Post-Election Fears & Anxieties

[callmebetty]

14 hours ago, fishcakes said:

Here's something concrete we can do, but it has to be done tomorrow before the House Oversight Committee goes on break for Thanksgiving week.

That image is a little small and blurred, but the phone number is (202) 225-5074. Tell them you support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump's finances and apparent conflicts of interest. If you get a "mailbox is full" message, that means the line is busy, so try back in a few minutes.

I've been trying to call and keep getting voice mail I really want to talk to a person. has anyone had any luck ?

[ClareWalks]

15 minutes ago, honeydo7 said:

Extremely offended to see Jeff Sessions tweet insinuating when he becomes attorney general "Watch Out Jews!" Anyway to let Twitter know the hate this guy is sending out?  If any people are un-American......it's these bible-thumping, hate-spewing, christian gop members of congress!

I just went and checked his Twitter but didn't see anything. Can you link?

[windsprints]

14 minutes ago, honeydo7 said:

Extremely offended to see Jeff Sessions tweet insinuating when he becomes attorney general "Watch Out Jews!" Anyway to let Twitter know the hate this guy is sending out?  If any people are un-American......it's these bible-thumping, hate-spewing, christian gop members of congress!

Was this recent? I just checked his twitter and skimmed a bit and don't see that.  His official (verified) twitter is here. He hasn't tweeted since 11/6.

I'm in no way defending him and am sickened by he being named but I don't think he just tweeted that. 

[Quilt Fairy]

6 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Dipping into negativity for a moment, I resist narratives about the greatness of the Founding Fathers, etc. because it's easy to be selective about your information. You could also say this country was founded by slave owners and people who thought only landowning white men were qualified to vote.

You've expanded the context of my post way beyond what I intended.  I was talking about people who immigrated (voluntarily) in the 19th and 20th centuries looking for a better life.  I'm hardly a member of the DAR.

On a "let's forget about our troubles" note, I highly recommend the movie The Hundred Foot Journey starring Helen Mirren.  It's about a family who escapes political troubles in India and opens an Indian restaurant across the street from a Michelin-starred restaurant in rural France.  Culture shock ensues, and eventually cultural understanding.  It's a funny, beautiful, heart-warming movie. (Warning: It will make you hungry!)  My only problem now is I wonder what would happen if that Indian family came to America instead.

[BuckeyeLou]

On 11/12/2016 at 0:42 PM, potatoradio said:

I vent my worst fears and anxiety here as a coping mechanism. Doesn't mean I don't leave the house or continue with my life. It means I find solace in expressing my worst fears and anxieties and find comfort knowing others feel the same.

I've been mocked and derided for being "too emotional" my whole life. Many times, people try to "help" by telling me that my fears aren't valid or that I need to write up an action list or change my 'tude. I used to think something was wrong with me, that I was a lesser person because I just couldn't get with the program. Then, one professor I had whose son had died from brain cancer told me, after reading a very emotional essay I wrote, that it took a great deal of bravery to feel things. It takes feeling loss and horror to the core of your being to be empathetic and its one of those most painful and difficult things to do. And yet, she said the only way she got through the loss of her son most days was talking to people who *feel* and who listened. 

Doesn't mean we're not going to kick some arse at some point, but some people simply feel things very deeply and indeed "go to ground" when the catastrophic happens. We'll come out when we're ready. No worries.

I really do want to be wrong about my worst fears. I really do. If I am, I will shout from the rooftops that I was wrong. 

But I'm seeing no signs of being wrong. The best I'm seeing is that "maybe Trump won't completely be a fool or a total neocon agenda will have some hurdles." Sorry, that doesn't bring much comfort.

What would help? If Trump had the stones to hold a presser and say, "OK, I exaggerated during my campaign. I didn't mean for anyone to think it was OK to start beating up and harassing minorities. Stop it. Stop it now. I want to get to work on what most of us can agree on, which is that we need jobs and pay increases, so I'm going to work with Democrats and Republicans on infrastructure and trade deals with China first."

But instead, he's appointing a bunch of ghouls to the cabinet and looking bored and creating a whole lot of uncertainty. 

That's not helping. At all. 

Oh my, I know how you feel!  I, too, have been told my whole life that I am too emotional, I cry easily, I get upset & worried easily.  It drives my husband crazy(altho he is a patient person) and people are always telling me to "calm down", which doesnt help.  I, too, am afraid my nation is going down a very dark road...that hate & anger are going to rule our country, and will our nation fall apart!  I've been a Democrat my whole life(as was my Mother), and my 2 daughters are both Democrats...so I hope the Democratic party can re-group & fight back against the losses of civil liberties that I see Trump putting into place.  Sigh~~I still feel broken & frankly terrified about the Future.

[honeydo7]

I'm sure plenty of other viewers saw that man's offensive twitter post, on their tv screens while (I think) Joy read his disgusting words, at the beginning of today's program.

[ClareWalks]

1 minute ago, honeydo7 said:

I'm sure plenty of other viewers saw that man's offensive twitter post, on their tv screens while (I think) Joy read his disgusting words, at the beginning of today's program.

