OK...What's Next?

[Padma]

I can imagine some "noble" Hillary electors switching to Kasich and dropping her "win" total to 225.

Meanwhile the Trump electors hold firm at 306, giving him even more (absurd) "Landslide!" talk.

I'm going to be really ticked off it that happens. Trump electors should switch, period. Drop him below 270 and throw it to the House so at least they're on record for him.

Hillary's electors should stay firm unless they know for a fact that 130 Trump electors will flip too.

[stillshimpy]

It's raining.  Hard.  In Southern California.   

Make of that what you will....and focus people, focus. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

3 hours ago, VMepicgrl said:

I've seen it mentioned elsewhere as well. Basically, they think there's a better chance they'll get some Republicans to switch to an "okay" Republican if Hillary's electors all do the same, if Hillary directs them to "heroically." And more likely than Republican electors actually acknowledging that Hillary is the better candidate and won the popular vote and dumping their party to vote for her. Again, I'm not thrilled with it. But like Keith says, if the ONLY other option is rump, it would be better than that.

Again, I'd rather re-vote altogether and hope that enough of those previous undecideds and protest voters learned their lesson, maybe some rump idiots learned their lesson, plus a less hackable method of voting (since I still wonder about those states) would lead to Hillary winning.

Speaking of that video plea to electors, is it bad to say that I don't think the right appeal is to "vote your conscience?" We saw where Ted Cruz's conscience eventually led him. Related to my last post, I don't trust that their consciences are saying to vote for someone other than rump.

Thing is, there aren't any better Republicans out there. 

Me too. Given things. But I doubt that any of them would change their minds.

I don't either.

[partofme]

Yeah no.   Hillary's electors need to vote for Hillary.  I agree that there are no good Republicans.  I don't know why people are now wishing for Mr 47% Romney, I don't think he or any other Republican would be any better, they have a Republican congress, we're screwed either way.

[Bastet]

Here's the ad MoveOn.org is running about the Electoral College:

[onthebrink03]

I agree that Hillary's electors need to stay with her as I don't think you can make a deal with any GOP elector and trust they'll keep their word.

Now about no other Republican being better?  Oh, I don't know.  Yes, you have a Repub congress so things are not likely to be wonderful for the next four years.  But maybe finding a leader who's not already sleeping with the enemy.  One who will not require you to learn a second language and embrace being addressed as Comrade partofme.  Might they still send those who are insurgents and enemies of the state to Siberia?  Not exactly the perfect vacation spot.  Best to keep one's mouth tightly shut with any complaints, eh?  Yeah, find someone else or you may to saying  Dasvidaniya to your republic pretty damn soon.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I'm glad that he and others spoke up! Keep it up you guys. It's about all of us as Americans, no matter what side of the aisle or party. 

 

7 minutes ago, onthebrink03 said:

I agree that Hillary's electors need to stay with her as I don't think you can make a deal with any GOP elector and trust they'll keep their word.

Now about no other Republican being better?  Oh, I don't know.  Yes, you have a Repub congress so things are not likely to be wonderful for the next four years.  But maybe finding a leader who's not already sleeping with the enemy.  One who will not require you to learn a second language and embrace being addressed as Comrade partofme.  Might they still send those who are insurgents and enemies of the state to Siberia?  Not exactly the perfect vacation spot.  Best to keep one's mouth tightly shut with any complaints, eh?  Yeah, find someone else or you may to saying  Dasvidaniya to your republic pretty damn soon.

Maybe. But it's better for them to say something than to not.

Seen too many crazies on their side to think that there are any sane ones left :(. 

[Pixel]

I'm of the opinion that the appeal to electors kept repeating "I'm not asking you to vote for Hillary" to drive home the point that this isn't about getting the democratic candidate into office.  It's about keeping the crazy potential despot out of office, even if it means we (the left) have to swallow another Republican that we don't agree with. At this point, though, I'm increasingly convinced that there's not a decent one in the bunch and we're just as fucked no matter what happens. I'd love to not ever see Trump's face again in any capacity, but that dream for the rest of my life is gone. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

Thing is, there aren't any better Republicans out there. 

