Post-Election Fears & Anxieties

[Chicken Wing]

I'm just going to sit in the corner and hum to myself until 2020.

[glowlights]

24 minutes ago, Chicken Wing said:

Exit polls did say that 7 in 10 Trump supporters feel society was better in the 1950s than it is today. I'm sure they're just talking about jobs and the economy, though. Yeah, that's it.

I live in a pretty progressive bubble so my direct contact with Trump supporters is admittedly limited, but the second-biggest Trump supporter I know has an absolute fixation on the 50s as some sort of social paradise, in which Jesus ruled the land, men were virtuous, everyone was heterosexual, honest and true, and bad things only happened to bad people. For her, Trump somehow signals a return to this. It has nothing to do with the economy and jobs. It has everything to do with a white protestant Shangri-La.

[glowlights]

24 minutes ago, candall said:

No streaming available. Barely "page loading."

The TuneIn app didn't load for me but it's working on Flash player and iTunes.

[ari333]

14 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

So let's fucking do it. Start to movement to get rid of it now. It's NOT democracy. Hillary won the vote, period. Other countries are appalled by us. A modern society does not give the election to the person who lost the vote. There is no reason to say only certain people's votes count. I'm furious about this.

THIS. It makes me feel that I don't matter... and obviously I don't. HRC received more votes, yet she LOST. This is 2016 not the 1700/1800's  . I'm still angry.. livid angry. Forgive my ranting.

[Spartan Girl]

I think this clip sums up where I am right now:

I know this all seems bad -- it is bad.  But watching the anti-Trump protests made me realize something: we might have to accept him as President (*chokes back vomit*), but we don't have to accept his racist, homophobic, xenophobic, sexist policies.

I am not ready to accept this as the U.S. apocalypse.  Let Trump and his stooges think he won.  Let his all his supporters gloat about how they beat the "liberal elitists" and took "their" country back.  We know better.  We will survive this.  Like John Belushi said, nothing is over until we decide it is. Whether it's four years from now or longer, Trump and his administration will go down.  It's just a matter of how and when.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Spartan Girl

[kassa]

Quote

I'm trying to steel myself for the coming United States of Jesus. The loving evangelical christians are now in full control and will have the weight of the federal government behind them.

If there's one thing Trump is not, it's an evangelical Christian.  Yes, he pandered to them for votes.  Yes, Pence is a nut who may end up with too much power.  But what we've seen of Trump's character and behavior shows that any given perceived slight on Pence's part (or too much credit being given to Pence as the real power in the White House) could result in Trump openly despising and demeaning Pence in private and in public, actively working against what Pence wants... just because. The same goes for all of them.  

As awful as Trump is on so many levels, his religious conviction is so shallow as to be meaningless.  Hell, all of his convictions are.  So as fearful as we are right to be about him acting on things he's said, each month will bring new enemies that he needs to vanquish... and it will not surprise me if enemies within the GOP take up a lot of that time and energy.  

[ari333]

6 minutes ago, glowlights said:

I live in a pretty progressive bubble so my direct contact with Trump supporters is admittedly limited, but the second-biggest Trump supporter I know has an absolute fixation on the 50s as some sort of social paradise, in which Jesus ruled the land, men were virtuous, everyone was heterosexual, honest and true, and bad things only happened to bad people. For her, Trump somehow signals a return to this. It has nothing to do with the economy and jobs. It has everything to do with a white protestant Shangri-La.

THIS.

And women were groped and raped and blamed bc they were wearing the "wrong" thing and "asking for it."

Deaths by back alley abortions.

Good times

[Chicken Wing]

I know. Can't wait to go to the back of the bus.

[catrox14]

I've been trying to hold on to the faint hope that some folks in the Electoral College will go rogue and not cast votes for Trump.

[glowlights]

2 minutes ago, ari333 said:

THIS.

And women were groped and raped and blamed bc they were wearing the "wrong" thing and "asking for it."

Deaths by back alley abortions.

Good times

Yes well, she thinks bad things only happened to bad people. In her mind, if you're dressed "like you want it" or get an abortion, it's your own fault if you get raped or bleed to death. That was justice in the good old 50s. Make America Great Again! :(

Did I mention this person wasn't even alive in the 50s?

[debbie311]

I am a Democrat and proud of it, but I sometimes watch Fox News to get the other side, and sometimes listen to Rush Limbaugh, who is a vile man.  Just now, I heard him say that Republicans should not want unity with Democrats, that they should view Democrats in the same way the United States viewed Japan during WWII!  And he is already setting the stage for Trump caving on some of his promises -- and blaming the Democrats!!  What!   You idiot!  Your guy won.  Stop blaming the Democrats for everything!  I am livid.  He is poison.  I am willing to move on now, but, and my husband predicted this, they will continue to blame Hillary and the Democrats when they fail in years to come.

[FuriousStyles]

36 minutes ago, candall said:

How ABOUT everyone gets an equal vote and they all count?  Including, just to go crazy over the top with fairness, the residents of DC?  And the citizens of US Samoa, etc?

