US Election: 2016

[mariomike]

"Welcome to Fort Trump." - NYPD

Fort Trump: New security measures ring Trump Tower
http://www.mcall.com/news/nationworld/
NEW YORK (AP) — Being a midtown Manhattan neighbor of Donald Trump now that he's president-elect has come to this: navigating swarms of police officers, barricades, checkpoints and street closings that have turned Trump Tower — a tourist attraction normally open to the public — into a fortress.

The extreme security measures began going up around the landmark Fifth Avenue skyscraper on Election Day, when authorities brought in a fleet of heavy Sanitation Department trucks filled with sand to wall off the front of the glittering, 664-foot glass tower and protect it from a potential car bomb attack.

 

[Kirkhill]

I'd agree.

I would just point out that Alinsky published his rules in 1971.  Three years after 1968 and Paris, Watts, Detroit, and the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

He rather eclipsed Robert's Rules of Order, published 100 years earlier.

We have gone from a society that aims to minimize friction by allowing the rough with the smooth to rub along together to a society that elevates the creation of friction to an art form.  A society that encourages the venting of passions rather than controlling them.

Jon Stewart's election

http://thefederalist.com/2016/11/11/how-jon-stewart-and-the-daily-show-elected-donald-trump/

 

[cupper]

>I wonder if the Obama White House staffers will ...

I will be surprised if any such pranks occur.  Accounts indicate that Obama desires a smooth, competent, adult transition like the one he received from his predecessor.

Obama has a lot of character flaws he indulges in political contexts that grate on me, but at a personal level he appears to me (and is alleged by many) to be civil and gracious.

I agree, Obama is nothing if not civil.

 

[Kirkhill]

http://www.usnews.com/news/the-run-2016/articles/2016-11-11/dnc-staff-arrogance-cost-hillary-clinton-the-election-vs-donald-trump

DNC Staff: Arrogance Cost Clinton the Election
The Democratic National Committee is raging against the Hillary Clinton campaign machine.

...

"We are pissed at them and state parties are pissed at them because they lost due to arrogance," a top DNC staffer tells U.S. News, sharing the candid sentiment suffusing the high levels of the committee in exchange for anonymity.

It's no surprise that the hierarchy of the Clinton campaign leadership was insular and self-assured. But DNC staffers say the team's presumptuous, know-it-all attitude caused it to ignore early warning signs of electoral trouble inside the states, and demoralized DNC staff who felt largely marginalized or altogether neglected for most of the campaign.

...

some DNC staffers describe the relationship between the two entities as uniquely ineffectual, even after the displacement of unpopular chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. And they attribute it to one fundamental reason: Clinton's campaign leaders always thought they knew best. The DNC was to do what it was told: Essentially, be seen and not heard.

...

Back at DNC headquarters, staffers were equally as depressed, but they also became angry, reeling through times they were not valued or downright insulted.

There was the time a state party executive director asked to speak directly to Marshall, and a reply came back from a junior staffer that the state party member wasn't senior enough to merit that level of interaction.

There were the numerous pleas from state party leaders to get Clinton to specific states – like Michigan – earlier, and to devote more resources to state party operations, which provide the oil and expertise to get out the vote.

"But it was all about analytics with them," the DNC source says. "They were too reliant on analytics and not enough on instinct and human intel from the ground."

...

First, the DNC is tasked with mining the reams of data from the states they lost and drawing some difficult conclusions about the best path forward.

In the meantime, Clinton's headquarters in Brooklyn is seeking those answers as well, and will want to see the DNC's data.

But the DNC staffer says his boss has told him, "With the way they treated us, don't feel like you need to respond to anything Brooklyn wants quickly."

 

[Kirkhill]

And on the same topic

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/jonathan-kay-under-trumps-spell-conservative-thinkers-have-stumbled-into-crude-power-worship

 

[The Bread Guy]

[

They missed their chance saying he'd displaced a black family from public housing  ;D

 

[tomahawk6]

Michigan was finally called for Trump pushing his electoral college vote to 306 to 232 and winning 31 states.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Michigan was finally called for Trump pushing his electoral college vote to 306 to 232 and winning 31 states.

Congratulations to you and your country electing Trump. I would have bet money Clinton was going to win, glad I'm wrong. Hopefully Mr Trump brings her to task for the shit she's done.

