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

I see lots of Trump signs here in Northern NJ.

I see Trump bumper stickers in Somerville, MA; let's not underestimate his reach/appeal.

there was a whole narrative (lol narratives) during the primaries that said that he lacked appeal in "nice" midwest states like wisconsin. not sure if that applies to indiana too but it's an interesting flaw if his primary appeal is to loud mouthed urbanites who generally speaking are located in states (NJ) he cannot win

Yes it's definitely the loud mouthed urbanites that call everybody "boss" or "sweethawt" here that I think make up the bulk of his support.

had to go on a field ride in Northern NJ recently. We were driving through a nice neighborhood and there was an older man jogging down a side street while holding a giant trump flag . I wasn't fast enough with my camera to get a pic though.

Weird thing: I haven't seen a single Trump sign or bumper sticker in Orange County.

this is a brilliant tactic, if you got $5 million to burn:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/13/clinton-ally-promises-5-million-donation-to-veterans-if-donald-trump-releases-his-tax-returns/

Haven't seen many trump stickers in Austin, TX

Worth the read.

Clinton began her 2016 campaign with a listening tour, as well, and it is worth considering the possibility that these tours are not simply bullshit. This is, to be honest, a possibility I had not really considered until speaking with past and present Clinton aides who have been forced to take their boss’s process seriously.

Laurie Rubiner, who served as Clinton’s legislative director from 2005 to 2008, recalls being asked to block out two hours on the calendar for “card-table time.” Rubiner had just started in Clinton’s office six weeks before, and she had no idea what card-table time was, but when the boss wants something put on the calendar, you do it.

When the appointed day arrived, Clinton had laid out two card tables alongside two huge suitcases. She opened the suitcases, and they were stuffed with newspaper clippings, position papers, random scraps of paper. Seeing the befuddled look on Rubiner’s face, Clinton asked, “Did anyone tell you what we’re doing here?”

It turned out that Clinton, in her travels, stuffed notes from her conversations and her reading into suitcases, and every few months she dumped the stray paper on the floor of her Senate office and picked through it with her staff. The card tables were for categorization: scraps of paper related to the environment went here, crumpled clippings related to military families there. These notes, Rubiner recalls, really did lead to legislation. Clinton took seriously the things she was told, the things she read, the things she saw. She made her team follow up

this seems unwise https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/07/13/trump-seeks-damages-from-former-campaign-consultant-alleges-nondisclosure-violation/?postshare=7511468441826934&tid=ss_tw

lol he really can't let *anything* go can he, just the smallest, pettiest motherfucker

you'd think at least they wouldnt be asking for damages.. it not only makes him look vindictive and petty but also like he's trying to make a buck

has to pay for his campaign somehow

reminds me, has any effort been made to confront trump-supporting republicans with earlier, stem-winding grouses about frivolous lawsuits and the urgent need for "tort reform"?

That Vox article is vomit.

I suppose it is if you are hell-bent on the narrative that there are absolutely no redeeming qualities in Hillary Clinton or her style of governance.

"If you think that Vox article is vomit . . . you just might be a Berniebro." (pause for laughter)

and here's why

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is seeking funds through arbitration from Sam Nunberg, who was fired from the campaign last summer amid clashes with then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and for posting what the campaign said was racially offensive material on Facebook.

"we've told you a million times, you have to use Twitter for that."

uh except back in sept 2015

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2015/sep/02/11-examples-hillary-clinton-and-bernie-sanders-hol/

fetterman endorsed hill today: https://twitter.com/HillaryforPA/status/753244547220549632

another poll btw

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnRvQvoWAAAC3w0.jpg

Meanwhile:

The Huffington Post attempted to call the contact phone numbers for the Trump campaign in all 50 states. A few of the state operations had no websites or no numbers listed. Many of the other numbers didn’t work. When we left voicemails, we didn’t get callbacks.

On only six occasions did someone actually answer the phone. And in several of those instances, the person who picked up explained that a physical office would be opened up only after the convention.

on sign anecdotage - just got back from a family car trip Minnesota - Omaha - Denver - SLC - Oakland - Portland - Seattle - Missoula - ND - and the only places I can recall seeing Trump signs were northern Oregon and eastern Washington. happily surprised by the lack of apparent enthusiasm.

a nice summation of how we/the gop got here: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n15/eliot-weinberger/they-could-have-picked

I mean that premise is simultaneously amazing

I suppose it is if you are hell-bent on the narrative that there are absolutely no redeeming qualities in Hillary Clinton or her style of governance.
--http://porno (DJP)

I think article would be repellant whomever it was written about (or by). Lame personality politics schtick.

if you are hell-bent on the narrative that there are absolutely no redeeming qualities in Hillary Clinton or her style of governance.