I think Obama has the currency to make it happen.

How about ex-cons and people currently in prison?  If anyone thinks its a coincidence that half the prisons are filled with black people and other minorities and convicts arent allowed to vote I dont know what to tell you. 

I was watching a Michael Moore doc over the weekend. I forget the name of it, but he traveled to various European countries looking at policies that could do wonders for us here in the US (free higher education in Slovenia, rehabilitation focused prison culture in Norway, decriminalization of all drug use in Portugal, etc) anyway...while in Norway they showed footage of candidates having their debates INSIDE the prison because their votes still counted. 

The GOP has a long history of disenfranchising people.  That is how they think.  Only their vote (voice) matters.  Everybody else just needs to shut up and deal with whatever they do.  Which is why it saddens me when so many people dont exercise their right to vote.  

[Lantern7]

Fuck me, and fuck Rush. I'm hoping he'll need surgery soon, and the only person who could operate on him is Michael J. Fox.

I go to Jon Stewart's disciples for my news fix. Thanks to Tuesday, they could be deported to their nations of origin. And I'm convinced the same would happen to Larry Wilmore if he still had a show, and I'm aware that he's from around here.

[clb1016]

17 minutes ago, ari333 said:

THIS. It makes me feel that I don't matter... and obviously I don't. HRC received more votes, yet she LOST. This is 2016 not the 1700/1800's  . I'm still angry.. livid angry. Forgive my ranting.

This makes 2 out of the past 5 Presidential elections in which the Rep candidate took the White House despite the Dem candidate winning the popular vote.

[Curio]

Quote

And Ive never been one who believes that just because you have a college degree means you're automatically smarter than someone who doesnt (Bush graduated from Yale afterall ) but I think its very telling that Trump won such a huge number of the non college educated population.  I would actually like to know what the percentage is of non educated people who identify as Republican vs Democrat. 

 

According to this poll, college graduates and postgraduates were more likely to vote for Hillary, and people without college degrees or high school degrees were more likely to vote for Trump. While I certainly don't think someone has to attend college to be successful, nor is it an accurate measurement of IQ, I do think having a higher education is essential to becoming more informed about issues and it also gives you a better understanding of the world. It's maddening to know that the next four years have been decided for me by millions of people who probably couldn't even list the three branches of government. I'll admit I laughed when the main Google search after Brexit was, "What is Brexit?" I honestly didn't think it could happen again.

While I'm less angry than before, I doubt I'll ever become less bitter about this whole election. As someone who values rational thinking and empathy, it is simply incomprehensible that millions of Americans decided that Trump was the answer to everything. I'm watching interviews of Trump supporters on television and they all seem to have a very narrow grasp on how politics work. One mentioned he voted for Trump because Hillary is a liar, yet he didn't care that Trump lied at every debate. Another supporter was excited because Trump was going to help education, even though many GOP leaders have been taking funding away from education across the United States for years now. Another supporter was sick of the rich getting richer, yet he voted a billionaire into office. Another was certain Trump would make their community safer, but his vitriol over the past year will only cause more division and anger in the country.

Quote

The left is always going to be delivering a message of 'this is how we can help everyone.' And that just doesn't resonate the same way in this individualistic, self-absorbed world we live in. It's a challenge that those in powerful positions on the left have to find an answer to.

 

 

 And therein lies the main issue: how do you get millions of people to become more selfless? The left's message is usually tied to helping others while the right's message is helping the individual. I voted for Hillary because I wanted a leader who could be professional and represent America with dignity when she met with international leaders like Angela Merkel; my family voted for Trump because they're afraid of Democrats stealing their money and giving it to the poor. When you learn more about the world around you, the more your eyes open to other people's issues and pain. Would a redneck vote for Trump if they were forced to live with an African-American family in Chicago for a year? What would a rich, white high schooler think about living in a third world country for a semester? These are the kinds of experiences people need to have to become more politically informed, but most people are fine living in their small communities and never stepping out of their comfort zones. 

Quote

But it's true that being a non-college-educated working class citizen is not the secure life that it was decades ago, and many of those jobs and even industries are becoming increasingly marginalized and automated and obsolete. But that's progress. It's improvement and innovation, not stagnation. Times change. You have to change with them or risk being left behind.

 

 

 Progress would be turning the obsolete manufacturing job into clean energy jobs. Turning back the clock is Trump ignoring the EPA and removing environmental restrictions so those jobs can continue for a few more years, before they inevitably become obsolete again.

Quote

If the news was actually impartial and factual like it used to be, then this wouldn't be such a problem.

 Sadly, people don't want to hear facts anymore. I tried to use facts when talking to my conservative friends and family this election and was promptly met with unfactual responses. How do you discuss important issues with people who are unwilling to admit they're wrong?

Quote

I've been trying to hold on to the faint hope that some folks in the Electoral College will go rogue and not cast votes for Trump.

