seems to elude the media. or maybe it would just be bad for ratings if they kept reporting that Trump is a man who seeks to deport families, rob millions of their health care plans, impose death-blow taxes on small businesses, collude with enemies of the state and jail his political enemies.

It's this very emphasis on info-tainment which made it possible for a dimestore tyrant like Trump to get where he is in the first place.

When did we become so stupid as a people, and why do we tolerate it?

[biakbiak]

12 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

No, I meant seriously stalking her as in he pushed the nuclear bomb button after setting the direction to the White House. I don't consider the debate stuff stalking. 

That is not stalking bUT as she has demonstrated and been criticized for on the left and the right she has no trouble voting for as a Senator or as SoS advocating the use of force. 

Edited October 22, 2016 by biakbiak

[BoogieBurns]

24 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Well why is she complaining then?

Was she complaining? Pretty sure all of twitter was complaining, but Hillary just said she noticed him just out of view. That seems like just talking, not complaining. 

[random chance]

2 minutes ago, BoogieBurns said:

Was she complaining? Pretty sure all of twitter was complaining, but Hillary just said she noticed him just out of view. That seems like just talking, not complaining. 

A reporter brought it up to her right after the debate, and she said that yes she did notice his presence, but it was a small stage -- she actually kind of gave him an out. (Not verbatim, I'm too lazy to look up the exchange.)

[HumblePi]

34 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Well why is she complaining then? I find myself wondering, what will she do when Putin stalks her? Will she go on Ellen and say Putin is stalking me, I wonder what the papers will say?

eta Hey @HumblePi  I love the 82 Republicans remark. 16 candidates was really a lot of candidates, wasn't it? I had several from the beginning that I could have still voted for now, if Trump had not been last stalker standing (haha) Serious question, do you (and others if so choose) wish there had been more choices on the Dem side? 

Yes, Bernie Sanders

[Pixel]

34 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

Well why is she complaining then? I find myself wondering, what will she do when Putin stalks her? Will she go on Ellen and say Putin is stalking me, I wonder what the papers will say?

eta Hey @HumblePi  I love the 82 Republicans remark. 16 candidates was really a lot of candidates, wasn't it? I had several from the beginning that I could have still voted for now, if Trump had not been last stalker standing (haha) Serious question, do you (and others if so choose) wish there had been more choices on the Dem side? 

I don't wish there had been more. I just wish the candidate had been Bernie. Sigh. 

[zxy556575]

35 minutes ago, HumblePi said:

Think about it seriously, does Donald Trump want to give up control of his businesses entirely to his children, just relinquish control?

He has said he would. Trouble is, the Donalds Jr. and Sr. have clearly shown that they haven't the faintest idea what a blind trust is. Slate enumerates what it would really entail. But honestly? I don't believe Trump has ever been involved in making day to day decisions for his businesses. He has zero attention span and hates details.

The Trump campaign is being sued over the Don Jr's Skittles tweet.

[backformore]

3 hours ago, needschocolate said:

I mentioned in a post that think there will be a lot of psychology majors writing papers titled "What is Wrong with Donald Trump" and another poster replied that he fits Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  

Yeah, that was me.   I work in the field, and everyone I have talked to about Trump shares that view - with the disclaimer that it's not really right to diagnose someone you haven't met.  The thing is, that most people with NPD would not be diagnosed because they would not have any reason to seek treatment.  If you think you're better than everyone else, why would you go to a therapist?  

From Psychology Today - Does Trump Suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

To clarify, Narcissism is a characteristic that a lot of people have.  you almost have to possess at least a little if you run for public office.  It reaches the level of a personality disorder when the narcissism is present to the degree that it interferes with meaningful relationships, or work performance.

Here are some of the traits from that article:
 

Quote

 

1 Grandiosity with expectations of superior treatment by others.

2 Fixated on fantasies of power, success, intelligence, attractiveness, etc.

3 Self-perception of being unique, superior, and associated with high-status people and institutions.

4 Needing constant admiration from others.

5 Sense of entitlement to special treatment and to obedience from others.

6 Exploitative of others to achieve personal gain.

7 Unwilling to empathize with others' feelings, wishes, or needs.

8 Intensely jealous of others and the belief that others are equally jealous of them.

9 Pompous and arrogant demeanor.

 

the empathy one is important - Trump appears to lack the ability to see things from someone else's perspective, not in an autistic way, more in the way he just does not care if he hurts others.  It basically describes a person who believes that his needs, wishes, desires, are more important than anyone else's.   Not a good quality for a leader.