 

Evan McMullen is good Republican. And while I would never entertain voting for a Republican for anything, I could live with him being President. Hell, I could have lived with any of the Republicans who ran -- just not Trump and our new Russian overlords. 

[Shannon L.]

16 minutes ago, Giant Misfit said:

Hell, I could have lived with any of the Republicans who ran -- just not Trump and our new Russian overlords. 

Some of the Republicans who ran who were polling high were ones that I wouldn't have liked in the oval office (Ted Cruz? ::shudder::) but some of the lower polling ones I could have accepted. 

Unfortunately, it's not going to happen:  Electoral voters: We’re not out for a revolt

[Chicken Wing]

I think we all need to move on from the fantasy of an electoral college blockade and accept that Herr Dump is officially going to be elected on Monday, and focus instead on what we can do to ensure that, after he officially takes office on January 20 as the most unwanted, undeserving and unqualified president in the history of the United States, he and his foaming-at-the-mouth Congress don't ruin all of our lives. We must stay alert and vigilant to what he does or threatens to do, fight to keep journalists and the media on point in their job to hold his feet to the fire and not get distracted chasing every sensational but ultimately worthless thing he says, and do our civic duty of reaching out to our own representatives, from the local level all the way up the chain, so that they do not waver in their responsibility to check his power and hold him accountable whenever he steps out of line -- which, in all likelihood, he will officially have already done the instant he takes his hand off that bible.

Edited December 16, 2016 by Chicken Wing

[sistermagpie]

11 hours ago, onthebrink03 said:

But maybe finding a leader who's not already sleeping with the enemy.

And who might appoint barely competent people to cabinet positions--and not be using the presidency soley to enrich their family bank accounts!

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, Giant Misfit said:

Evan McMullen is good Republican. And while I would never entertain voting for a Republican for anything, I could live with him being President. Hell, I could have lived with any of the Republicans who ran -- just not Drumpf and our new Russian overlords. 

Maybe. But I just don't agree with any of their platforms. So in that sense, regardless of how moderate, there aren't any ones out there who seem to be willing to compromise.

 

1 hour ago, Chicken Wing said:

I think we all need to move on from the fantasy of an electoral college blockade and accept that Herr Dump is officially going to be elected on Monday, and focus instead on what we can do to ensure that, after he officially takes office on January 20 as the most unwanted, undeserving and unqualified president in the history of the United States, he and his foaming-at-the-mouth Congress don't ruin all of our lives. We must stay alert and vigilant to what he does or threatens to do, fight to keep journalists and the media on point in their job to hold his feet to the fire and not get distracted chasing every sensational but ultimately worthless thing he says, and do our civic duty of reaching out to our own representatives, from the local level all the way up the chain, so that they do not waver in their responsibility to check his power and hold him accountable whenever he steps out of line -- which, in all likelihood, he will officially have already done the instant he takes his hand off that bible.

Yep. And hope that the Dems grow a backbone. But I bet it'll take a lot of people bugging the heck out of them to keep them doing things and preventing shit from being passed from the R's side. Never will accept him as President. Ever. He didn't win it, he stole it with Russian help.

[stillshimpy]

So NPR actually had a piece on what happens if the electoral college rejects Trump, basically, it then goes to the Republican Controlled Senate to determine who would be president, so Pence or Ryan.   I still think there's a very real chance that his conflicts of interest and refusal to deal with any of that can still stop this out of control disaster.   There are actual, constitutional rules at play here. 

 think we all need to move on from the fantasy of an electoral college blockade and accept that Herr Dump is officially going to be elected on Monday, and focus instead on what we can do to ensure that, after he officially takes office on January 20 as the most unwanted, undeserving and unqualified president in the history of the United States, he and his foaming-at-the-mouth Congress don't ruin all of our lives.

This is likely true but you know, we can actually wait until Tuesday.   It's not like it's months in the offing.   It's also incredibly important to make as much noise, put up as much resistance as possible while we still stand a chance of having it do something before that Thing is sworn in.   

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.   

[Chicken Wing]

Quote

 I still think there's a very real chance that his conflicts of interest and refusal to deal with any of that can still stop this out of control disaster.

