Post-Election Fears & Anxieties

[Pixel]

42 minutes ago, sleekandchic said:

This is a reply to wings's question about what we fear if Trump is elected. (So sorry about errant quote box.)

So many reasons, but I'll stick to my deepest concerns:

Trump is a liar and a phony.  And he lies so effortlessly.  "I never said that";  "I never met him, don't know who he is"; " I never touched any woman inappropriately; never met any of those lying accusers;  no one has more respect for women than I do."

And as he tells those lies, he KNOWS there is video and audio PROOF to show that he's lying.  But he doesn't care.

He can't be trusted by us or by our allies. No one can trust a chronic, pathological liar.

And the manner in which he pits American against American, and how he attempts to sow hate and distrust among us, all the while scapegoating people of different religions or origin or colors, make me see Hitler every time I look and listen to Trump.

Bannon and Conway are tortured dissemblers of the truth, using circuitous, doublespeak word salads and blatant hypocrisy to present their lies and obfuscations. They are Goebbels to Trump's Hitler.  And we will see and hear them every single day in a T administration.

Trump's promises to accomplish almost all his agenda on "Day One" betrays either a basic misunderstanding of our democracy and its mechanisms or, maybe worse, the Big Lies he's willing to tell his (mostly) poorly-educated supporters in order to get their votes.  He won't care if they're disappointed when they realize they've been betrayed.

And I believe that Trump has no interest in governing.  He wants to be a monarch; he wants to do the photo ops, the state dinners, the international travel.  He wants to be introduced by trumpet flourishes.  He, therefore, will turn over the daily nitty gritty to Pence, an irrational, ridiculous, hypocritical bigot, who believes he can pray the gay away and mandate funerals for fetuses whose mothers legally abort.

I believe FBI Director James Comey intervened improperly last Friday to derail HRC's path and to prop up Trump's.  The basic dirty nature of what he did last week needs to be repudiated and rejected.  Manipulating an election is unAmerican and treasonous.  We need to send our response loud and clear on November 8th. And we need to be prepared that Comey might not be finished with Hillary yet.

President Obama has been a statesman, an intellectual, a humanitarian and a gentleman of the highest order.  I so much respect his constant efforts to measure his words when speaking  -- to be thoughtful in how he expresses himself as our representative to the world.   His efforts always to use diplomacy before considering military intervention are praiseworthy.

The thought that Mr Obama could be replaced by that ignorant, lying, racist, misogynist person, as MY president,  makes me sick.  

And with Trump's ultra-thin skin, his hair-trigger temper and his self-confessed ignorance and lack of any intellectual curiosity, yes, I believe he will want to use nuclear weapons to even scores and to put other countries in their place.  If Trump teams with Putin and the other despots he admires, God help our world.  He will be commander in chief, and in the final analysis, no check or balance or cooler head will stop him from doing what he wants to do.  Add to all that,  the fact that the Trump Organization will continue with business as usual with his children in charge,  and  Donald Trump's every decision, domestic and foreign, will be with HIS financial interests of primary concern

Donald Trump can never be a worthwhile  steward of the United States.  He will destroy us in a hundred ways.  He doesn't love his country.  I don't believe he loves ANYBODY (including his children or grandchildren) other than himself.  He is dangerous.

A million likes for this. Yes!

[NewDigs]

[fastiller]

Re cats in shops: they keep them free from vermin. 

Over in another of the Current Events threads someone mentioned that a pair of school officials dressed as Trump & Clinton for Hallowe'en and that Clinton was in an orange jumpsuit.  I prefer these Hallowe'en costumes (and she's cute so it may help alleviate the anxiety for a bit):

[Menrva]

Because I'm feeling sad and anxious this morning, I thought I'd share cute animals.

 

[honeydo7]

Reading former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, currently running for Louisiana US Senate seat, said yesterday Jews running the "media," & "international banking," are the cause of all the problems in the world...... IS NOT HELPING!   In the words of the first Mrs. Trump, "If you rid the USA of all undesirables, who will clean our homes &  drive us around." 

[fastiller]

1 minute ago, honeydo7 said:

 In the words of the first Mrs. Trump, "If you rid the USA of all undesirables, who will clean our homes &  drive us around." 

