The nation may survive, but the wound to hope and order will never fully heal - US elections 2016: the october surprises

i remember treesh predicted months ago that bill clinton's affairs would become part of this campaign. good prognostication.

the multiple charges of harassment and sexual assault against Trump have been around this whole cycle, even if most mainstream outlets have generally chosen not to foreground them. I feel it's inevitable that those stories are the major news focus for the next two weeks, right?

The intriguing question for me is just what note HRC will try to strike. She's not especially good at striking the right note, but in this case close will probably be more than good enough, given how badly Trump will perform. There's no way he will come out poised and smooth. He's going to be a total head case right from the start.

thank god for the person who leaked this piece.

yeah, that person is a fucking hero, NBC dithering on this shit is ridiculous

Did we mention that in response to the AP story about Trump sexism on the set of The Apprentice,

"These outlandish, unsubstantiated, and totally false claims fabricated by publicity hungry, opportunistic, disgruntled former employees, have no merit whatsoever," said Hope Hicks, Trump's campaign spokeswoman.

the timing on this release was insanely good. i think it actually dropped just as Matthew was heading out of FLA a bit and obv long before it hits NC.

don't think she used enough adjectives xpost

also the dems have to go hard on that tape still, the apology is for the words used, the tape has him describing his actions. two different things.

actually can you imagine, having this on your hard drive? making the phone call to the washington post? it must have been one exhilarating moment.

you guys don't think it obv came from the clinton campaign?

GQ’s Profile of Hope Hicks Tells Us a Lot About Trump’s View of Women

Hicks, a 27-year-old with no prior political experience, breeds fascination amongst reporters. She found her way to the Donald’s side by way of a P.R. and modeling gig for his daughter Ivanka’s clothing line. An eye-blink later, she’s helping her boss chastise the Pope, smear a female reporter, and avoid all substantive discussion with the press.

Is it faintly chauvinistic to say of Hicks, as one unnamed political spokesperson did in an interview with Nuzzi, that she’s essentially clueless—that “She is going to regret everything she’s said and done” in choosing to work for Trump, “And I don’t think she knows it yet”?

Yeah I figured before this broke he'd be trying his best to stay subdued and maybe say a couple coherent policy statements and it might look like a comeback even if he was just as much of a clueless asshole 80% of the time. But now, this is the encroaching awareness of public humiliation on a grand scale, the grandest, it's beautiful, and there's no way he could maintain the facade of calm for a minute.

also, now if by some miracle he does maintain calm and seems "presidential," it doesn't matter, there's no way that's the story.

since he's a teetotaler he can't rely on the "I have an addiction that makes me act out" line either

this is the encroaching awareness of public humiliation on a grand scale, the grandest, it's beautiful

it is, it is

he is going to bring up juanita broaddrick and tell hillary, point blank, that she is married to a literal rapist. he might try to make it more personal by saying that she "sleeps next to a rapist" or something. all of this will be sanctioned by conway and the other leaders of the trump campaign because dragging the clintons down -- establishing an "equivalency" -- is the only hope they have of avoiding a humiliating electoral blowout

at the debate that is. this is going to get fucked up because trump is a rat and he's cornered.

Nicholas Kristof
3 hrs ·

We've posted my Sunday column online early, because it tells the story of a Trump business partner who recounts how Trump tried to force himself on her--once, in Ivanka's bedroom. Her key quote tells the story: "He name-dropped continuously...when he wasn't groping me." This is the man who may be our next president.

nyti.ms/2dLMFdJ (this is paywalled so I dunno what it says but it's nice to see a pileon)

Him being a teetotaler has got to be bullshit. Dude gives off serious amphetamine vibes. Prob using coke now, too

you guys don't think it obv came from the clinton campaign?

she "sleeps next to a rapist" or something

you can't saw the hillary campaign hasn't had plenty of lead time on coming up with good responses but still i have no idea how she'll react if he says that. will she defend bill? will she just turn it back on donald? will she look hurt? or amused?

idk but the pundits will overfocus on her reaction and it's going to be cruel and horrible

she'll probably say "come on, we all know my husband's an asshole by now" to massive laughter

i think if she could get a good cry out of this she would be golden for quite a while

obviously that goes against her whole story but that's why it would kill

no way. the media will overfocus on her reaction -- some with hostility, more with faux sympathy -- and it will be a huge distraction away from trump. her best bet is to remain poised like last time.

did we mention that chaffetz has withdrawn his endorsement?

I have been catching up on all this over the last half hour and I have been laughing like crazy the entire time.

― Ned Raggett, Saturday, October 8, 2016 4:20 AM (fifty-nine minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

same here. this is the post that almost did me in:

I think I would respect Paul Ryan more if he just said, "The guy is a moral monster but I don't care, he's a Republican, and my job is to elect Republicans. It's not like he's not gonna sexually assault people as President any more than he would in his current job. Probably less, in fact."

― Guayaquil (eephus!), Saturday, October 8, 2016 3:22 AM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/299950-report-pence-was-beside-himself-over-trumps-2005-remarks

such bullshit. he knows who donald trump is.

this should surprise no one

Cracks appear, and the unendorsements begin:

'I'm out': Rep. Chaffetz (UT) withdraws his endorsement of Trump

maybe it's Hillary who should skip Sunday's debate

i like that the CNN breaking news bar notes that Trump apologized "Saturday morning".

pence should drop off the ticket. idk how it would play but he already looks good by comparison to trump - might as well inaugurate the 2020 campaign and try to wash some of the stench off

maybe it's Hillary who should skip Sunday's debate

very sorkin

Trump won't quit, and it will force Pence off. Right now, the only thing on his mind is trying to figure out how to bail and still look like a hero. Priebus and Ryan have stars in their eyes when they look at Pence, so I guarantee there'll be strategy sessions in Wisconsin tomorrow.

I've already seen people making the case for Clinton skipping the remaining debates. I'm not as convinced as they are, but if she did it the right way I think it would be fucking rad.

idk i think they help her. and they give a chance for america to get to know her better before she becomes president. i think a lot of people read about her and hear people talk about her but don't pay attention to the actual things she says.

i think a lot of people read about her and hear people talk about her but don't pay attention to the actual things she says.

...for the last quarter century or more.

xxps (on Pence):

+ column: could be most powerful VP in history, responsible for foreign and domestic policy
- column: could be irretrievably tainted by association with a narcissist misogynist sociopath

I'm soo tempted to walk to the two Trump signs in the neighborhood and correct them to "Trump/PencePenis 2006 MakeGrab America Great Again"

pence will stick with the trump campaign's death march right up to election day. as a good soldier he'll do what he can to keep the ship afloat, but his defenses of trump will be carefully measured rather than enthusiastic. no one will blame him for the disaster. they'll appreciate his trying to shield the down ticket races and he'll come out of this in good odor with the party professionals.

redditors explaining that this video will win trump the election bc he bragged about literally cucking married men and that's the most alpha thing a man can do

Hi! So what have I missed?

xp the woman in question did not actually sleep with him tho was the point of his story

is a failed uh cuck-er even alpha

the tic tac thing is kinda weird

musta ran out of binaca

https://twitter.com/ditzkoff/status/784587616700203012

(Erin) Burnett’s friend said she recognized that detail. “The Tic Tacs,” Burnett said, quoting her friend. “That’s exactly what Trump did to me. Trump took Tic Tacs, suggested that I take them also. He then leaned in ... catching me off guard and kissed me almost on the lips. I was really freaked out.”