Several talking heads theorize that he "postponed" the conflict of interest press conference until "next month" to avoid discussing it all before the electoral college met.

[stillshimpy]

In some ways, Chicken Wing, that was the biggest possible blessing in all of this.  Hanging our hopes on a bunch of Republican electoral voters is fraught with all kinds of peril, even if they balk (which they should) we will just end up with a different republican and it isn't as if Pence is going to dump that entire, terrifying cabinet.   Paul Ryan is likely happier than a pig in poo because this whole thing is his wet dream.   He stands a chance of just being promoted to the fucking presidency without having to do anything other than smugly smile his way there.  

However, the better chance is that a constitutional violation can prevent the perambulating spray tan from being sworn in because this is not an optional part of the proceedings.  Those conflicts have to be resolved.   

I have no idea what will happen if they aren't but based on the actual law?  Canceling that press conference gave me hope like nothing else.   

[izabella]

On 12/16/2016 at 10:47 AM, stillshimpy said:

However, the better chance is that a constitutional violation can prevent the perambulating spray tan from being sworn in because this is not an optional part of the proceedings.  Those conflicts have to be resolved.   

Wanna bet?

No, seriously.  Who is going to hold Trump accountable for any damned thing?  Congress?  The Justice Department?  I can see how they're holding him accountable so far, which is to say, not at all. 

On 12/15/2016 at 9:02 PM, Spartan Girl said:

My kingdom for a Christmas miracle.

Me too.  The EC could make it happen.  But they won't.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/15/opinion/why-gop-electoral-college-members-can-vote-against-trump.html?mabReward=A4&recp=0&moduleDetail=recommendations-0&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&region=Footer&module=WhatsNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&src=recg&pgtype=article

[Padma]

5 hours ago, Pixel said:

I'm of the opinion that the appeal to electors kept repeating "I'm not asking you to vote for Hillary" to drive home the point that this isn't about getting the democratic candidate into office.  It's about keeping the crazy potential despot out of office, even if it means we (the left) have to swallow another Republican that we don't agree with. At this point, though, I'm increasingly convinced that there's not a decent one in the bunch and we're just as fucked no matter what happens. I'd love to not ever see Trump's face again in any capacity, but that dream for the rest of my life is gone. 

I wish they'd said that, then. As I think of that commercial it just seems to reinforce the idea that Dems are elites who don't have a clear message--not criticism of Trump, not the better plan for the country, not recommendations of things electors SHOULD do. And it was long, too.

I'm disappointed that the electors don't even meet in the same place and talk together before they vote. It's really a hopeless situation when they all meet in their own states.  No "deliberation of wise people" going to happen that way, under peer pressure like that.

Very "Star Trek" today: "Resistance is futile."

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 hour ago, stillshimpy said:

So NPR actually had a piece on what happens if the electoral college rejects Drumpf, basically, it then goes to the Republican Controlled Senate to determine who would be president, so Pence or Ryan.   I still think there's a very real chance that his conflicts of interest and refusal to deal with any of that can still stop this out of control disaster.   There are actual, constitutional rules at play here. 

 

 

This is likely true but you know, we can actually wait until Tuesday.   It's not like it's months in the offing.   It's also incredibly important to make as much noise, put up as much resistance as possible while we still stand a chance of having it do something before that Thing is sworn in.   

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.   

Ugh. Two other bad choices. No winners there.

Maybe. But there's not very much hope if any left right now.

[Padma]

1 hour ago, stillshimpy said:

So NPR actually had a piece on what happens if the electoral college rejects Trump, basically, it then goes to the Republican Controlled Senate to determine who would be president, so Pence or Ryan.   I still think there's a very real chance that his conflicts of interest and refusal to deal with any of that can still stop this out of control disaster.   There are actual, constitutional rules at play here. 

Wikipedia says it's the House that chooses (still Republicans--sigh) "A candidate must receive an absolute majority of electoral votes (currently 270) to win the presidency or the vice presidency. If no candidate receives a majority in the election for president or vice president, the election is determined via a contingency procedure established by the Twelfth Amendment. In such a situation, the House chooses one of the top three presidential electoral vote-winners as the president, while the Senate chooses one of the top two vice presidential electoral vote-winners as vice president."