This is why the protests aren't useless. It would certainly be a first, but this entire election has been full of firsts.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Curio

[Chicken Wing]

Quote

Sadly, people don't want to hear facts anymore. I tried to use facts when talking to my conservative friends and family this election and was promptly met with unfactual responses. How do you discuss important issues with people who are unwilling to admit they're wrong?

I'm immediately reminded of a segment on CNN (sigh, CNN...) a few weeks ago where one of the reporters was out interviewing people waiting outside a Trump rally somewhere. He was talking to this middle-aged couple who, among other things, criticized Obama for taking time to campaign on Hillary's behalf. They were outraged at the idea, because that has never happened. No president actually campaigns on behalf of a candidate for election. How dare he? The reporter gently tried to inform them that, yes, this has happened, happens all the time, for example Reagan was out for George H.W. Bush back in '88, and the couple just vehemently insisted that that never happened, it doesn't happen and Obama is completely out of line. They were fact-checked right to their face and they still didn't believe what they were being told.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Chicken Wing said:

They were fact-checked right to their face and they still didn't believe what they were being told.

Whether we like it or not, we have to accept the idea we live in a post-factual society. It's not enough to be presented with a fact that corrects your misconception because if you believe that misconception that's all it takes for the lie to become fact. I don't know how to correct this mindset -- I don't know if it's even possible to do. 

Reality has become biblical - if you believe it's true, say, for instance, the creation story, that's good enough for it to be true.

[Watermelon]

1 hour ago, ruby24 said:

So let's fucking do it. Start to movement to get rid of it now. It's NOT democracy. Hillary won the vote, period. Other countries are appalled by us. A modern society does not give the election to the person who lost the vote. There is no reason to say only certain people's votes count. I'm furious about this.

The Republicans are NEVER going to get rid of the electoral college as long as it benefits them. This is the 2nd time in 20 years it has worked in their favor...But it absolutely never hurts to try.

[ruby24]

I'm feeling scared again that we're being naive in being forced to normalize this. The guy has fascist leanings, it's not an exaggeration. What happens when he has real power? The sick feeling is coming back, because I think the Republicans might roll over for this.

The Democrats HAVE to be our Tea Party- they might be the only ones protecting democracy. I'm suddenly feeling like maybe our institutions are weaker than we think, because we don't have both parties defending them.

[ari333]

There is something that helped my anxiety slightly. It was the protests in NY (Rump Tower) (15 arrested *sigh*) , Chicago, LA, and Oakland. "Trump is not my president." I hope to see more protests; not violence, but forceful, loud protests. I would try to organize one here in my neighborhood, but I think my bf and I would be standing alone. Not that that will dissuade us. We just wont likely get media coverage.

I guess it makes me feel a little better to know that Rump will hear (and heard last night) thousands of people chanting against him. Suck on that, Agent Orange.  

Edited November 10, 2016 by Lisin
Fixed spoiler box issue

[Danny Franks]

18 minutes ago, Giant Misfit said:

Whether we like it or not, we have to accept the idea we live in a post-factual society. It's not enough to be presented with a fact that corrects your misconception because if you believe that misconception that's all it takes for the lie to become fact. I don't know how to correct this mindset -- I don't know if it's even possible to do. 

Reality has become biblical - if you believe it's true, say, for instance, the creation story, that's good enough for it to be true.

That's the problem. John Oliver highlighted it a few weeks back, with that video clip of Gingrich arguing with a woman on CNN about violent crime. He said it was the highest it's ever been, she said it was actually lower than it has been in years. Gingrich then twisted the argument and said that people felt it was higher, therefore it was. He said he was more interested in people's feelings than in some silly facts. Feelings = facts.

It's truly dispiriting to hear people talk like that, and to have rational points met with a stampede of close-minded ignorance. There are millions upon millions of people who simply will not ever hear a counter argument and be swayed.

[catrox14]

I've tried to figure out how Trump ever got this far, and IMO he pulled off the biggest sale/con of his life.

He sold his followers a bill of goods not worth the paper it's not printed on.  He and his cohorts created a false narrative back when Trump tweeted his slogan of "Make America Great Again" which implied that America was not great already and sold it to the folks that were predisposed to believe it because of their own fears and life problems and latent bigotry and resentments. He preyed on them. He traded on hatred, bigotry, fear, resentment

He created a non-existent narrative, and made them believe it and made them believe only he could fix it. If they ever took a moment to listen to his actual speeches he says literally nothing substantial. He never offered clear specifics as to how things would get done. That's why he never said anything of substance during the debates because he had no substance to offer.  That's why his surrogates were always saying something to "clarify" his remarks which wasn't really clarifying anything because the things like the border wall, deporting millions of people, getting rid of Obamacare (instead of calling it the Affordable Care Act), talking about "extreme vetting" etc aren't things HE alone can do as President. They were refrains he repeated over and over and over, etc.  And he did that because there is a theory of sales that if you repeat the same thing 3 times during a sales pitch, the buyer is inclined to believe what is being repeated must be factual and it doesn't give the prospective buyer much time to stop and think wait, no. Combined with the NOW OR YOU'LL NEVER HAVE THIS CHANCE AGAIN, he scared them into believing his bullshit.

