Donald John Trump: 2016 President-Elect

[Chicken Wing]

6 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

This really goes without saying but OF COURSE Trump will blab whatever he wants to to his kids whether or not they have security clearance. It's probably easier for him if they have clearance so they can get the information with him and save him from even trying to translate it, but the idea of Trump actually keeping quiet about something because he's not allowed to say it to his kids is just absurd. In fact, if the secret knowledge he has could make them money that would be the first thing out of his mouth.

There is very little precedent for what exactly Trump could or should do about his personal business because no president has ever had the scope of personal fortune that he has, but I just don't understand how any part of Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest running the family business for him could be anything but a conflict of interest or how anyone in their right mind could think this would qualify as a "blind" trust. His children quite obviously are not an independent third party with no connection to him, and furthermore it's just not possible for Trump to not know what's going on with his business or for his hellspawn to manage his dealings with other parties without it being understood that it's connected to the president, because much of his business is in the form of real estate that has his freaking name literally right on it. With that last part it would be hard to avoid conflict of interest even if he did hand the reins to an unknown third party -- he can't not know what's going on with his properties if they're sitting right there in public. The only way he can have a real blind trust would be to liquidate everything and have the trustee invest the funds into something new that he doesn't know about. Fat chance of that happening. Can't wait for the corruption headlines.

[sistermagpie]

Quote

2 minutes ago, Chicken Wing said:

With that last part it would be hard to avoid conflict of interest even if he did hand the reins to an unknown third party -- he can't not know what's going on with his properties if they're sitting right there in public. The only way he can have a real blind trust would be to liquidate everything and have the trustee invest the funds into something new that he doesn't know about. Fat chance of that happening. Can't wait for the corruption headlines.

 

 

 

I think about all those properties sitting out there and remember I think Paul Friedman saying that if Trump was too stupid on climate change, for instance, people would start attacking those golf courses. I will not be surprised if protest movements start attacking his businesses all over the world.

[sacrebleu]

Fun activity! Trump's Secret Service codename is 'Mogul' following protocol, all members of his family will have code names beginning with "M". Make up names for Melania, Don Jr, Ivanka, Eric and Barron! (I'm guessing Tiffany won't get one, poor kid doesn't get much of anything from her dad.)

[potatoradio]

Quote

I truly belive we are better off letting go of the hate.  It saddens me to read here how so many feel wallowing in hate is a good thing. I hope Trump does well, and somehow wins over a lot of people.  I know he doesn't deserve it, but it's better for us as a whole.

I, personally, don't feel that wallowing in hate is a good thing, and I don't think that's what anyone here is advocating. I am far more virulent and angry sounding on here than I am in real life (except for occasional bad hair days). Expressing my most pressing fears and panic and anger here has helped me clarify how this election has affected me and changed my perspective on a country I had been brought up to believe was unshakable in its democratic roots and freedoms. 

Trump will never win me over to his "side," because from what I've seen and read, he's primed to push through a radical, right wing agenda that is against everything I hold dear about my country, with no brakes, no compromise, no thought, nothing except a new "win" to Tweet. 

And I have (or soon will have) zero ability as a citizen of this country to do anything about that. 

That's the worst case scenario I'm trying to grapple with, so it's more complicated than simply getting back to my life and going along to get along. 

I've always said that if I'm wrong, and there is some moderation in the actual governing, and we move past this "transition" phase where everyone is pissing on the walls and taking dumps on each other's chairs and throwing out their worst - I'll gladly hope for the best. 

Meanwhile, I'm trying to educate myself and figure out how to move forward. I would like politics to get beyond "winning" and the divisive duality of "Repub vs. Dem" or "progressive vs. conservative" and winning memes and slogans and celebrity and ramming an ideology down the "loser's" throat so that there is zero chance of ever uniting to address problems that are far more complex than any average citizen wants to try to grapple with. 

And I'm as guilty as anyone for not being more educated about the privilege of my own party's candidates and their corporate ties and not digging into the nuances of the huge issues. 

That's what's going to change. That's how I'm going to get through this and not flee to Canada. I have to fight for my country through educating myself and continuing to develop integrity and the ability to listen to people in my every day life so that maybe we can start bridging the divides in this country. 

I'll say this - I think the right wing extremists are putting on an extreme fireworks show because they have to. They are the last hope for a dying working class and they have to promise nothing short than extremism. The first step in addressing any problem, I'm told, is to get all the ugliness out in the open. WEll, it's out. I need to figure out how I can help be sure our country survives.

Edited November 16, 2016 by potatoradio

[ari333]

I don't usually ask people who they voted for, but I made some exceptions and asked some neighbors. The rump voters gave a combination of the same reasons over and over for their choice......

1) HRC wants to take away their guns

2) They hate, and I quote, "those damn foreigners."

3) "We have to save the unborn."

4) "Lazy people want food stamps"

Wow.  Let that sink in for a minute.

[Ceindreadh]

2 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

As taxpaying citizens, all of us have just made Trump $6 million richer: 

 

 

Oh, what's that you say? It can't get worse? HA HA HA! 

 

Somebody needs to set up a website that tracks all the amounts that Trump is going to screw out of the country.  Netted off against the salary he's going to decline on course (rolls eyes).   Until we see a tax return, I won't believe that he is declining a salary. 

Edited November 16, 2016 by Ceindreadh
Missing words.

[ari333]

I guess the born needing to eat after being born is not a pressing issue.

[ClareWalks]

31 minutes ago, sacrebleu said:

Trump's Secret Service codename is 'Mogul' following protocol, all members of his family will have code names beginning with "M". Make up names for Melania, Don Jr, Ivanka, Eric and Barron!

In order: Muffy, Mysterio, MolestedOne, Megalo, and Munchkin.

[zxy556575]

3 hours ago, SmithW6079 said:

Even the most fervid Republican delusions about the "corruption" of Hillary Clinton will pale in comparison to the corruption that will define the Trump presidency.

The hypocrisy, it sears.

39 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

This really goes without saying but OF COURSE Trump will blab whatever he wants to to his kids whether or not they have security clearance.