[callmebetty]

It's a horrible thought, but I hope we see Inglorious Bastards types of rebellion .

[EyewatchTV211]

14 minutes ago, Padma said:

I wish they'd said that, then. As I think of that commercial it just seems to reinforce the idea that Dems are elites who don't have a clear message--not criticism of Trump, not the better plan for the country, not recommendations of things electors SHOULD do. And it was long, too.

I'm disappointed that the electors don't even meet in the same place and talk together before they vote. It's really a hopeless situation when they all meet in their own states.  No "deliberation of wise people" going to happen that way, under peer pressure like that.

Very "Star Trek" today: "Resistance is futile."

I was thinking the EXACT same thing when I saw that they all meet in their own statehouses. That seems to further defeat the purpose of the EC. If they are supposed to prevent a maniac from becoming president but cannot communicate with all the other electors to come up with a plan, it is very difficult to take effective action. I was thinking that I almost wish it was like a jury deliberation - stick them all in the same room to fight it out with a diverse group of people until they reach a conclusion. Might not result in anything better, but it makes more sense. 

[Duke Silver]

[izabella]

Yay for one bright spot in a sea of darkness:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-blocked-burial-cremation-fetus-remains-judge-rules/
 

Quote

 

The lawsuit argues that the rules serve no medical purpose and are meant to shame women who seek abortions and make it harder for doctors to provide them.

Sparks granted a temporary restraining order blocking the rules, then scheduled two days of testimony for early next month. He expects to rule by Jan. 6 on whether they will be allowed to stand going forward.

Earlier legal challenges blocked similar measures in Louisiana and in Indiana, where they were signed into law by Gov. Mike Pence, now Donald Trump’s vice president-elect.

 

Edited December 16, 2016 by izabella

[PatsyandEddie]

13 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

Well it's about time!

Edited December 16, 2016 by PatsyandEddie
Typo

[izabella]

5 minutes ago, PatsyandEddie said:

Well it's about time!

Agreed, but it's also too little, too late.  The FBI should have actually DONE something to tell the DNC and Hillary all about it back in 2015 when they merely contacted the IT help desk!  And then Comey went after Hillary.  And then the FBI obfuscated until NOW.  Too little, too late.

[Padma]

1 hour ago, VMepicgrl said:

I was thinking the EXACT same thing when I saw that they all meet in their own statehouses. That seems to further defeat the purpose of the EC. If they are supposed to prevent a maniac from becoming president but cannot communicate with all the other electors to come up with a plan, it is very difficult to take effective action. I was thinking that I almost wish it was like a jury deliberation - stick them all in the same room to fight it out with a diverse group of people until they reach a conclusion. Might not result in anything better, but it makes more sense. 

Yes, like a jury!  Or the Constitutional Convention!  I realize our country is much bigger than when this was written but if everyone just votes in their states then we really might as well just get rid of it after all. Pointless. (And clearly a fail in terms of stopping a demagogue).

So the FBI is leaving Trump and his good buddy Vlad twisting slowly in the wind? Good news, but I wonder what's behind that?  Saying this now, so they'll have more credibility on other b.s. later? (Once burned, twice shy).

[galaxygirl76]

1 hour ago, Duke Silver said:

OK,  so why is nothing freaking happening with this information.  Why does no one seem to give a fuck that our election is tampered with. If this was happening anywhere else in the world the US would be crying out for a re-vote. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

^ That's not the case now. The President spoke up and said the US is responding back.

Source: npr.org

Thing is, there's a lot more going on than what we know. 

And now Russia is pissed off.

Source: cnn.com

Quote

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "indecent" of the United States to "groundlessly" accuse Russia of intervention in the US election campaign, Russian state news agency Tass reported.

"They should either stop talking about that or produce some proof at last. Otherwise it all begins to look unseemly," Peskov reportedly said about the latest accusations that Russia was responsible for hacker attacks.

Sorry Russia, but the proof is in the pudding. Other nations have noticed it, including Germany. You are far from innocent.