Well, Trump took that sales technique and exponentially doubled down at every speech and rally. And they bought it.

ETA: I can't wait until his buyers' have ALL the remorse when they learn he can't deliver on the false product he created.

Edited November 10, 2016 by catrox14

[Rapunzel]

1 hour ago, Chicken Wing said:

I'm immediately reminded of a segment on CNN (sigh, CNN...) a few weeks ago where one of the reporters was out interviewing people waiting outside a Trump rally somewhere. He was talking to this middle-aged couple who, among other things, criticized Obama for taking time to campaign on Hillary's behalf. They were outraged at the idea, because that has never happened. No president actually campaigns on behalf of a candidate for election. How dare he? The reporter gently tried to inform them that, yes, this has happened, happens all the time, for example Reagan was out for George H.W. Bush back in '88, and the couple just vehemently insisted that that never happened, it doesn't happen and Obama is completely out of line. They were fact-checked right to their face and they still didn't believe what they were being told.

It's almost like trying to confront someone who has an issue with alcohol or drugs (and please understand that I am definitely not trying to trivialize substance abuse issues by any means). You give them facts about the physical harm is it doing to them, point out events that occurred in their lives that were clearly affected by their substance abuse (forgetting to turn up to important events, losing a job, getting a DUI, etc.), yet nothing still gets through to them. You can show them video of them on said substance and how they were acting abusive, stupid, reckless, etc. and it still doesn't sink in.

Trumpaholics behave this same way. Even when confronted with true facts, data, video and audio tape, etc. as to how monstrous this man is and to illustrate his millions of lies and showing them proof about his background and how he grew up and has next to nothing in common with the majority of people that voted for him, they are still completely bamboozled. They are being scammed by a true snake oil salesman con artist who doesn't even pay taxes, is in bed with Russia (which should really go against their "patriotic" beliefs), he is not middle class and never has been, he can't take responsibility for anything at all and changes his views on anything at the drop of a hat. He has also yet to set forth one solid policy that he will enact and exactly how he is going to make that happen. This man has absolutely no plan for anything.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, when they start to feel the impact of losing healthcare, losing their jobs, having their homes foreclosed on, realize that coal mining is not going to make a huge return, realize that things are still going to be manufactured overseas, understand that he can't build a Wall and that there is no way in Hell Mexico would ever pay for it even if they could afford to, etc., they better start seriously rethinking what they, the so called "patriots," have done to this country and realize that living under a Dictatorship doesn't benefit anyone.

A note about the Wall - even if the impossible happened and Trump was able to build said Wall, does he not realize that a lot of trafficking is done via tunnels or over the ocean? I live in San Diego, 45 minutes from the Mexican boarder, and we regularly hear about ICE or other law enforcement groups discovering various tunnels and also how they will smuggle drugs, guns, money, people, etc. by boat from the Mexican coast to the CA coast. It is a big ocean and the Coast Guard can't cover all of it. There is also a lot of coastline to try to cover and the drug cartels aren't stupid. They've been finding ways to get product into this country for decades. They hide it in American fishing boats, along with other illegal contraband or even people. Even if the Coast Guard notices them, they do not stop and check every fishing boat out there. The Wall idea is just so stupid it is beyond belief. Where there is a will there's a way, and they will keep finding ways to get whatever they want transferred across the boarder.  

Edited November 10, 2016 by Rapunzel

[ari333]

I have to turn off the tv. I cant bear to look at his orange puckered face and his spawn and their spouses.

[callmebetty]

18 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

That's the problem. John Oliver highlighted it a few weeks back, with that video clip of Gingrich arguing with a woman on CNN about violent crime. He said it was the highest it's ever been, she said it was actually lower than it has been in years. Gingrich then twisted the argument and said that people felt it was higher, therefore it was. He said he was more interested in people's feelings than in some silly facts. Feelings = facts.

It's truly dispiriting to hear people talk like that, and to have rational points met with a stampede of close-minded ignorance. There are millions upon millions of people who simply will not ever hear a counter argument and be swayed.

And then will go into bully mode and begin personal attacks . 

True Story and will get to the point. When the Access Hollywood tape came out. There were people on Facebook that I know going on about how wrong it was (the sexual assault part ), a guy began making comments on their thread that it is natural for men to feel that way and polite society has tapped that side down and if you are a man and don't feel that way you are either gay or lying to yourself. Oh boy the back and forth was just incredible .  He called one of the guys gay and the other pussywhipped. But they kept trying to somehow point out how wrong he was, but all they were  doing was making themselves upset and raging .  I bet that guy slept good that night but I know they didn't . 