Let's not forget that the entire "lock her up" outcry about HRC's private server was because of possible mishandling of classified information. But as always, when Trump does the same thing, it's perfectly fine! Pshaw.

My hatred for Trump keeps me focused, so wallow I will. What saddens me is his supporters who have been emboldened to commit hate crimes.

[Chicken Wing]

1 minute ago, ari333 said:

I don't usually ask people who they voted for, but I made some exceptions and asked some neighbors. The rump voters gave a combination of the same reasons over and over for their choice......

1) HRC wants to take away their guns

2) They hate, and I quote, "those damn foreigners."

3) "We have to save the unborn."

4) "Lazy people want food stamps"

Wow.  Let that sink in for a minute.

That doesn't even kind of surprise me.

I read an editorial last week that explained Trump won because people are, literally, ignorant. And there are basically three types of voters when it comes to making their decisions from basic knowledge of government and understanding of facts: those who know a lot, those who know nothing, and those who know less than nothing -- i.e., those who cling firmly to facts that are actually wrong and either don't realize or care that they're wrong. The uneducated, uninformed and misinformed flocked to him like locusts. That's not to say that everyone who voted for Trump is an ignoramus -- of course not -- but a good bulk of his support certainly came from getting the per capita share on that segment of the population.

[sistermagpie]

5 hours ago, Tara said:

I truly belive we are better off letting go of the hate.  It saddens me to read here how so many feel wallowing in hate is a good thing. I hope Trump does well, and somehow wins over a lot of people.  I know he doesn't deserve it, but it's better for us as a whole.  When Rush Limbaugh announced "I hope Obama fails," millions of people followed his lead.  I have friends whose hate for Obama became so inbred they didn't realize where truth ended and fear mongering started.

I don't think hate is the primary thing going on here. We have to be vigilant against Trump doing damaging things, which he's already still doing. Being more than concerned about the appointment of Bannon, his already attacking the press, his interweaving of his business, family and the presidency, his silence on hate crimes going on while dismissing the protests as at best small and unimportant and at worst a false flag operation is not hate imo. I don't think you have to be biased to consider these things actual dangerous signs without twisting them in order to fear monger. 

The reason I don't think it's a good idea to just give him more and more chances isn't that I'm full of hate for him personally. I don't actually even think I am. The reason I think it's important is because of how quickly and easily I've seen this guy normalize things that should never be normalized already. It's not love and compassion, imo, it's just giving in.

[candall]

10 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

In order: Muffy, Mysterio, MolestedOne, Megalo, and Munchkin.

It's too bad they didn't go with "Megalo" for DT since it could be considered short for Megalomaniac and you know the Secret Service is going to have a ringside seat for that action.

In keeping with my last post, I'm offering "Maestro" for the son-in-law.

[Coffeecup]

Remember when Trump shouted at black audiences at his campaign rallies: "What the hell have you got to lose?"

Well, with Trump's appointment of white supremacist Steve Bannon as chief strategist, here's what black Americans are at risk of losing: their civil rights, such as their right to vote, and their access to jobs and housing in a non-discriminatory environment; their physical safety; their dignity; and possibly their very survival.

[needschocolate]

We have been re-watching The West Wing and one of the storylines we are currently viewing is when the vice president has to resign because he had an affair and the president had to settle for a vice president he didn't want because he was the one that congress would approve.  This got me wondering about 2 things --

1) Does congress have to approve Trump's cabinet members?  With the Reps having majority in all of congress, I don't have much hope that they will not approve whomever Trump wants, but it might be worth writing to your congress people anyway.  

2) The West Wing vice president resigned because he was having an affair, which seemed perfectly believable 12-13 years ago when the episode first aired.  What will qualify as a scandal now?  Funneling government money into your business - not a scandal.  Having cabinet members spouting  white supremacist messages - not a scandal.  The first lady having worked illegally and posed for nude photos - not a scandal.  

11 hours ago, HumblePi said:

Are powerful men who fight and claw at each other for a cabinet post under a Trump presidency really thinking of doing good things for America? Are the millionaires that represent the top 10% of all the wealth in the world really worried if the minimum wage goes to $12 or $15 an hour for the 'little guy' so he can pay for his overpriced healthcare and medication co-pays? Are they so altruistic that they are burning with the desire to be a public servant for the good of the majority of the American people?

Short answer, is 'no'.

So the next question is 'why'?

Why? The same reason that rich people like them (and not all rich are this way) do anything - because they think they can profit off of it somehow, or at least, profit by reducing their expenses.  They don't want to raise the minimum wage because it would cost them money.  They don't want to have those pesky environmental laws because it will cost them money.  They don't want healthcare for everyone, because businesses would have to foot part of the bill and it would cost them money.  

2 hours ago, windsprints said:

As someone above mentioned, he was on twitter this morning condemning the NY Times for treating him badly. The nation is divided and there he is being concerned only with himself.  Over a week, hate crimes on the rise, protests in the streets and not even a speech. 

Well, he did look straight into the camera during the 60 minute interview and say, "Stop it!"  

25 minutes ago, Chicken Wing said:

That doesn't even kind of surprise me.

I read an editorial last week that explained Trump won because people are, literally, ignorant. And there are basically three types of voters when it comes to making their decisions from basic knowledge of government and understanding of facts: those who know a lot, those who know nothing, and those who know less than nothing -- i.e., those who cling firmly to facts that are actually wrong and either don't realize or care that they're wrong. The uneducated, uninformed and misinformed flocked to him like locusts. That's not to say that everyone who voted for Trump is an ignoramus -- of course not -- but a good bulk of his support certainly came from getting the per capita share on that segment of the population.

There were always a certain number of people who are going to always vote for the Republican, and those people may or may not be idiots, but I agree that Trump won largely because of the idiot vote. The ignoramuses  voted for Trump because he believes the same, ridiculous, illogical, factless garbage they do.  

As my mother once said - "Water seeks its own level, and so does mud."