 

[tomahawk6]

Congratulations to you and your country electing Trump. I would have bet money Clinton was going to win, glad I'm wrong. Hopefully Mr Trump brings her to task for the crap she's done.

Thats a tight rope right there.The Clinton Foundation though would be fair game.

 

[Journeyman]

They missed their chance saying he'd displaced a black family from public housing  ;D

Hmm....Jack Layton/Olivia Chow flashback...

 

[mariomike]

I would have bet money Clinton was going to win, glad I'm wrong.

You were right, and wrong.

New York Times,

"Hillary Clinton didn’t just win the popular vote. She won it by a substantial margin."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/opinion/clintons-substantial-popular-vote-win.html?_r=0

 

[Journeyman]

"Hillary Clinton didn’t just win the popular vote. She won it by a substantial margin."

Ah, memories of Col. Harry Summers: "You know you never defeated us on the battlefield," said the American colonel. The North Vietnamese colonel pondered this remark a moment. "That may be so," he replied, "but it is also irrelevant."

Yep, Hillary may have won the popular vote, but that isn't what the 'Electoral College war' is based on.

 

[Chispa]

The Electoral College epic saga is still today overwhelmed by vigorous debate, carry on, or scrap it? Some state, praying Trump can still be stopped.... say what??? he went over 270 how can this be?

Found this.....

Trump can still be stopped. The Founding Fathers foresaw just this catastrophe, and built a fail-safe into the Constitution. It’s called the Electoral College. Alexander Hamilton was explicit: this mechanism was designed to ensure that “the office of president will never fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.” In short, it was designed to prevent just this situation: the rise of an unqualified demagogue like Donald Trump.

You can make it do what it was meant to do.

The requirement here is modest: a small group of Republican electors must be persuaded to vote their conscience. No question that many of these are appalled at the prospect of a Trump presidency; surely a few are courageous enough to cast a vote for someone else. (Most if not all would vote for another Republican, of course; it doesn’t seem likely that many would choose Hillary Clinton.) Depending upon how current recounts turn out, somewhere between a minimum of ten and a maximum of thirty-seven electors would have to defect in order to bring Trump’s count down to less than 270. More reading fallow link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/douglas-anthony-cooper/the-electoral-college-was_b_12897066.html


Although fully aware of my, etc., above comments for many moons; all indications point the EC will vote in Trump's favour, although Hillary won the Popular Vote, as many have reverberated...NO... Your Single Vote Does Not Count in the USA.

Just my thoughts...

C.U.

 

[Kirkhill]

I have heard talk of democratic or coastal or tech secession.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2016/nov/08/us-election-2016-results-live-clinton-trump?view=map&type=presidential

Judging from the map it would appear to be a little bit complicated.

The Mississippi valley is engulfed by rednecks. The Piedmont citadels are surrounded by crackers.  Chicago is afflicted with hoosiers. 

Miami is adrift.

Manhattan runs into deplorables on Long Island and Poughkeepsie.

And Washington DC?  40 miles in any direction and they run into Southerners.

Coastal California might be able to make a go of it - although the Deplorables of Kern County are only 40 miles from Malibu.  And then there is that unfortunate problem with the San Andrea Fault.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Regarding the Kay column "Under Trump’s spell, conservative thinkers have stumbled into crude power-worship", Kay is making what is turning out to be a common error.

Voting "for Trump to oppose Hillary", or "for Trump to upset the status quo" is not the same as voting "for Trump", and is not something that can easily be teased out absent an unequivocal statement from the voter.

I regularly read several columnists at NRO, where there were many Never-Trumpers and Lukewarm-Trumpers.

Trump is the apocryphal "crisis == danger+opportunity".  Most of the conservative output right now recognizes both the risk (Trump's character) and the opportunity (to enact not only parts of the broader Republican / conservative agenda, but also to lay down some lasting restraints on the presidency).  There's nothing crude about their reservations or ideas.

 

[George Wallace]

This explains a lot, from a British commentator (print and video versions):

Nick Ferrari: How the "deplorables" took back America

Hillary Clinton labelled Donald Trump supporters "a basket of deplorables". Well it turn out there are over 59million deplorables in the United States.

Nick Ferrari told his LBC listeners that the voters were fed up with the entitlement of the Clintons, who felt that it was "Hillary's turn" to be President.

