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

hey guys did I miss anything

http://cdn.niketalk.com/d/db/db692f54_ray-liotta-laughing-in-goodfellas.jpeg

WARNING: I do not agree with ALL or even MOST of the following, from comments on a movie blog. i wonder if any of you have encountered this argument much online or offline.

― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius)

oh yeah, i have friends who react like that. a lot of people think he's still a big tacky joke, a comedic incompetent. their reaction is to sit back and reach for the popcorn. it's not a perception i find it worth my while to push back against. i just wind up saying "gee, i sure hope you're right" and leave it at that. if they're wrong, hopefully i can be there for them to help when it finally hits them.

morbs there is totally a chance of that and I think the best case scenario is certainly better than the best case scenario if a reliably ideologue got elected.

but trump also has a long history of nixon-style vengeance, unpredictability, willingness to break the law etc. etc. there is little you can actually count out as possible when it comes to worst case scenarios.

'as not possible', rather

I think Nixon is not a bad touchstone for what a Trump presidency might look like. He also tended to leave the details to others, e.g. Kissinger basically ran the show on foreign policy.

Except it's Nixon with a rabid right-wing congress. That's the scary part.

I hate the flyover/coastal narrative so much. Heartland cities are blue and the rural coasts not an hour from urban metropolises are deep red.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z)

yeah, it's kind of shorthand, but people also internalize it in some really dumb ways. like, almost everyone where i work in suburban kansas was super fucking bummed on wednesday.

not really related, but i was really struck by how few trump signs i saw in the run-up to the election compared to the number of signs for local republicans, even after 6 years of brownback. there were a fuckton of people who were too embarrassed to openly support trump but were definitely voting for him anyway.

nixon was similarly not much of an ideologue xp

rushomancy fwiw I've really appreciated yr posts itt and would love to read more of whatever you're spitting

https://itself.wordpress.com/2016/11/11/the-home-front/

What was disturbing to me was her inability to even hear why I would find Trump especially problematic. It was as though it was just another election. She had an answer for everything. I said that part of why I was worried was that The Girlfriend had been sobbing on Wednesday morning; she said some people may well have been crying if Hillary won. I said Trump was a creepy sexual predator; she said Hillary was pathetic for putting up with her creepy sexual predator husband. I said I didn’t want to ask The Girlfriend to come into an environment where people might be gloating about a Trump win; she was well aware of how Democrats felt about this and knew to keep her mouth shut. Is there any greater intrinsic justification for how Democrats feel? Is their fear and shame more significant than her frustration with her Democratic colleagues who made her feel shut down in political debate? The answer to both questions seemed to be no. Everyone has their opinion and has a right to it.

It’s a familiar sophistry that deflects every objection, leaving nothing but an arbitrary choice of the side that makes you feel most comfortable. It was like I was trying to convince someone on moral and intellectual grounds why they should be a White Sox fan rather than a Cubs fan. What was most disturbing, though, was the dawning realization that the sophistry was partly designed to let her cope with me and my potentially abhorrent views.

Levity!

https://twitter.com/JordanPeele/status/797111664898437120

The history of fascist dictators is also a history of flashy dumdums.

Welcome back, Shakey. Rushomancy OTM all over, but especially "learning to lead."

I hold this to be self-evident: that powerful lies can't be as powerful, in the end, as powerful truths. We have to get better at telling the truth in a way that makes it stick. We have to be as shamelessly manipulative about our truths as they are about their lies, and the truths have to be tailored to stick at lots of different layers.

On the one hand there will always be the bottom layer of pure evil fuckers, the unreachably evil. Then there are the nihilists. Nothing to be done about either group. One up from them are the cynical ideologues whose entrenchment would be tough, if not impossible, to break.

But leapfrogging to the top layers, the winnable layers. The stories "Trump is frightening American children" and "Kids really look up to Hilary and are excited to have her as President" might have got through to some of the exurban/suburban swing voters in a way that could have made a serious difference. Something like what this Jezebel story says, but a pre-emptive strike: http://jezebel.com/what-do-i-say-stories-from-the-classroom-after-electi-1788781296

That's one layer. Then there's a layer that's genuinely concerned with personal and economic security but couldn't give a shit about ideology or policy. They need a narrative that lets them know that the best candidate is going to take care of them. I didn't hear a lot out of Hillary that addressed the fear that Trump shamelessly tapped.

