2016 United States Election

[yovargas]

It's only for zero years at most.

[Primula Baggins]

Hey, I'm trying to rein in my imagination here!

ETA: I still think you're right yov—except for the possibility of Clinton making some huge gaffe or error. She would not get the pass that seems to be granted without question to Trump.

Maybe her being a locked-down and tightly controlled person on the campaign trail is not such a bad thing under the circumstances.

I am also seeing on Twitter various generally-not-panicky political writers confessing to being very, very scared. Which scares me.

[Frelga]

It's only for eight years at most. How bad could it be?

Have you seen the Fury Road?

[River]

Allies? We don't need no stinkin' allies!

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/t ... mes-225942

Yeah, so now that I work for a German company gone global maybe I can just get my little labrat bum reassigned somewhere. Or maybe they'll just pack us all up and move us because they want our tech but not the WTFery.

[Primula Baggins]

Gack. I don't know how to tell you all this, but—but. . . .

Apparently JOHN BOLTON finds Trump's views on NATO . . . disturbing.

http://postonpolitics.blog.palmbeachpos ... to-stance/

I'll be under the couch.

If there's still room.

[Frelga]

But he's still voting for Trump.

[Primula Baggins]

Of course he is. He's John Bolton.

[Inanna]

Uzzi den?*

(*pratchett reference)

[Impenitent]

What the hell is going on with the world?

[axordil]

On the lighter side again, an old high school pal of mine hit the nail on the head when he compared Ivanka Trump to Marilyn Munster...

[Inanna]

And on other lighter & not-so-lighter side, Jon Stewart came back to let loose on Colbert's late night show:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/arts/ ... hone-share

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Here's the full segment.

[Frelga]

Back on the lighter side, there are suspicions that Meredith McIver, who took the fall for Melania Trump's plagiarized speech, doesn't actually exist.
https://www.good.is/articles/will-the-r ... r-stand-up

Apparently, all of her social media presence appeared within the last few days and she is not listed on Trump's payroll.

In the past, Trump did pretend to be his own publicist, calling himself “John Miller” or “John Barron”.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... story.html

[Primula Baggins]

I'm waiting to watch the Colbert/Stewart segment tonight with Mr. Prim. But isn't it nice to be able to post videos?

I'm also telling myself that this, the moment when his convention ends and after his big speech, is Trump's high point—that going forward he can only hurt himself. Envision, for example, the presidential debates. If he patronizes or insults Clinton, it will do untold damage with everyone except the people who would vote for him if he kicked a sick old lady out of her wheelchair on live TV. He clearly isn't capable of imagining how women think, or perhaps even that we think. And then there's everyone who's not white, and everyone who's not straight. His cheering crowds are a plurality, not a majority.

<heads off into the dark, whistling>

[Maria]

http://www.snopes.com/meredith-mciver-exists/
Snopes says Meredith McIver is real.

[Frelga]

then there's everyone who's not white, and everyone who's not straight. His cheering crowds are a plurality, not a majority.

<heads off into the dark, whistling>

Hence the efforts to restrict access to voting.

[Primula Baggins]

Yes, some of which will not be enforced this election.

[Alatar]

[Frelga]

Well, their convention looks a lot more sane than the Republican.

[Túrin Turambar]

I'm waiting to watch the Colbert/Stewart segment tonight with Mr. Prim. But isn't it nice to be able to post videos?

I'm also telling myself that this, the moment when his convention ends and after his big speech, is Trump's high point—that going forward he can only hurt himself. Envision, for example, the presidential debates. If he patronizes or insults Clinton, it will do untold damage with everyone except the people who would vote for him if he kicked a sick old lady out of her wheelchair on live TV. He clearly isn't capable of imagining how women think, or perhaps even that we think. And then there's everyone who's not white, and everyone who's not straight. His cheering crowds are a plurality, not a majority.

<heads off into the dark, whistling>

Nate Silver has tweeted that it is now a close election and people should be prepared for the possibility of a Trump win. His election forecast currently has the odds 58-42 in Clinton's favour, with recent polls favouring Trump in Ohio and Florida.

That said, this is in the midst of his convention bounce, the Democrats are likely to see a gain from their convention, and on current figures Trump could win Ohio and Florida and still lose given the Democrats' new-found strength in Virginia and Colorado. But I think that the idea that Trump is a joke candidate who would lose in a Goldwater- or McGovern-style landslide (which I admit I suspected at one point) has been disproven - he's a serious contender.