gpink wrote:

Not so strange from my point of view. A lot of autocratic regimes thend to create a cult of personality around persons similar to Donald Trump.

I guess because it seems specifically limited to economics students. Though, I do think there's something to what you say.

Giovanna wrote:

Would you say Trump's 'brand' is consistent with the view Chinese people are given of the US on the whole, though?

I feel like if a person were to be completely racist toward the US, their viewpoint distilled into a human form would basically be Trump.

And, this may be exactly where it's coming from. In terms of money/land/face equations, Trump may come off super-American.

They're often very clear that he'd be a terrible head for China, or for any other nation, he's just perfect for America.

Giovanna wrote:

I find that incredibly funny given Trump ten years ago was a thing because he was basically Gordon Gekko. The same people that hated that kind of American then are rallied behind him now.

Angry people will believe almost anything.

He's not courting happy people.

Whether he gets elected and fails or doesn't get elected and slumps off, he's going to Nixon his way out. In forty years you'll have, "Oh, he was really a sad, nice man with a lot of bluster," and "well, he was on drugs and he didn't know what his right and left hands were doing and they really broke the law not hi..."

Oh, boohoohoo.

They'll sell it.

As much as they get people worked up, it's all down to the electoral college and ultimate whatever they want. I can't imagine Trump really getting it, though, short of an active coup.

http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/201 … -forecast/

OKAY PEOPLE WHAT IS THIS SHIT

FLORIDA WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK, SERIOUSLY

DON'T MAKE ME COME DOWN THERE

I literally don't care what is in her godforsaken emails. I don't care if she accepted donations from half the civil rights violators in the world. I don't care if she sold national security secrets to Anonymous. If we find out tomorrow that she eats babies, I'll applaud her efforts to moderate population growth.

It's the Frank Underwood Effect.

A total sleazebag career politician thief will protect what's theirs, but the best of them will value a relatively stable place to do their wheeling and dealing in. Trump is a toddler narcissist that is gaining entirely too much traction on the racist, anti-feminist, ridiculous manchild ticket. Hillary has a lot of dirt, and some of it should probably not be acceptable behavior for a president, even by my standards. (Underwood 2016???) But her opponent is Donald Trump. He can't concentrate long enough to read a movie poster and we're expecting him to run a country?

Or is it that we all know very well he won't. It would be Pence doing everything. That's an improvement in the 'bombing people for making jokes about his hands' arena, but wow it'll be a thing watching reproductive rights degrade to the point of needing a man's permission to use a tampon.

I was happier when it looked like Dems might take the senate. At this point it hardly matters what happens. Hillary winning would be the same as us just putting the government on pause for four years, since we're already hearing about how they think it's a good idea to hold the SCOTUS seat open for another four years. Refusing to do your job would get you fired anywhere else in the US.

Decrescent Daytripper wrote:

I'll vote competence and restraint over incompetence, and everyone else running, unfortunately, is damnably incompetent at least in the area of politics and how they affect things like where bombs get dropped or how medical procedures are vetted.

Oh. My. God.

I've been doing FB posts about the third-party candidates that are on the Louisiana ballot, and I find myself utterly appalled at the level of....I don't wanna say idiocy, but incompetence doesn't quite describe it....naivete?...willful obliviousness?...wanton ignorance?...blase oversimplification? Delusion! Yes, delusion. All I saw whenever I went to a candidate's website was a wishlist of stuff they want, but with zero plan to implement any of it. I mean, Jesus tapdancing Christ, show your work!

It makes me feel as if Hillary Clinton, and Gary Johnson to an extent (although stupid things keep falling out of his damn mouth), are the only ones who actually understand how the political process works. You cannot stomp your feet like a spoiled child and demand $15/hour as the new minimum wage or threaten to hold your breath until you get a wall built along the entire Mexican border. There is a process. There is red tape. There are people who have to vote on these things and tack on unnecessary and potentially harmful detritus to the bill while doing so. Maybe you'll get your assault weapons ban, but you're gonna pay for that with having to pass a dumb pet project or twelve as part of the bill package. It's like downloading an app with extremely intrusive ads, but there's no ad-free version available.

So, I'm voting for HIllary because she is literally the best candidate/least delusional person on the ballot. It's not like we haven't had politically inexperienced Presidents before, we've had four of them (Taylor, Grant, Hoover, and Eisenhower), but Hoover was Secretary of Commerce for seven years and the other three all have insane amounts of high-ranking military experience. If a candidate wants to play the "I'm not a Washington insider" card, the rest of their hand better be a royal flush, and I haven't seen that in this election cycle.

This is actually making me sick to watch.

I have my problems will Hillary, but it's staggering to think that this many Americans think not only that Trump's behavior is OKAY, but that it's presidential.

If he wins, America is getting what it deserves. But I feel more and more for Hillary as this goes on. Better or worse, this woman has devoted her life to public service. Imagine what it has to be like to be her, watching these screens...again...and realizing what America thinks of all that effort.

It's like when I spend all night busting my ass, using all my skill and expertise, trying to help a patient, and they decide they fucking hate me because I miss an IV. Dialed up to like a billion across an entire life. Fuck.

I feel entirely helpless to change things any further, from her. And, that actually helps. I can ignore it guilt-free, as much as I like, until things are settled.

OnlyInThisLight wrote:

Someone please tell me I'm looking at the polling so far incorrectly... are we really going to have Donald Trump as president, with a republican house and senate?

I think...I think you are. I am literally speechless now, or not quite, as I can still type but barely. I hope against hope that it won't come to that but I can't see how it can be otherwise and few times have I ever wanted to be proven wrong as I do know. All I can say is...my heartfelt condolences if the worst comes to pass.

I just spent a couple of minutes silently weeping as I stare at the map of the USA becoming redder and redder.

Last edited by Nocturnalux (11-08-2016 09:29:04 PM)

I am actually afraid of checking out politico or any news source, at all. The last time I did check, a Trump win was borderline unavoidable and that is...such a horror show.

I'm not going to be able to sleep.  I have to take something.

I'm very cool, very chill. I'm going to show my class Pee-Wee's Playhouse to keep chill.

But, when I come back to the States, I'm going to find everyone I know who voted third party this year and kick them somewhere painful when they least expect it.