For the better part of the 90s and the 00s my husband & I (along with several friends) rented a house out on the East End of Long Island.  There's a 7-Eleven on -- I think -- Route 27 in Southampton.  For all these years, almost every time we passed it there was a guy protesting against illegal immigration outside it.  All I could think of was "how expensive would a salad be?"

[honeydo7]

Even scarier are the daily rants, I hear from Trump-Fanatic supporting friends & neighbors (who've been retired for years) that, "Illegals are taking all of our jobs!" 

[Moose135]

3 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I'm trying to believe that the Cubs winning is a sign that everything is going to be ok.

Or a sign of the Apocalypse, but I like your idea better. :-)

[Janet Snakehole]

Word to everything that sleakandchic said.

And the scary part to me is that despite the lying and him being dangerous seeming so obvious to so many, if he wins, it means that there is a substantial part of the country that doesn't see this or is not willing to see this. It scares me enough that he was able to win the primary. But the election? The fact that it is this close and so many are throwing their support behind him makes me question people who I used to think wanted the best for this country just like I do, in my mind they just had a different path of how to get the country in a better place. If he wins, the political climate really about feelings and fear, not hope and facts.

[walnutqueen]

,Quoting myself from the Braindead forum, because the "feelings and fear" bias is a real thing:

 

On 07/16/2016 at 7:33 AM, walnutqueen said:

Close, actually.  Anterior cingulate cortex vs amygdala.  Some studies have found structural differences in the liberal & conservative brains :  https://braindecoder.com/post/politics-neuroscience-1282982492 

Edited November 3, 2016 by walnutqueen
you really should read the linked article - it is FASCINATING (and short!)

[MulletorHater]

30 minutes ago, Janet Snakehole said:

Word to everything that sleakandchic said.

And the scary part to me is that despite the lying and him being dangerous seeming so obvious to so many, if he wins, it means that there is a substantial part of the country that doesn't see this or is not willing to see this. It scares me enough that he was able to win the primary. But the election? The fact that it is this close and so many are throwing their support behind him makes me question people who I used to think wanted the best for this country just like I do, in my mind they just had a different path of how to get the country in a better place. If he wins, the political climate really about feelings and fear, not hope and facts.

I stopped questioning that 7 years ago when I realized that there were lawmakers who were willing to drive all of us off of a cliff because they refused to countenance a Black man in the White House.  And, these are the same people who were willing to deny health care coverage to the uninsured, as well as gamble with the credibility of the United States' ability to meet its debts.  Despicable, the whole lot of them.

That's why I marvel that anyone could be genuinely shocked by the weasel, Paul Ryan, and his decision to vote for the nectarine nightmare.  The very night that President Obama was making his rounds at the various inaugural balls, Ryan and a few other lawmakers met in secret at the Caucus Room Restaurant to plot how they would obstruct everything this president did.  Every time I see that weasel and hear his voice, I want to vomit.

The only difference between those people and Drumpf's surrogates and acolytes is that they're not hiding anything.  It's all out there in plain sight and they're proud of it.

[muessigkeit]

I'm German. In the 13 years I went to school the topic most covered was WWII and Hitler's rise to power. Every year we had history class we'd start with that topic and then circle back to WWI. Every year in German class we read an autobiography from that time, post-war poetry and short stories, or the curriculum would find another way to talk about that topic like learning speech analysis by reading the White Rose flyers for example. The topic was covered in PoliSci class, in foreign language classes, in educational science class... The message that has been drilled into my head over and over again is "We can never allow this to happen again. It is our responsibility to prevent something like this from ever happening again."

And now I'm sitting here, in my bedroom in Germany, and I'm seeing all the parallels between Trump's campaign and Hitler's (the scapegoating of a religious minority, the "We need to make our country great again" rhetoric, even the refusal of some liberals to hold their nose and compromise to prevent what they see as the worse of two evils) and there is literally nothing I can do about it. I feel completely helpless.