Edited November 16, 2016 by needschocolate
typos

[Deanie87]

Let's not kid ourselves. With each passing day and news item it has become clear that the only thing Donald Trump thinks about, cares about and works for is Donald Trump. Not the country, not justice, not his fellow Americans. I would be all for giving him a chance if he was capable of behaving in a way that convinced me, even a tiny bit, that he was even marginally fit for any public office, was motivated by anything but vengeance and narcissism, and wasn't setting the course to grift this country and make it just another acquisition of Trump, Inc. Or even if anyone in his orbit could relieve my worry.  But it's just getting worse.

[ari333]

Melania can pose nude and no one blinks. Michelle O wore a sleeveless, below/to the knee dress and got all kinds of shit. Someone... explain it to me?  The almighty rump BLARG

Twilight Zone

[HumblePi]

1 hour ago, potatoradio said:

I, personally, don't feel that wallowing in hate is a good thing, and I don't think that's what anyone here is advocating. I am far more virulent and angry sounding on here than I am in real life (except for occasional bad hair days). Expressing my most pressing fears and panic and anger here has helped me clarify how this election has affected me and changed my perspective on a country I had been brought up to believe was unshakable in its democratic roots and freedoms. 

Trump will never win me over to his "side," because from what I've seen and read, he's primed to push through a radical, right wing agenda that is against everything I hold dear about my country, with no brakes, no compromise, no thought, nothing except a new "win" to Tweet. 

And I have (or soon will have) zero ability as a citizen of this country to do anything. 

That's the worst case scenario I'm trying to grapple with, so it's more complicated than simply getting back to my life and going along to get along. 

I've always said that if I'm wrong, and there is some moderation in the actual governing, and we move past this "transition" phase where everyone is pissing on the walls and taking dumps on each other's chairs and throwing out their worst - I'll gladly hope for the best. 

Meanwhile, I'm trying to educate myself and figure out how to move forward. I would like politics to get beyond "winning" and the divisive duality of "Repub vs. Dem" or "progressive vs. conservative" and winning memes and slogans and celebrity and ramming an ideology down the "loser's" throat so that there is zero chance of ever uniting to address problems that are far more complex than any average citizen wants to try to grapple with. 

And I'm as guilty as anyone for not being more educated about the privilege of my own party's candidates and their corporate ties and not digging into the nuances of the huge issues. 

That's what's going to change. That's how I'm going to get through this and not flee to Canada. I have to fight for my country through educating myself and continuing to develop integrity and the ability to listen to people in my every day life so that maybe we can start bridging the divides in this country. 

I'll say this - I think the right wing extremists are putting on an extreme fireworks show because they have to. They are the last hope for a dying working class and they have to promise nothing short than extremism. The first step in addressing any problem, I'm told, is to get all the ugliness out in the open. WEll, it's out. I need to figure out how I can help be sure our country survives.

I applaud your sentiments because they're honest and rational. I think the majority of us have grown up truly believing that anyone choosing to lead this country politically was doing it for the country. It really wasn't until this election that we got a splash of ice cold water in our faces and realized that there are people in possession of the highest powers who are motivated and driven to destroying our democracy as it is today. The goal is to transform a democracy into what they feel it should be. I also believe that there is no way that this country is going to be united again, the damage and pain has gone too deep. We've been insulted morally. If nothing else, this election has forced people to pay attention, to get involved and to try to make their voices heard even if ultimately it's not going to matter, and that's the honest truth, it's just not going to matter. Unless something really drastic happens, Trump will be leading our country as of January 20th and it will be next to impossible to naively hope for any softening or reversals of his campaign promises.

I think it's important to differentiate between racism, racial bias, racist and bigotry.

Racism is a belief or political system that considers different races to be ranked as inherently superior or inferior to each other, based on presumed shared inheritable traits, abilities, or qualities. It holds that members of different races should be treated differently.

Prejudice is when someone has a preconceived notion about someone due to any characteristic they find to be undesirable based on someone’s race, gender, nationality, social status, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.

'Racist', the term has been bantered around every few minutes in this campaign. "Trump is a racist, the Republicans are racist, his supporters are racist." In fact most aren't truly racists, even Trump himself is not a true racist but he definitely is deeply prejudiced. We tend to use a broad brush painting all Trump supporters racists, and they're not. When we throw this word around all the time, we begin to dismiss the actual racists, so the word doesn't really mean anything anymore.

Stephen Bannon, Andrew Breitbart, Joel Pollak, Alex Marlow --- these are the real racists. These are people, of which their numbers are actually comparatively few, that have a European pro-Russian nationalism ideology that they have perpetrated through Breitbart News. These are the real bad guys. These are the alternative right, a news term that nobody ever heard of before Donald Trump ran for president. It's a Neo-Nazi organization, a loosely organized group of mostly young men who believe in white supremacy; oppose immigration, feminism and multiculturalism; and delight in harassing Jews, Muslims and other vulnerable groups by spewing shocking insults on social media. It's an extremely toxic ideology not to mention extremely dangerous. They're a terrifying group but particularly terrifying knowing they're going to be in control of our government.

So what's their plan? How do they plan to execute their takeover and make this a white supremacist country? They've already put those wheels in motion long ago. They've pinned citizen against citizen. They want the riots, they want the race war, they want the killing of the 'enemies' of the white supremacy plan. It's really hard to believe what a mere handful of what represents the population of the US can do. Bottom line is that they want to push blacks down as much as they can, they want Hispanics out, they want Jews out of power and replaced with others that share their ideology.

I'm going to post a photo of President Obama as he appeared at a rally for Hillary Clinton. I watched and heard the desperation in his voice and more than that, I saw the utter fear in his eyes. The fear of the Democrats currently in Washington is clearly evident because those are the people that have the inside story about Trump.

 

Edited November 16, 2016 by HumblePi

[callmebetty]

@HumblePi  I loved your post. So in reality would you say more people are prejudiced than actually racist?

And can those who are prejudiced be "enlightened "?

You have very thoughtful posts, could you see a way that we can ever heal? Because I do feel right now we are all losing our voices and choices.And it's like screaming in a room and no one cares.

The only consolation I sort of take is the protesters .  They aren't disputing the election results ,  but they are shining the light on all the lies, and shit being spinned. And everyone else who says: No matter how many times you post it to ( take your choice of social media ) or say it to may face or the mainstream media brushes it off That you keep telling me the sky is purple, I know it's blue I can see it with my own eyes the sky is blue. And even if you take it back that you never said the sky is purple, I know you did and I'm not crazy and see all these other people they know it too. And we're going to band together, cause fuck sake the sky is blue.