(And by the way when they said "SKANKLES U R COMIN FOR CITIZENS' GUNS" the answer shouldn't have been a nuanced rebuttal that detailed her policy approach; the answer should be "That's ridiculous and nothing but a lie. But we'll make sure that criminals and maniacs don't have assault rifles." Or whatever.)

Lots more winnable layers as you dig deeper but I'm not the Communications Officer and you get my drift anyway.

Avoiding the language that the right has turned against us - currently the jargon of political correctness, "safe spaces," etc - is important when fighting an information war. Adjusting tactics to suit the battleground - fighting reason with better reason, simple lies with simpler truths, bad fear-based policy with good hope-based policy that actually addresses the fears - that's the "listening to middle America" that the Dems should have done.

Also needs to be recognized that YUGE charisma is one of the major qualifications for the job.

Commitment to facts is one of the things I admire most about the party, but facts don't matter if they can't be communicated effectively, with emotionally persuasive impact. That's something we just have to get way, way better at if we're going to win enough hearts and minds to stem the coming tide of assholery.

j., a lot of the issue I have with that is that it is trying to address different points of view from a purely emotional level. The problem with a Trump presidency is much more the concrete changes that it will bring to all of our lives when the Republican government has a free pass to enact their agenda in all three branches.

excellent post hd

Discussing things with our kids and trying to provide perspective has been helpful, even if I still have my deep, dark doubts. In the 1960s, we had presidents and civil rights leaders assassinated, there was the distinct possibility of nuclear annihilation, abortion was illegal, we had tens of thousands of protesters in the streets, often being assaulted by police or national guard, we had a draft fueling an unjust war, we had a huge segment of the population segregated and treated as second-class citizens - legally! And we slowly made progress. And then we got Nixon. And then we slowly made more progress. And so on. It's been two steps forward, and one step back, but many things are still going in the right direction even when they seem like they're not. It's like climate change deniers pointing to a warm winter as proof that climate change is a myth. Well, look at trends, not today's temperature. For that reason I am hopeful, at least in the abstract. We have fought *and won* a lot of battles, and as I noted many posts back, I can't think of the last time our civil rights were not violated but negated and legally reversed, and I'd like to believe doing so remains more difficult than many understand. It is important to be vigilant, but even with literally everything on the table, it is not a practical or even feasible reaction (at least for me) to respond with an equivalent fear of everything.

P.S. Please don't burst my bubble too bigly, I am trying to cope on a minute to minute basis here. Just off the phone with a good friend of Filipino descent who is freaking out and practically afraid to leave the house, and I've been toying with various contingency plans myself for the coming months and years.

Having some similar thoughts to Old Lunch in the past 24 hours.

people treat the presidency as some solve-everything position and assign blame or credit to the president, having little idea what they do day-to-day

including the future president, lol

Josh that notion of two steps forward , one step back was exactly one I shared with my teenage kids the other night.

Been taking some flack from some friends for posting stuff on FB like the "Day 1 of President Trump" thing or reminding them that the Nazis and KKK are celebrating right now - saying I'm "spreading the hate" and "grouping people together" by assuming all Trump voters are racists. I cannot say "Trump voters aren't all racists, but they have shown that they will tolerate it" enough times. And I'm being told "what's wrong with you, you're making it worse, you're giving them what they want." Am I in the wrong here? What do I say to this?

like almost nobody voted Trump knowing that it would make minority kids cry and transgenders commit suicide, cuz they really didn't understand the message they were sending, even though so much evidence was out there. and yet here we are.

speaking of two steps forward, this Josh Marshall piece provides some comforting perspective. Basically, things may look, and are indeed, bleak, but it's been the rule in American politics for a long time that reversals happen often and very quickly.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/near-differences-big-consequences

or to put it a bit differently, Republicans were in much the same place in 2008, facing a newly elected Democratic president and full Democratic control of congress, and look where they are now.

facts don't matter if they can't be communicated effectively, with emotionally persuasive impact.

it seems important to remember is that the corporate media is massively dominated by conservatives and all attempts to use them to communicate liberal ideas invariably results in massive distortion and the deliberate injection of a negative emotional impact.

