[Abyss]

Macros, on 06 November 2024 - 09:09 AM, said:

70 million people voted for that piece of trash.

Say that out loud

Seventy
Million
People

"So he robs, cheats, lies, bankrupts his own businesses, treats women like garbage, hates people from other countries that aren't Russia, is buds with Putin, sent a screaming mob into the Capitol when he lost the last election... oh yeah, THAT'S who i WANT for MY LEADER."

....tho to be fair a whole big chunk of them - most, even - would have voted for a decapitated Ken doll marinated in sewer juice before a Democrat, let alone a Black, Woman, Democrat.

Weird times ahead for America, i'm afraid.

[Lady Bliss]

I’ve wondered who would’ve been a better candidate. I agree with others that I was worried about a female mixed race candidate could win considering the US views. I wish Biden had never decided to run so we could have had a real choice. I like Buttigiege (I can never remember how to spell his name!) but he wouldn’t have been accepted because he’s gay. Really like Gavin Newsom, but Republicans would universally reject him. It’s a tough call on a democrat that would be accepted.

[Mentalist]

Abyss, on 06 November 2024 - 03:01 PM, said:

Macros, on 06 November 2024 - 09:09 AM, said:

70 million people voted for that piece of trash.

Say that out loud

Seventy
Million
People

"So he robs, cheats, lies, bankrupts his own businesses, treats women like garbage, hates people from other countries that aren't Russia, is buds with Putin, sent a screaming mob into the Capitol when he lost the last election... oh yeah, THAT'S who i WANT for MY LEADER."

....tho to be fair a whole big chunk of them - most, even - would have voted for a decapitated Ken doll marinated in sewer juice before a Democrat, let alone a Black, Woman, Democrat.

Weird times ahead for America, i'm afraid.

And the world. Right wing fascist-lite populist aspiring leaders got a major reality check in 2022 when Moscow failed to blitz UA. But now they are going to feel re-energized and even more validated.

With a compliant Senate, Congress and Supreme Court, are there any real checks on his power left? Or does he now have free reign to dismantle anything he doesn't particularly like?

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 06 November 2024 - 03:16 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Mentalist, on 06 November 2024 - 03:15 PM, said:

With a compliant Senate, Congress and Supreme Court, are there any real checks on his power left? Or does he now have free reign to dismantle anything he doesn't particularly like?

Quote

Trump's reckless venality is a reason for hope. Trump has the soul of a fascist but the mind of a disordered child. He will likely be surrounded by terrible but incompetent people. All of them can be beaten: in court, in Congress, in statehouses around the nation, and in the public arena. America is a federal republic, and the states—at least those in the union that will still care about democracy—have ways to protect their citizens from a rogue president. Nothing is inevitable, and democracy will not fall overnight. [But it probably should... just not to them!]

[...] The kinds of actions that will stop Trump from destroying America in 2025 are the same ones that stopped many of his plans the first time around. They are not flashy, and they will require sustained attention, because the next battles for democracy will be fought by lawyers and legislators, in Washington and in every state capitol. They will be fought by citizens banding together in associations and movements to rouse others from the sleepwalk that has led America into this moment.

Trump Has Won, but Democracy Is Not Over - The Atlantic

One big question is how quickly and how thoroughly he can corrupt the federal judiciary, federal law enforcement, and the military... if he gains full authoritarian control over them all, even to the point of carrying out blatantly illegal and immoral orders, then the resistance may need to adapt to a very different set of strategies...

[Edit: I meant federal judiciary not legislature]

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 06 November 2024 - 03:45 PM

[worry]

The Supreme Court is gone, and is the biggest loss in terms of long-term reshaping of the country -- very little doubt he will get to replace Thomas and Alito now. Not to mention stocking federal courts even further with Federalist Society picks. Lots and lots of 20th Century progress will be eroded here, and Citizens United will remain the stake in this country's heart.

Full compliance in the Senate and Congress is TBD. I don't mean that in any kind of optimistic Rs-have-integrity sense. But a lot in the Senate will have to do with if Rs abandon the filibuster, which may be a hard sell even now, but we'll see. And a very thin split in the House (it's looking like 218-217 either way, give or take a few) is more chaotic than anything else.

The executive branch is probably where Trump will do the most immediate institutional damage, both domestic and abroad, and it's not going to be pretty. You guys already know what the foreign policy is gonna be. But here, Project 2025 is real, and while there might not be 100% overlap with his agenda, it's founded in efforts the first Trump admin was trying to do anyway (it's laughable that he pretends it's not), and the Heritage Foundation will get its way most of the time with any GOP admin. Also look for Stephen Miller to go full throttle, the single most dangerous person in Trump's circle imo.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

worry, on 06 November 2024 - 03:50 PM, said:

The Supreme Court is gone, and is the biggest loss in terms of long-term reshaping of the country -- very little doubt he will get to replace Thomas and Alito now. Not to mention stocking federal courts even further with Federalist Society picks. Lots and lots of 20th Century progress will be eroded here, and Citizens United will remain the stake in this country's heart.