Joy? Was this on The View? I'm just saying I checked his Twitter and didn't see anything.

[EyewatchTV211]

I have been having internet issues. So having a little trouble keeping up. I attempted to call regarding investigating Trump financials and conflicts of interest. Instead of getting the mailbox full message it is telling me they are unavailable. I tried several times in case it was similar to the mailbox full message. No success so far. Will try again if I can.

[random chance]

8 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Dipping into negativity for a moment, I resist narratives about the greatness of the Founding Fathers, etc. because it's easy to be selective about your information.

Yes, I ran across some depressing new information in the discussions about Trump. So many of the things I believed about my country growing up have turned out to be a lie.

[windsprints]

[Bookish Jen]

30 minutes ago, BuckeyeLou said:

Oh my, I know how you feel!  I, too, have been told my whole life that I am too emotional, I cry easily, I get upset & worried easily.  It drives my husband crazy(altho he is a patient person) and people are always telling me to "calm down", which doesnt help.  I, too, am afraid my nation is going down a very dark road...that hate & anger are going to rule our country, and will our nation fall apart!  I've been a Democrat my whole life(as was my Mother), and my 2 daughters are both Democrats...so I hope the Democratic party can re-group & fight back against the losses of civil liberties that I see Trump putting into place.  Sigh~~I still feel broken & frankly terrified about the Future.

I know exactly how you feel. (((HUGS)))

[stillshimpy]

GHScorpiosrule,  I'm so sorry you are dealing with so much right now.  I don't know how you feel about escapist TV but I recommend any of the Treks (bask in the people who value all forms of life and are dumbfounded by lack of compassion wherever they turn) or Gilmore Girls for light, rapid banter with some cutesy-poo stuff thrown in to add balm to the soul.  

Sometimes it helps to visit worlds where people are admirable without strain.  

Okay, so  I don't actually get on board with some of the more new agey stuff in this article but reading it made me feel better.  Even though my knee-jerk reaction was to try and reject it entirely by the third paragraph, overall I found it made the best case for why this happened, in a way that doesn't actually make me despair so much for my fellow man.  Truthfully, I do have a life that has been fairly privileged as an adult.  

I'm going to skip reading Jon's Scold for a bit.  I love Jon Stewart and I'm not in a good enough headspace right now to lose that, even by the tiniest of degrees.  

So here's the piece in question about what the hell just happened and how we can try and go forward.  It makes no bones about the idea that the America we knew is actually dead, it's just putting its time of death earlier than I personally would.  It's essentially saying that part of what happened is that there are people whose level of desperation for change has reached critical mass.  That many of these voters were the same people who voted for Obama  -- which we know to be true -- and how the hell they could then embrace an openly racist, misogynist as his successor. Short answer is that they were looking for the same thing with Obama as they are with Trump, someone, anyone to make their lives better.  

I don't agree with all of it but it did actually help me release some of the nearly volcanic fury I've been feeling.  Try to ignore the stuff about spiritual retreats (or hell, dig in if that's your jam) and it might help with how you're feeling about Trump voters.  Or it might not.  I'm genuinely not sure.   It just helped me a little bit with perspective.  

Mainly a benefit in that I can redirect my anger to something far more purposeful than wanting to rattle anyone I suspect was a Trump voter, until some valid reason for doing this falls out of their ears.   Putting that aside means I can try to target that completely valid anger towards the people who deserve it.  

I called and left a voicemail, with my contact information, supporting the call for an investigation into Trump's finances.  Will it help?  Don't know.  Must try.  

[ari333]

I'm no expert in politics, but I'm asking you guys, am I wrong? I thought that Obama wanted to do ....things... and he was stopped by Congress bc they vowed to vote against him/his proposals  regardless of what he wanted to do just for spite. Is that what happened? the reason I ask is that one neighbor said that he didn't vote for the Dem (HRC) in this 2016 election bc Obama didn't keep all his promises. I said he was stopped in some instances and it was out of his hands considering the makeup of Congress. Is that correct? IOw, in this neighbor's logic, HRC was getting blamed (and getting no vote) for whatever Obama didn't do (in the neighbor's opinion) 'and my thought was that the R Congress stopped things... just because.   

I guess I'm trying to relieve my anxiety by trying to understand who, among people I know here, in real life,  voted for the orange and WHY? god WHY?

Edited November 18, 2016 by ari333

[ari333]

Forgive me. This has probably been covered somewhere here, but why didn't Biden run?

I know there's been a bit of a pattern as in 8 yrs one party, 8 yrs the other party; but didn't we have Reagan, then elder Bush , the VP win? I know it doesn't matter now, but I was just wondering.

[Watermelon]

4 minutes ago, ari333 said:

Forgive me. This has probably been covered somewhere here, but why didn't Biden run?

I know there's been a bit of a pattern as in 8 yrs one party, 8 yrs the other party; but didn't we have Reagan, then elder Bush , the VP win? I know it doesn't matter now, but I was just wondering.