Edited October 22, 2016 by backformore

[zxy556575]

I was curious about Regis Philban's views on Trump since they're close friends. I looked up some of Regis' interviews and am sorry I did. Oh, Regis.

January 2016:  "I think that he'll be on fire if he becomes president," he said. "It might be the best thing that ever happened … for him and maybe for the country. We'll all find out together."

June 2016:  "Yeah, sometimes he gets a little hot about something and I worry about that. But he’s a good guy. He means well. He does get mad at people sometimes when they do something to aggravate him and I worry about that. I think he could be a great president if he gets the chance."

[Advance35]

Quote

 

I wonder what people Trump will vow to destroy after he loses the election. 

He just seems like such a petty, vindictive guy, who always faults others instead of looking to himself.

 

Seriously, I would be worried about quite a few people if (god please forbid) he wins.   Every Clinton (Hill, Bill and for safety sake, Chelsea.   Dear Lord, Run.  Run Fast and Run Hard.

Mark Cuban is in trouble too.   Bloomberg has been taunting and outspoken as well.   The more noise she makes, the more I worry for Gloria Allred.

I am seriously not super familiar with HOW are Government works, it's a shame that it has taken THIS election to make me start trying to do my research (though I always vote, this will be my first Presidential Election).  

IF evil wins and it's allowed to ascend to the White House, is there anyone that could stop him from running unchecked.   You read in books about those horrible places where people disappear in the middle of the night never to be seen again, what would really stop him from doing something like that.   I honestly believe he is that unhinged.  He's talked about having "Veto power over the Media".   He talks like he honestly believes he can do anything.   I worry about an International Incident because as powerful as America is, I don't think China would eat his sh&t and walk away in terms of him pulling that "I'm not satisfied so I won't pay" card in terms of international debts.

[Rapunzel]

I just have this recurring vision of him calling someone into the Oval at least once a day to say "You're Fired."

"Mary, that skirt makes your ass look fat. You're Fired."

"Jim, you're smarter than I am and people like you. You're Fired."

"Joan, that fried chicken you made me wasn't up to KFC's standards. You're Fired."

"Larry, there was some turbulence on Air Force One this morning. You're Fired."

"Mark, you used words over two syl.. syl.. syl-i-yables long in my speech. You're Fired."

"Carrie, you're not showing enough cleavage and didn't let me grope you. You're Fired."

And on and on...

[theredhead77]

21 minutes ago, Advance35 said:

IF evil wins and it's allowed to ascend to the White House, is there anyone that could stop him from running unchecked.   

The best we could hope for is our Military leaders refusing unlawful orders.

Edited October 22, 2016 by theredhead77

[BoogieBurns]

4 minutes ago, backformore said:

The thing is, that most people with NPD would not be diagnosed because they would not have any reason to seek treatment.

He does have a tweet someone found where he says he has never been to therapy because he doesn't need to. 

22 minutes ago, lordonia said:

I was curious about Regis Philban's views on Trump since they're close friends

Interesting. Michael Schur may be one of the most vocal anti-Trump people on twitter (@kentremendous) and his father in law is Reeg. I bet the holidays are fun.

[Kitty Redstone]

4 hours ago, SoSueMe said:

I wonder if any of Trump's surrogates are feeling like they're circling the drain. Wonder where they'll go from there if he loses. 

When he loses, his surrogates will pop right back up like obnoxious weebles.  They'll find other candidates to spin for, or become lobbyists or think tank people, or commentators for one of the many rightwing tv or radio programs.

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, theredhead77 said:

The best we could hope for is our Military leaders refusing unlawful orders.

Hillary is running an ad with an ex-missile commander talking about how Trump having the nuclear codes scares him.

[HumblePi]

1 hour ago, Advance35 said:

Seriously, I would be worried about quite a few people if (god please forbid) he wins.   Every Clinton (Hill, Bill and for safety sake, Chelsea.   Dear Lord, Run.  Run Fast and Run Hard.

Mark Cuban is in trouble too.   Bloomberg has been taunting and outspoken as well.   The more noise she makes, the more I worry for Gloria Allred.

I am seriously not super familiar with HOW are Government works, it's a shame that it has taken THIS election to make me start trying to do my research (though I always vote, this will be my first Presidential Election).  

