The American Apocalypse

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:22 am

This thread is for post election commentary, as I'm pretty sure this is over. Just thought I'd keep with the election apocalypse theme, as it seems even more appropriate now more than ever, sadly enough.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:26 am

Turning off election coverage to go watch Game of Thrones. The leadership of Westeros is more civilized than the leadership we've just chosen.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:28 am

The system works!

Fretmute · Post by **Fretmute** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:29 am

Built to Spill predicted this 20 years ago:

Built to Spill wrote:He seemed so unashamed of how he operated
Corresponds to the facts that you want
Despite his expectations he turned out mediocre
His master plan was so so

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:33 am

I was playing Fallout 4 while the results rolled it. It was fun watching the game morph from a fantasy to a documentary.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:34 am

NASDAQ and S&P Futures have been shut down.

Let's guess at the horror show cabinet

Rudy Guiliani as AG - water boarding is back on the menu!
Newt Gingrich as SoS -
Someone from the coal world as Sec. of Energy
Ben Carson - Sec of Ed
No one - EPA
Donald Trump Jr - Sec. of Int. / unlimited hunting trips!
Some agrobusiness CEO - Sec. of Ag

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 1:58 am

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:02 am

malchior wrote:NASDAQ and S&P Futures have been shut down.

Let's guess at the horror show cabinet

Rudy Guiliani as AG - water boarding is back on the menu!
Newt Gingrich as SoS -
Someone from the coal world as Sec. of Energy
Ben Carson - Sec of Ed
No one - EPA
Donald Trump Jr - Sec. of Int. / unlimited hunting trips!
Some agrobusiness CEO - Sec. of Ag

You should throw in Arpaio as Director of ICE, he is looking for a job now.

Of course Comey will continue to run FBI or get promoted.

Not sure you can leave the EPA open. Maybe Alex Jones?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:04 am

malchior wrote:NASDAQ and S&P Futures have been shut down.

Let's guess at the horror show cabinet

Rudy Guiliani as AG - water boarding is back on the menu!
Newt Gingrich as SoS -
Someone from the coal world as Sec. of Energy
Ben Carson - Sec of Ed
No one - EPA
Donald Trump Jr - Sec. of Int. / unlimited hunting trips!
Some agrobusiness CEO - Sec. of Ag

Barron Trump - Minister of Cyber

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:04 am

malchior wrote:NASDAQ and S&P Futures have been shut down.

Let's guess at the horror show cabinet

Rudy Guiliani as AG - water boarding is back on the menu!
Newt Gingrich as SoS -
Someone from the coal world as Sec. of Energy
Ben Carson - Sec of Ed
No one - EPA
Donald Trump Jr - Sec. of Int. / unlimited hunting trips!
Some agrobusiness CEO - Sec. of Ag

He's already hinted that he will shut down the Dept of Education, so Carson won't be needed. Until he gets put in as Surgeon General.

My only hope is that when Angry Trumpvoter Joe realizes that he's not only not get his manufacturing job back, but he's also going to see massive cost of living spike (due to Trumps insane economic policies), and will either lose and/or pay triple for his health coverage, that the resulting outcry will force Trump not to be quite as insane as he has come across in the campaign. One can hope...

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:07 am

Lagom Lite · Post by **Lagom Lite** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:10 am

Good job! I hope you'll be happy with your new leader! And he's got House majority too I hear. This is going to be so great for you. I mean, this is a guy who will really look out for his voters and fix poverty in America.

I'm looking forward to watching your media from a safe distance.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:12 am

Lagom Lite wrote:Good job! I hope you'll be happy with your new leader! And he's got House majority too I hear. This is going to be so great for you. I mean, this is a guy who will really look out for his voters and fix poverty in America.

I'm looking forward to watching your media from a safe distance.

Our words are backed by nuclear weapons, there is no safe distance.