He said he was still in mourning from his son passing

[callmebetty]

3 minutes ago, ari333 said:

Forgive me. This has probably been covered somewhere here, but why didn't Biden run?

I know there's been a bit of a pattern as in 8 yrs one party, 8 yrs the other party; but didn't we have Reagan, then elder Bush , the VP win? I know it doesn't matter now, but I was just wondering.

If i remember correctly I think the major reason Biden didn't run was because he son had died not long before and he was still in the grieving process . I'm sure there could be others .

[ClareWalks]

When my life has sucked and I've wanted to change it, I've done things like "get my personal training certificate" and "train for a marathon." I don't go to the polls and vote for a sociopath. Maybe I'm doing this all wrong :-P

[Kromm]

Oh New York Times. Why did I give in and read you today? Three more totally insane nutjobs? 

Trump seems to be going down the list and appointing every nutbag possible. Is this part of some new secret plan to get himself impeached on Day 1? The "standard" Republicans seem to be almost as shocked, concerned and afraid now as the Dems.

Here's how the Old Grey Lady describes this new mini-basket of deplorables.

Quote

All three are regarded as outliers from conventional Republican thinking, shunned in various ways for viewpoints that were seen as unacceptable.

[HunterHunted]

55 minutes ago, ari333 said:

I'm no expert in politics, but I'm asking you guys, am I wrong? I thought that Obama wanted to do ....things... and he was stopped by Congress bc they vowed to vote against regardless of what he wanted to do just for spite. Is that what happened? the reason I ask is that one neighbor said that he didn't vote for the Dem (HRC) bc Obama didn't keep all his promises. I said he was stopped in some instances and it was out of his hands considering the makeup of Congress. Is that correct? IOw, in this neighbor's logic, HRC was getting blamed (and getting no vote) for whatever Obama didn't do (in the neighbor's opinion) 'and my thought was that the R Congress stopped things... just because.   

I guess I'm trying to relieve my anxiety be trying to understand who, among people I know here, in real life,  voted for the orange and WHY? god WHY?

Obama was stymied by Republican opposition on many issues. Additionally as a fairly green senator, he didn't have long standing deep relationships with other law makers which he could use to help him move legislation. If he had been around longer as a legislator he might have had occasions where he worked with people opposite the aisle to develop bipartisan legislation. But the other part of this that many many Republicans let Obama and the press know that they would never compromise with him. Some of his positions during the campaign were frustratingly naiive, much like Bernie Sanders.  And it was pretty clear that Obama was going to have to walk back some of his campaign promises, especially when it came to some of his positions on the war on terror. There were opportunities for Republicans to compromise with him and set themselves up as being hardline against  Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS. Unfortunately it seems like a combination of racism and this unreasonable tea party ethos that was determined to never compromise that decided that they would barely even acknowledge Obama or any of his initiatives.

Edited November 18, 2016 by HunterHunted

[potatoradio]

32 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

So here's the piece in question about what the hell just happened and how we can try and go forward

Thanks for that article, @stillshimpy. It helps, in some ways, to know that even had Clinton won, the most she might have been able to do is  hold us together for four years. This has been brewing for much longer than this election cycle and now our eyes must be open. 

As for understanding and empathy? I'll reserve those for anyone who joins in when the civil war starts and they want to fight for our country. 

I mean, what kind of normal is it when I talk to my wife about DT declaring us a military state and she says, "the military wouldn't do that. They don't have to do anything that's illegal." I mean...the hell? I'm reassured that, thank goodness, the military might actually save us from ourselves? 

It is not normal for  otherwise rational friends to spend an entire week crying. 

It is not normal for my sibling, who is as diplomatic and classy as they come (far more than I am) to say he's all in with civil disobedience if the fascist regime implements the most devastating parts of its promises. 

 

1 hour ago, callmebetty said:

Here's something concrete we can do, but it has to be done tomorrow before the House Oversight Committee goes on break for Thanksgiving week.

Well, the vm is done full up, so I can't tally my call right now, but I'll keep trying! 

I'm going to contact my state congresspeople today and let them know that I want them to stand up and call this shit for what it is and explain to us what they're doing to protect our democracy from unravelling. 

[izabella]

5 minutes ago, Kromm said:

Oh New York Times. Why did I give in and read you today? Three more totally insane nutjobs? 

Trump seems to be going down the list and appointing every nutbag possible. Is this part of some new secret plan to get himself impeached on Day 1? The "standard" Republicans seem to be almost as shocked, concerned and afraid now as the Dems.

Here's how the Old Grey Lady describes this new mini-basket of deplorables.

Those Republicans can cross the aisle and work with the Democrats in the Senate to strike down Trump's Cabinet appointments.  If they are really concerned, they have power to stop Trump's most egregious choices.  However, they won't do that, so all their shock and dismay is just window dressing.  The Internet trolls have a voice now, and it is Donald, and the Republicans are afraid to stand up against him lest they be whacked in 2018.

[Kromm]

2 minutes ago, potatoradio said:

I'm going to contact my state congresspeople today and let them know that I want them to stand up and call this shit for what it is and explain to us what they're doing to protect our democracy from unravelling. 