IF evil wins and it's allowed to ascend to the White House, is there anyone that could stop him from running unchecked.   You read in books about those horrible places where people disappear in the middle of the night never to be seen again, what would really stop him from doing something like that.   I honestly believe he is that unhinged.  He's talked about having "Veto power over the Media".   He talks like he honestly believes he can do anything.   I worry about an International Incident because as powerful as America is, I don't think China would eat his sh&t and walk away in terms of him pulling that "I'm not satisfied so I won't pay" card in terms of international debts.

To simplify what a Trump Presidency would be is that it would plainly be a dictatorship, an authoritarian regime. Of course it wouldn't last long because he'd either be impeached or assassinated before very long but not before he did grave damage to the US. This country is not about to relinquish our democratic government in favor of a dictatorship.

[theredhead77]

9 minutes ago, Silver Raven said:

Hillary is running an ad with an ex-missile commander talking about how Trump having the nuclear codes scares him.

Good. I live in CA, we're not exposed to a lot of Trump-centric ads (or Clinton-centric ads), thankfully. The most I've seen are ads for other candidates or the get out the vote movement. I've been curious what's being run across the rest of the country.

[Rapunzel]

2 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

Good. I live in CA, we're not exposed to a lot of Trump-centric ads (or Clinton-centric ads), thankfully. The most I've seen are ads for other candidates or the get out the vote movement. I've been curious what's being run across the rest of the country.

I live in CA as well and I've seen the nuclear code ad and a maybe a couple others, but I often DVR everything and FF through commercials - it would be interesting to see if this affects how much money candidates may spend on TV ads in the future now that so many people don't bother to watch commercials since they DVR everything. In any case, I don't think either candidate is spending too much money here in CA as Hillary pretty much has it in the bank. I already voted by mail and it was a no brainer. Deciding on the various Props and Measures were where I actually had to spend some time thinking.

Edited October 22, 2016 by Rapunzel
typos

[Advance35]

Quote

The best we could hope for is our Military leaders refusing unlawful orders.

Dear god.  I can't even picture it which I guess is a bad sign. (Utmost respect for Military but I know some who think Trump might be the answer.)

Quote

 I get it, but at the same time I can't help but think that none of this is fun or funny, and that if the public keeps trivializing Trump as a boorish but amusing uncle who likes to get everybody upset by saying outrageous things at family gatherings, many people may find themselves with nothing to laugh about on November 9th. 

THIS. THIS. SO much THIS.  I will never STOP saying that the Media is partly to blame for the rise of this thing.   They used him to grab ratings and now the monster is loose and the only thing standing in his way is Hillary Clinton.   And I think they would be one of his first victims.  I think he really does HATE the media and it would be a truly dark age for them (and MANY others) under his "reign".

I heard that Voter registration is higher than ever so I'm hoping that the human heart proves itself this election and people are coming to stop a GENUINE threat.   Despite all the rhetoric and hate that can be seen online I also try to take comfort in the fact that Michelle Obama is the current most approved Political Figure on the board at the moment.   Nobody who likes Michele could possibly like Trump too right?

And I hope that a cumulative minority effort will also halt a win for He-Who-I -Will-Try-To-No-Longer-Name.   His advocating "Stop and Frisk", His going on about how the Central Park 5 are "guilty", his many slights to the hispanic community.   I'm not sure what his stance is with the LGBT community but I can't imagine he cares or is considerate to anyone who doesn't fit his own mold.   I like to think he's lost the female vote but then you see "Women for Trump" and I could just cry.   I've never had to make the choice but who wouldn't want to know that there is one.   As hard as so many rights were fought for, just to watch HIM flush them down the toiler?!?!?!

I have heard so many horrible things about Hillary and I couldn't care less.  She's not HIM so she's getting my vote.  I don't care how she does it, I just won't be able to feel easy till I know he won't win.  

[Guest]

Newsweek has a story up entitled, Ridiculous Stories Behind Trump's Film and TV Cameos. SPOILER ALERT: He's always been a dick.

Please read the email his people (he?) sent to the producers of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. The whole anecdote is fantastic. 

[Padma]

I think the new campaign ad with Khizr Khan is fantastic (should have had a tissue handy though). Even Michael Moore called it "a great piece of filmmaking". Very restrained and sobering and Khan always projects so much compassion and integrity. A complete contrast with Trump in every way.

