Il Douché and His Discontents: The 2016 Primary Voting Thread, Part 4

so who still thinks inherited privilege doesn't dominate every facet of contemporary society?

lol "Here's what I surmise about some movies I didn't see" xp

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Wednesday, March 16, 2016 2:43 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

LOL indeed. who said internet criticism wasn't rigorous?

i wonder if any of these conservative PACs currently running broadsides against trump on the TV will keep it up after he becomes the nominee. are there some wealthy/influential conservatives who believe that trump will be more damaging (to the GOP and the nation) than Clinton? and will they put their money (and mouths) where their principles are?

i'm pretty cynical about the GOP establishment failing to get in line behind a trump candidacy. they've essentially enabled the fascist so far, I don't think they have enough principles and good sense to really stop now even if they'll whine about it until kingdom come. history will not judge them kindly, of course.

Ugh imagining a post-trump history curriculum

those brave GOP paladins.

oops: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/the-final-stage-of-republican-grief/473970/?utm_source=SFTwitter

Republicans being honest about drawing conclusions irrespective of facts. Sad!

love "unstuffy"

there's no way the gop doesn't nominate trump. he deserves the nomination! the gop deserves it too. as for the rest of us, when did any of these people ever care about that. also, the bourgeois parties always fall in line eventually.

If it weren’t for all the idiotic and racist comments, he would be kind of a breath of fresh air ... I don’t think he is George Wallace in his heart of hearts ... He’s just a buffoon and a political opportunist

The bourgeoisie does not like the 'plebeian' method of resolving its tasks. It was always hostile to Jacobinism, which cleared the road for the development of bourgeois society with its blood ... The sober bourgeoisie does not look very favorably even upon the Fascist mode of resolving its tasks, for the concussions, although they are brought forth in the interests of bourgeois society, are linked up with dangers to it ... The big bourgeoisie likes Fascism as little as a man with aching molars likes to have his teeth pulled ... but in the last analysis they have become reconciled to the inevitable, though with threats, with horse-trades and all sorts of bargaining. Thus the petty bourgeoisie's idol of yesterday becomes transformed into the gendarme of capital.

i had a guinness

i can see a few establishment GOP pols with little to lose coming out against trump decisively (like mccain, who trump has personally insulted). but most will fall in line, which in some ways will be helpful b/c we'll know their true colors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPn0KFlbqX8

i had a guinness

― denies the existence of dark matter (difficult listening hour),

I don't believe you

“In the end, whoever the nominee is, the party will, to one degree or another, rally around him,” predicted Ron Kaufman, the longtime lobbyist and Republican National Committee stalwart.

...

Kaufman waved off concerns that Trump’s rhetoric has reached a dangerous and unprecedented level. “Lots of folks say lots of things that probably they don’t mean,” he said. “I’m not in any way, shape or form defending things these candidates have said, including Donald Trump, but in the end, this is about governing.”

well "lots of folks say lots of things that probably they don't mean" just jumped the whole aforementioned shortlist

play fuckin loud xp

When Trump started in on Cruz's citizenship, McCain made it clear he (improbably, after the POW stuff) loathes Cruz even more than Trump--he publically sided with Trump.

i could also see one or two elected officials changing their party affiliation to "Independent" although obviously there are very, very few if any Jim Jeffordses still hanging around this party.

there's two separate questions though really, which is: will 'the establishment' take available measures to try and keep trump from getting the nomination, and will it back trump as nominee if he gets it. the latter seems like, yeah, most of them probably will for a variety of reasons. technocratic and business types (your jebs and bloombergs) will sit it out or vote for hillary but probably not campaign for her.

WAIT. I seriously thought this was a joke at first, but these are legitimate Trump quotes?!?

“I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things."

“My primary consultant is myself and I have — you know, I have a good instinct for this stuff.”