Does my rambling make any sense?

[MulletorHater]

24 minutes ago, ari333 said:

Melania can pose nude and no one blinks. Michelle O wore a sleeveless, below/to the knee dress and got all kinds of shit. Someone... explain it to me?  The almighty rump BLARG

Twilight Zone

It's called posing while Black.

[potatoradio]

In complete agreement with everything you said, @HumblePi

The war between the elites and the rurals was something the Tea Party and the new wave of "Republicans" knew how to exploit as well. People like Scott Walker turned dismantling unions into a "win" for the people. They portrayed the EPA and "Tree hugging" liberals as impediments to fantasized, short-term, instant riches for the rural communities. They said, don't worry about anything - don't peek behind the curtain - we're just nice white men from the heartland who want to do right.

And they took advantage of the resentment many people felt at being called "racist." Your distinction is very eloquent and truthful; unfortunately, the white supremacists mocked that sort of thing and insisted it was "dumb librull PC" and used it as a divisive tactic. 

In my own little dreamland, we could actually meet and talk with one another in nuances. We could talk openly about economic pain and stereotyping and realize that, really, white supremacy is such a hateful and divisive and flat out dangerous position that we should never look the other way if it gains power - no matter what it promises. It will not provide jobs and a good living for anyone and it will flat out make it OK to murder people. 

But those conversations should have been happening long ago, and they didn't happen. 

It's very sad that I would rather go to civil war, move to a state that secedes, or move to Canada if resistance to this regime doesn't come through. But considering that half the country doesn't vote and apparently doesn't give a fuck (are there any stats on that?) and the GOP lost its moderates a long time ago...

My one thought is that DT keeps his focus on DT and keeps the infighting going long enough to stall any quick, drastic change. His one weakness (weakness in terms of being able to defeat him) is his ego. It really kills him when people dare to promote that he's done something unpopular. He wants to be liked and admired. He walks back extreme statements as soon as he gets wind that they're not popular so he can keep his popularity. I mean, it's disgusting that "oh, yeah, I guess hangings aren't cool" is still probably correct for a lot of people and most people fall somewhere more on the center of what you described. So, the more people speak against white supremacy, the more poor confused Donald wants to know why he isn't popular, and he runs into opposition with the Banons of the world. 

Ice water in the face is right. I'm chilled as hell right now.

Thanks for your reply - great read. 

Edited November 16, 2016 by potatoradio

[Padma]

Re: naked pics of Melania. It's not just that Michelle is black and wearing a sleeveless dress. Those nude pics would have been an issue if a DEM first lady had done them. Because Republicans would have exploited that to the max--and so many other things that were SO BAD about our new president.

Time and again, Democrats actually DO go high while Republicans go low. And this is what happens. It's the most absurd win in our history, but makes sense given how "prepped" in a way many supporters were for Trump's message and the support for it from non-traditional and dishonest--yet very heavily relied-upon--online media.

[mythoughtis]

I get that Donald gets tired of the press entourage, and that he didn't think they needed to follow him to dinner. Here is the problem: he has no credibility. Just because he says he's going to dinner with his family doesn't mean that is where he would actually go. He could just as easily be meeting mercenaries for all we might know next time.

[HumblePi]

42 minutes ago, callmebetty said:

@HumblePi  I loved your post. So in reality would you say more people are prejudiced than actually racist?

And can those who are prejudiced be "enlightened "?

You have very thoughtful posts, could you see a way that we can ever heal? Because I do feel right now we are all losing our voices and choices.And it's like screaming in a room and no one cares.

The only consolation I sort of take is the protesters .  They aren't disputing the election results ,  but they are shining the light on all the lies, and shit being spinned. And everyone else who says: No matter how many times you post it to ( take your choice of social media ) or say it to may face or the mainstream media brushes it off That you keep telling me the sky is purple, I know it's blue I can see it with my own eyes the sky is blue. And even if you take it back that you never said the sky is purple, I know you did and I'm not crazy and see all these other people they know it too. And we're going to band together, cause fuck sake the sky is blue.

Does my rambling make any sense?

Thank you both @callmebetty and @potatoradio. I can tell that your heads are just about where mine is at this point. I'm so over name calling and nit-picking. The disparaging remarks and jabs do serve a good purpose and that's to let people vent, blow off steam, release some of the anger. But it's not really constructive or provide insight in any way. Yes your "rambling" makes perfect sense.

Honestly, Donald Trump did nothing more than to give haters a free pass to openly hate. No, I don't believe they're all racists or bigots at all. They're pissed off people for who- knows what reason. Maybe they lost their job 3 years ago and struggling and they want a change of government. Maybe they had their car vandalized and blame the guy down the street that's black or Mexican for doing it whether he did or not. Maybe they work with someone they just don't get along with. Whatever the reason, they have made the choice to label all people of ethnicity and lump them into the same category because of that particular incident. But reasons or motivations such as those aren't being racist and I truly believe that a prejudiced person can change his opinions. And that racial prejudice works both ways, there's plenty of black people who feel the same and for all the same reasons plus some.

To your point @callmebetty, I always believed the pen is mightier than the sword in the long haul. A protest or demonstration lasts hours, days or weeks. But the written word can last generations if it's the right words. So I'd say that considering how easily accessable and functionable the internet and social media is, that's exactly the place to begin. Well gee, we began to vocalize already, we're here, right? There's a multitude of organizations that can be supported. Here's a short list; http://www.startguide.org/orgs/orgs05.html

I prefer something more on a personal level, one that I can gain insight from and offer some of my own such as the creation of a Facebook account dedicated to the advocacy of minorities, such as all those groups of people that don't have access to social media. Immigrants, minorities, women, Muslims, there's so many without the resources to have their voices heard. "who will speak for me?" is all I can think of.  I'd like to participate to be one of those voices.

Edited November 16, 2016 by HumblePi
(I should really read my shit before hitting 'save')

[scriggle]

Was Steve Bannon, Donald Trump’s Attack Dog, Paid Illegally?