And what people needs to tell Congresspeople expands daily now. I mean the BreitBrat was bad enough, then the EPA guy who will likely allow Toxic Waste dumps in people's back yards, but now we have three new nutbars under the NSA/CIA/AG umbrella who the Republican party had all but threw out for being too crazy.

And that's just today. By the end of the week for all we know Trump could appoint actual KKK leaders, or cult leaders with compounds in the mountains, or any other lucky-loo who promises to scream about "security" as a disguise for us being at war with the entire world, and oh yeah, also our own citizens, within the first six months.

Forget about impeachment. I think Trump's loose screw is that he wants to provoke some kind of second American Revolution.  I don't know what the fuck is going on here. And you know what? Those who thought his kids were a moderating force on him? Fuck that thought. Donald only seems to be listening to his new ultra-right wing pals. 

Lord. I know it won't all happen at once, but again, presuming we're even still here in a year and allowed to post on boards like this, I'll still worry about random violence or police crack downs or whatever. That's even before worrying about what's going to happen to rents, the price of electricity, oil and gas, groceries, etc.

I predict a lot of "survivalists" are going to be stockpiling stuff and headed out to the woods/mountains in the next 6-8 months. And not just the classic ones who probably WERE a lot of these loonies coming into power. Now it's going to be the liberal side headed out there.

[potatoradio]

15 minutes ago, izabella said:

Those Republicans can cross the aisle and work with the Democrats in the Senate to strike down Trump's Cabinet appointments. 

Do we have a list of who these Republicans are? I'd like to see their statements and get their contact info. 

Thank god one of our MN senators (Franken) has issued a firm "fuck no" statement on Bannon. Klobuchar, I think, is speaking on specific issues like banks gaining more power, etc. 

I took a morning off work to go talk to the local office of my congresswoman, where her staff will be there to help me get ideas about how to work with her or what I can do. I'm thinking I'd love for her to have a meeting with those of us in her district to have a discussion about the situation as she sees it and how we see it. 

[fastiller]

45 minutes ago, ari333 said:

I'm no expert in politics, but I'm asking you guys, am I wrong? I thought that Obama wanted to do ....things... and he was stopped by Congress bc they vowed to vote against him/his proposals  regardless of what he wanted to do just for spite. Is that what happened? the reason I ask is that one neighbor said that he didn't vote for the Dem (HRC) in this 2016 election bc Obama didn't keep all his promises. I said he was stopped in some instances and it was out of his hands considering the makeup of Congress. Is that correct? IOw, in this neighbor's logic, HRC was getting blamed (and getting no vote) for whatever Obama didn't do (in the neighbor's opinion) 'and my thought was that the R Congress stopped things... just because.   

I guess I'm trying to relieve my anxiety by trying to understand who, among people I know here, in real life,  voted for the orange and WHY? god WHY?

 

21 minutes ago, HunterHunted said:

Obama was stymied by Republican opposition on many issues. Additionally as a fairly green senator, he didn't have long standing deep relationships with other law makers which he could use to help him move legislation. If he had been around longer as a legislator he might have had occasions where he worked with people opposite the isle to develop bipartisan legislation. But the other part of this that many many Republicans let Obama and the press know that they would never compromise with him. Some of his positions during the campaign were frustratingly naiive, much like Bernie Sanders.  And it was pretty clear that Obama was going to have to walk back some of his campaign promises, especially when it came to some of his positions on the war on terror. There were opportunities for Republicans to compromise with him and set themselves up as being hardline against  Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS. Unfortunately it seems like a combination of racism and this unreasonable tea party ethos that was determined to never compromise that decided that they would barely even acknowledge Obama or any of his initiatives.

In addition to what @HunterHunted said: the Obama administration gave up something of an 'own goal' when Rahm Emanual resigned as Chief of Staff to run for Chicago mayor.  He had a way of getting things through cCongress that the President didn't (see previous point about Mr. Obama's relative lack of Senatorial experience).  This is my opinion anyway.

[Kromm]

4 minutes ago, potatoradio said:

Do we have a list of who these Republicans are? I'd like to see their statements and get their contact info. 

Thank god one of our MN senators (Franken) has issued a firm "fuck no" statement on Bannon. Klobuchar, I think, is speaking on specific issues like banks gaining more power, etc. 

I took a morning off work to go talk to the local office of my congresswoman, where her staff will be there to help me get ideas about how to work with her or what I can do. I'm thinking I'd love for her to have a meeting with those of us in her district to have a discussion about the situation as she sees it and how we see it. 

Er. Did you think Al Franken of all people was going to say anything else?

A sign of hope will be if you hear a groundswell of Republicans saying so. One of the most liberal Democrats out there saying it doesn't help much. In fact, it may even crystallize people going the other WAY just because Franken is such a flashpoint of the liberal side and being seen as going along with him might be too scary for people who have electorates now who voted for a hardliner.

[potatoradio]

Just now, Kromm said:

Er. Did you think Al Franken of all people was going to say anything else?

