The American (USA) 2016 presidential elections thread?

[jasonu]

Either way, Trump gets to put his own TRUMPITES in there. They seem to be making it too easy for him

I'd vote for that cunt!!!!!

[Grumph]

Where did you see that?

I'm repeating hearsay from a US based bike forum. The first poster didn't put up a link but the first responder had obviously seen it too. No one has yet repudiated it.
That forum has divided into the rabid Trump supporters and the moderates....It's almost always well in advance of any news we see here in NZ as both sides are continually trying to score off the other. And the Canadians scoring off both...
It can be amusing at times - but shit I wouldn't like to meet some of them. They make yokel seem almost civilised - and invariably they're armed....

[Voltaire]

I saw it in the Independent this morning.
I like the Robert Fisk articles on the Middle East Religion/war go round.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a7547916.html

[pritch]

Where did you see that?

Try and keep up, that was widely reported.

As was the Whitehouse proposal to fund the wall by imposing a 20% tax on goods imported from Mexico. In what world does a US import tax on Mexican goods penalise anybody except people in the USA who buy Mexican goods? Goods like cars, guitars, Tacate and Jose Cuervo? And less importantly of course, avacados?

[husaberg]

Where did you see that?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...entire-9699915
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics...ations/514550/

In the same vein, it's being reported that the whole top layer of staff in the State department have resigned rather than work in the Trump era of foreign relations.
The "alternative facts" will probably state they were fired for incompetence...

As you predicted alternative facts "Trump style"

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-0...-just-resigned

[Grumph]

Whether they were fired or resigned is pretty much irrelevant. Previous administrations have kept existing staff on for at least a transition period. It is after all useful to at least know where they keep the biscuits for smoko....And just where you have embassies.
The Trump team (oxymoron ?) seems to want to distance themselves from any previous working arrangements, whether with other governments or the UN..

I see they're looking to audit their contributions to the UN and aid organisations to see if they meet their criteria. The criteria being as expected, anti muslim and anti abortion.
Not a problem, Russia or China will step up and fill the vacancies....

[oldrider]

Whether they were fired or resigned is pretty much irrelevant. Previous administrations have kept existing staff on for at least a transition period. It is after all useful to at least know where they keep the biscuits for smoko....And just where you have embassies.
The Trump team (oxymoron ?) seems to want to distance themselves from any previous working arrangements, whether with other governments or the UN..

I see they're looking to audit their contributions to the UN and aid organisations to see if they meet their criteria. The criteria being as expected, anti muslim and anti abortion.
Not a problem, Russia or China will step up and fill the vacancies....

What you are evaluating here is what's known as a "paradigm shift" where everything relatively stays the same but completely changes!

Compare it to when you try cleaning out your garage by shuffling everything around and around but essentially it is the same - finally you bite the bullet and take everything to the dump and get rid of it and start again!

Essentially you have drained the swamp and created a new situation out of the old.

Hence the phrase: When you are up to your arse in alligators (resistance) it is hard to remember the original intention was to drain the swamp!

I.E. get rid of the alligators!

What we are observing is the departure of the alligators!

Obviously there are many and they are creating a lot of noise - generally an indication that the process was way over due!

[Voltaire]

Hasn't Bebe phoned him yet to explain that GS runs the US?

[pritch]

What we are observing is the departure of the alligators!

Can't agree with that. The guys who are out are civil servants who have been working under both Democrat and Republican presidents. They aren't the problem.
The problem is the corrupt politicians, basically all of them, and the lobbyists.

The guys who have left the foreign service are pretty much all the guys who know how to run the place. So far Trump's transition team give the impression they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

Trump is now going to spend millions tracking down his imaginary three million illegal votes. One of the things he has repeatedly stated needs investigating is people being registered to vote in more than one state. People like his daughter, like her husband, like his Press Secretary, and one other member of his cabinet, the Secretary of State? Anyhoo at least four members of his team are registered to vote in more than one state, He'd better get on to that, as if it actually mattered. Which, unless they actually voted in more than one state, it doesn't.

Chump seems to have become president without a clue how government works. Fuck knows when he works, he watches Fox News all bloody night. And even worse, he believes it.

