This week in stupid

[SGOS]

I'm in no way looking forward to a Trump presidency, and from how I perceive it, neither is Sargon. He is explaining why he won. And he brought up many good points. While everyone is focusing on the sexism of Trump and his bankruptcies, they completely disregard the policies that Hillary would have put in to place. I don't know about you, but nuclear war isn't something I would have been happy with. And he's right, we very possibly would have had Russia attempt to drop some nukes on us... Because there is no other way that they would be a threat otherwise.
Look. Trump is so far a travesty, as predicted. But we need to look at the bigger picture of why he won, to understand and hopefully fix it and prevent something like that from happening again.

Sent from your mom.

Trump's win is complex with lots of things to consider. 

He had a lot of negative baggage, but so did Hillary.  This helped level the playing field.  It doesn't make any difference whether Hillary's baggage was real or mostly the result of years of Republican attacks.  Baggage is baggage.  Trump was running against a weak candidate.  Supposedly, her experience and knowledge should have won the day, but it didn't.  She was not seen as trustworthy.  This didn't necessarily do her in.  An actual majority outside the electoral college wanted her over Trump.  What the baggage did was eliminate her power to inspire, and this probably kept some disenfranchised Democrats from bothering with the inconvenience of long lines at polling places.

The Democratic strategy of identity politics is outmoded I think.  Democrats want to brake glass ceilings and help selected underdogs to have a better chance.  These goals are honorable, but they don't speak to or benefit everyone.  Auto workers are still wanting jobs.  The everyday rank and file who are no longer in the middle class, feel left out.  It doesn't help them to see a woman rather than a man running X Inc., which still wants a monopoly.  Identity politics attempts to pull up a few, some into glorious positions, but it doesn't speak to the problems average Americans face.  I view identity politics as trickle down politics, and fails for the same reason as trickle down economics.  Hillary claimed she wanted to advocate for blacks and racial minorities, but she could never inspire the black vote as Obama did.  Trump appealed to a wide cross section of people.  Never mind that the appeal was vulgar.  He connected with almost half of the voters.

I think it's a waste of time to find fault with the electoral college.  Our system is what it is, and while I think Democrats understand the importance of playing the electoral college game, they just didn't offer the right goods to win it.  I'm not sure how they could have, but that's a problem the insiders need to work on.

The last 8 years, Democrats didn't accomplish much, partly because of Republican interference, but for whatever the reasons, the Democratic Party was not starting the new race with an image of a can do party.  They did preside over a slowly improving economy, although coming in, the economy was so bad it had to go up.  It doesn't do any good to list Obama's accomplishments, when many of those are viewed as just "OK".  And avoid including health care in the list.  Most people are not that impressed.  Does it help people?  Sure, some, but not everyone, and those who don't have decent coverage as a condition of employment are spending an inordinate part of the paycheck trying to fulfill their new legal obligation to buy insurance.

The Democrats didn't do well in the election.  Considering the circumstances, they gave it a good shot, I think, but they need to do better for everyone when it comes to passing legislation.  There's more than just a "message" articulated during elections.  Actual on the job performance counts as something too.  I actually like the message, but am not so impressed with the performance.

And as for career politicians, people are fed up.  This is true for both parties.  Congress gets a dismal report card in voter satisfaction. Obama won as an outsider.  He was relatively new to the game, and not all that well known.  He beat Hillary 8 years ago.  Trump is even more of an outsider.  We watched the Republican voters ignore the entrenched insiders, the glowing headliners the party had groomed and offered, and the rank and file went for the new guy, not turned off by his pussy grabbing, bankruptcy declaring, and insane wall building promise to be done by Americans and paid for by Mexicans.  Hillary was part of the old school, while a lot of voters, especially younger voters, are looking for a new direction.

Likeable or not, Trump resonated.  You have to give him that.  A lot of Americans are happy today.  Under present politics and the system we use, only half of America can be happy over an election.

I'm likely wrong in my musings, but I don't seek to offend.  I offer these ideas for consideration.  If they are rejected, my feelings won't be hurt.

[Unbeliever]

The reason Chump won is because God ran out of other ways (like hurricanes, earthquakes, etc,) to punish America for its sins. He's got us by the inaugural balls this time...

[Sylar]

A lot of hate, prejudice and prejudging even before Trump is president.
To give him some chance to prove himself as a president is too much to ask? 

I  expect a lot of roadblocks, even sabotage being put in Trump's path from the left to make his job even more difficult.
The left WANT him to fail. The Media will be against him big time.

Good luck America, you need it.  The world is watching you.
Don't screw your country up even more than already is.

For next two years (and most likely four as more Democrat seats are up for election), GOP has supermajority in Congress. He has zero excuse for failing to accomplish anything of what he promised.

Anything blaming Democrats will simply be shifting responsibility away from party who has enough votes in Congress, Supreme Court, and White House to make anything happen as they see fit.

[Baruch]

Yeah..that so called debt is all on paper..well actually in bytes. And you think Donny is gonna fix it?

As easy as punching the DEL key ... if one is brave enough to do that ;-)  As humanity as a whole, we do owe it only to ourselves ... so it can be cancelled at any time ... except it is useful for Davos Man to rule over the rest of us.  The problem is if you delete part of it ... then you are benefiting one set of debtors and harming another set of creditors ... usually not the same people.  One is symmetrical, the rest is asymmetrical.  Because it cements the rule of the Elite, it won't happen, the Elite will go to the guillotine again and again to prevent it.  So yes, if we all agree, all of us, to drop any financial claims we have on anyone, in creditor or debtor mode ... it is gone.  Since when will all agree?