Did Trump really use the phrase Big League again?

he did say we were going to create a lot of "big league jobs" so that's cool

this has been very hard to discuss with my daughter (esp in the context of her 80% latino school, where this has definitely engendered a great deal of emotional disturbance). I took her to what I thought was going to be a small vigil/gathering on Wednesday night but actually turned into thousands-strong spontaneous march ("too much yelling" she said), to show her that this is what people like us do when we feel the need to express our commitment to our community and our principles. trying to remind myself that there is a rich progressive tradition in this country that we need to honor and continue and carry forward, because politics is war and the struggle is never over.

it seems important to remember is that the corporate media is massively dominated by conservatives

while we're on the subject of facts let's remember the DNC outspent Trump almost 2:1 on media

they're worser at it, somehow

The corporate media is massively dominated by conservatives! The lamestream media is controlled by the liberal elites! WHICH NARRATIVE WILL PREVAIL? Tune in for the next 4 years to find out!

yeah if those TV commercials that played the same clips of Trump over and over again persuaded anyone the 15th time they saw them then I'd be pretty fucking surprised

Based on my experiences watching the ALCS and World Series at bars -- which is the only time I've seen any broadcast television in the last six months -- the Trump campaign and associated PACS WAY outspent the Dems in Ohio for TV. I saw a Trump ad in every single commercial break, plus a bunch for Rob Portman. I don't recall seeing a single Clinton ad.

Been taking some flack from some friends for posting stuff on FB like the "Day 1 of President Trump" thing or reminding them that the Nazis and KKK are celebrating right now - saying I'm "spreading the hate" and "grouping people together" by assuming all Trump voters are racists. I cannot say "Trump voters aren't all racists, but they have shown that they will tolerate it" enough times. And I'm being told "what's wrong with you, you're making it worse, you're giving them what they want." Am I in the wrong here? What do I say to this?

― frogbs, Friday, November 11, 2016 11:37 AM (twenty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

They can equivocate and make whatever assumptions they need to about your motivations in sharing stories like that, but assuming that your intent is to make people uncomfortable with the baggage of a Trump presidency, it sounds like you're doing it exactly right. Don't relent and make it easy for people to ignore or normalize what's happening. Some people are definitely going to get reactionary in the face of that because the truth sucks and it's difficult to confront. But we have to confront it or it's just going to get worse.

like almost nobody voted Trump knowing that it would make minority kids cry and transgenders commit suicide

plenty did.

#notalltrumpvoters

At this point, what can you do to make rust belt 'Reagan Democrats' understand that the only reason those middle-class w/ bennies jobs existed in the first place was unions and that they're voting for the party that isn't just kind of meh on unions and wages but actively hostile? It feels impossible.

it isn't about policies. the majority of people voting in nat'l elections clearly vote based entirely on feels/personalities. Dems need rabble rousers that fire up crowds, they don't need bajillion dollar ad buys and triangulation based on bad polling data.

that feels like good advice rn

like almost nobody voted Trump knowing that it would make minority kids cry and transgenders commit suicide

man what internet are you using

the DNC outspent Trump almost 2:1 on media

last time I looked paid advertising was viewed far differently than news and opinion programming, where much effort is expended to establish the news readers as "your trusted source for the truth news".

The corporate media is massively dominated by conservatives! The lamestream media is controlled by the liberal elites! WHICH NARRATIVE WILL PREVAIL?

did you ever notice where people keep hearing that "media is controlled by the liberal elites" meme, ad nauseum?

One of the ways to adjust and focus, y'all, is to stop using Trumpian malapropisms like "bigly." It not only legitimates him and the way he's corroded the discourse but it gets under my fucking skin.

I also dont see an army of reagan democrats champing at the bit to get down there in the Trump(tm) Coal Mines to pull themselves up by their bootstraps..

I'm just tryin to look ahead, sleeve

xp

"Dems need rabble rousers that fire up crowds"

they had one!

