Curb Your Authoritarianism? The 2016 Conventional Wisdom Thread (Elections, Part 6)

Only good thing about Warren, who I love but who Clinton does not really need, is that it would prime her for president, but then again, it could hurt her chances, too, especially if Clinton was a one termer or if she screws up her integrity bona fides by batting too hard for Clinton.

Bah - I meant to add that I'm not sure that Clinton managing a two-term presidency wouldn't still be a millstone for Warren - if Obama had picked a black man for VP, how nasty would the campaigns against him be (even in a world where Clinton hadn't a chit that she's cashing in)?

Please please do it

After eight years of largely abstaining from politics, former President George W. Bush is throwing himself into an effort to save his party’s most vulnerable senators, including several whose re-election campaigns have been made more difficult by Donald J. Trump’s presence at the top of the ticket.

In the weeks since Mr. Trump emerged as the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Mr. Bush has headlined fund-raisers for two Republican senators and has made plans to help three more. Among them are Senators John McCain of Arizona, who was one of Mr. Trump’s earliest targets of derision, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who has struggled to respond to Mr. Trump’s inflammatory talk.

Friends say that the former president is deeply bothered by Mr. Trump’s campaign message, especially his derogatory remarks about Muslims and immigrants. At the event with Mr. McCain, Mr. Bush stressed the importance of preserving the Republican-held Senate as a “check and balance” on the White House, suggesting that such a check was needed, whether the next president is Mr. Trump or Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

the vp pick would be "symbolic" if the ticket topper wasn't such an epically bad campaigner, sure.

Trump Network's success will carry on the yuge track record of successes evidenced by Trump steaks, Trump magazine, Trump water, Trump University, and Trump wine.

Yeah, but.

See, this is something that seems to me:

Trump, right now, is a winner and not a loser. Particularly in his own mind.

If he loses the election, will he invent some scenario where he actually won and that the count was in error or faked or some such?

Either way, he'll be laughed into oblivion.

We shall see, hopefully.

And that goes for his Trump network too. Especially, in fact.

If he loses the election, will he invent some scenario where he actually won and that the count was in error or faked or some such?

yes

Well, remember that he was essentially apolitical or even a Democrat for decades. He's a horrible person, of course. Dripping with racism and sexism. But he only latched (lamprey-like) onto Republican politics because it was a convenient vehicle for his ego, and it was obvious how to work the levers of the rabid Teahadis in the base.

With Clinton in office, it's not like his life gets worse. Politics never mattered much to him before and it's not about to start. He negs on Hillary because it's convenient, but her existence was palatable enough to him in the past that she went to his wedding. He doesn't share his base's frothing anti-Democrat, kneejerk anti-Clinton sentiment.

The funniest thing would be for him to be like "Eh. That didn't work out." He just goes back to his planes and yachts and whatnot. Maybe he calls up the Slavic Modelbot Factory and orders up a new wife.

And the legion of right-wing red-meat torch-and-pitchfork doodz will be going INSANE with desire to STORM THE CASTLE and shit, and they're like "but where is our noble Orange Leader, who will ride at the head of our column?" When they discover he was not an ideological conservative, and was just using them, their tears will be copious and tasty.

Well, remember that he was essentially apolitical or even a Democrat for decades.

you think he was voting Democratic during the Reagan years?

Yes, and you want to see a cultural boycott? Sticks and stones may break his bones, but removal of people purchasing his products will hurt him the most. As Atilla the Stockbroker once said "You don't just leave the Master Race"

when Trump loses by the worst margin since '84 the GOP elite will place 100% of the blame on the media and the rank & file will

1) blame voter fraud/ "illegals"
2) quickly pivot to how Trump was always a "secret librul and also a Clinton plant to steal the election! here, just look at these pictures of them together!" (that have been passed around the internet since the minute Trump launched his candidacy, which we chose to ignore/ explain away)

and also
3) blame the media

I still don't think '84-style blowouts are possible in 2016 but who knows

There are about a half dozen posts above about ratfucking that have me in tears of lols this morning. Thanks all, you do good work!

Whenever there is a rat to be fucked, ilx will be there.

Whenever the souls of the downtrodden cry out for ratfucking, ilx will be there.

You will hear ilx's buoyant spirit in the cries of the rats in their fuckening.