[Guest]

When Khizr Kahn pulled that Constitution from his breast pocket, the election, to me, was over. That was the most powerful, persuasive speech I have ever seen and heard. 

The Khan family are national treasures. 

[Darian]

1 hour ago, Giant Misfit said:

When Khizr Kahn pulled that Constitution from his breast pocket, the election, to me, was over. That was the most powerful, persuasive speech I have ever seen and heard. 

The Khan family are national treasures. 

I agree. And if I hadn't believed there was some truly, deeply wrong with Trump, his treatment of the Khans would have convinced me. Khizr's speech and comments since were, as you say, powerful, but without saying a word Ghazala Khan showed such raw grief and pain that anyone with a modicum of basic humanity would have apologized or at least shut the fuck up. I can't identify the particular pathology that would make one double-down in the face of the Khans words and silence, but Trump's got something very, very wrong in the place most of us have compassion, love, empathy, and shame. 

The idea of blaming the media comes up a lot, and I agree. Boy, do I agree. But as a society, we share some complicity.  We have to demand better, and pay for it. There are people who lap up the bile and bullshit of sites like Drudge and Fox, and there are those who just use ad blocker and get around paywalls. Here and there, actual journalism is happening, but it's drowned out by propaganda factories and most of us amplify the latter more than the former. Sometimes it's just by being defensive and trying to debunk it, which you kind of have to do. But when Washington Post broke the Access Hollywood story, I thought hard about my own complicity in feeding unethical "journalism" and am trying to do better. The first thing I did was subscribe to three major media sites/newpapers I think are doing a good job. Even on these boards, I saw someone quote a whole article, which means the site didn't get clickthroughs, and that's wrong. I didn't want to report a poster I like, and the climate is so angry, I didn't even feel comfortable asking nicely about it, even though I admire the poster. So I let it go. I shouldn't have, and I might go back if I can find it. I am trying to amplify the voices that are being honest, that are asking questions to get at the truth rather than to skew a narrative. I'm trying to be more careful about what I click on, and link to.  I'm going to think more about this, because I know there's a lot more I can do. But those of you here on these threads who brought up the media's role, keep it up, because it's vitally important that we fix this.   

[DeLurker]

10 hours ago, Advance35 said:

Seriously, I would be worried about quite a few people if (god please forbid) he wins. 

As Larry Wilmore said "Orange is the new Black".

8 hours ago, HumblePi said:

To simplify what a Trump Presidency would be is that it would plainly be a dictatorship, an authoritarian regime. Of course it wouldn't last long because he'd either be impeached or assassinated before very long but not before he did grave damage to the US. This country is not about to relinquish our democratic government in favor of a dictatorship.

I sincerely don't think he could get any traction to implement his  authoritarian regime in the event he actually becomes president.  He'd need real military power behind him to get things rolling and I am confident he is not the man they would blindly follow.  It is one thing to support his very vocal Law & Order doctrine, it is another to execute the commands that run contrary to what has been the core principles behind military service.

[biakbiak]

By the way Donald and Melania the NYTimes and People are still waiting with bated breath for you to file actual lawsuits.

[random chance]

I wonder how many of the people who seem to be supporting him are actually scared of some sort of retaliation from him? Because I've seen a lot of blurbs this week about how he always gets even. Like the one from Richard Branson where he says something to the effect that he will spend the rest of his life ruining the five people who wouldn't loan him money during one of his bankruptcies. 

[Darian]

Russia is really interested in our  presidential election. So far, the Russian consulate asked to monitor the election in three states (OK, LA, TX). 

Edited October 22, 2016 by Darian

[biakbiak]

2 minutes ago, random chance said:

I wonder how many of the people who seem to be supporting him are actually scared of some sort of retaliation from him? Because I've seen a lot of blurbs this week about how he always gets even. Like the one from Richard Branson where he says something to the effect that he will spend the rest of his life ruining the five people who wouldn't loan him money during one of his bankruptcies. 

Trump is a bully Hillary, Branson, Cuban etc. people with means he doesn't actually go after. 

[Landsnark]

12 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

do you wish there had been more choices on the Dem side? 

No, and what difference would it have made?  Clinton would have won no matter who was in the primaries.
That people apply unfair baggage to women isn't Clinton's fault.  That she's had to battle 35 years of lies is not only not her fault, but a HUGE fucking credit to her.  That people hate her for being a powerful, connected, lifetime public servant is their issue, not hers.  By any objective measure, she's the best candidate by far.  And if you need your President to supply you with soaring rhetoric, then what is it you actually want in the chief of the Executive branch?  A celebrity?  Ted Cruz?
And, to her credit, she's not an ideologue.  She's a pragmatist.

