American Politics Thread: Orange is the new POTUS (Archive)

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Also, scotched taped ties. A billionaire can't afford tie clips. Hmmm.....

Wait.. what?

[Red Ice Player]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

I'm in the same boat as stamps2x. Been called out for "not googling" before asking questions. The truth of it is his questions are real questions that he, I, and many Americans have.

Is the media honest? No. Is Trump honest? Definitely not. Trump should be, and he's fighting a bad fight, but he's not wrong about a lot of things he says- he just says them in the worst possible way.

And stamps2x is right to wonder what makes Trump himself so bad when any republican would have done all the same things. Oh, a few alleged Russia scandals? I'll wait to find out some truth about that. Can you trust CNN and Wapo to tell the truth? Or are they pushing their own agenda?

I'm certainly not a huge blind Trump supporter, and it would have been a tough vote for me. I would likely have supported Trump for ####s and giggles. I think he was a better choice than Hillary. Was he a better choice than any other democrat: we'll know in a few years.

What an ignorant post. I guess political discussion reveals your true character.

[Drak]

Well, at least we can spot the posters lacking awareness and empathy.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Wait.. what?

There are multiple photos of him wearing ties with big pieces of Scotch tape on the back.

This is from this past weekend, with at least three different pieces of tape...

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Not to mention he is a raging misogynist and likely worse (see comments about Ivanka and a pre-teen who he was going to date in 10 years, 'grabbing' etc)

He is simply unqualified...that is enough...but then there are a whole lot of other bad things.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

And stamps2x is right to wonder what makes Trump himself so bad when any republican would have done all the same things. Oh, a few alleged Russia scandals? I'll wait to find out some truth about that. Can you trust CNN and Wapo to tell the truth? Or are they pushing their own agenda?

I think he was a better choice than Hillary. .

I think the first question is interesting and worth some discussion. My arguement that Trump wouldn't be that bad because he would likely end up just being a typical republican. I think I was very wrong on this.

The Russian ties is worrisome. Is it treasonous yet? No, but on this front his Russian foreign policy is worse than a typical republican.

Supreme Court - typical republican

Treatment of the Media - His distraction of media credibility is very dangerous. You seem to have bought into this. Do these agencies have an agenda, yes, are they fake news, absolutely not. Should they be corroborated with other reports yes.

Lack of Honesty - His continuous lying about everything leads to truth fatigue. This isn't even spin any more. It's blatant verifiable lies. Look at his inauguration crowds argument. He lied about crowd size. He lied about transit use. This disregard for basic honesty is dangerous and combined with the attacking the media for reporting on his lies creates a visions circle.

Muslim Ban - instituted a policy which stranded people, a policy which intelligence groups say won't have any benefit. Regular republicans likely just end the refugee program.

In general an average republican would pass policy I would disagree with. Trump does this with the addition of stoking fear, trying to discredit important institutions of governmance.

Betsy DeVos - I don't think the typical republican puts her in the cabinet. Grossly unqualified.

I'm confused on any grounds on which Trump is somehow better than Hillary would have been. Because that arguement means you somehow believe Trump is better than Obama as Hillary would have been a continuation of Obama policy.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

Not to mention he is a raging misogynist and likely worse (see comments about Ivanka and a pre-teen who he was going to date in 10 years, 'grabbing' etc)

He is simply unqualified...that is enough...but then there are a whole lot of other bad things.

Agreed, I'm not meaning to say he's right about EVERYTHING, I just said he isn't wrong on everything.

He's clearly wrong when he talked about assaulting anyone, and he has some blurred lines around his daughter.

And he is unqualified... yet he was elected for a reason by many Americans. Why? And why do many of them still support him? Must be more to him than a misogynistic, lying, Russian sympathizer. Many Americans are feeling wronged by "the system" and he spoke about turning the system upside down. He's succeeding on that one, by any measure. It's total chaos!

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by GGG

I think the first question is interesting and worth some discussion. My arguement that Trump wouldn't be that bad because he would likely end up just being a typical republican. I think I was very wrong on this.

The Russian ties is worrisome. Is it treasonous yet? No, but on this front his Russian foreign policy is worse than a typical republican.

Supreme Court - typical republican

Treatment of the Media - His distraction of media credibility is very dangerous. You seem to have bought into this. Do these agencies have an agenda, yes, are they fake news, absolutely not. Should they be corroborated with other reports yes.

Lack of Honesty - His continuous lying about everything leads to truth fatigue. This isn't even spin any more. It's blatant verifiable lies. Look at his inauguration crowds argument. He lied about crowd size. He lied about transit use. This disregard for basic honesty is dangerous and combined with the attacking the media for reporting on his lies creates a visions circle.

Muslim Ban - instituted a policy which stranded people, a policy which intelligence groups say won't have any benefit. Regular republicans likely just end the refugee program.

In general an average republican would pass policy I would disagree with. Trump does this with the addition of stoking fear, trying to discredit important institutions of governmance.

Betsy DeVos - I don't think the typical republican puts her in the cabinet. Grossly unqualified.

I'm confused on any grounds on which Trump is somehow better than Hillary would have been. Because that arguement means you somehow believe Trump is better than Obama as Hillary would have been a continuation of Obama policy.

I think it's just a personal mistrust of her, I don't think she is a genuine person. Now, that's going to sound strange, because Trump is certainly more disingenuous.