Bad as the current Supreme Court and the Federalist Society's picks are, Trump can do even worse.

The Supreme Court refused to overturn the 2020 election for him. He is not happy about that.

I wouldn't be shocked if he tried to pack the Supreme Court with absolute cronies who would support him as dictator, all pretense of law and logic discarded (even moreso than they already have been...).

Or leveraged his "presidential immunity" and control over federal law enforcement and the military to "persuade" Roberts, Barrett, et al to do his bidding in all possible cases...

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 06 November 2024 - 04:03 PM

[Primateus]

I've really only had two thoughts, aside from some subsidiary thoughts, about this election. My first thought is found in my earlier post from yesterday. But the second thought has been that he was going to win again, and to all his supporters? It's not going to be what they want it to be right now at this moment. And in a year or two, they will be making excuses for him all over again.

[Cause]

Im worried if the GOP takes the house as well there will be no speed bumps to them enacting their zany legislations.

Majorie, Boebert, Johnson, Trump, McConnell. Not sure whose ideas are worse

[HoosierDaddy]

Caveat Emptor.

Gonna get worse before it gets better.

Some tough medicine is going to be needed in a few years.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

The Democratic Party needs to do some massive soul searching. We need to do better than a candidate who is, essentially, "not Trump". We need fresh faces in the party who have strong positions and who spend the next 4 years building a track record of acting on those positions. Kamala does not have strong positions (despite the party running tons of ads that tried to make it seem like she does, it's very clear she does not), and I think that's part of why she lost.

Yes, her being a woman is absolutely a factor. Yes, her being Black is absolutely a factor. But, I think her being a blank paper, non-opinionated, practically unknown entity on the national field (her being VP didn't change that, sadly) was also a factor.

I am also still salty about how the Democratic Party sabotaged Bernie in earlier elections and then did not even listen to his warnings.

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 06 November 2024 - 05:50 PM

[worry]

Azath Vitr (D, on 06 November 2024 - 04:02 PM, said:

worry, on 06 November 2024 - 03:50 PM, said:

The Supreme Court is gone, and is the biggest loss in terms of long-term reshaping of the country -- very little doubt he will get to replace Thomas and Alito now. Not to mention stocking federal courts even further with Federalist Society picks. Lots and lots of 20th Century progress will be eroded here, and Citizens United will remain the stake in this country's heart.

Bad as the current Supreme Court and the Federalist Society's picks are, Trump can do even worse.

The Supreme Court refused to overturn the 2020 election for him. He is not happy about that.

I wouldn't be shocked if he tried to pack the Supreme Court with absolute cronies who would support him as dictator, all pretense of law and logic discarded (even moreso than they already have been...).

Or leveraged his "presidential immunity" and control over federal law enforcement and the military to "persuade" Roberts, Barrett, et al to do his bidding in all possible cases...

Yeah, to be clear -- all three parts of my post were "best case scenario". The split of the House might be different, the Senate may very well abandon the filibuster or do some real damage with their two 'reconciliation' bills per year (goodbye ACA?), etc.

Edit: I guess it's worth noting that the incoming senator from Utah (replacing Romney) is actually to the left of him relatively speaking. McConnell will be around a bit, even if he's passing the leader baton. A couple other old heads around. There remain some pro-filibuster Rs.

This post has been edited by worry: 06 November 2024 - 07:28 PM

[worry]

For example: if Aileen Cannon is on his short list for AG or SCOTUS, or if one of his first acts is pardoning J6 convictions, I'd take it as a bad bad sign.

[Briar King]

Azath Vitr (D, on 06 November 2024 - 10:33 AM, said:

Briar King, on 06 November 2024 - 06:39 AM, said:

Probably going to be a lot of finger pointing on not picking Shapiro and going with Walz.

You're probably right. And much as I dislike Shapiro, we should have gone with him. This election was too important.

How’s local coverage the morning after?

[Lady Bliss]

worry, on 06 November 2024 - 07:17 PM, said:

For example: if Aileen Cannon is on his short list for AG or SCOTUS, or if one of his first acts is pardoning J6 convictions, I'd take it as a bad bad sign.

I’m assuming the pardons for sure. I’m pretty sure there will be other bad things with his first day as a dictator talk, like directing investigations into his political rivals.

[Cause]

I’m skeptical of his follow through, we will have to wait and see. Now that he has what he wants I am not sure he cares about paying anyone back,

He might pardon J6 rioters or when he is told it will cost him (small as that cost is) he might not. Now that he is president his legal problems are basically ended. He must just leave Aileen canon where she is. Will Robert Kennedy really become a health official? Musk will probably get some rewards in expectation of continued favors through twitter.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Briar King, on 06 November 2024 - 07:29 PM, said:

Azath Vitr (D, on 06 November 2024 - 10:33 AM, said:

Briar King, on 06 November 2024 - 06:39 AM, said:

Probably going to be a lot of finger pointing on not picking Shapiro and going with Walz.

You're probably right. And much as I dislike Shapiro, we should have gone with him. This election was too important.