He said: "58million Americans were "deplorable" in Hillary Clinton's book. Do you realise what they actually voted for?

"They'd already had eight years of Clinton. Jeb Bush was the next Bush who was meant to come long, we've had Dad, we've had son, actually was brothers turn as well.

"These hideous families, these hideous dynasties, who have this sense of entitlement that they can just become the next president. Alright it's Dubya's turn, now it's Jeb's turn, oh it's Hillary's turn.

"And those 58million deplorables, all they have seen in their lives is they still haven't got work or they're earning less now than they did in 1999. Many Americans are earning less now than they did in 1999.

"So for the love of God, why would you vote for more of that? So what's the choice. Another Clinton? OK let's give her another four, probably eight years. Why?

"And that is the alienation it's been. And everyone says it's like Brexit. There is a degree because because Donald Trump did tap into that sense of rejection, that alienation and that destruction of the smug elite class who think they are literally born to rule. Bill Clinton said "It's her turn".

"No it's not. It's the deplorables' turn to actually take back their country.

"What it holds for America, nobody knows but they're pretty smart people over there. Looking at some of the headlines around the world, which will bring in a minute or two, you think they're on the verge of Armageddon. I really don't see it that way."

Of course there are other reasons argued by others as to why Hillary failed in her bid.  This is only one opinion that is formulated.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

"Hillary failed in her bid to be POTUS". That's all I need to know to surmise that America is waking up.

The next Clinton endeavour I hope to see or hear about is their appeal to the SCOTUS to remain free on bail.

Clinton is the New Orange.

 

[Kirkhill]

Regarding the Kay column "Under Trump’s spell, conservative thinkers have stumbled into crude power-worship", Kay is making what is turning out to be a common error.

Voting "for Trump to oppose Hillary", or "for Trump to upset the status quo" is not the same as voting "for Trump", and is not something that can easily be teased out absent an unequivocal statement from the voter.

I regularly read several columnists at NRO, where there were many Never-Trumpers and Lukewarm-Trumpers.

Trump is the apocryphal "crisis == danger+opportunity".  Most of the conservative output right now recognizes both the risk (Trump's character) and the opportunity (to enact not only parts of the broader Republican / conservative agenda, but also to lay down some lasting restraints on the presidency).  There's nothing crude about their reservations or ideas.

I note that both in Britain and in the US the cry now is:  Tell us what will happen.

I said earlier that the most effective weapon that any commander has at his disposal is Surprise.  Both the Conservative establishment in the UK and the Republican establishment in the US have been given prizes of the greatest value.

Nothing is predictable.

Theresa May is negotiating with both her domestic internationalists and EU saying that no matter what they do - take her to court, force an election on her - she has 17 to 18 million people only to willing to believe the worst of her opponents.

Donald Trump - well everyone knows that he is crazy.  He, like every American President, is quite willing to push the button on a nuclear war.  Why wouldn't he consider launching an economic war against China, ripping up all the trade deals, blowing apart the Internationalist Consensus, building a wall with Mexico.  He has 60 million people that don't find those prospects objectionable.

They are now playing two games of Three Card Monte with two rich, nuclear armed states  - and they are waiting for the cards to stop.

Who wants to make a deal?

 

[Kirkhill]

And the award for "Line of the Election - 2016" goes to:

Rex Murphy.

Boasting about her expertise in the area, and her unparalleled experience, Madonna promised to give oral sex to any man who voted for Hillary Clinton. The threat did not go unheeded: all over the country, men went into hiding and trembled with dread.

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/rex-murphy-fear-and-loathing-on-the-campaign-trail-16

 

[cupper]

And Washington DC?  40 miles in any direction and they run into Southerners.

The only problem with that is only going 40 miles out from DC you are still in the suburbs, where the population is ethnically and politically diverse.

40 miles west and south into would put you in the outer edges of Northern Virginia which is essentially what has made Virginia a blueish purple state in the last few elections.

40 miles north and east puts you in the Maryland suburbs around DC. Prince Georges County is majority African American and other ethnic groups. Montgomery County is more diverse across ethnic groups than PG county.

To get into more predominantly Republican areas you need to go much further south into rural Virginia. Go further north or East and you hit Delaware a democratic state, and Pennsylvania which tends to flip flop depending on the candidates in play.