More US election stuff

[ad_orientem]

Trump is the least bad of the two candidates. At least it seems less likely now that there will be a new Cold War.

[SusanDoris]

Apart from the whole depresssing news, it is a very sad day for American women who will have to fight hard to maintain their existing freedoms, let alone to move forward.

[L.A.]

Trump is the least bad of the two candidates. At least it seems less likely now that there will be a new Cold War.

Mainly because it looks as if Trump will abandon NATO - still, I don't suppose that would bother you too much, Finland has been run by Russia before hasn't it?

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

Finding it hard to take seriously Trump's victory speech promising to help the millions of forgotten Americans by employing them to rebuild US infrastructure so it is second to none - if he is serious his voters seem to have accepted a huge increase in national debt to fund this since he promised tax cuts - whoever voted for him it doesn't seem to have been fiscally conservative Republicans.

Trump voters really seem to have convinced themselves that people lending to a protectionist US government will not worry about the risk of default enough to reduce/ stop lending to or investing in the US. Either that or they are too busy protesting against the Establishment to care.

[Anchorman]

Ain't democracy wonderful? Any billionaire racist xenophobic mysogenist with a leaning towards disrespect for disabled people, Black people, Arabs and Moslems can become president........

[The Accountant, OBE, KC]

It's what the people want...a reflection of the priorities of the demographic that voted for him. Older, white males who believe his promises of jobs and a brighter economic future for themselves and their kids, and who didn't want to vote for the Establishment that they blame for their current situation. 

[Khatru]

A president backed by the KKK

You went low, America

[floo]

A president backed by the KKK

You went low, America

I can see the colour bar being reinstated!

[Walter]

Ain't democracy wonderful? Any billionaire racist xenophobic mysogenist with a leaning towards disrespect for disabled people, Black people, Arabs and Moslems can become president........

are you describing me?

[ad_orientem]

Mainly because it looks as if Trump will abandon NATO

Which is a good thing. We don't need NATO.

- still, I don't suppose that would bother you too much, Finland has been run by Russia before hasn't it?

And Trump becoming President of the USA will make that less likely. Obama and Clinton were on a war path with Russia. Now you can pontificate all you want but neither the US nor UK has a thousand mile border with Russia. We can stay neutral now.

[floo]

Of course we need NATO!

[ad_orientem]

Of course we need NATO!

No we don't. Nato = http://img04.deviantart.net/0ff8/i/2006/034/0/d/war_is_business_2_by_latuff2.jpg

[Walter]

Of course we need NATO!

are you qualified to make that statement?

[floo]

No more than you I don't suppose, but in my view NATO is needed.

[ad_orientem]

Would have expected more reaction here today.

[Harrowby Hall]

It's what the people want...a reflection of the priorities of the demographic that voted for him. Older, white males who believe his promises of jobs and a brighter economic future for themselves and their kids, and who didn't want to vote for the Establishment that they blame for their current situation.

Indeed. Bring back manufacturing. Do these older, white males realise the levels of wages they must endure for their products to be commercially attractive? Or do they believe that customers will pay anything for the satisfaction of home-produced goods? Or the potential damage to the environment of re-opening the coal mines?

Will they be prepared to perform the low-skilled and low-paid jobs that Mexicans (behind the high wall) and other non-Americans used to do?

Are the members of this demographic, relatively uneducated, possessing out-dated skills, really helping to "make America great" by electing an inexperienced politician, not very successful businessman,  who will also be the oldest elected first-term president in American history?

I suspect that they are creating a president from their nostalgic fantasies, and - because of their age - they will have passed into history when their offspring and descendants will be engaged in the long process of righting his catastrophic errors.

The future should be concerned with creating opportunities for the young, not turning America into some kind of fantasy-land theme park for for yesterday's discontents.

[Spud]

Did you know that "Pence" is the name of Trump's running mate?

[ad_orientem]

Indeed. Bring back manufacturing. Do these older, white males realise the levels of wages they must endure for their products to be commercially attractive? Or do they believe that customers will pay anything for the satisfaction of home-produced goods? Or the potential damage to the environment of re-opening the coal mines?

Will they be prepared to perform the low-skilled and low-paid jobs that Mexicans (behind the high wall) and other non-Americans used to do?

Are the members of this demographic, relatively uneducated, possessing out-dated skills, really helping to "make America great" by electing an inexperienced politician, not very successful businessman,  who will also be the oldest elected first-term president in American history?