I stayed out of it knowing and reading you weren't going to change this guy whether he was for real or just messing with them.

[catrox14]

3 minutes ago, Rapunzel said:

A note about the Wall - even if the impossible happened and Trump was able to build said Wall, does he not realize that a lot of trafficking is done via tunnels or over the ocean? I live in San Diego, 45 minutes from the Mexican boarder, and we regularly hear about ICE or other law enforcement groups discovering various tunnels and also how they will smuggle drugs, guns, money, people, etc. by boat from the Mexican coast to the CA coast. It is a big ocean and the Coast Guard can't cover all of it. There is also a lot of coastline to try to cover and the drug cartels aren't stupid. They've been finding ways to get product into this country for decades. They hide it in American fishing boats, along with other illegal contraband or even people. Even if the Coast Guard notices them, they do not stop and check every fishing boat out there. The Wall idea is just so stupid it is beyond belief. Where there is a will there's a way, and they will keep finding ways to get whatever they want transferred across the boarder.

Fellow San Diego denizen here. Agree with all of this.

Edited November 10, 2016 by catrox14

[callmebetty]

4 minutes ago, ari333 said:

I have to turn off the tv. I cant bear to look at his orange puckered face and his spawn and their spouses.

As soon as I was alerted and was announced it was happening and you could watch it on my newsfeed  I said fuck that. I'm not watching Open Mic night Obama have to be gracious to that thing.

[NewDigs]

2 hours ago, debbie311 said:

 

In some ways I feel free today. No pressure. I REALLY wanted Hillary to win.  But I know that if she had won, she would have faced a roadblock for everything she wanted to do (just like President Obama). Trump has made some HUGE vague promises and now he will have to come through.  Now we can just sit back and wait for him to fail.  I know that makes me sound bitter and small, but it's how I feel.  Already I heard someone on one of the morning news shows (Today? CNN?) say that, well, you can't take his promises literally.  Really?  I think his supporters do!

Sorry for the stream of consciousness.  I am so glad this thread is here.  I hope it continues in some way so we can continue the conversation. The live chat on election night was great!

I'm still feeling devastated and you have reminded me of what a tough road Hillary would have had to traverse and I was worried for her and anything she would attempt to accomplish. Maybe it will be better to watch same happen to DT. Hopefully. I'm putting all of my gov't. representatives on speed-dial and adding email addys to my Contacts. Make a move I don't like? I'm your constituent and I VOTE!

1 hour ago, ari333 said:

THIS.

And women were groped and raped and blamed bc they were wearing the "wrong" thing and "asking for it."

Deaths by back alley abortions.

Good times

And in 10 states women could not sit on juries. MOC were allowed on juries in Florida before women.

I tried a news blackout today and was not succeeding. For some reason I need to see the historic moments. I drove around aimlessly this morning and should have just stayed home. I'm worried that "closure" will be almost impossible. 

I did a very successful news blackout after W but still needed to see (hear) the SC arguments. And why aren't cameras allowed?  But then shut that shit down. In hindsight W was almost innocuous. Live and learn.

[rcc]

12 minutes ago, ari333 said:

I have to turn off the tv. I cant bear to look at his orange puckered face and his spawn and their spouses.

I've been swearing at the tv for a long time now whenever I've seen any of them then click. I guess I'm not done. But I have to say he was gracious with Obama today at the White House so no click.

[ari333]

This has nothing to do with the election, but it feels bad and I already felt bad. In our complex there were many lush beautiful trees. They're out there now hacking them all down with the bird nests and squirrel dens. People are standing outside just staring in shock. Maybe next they can fill in the beautiful creek with the baby ducks in it. *sigh* I'm sad. I guess it means I feel a loss of ... IDK WHAT the right word is.... just a feeling of loss I've felt since late Tuesday night.   

[Aquarius]

1 hour ago, debbie311 said:

I am a Democrat and proud of it, but I sometimes watch Fox News to get the other side, and sometimes listen to Rush Limbaugh, who is a vile man.  Just now, I heard him say that Republicans should not want unity with Democrats, that they should view Democrats in the same way the United States viewed Japan during WWII!  And he is already setting the stage for Trump caving on some of his promises -- and blaming the Democrats!!  What!   You idiot!  Your guy won.  Stop blaming the Democrats for everything!  I am livid.  He is poison.  I am willing to move on now, but, and my husband predicted this, they will continue to blame Hillary and the Democrats when they fail in years to come.

Yes, and no doubt Obama as well.  They're Republicans; it's what they do.

44 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

I've tried to figure out how Trump ever got this far, and IMO he pulled off the biggest sale/con of his life.