Quote

A campaign watchdog group filed a complaint with federal election officials that alleges Stephen Bannon—recently named one of Donald Trump’s top White House advisers—may have gotten paid illegally during Trump’s campaign by pro-Trump billionaires.

And now, a new set of Federal Election Commission filings that haven’t yet been reported on may give the group’s case some additional heft.

At issue are payments of nearly $200,000 that a super PAC called Make America Number 1 made to a company tied to Bannon. On Aug. 17, Bannon left his post as chairman of Breitbart News and became the Trump campaign’s CEO. Available FEC filings show the campaign didn’t pay Bannon a salary. Larry Noble, General Counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, said he believes the super PAC covertly paid Bannon for his campaign work through his moviemaking company. Neither the super PAC nor Bannon provided a response to Noble’s comment.

In an Oct. 6 complaint to the Federal Election Commission, the Campaign Legal Center argued that Robert and Rebekah Mercer—a father-daughter duo who give generously to conservative causes and candidates—broke federal campaign laws by paying Bannon for his work so the campaign wouldn’t have to shoulder the cost. Robert Mercer is a reclusive billionaire hedge-fund manager, and his daughter oversees much of his political giving. She’s also on Trump’s transition team.

[Padma]

2 hours ago, sacrebleu said:

Fun activity! Trump's Secret Service codename is 'Mogul' following protocol, all members of his family will have code names beginning with "M". Make up names for Melania, Don Jr, Ivanka, Eric and Barron! (I'm guessing Tiffany won't get one, poor kid doesn't get much of anything from her dad.)

The WH Communications Office always comes up with cool names, don't they? Inc. Renegade for Obama, Deacon for Carter, Rawhide for Reagan and Lancer for JFK (Jackie was "Lace"). Michelle is "Renaissance", Malia "Radiance" and Sasha "Rosebud". The most unflattering one I know of is Frank Sinatra's. He was a close enough Kennedy pal to need one---they gave him "Napoleon".

Unfortunately, I wouldn't choose anything so nice for this group. Trump already got better than he deserves with Mogul.  For Melania I'd choose "Mistress", Barron= Mini-Me, , Don Jr="Magnum", Eric="Mauser",  Ivanka="Merchant", Jerrod="Mastermind"; Tiffany=(Misfit's too mean, so)..."Maple"

Bannon, of course though not a family member would have to be "Macchiavelli"

[MulletorHater]

41 minutes ago, HumblePi said:

I applaud your sentiments because they're honest and rational. I think the majority of us have grown up truly believing that anyone choosing to lead this country politically was doing it for the country. It really wasn't until this election that we got a splash of ice cold water in our faces and realized that there are people in possession of the highest powers who are motivated and driven to destroying our democracy as it is today. The goal is to transform a democracy into what they feel it should be. I also believe that there is no way that this country is going to be united again, the damage and pain has gone too deep. We've been insulted morally. If nothing else, this election has forced people to pay attention, to get involved and to try to make their voices heard even if ultimately it's not going to matter, and that's the honest truth, it's just not going to matter. Unless something really drastic happens, Trump will be leading our country as of January 20th and it will be next to impossible to naively hope for any softening or reversals of his campaign promises.

I think it's important to differentiate between racism, racial bias, racist and bigotry.

Racism is a belief or political system that considers different races to be ranked as inherently superior or inferior to each other, based on presumed shared inheritable traits, abilities, or qualities. It holds that members of different races should be treated differently.

Prejudice is when someone has a preconceived notion about someone due to any characteristic they find to be undesirable based on someone’s race, gender, nationality, social status, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.

'Racist', the term has been bantered around every few minutes in this campaign. "Trump is a racist, the Republicans are racist, his supporters are racist." In fact most aren't truly racists, even Trump himself is not a true racist but he definitely is deeply prejudiced. We tend to use a broad brush painting all Trump supporters racists, and they're not. When we throw this word around all the time, we begin to dismiss the actual racists, so the word doesn't really mean anything anymore.

Stephen Bannon, Andrew Breitbart, Joel Pollak, Alex Marlow --- these are the real racists. These are people, of which their numbers are actually comparatively few, that have a European pro-Russian nationalism ideology that they have perpetrated through Breitbart News. These are the real bad guys. These are the alternative right, a news term that nobody ever heard of before Donald Trump ran for president. It's a Neo-Nazi organization, a loosely organized group of mostly young men who believe in white supremacy; oppose immigration, feminism and multiculturalism; and delight in harassing Jews, Muslims and other vulnerable groups by spewing shocking insults on social media. It's an extremely toxic ideology not to mention extremely dangerous. They're a terrifying group but particularly terrifying knowing they're going to be in control of our government.

So what's their plan? How do they plan to execute their takeover and make this a white supremacist country? They've already put those wheels in motion long ago. They've pinned citizen against citizen. They want the riots, they want the race war, they want the killing of the 'enemies' of the white supremacy plan. It's really hard to believe what a mere handful of what represents the population of the US can do. Bottom line is that they want to push blacks down as much as they can, they want Hispanics out, they want Jews out of power and replaced with others that share their ideology.

I'm going to post a photo of President Obama as he appeared at a rally for Hillary Clinton. I watched and heard the desperation in his voice and more than that, I saw the utter fear in his eyes. The fear of the Democrats currently in Washington is clearly evident because those are the people that have the inside story about Trump.

 

An excellent post, HumblePi!  I remember political commentator, Joe Madison, saying that prejudice and racism can be traced to what he called "cultural conditioning."  According to him,

"In America, we are culturally conditioned to believe that (anything) Black is inferior and White is superior.  And the manifestation of that cultural conditioning is that blacks are underestimated, undervalued and marginalized."

That's why it was so easy for the "birther" movement to take root.  That's why it was so easy for Drumpf, Ghouliani and others to plant the seeds of doubting the president's Americanism, competence, and intellect.  This, in turn, caused these creeps to elevate a thuggish dictator like Putin over President Obama as a great leader.  Imagine that.