It's not shocking that he says these things because there are a lot of stupid people in the world and he's most definitely one of them. What's shocking is he says these things and no one laughs in his face and tells him to just shut the fuck up already. What a ludicrous garbage person who is completely unworthy of respect or being taken at all seriously.

yes, if this election cycle has proven anything it's that there are far more idiots in america than i had previously imagined. even the intelligent glosses of trump's appeal by the likes of matt taibbi and thomas frank can't gloss over this fact.

left-wing folks like me have said that the GOP was essentially an authoritarian party for a while, they're just proving us right these days. not that i get any satisfaction out of it.

haha I don't think Taibbi has once glossed over that fact

right, but he's explained the various reasons why people support him under than "dur, dur, dur"

but "dur, dur, dur" is a big part of it; it's not as if people have come to a rational decision that electing trump will improve their lot in life

(well, i guess it might improve their self-image, if rejecting the "other" has that effect)

will 'the establishment' take available measures to try and keep trump from getting the nomination

They might, but I agree with the one CNN guy tonight: there is no conceivable scenario under which the Republicans get a two-person election with Clinton against a not-Trump. It's either Trump or Trump runs independently.

also:

in college, i took a seminar on right-wing movements in american history (starting post-civil war but largely focusing on 20th century).

one day we did a thought experiment: if somehow a fascist gov't or fascist puppet gov't were to have come to power in the 1930s/early 1940s, which folks would fall in line support it, and which would speak out against it? father coughlin? charles lindbergh? herbert hoover? etc.

i feel like this is that thought experiment come true. we're witnessing how seriously that various "mainstream" "conservative" politicians take their stated (or presumed) commitment to deliberative democracy and civil discourse. the results are pretty grim.

i always expected that the likes of sarah palin would be fifth columnists. wasn't so sure about newt gingrich, paul ryan, and so forth.

xpost well, maybe, but the counterargument would be: lose with trump or lose with a republican that doesn't just totally trash (what's left of) the brand name?

Its too late for trump to run third party in a bunch of states, isnt it?

Hadn't thought about that, you might be right. One thing I don't think will matter a bit is all these pledges of support the two sides have taken at various points. Anyone will turn on anyone at a moment's notice, and rationalizing it will be easy. Trump can go right back to his initial pledge, that he'll support a nominee other than himself provided he's not "treated unfairly"--lots of wiggle room there.

why is kasich not attending the debate after trump cancelled? it would just be him and cruz. surely that would be good for him?

I like this photo from the New Republic:

http://i1059.photobucket.com/albums/t427/sayhey1/cruz_zpsnayqcluz.jpeg

Lots of folks say lots of things that probably they don’t mean

I keep hearing this again and again re: Trump, from supporters, from GOP folks, from commentators. Like, why wouldn't he say what he means? He's not promising some incremental shit he can sweep under the rug. And like Chait noted in one of those columns, Trump's been praising totalitarian action since Tiananmen Square. He's been pretty consistent. Which, of course, is why all the pollsters say he's getting a lot of his support. Evangelicals, rich people, poor people, dumbasses - the one trait his people apparently all have in common is a love of authoritarianism.

it's that probably that's sublime

@mtaibbi
Trump will name himself to all cabinet posts. He'll jump back and forth between chairs a la Woody Allen in "Bananas"

Donald Trump winning the US presidency is considered one of the top 10 risks facing the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

He is rated as riskier than Britain leaving the European Union or an armed clash in the South China Sea.

It's a start, but he won't stop until he's number one. Number one!
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2016/02/09/us/09live-trumpfoam/09live-trumpfoam-tmagArticle.jpg

One for the history books: the exact moment Trump's presidential run was conceived.
http://media.gq.com/photos/56e981824b58804e5e741151/master/w_800/Trump-Friends-Andy-Warhol.jpg

By the way, some of the comments on the PBS site with the white power woman phone banking are great, including the woman's defense and PBS's added disclaimer:

Editor’s Note: At several times during this campaign the NewsHour has featured video packages of voices of voters, profiling different families and their views on the candidates and how they have arrived at them. These reports have been presented without reporters’ narration. It is true that this storytelling style requires the audience to draw its own conclusions about what they see and hear, but we believe the audience is able to do so.