KKBlue · Post by **KKBlue** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:17 am

My thoughts are President Obama is going to forgo their security deposit and vacate before the lease is up. I feel for our president having to hand over the keys to this person.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:20 am

Obama has to be sitting in the White House just staring at the ceiling right now.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:26 am

Lagom Lite wrote:Good job! I hope you'll be happy with your new leader! And he's got House majority too I hear. This is going to be so great for you. I mean, this is a guy who will really look out for his voters and fix poverty in America.

I'm looking forward to watching your media from a safe distance.

All of your meatballs are belong to us!

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:27 am

malchior wrote:Obama has to be sitting in the White House just staring at the ceiling right now.

I was thinking he might be doing bong hits.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:32 am

From an America as a Democracy/Republic perspective - this election is also going to inevitably worsen the polarity. I am going to hazard a guess that Clinton wins the popular vote and more votes are going to be cast for Dem Congress critters - yet the result will be sold as a Republican blow out. This is why our system is teetering on disaster - it doesn't actually do a good job of representing anyone at all.

Post by **ImLawBoy** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:42 am

Fuck Clinton for having the hubris to think she was owed the presidency. Fuck the Democrats for failing to nominate anyone remotely likeable. Fuck the American electorate for all of this.

Fuck.

Newcastle · Post by **Newcastle** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:46 am

president trump, never thought i'd utter the words. America will survive this. I think there's enough rational republicans who can prevent us from sliding over the edge. I am stunned. Just stunned. America will survive. I just hope to god he doesn't take us over the brink. Oy vey.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:47 am

Of course we'll survive. We'll just have to wait another decade or two to pick up where we left off.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:50 am

ImLawBoy wrote:Fuck Clinton for having the hubris to think she was owed the presidency. Fuck the Democrats for failing to nominate anyone remotely likeable. Fuck the American electorate for all of this.

Fuck.

I kept wanting to type something like this! Fucking Clinton and her political baggage and her circling the wagons and being so arrogant with her email shit. And all the old guard Democratic operatives get the fuck out of politics.

tjg_marantz · Post by **tjg_marantz** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 2:51 am

I am saddest about your Supreme Court.

Little Raven · Post by **Little Raven** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:03 am

You know, I'm surprised, but 2000 pretty much shattered any political faith I had. It's hard to imagine Trump is worse than Bush....so this isn't much of a blow. In the immortal words of Dick Tuck - "The people have spoken....those bastards."

The fight goes on. But we should see some very interesting developments going forward. What do the Republicans do with all three branches?

Some options:

Repeal Obamacare. This seems like a given. Well, it wasn't working all that well anyway. It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, they replace it with. (I'm guessing nothing.)
Repeal gay marriage. Obviously, this requires a new Supreme Court, but they seem to have that now too. Less likely than Obamacare, but it would presumably help keep the base happy.
Shut down legal abortion? Even less likely, but now's the time. They won't have this kind of power for long. Best to make hay while the sun shines.
The TPP is probably dead.
We're building a wall? Maybe? I don't really know what that looks like in reality.
We're deporting illegals? Maybe? I don't really know what that looks like in reality.

Of course, it's hard to seperate Trump's rhetoric from what might become actual policy. But people have elected him expecting results...I assume. You don't get the trifecta very often. Last time the Democrats got it they went for Obamacare. What will the signature Republican pushes be?

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:08 am

Little Raven wrote:You know, I'm surprised, but 2000 pretty much shattered any political faith I had. It's hard to imagine Trump is worse than Bush....

You're far more optimistic than I am.

What will the signature Republican pushes be?

Stigginit, basically.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:09 am

How long until Trump ends up in some scandal that immobilizes America? At best 3 years, but he might not last 9 months.

Little Raven · Post by **Little Raven** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:10 am

Skinypupy wrote:You're far more optimistic than I am.

I think you're forgetting how bad Bush was. Unless Trump actually starts a war, he'll almost certainly be better than Bush. He might start a war, but Bush did. So he gets the benefit of the doubt.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:25 am

Blackhawk wrote:Of course we'll survive. We'll just have to wait another decade or two to pick up where we left off.