[HumblePi]

More than one year ago, on August 15, 2015 to be precise, the tenure and tone of the upcoming Republican campaign of Donald Trump had been solidified. This video, which some many not fully recall, demonstrates how Donald Trump had been guilty of racism and prejudice from the very beginning of his campaign. Jorge Ramos, who is a legitimate newsman representing Univision was at one of Donald Trump's very first press conferences.  Univsision has the largest audience of any Spanish-language television network in the world. Jorge Ramos was thrown out, then allowed to return to ask the question about Trump's plan to remove 11 million Mexican immigrants and their children.  At the start of the exchange between the two, it's obvious that Donald Trump dismissed him, treated him with disrespect and even disdain, it shows all over his face and with his actions. This was a red flag to millions of people that witnessed this. It was only a sign of things to come, things that proved to be far darker and malignant.

[needschocolate]

I had trouble understanding how anyone sould still be undecided after the last few weeks, until I saw an interview a few days ago with a couple of undecided voters in Ohio.  The oil industry and fracking are big in their area.  They didn't like Trump, but were concerned that Clinton's energy policies would harm the economy where they live.  I get that.  It is really easy to say that people should do what is the best for the country, but when you think that you and your friends may lose their jobs, and you may end up losing your house, etc., the choice becomes more difficult.  

I found it comforting to realize that the 36% of the votes that Trump is possibly getting is probably made up of a lot of people like this couple - people who could be hurt by what Clinton wants to do, even if they believe that her policies would be good for the nation.  They are Trump voters, but not really Trump supporters.  They aren't going to start a revolution if Clinton wins.  

I wonder how many hard core Trump supporters there really are.

12 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

 Serious question, do you (and others if so choose) wish there had been more choices on the Dem side? 

When it became apparent to me that Trump had a chance to be the nominee, I wished that there were more Democrats in the race because there are a lot of people who just don't like Hillary because she has a reputation for being shady (whether or not she deserves it).  Plus there were the emails and Benghazi hanging over her campaign.  I would have liked a candidate that was easier for the undecided to get behind so that Trump would lose badly (and bigly!) - lose by such a wide margin that his ego would be so bruised that he will never appear in the media again.

9 hours ago, Advance35 said:

THIS. THIS. SO much THIS.  I will never STOP saying that the Media is partly to blame for the rise of this thing.   They used him to grab ratings and now the monster is loose and the only thing standing in his way is Hillary Clinton.   And I think they would be one of his first victims.  I think he really does HATE the media and it would be a truly dark age for them (and MANY others) under his "reign".

I agree that the media is to blame, but i think that @Damian was right too - that the public deserves some blame too because the media shows what they show because that is what gets them ratings.  

I think that, in the beginning, the media thought there was no way Trump would last. Plus, there were so many other Republican candidates that is would be difficult to cover them all fairly.  Why not focus on the outlandish things Trump says while waiting for the pool of contenders gets smaller? The likely thought that he would  get bored and drop out soon or he will say something to offend everyone and will drop out because he is losing (I think those other republican candidates thought the same thing and that is why they didn't go after Trump).  

The media went soft on Trump because if they offended him, they ran the risk of no longer getting those phone interviews with him that were so good for ratings.  I noticed that once Trump became the nominee, the media realized that this was for real and they started questioning him a little harder and fact checking him more. And they have offended him with their coverage - perhaps that is why he always sends surrogates and doesn't give them phone interviews any more.

16 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Trump is a bully Hillary, Branson, Cuban etc. people with means he doesn't actually go after. 

Trump's ego can't handle losing.  I would think that he would subconsciously not go after anyone who had the funds to win a lawsuit against them or to fight back.  

[HumblePi]

[junemeatcleaver]

A speech that was advertised as "positive" and was going to do during his first 100 days is just another Trump stump speech.  "The media's horrible and I'm going after them."  "Those bitches are lying and I will sue them after the election."  "Hillary is a crook."  Another bait and switch from Trump that the media fell for.  Pathetic.

ETA:  Oh now he's getting to the policy.  I'm not holding my breath that it will make much sense.

Edited October 22, 2016 by junemeatcleaver