[Menrva]

Tell me about it! I'm jewish and my kids are learning about WW2 and the Holocaust and seeing what is happening in this election and suffice it to say, we're all scared shitless. I'm so goddamn angry about this and how powerless I feel to stop the hate. And I'm angry about the people who say both Hillary and Trump are equally bad. No, they are not even remotely equally bad. And I'm sick and tired of people whining about purity and how they wish there was someone they could believe in. And how they get all self-righteous and say, see, this two party system is so corrupt, we need to burn it down. They're as bad as Trump who says this country is a cesspool. This country is not a steaming pit - it's actually pretty great. My dad is an immigrant and he was able to build a good life for us; my sibling, who was born with some serious birth defects, was able to get the surgery she needed to live a better life, not to mention, she has the right to marry who she chooses and not be persecuted because she's gay. I'm sick of the flag waving assholes who parade around proclaiming their "patriotism" when they don't lift a finger to help those less fortunate. Who will never face discrimination because they're white, male, straight christians. I love this country too - I just don't need everyone to salute me for doing the right thing. I donate what I can, I volunteer when I'm able, I try to be a decent human being to those around me.

I remember when the Republican National Convention was held in NYC. Most New Yorkers were irritated to have their routine interrupted by throngs of delegates, many of whom had never been to NYC before. I was headed home on the subway one evening, when I saw a group of women who were clearly lost, studying a subway map and looking totally perplexed. They were wearing american flag vests and lots of buttons proclaiming their support for Bush - part of me snickered at them disdainfully. Then I felt immediately ashamed, because once, I was the befuddled visitor and someone was kind to me and helped me find my way. I went up to them and asked if I could help. They looked so relieved and told me where they were trying to get to. I knew they'd never find their way through the rabbit warren of tunnels below, so I told them to follow me and I'd get them to the right subway line. I've forgotten where they were from, but they'd never left their own state before. They had spent the day at Ground Zero and asked me if I'd been there (I wasn't, but watched from across the Hudson) and they commented on how surprised they were at how nice people were in the city. Finally we got to the proper platform and I made sure they got on the right train. "We're not all assholes," I told them. "Besides, someone was nice to me when I was new here, so I know how it feels."

I share this not because I need a pat on the back, but because I need to remind myself that Trump supporters are still fellow citizens too. That despite my utter loathing for their candidate, I have to try even harder to be civil. Even if they do not reciprocate. I still have to share this country with them. I have to set a good example as a person and a parent. It's so goddamn hard sometimes. I need to have hope that my candidate will win, but if she doesn't I have to hope in humanity that all the good in America will prevail. I have to believe that, because I cannot let the bastards grind me down.

[DeLurker]

Stress reliever:  I try to test if I have ever had an original thought by Googling it and seeing what comes up.  I have yet to have an original one, but I have found amusing pictures evidencing other minds ramble along the same path.  My results for "turtle cozy" and "tortilla origami" follow.  The crane is actually a wonton skin (considerably more impressive imo).

[thosme]

I have a colonoscopy on Monday.  Would it be wrong to ask if I could stay asleep to Wednesday ?  (I already voted.). My husband and I already figured out, he could take me on a gurney and roll me into the back of the SUV.  Then with couple of pillows and blankets I would be okay there until everything was over. I usually withdraw from civilization until after elections anyway.

[Pixel]

9 minutes ago, thosme said:

I have a colonoscopy on Monday.  Would it be wrong to ask if I could stay asleep to Wednesday ?  (I already voted.). My husband and I already figured out, he could take me on a gurney and roll me into the back of the SUV.  Then with couple of pillows and blankets I would be okay there until everything was over. I usually withdraw from civilization until after elections anyway.

You'll pretty much be exhausted anyway, so you should be able to nap through the whole thing without too much effort.

[Padma]

3 hours ago, Menrva said:

 

Reassuring poll numbers from HuffPo article with 5 days to go.

[EyewatchTV211]

1 hour ago, Padma said:

Reassuring poll numbers from HuffPo article with 5 days to go.

Any reassuring stats on senate seats?