How's local coverage the morning after?

Didn't see anything about Shapiro yet.

Quote

Trump won Pa. with more votes than any statewide Republican candidate in history. Here's how he did it.

[...] Trump's path to victory was formed by Pennsylvania's working class voters, especially in Latino and Rust Belt communities.

[...] grew his support in rural areas while tamping down on Vice President Kamala Harris' advantage in urban and suburban Democratic strongholds. [... Harris] was on pace to see the lowest margin for a Democratic presidential candidate in Philadelphia in more than two decades. [...] While Biden was a deeply unpopular president, Trump likely benefited from Harris having no ties to the Northeast.

How Donald Trump won Pennsylvania and the presidency - The Philadelphia Inquirer [paywalled]

But on the bright side... the Daily Beast turned up an assessment from earlier this year by a medical doctor and a scientist specializing in aging that Trump has a less than 75% chance of surviving a second term in office (specifically, they said Biden had about a 75% chance of surviving, and Trump "slightly less" than that). Here's the original source:

Is Joe Biden a superager? We're asking all the wrong questions.

And the Daily Beast article:

What Are the Health Risks for Donald Trump, the Oldest President Ever Elected?

Too bad it's not a greater than 75% chance of not surviving... oh well.

Yet another roll of the dice (like the turning world)...

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 06 November 2024 - 09:43 PM

[Mezla PigDog]

Aww crap, yesterday really happened. My US colleagues are mostly in California and it's safe to say they are pissed.

I regularly wonder if Western democracies are simply on the way out, as many other civilisations have changed over time. Or was it actually the post-War period that was the aberration. But then it's all irrelevant in the face of the changes that will be inflicted by climate change. And my thought cycle takes me to pulling my kid out of school, building a bunker and learning how to desalinate water from routine household supplies.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Briar King, on 06 November 2024 - 07:29 PM, said:

Azath Vitr (D, on 06 November 2024 - 10:33 AM, said:

Briar King, on 06 November 2024 - 06:39 AM, said:

Probably going to be a lot of finger pointing on not picking Shapiro and going with Walz.

You're probably right. And much as I dislike Shapiro, we should have gone with him. This election was too important.

How's local coverage the morning after?

This was in the afternoon, but here you go:

Quote

Philadelphia Democratic Chair Bob Brady blamed Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign for what looked like the lowest performance by a Democratic presidential candidate in the city in the last two decades and said he felt no responsibility [...]

"They never dealt with us. They didn't show us any respect. I never talked to the lady, and she's the candidate," [...]

He argued Gov. Josh Shapiro should have been Harris' vice presidential pick. He said Democrats needed a "better candidate," [...]

Spoiler

"Obama, Biden all came to say hi to the ward leaders, that means something. They never showed up," [...]
The Harris campaign paid about "half" of past campaigns for Philly's get-out-the-vote effort, he claimed.

He also complained about the campaign not including local Democrats or ward leaders in rallies or giving them VIP seating.

"Not that I got an ego but it shows the lack of respect, that we do deserve."

[...] "I'm not getting any backlash," Brady said [...] "We got our pizza. We're licking our wounds but we're still all here."

[...] "I never even met the lady."

Election 2024: Kamala Harris concession speech time; Trump plans for his presidency; Pa. senate race results, vote totals

lol... "We got our pizza. I never even met the lady."

Quote

In response, a Harris campaign adviser sent The Inquirer a photo of Brady, Harris, and Walz standing side-by-side. It was not immediately clear when the meet-up took place.

Harris senior adviser [...] accused Brady's organization of failing to campaign door-to-door [... and said, ] "If there's any immediate takeaway from Philadelphia's turnout this cycle, it is that Chairman Brady's decades-long practice of fleecing campaigns for money to make up for his own lack of fundraising ability or leadership is a worthless endeavor that no future campaign should ever be forced to entertain again,"

'Lack of Respect': Philly's Dem Chair Rips Harris and Says Biden 'Probably' Should've Been Nominee

... so is he going to claim that was photoshopped and/or AI?

[worry]

This may seem counterintuitive, but with a lot of big rightward shifts in safe states (e.g. NY, NJ, CA, FL, TX) -- Harris might have actually saved us from much worse, as the swing states are among the least shifted. Lot of Dem senators are surviving by the skin of their teeth in these states in particular, and the headwinds might have knocked them all out if not for her campaigning. Casey still might be done for in PA, but I will blame Azath for that one.

[Lady Bliss]

worry, on 07 November 2024 - 02:00 PM, said:

This may seem counterintuitive, but with a lot of big rightward shifts in safe states (e.g. NY, NJ, CA, FL, TX) -- Harris might have actually saved us from much worse, as the swing states are among the least shifted. Lot of Dem senators are surviving by the skin of their teeth in these states in particular, and the headwinds might have knocked them all out if not for her campaigning. Casey still might be done for in PA, but I will blame Azath for that one.

I assure you that Texas is NOT a safe state. Our Gov and AG are batshit insane and out of control. I fear for LGBTQ, children, and women here.