A sign of hope will be if you hear a groundswell of Republicans saying so. One of the most liberal Democrats out there saying it doesn't help much. In fact, it may even crystallize people going the other WAY just because Franken is such a flashpoint of the liberal side and being seen as going along with him might be too scary for people who have electorates now who voted for a hardliner.

Had no doubts. Just did my heart good to confirm the actual statement. 

Agree 100% with the bold. I'm watching. I'm not hopeful, but I'm watching. 

[partofme]

52 minutes ago, ari333 said:

Forgive me. This has probably been covered somewhere here, but why didn't Biden run?

I know there's been a bit of a pattern as in 8 yrs one party, 8 yrs the other party; but didn't we have Reagan, then elder Bush , the VP win? I know it doesn't matter now, but I was just wondering.

I don't think he would have gotten the nomination if he had.  Hillary was my first choice for years.

[Danny Franks]

5 minutes ago, partofme said:

I don't think he would have gotten the nomination if he had.  Hillary was my first choice for years.

But if Biden had run, then maybe Sanders doesn't get the traction. Because Biden would have run to the left of Clinton, and with much more of a working class appeal, leaving less room for Sanders to make an impression. And without that, maybe you don't get such a controversial primary election, which split loyalties amongst Democrats. I'm sure that the DNC would not have so openly favoured Clinton if the sitting vice president had also been a candidate. Who knows. 

As for the appointments today? Yes, Congress could refuse to approve them, but they won't. I doubt a single GOP congressman or senator in that building has the moral courage or principles to say no to Trump. They'll all act like that charlatan, McConnell, and just refuse to answer any question about the fitness of these men to be in government. Whatever happens, the Democrats just have to keep saying 'no' as loudly as possible, offering optimistic alternatives, and gearing up to win in 2018. They have to start their opposition to Trump and the Republicans now.

At some point, I think Trump will fall out with his new friends, and that's when we'll see just how unsound their foundations are.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Danny Franks

[Kromm]

New thought...

Aside from all of the more overt scares we are getting with the Security agencies, I think we also need to be on the lookout for who Trump wants to run the FCC.

Of course their purview over other forms of media (print, Internet) is a little incomplete, so I'd also pay attention to whatever agencies regulate those.

I seriously think aside from the more overt threats to our health and safety from wack-jobs in the "big" positions at certain agencies, we're also likely to eventually threats to quash our freedom of speech and free access to information.

If Trump and his administration doesn't like what lets say... a guy like Seth Meyers is saying about him?  There are various pressures the FCC can start putting on NBC. Or to take it a step further, other agencies doing things to pressure the parent company, Universal, so they have trouble with their core business of making movies and TV. Permits mysteriously being turned down. Merger deals being sidetracked by the government. Violations being found in facilities by various agencies, etc.  Or step three, the FBI or other policing agencies digging (or creating) scandals about media company execs and/or stars.

I hope places like NBC/Universal (Meyers), TBS/Time Warner (Sam Bee), HBO (John Oliver) all have some balls.

That's even before we get on how/if the government starts trying to lean on CNN, MSNBC, The NY Times, etc.

[kieyra]

Just a thought, but we might need to spin off a 'but no, the world actually is ending' thread since this one is called 'anxiety support'. 

[HunterHunted]

I used to work as a legislative aide. People complain about all of the influence that lobbyists and special interest groups have. What many people don't realize is that regular people are also free to contact their legislators with complaints, concerns, and ideas for new programs and legislation. I have heard some really good ideas from average Janes and Joes and some terrible ideas from lobbyists. I've also seen the opposite. Unfortunately most people are only familiar with citizen advocacy when something horrifying has happened--Sandyhook, Meghan's Law, Amber alerts. But really legislative staff will listen to you on all manner of issues. One of my favorites was a grandchild who wanted to get the medical records from a deceased grandparent both for medical history and genealogy. The laws in my state only allowed children and spouses access to the medical records of a deceased person. The grandchild who came to our office had basically no relationship with his mother who was homeless and had drug and mental issues. He knew he couldn't get his mom to consent and wanted to change the law for people like him.

People need to get and stay involved in the political process and the governance of their communities. Stay woke people.

[stillshimpy]

Quote

As for understanding and empathy?

Yeah, the thing is neither of those words are a synonym for approval, you know?  I think I understand.  There were points I hadn't considered.  I do know I live in something of an ivory tower.   Forgiveness is not actually on the table at present.  It might not ever truly be. 

Every time I read a new headline about whatever creature Trump has dredged up from the marshlands of hell and then put forth as an appointee, it helps to have something closer to honest pity for the people who voted him in.  It's just they are just as fucked and if it hasn't started dawning on them yet, perhaps the second major racist appointment will start turning on some lightbulbs.   I fear for many they won't realize they let an out-and-out fox into their henhouse until the place is upholstered in gore-smattered feathers but that article at least helped me move on from being practically aquiver with rage. 

These appointments are so bad I lack the necessary vocabulary to enumerate all the ways in which the racist parade of assholes can fuck up the country even more.    