[SoDak girl]

I, too, am not managing this run-up to election very well.  Trump is morally bankrupt and gives not a fig for me or my down syndrome niece, or my gay niece, or my sister who will likely not have Social Security, and I can go on and on.  He is a terrible choice for our country and I can only pray that there are really enough people with good sense who will vote and resoundingly reject him. Having said that, I have to agree with the comments above regarding the Republican party and their complete lack of interest in representing anyone who does not hold their "family values" (term used loosely) as sacrosanct as they do.  They are in a world of hurt, which was started about 15 years ago with the advent of entertainers like Rush Limbaugh, Hugh Hewitt, Glen Beck and the like.  The leaders ceded over their party to these hate-mongers who spew racism, misogyny, homophobia, islamophobia into the air waves for people who want to be validated for having such a narrow-minded view of the US.  It is a terrible problem that they have created, and now it is going to become our problem if Trump is elected.  Just be sure to vote on Nov 8 and pray that whatever major power you may believe in will save our democracy.  

[SoDak girl]

Now to be really snarky, does anyone else think Melania Trump talking about bullying today is really, really ironic??? In a nutshell, this is the disconnect of that candidate and his team from the average citizen.

[Danny Franks]

So Trump is up in New Hampshire, Hillary is up in Nevada, Colorado and Florida, and they're neck and neck in Georgia? Some things aren't adding up here. I'm starting to think that we'll see the polls stabilise in the next few days, to pretty much the same levels they were before last Friday. A lot of experienced poll analysts are saying that this looks like it's more about Democrats not wanting to answer the phone after the bad news about Hillary, just like Trump's really low points after the video were probably exaggerated by his supporters not wanting to answer the phones.

And I'm starting to think that this nail-biter is being at least partly manufactured by the media who, as I just got finished saying in the Trumpster thread, chase sensation at the cost of reason and reality at every opportunity. If that's true, then Hillary may end up with about 330 Electoral College votes, and the Trumpster will be so humiliated you'll be able to see the red face under that perma-tan orange glow.

[Spartan Girl]

1 minute ago, SoDak girl said:

Now to be really snarky, does anyone else think Melania Trump talking about bullying today is really, really ironic??? In a nutshell, this is the disconnect of that candidate and his team from the average citizen.

"Ironic" wouldn't be my word for it. Talking about how the Internet has gotten so mean...gee, you don't think your damn husband had a hand in it?! This idiot puppet cannot replace Michelle Obama.

[millennium]

You know who's even more egotistical than Trump?

Gary Johnson.

I can't believe that moron is sitting on 5% of the votes given what's at stake.

Edited November 3, 2016 by millennium

[fastiller]

14 minutes ago, SoDak girl said:

Now to be really snarky, does anyone else think Melania Trump talking about bullying today is really, really ironic??? In a nutshell, this is the disconnect of that candidate and his team from the average citizen.

Some folks at Twitter didn't get the sarcasm in this one (it's tough to use sarcasm tags in under 140 characters):

 

[Grommet]

My hip replacement surgery went well, I've got a sweet private room (just lucky), and i'm pleasantly fuzzy. Do I dare watch the news or will it harsh my mellow? 

I too am taking the Cubs winning as a good omen.

[Danny Franks]

4 minutes ago, millennium said:

You know who's even more egotistical than Drumpf?

Gary Johnson.

I can't believe that moron is sitting on 5% of the votes given what's at stake.

I'm happy for him to do that, given that he's likely to be serving as a palatable alternative to Trump for some Republicans. But third party candidates in US politics are pretty ridiculous. I can only assume it's a way of making a bit of money, through the fundraising and publicity, because it sure as hell isn't about making a difference. They don't even get invited to the debates.

I just thought Evil McMuffin might take Utah away from Trump, but it looks like those good, godfearing Mormons are flocking back to the GOP and the man they should refuse to vote for with every fibre in their beings.

[backformore]

the 538 site - Hillary's numbers have been dropping steadily, from 79 a week or so ago, to 64 this morning. 

Now up to 66 - going in the right direction I hope?   

Come ON, Florida and Arizona!!!

[Danny Franks]

So for anyone who needs a bit of a laugh, r/politics has a thread reporting that  Fox have been made aware of an upstart conservative news network that's being planned (which is most definitely not Trump TV. Absolutely not).

https://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/5ay0xp/fox_news_obtains_casting_notice_for_upandcoming/

Anyway, there are some pure gold suggestions for potential shows on it. Naptime with Ben Carson is one I would absolutely watch.