Oh and just for fun, it happens to be World Refugee Day and here's what a new-citizen swearing-in ceremony looks like these days:

http://i.imgur.com/5ylBBel.jpg?1

Sorry, trumpers.

american flag tank top already fitting in

re: Trump on "if he loses":

http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-if-i-lose-i-dont-think-you-will-ever-see-me-again-2016-4

remains to be seen of course, but his humiliation is gonna be pretty total.

To the extent that he has any control over it, Trump will never ever be a private citizen. He would shrivel up and die if people stopped paying attention to him. But naturally he'd never let that fact get in the way of an opportunity to petulantly "threaten" us with his retreat into solitude.

My gf works at a preschool, and stories she relates of the two- and three-year-olds she works with remind me an awful lot of Trump.

Except, of course, that amusing behavior for a two- or three-year-old is fucking repulsive when exhibited by a 70-year-old presidential nominee.

Particularly the "I never ate the cake" one?

hey it's rough when you have tiny hands, ask any 3 year old

We're gonna get great crayons, you'll see. The best crayons.

more #sadtrump memes would be a good result

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13339476_514855762046640_6715788286675081070_n.jpg?oh=5272887641e39273a38d7ea6b3a24ef2&oe=57D8C45B

one bright spot in the mainstreaming of violence directed towards visible minorities as a de facto part of American politics is the creation of hilarious meme pictures

if someone jumps me on the way home today, I'll keep that thought close to my heart as they kick my head in

lol man alive

(I thought he was referring to Trump's loss, not Trump phenomenon in general...)

xp yeah I was talking about the result of a Trump loss

in other news: shenanigans!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dozens-of-gop-delegates-launch-new-push-to-halt-donald-trump/2016/06/17/e8dcf74e-3491-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html

In light of his statement suggesting he'd disappear if he didn't win. Sad.

I just want to remind everyone of what is actually happening here. Trump losing doesn't necessarily make the threat of violence go away, no matter how many hilarious viral memes it generates.

Trump never having existed at all doesn't make that go away.

It takes it off the front pages, and off the public face of one of the two main parties in the US.

Trump losing doesn't necessarily make the threat of violence go away

this is true, but it will serve as a rebuke to threats of violence against minorities being acceptable public policy

Trump's rise is a direct result of the GOP's willingness to court the votes of racists and bigots, while trying to finesse how directly their party services the expectations of those racists in terms of policies. If they just came out as the party of the KKK, they'd be quickly marginalized. Instead, they have tried to include KKK types as welcome members under their 'big tent'. They succeeded, but now them chickens are coming home to roost and the GOP is openly the party of bigots, racists and extremists, not just covertly.

xp it's equally likely that Trump supporters will feel a sudden and intense need to Get Revenge against Those People

I certainly don't want to minimize the danger of having a demagogue with a national media megaphone making these kinds of statements, which is very real even if he loses, although much lessened if he loses vs if he wins.

one bright spot in the mainstreaming of violence directed towards visible minorities as a de facto part of American politics is the creation of hilarious meme pictures

if someone jumps me on the way home today, I'll keep that thought close to my heart as they kick my head in

yeah, I don't think it's much of a bold prediction to say that trump's campaign will influence at least one person to kill somebody, it's surprising that it hasn't happened yet. things are just going to get worse as his campaign flounders.

good news everybody:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-replace-debbie-wasserman-shultz-with-clintons_us_576318bae4b034ff3eef265a

I've acknowledged many times over that, win or lose, Trump's candidacy was a terrible thing to happen to this country, particularly for anyone who isn't a white hate monger. The fallout has been increasingly depressing. At times, the only way I can cope with the fact that this is really happening is with gallows humor, but please make no mistake that I find the rise of what's likely to become America's own special little nationalist party dread-inducing and terribly depressing.

The only balm that I've found is in acknowledging just how many people (and even a handful among the otherwise cowardly, ass-licking republican party) stand steadfastly against Trump and his mutant followers.

Oh do you not like trump?

found in tokyo:

http://i.imgur.com/gXSrdXC.jpg

tim canova is apparently strongly against the iran deal. what a world.

re. japan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbM6WbUw7Bs

at this point I'm just wondering what the hell is going to happen at the RNC, it's gonna be must see TV

that's not a real japanese commercial tho treezy

should we take odds on predicted level of violence?

xp