[aradia22]

Quote

Well fine, protesting is important.  Then the people in here decrying the lack of it should consider standing to post, hold a sign & get to Trump Tower.

Personally, it's been too cold the past few days to walk more than a few blocks the last few days. A visual representation of resistance is important but so is staying safe and healthy in the middle of winter. I'm with those who say that action is important. There are other ways of showing a movement. If some trend (not that I think those things are that effective but regardless) would sweep social media, the news would cover it and it would be about as meaningful as people standing outside to get 3 minutes of coverage on the (likely local) news. Also, I don't go into the area a lot but apparently there are barricades all around 5th Avenue now for security. 

Long story short, I haven't had a good mental health week. I'm trying to hang in there but getting anything productive done has been tough.

You can go back and look. I was so excited about voting on election day. Even after the tremendous blow of the results, I tried to stay positive. I was out at a concert last night with the theme of War and Peace and the unspoken specter of everything that's been going on. It's difficult to stay positive when every day brings more bad news. It's difficult to stay positive when all the things you value and believe effect positive change in the world... music, art, education, love, compassion, etc. don't seem to be commonly held beliefs and you doubt whether they can have an impact against this massive wave of hate and indifference and selfishness and corruption. The little flame of hope in me is not extinguished but it's feeling very small right now.

[fastiller]

I posted this on an article about the press conference over at The Slot (part of Jezebel):

Quote

Is it too much to hope that he was somewhat reprising his calm, cool demeanor at the Correspondents Dinner during the take-out of bin Laden? As in, the unspoken was “on Sunday night, I’ll interrupt Sunday Night Football to announce that Putin has mysteriously passed away”?

[stillshimpy]

Quote

Long story short, I haven't had a good mental health week. I'm trying to hang in there but getting anything productive done has been tough.

Anything we can do to help?  Do you like humor writing at all?  I'm not even close to kidding here, have you ever read any Erma Bombeck? How about Laurie Notaro? (The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death...she's very self-deprecating but just sticks to making fun of herself) .  None of these would qualify as great literature, but they are funny and diverting.  Hell, there's even a writer named Susan Isaacs that has a couple of good books (and some bad ones, if we're being honest) but the specific book I'm thinking of is Shining Through.  Ignore the movie they made out of it, it has almost no resemblance to the book.  The reason I mention it is she has a very funny sense of humor, but the book is part romance, part female empowerment and part Spy Novel.   Highly recommend it for when you must have some no-stakes escapism.  

If you've never seen the original The In-Laws (not the remake, never the remake) with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, it can make people laugh until they cry.   

Quote

You can go back and look. I was so excited about voting on election day. Even after the tremendous blow of the results, I tried to stay positive.

I really feel you there and we just don't know what is going to happen going forward.   Someone asked, "Who's going to stop it?" and....we don't know yet but this is bad enough that we may be on the verge of finding out.   The thing is, denial is a protective device but it is damaging as a way of life.  Sometimes admitting, "Yup.  Sad.  Very, very, fucking sad right now"...I'm not even scared for me, I'm scared for everyone else.  It's wearing.  

This is a weird thing to bring up, but I was raised by my dad.   He died very suddenly a couple of weeks before I turned sixteen.  It's just one of those facts of my life and it's not even sad any longer because I went on to build a pretty kickass life and as a result?  I don't often think of him, he did die in front of me, it was traumatic but whenever I tell people about it....they think that is the defining aspect of me and it just isn't.  The defining stuff is the stuff I built in the years after that.   Sometimes we will have inciting incidents in life.  That's usually a fictional construct, but it does happen to actual people.  

That's what we've all had.  An inciting incident that will start a different journey.     I have next to no family, when my father died I was terrified.  I had no idea what was going to happen and my world was completely fucking gone.  I mean, just gone.  I had to move to another state, to live with my mother, who I barely knew.  I don't think about my dad very often because my world so thoroughly changed after that, it was like my reality had actually ended ....and it had.  

But my new reality is what proved to me that I would figure it out somehow, always.   

You are much stronger than you know and even though reality just changed so much that it no longer feels like your world, you will find the ways to figure it out.  Please be patient with yourself.  Talk to people when you are having a hard time, there's no shame in that.  You'll discover how alone you aren't.  That's a good place to start in feeling better too, but when it isn't working?  