I suspect that they are creating a president from their nostalgic fantasies, and - because of their age - they will have passed into history when their offspring and descendants will be engaged in the long process of righting his catastrophic errors.

The future should be concerned with creating opportunities for the young, not turning America into some kind of fantasy-land theme park for for yesterday's discontents.

Your rhetoric here is exactly why Trump won, because the estalishment don't give a fuck about them, and if Ronald Reagan can become president why not Donald Trump (though Reagan was, of course, more mild mannered)?

[Humph Warden Bennett]

Would have expected more reaction here today.

I think that everybody is in shock.

I cannot believe it myself. Mr Fart has WON  Trying to be sensible for a moment, it strikes me as being like a far bigger version of the Greater London Mayoral election in 2008. Labour kidded themselves that "Londoners" really did want more of Ken Livingstone as Emperor, & more of his eighties style "positive discrimination". They had reckoned without the usually politically apathetic majority who had had enough of both.

[ad_orientem]

I think that everybody is in shock.

I cannot believe it myself. Mr Fart has WON  Trying to be sensible for a moment, it strikes me as being like a far bigger version of the Greater London Mayoral election in 2008. Labour kidded themselves that "Londoners" really did want more of Ken Livingstone as Emperor, & more of his eighties style "positive discrimination". They had reckoned without the usually politically apathetic majority who had had enough of both.

I'm surprised anyone's "shocked". This was well and truly on the cards. This defeat of the establishment is the establishment's fault. It's stuck two fingers up at everyone for too long. The world is changing. I have hope now that this will happen in Europe too.

[ProfessorDavey]

Your rhetoric here is exactly why Trump won, because the estalishment don't give a fuck about them, and if Ronald Reagan can become president why not Donald Trump (though Reagan was, of course, more mild mannered)?

Lazy analogy.

Ronald Reagan had been Governor of California for a period of 7 years (1967-75) prior to his election as president and he was elected twice to that office. Reagan was actually pretty experienced as a politician prior to being elected president in 1980. Indeed he had also run for the Republican nomination for presidential candidate twice before his eventual successful bid.

[Nearly Sane]

http://www.buchanobserver.co.uk/news/aberdeenshire-business-owner-wins-presidential-election-1-4282745

[ProfessorDavey]

I think that everybody is in shock.

I cannot believe it myself. Mr Fart has WON  Trying to be sensible for a moment, it strikes me as being like a far bigger version of the Greater London Mayoral election in 2008. Labour kidded themselves that "Londoners" really did want more of Ken Livingstone as Emperor, & more of his eighties style "positive discrimination". They had reckoned without the usually politically apathetic majority who had had enough of both.

I don't think analogy with Ken Livingston in 2008 is accurate. Livingston was a two term Mayor and unsurprisingly had rather run out of steam (and support). And I'm not sure if you were in London through the period from 2000 to 2008, but actually the big legacies from Livingston were nothing to do with politically correct eighties type stuff - quite the reverse it was all deeply pragmatic stuff. He is remembered firstly for the congestion charge, secondly for oyster cards, thirdly for the bendy buses, fourthly (with a bunch of others) winning the Olympics for London and finally for his response to 7/7.

There was very little eighties style "positive discrimination" in his mayoral record. What you seem to be referring to is his much earlier period as leader of the GLC in the 80s (until the Tories abolished it/him!).

But there is another problem with your analogy - presumably in you analogy Trump is Boris. Eh - Boris was and is every inch the insider establishment politician, old school chum of the leader of the Tories (and future PM) at the time. Indeed if you actually recollect Boris was effectively parachuted in by his mate Cameron when Stephen Norris (the expected candidate) pulled out unexpectedly. Boris was no outsider in the way Trump is.

[jeremyp]

have you thought about getting off the band waggon ?

Have you thought about opening your eyes to see what has happened here?

Trump is an isolationist. His rhetoric is racist in the extreme. He'll probably throw the Paris climate change agreement in the bin. His election has had an immediate effect on the US stock markets.

Also he bullies his subcontractors, sexually assaults women and is an orange game show host.

[jeremyp]

Which is a good thing. We don't need NATO.

And Trump becoming President of the USA will make that less likely. Obama and Clinton were on a war path with Russia.

You can really talk bullshit when you want.

Trump is going to let Putin do exactly what he wants. If that includes making Finland part of Greater Russia, nobody will now be able to stop him.