[onthebrink03]

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

And I'm starting to think that this nail-biter is being at least partly manufactured by the media who, as I just got finished saying in the Trumpster thread, chase sensation at the cost of reason and reality at every opportunity. If that's true, then Hillary may end up with about 330 Electoral College votes, and the Trumpster will be so humiliated you'll be able to see the red face under that perma-tan orange glow.

From your lips...

*concerned Canadian who's with her*

[Shannon L.]

There is something called the Princeton Election Consortium that apparently had been more accurate than 538 and has correctly predicted the presidential election for the past several elections.  They have HRC winning with 313 electoral votes with a 63% probability of democratic senate control (as of today, anyway)

http://election.princeton.edu

[33kaitykaity]

9 hours ago, muessigkeit said:

I'm German. In the 13 years I went to school the topic most covered was WWII and Hitler's rise to power. Every year we had history class we'd start with that topic and then circle back to WWI. Every year in German class we read an autobiography from that time, post-war poetry and short stories, or the curriculum would find another way to talk about that topic like learning speech analysis by reading the White Rose flyers for example. The topic was covered in PoliSci class, in foreign language classes, in educational science class... The message that has been drilled into my head over and over again is "We can never allow this to happen again. It is our responsibility to prevent something like this from ever happening again."

And now I'm sitting here, in my bedroom in Germany, and I'm seeing all the parallels between Trump's campaign and Hitler's (the scapegoating of a religious minority, the "We need to make our country great again" rhetoric, even the refusal of some liberals to hold their nose and compromise to prevent what they see as the worse of two evils) and there is literally nothing I can do about it. I feel completely helpless.

You shared with us.  That's doing something.  Thank you.  ;)

[ruby24]

I think Hillary's going to outperform her polls, especially among Hispanic voters and women. But I want to say something about 538, because I notice a lot of people are very dependent on it. I'm not this year.

I'm someone who's followed Nate Silver since the very early days of 2008, when he first started doing this, and through 2012. He is NOT the same guy that he once was. He's become a shrieking hysteric, his numbers are all over the place, his comments are downright bizarre and he sounds nothing like he used to...the only thing I can make of it is that his entire attitude was flipped when he whiffed it on the Trump nomination, and he was so humiliated (after his near perfect record up until then), that he no longer has any confidence in the data. His model isn't the same one that he used before either.

I hate to say this, but I just don't trust him this time around. He literally said weeks ago that anything could happen, from a narrow Trump victory, to a narrow Hillary one, to a Hillary landslide. Oh, really? Thanks, that's helpful. He's covering all his bases because he doesn't have the confidence in his model that he did before, in my opinion. There's also too many crappy polls out there weighted into the averages.

So I am not reliant on him like I was in the last two elections. He's become too erratic.

Edited November 4, 2016 by ruby24

[GHScorpiosRule]

51 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

So I am reliant on him like I was in the last two elections. He's become too erratic.

@ruby24, I think you mean you're not as reliant on him like you were in the last two elections.

[backformore]

4 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

There is something called the Princeton Election Consortium that apparently had been more accurate than 538 and has correctly predicted the presidential election for the past several elections.  They have HRC winning with 313 electoral votes with a 63% probability of democratic senate control (as of today, anyway)

http://election.princeton.edu

The main difference, as far as I can tell (I didn't study it too carefully)  is that the Princeton site has Hillary winning FLorida and N Carolina. 

[Spartan Girl]

I hit my mute button whenever I see footage of Trump so I no longer have to hear all the bull he spews. That kind of helps too.

Although I still say that I hate him on a fairly regular basis. My mom tells me not to het upset, but then I tell her that I'm not angry when I say it anymore: I'm just stating a fact. The sky is blue and I hate Trump.

[DeLurker]

I was just making dinner plans with a relative for next week - they suggested Tuesday or Wednesday.  I said Tuesday is better in case the Apocalypse happened and there was no Wednesday.

[fastiller]

@DeLurker - HAHA!!!