In this case, a debate about Grace Tilly’s tattoos has started online. As you can see in the comments section posted with this story, Ms. Tilly argues that these tattoos are not representative of neo-Nazi positions but are connected to her family’s Celtic religious beliefs. That is what she told our producers as well. Others among our online commenters vehemently disagree.

First comment:

Well, let’s see here…

Wife Grace Tilly has the “Odin’s Cross” tattoo on the back of one hand, which is one of, if not, THE most common symbol used by white supremacists / white nationalists, Aryans, etc. (it’s used as the logo for “Stormfront.org, incorporating the slogan “white pride world wide”) … but she insists there is no racist implication…

Grace has the “88” tattoo (in that familiar Germanic lettering style) on the back of the other hand, which is commonly used by white supremacists / white nationalists / Aryans, etc. to signify “HH – Heil Hitler” … but she insists there is no racist implication…

Grace has a fascination / devotion to Odinism / Asatru which has been heavily co-opted within white supremacist / white nationalist / Aryan, etc. organizations … but she insists there is no racist implication…

Husband Farron Tilly has a tattoo on his left arm incorporating a German “Iron Cross” and an eagle’s head, common symbols used by white supremacist / white nationalist / Aryan, etc. organizations … but she insists there is no racist implication…

Just coincidences … or something?

Well, how ‘bout this one:

Husband Farron Tilly’s facebook page lists “White Nationalism” under “Interests”

Perhaps we can get another Trump-style denial on that point, too…?

Second comment:

The photo of the two of them (Grace & Farron) on her FB page shows him in a confederate flag hat. What a pair of "winners" - bet the want their country back too. Just ask them! Oh, and BTW: there's a photo of an American Flag on Farron's Facebook page, except the stars are swatikas. This whole family is lying confederate trash.

Third comment:

She has another FB. Apparently she's likes David Lane (renowned white supremacist):
https://www.facebook.com/grace...

Later:

Additionally, on his YouTube profile, Farron Tilly created a playlist titled "WhitePrideIsAllright." It consists of 23 hours of audio of the book Nature's Eternal Religion, the scripture of the white supremacist Creativity church.

And another:

Google + shows a video entitled "Dixie Rockin' this place' https://plus.google.com/107541...

They named their kid...DIXIE. But no worries, they're just the nicest people with no ties to white supremacist groups. At all.

If it looks like a white supremacist, and it walks like a white supremacist, quacks like a white supremacist...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/all-in-for-trump-inside-a-north-carolina-military-familys-gop-politics/

xp George Harrison's looked happier.

What's Celtic about Odin?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdwPwP1WwAAW3C3.jpg

and i have the mumps

If it looks like a white supremacist, and it walks like a white supremacist, quacks like a white supremacist...

...it probably doesn't actually mean what it's quacking?

wow someone named Dixie AND they have Celtic tattoos? hopefully they don't own any incriminating Lynyrd Skynyrd albums.

Hopefully nobody does.

weird, I'm seeing all sorts of pagan Celtic symbols popping up everywhere today.

ha, Happy White Pride Day everyone. Jump around! Jump around!

I like Skynyrd. Hopefully my lack of white power tattoos will help be avoid getting confusing for a white supremacist!

This was her defense in the comments:
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--0DkIywuB--/tjpruyrx4xoqt6pigeyx.png

She doesn't defend, as far as I can tell, the 88 on her other hand. Or all those other direct connections to white power groups/beliefs.

Maybe she's a pianist!

keeps to the white keys..

Big fan of Hubert Humphrey?

“I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things."

There's a reason why Tim Heidecker sites Trump as his direct inspiration for the mannerisms, expressions, and speech of his character Decker.