Because fascism always turns out ok in the end?

I keep telling myself that the Roman Empire didn't get going until the Republic died, and then I remember that Donald Trump is not Julius Caesar.

Reemul · Post by **Reemul** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:49 am

What surprises me is on the 2 forums I visit, here and QT3 is there seems very little support for Trump and if you only read those 2 forums you would think Clinton would win by a landslide.

I was wondering if it was a bit like the UK leaving leaving the EU in that people that do support Trump are embarrassed to say it on forums etc but in reality they were still happy to vote for him without saying so out loud, very much like the Brexit vote over here.

Little Raven · Post by **Little Raven** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:55 am

Reemul wrote:I was wondering if it was a bit like the UK leaving leaving the EU in that people that do support Trump are embarrassed to say it on forums etc but in reality they were still happy to vote for him without saying so out loud, very much like the Brexit vote over here.

Well, something caused all the polls to be wrong, so I don't want to discount the silent majority entirely.

But that's not why you see little support for Trump here and at QT3. The truth is much simpler - the demographic you're exposed to at those locations is not at all representative of the US as a whole.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 3:58 am

I remember when Gore and/or Kerry lost to Bush. I was disappointed, but not scared enough that I couldn't sleep.

Well, Trump, try not to start a nuclear war. I know, it's a pretty low bar, but you gotta start somewhere.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 4:00 am

I've been voting/politically savvy for 40 years +. This is the first time I've wept over the results of an election. Not even Nixon could get me like that.

Thanks, Trumpy.

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 4:43 am

And our shitlord in chief just had the gall to tell us to come together as one united people when he literally spent the entire election tearing us apart. Go fuck yourself, Trump.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:07 am

This piece from The Ringer is interesting.

If that’s true, and I suspect it is, Trump did not win a basic, political victory tonight. He did not just succeed in selling a tax cut for the wealthy as a tax cut for the middle class. Trump’s victory was elemental. It was near total. This is what it feels like to lose, and lose big time.

I agree and disagree. Yes, one side won, but it is going to be by around 1%. Fundamentally, the country is still divided and if things go in a direction people don't like, they only have to change the minds of that 1%. It's not like it was 75%-25%.

Incidentally, where is the "Is it too soon to start thinking about 2020" thread? If this taught me anything, it's that I have a shot. I'm heading to NH later in the week to start shaking hands.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:08 am

Don't worry, one of you little peaceniks will get him with a firearm. It will be a two-fer attempt to take down the 2nd as well. ...unless a religious zealot gets him first so they can get Pence up there.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:15 am

This is really good by Colbert.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:18 am

Well, at least the Hollywood liberals will all be leaving the country.

raydude · Post by **raydude** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:32 am

em2nought wrote:Don't worry, one of you little peaceniks will get him with a firearm. It will be a two-fer attempt to take down the 2nd as well. ...unless a religious zealot gets him first so they can get Pence up there.

You know what, seriously? Fuck you!

I hold you and all the fucking Trump voters personally responsible if any of my Muslim friends - who are all here legally - suffer increased discrimination because of our orange overlord. I also hold the Trump voters personally responsible if any of my Hispanic friends or hell, even my Filipino family, all here legally, suffer increased discrimination because of Mr. Orangina. And for the rest of you who think it won't be that bad, at least Bush didn't make kids feel scared that their families would be deported or denied visiting them from overseas because of their race or religion. There is a big fear for those of us who are non-white of what a Trump presidency would be like. I dare Trump and his supporters to prove those fears wrong.

em2nought · Post by **em2nought** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 5:33 am

dbt1949 wrote:Well, at least the Hollywood liberals will all be leaving the country.

https://internationalliving.com/2016/11 ... n-results/

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 6:40 am

If I lived in the Baltic states, I would be very worried right now.