I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE BOTTOM IS • US presidential elections part VIII

In that Washington Post article on debate strategy posted a few days ago, I like this description of Trump's prep approach

Donald Trump is taking a different approach. He summons his informal band of counselors — including former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, talk-radio host Laura Ingraham and ousted Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes — to his New Jersey golf course for Sunday chats. Over bacon cheeseburgers, hot dogs and glasses of Coca-Cola, they test out zingers and chew over ways to refine the Republican nominee’s pitch.

mccain survives

Donated money to Clinton a few weeks back and still no yard sign. The election is soon, you doofuses, you don't want to lose Illinois!

former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, talk-radio host Laura Ingraham and ousted Fox News Channel chairman Roger Ailes

so that's what a public nazi salute buys you, then

trump up the road from me tonight in everettwa. so (like usual) odd, a state he'll lose massively. i like how trump took on a dumb policy idea from our R gov candidate who won"t endorse him(review every reg before instituting new ones), more explicity tying them together.

Trump's travelling to Mexico tomorrow to meet with Pena Nieto, I can't fathom all the ways this could possibly go wrong

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/can-trump-be-this-stupid-not-a-trick-question

Trump's Razor helps here. It's tempting to assume that there's some angle Trump has here, some plan or understanding with Peña Nieto to make this not as silly a decision as it appears to be. I'm tempted because how could they think this was a good idea? Trump's Razor tells us to resist this temptation. "The stupidest scenario possible that can be reconciled with the available facts." I think that's what we have here. It's as stupid as it looks. Who knows? Maybe Trump will handle this deftly and it'll be a huge success. But Trump's Razor has yet to fail me. So I'm going to stick with it.

EPN can give his dogshit approval ratings (something like 24 percent) a nice boost by absolutely lambasting trump in some way. it's not a public meeting, but maybe he can have an aide of his leak unflattering trump-related details of the meet to the press or something

That's basically what the TPM piece posits. He has no reason to cozy to the totally hated Trump, and everything to gain from humiliating him.

encouraging

@DougHenwood
Hillary unpopularity at new high, on par with Trump - underwater even with women

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/poll-clinton-unpopularity-high-par-trump/story?id=41752050

Among registered voters, the two candidates have near-identical unfavorable ratings: 59 percent for Clinton vs. 60 percent for Trump.

so what's trump gonna do when mexico says 'lol no' to all of his plans (such as they are?) i assume it'll stir trump supporters into a new level of impotent rage against mexicans?

oh wait this'll happen TODAY? *grabs popcorn*

I don't understand the parallel unfavorability ratings. It's like saying there's practically no difference between the idea of eating something that isn't to your taste and eating a handful of irradiated dog shit.

Well, guess the AP's lies worked.

The Byrds, "Fifth Dimension":

And never hit bottom and keep falling through
Just relaxed and paying attention

I don't understand the parallel unfavorability ratings. It's like saying there's practically no difference between the idea of eating something that isn't to your taste and eating a handful of irradiated dog shit.

It's not exactly a nuanced question. I would imagine the people who dislike both candidates, if forced to choose, would overwhelmingly vote Hillary, it's definitely not your typical "both candidates suck" kind of year

Yeah, you definitely have a point. If someone asked me 'do you like either candidate y/n' I'd probably say n even though there's a planet-sized gulf between my mild dislike of one vs. my primal, cell-deep loathing of the other.

it's such a Beltway question -- like anybody gives a damn about liking politicians! Most people dislike several relatives.

Every time Hillary's 'scandals' are dredged up again she loses support in the polls, though. There are definitely people who are going 'over half of the 150 people she met during her four years as foreign secretary supported her foundation? She IS as bad as Trump then'

it's such a Beltway question -- like anybody gives a damn about liking politicians! Most people dislike several relatives.

in the past it's been the best question for prediction election outcomes. obviously This Election Is Different.

it's definitely not your typical "both candidates suck" kind of year

no, it's an atypical "both candidates suck" kind of year

This endless campaign doesn't help

Only one loser can win.

ie

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/james-clad-endorses-clinton-227574

the favorability ratings aren't noise (I looked and ABC wasn't the only pollster in which Hillary's favorability slipped - they were all pretty much in agreement on that), but they also fluctuate a bit more than polling numbers do, as evidenced by her upward swing earlier in August. I expect this is due to the Foundation news and she'll rebound, but she's going to have shitty numbers throughout the election no matter what - she's just unpopular. Trump also has the potential to dip further.

does correspond to the "tightening" of the polls, which still show Hillary comfortably ahead (just not as wide a margin). Other than that terrible USC poll which is always wrong 4 points.

Appropriate for clem to mention the Byrds 5D album since Don's going down to Mexico just like Joe

This week much has been made of the fact that when Hillary Clinton's server disks were wiped, they used a product called Bleach Bit to perform a secure wipe.

"Not only deleted, folks. This was after she was subpoenaed by Congress," he droned on.

"And not only that, she BLEACHED which somebody said they'd never even heard of," Trump blithered. "In a very expensive fashion, used chemicals so that nobody will ever be able to see them."

what are the late night shows gonna do when this election is over?

I...just...jesus christ. I'm sure there are dumber public figures, but none are as ready and willing to broadcast their abject stupidity as Trump.

I still want an interviewer to ask him what a server is and what it does.