I think I also needed the perspective that there was no way for the rotting carcass that is our governmental structure to keep shambling forward much longer.  I don't know how true it is and we'll never know unless someone has a time machine -- in which case, stop bogarting that mofo, we need it , we need it right the now!! -- but it helped add a little balance because he's likely not wrong. 

Obama encountered obstructionism at every turn.  It likely was going to be exactly the same for Hillary, I just fully believed that she was entirely capable of doing whatever it took, even if it wasn't straight-above-board.  That piece made me wonder why it is that I just accept that as a necessity.   That's evidence of the writer being, at least in part, correct.  

When the only way I was envisioning Hillary being more successful hinged on my belief that she would use coercion ("kiss that governmental contract goodbye, Indiana (or whatever) ....vote my way or I'm giving it to my good Blue friends in Arkansas who would just about open a wrist for anything resembling economy bolstering activities in their state..." ), and it did, then I kind of have to accept that I do have some of the same feelings about politics.   

There's still the stumbling block, and it will always be there for me, that Trump voters were willing to back an open racist and misogynist, his appointments just can't fully reflect how much his hatred of women will be visited upon the women of this land yet  and white skin isn't going to do boo to stop it.   So it was more a case of "okay, I see the point"  but I still can't see slathering myself in bacon grease and charging into a bear's den armed only with over cooked fettuccini as a means of defending myself.  

Can anyone tell that I'm really stuck on the "White women made the different in electing Trump" stats?   I mean, it's almost like a farce.  In the name of self-interest,  they elected someone who thinks nothing, nothing whatsoever of actively injuring women in almost every conceivable way.  

Who the fuck knows, maybe they all went for a long walk in the suburbs of Ventura county, breathed far too deeply and then headed to the polls.  Desperation for change, I can get.  Not recognizing that the only change is likely to be "don't expect an apology after he kicks you in the teeth" is something that will remain lost to me as a motivational tool.  

Edited November 18, 2016 by stillshimpy

[windsprints]

Quote

Republicans are afraid to stand up against him lest they be whacked in 2018

I'm hoping they are watching and understanding that if they don't stand up to him they can be whacked in 2018 too. The majority of voters did not vote for Trump and those voters are not happy. They have to be considering that if (when) Trump starts imploding that it will be far easier for Democrats to win seats in 2018.

I called my Senator (a Democrat) to express my concern with the cabinet members that Trump is appointing. Since its all, I didn't name each individually. I also explained that I was upset/angry/afraid of the policies and how they will impact women and minorities.  I also said I wanted to thank her for always fighting for all citizens during her tenure. They thanked me for calling and said that she's ready to stand firm.

Quote

whatever creature Trump has dredged up from the marshlands of hell

Excellent description.

Edited November 18, 2016 by windsprints

[Lantern7]

Read the newspaper. It's like opening up Pandora's Box every day. Mitt Romney might be Secretary of State. First of all, he would be a downgrade from John Kerry, and John Kerry legitimately lost to George W. Bush in 2004. Seriously, how do diplomats from other countries not pat him on the head all the time? Secondly, Romney is one of those guys who spoke out against YKW, and that guy suggested that Mitt would've sucked his dick had he asked in 2012. I'm sure "get on your knees" didn't mean "praying." Seriously, how desperate for power are these assholes that they'd join hands with somebody they protested months prior? You wonder why YKW thinks everybody will fall in line . . . Republicans are selling what little of their souls they have left to stick it to the left.

[Moose135]

50 minutes ago, izabella said:

Those Republicans can cross the aisle and work with the Democrats in the Senate to strike down Trump's Cabinet appointments.  If they are really concerned, they have power to stop Trump's most egregious choices.  However, they won't do that, so all their shock and dismay is just window dressing.  The Internet trolls have a voice now, and it is Donald, and the Republicans are afraid to stand up against him lest they be whacked in 2018.

No, they won't.  How many Republicans condemned Trump during the campaign for things he said or did - the Access Hollywood tape, comments about John McCain's military service, women, immigrants, etc. - and at the end of the day, they all lined up to support him in.

[honeydo7]

Tried calling Senator Session's office today to vent my anger at his anti-semitic tweet which infuriated me, this morning.......nobody answered.......don't know if that was Confederate Battle music, I heard playing or a Nazi March!  For anyone who wants to give it a shot..... the number is (202) 224-6121. 

[Chicken Wing]

Quote

No, they won't.  How many Republicans condemned Trump during the campaign for things he said or did - the Access Hollywood tape, comments about John McCain's military service, women, immigrants, etc. - and at the end of the day, they all lined up to support him in.