At this point, what can you do to make rust belt 'Reagan Democrats' understand that the only reason those middle-class w/ bennies jobs existed in the first place was unions and that they're voting for the party that isn't just kind of meh on unions and wages but actively hostile? It feels impossible.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Friday, November 11, 2016 1:10 PM (eleven minutes ago)

smug memes about economic anxiety seemed to work pretty well this election, i say we keep up with those

I understand the appeal of a Biden to DNC types because he has bad hair and doesn't follow scripts and can improvise on the stump, and I think Sanders would've done better than Clinton in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, but I've trouble thinking he would've survived "Jewish socialist" in September and October. Michael Moore seemed convinced this morning that many of those incoherent and inchoate Trump voters in those states I mentioned were willing to give the Jewish socialist a shot because they were suffering so badly.

they had one!

they did, and while I don't know if Bernie could have pulled it off against Trump, I clearly misread the electorate so who knows

not trying to look backward cuz what's done is done, just that moving forward that seems like the lesson to learn from a political party/strategizing viewpoint

xp

Not for profit so no specific names, but just circulated by the American Academy of Pediatrics (for all my fellow parents):

A Message from AAP CEO/Executive Vice President Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP

Members of the AAP:

Following the results of this week’s national election, AAP members in communities across the country have reached out to us. They’ve requested advice on how to speak to children and families about the results, how to help each other cope with disturbing rhetoric, and how to explain news reports of protests. They have sought reassurance that our mission remains steadfast to advance policies that protect all children.

Even as we do everything we can as a national organization to represent children’s needs to our newly elected leaders, it is so important that all children feel safe and protected in their day-to-day lives. As pediatricians and pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists, parents and grandparents, we can serve as a source of comfort and safety, reassuring children and supporting families.

Here are some ways you can encourage parents to help their children:

TAKE CARE

Take care of yourself first. Children depend on the adults around them to be and feel safe and secure. If you are anxious or angry, children are likely to be more affected by your emotional state than by your words. Find someone you trust to help with your personal concerns.

TALK

Explain—as simply and directly as possible—the results of the election and what they mean for who is in charge of the country. Start by asking what your child has already heard and what understanding he or she has reached. As your child explains, listen for misinformation, misconceptions, and underlying fears or concerns. The amount of information that will be helpful to a child depends on his or her age. For example, older children generally want and will benefit from more detailed information than younger children. Because every child is different, take cues from your own child as to how much information to provide.
Pay attention to what your children are viewing on television, the internet and social media, especially younger children. When children watch news on television, try to watch with them and use the opportunity to discuss what is being seen and how it makes you and your child feel.
Consider sharing your feelings about the election with your child. This is an opportunity for you to model how to react to the news, especially if you talked openly about the potential results as a family in the weeks leading up to the election. Be sure that you are able to express a positive or hopeful approach about the future and be reassuring.
Share with your child your own values and beliefs, including how you as a family treat others who are different or who may disagree with you. Kindness is important. Teach your child that if you disagree with someone, you can talk with them kindly about the way you feel.

LISTEN

Encourage your child to ask questions, and answer them directly. Question-and-answer exchanges help to ensure ongoing support as your child begins to understand the response to current events. Don’t force the issue with your child. Instead, extend multiple invitations for discussion and then provide an increased physical and emotional presence as you wait for him or her to be ready to accept those invitations.
If your child has seen or experienced discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation, either from other children or adults, encourage your child to discuss what he or she has experienced. Observing someone we care about being discriminated against, or experiencing discrimination ourselves, is scary, and reminds us that now more than ever it is important to reassure children that they deserve to feel and be safe in their schools, homes, and communities.
Allow your child to express what he or she is feeling, including fear, anxiety, or anger. Listen as your child talks about it, again and again if necessary. Reassure your child of the steps that are being taken to keep him or her safe. Children should be encouraged to tell a trusted adult, such as a parent or a teacher, if they are bullied or feel threatened.

ACT

Engage in activities with your children that demonstrate your values. Volunteer together at an organization whose mission is dedicated to a cause you care about, give your child ideas about individual actions he or she can take every day to help fight prejudice, and take care to discuss issues of shared concern as a family.
As we turn to our newly elected leaders, the Academy will continue to advocate for and promote healthy children, support secure families, build strong communities and ensure that the United States is a leading nation for children. We will remain constant in our pursuit of health and well-being for all children. We will be steadfast in our approach of using evidence, policy and our passion for children in our dialogue and discussion.

Thank you for all you to do to care for children in your community, and thank you for your partnership as we work together to represent their needs to our new government.

In gratitude,

Karen Remley, MD, MBA, MPH, FAAP
Executive Vice President/CEO, American Academy of Pediatrics

i feel this way too flopson. im not doing well

love ya, buddy. I can't honestly say anything optimistic politically or materially but I do know that being together will ease the pain. here for you and all ilxors if u ever need anything