[oldrider]

Can't agree with that. The guys who are out are civil servants who have been working under both Democrat and Republican presidents. They aren't the problem. (some definitely are!)
The problem is the corrupt politicians, basically all of them, and the lobbyists. (true!)


The guys who have left the foreign service are pretty much all the guys who know how to run the place. (but for whom? - debatable point!)

So far Trump's transition team give the impression they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

Trump is now going to spend millions tracking down his imaginary three million illegal votes. One of the things he has repeatedly stated needs investigating is people being registered to vote in more than one state. People like his daughter, like her husband, like his Press Secretary, and one other member of his cabinet, the Secretary of State? Anyhoo at least four members of his team are registered to vote in more than one state, He'd better get on to that, as if it actually mattered. Which, unless they actually voted in more than one state, it doesn't.

Chump seems to have become president without a clue how government works. Fuck knows when he works, he watches Fox News all bloody night. And even worse, he believes it.

I wasn't defending Trump - I was trying to explain a paradigm shift - there are always casualties - time heals eventually the new way becomes the norm!

Meaning - Paradigm shift: "a time when the usual and accepted way of doing or thinking about something changes completely."

The most important ingredient is integrity sometimes that is missing all together! just won't work!

[Grumph]

This isn't a paradigm shift - it's an ongoing fuckup. The reason international affairs have been run as they have for centuries now is because that way works - at least most of the time.

The US ambassador to the UN is reported as saying to US ALLIES, "We're watching to see who doesn't support us - and we're taking names"

That to your allies....Keep it up and you won't have many. Isolationist America is fast becoming a fact.

[jasonu]

Can't agree with that. The guys who are out are civil servants who have been working under both Democrat and Republican presidents. They aren't the problem.
The problem is the corrupt politicians, basically all of them, and the lobbyists.

The guys who have left the foreign service are pretty much all the guys who know how to run the place. So far Trump's transition team give the impression they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

Trump is now going to spend millions tracking down his imaginary three million illegal votes. One of the things he has repeatedly stated needs investigating is people being registered to vote in more than one state. People like his daughter, like her husband, like his Press Secretary, and one other member of his cabinet, the Secretary of State? Anyhoo at least four members of his team are registered to vote in more than one state, He'd better get on to that, as if it actually mattered. Which, unless they actually voted in more than one state, it doesn't.

Chump seems to have become president without a clue how government works. Fuck knows when he works, he watches Fox News all bloody night. And even worse, he believes it.

You could easily get a job presenting for MSNBC...

[Stylo]

Can't agree with that. The guys who are out are civil servants who have been working under both Democrat and Republican presidents. They aren't the problem.
The problem is the corrupt politicians, basically all of them, and the lobbyists.

The guys who have left the foreign service are pretty much all the guys who know how to run the place. So far Trump's transition team give the impression they couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery.

Trump is now going to spend millions tracking down his imaginary three million illegal votes. One of the things he has repeatedly stated needs investigating is people being registered to vote in more than one state. People like his daughter, like her husband, like his Press Secretary, and one other member of his cabinet, the Secretary of State? Anyhoo at least four members of his team are registered to vote in more than one state, He'd better get on to that, as if it actually mattered. Which, unless they actually voted in more than one state, it doesn't.

Chump seems to have become president without a clue how government works. Fuck knows when he works, he watches Fox News all bloody night. And even worse, he believes it.

Agree, and how long this psychopath remains in power is anyone's guess. He's good entertainment though, as before, 'the gift that keeps on giving'

How his senior members, Ryan, Spicer, Conway etc ,can front up and toe the line as they're told too can sleep at night leaves me wondering. Remember, every fact you hear from Trump is either fact or, an alternative fact.

At least Trump is consistent in another aspect too, he has the same IQ as most of his supporters , as is evident reading this thread....... magic

[jim.cox]

He's good entertainment though, as before, 'the gift that keeps on giving'

Indeed

and the word 'Gift' means 'Poison' in German....

[Woodman]

I think trump is a moron, but has America improved with the last 4-5-6 presidents basically doing the same shit? and will America improve if trump does the same shit again, its the definition of insanity.

He'll either fuck it or fix it, but either way it is entertaining.