Pretty close... to Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University.

Democratic values centered on economic and racial justice shape my own politics. I’m not convinced those values shape hers. Nothing Clinton says or intends to do if elected will fundamentally transform the circumstances of the most vulnerable in this country—even with her concessions to the Sanders campaign. Like the majority of Democratic politicians these days, she is a corporate Democrat intent on maintaining the status quo. And I have had enough of all of them.

time.com/4402823/glaude-hillary-clinton/

https://time.com/4402823/glaude-hillary-clinton/

I'm totally fine with disliking both candidates and therefore not voting but this is definitely the clearest case of "lesser of two evils" as there will ever be in my lifetime (for the record, I think Hillary will be just fine)

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/14/us/politics/republican-convention-speakers-donald-trump.html?smid=tw-nytpolitics&smtyp=cur

The list, which is subject to change, as obtained by The New York Times:

Night 1: A Benghazi focus, followed by border patrol agents and Mr. Shaw, whose son was killed by an undocumented immigrant. Senator Cotton, Mr. Giuliani, Melania Trump, Ms. Ernst and others.

Night 2: A focus on the economy: Mr. White, president of the U.F.C.; Asa Hutchinson, the governor of Arkansas; Michael Mukasey, the former United States attorney general; Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, a vice-presidential possibility; Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader; Tiffany Trump; Donald Trump Jr. and Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin.

Night 3: Ms. Bondi; Ms. Collins; Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker; Senator Ted Cruz of Texas; Eric Trump; Ms. Gulbis; and the nominee for vice president.

Night 4: Mr. Tebow; Representative Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee; Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma; Reince Priebus, the Republican National Committee chairman; Gov. Rick Scott of Florida; Mr. Thiel; Mr. Barrack; Ivanka Trump; Donald J. Trump.

Sad!

Not enough Hot New Country.

Also, absent names suggest Tom Brady as VP nom.

Mr. Tebow!!!!

is that a normal amount of family members or a crazy amount of family members

no that's a crazy amount. normally it's just the spouse.

otoh it's not like sasha + malia were old enough to speak... jack carter was 29 in 1976 but the internet doesn't say that he spoke at either 1976 or 1980

I thought there'd be a Focus on Tweeting night.

ooo apparently robin dole spoke at the RNC in 1996

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

Sen. Dole, Robin Dole, Shirley Temple Black

I'm glad the millions of government money spent on investigating Benghazi makes night 1 dope as fuck

Ain't No Party Like A Benghazi Party...

yeah, they sure do start off with a bang, huh

whatever leftover underdog appeal tebow had left in my heart has turned to dogshit

Night 1: A Benghazi focus, followed by border patrol agents and Mr. Shaw, whose son was killed by an undocumented immigrant.

this is just incredible

it's like the stones bringing out stevie wonder

actually didn't this happen at altamont

I'm totally fine with disliking both candidates and therefore not voting but this is definitely the clearest case of "lesser of two evils" as there will ever be in my lifetime (for the record, I think Hillary will be just fine)

― frogbs

honestly this election for me has revealed the limitations of the "lesser of two evils" voting policy. because i look at all the republicans advocating voting for trump on the grounds that he's the "lesser evil" and i think, boy, that's just the wrongest thing i can possibly imagine. it's not merely that they're factually wrong in calling him the "lesser evil". saying these things exposes the moral corruption inherent in giving one's endorsement to someone you truly believe is a terrible person.

people who believe sec. clinton is evil should not vote for her. i think they should strongly challenge their assumptions as to why they believe that, but if your options are two people you strongly believe to be evil, non-participation in the process is an ethical option.

for the record, i do not believe sec. clinton is evil.

Yeah it's incredibly frustrating - people dislike Hillary because she's a corporate shill (whatever that means), meanwhile their candidate is actively pursuing his business interests while running for office, and frequently boasts about not paying taxes and dicking over his business partners. They talk about how they "just don't trust her", while supporting a candidate who literally just makes shit up on the spot, with Politifact ranking 75% of his statements as False (that number rises to 90% if you include the ones ranked "Half True"). The Jim Jeffries bit where he describes Trump as being like a kid running for class president..."We're gonna have two lunches...and a soda machine in every room!!" is so spot on. I mean if you cut all the bullshit and just look at the facts - Hillary mostly tells the truth and has gotten great marks when she's been on the job. Our country is by nearly every metric better off now than it was 8 years ago. I really do not understand what people voting for Trump actually think he's going to do in office.

Establish a Department if Ultimate Fighting?

Hillary mostly tells the truth and has gotten great marks when she's been on the job

lie la lie

lol

https://www.propublica.org/article/what-newt-gingrich-really-thinks-of-donald-trump