Bring on the "I need to step away from this constant stress" and find something fun.  Get some exercise, endorphins are necessary and helpful.  I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know this, it's not over while we're all still here.  

Edited December 16, 2016 by stillshimpy

[OrigamiNightmare]

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/keep-them-in-diapers-leaked-audio-allegedly-reveals-michigan-mayor-cruelly-mocking-disabled-people/

Seriously, Fuck this guy! I know Trump doesn't see people with disabilities as human either ... I cannot believe that these are still ideas and feelings that people in the year fucking 2016 still hold.

[AntiBeeSpray]

2 minutes ago, OrigamiNightmare said:

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/keep-them-in-diapers-leaked-audio-allegedly-reveals-michigan-mayor-cruelly-mocking-disabled-people/

Seriously, Fuck this guy! I know Drumpf doesn't see people with disabilities as human either ... I cannot believe that these are still ideas and feelings that people in the year fucking 2016 still hold.

Word. That's just sick.

[fastiller]

@stillshimpy - nothing of substance to add to your wonderful post. Just this "SERPENTINE!!SERPENTINE!!SERPENTINE!!"

[PatsyandEddie]

shimpy, you are a lovely human being! 

That Michigan mayor is a piece of filth. 

[stillshimpy]

Mosquitoes that could carry away small children!! :-)  

Also, not quite a Softy Kitty, but here's a Buzzfeed listicle that will help.  We're going to be okay, I don't know how yet, but Number 17 was what made me realize, this is not over.  

ETA:  Thank you, PastyandEddie, back at you :-)  I feel very fortunate for the company I keep around here. 

Edited December 16, 2016 by stillshimpy

[Bastet]

29 minutes ago, stillshimpy said:

Also, not quite a Softy Kitty, but here's a Buzzfeed listicle that will help.  We're going to be okay, I don't know how yet, but Number 17 was what made me realize, this is not over.  

I was chuckling my way along, got a little choked up at #9 (that hit me right in the heart the first time I saw it, so it was nice to revisit), a little more at #11, started getting teary as I went on, completely lost it at #17, and just pretty much kept on smiling and crying the rest of my way through.  The bros and their "we will walk with you" sign.  The professor on baby duty so his student can take her test.  The postal worker standing at respect, in the rain, for the passing funeral procession.  I'm bookmarking that link, because I know I'll need to go back to in on a daily basis, probably for quite some time.  Thanks for sharing!

Okay, here's how fantastic that Buzzfeed list is: You can even read the comments and still feel good!

Edited December 16, 2016 by Bastet

[WendyCR72]

33 minutes ago, OrigamiNightmare said:

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/keep-them-in-diapers-leaked-audio-allegedly-reveals-michigan-mayor-cruelly-mocking-disabled-people/

Seriously, Fuck this guy! I know Trump doesn't see people with disabilities as human either ... I cannot believe that these are still ideas and feelings that people in the year fucking 2016 still hold.

As a physically disabled person myself, fuck this trash. I'm thankful I grew up knowing my worth thanks to parents that loved me and strived for me to get past hurdles or even be a guinea pig (as I was one of the first disabled kids in my school district). It sickens me this attitude exists in this day and age.

[navelgazer]

I only watched a couple of minutes of Obama's presser today, but what I watched got me thinking.  Obama did a SOTU-like laundry list of all of his economic accomplishments, for example, job creation, stock market record highs, 4.6 percent unemployment rate, all very positive, making the point that going forward the GOP will have all of the power.  They are going to implement all of their sacred cow policies, you know, privatize everything, unregulate everything, that we all know don't freaking work, but that they believe in because they're in that fact-free bubble.  

When things go to shit, as they always do under the GOP, it will be 100-percent their fault.  The Sean Hannitys will try to blame the implosion on the Demorats/Obama, but everyone in the real world will know better.  