I just never had the impression she would do anything. I think a lot of Americans agreed with that. If Obama's first election is any indication, American's will vote for someone who promises CHANGE! They want change, and they'll vote for someone who promises change over status-quo... regardless of how smart or dumb that is.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by getbak

There are multiple photos of him wearing ties with big pieces of Scotch tape on the back.

This is from this past weekend, with at least three different pieces of tape...

I wear ties at work (by choice) and this hurts me.

[wittynickname]

CNN reporting that the Statue of Liberty has gone dark tonight. No one seems to be sure if it's just a random power outage of some kind, or if perhaps it's a pointed hat tip to the Day Without a Woman protest starting at midnight.

In any case, it's one hell of a visual in the current political climate.

Spoiler!

[Senator Clay Davis]

Well if they are against the bill, it's pretty much dead.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by wittynickname

CNN reporting that the Statue of Liberty has gone dark tonight. No one seems to be sure if it's just a random power outage of some kind, or if perhaps it's a pointed hat tip to the Day Without a Woman protest starting at midnight.

In any case, it's one hell of a visual in the current political climate.

Spoiler!

Problem is when you mix a nutcase as the President with today's ADD social media society and a protest for every single thing that happens, US citizens have really taken away all power and meaning of protest.

If this was purposeful it will be a hell of a visual and a powerful message for like half a day, where as the same thing could have been insanely powerful in like 1998. It's really too bad.

[Senator Clay Davis]

This scotch tape tie picture is even worse

[jammies]

Would you trust Trump to babysit a toddler for a week all by himself? No help, no calling out for pizza, no getting wives, ex-wives or daughters on twitter to explain things for him. Just the Don.

If your answer is even as generous as "mmm have to think that one over", then you should understand why he isn't fit to be President.

[Flash Walken]

Why are we even talking about this?

[calumniate]

Wow Red green could have rigged up a better tie!

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by REDVAN

I think it's just a personal mistrust of her, I don't think she is a genuine person. Now, that's going to sound strange, because Trump is certainly more disingenuous.

I just never had the impression she would do anything. I think a lot of Americans agreed with that. If Obama's first election is any indication, American's will vote for someone who promises CHANGE! They want change, and they'll vote for someone who promises change over status-quo... regardless of how smart or dumb that is.

I think your last sentence here speaks to a core problem with the American electorate: they've had it too good for too long and, accordingly, can't appreciate the privileges they enjoy. They simply take them for granted.

"What do you have to lose?" That's the line that Trump fed inner-city communities, but it's also the way a lot of the people who voted for him felt, i.e., things aren't great or getting better under Obama, so I'm willing to roll the dice on any chance because I've got nothing to lose.

I reckon anyone who comes from a war-torn or third world country would love to slap those people upside the head because they know what it's like to struggle, to not have democracy, to have their environments and their rights eroded, to live under authoritarian rule, to deal every day with propaganda from their governments, restrictions on their ability to vote or travel, and to continually watch the resources of the state being stripped down to benefit the powerful.

Americans - even poorer ones - have a lot to lose, but they're so removed from the experience of say, Somalis, Iranians, Syrians, Yugoslavians, Afghanis, that they think they have nothing to lose, and don't know what it's like to see their country actually go all to hell. So they're willing to take a chance on a clear authoritarian like Trump. An obvious Xenophobe. A likely racist. An unapologetic misogynist. A prolific liar. A tiresome narcissist. A man with fantastical promises - delivered with no explanation for how they'll be achieved - that even his supporters didn't really believe he'd actually follow through on.

Donald Trump is a bad person. It was obvious during the campaign, and it continues to be obvious today. "Change for the sake of change" is not a good reason to equip a bad person with the power to destroy not only the social and political institutions of one's own country, but the ability to destroy the actual, real-life, no-bull$#!+, mother%#$%^&% entire world. It is insanely, irrationally, crazily, suicidally irresponsible.

And even if you don't care about whether he takes your healthcare away, or lies to you daily about things that matter (like whether your democracy's voting system is rigged or whether his predecessor committed crimes) as well as things that don't (like the size of his crowds, hands, and penis), it is not only irresponsible but reprehensible that you would not care that he takes the rights of other people away, plays upon the prejudices and fears of the white majority, and foments hatred against Mexicans, Muslims, and any other group of brown-skinned people that might serve as a convenient fabricated enemy.

Those voters who failed to do this, who failed to consider the obvious impact this man was going to have on their country and the people in it - even if they were other people - and who voted for this guy "for the sake of change" or "for $#!+$ and giggles", need to take a long hard look at themselves and figure out what, if any, principles they actually stand for.

And the crazy thing is, even if those voters can look inward and honestly say "you know what, I'm in it for me, and screw everybody else", Trump is still a bad option because, unless they're rich and white he doesn't have those voters' backs either.

All that to say, I think we dearly miss the greatest generation. They fought and stood for something. It's a shame so many people today seem willing to throw those efforts and achievements - not to mention selfless sacrifice for the sake of others - to the wind, unconcerned about whether the civil society they created blows away for good.

But yeah. Hillary seemed kind of fake. That would have been way worse.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Donald J. Trump‏@realDonaldTrump
I have tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy.

Besides Don himself, does anyone on the planet believe this?

[calculoso]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Donald J. Trump‏@realDonaldTrump
I have tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy.

Besides Don himself, does anyone on the planet believe this?

Of course he believes it. The problem is that it is in more of a "get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich" kind of a role that he respects women in.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Donald J. Trump‏@realDonaldTrump
I have tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy.

Besides Don himself, does anyone on the planet believe this?

Donald J. Trump @therealDonald
And I grab em by the #####, tremendous respect.