All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[The Celtic Batman]

I'm surprised, but I guess this isn't hitting me as hard as others because I've become rather cynical to politics. I stopped believing that there was any politician who could get this far who had morals or was truly "for the people" quite some time ago. To me they're all crooks. Eight years ago I was almost roped into Obama's "Change" tagline. Nothing changed. It was business as usual. So its hard to be devastated. Again, surprised, I really did think Clinton would win though I truly supported neither candidate. But its not like we were going to be getting anyone of much stronger upstanding fiber on a moral level had Clinton won.

This. Except I WAS (admittedly naively) 'roped-in' to the Obama 'change' hoo ha. That's before I woke up to how in cahoots with each other they all are. The illusion of 'democracy' to a large extent IMO. Still, pleased I woke up to it eventually...
I reckon i have insight enough to know I still hold out for a true 'political saviour'.... I still have that 'vulnerability'. Over here (in the UK) that makes me a sucker for Jeremy Corbyn. If I lived over in the US I'm guessing Jill Stein could well have got my vote. But I believe you never truly know HOW you'd vote in a particular 'system' until you're swimming in their own unique brand of 'propaganda-soup'.

[rogersmcfeely]

Chuck Schumer's gonna have to filibuster the f*** out of the Senate for the next two years. 2018 mid-terms, you're likely to see the Berners and a lot of angry Democrats out in a blue wave year. It will still be hard to flip the Senate, as more Democratic seats are up for re-election that year. The House is still gerrymandered to all hell, so it would be unlikely to turn.

What I'm getting at is... Republicans might have just taken their last gasp of air electorally. The demographics were there, and the push back on this election, especially if Hillary still wins the popular vote could be what actually does bury them. All they got was a reprieve on losing control of the Supreme Court for the next 50 years.

What's most upsetting, though, is that it seemed that very little of what seemed logical, reasonable, and realistic actually panned out. It's difficult at this point to muster much confidence. If Hillary and the Democrats had demonstrated clear and obvious weaknesses going in, losing would not be so unnerving. That's just it, though: they had this, and then...

[rogersmcfeely]

I guess the silent Trump majority he kept talking about was a real thing after all.
The one honest thing he said in 2016.

I believed that the silent majority was real too, but I thought it was on the Democratic/Progressive side, not Trump's.

[Spike-X]

Trump is not a racist in my opinion

Then you're a racist, and you can get back in the basket with the rest.

[numberthirty]

What's most upsetting, though, is that it seemed that very little of what seemed logical, reasonable, and realistic actually panned out. It's difficult at this point to muster much confidence. If Hillary and the Democrats had demonstrated clear and obvious weaknesses going in, losing would not be so unnerving. That's just it, though: they had this, and then...

Look, some people were pointing those clear and obvious weaknesses out.

[Paradox]

rogersmcfeely thinks they're at cross-purposes:

Actually, Trump and the Republican establishment aren't all that comfortable with each other. They barely held it together for the election, but would they actually work together to govern?

Well, only because The Donald is not interested in work. See, he hasn't really been running for President, he's been running for what he thinks is "CEO of America". His solution to everything is to tell someone else to fix it. That's what he thinks the job is. He's only there for the prestige. Pence will actually be doing the work, probably even moreso than Cheney did Bush.

[Schrecken]

Then you're a racist, and you can get back in the basket with the rest.

Judging by how the election went, I think you're gonna need a bigger basket. Maybe a nice wheelbarrow...

[rogersmcfeely]

Easy.

The part in bold is obviously not correct.

But how so? The Clintons, the Obamas, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Democratic members of Congress were all speaking the same language and working together well. If there were cracks in that, they weren't visible.

[numberthirty]

But how so? The Clintons, the Obamas, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Democratic members of Congress were all speaking the same language and working together well. If there were cracks in that, they weren't visible.

You got enough votes to win an election there?

[Handsome men don't lose fights]

i got over it pal and dealt with his crap for eight years. now i get to see that loser to leave and he can go back to his crime ridden home in chicago.

Yeah. He saved your economy, brought justice to the monster who masterminded 9/11, brought equality to marriage, and tried to give you affordable insurance. That ass. Off with him, he'll be forgotten in a year.

[Jabare]

Look, some people were pointing those clear and obvious weaknesses out.

This is true other people blindly chose to ignore it and live in their bubbles. The democrats failed miserably and their supporters stayed in their bible not listening to the information that was readily apparent. The warning signs were obvious from the outset but people were dismissive and didn't reach out to people who should have been allies or whose votes they needed.

I'm upset but not surprised

[HowitzerJoe]

i got over it pal and dealt with his crap for eight years. now i get to see that loser to leave and he can go back to his crime ridden home in chicago.

How are you a loser if you won both terms?

[JCAll]

I believed that the silent majority was real too, but I thought it was on the Democratic/Progressive side, not Trump's.

Well clearly we were wrong.

[Carabas]

i got over it pal and dealt with his crap for eight years. now i get to see that loser to leave and he can go back to his crime ridden home in chicago.

See, if you actually got over it, you wouldn't be quite so gleefull and vindictive right now. You would have gotten over your negative feelings towards Obama. That's what "getting over something" means.

[ZeroBG82]

If anything I don't see republican undoing many social progress reforms that Democrats implemented... If they wanna stay on power they gotta govern for everyone

I'm sorry, have you met the American Republican Party? The first three bills before the next Congress will be (likely in this order): 1) New abortion restrictions. If not an all out ban. My guess is they'll wait for Ginsburg to retire or die off so they have a solid 6-3 Supreme Court before they go for the full ban, but you never know. 2) Banning gay marriage. If not outright recriminalizing homosexuality altogether. Probably settle for getting rid of the married gays, it offends their tender sensibilities. 3) Banning transgender folk from using anything but their birth sex for purposes of gender identity, in a legal sense. Be prepared for lots of discussions about which bathroom everyone is forced to use, and fun new penalties if you don't play along.

For all their talk about the economy or the debt, social issues are always the first thing on the conservative docket in the last twenty years. Always. Trump isn't going to change that, he fed on it.