[Lantern7]

Still hoping for a miracle. Right now, I'm thinking all the ghosts of Presidents Past won't make No. 45 change his ways. And after reading a piece about the havoc an overthrow would bring, I wonder if that was the GOP plan the whole time. Build a monster, unleash it on the populace, get shocked when it proves popular, then destroy it and put something only slightly less bad in its place.

Here in New York, SNY specializes in the Mets. Right now, they're running the first game after 9/11, where Mike Piazza hit a homer to give the Mets a lead against the hated Braves. You know who got interviewed? Rudy Giuliani. Had to shut the TV off, even though he was played like a punk by the Orange Skull. Seriously, this guy would've let the Yankees have their way with his mistress had they asked. He was only at Shea because the Yankees were on the road.

[KIMBERLYANN11]

1 hour ago, OrigamiNightmare said:

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/keep-them-in-diapers-leaked-audio-allegedly-reveals-michigan-mayor-cruelly-mocking-disabled-people/

Seriously, Fuck this guy! I know Trump doesn't see people with disabilities as human either ... I cannot believe that these are still ideas and feelings that people in the year fucking 2016 still hold.

Wanna know what's sick?  I saw the headline and I immediately thought "Has to be Warren"  Yep - it is.  The wonderful mayor of wonderful Warren Michigan.  This is the third largest city in MIchigan and borders Detroit to the north.  One of the most racist cities in the state. When I moved to this area in the mid-eighties, there were eight african-americans living in Warren. Eight.  If anyone who is reading this lives there - I am generalizing, sure, but of course I know not everyone who lives there is racist.  I personally know a few  of the non-racist Warrenites and I consider them friends.  But the government sure has a racist trend.  Of course it's not a huge surprise that the hatred expands to the disabled as well.  

[Bastet]

Events are being organized at state capitols around the country for Monday, to ask electors in person not to vote for Trump.  "We the People will come together at every state capitol across the United States to call on the Electors of the Electoral College to listen to the voice of the people and refuse to cast their ballots for Donald Trump."

[Jordan27]

On ‎11‎/‎18‎/‎2016 at 11:40 PM, Zuzubee said:

What's next? How about we all start getting smart and deal with facts. On both sides. It's not hard to do. Our discourse has been dumbed down by fake news sites. See it all the time on my feeds. Let's all get smart and not just believe what we want to. This is real, folks! People will be hurt or die if we don't get with it. We are not a stupid country, I hope. 

Feeling very frustrated. We are where are due to a tremendous amount of disinformation .  

Garbage in garbage out. And here we are.

Have to totally agree.  The leftwing elite liberal media of ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC have done a great disservice to our country with their propaganda of the Democrat Party. 

Doubt they are going to change though. 

[BookWoman56]

I am resigned to the fact that next week the EC will vote for Trump. It still feels surreal to me, so that every morning when I wake up, it hits me that the election happened and for a couple of seconds, my brain still responds with "WTF." I am resigned to the fact that with Republicans being in control of Congress, along with a Republican POTUS,  a lot of bad stuff is about to happen. There are some issues that concern me more than others. One of my biggest fears is a reversal of Roe v. Wade, because I know there are numerous states, such as TX (where I live) that would immediately ban all abortion because the state legislature is controlled by a bunch of old white men who want to control women's bodies as much as possible. This is personal for me: I was able, when much younger and being treated for a serious illness, to terminate a pregnancy that I had been told would likely end in my death and the death of the fetus, and even if by some miracle we both survived, the odds were high for serious physical deformations because of the meds I was taking. But I was able to make that decision myself. I did not have to get "permission" from a doctor or judge to do it. I did not have to explain that my doctor had forgotten to tell me that the meds I was on would significantly decrease the efficacy of my oral contraceptives. I did not have to deal with figuring out if the doctor telling me there was a 5-10% chance that I would survive would mean I didn't meet state criteria for allowing an abortion only if my life was at stake. I did not have to go to another country to have the procedure done. Finally, I did not have to spend an entire pregnancy worrying about whether I would survive it and dreading the almost inevitable late-term fetal death, stillbirth, or infant death. At this stage in my life, I don't have to worry about getting pregnant, but my daughter does. And I will never forget being in the waiting room at the clinic with other women who had their own reasons for making that decision, and those reasons were none of my damn business. I am so, so tired of the pro-lifers' bullshit assertion that women are too casual about getting an abortion. No woman wakes up one day and says, "Gee, I'm kind of bored, so I guess I'll get pregnant accidentally so I can go through the wonderful experience of having an abortion." So, come 2017 I will be doing what I can to make sure abortion remains legal and safe, and if it does become illegal, will gladly support some kind of underground movement to assist women in going across the border to obtain an abortion in a sane country.  I know there are so many things we need to fight for, but I feel that I need to concentrate on causes that I am passionate about.

