Mourning in America - Trump Year One: November '16 to

I guess that's what's gotten me so frustrated about this election in general. Trump and his supporters have painted a picture this entire time of him being an outsider, someone who was fighting a rigged system, who the media despised for "telling the truth", who didn't have the support of "establishment" politicians, who often implied that some mysterious "they" was trying to hold him back. Not a single part of that is true. The media helped propel him to the White House by covering every single thing he did, refusing to talk about anything Hillary said unless she specifically mentioned Trump. They painted her email "scandal" as somehow being more disqualifying than all his actions combined. The FBI actively and blatantly meddled in the election to toss it in his favor. Russians hacked the DNC and Wikileaks strategically released thousands of private emails at the most damaging times possible. He lied about nearly everything and almost never got called out for it. He got away with not having to release his tax returns. He insulted Republicans nonstop in remarkably personal ways, and got to watch as nearly all of them wound up endorsing him anyway. He lost the popular vote but won the White House because of the electoral college (which he previously called a "disgrace"). All the vote rigging and voter suppression seemed to be in his favor. It is difficult to imagine a candidate getting more lucky breaks or being more privileged than he was. And yet he pushed the "rigged" narrative harder than anybody ever has. It's infuriating.

― frogbs, Thursday, November 10, 2016 4:09 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

goes right in line w/ his white voters believing they an oppressed minority

or his image as a "self-made billionaire" despite having built entirely off Daddy's money

Hey, folks, I don't really know much about California, so could some of you help explain the flaws in my thinking?

Specifically, a lot of people who I take to be knowledgeable are immediately dismissive of the talk about California seceding. In the context of California political procedures and the stuff we've seen happen so far this year, why is this delusional crazy talk?

Because it seems to me, and maybe I'm wrong, that in California it's pretty easy to get a referendum on the ballot on just about any topic. Why couldn't secession be raised as one of those ballot referendums?

Thanks in advance.

how many states do you know that have successfully seceded from the union?

how many states do you know that have successfully seceded from the union?

― k3vin k

I'm sorry, but I don't find "It's never been done before" to be a very convincing argument in the light of this year's events.

https://theintercept.com/2016/10/30/reagan-alumni-for-trump-remind-america-that-gop-didnt-start-making-things-up-in-2016/

Ed Meese is still around and on the "Reagan Alumni for Trump" council

Doesn't California get a ton of its water from Colorado?

Specifically, a lot of people who I take to be knowledgeable are immediately dismissive of the talk about California seceding. In the context of California political procedures and the stuff we've seen happen so far this year, why is this delusional crazy talk?

bc most of us are not interested in re-litigating 1860 r u 4 real?

there's a good reason there is no provision for states seceding in the u.s. constitution.

Doesn't California get a ton of its water from Colorado?

― Kiarostami bag (milo z)

Maybe, but how's California's artisanal tea industry?

I want to be clear, I'm not advocating for it. I'm not saying it would be a good idea or that it would make sense. I'm just wondering if there's a reason beyond common sense and historical precedent why it couldn't happen.

not entirely opposed to another civil war at this point tbh, as long as nukes don't get involved it might be a net positive for the rest of the world

there's a good reason there is no provision for states seceding in the u.s. constitution.

― harold melvin and the bluetones (jim in vancouver)

And marijuana is an illegal schedule I drug on the federal level.

Is there any indication he will even live in the White House?

I've been wondering this too

not entirely opposed to another civil war at this point tbh

christ.

even two terms of Trump couldn't destroy as many American lives and essential infrastructure as a civil war. let's be real here.

Oh God I really don't want to get into some military nerd fantasy football about the logistics of a 2018 American Civil War. Please forgive me.

Well if one side used muskets...

How is he going to handle his business interests while he's in office? Is he legally required to disclose everything now? Are we ever going to find out who he owes money to? Like...how the hell is this going to work?

I would love for the tax returns to come back up and for there to be some reason they're made public

Against his will

the kids are going to run the business. totally separate. big league.

And then he is shocked this happens and chokes to death on the bite he took of a taco bowl

At some point I was saying "at least if Trump wins, we'll finally get to see his tax return". Can't remember why I said that

I'm sorry, but I don't find "It's never been done before" to be a very convincing argument in the light of this year's events.

― xiphoid beetlebum (rushomancy),

You should visit Appomattox Courthouse sometime

can we poll these

Secretary of Education Ben Carson

Attorney General Pam Bondi

Secretary of Energy Harold Hamm

was hoping to see Carson as Surgeon General w/ epaulets

Don't forget EPA chief Myron Ebell

if you feel like getting your heart ripped out today

http://jezebel.com/what-do-i-say-stories-from-the-classroom-after-electi-1788781296

I had one little boy who was clearly affected, I just talked to him and said, I can tell you’re upset, and he looked at me and said, ‘Well, my mom lives in Mexico’—I think he means she’s from Mexico, she lives here—‘and she says if Donald Trump wins she’s going back to Mexico.’ Which was heartbreaking, because the way he was saying it, it was clear that he was afraid she was going to leave him, which I don’t believe is true, but it’s clearly what’s going on in his head; I had to find a way to talk to him and try and make him feel like it’s going to be okay, whereas in my own mind, I don’t feel like it’s going to be okay, like, I can’t actually make that promise.