I have to respectfully disagree about Drumpf being a racist.  His actions, as well as his words demonstrate his racist tendencies.  These tendencies include his and the elder Drumpf's discriminating against Black applicants; his automatic assumption that a Black supporter at a rally of his was a "thug" (the new code word for Black men); his stated belief that laziness is a trait in Blacks including those who worked at his casinos and the accountants counting his money; his attacks on Judge Curiel, who was born in Indiana; his ongoing refusal to condemn white supremacists who campaigned or supported him, as well as openly courting them; his encouragement of mob justice against the Central Park Five, and his ongoing refusal to accept that they are innocent; his encouraging and condoning physical attacks against Black protesters at his rallies, etc.  And, those are just the highlights. 

Hell, he can't even seem to grasp that not all "the African Americans" live in inner cities, and he started off his campaign marginalizing a whole group of people as criminals.

[Padma]

9 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

I get that Donald gets tired of the press entourage, and that he didn't think they needed to follow him to dinner. Here is the problem: he has no credibility. Just because he says he's going to dinner with his family doesn't mean that is where he would actually go. He could just as easily be meeting mercenaries for all we might know next time.

I don't get it. It's a small pool of reporters who have to know where he is at all times in case anything happens--in the world, the country, or wherever the PE is. When you decide to be PRESIDENT of the U.S. (not Pres of the Trump Organization), that is part of your JOB.  He remembers 9/11. The country needs to always know where it's leader is and be able to hear from him whenever needed.

You want to ditch the press and sneak off to a private steak dinner? (Second "press ditching" in a week). Don't want to live in Washington?  Don't like the decisions and pressures that are unending? Think the mediocrities you're filling the swamp with actually -won't- "make America great again"? 

Then don't become president. (And, seriously, it's not too late to admit it was a horrible mistake.) 

[MulletorHater]

And, in case folks have forgotten, Drumpf's selection by the EC sent a very strong message to the women he sexually assaulted.

The Man Who Assaulted You Will Be President

As we know, this election has shaken numerous groups.  However, there has been little commentary about what this will mean to those women, some of whom were threatened.

[partofme]

1 hour ago, ari333 said:

Melania can pose nude and no one blinks. Michelle O wore a sleeveless, below/to the knee dress and got all kinds of shit. Someone... explain it to me?  The almighty rump BLARG

Twilight Zone

This is easy.  Republican women can do whatever they want no questions asked.  

[candall]

7 minutes ago, sistermagpie said:

I don't think hate is the primary thing going on here. We have to be vigilant against Trump doing damaging things, which he's already doing.

Absolutely.

Hate?  I search around inside myself and consider the board and I don't find much evidence our thoughts/fears about DT et. al derive from hate.  On the contrary, I think we're being very rational and objective.  (Can't really say the same for the people who were screaming "Lock her up" and "Jew-S-A.")

The author of that "Case Against Serving" article, cited above, made a great point, based on a Hannah Arendt essay:  Once the abnormal becomes routine, outrage fades.

 

For example.  DT has said on multiple occasions that he "won easily."  No one ever calls him on it because it's so stupid and obviously inaccurate, why beat yourself against that wall?  Except now that assertion is less benign because he's leveled up and he tells Leslie Stahl:  "Apparently no one cares about seeing my tax returns, because I won very easily."

He's going to keep saying no one really wants to see his tax returns--except people with a vendetta!--until it's routine.

 

Meanwhile, on the news this morning, someone ferretted out that DT owes millions of dollar to the Deutsche Bank, which is in a lawsuit (over sub-prime mortgages) with the US Justice Department, which answers to DT via his handpicked cabinet member, the Attorney General. 

One tiny little line item from those tax returns = one gigantic conflict of interest.  The information in those tax returns is not "stop bugging me, no one cares" insignificant--it's an international time bomb.

 

So I disagree with the poster who counseled we all stop hating and hope for the best.  Outrage is not the same as hatred, and it's not going to be "best for this country" if we let it fade.

[HumblePi]

38 minutes ago, Padma said:

The WH Communications Office always comes up with cool names, don't they? Inc. Renegade for Obama, Deacon for Carter, Rawhide for Reagan and Lancer for JFK (Jackie was "Lace"). Michelle is "Renaissance", Malia "Radiance" and Sasha "Rosebud". The most unflattering one I know of is Frank Sinatra's. He was a close enough Kennedy pal to need one---they gave him "Napoleon".

Unfortunately, I wouldn't choose anything so nice for this group. Trump already got better than he deserves with Mogul.  For Melania I'd choose "Mistress", Barron= Mini-Me, , Don Jr="Magnum", Eric="Mauser",  Ivanka="Merchant", Jerrod="Mastermind"; Tiffany=(Misfit's too mean, so)..."Maple"

Bannon, of course though not a family member would have to be "Macchiavelli"

It's a shame Ben Carson got pushed out of the white-boys club but if were a part of the White House in-crowd I think they'd come up with something like 'Mandingo' for him.

Edited November 16, 2016 by HumblePi

[DollEyes]

  Talk about the inmates running the asylum! If the incompetence that Trump has shown this week alone is any indication, then this country is in for a long four years-if he lasts that long, which I doubt. 

As for hoping that Trump succeeds, succeeds at what? Lowering presidential standards? Giving bigotry a blank check? Tearing this country even further apart than ever? Hell no! I love America too much to let it go down without a fight and that's what I'm gonna do-fight. It's not just about hating Trump; it's about loving my country.  

[Padma]

10 minutes ago, HumblePi said:

It's a shame Ben Carson got pushed out of the white-boys club but if were a part of the White House in-crowd I think they'd come up with something like 'Mandingo' for him.

Lol. (kind of)...If the Trumpkins had their way he would.  I still remember that article about Celebrity Apprentice, how Trump kept calling Lil Jon (who had dressed up as Uncle Sam), "Uncle Tom". It really offended a lot of people to the point where producers intervened and explained over and over that it was offensive and why. Blahblah. He didn't care and just kept right on doing it.  I wonder if Carson has any similar stories. It wouldn't surprise me at all--and may be one reason he doesn't want formal, daily "I'm part of this presidency" associations.

Or, he just knows he's making a LOT more money doing what he is now.