ETA: Another trait I am tired of is the failure to understand that if you give the government the right to tell a woman that she cannot have an abortion, you are implicitly giving the government the right to tell a woman that she must have an abortion. IIRC, the laws that used to prohibit abortion were not based on the issue of whether abortion was right or wrong; they were based on the principle that the state had the right to control it because it was in the interest of the state to promote the growth of the population (more taxpayers, etc.). Following that principle, if the state decided it was in the state's best interest to limit population growth because of whatever reason, then the state would be able to insist that they could force women to have abortions. An unlikely scenario, but this year we've already seen some very unlikely scenarios come to pass.

Edited December 17, 2016 by BookWoman56

[Duke Silver]

[Padma]

Re: End of Roe v. Wade through an SC test case--I'm afraid it will happen within the first two years. So sad. I never understand why Republicans don't have to address (often enough) that the law won't prevent women from getting abortions. They'll still get them, they'll just be dangerous and by many unqualified people who are willing to take the risk (and for the price). Or women will "self abort" with disasterous results.

I don't understand the GOP's need to control women's bodies, or why they're so bent on taking SS and Medicare from the elderly or dismantling the public education system. Or attacking civil rights and civil liberties.  Do corporate CEOs line the pockets of these guys? They're always hellbent on ending what FDR and Kennedy-Johnson started and have made life so much better for the poor, middle class, disabled, elderly and minorities. 

Why the passion for getting rid of it all? It makes no sense.

[Fable]

2 hours ago, KIMBERLYANN11 said:

Wanna know what's sick?  I saw the headline and I immediately thought "Has to be Warren"  Yep - it is.  The wonderful mayor of wonderful Warren Michigan.  This is the third largest city in MIchigan and borders Detroit to the north.  One of the most racist cities in the state. When I moved to this area in the mid-eighties, there were eight african-americans living in Warren. Eight.  If anyone who is reading this lives there - I am generalizing, sure, but of course I know not everyone who lives there is racist.  I personally know a few  of the non-racist Warrenites and I consider them friends.  But the government sure has a racist trend.  Of course it's not a huge surprise that the hatred expands to the disabled as well.  

I don't agree with this.  I lived in Warren for most of my life.  They don't care what race anyone is.  They just like to pick on the little people who cannot afford to defend themselves.   Not necessarily racist, just ugly people!.   

Edited December 17, 2016 by Fable

[navelgazer]

10 minutes ago, Padma said:

Re: End of Roe v. Wade through an SC test case--I'm afraid it will happen within the first two years. So sad. I never understand why Republicans don't have to address (often enough) that the law won't prevent women from getting abortions. They'll still get them, they'll just be dangerous and by many unqualified people who are willing to take the risk (and for the price). Or women will "self abort" with disasterous results.

I don't understand the GOP's need to control women's bodies, or why they're so bent on taking SS and Medicare from the elderly or dismantling the public education system. Or attacking civil rights and civil liberties.  Do corporate CEOs line the pockets of these guys? They're always hellbent on ending what FDR and Kennedy-Johnson started and have made life so much better for the poor, middle class, disabled, elderly and minorities. 

Why the passion for getting rid of it all? It makes no sense.

George Carlin cuts right to it.  He explains how we got here.  

Edited December 17, 2016 by navelgazer

[KIMBERLYANN11]

20 minutes ago, Fable said:

I don't agree with this.  I lived in Warren for most of my life.  They don't care what race anyone is.  They just like to pick on the little people who cannot afford to defend themselves.   

n/m just saw your edit and totally concede the point.

Edited December 17, 2016 by KIMBERLYANN11