The 2016 US American Election Thread

[Senator Clay Davis]

The origin story behind everyone's favorite GIF

If you’ve spent any time on social media during this campaign season, you’ve seen the dumpster fire. It’s a big, blue dumpster, up against a gray wall. It burns with the rage of 225 million eligible voters. And it became the internet’s favorite visual metaphor to describe an election that’s devolved into the country’s hottest mess.

But nobody has yet answered this pressing question: What is that actual dumpster that’s on fire? So I asked Giphy if it could track back the source, and the company delivered.

The world’s most famous dumpster fire came from this YouTube video, which identifies the fire as being located behind the official home of The Oscars: the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. “Engine 27 makes quick work of a large dumpster fire,” the video caption says.

So what exactly happened on this fateful day in 2012? Had some Oscar nominee lost to The Artist (like everyone that year), then gone outside for a smoke and flipped the lit butt into the dumpster? That’s less clear. The Los Angeles Fire Department wasn’t particularly impressed at how famous the fire had become, and didn’t want to produce anyone from Engine 27 to tell the heroic story. “Unfortunately, social media, it is important to this fire department, but I don’t see us dedicating time and resources to a video that’s popular online,” a spokesman told me.

He then referred to the famous dumpster fire as a “rubbish fire,” which isn’t very social-media friendly.

And so the question lingered: Was this fire, in fact, behind the Dolby Theatre? I didn’t just want to trust the caption on a YouTube video. So, I pulled up Google Street View and started virtually wandering around the Dolby Theatre.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article...n=Sumome_share

[Drak]

Trump just fed his supporters more bloody meat.

He just said he would accept the results of the election. IF HE WINS!

[Senator Clay Davis]

That he did. Clip is here

https://twitter.com/ABC/status/789144200029667329

[Drak]

CNN trying to pass it off as a joke.

[photon]

I was watching it a bit and what he said right after I think is relevant. It sounded to me like he was giving a much more reasonable explanation, but I can't remember exactly.

Whole context plz video-making-internet-ppl.

Commission on Presidential Debates disagrees with Trump and says they didn't give questions to Clinton.

[photon]

Gives a bit more context to Trump's comments:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...tion-news-live

"Of course I would accept a clear election result, but I would reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge, in the case of a questionable result."

[photon]

BTW the crowd entertained themselves with clapping chants of "Bill's a rapist" before the rally began.

[Drak]

Originally Posted by photon

BTW the crowd entertained themselves with clapping chants of "Bill's a rapist" before the rally began.

Followed by lock her up and kumbya?

[Swift]

Angry Trump after the debate - https://twitter.com/TheFix/status/789090575249125376

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

Yeah, and if you wear a short skirt and walk around in the wrong part of town, you get what's coming to you... have I got that right?

Look in the mirror for a second here. Seriously. This is beyond your usual brand of "I can't believe this guy teaches kids".

That's the best you got? Shouldn't you be out chasing an ambulance?

[photon]

I didn't know this, OAS will be observing this election, first time they'll do it in the USA.

Usually, the United States sends observers to countries where the vote is in some manner suspect. This year, America is on the receiving end of the scrutiny.

One reason is concern over new voter registration and #identification laws passed by the states as well as diminished Justice #Department oversight since parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act were struck down by the Supreme Court.

Adding to the spike in interest is the allegation by Republican nominee Donald Trump that the election could be “rigged.” He has called on his supporters to go to polling places to act as a deterrent to potential fraud.

Some of the foreign observers take pains to stress they are no more than what their name implies. They insist they will not intervene on Election Day but will instead publish their observations in postelection reports and make suggestions to improve any practices they find wanting.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...495_story.html

[photon]

Trump even sent out the if I win line in prepared remarks!

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Wait... did he just release a statement that hadn't been finalized? Why are there two versions of that paragraph?

[MissTeeks]

538 politics – Verified account ‏@538politics

How did Clinton take control of the 2016 election? With the most dominating 3-debate performance we have on record: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...mp-last-night/

[Red Slinger]

I've only been paying attention to the US elections for about 25 years. Can it be said that the Trump campaign is the worst executed campaign in US history?

[Senator Clay Davis]

It's almost not about policy anymore, it's about functional intelligence and Trump clearly has none.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by photon

Gives a bit more context to Trump's comments:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...tion-news-live

"Of course I would accept a clear election result, but I would reserve my right to contest or file a legal challenge, in the case of a questionable result."

I assume a "questionable result" for him would be anything other than a win for Trump. Even with the extra context added, it's still pretty clear that he's going to try to make a mess on election night.

Recounts aren't granted unless the election results are too close to call, and I think it's safe to say that it'll likely be a landslide for Clinton at this point. So what else could he do? If he's planning on claiming it was rigged, he's gonna need solid iron-clad proof, of which he has zero.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

How hard is this? Everyone has the right to their point of view. You can and should criticize its weaknesses, but do it fairly. And it should go without saying, your response to their point of view, no matter how terrible you think it is, cannot be criminal assault. That is unjustifiable. There is no "yeah, I don't condone this, but he probably had it coming". You're victim blaming.

I'm not exactly out on a limb here. Seriously, stop and think about what you've just said, and whether you really want to double down on it.

What part of I don't condone it do you not understand? I'm not encouraging anything by saying that if you do the things suggested you are likely to end up in a body bag as much as getting in a fist fight. Save your holier than thou legal stance as the law is not as dissuasive down here as it is in Canada. Issues are very much culturally inflamed and violence is all too often an end result, no matter how much you call for everyone to take a level head.

[Senator Clay Davis]

The man who brought Obama's Half Brother, a political clownshoe in Palin, Bill's accusers and a Benghazi mom to the debates is now complaining about circus like antics. Hahahaha, but no seriously dismissing these women with "Give me a break" is probably the worst part of this.

[the_only_turek_fan]

What is the deal with that James O'Keefe sting operation?

Did those two guys that resigned last week actually pay people to go to DJT rallies and start violence?