Because they didn't want to lose voters. During the election, prominent and not so prominent members of the GOP rejected Trump at every turn when his behavior clearly demanded it, but when it became clear that his supporters were not turning their backs on him, they gravitated back -- because Trump's voters are their voters. If the same blind (and deaf, and dumb) loyalty continues through this administration with supporters standing by and agreeing with their president even when the folks on the hill don't, they will remain silent in standing up to him or disagreeing with him even though they know they should. But if Dump finally -- finally! -- begins to alienate the public with his rhetoric or his policies and the mood shifts, that's when Congress will act against him. It will depend on which way the wind is blowing. Because deep down, they're all pathetic.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[Kromm]

2 minutes ago, honeydo7 said:

Tried calling Senator Session's office today to vent my anger at his anti-semitic tweet which infuriated me, this morning.......nobody answered.......don't know if that was Confederate Battle music, I heard playing or a Nazi March!  For anyone who wants to give it a shot..... the number is (202) 224-6121. 

10 things to know about Sen. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general

Also, of the creepy bent over squad of rickity looking white guys in the Trump Squad, this is one of the creepiest looking. He's kind of lizardy looking.

[stillshimpy]

Just a thought, but we might need to spin off a 'but no, the world actually is ending' thread since this one is called 'anxiety support'.

And talking about what we're anxious about is part of that. 

[ari333]

I know I've said in jest to "pass the pepto." Well, I need it for real.  I was just at the store, leaving with my few items and just out the door There was a huge white man a few feet away in the parking lot .... 6' 4" ish 250 lbs at least, slurring  his words and stumbling , screaming, "Trump is king!" He then swatted a black male adult on the rear end and said "get on BOY!" and grabbed the older black female by the arm and said "Go home N-Word." I WAS HORRIFIED. I said "HEY!" he turned and said "afternoon good lady, how can I help you?" GAG, (I am white) I turned around and took the two steps back in the store and said to the clerks, "you guys need to call the police because...."  and before I could finish they said, "oh no. He's back?" And they ran outside . By they time they and I got there he had made it around a corner past another building. He was despicable. . Not to mention no shirt and butt crack for days,  but that was the least of the horrors. This is the third incident that I have known of in my real life in the last 10 days. (post last Tuesday) Coincidence?  

ETA: I forgot to add that the fucker tipped his hat to me. I almost vomited right there.

The first incident was my Latino bf last Wed. The 2nd was my neighbor's kid and her burka last Fri.. This is the third. I am sickened.

 

1 hour ago, Kromm said:

10 things to know about Sen. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general

Also, of the creepy bent over squad of rickity looking white guys in the Trump Squad, this is one of the creepiest looking. He's kind of lizardy looking.

He IS lizard looking.

And apologies to the lizard community.

 

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

But if Biden had run, then maybe Sanders doesn't get the traction. Because Biden would have run to the left of Clinton, and with much more of a working class appeal, leaving less room for Sanders to make an impression. And without that, maybe you don't get such a controversial primary election, which split loyalties amongst Democrats. I'm sure that the DNC would not have so openly favoured Clinton if the sitting vice president had also been a candidate. Who knows. 

As for the appointments today? Yes, Congress could refuse to approve them, but they won't. I doubt a single GOP congressman or senator in that building has the moral courage or principles to say no to Trump. They'll all act like that charlatan, McConnell, and just refuse to answer any question about the fitness of these men to be in government. Whatever happens, the Democrats just have to keep saying 'no' as loudly as possible, offering optimistic alternatives, and gearing up to win in 2018. They have to start their opposition to Trump and the Republicans now.

At some point, I think Trump will fall out with his new friends, and that's when we'll see just how unsound their foundations are.

THIS ^^^^ I cant add anything.

Just THIS ^^^^

Edited November 18, 2016 by ari333

[izabella]

59 minutes ago, Kromm said:

I seriously think aside from the more overt threats to our health and safety from wack-jobs in the "big" positions at certain agencies, we're also likely to eventually threats to quash our freedom of speech and free access to information.

They don't have to quash freedom of speech or free access to information.  They just have to keep doing what they did during the election - keep reiterating that legit news agencies are a bunch of elitist liars and not to be believed, and that alternative sources of "news" (fake news) tell the REAL story behind the lies of the NYT, etc.  All Trump has to do is tweet lies, and people believe it and choose not to believe any facts.   Isn't that the point of Bannon as chief strategist?  He's a master manipulator of the emotional response of people who believe what they want to believe rather than wanting to look into any facts - he will serve Trump quite well in this regard. 

If people willingly and voluntarily give up their right to access factual information, Trump has no need to do a damned thing to take it away.

Edited November 18, 2016 by izabella

[stillshimpy]

If people willingly and voluntarily give up their right to access factual information, Trump has no need to do a damned thing to take it away.

Truly, he doesn't need to do anything more than he has already done.  He contradicts himself at every turn.  It didn't make a dent with his supporters.  

If someone isn't scared damned near spitless at the list of appointees he has trotted forth then they either aren't very bright, or they might be distressed but believe deep down it won't hurt them.  Or they might be all, "Hells yeah, baby!!! Let the Aryan Posse in the front door and throw away the attorney general's office on a sheet-clad grand-wizard hugging, throwback to the bad guy in every Southern "shit, the locals are gonna eat us alive!" horror flick, who cares?!?  My life's going to get better, right?" 