[NinjaPenguins]

I almost bought a bottle of champagne last night, but I froze up and wondered if that would jinx things. I don't consider myself a superstitious person, but this election has upset my mental apple cart. Also if the unthinkable happened, I might drink the whole bottle in under five minutes.

[DeLurker]

My anxiety actually has me stress eating today which is a really unusual thing.  Normally when I am stressed, I can't handle food.

I've consumed enough Cheetos to ensure I have a stroke or a heart attack any minute now.  The Cheetos just happened to be what was on hand, nothing symbolic...unless his Orangeness winning the election brings on the heart attack and/or stroke which the Cheetos primed me for.

[Darian]

I realized I had a dental cleaning Wednesday that I had already rescheduled twice. I called to reschedule and apologized and said, "I just...the election...I can't," and the receptionist said, "Oh, my God. I'm supposed to work that day." And I said, "If you call in sick, I won't tell on you." And we laughed, and I rescheduled. I don't know if she's for Hillary or Trump, but she got it right away.   

[Menrva]

This is Trump in food form: orange, artificial and surrounded by nuts.

 

[molshoop]

Here is a prediction that doesn't rely on any polls.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/01/news/economy/hillary-clinton-win-forecast-moodys-analytics/

Also the stock market has been dropping every day that Trump moves up in the polls. Anyone who

has substantial investments wont be voting for him

[ebk57]

1 hour ago, NinjaPenguins said:

I almost bought a bottle of champagne last night, but I froze up and wondered if that would jinx things. I don't consider myself a superstitious person, but this election has upset my mental apple cart. Also if the unthinkable happened, I might drink the whole bottle in under five minutes.

Never hesitate to buy and drink champagne - for any reason!  I always have a bottle or two on the wine rack...just in case...of anything.

 

Not to belabor the point, but I'm listening to "Hamilton" again.  And again.  It helps.

[Pixel]

22 minutes ago, molshoop said:

Here is a prediction that doesn't rely on any polls.

http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/01/news/economy/hillary-clinton-win-forecast-moodys-analytics/

Also the stock market has been dropping every day that Trump moves up in the polls. Anyone who

has substantial investments wont be voting for him

On that note, what can you do to protect yourself? I have a substantial 403 B account at work. I'm nowhere near an age where I can withdraw from it. I'm seriously concerned that if Trump prevails, I will have nothing for my retirement. 

[BW Manilowe]

If you are/were a The West Wing fan, & are a Hillary fan, remember not to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing! If you happen to, go outside, turn around 3 times, & spit. Just saying.

[DeLurker]

2 hours ago, Menrva said:

This is Trump in food form: orange, artificial and surrounded by nuts.

 

President Trump and his top advisors.

[Darian]

Ah, I see the Election Night Live Chat Thread is up (locked, of course) and that makes me smile. I wish I could host or attend a gathering, but I can't and my husband won't be awake with me (he has to get up before dawn and is someone who needs his sleep). I have a Hillary group that will be chatting, and surely my Facebook feed will be crazy, and there will be texts and calls, but honestly, I wouldn't feel right without chatting with you all on Tuesday night.  Thank you, saoirse. 

[molshoop]

1 hour ago, Pixel said:

On that note, what can you do to protect yourself? I have a substantial 403 B account at work. I'm nowhere near an age where I can withdraw from it. I'm seriously concerned that if Trump prevails, I will have nothing for my retirement.

I'm living on a small fixed income.  Whatever "extra" bucks I could squeeze out of my budget, I've invested in Hillary.  Just getting an email from

Joe Biden made it worthwhile !

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, Pixel said:

On that note, what can you do to protect yourself? I have a substantial 403 B account at work. I'm nowhere near an age where I can withdraw from it. I'm seriously concerned that if Trump prevails, I will have nothing for my retirement. 

DON'T PANIC.     I saw a lot of people "lose" their retirement savings because they sold at a loss when stocks crashed, rather than sitting calmly and letting things run their course.   If you are nowhere near retirement age and have a solid diversified portfolio, you'll be just fine in the long run.

[fastiller]

Sitting at the hairdresser. One of the employee's husband is here, talking to another customer about how wonderful DJT is and how terrible HRC is. P.TV family, give me strength. 

Breathing.