I would love for someone to ask him about Common Core. Like he knows it has something to do with education and he knows Republicans don't like it but I honestly don't think he knows what it even is. Despite this he's like...always railing against it

the Jill Stein holds up a dank meme and pretends to laugh picture is just the most perfect thing & has broken me. any political thing I try to focus on I just think of Jill Stein and the pretend laugh dank meme

http://ih1.redbubble.net/image.246663924.5391/ra,classic_tee,x1350,101010:01c5ca27c6,front-c,30,60,940,730-bg,f8f8f8.2u7.jpg

Hillary's Chemical Romance

As a child, Donald warned Eric about proper treatment of a cold.

"Make sure not to sneeze near your PC, especially the hard drive - you want to make sure to keep your computer free of viruses".

i am in a Panera wishing I could howl with laughter right now at this bleach story. brb heading outside to do so

Well, guess the AP's lies worked.

― Frederik B, Wednesday, August 31, 2016 10:37 AM

I know the Danish Richard Hofstadter over here is sort of dumb even for this thread, but how you all feelin' today? Ready to lose? LOL

ie

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/james-clad-endorses-clinton-227574

― The Hon. J. Piedmont Mumblethunder (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 31 August 2016 16:10 (fifty-seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Just to check, is this some game-over argument against her from your point of view, or am I reading this wrong?

no, just one more grain on the neocon Hill

idgi iago, if you're a trump supporter why don't you stick around for longer than the same one sentence nonsense and defend him? i know ilx is craving some posters w/ unconventional political views. i'm sure as a bright guy you can defend your preference sufficiently!

this whole email situation is so fucking obfuscated I have no idea how to check these claims.. basically the only source on 'Bleach Bit' is Trey Goudy...

yeah I'm not sure what to say to the dozens of people on facebook who go around all day posting "IF I TOOK ONE PICTURE AND DIDNT SHOW ANYONE I'D BE IN JAIL FOR 13000 YEARS!!!"

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/poll-trump-clinton-who-is-winning-227160

Oy vey, you guys...up 4?

― Iago Galdston, Friday, August 19, 2016 7:15 AM (one week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lmao how'd i miss this gem of a post

i mean, instead of giggling antisemitism i can make a pretty good case for trump with this:

https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/770793438073749504

Hillary Clinton danced with Paul McCartney while Jimmy Buffett played 'Cheeseburger in Paradise' during a fundraiser at his house, per pool

re: Common Core - - - he would survive this interview question the same way he survives everything else, in that his supporters aren't looking for or interested in a detailed understanding of how something works, they're looking for identification with someone who is against the same things they are. It could basically be just a random string of words related to things that Republicans dislike about education, like idk:

INTERVIEWER: You've said some strong things about Common Core in education. Can you let our viewers know, what are your objections to Common Core and how would you address them as president?

TRUMP: Common Core, that's a great question. Well on Common Core, nobody has been more I've been saying it all along. First of all, you've got government - this is control, they're controlling our kids and all the tests. Believe me. That's outta there. You have to have standards. Obviously. Obviously. But we've got government agents. Federal agents in school, with the common core. That's gotta stop. You've got kids, they've got no jobs and it's art class, they're finger-painting in there, and our running tracks are crumbling. They're crumbling under Obama and it's a disaster and Hillary has been doing this too, all the time. A lot. And all these permission slips you have to sign, so much paperwork, all this bureaucracy so they can go on a field trip or you're getting a phone call while you're at work, little Johnny hasn't signed his permission slip and now some kids are trying to get his lunch money - and these are not your kids, these are kids, they are putting them in buses, there are all kinds of studies showing this now, kids from bad neighborhoods are taking over their own buses and nobody can stop them. It's a no-go area over there, and this is for a field trip! They're not signing permission slips in China, believe me, and they're not having to pay for Michelle's lunches - I call her "Meddling Michelle" by the way and many people have told me that's true - so all the lunch money is going to these meals, and the kids are telling me they're really yucky, all this green stuff, supposedly it's vitamins but - all this stuff. It's horrible, just horrible. And with the common core, they spend weeks in school on this, with where the earth's core is and how hot it gets, and evolution - I believe in choice, I believe parents have to decide that.

INTERVIEWER: On evolution?

TRUMP: On whether they're evolving, but I personally believe that we did not come from the earth's core but there is a lot of debate with the scientists. I think we can't really know, but people do think that if we dug all the way through the core, and as president I would support this - a Republican president put a man on the moon and a lot of people don't know that, and so I believe we can reach China. And they do not have this terrible common core and it's not fair and it's costing us our jobs. And as President I'm going to stop that and we're going to make America great again.

OTM

nice work

yr a little too good at that doctor

there's gotta be a Clue-like formula for every party and generation with that Hill tweet. I mean "Hills with Macca to CiB/Buffett at the pool" is great. if the candidate was like, the worst millennial pol, you'd get the same line with different players and site.

Good article on Hillary's low favorable ratings :

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/08/31/why-clinton-will-always-have-low-favorable-ratings-no-matter-what-she-does

Dr. C, you definitely have the Trump cadence down but your impression falls a little flat inasmuch as you're still making logical rhetorical connections (however tenuous) that are within the grasp of your average four-year-old (e.g. mentioning actual school-related issues in a common core response instead of blaming the problem on immigrants or suggesting that you might actually think apples are somehow involved).