This cheered me up a bit   Planned Parenthood Confirms 20,000 Donations In Mike Pence's Name

[roughing it]

Here's an M name - Moron

[callmebetty]

M= Mistake ,  Melanoma ,  Malignant ,  Misinformed ,  Machavelli ,  

[HumblePi]

15 minutes ago, Padma said:

Lol. (kind of)...If the Trumpkins had their way he would.  I still remember that article about Celebrity Apprentice, how Trump kept calling Lil Jon (who had dressed up as Uncle Sam), "Uncle Tom". It really offended a lot of people to the point where producers intervened and explained over and over that it was offensive and why. Blahblah. He didn't care and just kept right on doing it.  I wonder if Carson has any similar stories. It wouldn't surprise me at all--and may be one reason he doesn't want formal, daily "I'm part of this presidency" associations.

Or, he just knows he's making a LOT more money doing what he is now.

This cheered me up a bit   Planned Parenthood Confirms 20,000 Donations In Mike Pence's Name

I see his rejecting any official offers for a cabinet post as a sign that he was never offered one and ordered to go. The core of the Trump administration doesn't wish to include anyone 'of color' and Ben Carson was being used during the campaign as a token. He fell for it. Now that he's no longer needed, they shooed him away. Ben Carson was far too 'kissy assing' during the campaign to be credible. He did it hoping for an appointment in the administration. Ben Carson was fact checked extensively during the debate process and has been proven to be one of the biggest liars of all the candidates.

[HumblePi]

21 minutes ago, Padma said:

Lol. (kind of)...If the Trumpkins had their way he would.  I still remember that article about Celebrity Apprentice, how Trump kept calling Lil Jon (who had dressed up as Uncle Sam), "Uncle Tom". It really offended a lot of people to the point where producers intervened and explained over and over that it was offensive and why. Blahblah. He didn't care and just kept right on doing it.  I wonder if Carson has any similar stories. It wouldn't surprise me at all--and may be one reason he doesn't want formal, daily "I'm part of this presidency" associations.

Or, he just knows he's making a LOT more money doing what he is now.

This cheered me up a bit   Planned Parenthood Confirms 20,000 Donations In Mike Pence's Name

It's very heartening to see Americans step up to the plate when needed. Planned Parenthood will need all the help they can get. But looking ahead, there appears to be a gloomy future for Planned Parenthood. There will be many bills forthcoming that are pro-life and anti-abortion bills. There have been many in recent history that have been rejected by the House and Senate, then the Supreme court. But it will be a whole different thing now that Republicans control all 3 houses and Rove v Wade is in real jeopardy of being overturned and if that happens then Planned Parenthood will be underfunded and need all the support they can get for breast cancer screening, free HIV testing and education.

[Padma]

18 minutes ago, HumblePi said:

I see his rejecting any official offers for a cabinet post as a sign that he was never offered one and ordered to go. The core of the Trump administration doesn't wish to include anyone 'of color' and Ben Carson was being used during the campaign as a token. He fell for it. Now that he's no longer needed, they shooed him away. Ben Carson was far too 'kissy assing' during the campaign to be credible. He did it hoping for an appointment in the administration. Ben Carson was fact checked extensively during the debate process and has been proven to be one of the biggest liars of all the candidates.

I agree Carson was used by Trump but I think he still wants to appear "inclusive" as president. This means having incompetent women like lackey Sarah Palin in his cabinet and kiss ups like Carson, too. I actually believe them (well, kind of) when they say he could have been Sec of HHS but he turned it down.

First, that would have made him the front man in charge of dismantling Obamacare, and possibly Medicare and Medicaid, too--what a nightmare.  Also, he's seen Trump up close and, seriously, why would anyone want to be accountable to him? He's vile, takes no responsibility and has a horrible, abusive temper. I'm sure Carson thought there might be something in it for him, but I'm guessing it's all those lucrative speaking fees and book sales and maybe board of directorships now.  No reason to demean yourself further with Trump.

[MulletorHater]

49 minutes ago, DollEyes said:

  Talk about the inmates running the asylum! If the incompetence that Trump has shown this week alone is any indication, then this country is in for a long four years-if he lasts that long, which I doubt. 

As for hoping that Trump succeeds, succeeds at what? Lowering presidential standards? Giving bigotry a blank check? Tearing this country even further apart than ever? Hell no! I love America too much to let it go down without a fight and that's what I'm gonna do-fight. It's not just about hating Trump; it's about loving my country.  

We saw how chaotically things were run by Team Drumpf (i.e., Uday, Qusay, and Ivanka the Terrible) when they orchestrated that shit show called the GOP convention.  I said back then that this didn't bode well for how things would be run if that nectarine nightmare ended up in the White House.

I reject all notions and efforts to convince me to give that bastard and his horrid family a chance.  And, because I have to keep asking:  a chance at what?  Fucking this country up to the point where we no longer have a functioning democracy?  Turning a blind eye while chaos reigns?  Having the outgoing president going on a pre-apology tour to reassure our allies that the big baby in the White House won't mess his pants?  I won't even touch on saying goodbye to the safety net, which that smarmy bastard, Paul Ryan, has been trying to dismantle forever.  I am terrified that they are going to get away with it just like Drumpf has gotten away with everything he has done up to this point.  The normalization of the unthinkable has already begun.

Make America Great Again?  Based on what I've seen so far, their motto should be, We Do Whatever the Fuck We Want--Who's Gonna Stop Us?

[HumblePi]

Today the tenants of these three apartment buildings in the NY West Side said "yer outta heyah"

I'm editing because I saw something on the news while the 'TRUMP name in gold letters and all traces of them were being removed from these apartments. A reporter was standing across the street with one of the tenants of the building. The workers had already remove the letters and they were in the process of power washing all the dark shadows left behind on the concrete facade leaving not a spec to give any hint that Trump's name had ever been there.  The tenant, a woman, watched as they were power spraying commented, "this makes me think of the song 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair".  If anyone still believes that Trump is well liked in NYC, think again.

Edited November 17, 2016 by HumblePi

[FuriousStyles]

3 hours ago, Coffeecup said:

Remember when Trump shouted at black audiences at his campaign rallies: "What the hell have you got to lose?"