He sold his followers a bill of goods not worth the paper it's not printed on.  He and his cohorts created a false narrative back when Trump tweeted his slogan of "Make America Great Again" which implied that America was not great already and sold it to the folks that were predisposed to believe it because of their own fears and life problems and latent bigotry and resentments. He preyed on them. He traded on hatred, bigotry, fear, resentment

He created a non-existent narrative, and made them believe it and made them believe only he could fix it. If they ever took a moment to listen to his actual speeches he says literally nothing substantial. He never offered clear specifics as to how things would get done. That's why he never said anything of substance during the debates because he had no substance to offer.  That's why his surrogates were always saying something to "clarify" his remarks which wasn't really clarifying anything because the things like the border wall, deporting millions of people, getting rid of Obamacare (instead of calling it the Affordable Care Act), talking about "extreme vetting" etc aren't things HE alone can do as President. They were refrains he repeated over and over and over, etc.  And he did that because there is a theory of sales that if you repeat the same thing 3 times during a sales pitch, the buyer is inclined to believe what is being repeated must be factual and it doesn't give the prospective buyer much time to stop and think wait, no. Combined with the NOW OR YOU'LL NEVER HAVE THIS CHANCE AGAIN, he scared them into believing his bullshit.

Well, Trump took that sales technique and exponentially doubled down at every speech and rally. And they bought it.

ETA: I can't wait until his buyers' have ALL the remorse when they learn he can't deliver on the false product he created.

I think this is absolutely correct.  What's been driving me crazy about the result is not the party affiliation of the winner.  It's how completely devoid of content his entire campaign was.  No real plans, no real solutions.  Just constantly restating the "problems" (immigration, jobs, terrorism, the ACA) and saying "I'll fix it.  Trust me.  I know how to do this."  Any specifics were ridiculous to the point of being unbelievable.  Stop immigration with a wall.  Ban/extreme vet all Muslims coming into the country to end terrorism.  Tell China to stop raping us.  Concerning prosperity, he made meaningless claims like we'll have so much prosperity we'll be begging him to make it stop already!  Hyperbole to the extreme. 

But in the repetition these empty claims somehow became fact.  He said he knew how to do it so many times he was never asked to demonstrate that he could.  He said we could trust him so many times he became trustworthy.  Like an infomercial where they show you a flimsy piece of plastic pulling a pickup truck so many times that you believe that it can, despite having a better than basic understanding of tensile strength.  Then he wrapped it all up with "HURRY!  THIS INCREDIBLE DEAL WON'T LAST!"

The thing is, I'm not so sure he even understands that he pulled a huge con.  I think he has a habit of oversimplification and a sense of grandiosity that makes him think HE would be able to deliver what others couldn't.  When in reality, he's no more qualified than Uncle Henry, who shouts similar sentiments about how to fix the country's problems at the television every night.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Aquarius

[ari333]

2 minutes ago, rcc said:

I've been swearing at the tv for a long time now whenever I've seen any of them then click. I guess I'm not done. But I have to say he was gracious with Obama today at the White House so no click.

Gracious like Satan who appears in an innocent form in order to fool the masses of his victims.....

[honeydo7]

Pence is a right-wing sicko who would criminalize women & pre-teen girls having periods, as his church teaches that act kills potential, unborn life & who believes he can solve our country's "distasteful," g/l/t/b problem  by having them all taken into custody & forcing them to undergo "christian conversion therapy."  Can't wait to hear CCB insist  Pence's words were taken out of context, while defending  his sick, twisted ideas.

[Padma]

What are the chances that this BOMBSHELL will get any attention at all in our "free" press:

Russia Admits Much Contact with Trump Campaign

[Danny Franks]

23 minutes ago, callmebetty said:

And then will go into bully mode and begin personal attacks . 

True Story and will get to the point. When the Access Hollywood tape came out. There were people on Facebook that I know going on about how wrong it was (the sexual assault part ), a guy began making comments on their thread that it is natural for men to feel that way and polite society has tapped that side down and if you are a man and don't feel that way you are either gay or lying to yourself. Oh boy the back and forth was just incredible .  He called one of the guys gay and the other pussywhipped. But they kept trying to somehow point out how wrong he was, but all they were  doing was making themselves upset and raging .  I bet that guy slept good that night but I know they didn't . 

I stayed out of it knowing and reading you weren't going to change this guy whether he was for real or just messing with them.

Did he call them 'cucks'? That seems to be the favourite phrase of alt-right dickbags at the moment. I'm not even sure what context they mean it in, other than as an aspersion on a person's 'manhood'.

I'm paying as little attention as I can to Trump's visit to the White House today, but I did just see a HuffPo article that showed a photo of Obama's staff watching the meeting. And their faces! God, they look utterly crushed. How can you stomach working for eight years for the betterment of your country, only to have everything you've done rejected by that ape and his followers?

[ari333]

7 minutes ago, honeydo7 said:

Pence is a right-wing sicko who would criminalize women & pre-teen girls having periods, as his church teaches that act kills potential, unborn life & who believes he can solve our country's "distasteful," g/l/t/b problem  by having them all taken into custody & forcing them to undergo "christian conversion therapy."  Can't wait to hear CCB insist  Pence's words were taken out of context, while defending  his sick, twisted ideas.