And oh my god, no it won't.  Jesus Christ Almighty and his side wound, that's the thing:  It's not long before it will dawn on them that they are every bit as fucked as the people they think it's fine to round up, tag, whatever the fuck bargain they've made with their conscience.   

I know I'm a bit of broken record and I do apologize but I'm astounded afresh that even his supporters aren't turning to one another and pulling an Alec Guinness at the end of The Bridge on the River Kwai. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

10 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Personally, I'm not buying into the whole boycott. But I respect that the spreadsheet explains why each company is on the list. It lets you make an informed decision instead of blindly following a list someone compiled. Again, this is a personal decision but I will probably still shop at Amazon and Macy's. But I've never bought any Ivanka Trump merchandise and I don't plan to. Way before this election, I considered her stuff to be poorer quality knockoffs of better designers (and not even the beautiful, creative stuff either... just the basic stuff) and I still think that. I hope she doesn't reopen her store here in NY. It closed a while ago. I wish the list of companies and CEOs who have actually come out and supported (verbally or financially) Trump were longer because that's the part I really care about. 

You bring up a good point. Exactly. I'll still shop on Amazon, but will be avoiding some of the others on the list.

[ari333]

4 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

 

Truly, he doesn't need to do anything more than he has already done.  He contradicts himself at every turn.  It didn't make a dent with his supporters.  

If someone isn't scared damned near spitless at the list of appointees he has trotted forth then they either aren't very bright, or they might be distressed but believe deep down it won't hurt them.  Or they might be all, "Hells yeah, baby!!! Let the Aryan Posse in the front door and throw away the attorney general's office on a sheet-clad grand-wizard hugging, throwback to the bad guy in every Southern "shit, the locals are gonna eat us alive!" horror flick, who cares?!?  My life's going to get better, right?" 

And oh my god, no it won't.  Jesus Christ Almighty and his side wound, that's the thing:  It's not long before it will dawn on them that they are every bit as fucked as the people they think it's fine to round up, tag, whatever the fuck bargain they've made with their conscience.   

I know I'm a bit of broken record and I do apologize but I'm astounded afresh that even his supporters aren't turning to one another and pulling an Alec Guinness at the end of The Bridge on the River Kwai. 

Sorry to reiterate the "THIS^^^^^^^" But the  "like" clicker  was  not enough

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, ari333 said:

There was a huge white man a few feet away in the parking lot .... 6' 4" ish 250 lbs at least, slurring  his words and stumbling , screaming, "Trump is king!" He then swatted a black male adult on the rear end and said "get on BOY!" and grabbed the older black female by the arm and said "Go home N-Word."

But heaven forbid you call this fine patriot "deplorable!" That's SO OFFENSIVE! *cough*

Seriously, sorry you had to see that shit. Absolutely disgusting on every level.

Edited November 18, 2016 by ClareWalks
typo. "this" not "his"

[ari333]

Spoiler

3 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

But heaven forbid you call his fine patriot "deplorable!" That's SO OFFENSIVE! *cough*

Seriously, sorry you had to see that shit. Absolutely disgusting on every level.

 

I know right? And all those people were doing was walking to their caar minding their own business.

[Deanie87]

1 hour ago, windsprints said:

I'm hoping they are watching and understanding that if they don't stand up to him they can be whacked in 2018 too. The majority of voters did not vote for Trump and those voters are not happy. They have to be considering that if (when) Trump starts imploding that it will be far easier for Democrats to win seats in 2018.

I called my Senator (a Democrat) to express my concern with the cabinet members that Trump is appointing. Since its all, I didn't name each individually. I also explained that I was upset/angry/afraid of the policies and how they will impact women and minorities.  I also said I wanted to thank her for always fighting for all citizens during her tenure. They thanked me for calling and said that she's ready to stand firm.

Excellent description.

I also hope the Republicans realize that whatever policies they put in place to make it easier for them to govern are going to be there when the Democrats eventually gain power as well. The road to the swamp they are now laying the groundwork for does go both ways.

[proserpina65]

2 hours ago, partofme said:

I don't think he would have gotten the nomination if he had.  Hillary was my first choice for years.

My opinion, based solely on those around with whom I'd discussed it, is that Biden would've had the nomination wrapped up with a big red bow long before California voted.  But that's all "coulda been" now.

[Duke Silver]

***With the announcement of Jeff Sessions as Trump's pick for Attorney General***, please, if you are able & care about equal rights, please donate to various groups.  Speak with friends & family members & try to get them to donate as well, again, if they are able.

Groups such as: ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, among others.

Many of us despise what is happening, but we can help make a difference.  **Let's be honest with ourselves:  appointments like Sessions will not be blocked by the Senate.  We need to gear up.

[DkNNy79]

8 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

My opinion, based solely on those around with whom I'd discussed it, is that Biden would've had the nomination wrapped up with a big red bow long before California voted.  But that's all "coulda been" now.

I agree.  A lot of my fellow democrat friends would've picked Biden over Hillary, myself included.  Has nothing to do with her qualifications, but again the likeability factor which shouldn't count so much, but does.

Edited November 18, 2016 by DkNNy79