[Baruch]

I'm in no way looking forward to a Trump presidency, and from how I perceive it, neither is Sargon. He is explaining why he won. And he brought up many good points. While everyone is focusing on the sexism of Trump and his bankruptcies, they completely disregard the policies that Hillary would have put in to place. I don't know about you, but nuclear war isn't something I would have been happy with. And he's right, we very possibly would have had Russia attempt to drop some nukes on us... Because there is no other way that they would be a threat otherwise.
Look. Trump is so far a travesty, as predicted. But we need to look at the bigger picture of why he won, to understand and hopefully fix it and prevent something like that from happening again.

Sent from your mom.

I like Sargon on America, because he isn't American, but doesn't hate us either.  That is at least approximate objectivity, something you won't get with any American.

[Baruch]

Yeah right.  You might want to think about that.

It isn't childish when the tax man brandishes and knife at your throat, and cuts your purse from your waist.  It isn't childish when a candidate promises you a free lunch, or to cut a new orifice, on your behalf, in someone you don't like.  That is what it amounts to, otherwise stay out of the bar and the whorehouse.

[Mike Cl]

I have noticed even guys like bearing are following this line of give trump a chance.

Btw, trumps gone bankrupt several times, and now is in charge of economic growth for his entire country. Not looking to good on the horizon.

Notice that those bankruptcies did not hurt him personally; just the workers suffered, not him.

[Baruch]

Notice that those bankruptcies did not hurt him personally; just the workers suffered, not him.

Don't like the tax code, then vote to change it.

[Mike Cl]

Don't like the tax code, then vote to change it.

I did--but so the fuck what??

[Baruch]

I did--but so the fuck what??

Don't blame me for your failure ;-)

No, I don't care for the loophole that Congress provided, that Trump used, to write off 1 billion in bad loans earlier in his checkered career.  But then I would scrap almost all of the tax code, not just on fairness, but on sanity.  Most of the bad individual and corporate bad decisions are based on the Twister result of the tax code.

Workers always suffer, it is their role in every society ;-(

[PickelledEggs]

I find it interesting that by pointing out the flaws of a Hillary presidency, someone has a hard-on for Trump. I see this frequently, especially recently


If someone points out a flaw in a statement, even if they agree with every other aspect of it, they become the enemy.

"I don't like Trump. I still think Hillary would have made a better president, but we need to consider the facts of why people voted for Trump instead of her and why he got elected."
"You bring up Hillary's flaws, therefore you are in disagreement with everything I say and stand for!"

of course that short dialogue is an exaggeration, but it is pretty much what I've been seeing.

[pr126]

Again, the American voters had a choice.

Voted for the lesser of the two evils.

But one wonders. Out of 320 million Americans this was the only two available?

My take: Trump was "allowed" to run because it was a foregone conclusion that he had zero chance of winning.


Edit: pay attention to the interview with the Soviet defector at  the end of the video in the OP.
He describes accurately the process that made this situation that America is in.
Decades of Communist brainwashing. Worked perfectly.

[SGOS]

It isn't childish when the tax man brandishes and knife at your throat, and cuts your purse from your waist.  It isn't childish when a candidate promises you a free lunch, or to cut a new orifice, on your behalf, in someone you don't like.  That is what it amounts to, otherwise stay out of the bar and the whorehouse.

But my original comment was in response to your claim was that "political economics is adult, not juvenile."  The above behaviors stand out not for their adult qualities, but as examples of cruelty and sadism.  In fact, in spite of their barbarity, they could also be categorized as juvenile.

[SGOS]

But one wonders. Out of 320 million Americans this was the only two available?

I think it's because politics in America is the domain of slime.  You are not rewarded for statesmanlike behavior.  You are expected to lie, slander, and to do favors for money.  The system draws to it a most despicable element of society.  There are few people of integrity that want to compete in that environment, and fewer still that could compete successfully.  Congress is filled with arrogant hypocrites that have no shame.  They can be deposed by voters for contemptible behavior and be back seeking office, sometimes successfully, as if they are as pure as the driven snow.

[Baruch]

I find it interesting that by pointing out the flaws of a Hillary presidency, someone has a hard-on for Trump. I see this frequently, especially recently

If someone points out a flaw in a statement, even if they agree with every other aspect of it, they become the enemy.

"I don't like Trump. I still think Hillary would have made a better president, but we need to consider the facts of why people voted for Trump instead of her and why he got elected."
"You bring up Hillary's flaws, therefore you are in disagreement with everything I say and stand for!"

of course that short dialogue is an exaggeration, but it is pretty much what I've been seeing.

Strictly theoretical, like Confederates discussing what the world would be like if the South won the War, over mint juleps.  Even discussing what the new President will do at this time, is strictly theoretical.  Talking wistfully about the past, the future, the alternative past, the alternative future ... masturbation.  Doing the same thing negatively ... self abuse.

Except we now do know that the Senate approved two ex-Marine generals to head up DoD and DHS.  Too bad he didn't choose ex-military officers for the other departments ;-)