Please tell me this cannot be true.

Will the men who masturbate (how dare they!) be jailed and condemned too ? I don't even know what to say.

[fastiller]

4 hours ago, ari333 said:

I have to turn off the tv. I cant bear to look at his orange puckered face and his spawn and their spouses.

Me too.  Even radio news is hurting me for the moment.  I'll get over it, but it ain't fun right now.

I've been having a FB convo w/ my SIL.  A little background.  She's a conservative Christian.  She was visiting from CA (the rest of the family is on the East Coast) at Easter time a few years back and as one point she asked if Good Friday comes right before Easter every year.   I was raised as a non-church-going "cafeteria" Catholic (my mother had issues with the church and its treatment of women).  I only mention this so you can gauge her level of general knowledge. 

So, she reposted this from someone else's feed:

Quote

"To Hillary Supporters:
Unhappy with the election outcome? You brought this on yourselves. There is a lesson to be learned here. You can't continually kick a dog and expect not to get bit. Maybe you should have tried convincing people to support Hillary with calm and logic, instead of spending all your time calling them dumb, uneducated, racists, bigots, misogynists, and deplorable irredeemable non-Americans...."

There was more.  I replied with the NYTimes video of the Trump rallies where people were calling HRC a c-word and Pres. Obama the n-word.  Her reply was "Sure. We can all pull footage of people behaving badly. It is sad. But it is not one-sided."  I had to calmly reply that I haven't seen a single video or heard a single audio clip of HRC supporters behaving as poorly. 

I don't look forward to the next time we're all together and I'm sad to say that I'm glad there's a continent between us.

[random chance]

I still wonder if Trump is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. His father died of it, and he has some signs - the limited vocabulary, that sort of swaying thing he did when on his feet in the debate, the sniffing, the way he couldn't seem to remember what he lied about the day before (because perhaps he didn't know it was a lie), the complete lack of focus and short attention span ... he never did release a full physical, it's not impossible. Does he have to release the results of a physical now that he's PET?

[bmasters9]

2 hours ago, Couver said:

That because he held a rainbow flag at one press event he is the most pro LGBT president ever?!? With no comment on the political history of his VP and his feelings about LGBT issues....

I actually happened to hear in Trump's acceptance speech for the Republican nomination the very words "I will protect LGBT people from ISIS!"*

*Yeah, right-- only in so far as you change and become no longer LGBT.

That's what I was thinking as soon as I heard those words come out of his mouth!

Edited November 10, 2016 by bmasters9

[candall]

5 minutes ago, kassa said:

If there's one thing Trump is not, it's an evangelical Christian.  Yes, he pandered to them for votes.  Yes, Pence is a nut who may end up with too much power.  But what we've seen of Trump's character and behavior shows that any given perceived slight on Pence's part (or too much credit being given to Pence as the real power in the White House) could result in Trump openly despising and demeaning Pence in private and in public, actively working against what Pence wants... just because. The same goes for all of them.  

As awful as Trump is on so many levels, his religious conviction is so shallow as to be meaningless.  Hell, all of his convictions are.  So as fearful as we are right to be about him acting on things he's said, each month will bring new enemies that he needs to vanquish... and it will not surprise me if enemies within the GOP take up a lot of that time and energy.  

I think you're describing part of the root "Unknown" responsible for a large portion of all the anxiety.  I believe there's quite a bit of evidence that DT doesn't really have a huge hard-on--or even care--about many/most (any?!) of the social issues in his platform.  More interested in how great he looks in the ten-gallon hat, than actually herding the cows.

 

But everyone says, Obama says, it's an EXTREMELY hard job.  When Short Attention Span Theatre is over, who the fuck is going to be running this country?

 

It's so ironic we can't even enjoy the relief of a little fantasy, picturing DT falling off the inaugural stand onto his head, because we all know Pence from governing Indiana and the direction he'd LOVE to herd the cows.  No question his commitment is genuine.  I so hope you're right, Kassa, and Pence steps wrong, winding up permanently sidelined five minutes into the Administration. 

 

Yesterday I heard one of the bigly Republican senators say, on one of those tv shows I'm not supposed to be watching:  "I've already met with President-elect Trump and Ivanka, and . . . "

Caution:  take that for what it's worth, which is "next to nothing," because I was too stunned to retain what the meeting was about.

 

DT's not Bush, Jr.  He's not going to be grateful to any influential Cheney figure.  Who has the skill to finesse DT's infamous 'temperament' while doing the hard work on the down-low?  Who the fuck is going to be running this country?

[Lantern7]

Getting a little feeling back. Not enough, though. I want to do something to make life better . . . mine and others' . . . but this is a ball that's too big to handle. I know that bitching about what happened won't solve shit, that I can compare You-Know-Who unfavorably to comic book characters (short list: Atrocitus, Larfleeze, Sinestro, Hulk, Darkseid, M. Bison), but that doesn't do much except provide catharsis. All I can do is not say the really dark stuff I want to say, not because it would be taboo, but because I don't want to descend that far in my rage.