Well, with Trump's appointment of white supremacist Steve Bannon as chief strategist, here's what black Americans are at risk of losing: their civil rights, such as their right to vote, and their access to jobs and housing in a non-discriminatory environment; their physical safety; their dignity; and possibly their very survival.

I've been watching this documentary on Netflix called 13th.  It's about how the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery progressed into the criminization of black people (men more specifically).  Through the Jim Crow era, through the policies enacted by Nixon, Reagan and yes Bill Clinton and now how so many corporations (Victoria's Secret, AT&T, Idaho Potatoes, etc.etc.) use prisoners to manufacture their goods (modern day slavery).  Anyway, not to give anything away but there's a part in the doc where they show some of Trump's worst moments over the campaign season...where he'd had black people pushed and kicked out of his rallies...where you can hear him say "In the good old days, the police would treat them rough and they would think twice about protesting"...you have that juxtaposed with footage from the 50s and 60s with the exact the same thing happening....black people being pushed and spat on. It was very startling to watch.

This is why I hope Trump fails.  Call me Unamerican or whatever, but what Trump did...the things he said, and the people he appealed to?  I will never forgive or forget it.  He is not worthy of that Office and nor of my respect (and I'm sure he doesn't give a flying fuck about either). 

My real hope is that he fails so bigly and after he's impeached or has resigned that his reputation as a businessman is forever sullied, he loses a couple billion and one or more of those spoiled brats goes to prison for fraud or whatever.

Edited November 16, 2016 by FuriousStyles

[zxy556575]

For Trump supporters who are angry at being called racists, I wonder if terms like "racial anxiety" or "unconscious bias" would make them feel better? I know they're very much against the spread of "PC" language, but I'm willing to adapt to ease their minds.

This 30-year old test measures implicit associations and bias. Related exercises are available.

For any teachers, the Southern Poverty Law Center is looking for responses to their Post-Election School Climate Survey.

[Duke Silver]

[Shannon L.]

28 minutes ago, stewedsquash said:

I think the media is going to need a vacation after the 8 years are up. 

Oh dear, God....do we have to think of it as 8 years?  Can we just start with 4?  I don't think my heart or stomach can handle anything more right now. 

I still see him getting bored to death and giving up.  Now, whether he does that officially (which I doubt--he's going to want to keep his new title) or just lets Pence take over behind the scenes?  Time will tell.

[ClareWalks]

55 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

Next search: "What is cyber?"

[MulletorHater]

It just occurred to me that some incoming presidents take the time to read the biographies of former presidents such as FDR, Lincoln, Kennedy, Johnson, Reagan, etc. to get instruction and/or perspective on how to handle a transition.  They may even aspire to pattern their own governing philosophies on former presidents they admire.  Some incoming presidents try to do things to boost the confidence of voters to ensure them that they didn't make a mistake.  Even when they run on a theme of "change," they at least try to surround themselves with competent people and seriously vet potential hires.  It's just odd to me that the Obamas spent more time vetting pets for their children than Drumpf's team did in vetting people to run the administration.  With this bunch, it's all about score settling, purges, rewarding well-known failures trying to stay relevant and juvenile Tweets from a 70-year-old titty baby.

Why do I get the distinct impression that Drumpf and his team have been reading Lord of the Flies?  Fortunately, Coral Caligula doesn't have a horse that he can appoint as a senator to humiliate the Senate.

[NewDigs]

7 hours ago, candall said:

From everything I've heard in the last 24 hours, it sounds like Jared Kushner might be the one running the country.

 

Okay, let's get to work trying to figure out what this guy's all about.  If his hobby is crushing newborn kitten skulls, I'm braced, let's hear it.

.

Here's what the BBC has to say about Jared Kushner.

'Both Mr Kushner and Mr Trump inherited vast property empires from their fathers at a relatively young age, and their apparent bond may be based in part at least on similar experiences. Mr Trump's father, Frederick Christ Trump, was also a controversial figure who was taken to court for alleged racial discrimination in housing allocation. Trump senior, who was vigorously defended by his son Donald at the time, settled out of court without admitting guilt.'

Fred Trump's middle name is Christ?

One more BBC snippet:

'Mr Kushner and Mr Trump also share a complete lack of political experience. In his New York Observer editorial, Mr Kushner offered a politics-as-business approach instead.

"Government is built with many layers to avoid making mistakes," he wrote. "The problem with this is that it costs a lot and little gets done. In business, we empower smart people to get jobs done and give them latitude on how to get there."'

[BatmanBeatles]

When people who voted for Trump insist they are not associated with white supremacist groups I think of this quote from the third Indiana Jones movie:

Quote

Yet you stood up to be counted with the enemy of everything the Grail stands for. Who gives a damn what you think?!

[Guest]

Jezebel has an excerpt from Megyn Kelly's new book. This excerpt is particularly jarring:

Quote

One pro-Trump host called up a conservative writer who had been critical of Trump and told him: “You understand where this is going, right? He’s going to be president. It’s not too late for you to get on board. Get behind him.”

This host tries to be pass himself off as unbiased, as objective. But his behavior raises the question: How many other phone calls like that took place?

When it became too obvious that some media figures were in the tank, certain TV hosts actually took to gaming out with Trump in advance the hits they’d have to do on him occasionally to make themselves appear unbiased. I have been told this directly by more than one TV executive, at more than one network.

One news star would go over the subjects—and even the questions—with which he’d be challenging Trump just before their interviews. “I have to give you a hard time on X,” the host would explain, softening the on-air blow so the candidate would not get angry and cut off access.

Another very well known host would call Trump up before criticizing the candidate and warn him: “I have to hit you. I’m getting killed on credibility”—and Trump, the famous counterpuncher, mysteriously didn’t hit back after those pre-gamed attacks. Why do you think that was?

Top contenders: Hannity and the crew at Morning Joke. I find it interesting of the surety expressed by whomever it was who told her to "get behind" Trump. I got no love for Kelly, especially after making nice with Trump, but I have no reason to doubt her anecdotes aren't accurate here.

[Duke Silver]

Nice timing of the book's release by her & her publisher....