Re: Berlusconi upthread. This news piece from 2010.

Exasperated by Berlusconi's pro-Russian behaviour, American embassy staff detail allegations circulating in Rome that the Italian leader has been promised a cut of huge energy contracts. The two men are known to be personally close, but this is the first time allegations of a financial link have surfaced.

Hillary Clinton's state department in Washington sent a special request to the Rome embassy this year, asking for extra intelligence-gathering on the allegations about the men: "What personal investments, if any, do they have that might drive their foreign or economic policies?".

The US ambassador in Rome, Ronald Spogli, first reported the claims in a series of dispatches in 2008-09. He said the prime minister had taken "single-handed" control of Italy's dealings with Moscow, with the over-riding aim of pleasing the Russian leader. Berlusconi acted as a "mouthpiece" for Putin, he reported, supporting him in public when Russia was being criticised.

Perhaps the next time Gazprom squeezes Europe, at least some of the proceeds will be coming to these shores.

Y'all should read this.

A few days after the release of the tape, which was followed by a string of accusations from women saying they had been sexually harassed and assaulted by Trump, I checked back in with Tracie St. Martin to see if she still supported him. She was working on a new gas plant in Middletown, a working-class town near Dayton that was the setting of the recent best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy.” Here’s what she wrote back in a text message: “I still appreciate the honesty in some of his comments. Most of his comments. I still favor what he says he may be able to do. I am voting against Hillary, come what may with Trump. It’s important to me that ‘we the people’ actually have political power. And electing Trump will prove that. I am AMAZED at the number of people voting for him. The corruption is disgusting in the press. Yes, as of right now I am voting FOR Trump.” She was sure he would win, she said: "His support is crazy! The polls have to be wrong. Have to be fixed.”

And she shared an anecdote that reflected how differently Trump’s comments had been received in some places than others. “I’m setting steel for this new gas plant…I’m operating a rough terrain forklift,” she wrote. “So today, I kept thinking about the debate and the audio was released … And I got underneath a load of steel and was moving it…I was laughing and laughing and one of the iron workers asked ‘what are u laughing at.’ I said ‘I grabbed that load right by the pussy’ and laughed some more…And said ‘when you’re an operator you can do that ya know’, laughed all fucking day."

"politicians are corrupt"-->"so let's elect a Prez who's a (failed) NY/NJ real-estate/casino mogul and reality TV star=1/2 this country really too dumb to be allowed to vote.

he literally lives inside a 24k gold room at the top of a tower in manhattan that has his name on it in huge letters

"politicians are corrupt"-->"so let's elect a Prez who's a (failed) NY/NJ real-estate/casino mogul and reality TV star=1/2 this country really too dumb to be allowed to vote.

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Thursday, November 10, 2016 5:25 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yes, the answer to somebody who you consider is destroying democracy is to take votes away from people yes this is good logic i like it

you know what's really woke, testing people before they can vote.

yes, the answer to somebody who you consider is destroying democracy is to take votes away from people yes this is good logic i like it

― the klosterman weekend (s.clover)

burning the left for wanting to "destroy democracy" is like voting against hillary for wanting to "destroy the coal industry"

I'm usually not bothered by such stuff, but it is kind of sickening to hear CNN go on about Trump being gracious, Trump "hitting the right notes," etc. It really is kind of meaningless after the past 15 months.

he's who they wanted all along anyway. the next four years are going to be great for the news networks ratings wise

oh barf, had not considered that

s.clover if you really think I'm for real wanting to take away voting rights from anyone you're even more of an idiot than I already thought

Fuck CNN in every one of its miserable holes

Xpost

Worth re-reading again: Donald Trump Reportedly Plans to Delegate All Domestic and Foreign Power to his VP

(alternate interpretation: promise everything to this creep and allow him nothing)

and I don't consider them to be destroying democracy. democracy needs an intelligent citizenry. we do not have one atm.

s.clover if you really think I'm for real wanting to take away voting rights from anyone you're even more of an idiot than I already thought

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Thursday, November 10, 2016 5:58 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

maybe don't say you think people shouldn't be allowed to vote if you don't mean it? idk, just thinking aloud here

"democracy needs an intelligent citizenry."

spoken like a true patrician scion of jefferson davis

yeah I forgot about the dipshits like you who take every single thing literally, good lord.

unilateral state secession is illegal, per the supreme court: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_v._White

also a bad idea from a democratic perspective, see lincoln's first inaugural

also morally wrong, because a liberal state with a huge population leaving the union leaves trump and his fellow cretins stronger than ever

otm x3

Can the District of Columbia secede? We're not a state.

but people who want their blue state to secede don't actually want to improve the lives of the oppressed, they just want to make the problem someone else's responsibility