I am thinking of changing my avatar to this sketch I got in April. Right now, it's Deadpool by Steve Dillon, the only sketch I ever got from the co-creator of Preacher, who passed away last month.

[ruby24]

Something that bugs me about comparisons to bad presidents from the 18th and 19th centuries, is that we were not a superpower with an incredible military and nuclear weapons back then. The office of the presidency is SO powerful now and the executive branch has so much control over foreign policy. That makes having someone so completely unfit for the job really dangerous, and top brass national security experts have flat out refused to work for this guy.

This doesn't seem to ever be a concern to regular people, but I'm horrified about everything that could go wrong there. We have to have a serious person, this is so dangerous.

[NewDigs]

21 minutes ago, ari333 said:

This has nothing to do with the election, but it feels bad and I already felt bad. In our complex there were many lush beautiful trees. They're out there now hacking them all down with the bird nests and squirrel dens. People are standing outside just staring in shock. Maybe next they can fill in the beautiful creek with the baby ducks in it. *sigh* I'm sad. I guess it means I feel a loss of ... IDK WHAT the right word is.... just a feeling of loss I've felt since late Tuesday night.   

How horrible!

I weep for you. I weep for the critters.

I need to stop weeping but it's all that seems to help. 

I need to get a grip.

Sirius was playing some great tunes today.

Muse - Uprising

 

I was surprised to not hear any Green Day! Will have to find 21 Guns and others. Thanks to @DeLurker for reminder. Billie Joe Armstrong exhorted concert-goers to not vote for Trump and in an interview invoked "Hitler". Stay bad, GD!

And hearing the New Radicals 

 

was a good thing.

Edited November 10, 2016 by NewDigs

[ari333]

4 minutes ago, bmasters9 said:

I actually happened to hear in Trump's acceptance speech for the Republican nomination the very words "I will protect LGBT people from ISIS!"*

*Yeah, right-- only insofar as you change and become no longer LGBT.

That's what I was thinking as soon as I heard those words come out of his mouth!

Perhaps he will protect LGBT from ISIS but not from anyone else...including himself. Which is the bigger threat? Yep.....

[Danny Franks]

9 minutes ago, random chance said:

I still wonder if Drumpf is in the early stages of Alzheimer's. His father died of it, and he has some signs - the limited vocabulary, that sort of swaying thing he did when on his feet in the debate, the sniffing, the way he couldn't seem to remember what he lied about the day before (because perhaps he didn't know it was a lie), the complete lack of focus and short attention span ... he never did release a full physical, it's not impossible. Does he have to release the results of a physical now that he's PET?

Trump being in the early stages of Alzheimer's could explain a lot about his behaviour, about his somewhat radical changes of heart on several key issues, on his childish attitude and shallowness. However, I feel like he's been that way for as long as I can remember. I know it was later revealed that Reagan had been suffering with it while in office (and again, he was scattered enough to fully believe it), but it's a terrifying prospect.

It would leave Mike Pence in charge (if he's not already going to be). And while we don't really know what's going on inside Trump's head, we definitely know how Mike Pence feels about plenty of things. He's a despicable human being.

Edited November 10, 2016 by Danny Franks

[bmasters9]

Just now, ari333 said:

Perhaps he will protect LGBT from ISIS but not from anyone else...including himself. Which is the bigger threat? Yep.....

That is exactly what I was thinking! Either submit under the change agents to be no longer LGBT, or be harassed until you do. I think that's another way of looking at it.

[rcc]

23 minutes ago, ari333 said:

Gracious like Satan who appears in an innocent form in order to fool the masses of his victims.....

Gracious as in being on his best behavior for once.

[Padma]

Is it wrong to imagine an uproar over Russia ADMITTING contact with Trump (repeatedly) and then the EC throwing it to Clinton?  Why, why, why won't the FBI report on this?  Will the media???  Where's our press????

Yes, Russia Was Close to Trump Campaign Advisors (Plural)

[ari333]

2 minutes ago, rcc said:

Gracious as in being on his best behavior for once.

 

Gracious like Satan who appears in an innocent form in order to fool the masses of his victims.....

I don't trust his "best behavior" for a minute. 

Sorry my previous quote was supposed to post above your response.  My device is all wonky.

 

[walnutqueen]

31 minutes ago, ari333 said:

This has nothing to do with the election, but it feels bad and I already felt bad. In our complex there were many lush beautiful trees. They're out there now hacking them all down with the bird nests and squirrel dens. People are standing outside just staring in shock. Maybe next they can fill in the beautiful creek with the baby ducks in it. *sigh* I'm sad. I guess it means I feel a loss of ... IDK WHAT the right word is.... just a feeling of loss I've felt since late Tuesday night.   

The good news is that birds aren't nesting or having babies at this time of the year.

But you know me, Ari333 - and I'd be chaining myself to one of those trees ...  ;-)