US Presidential Election - What's your take?

[dafluff]

Well all done now, and this were the story really starts, but as an outside I'm sure the two main parties will be a bit more careful on who they select as prospective presidential candidate, just a quick question though, why do all the losers want to go to Canada, why not Mexico, the drugs would be cheaper

No hablo español and "free" healthcare.

 

[Davita]

They
think Canada is the same as the US and they could easily go back into the US whenever they wanted to. So many threaten but those that actually do are few and far between. Mostly talk.

They'd have to stand in line to immigrate to Canada...there is no preference for USA citizens. Canada's immigration is done on a points system.

 

[fastpitch17]

They'd have to stand in line to immigrate to Canada...there is no preference for USA citizens. Canada's immigration is done on a points system.

Doesn't matter to me, I just like the fishing and wilderness there.

 

[Vanhelsing]

Doesn't matter to me, I just like the fishing and wilderness there.

I like the social conscience and publicly funded health care.

 

[jstar]

But Trump and Obama had a good chat and now there will be a major upgrade of ObamaCare instead of abrogating it?!

 

[Dan]

But Trump and Obama had a good chat and now there will be a major upgrade of ObamaCare instead of abrogating it?!

This is why it's so hard to take anything he says seriously. I'd actually be pleased if he scrapped the Affordable Care Act, it's a disaster.

But I take comfort in knowing that he doesn't seem to be set on anything. He's absolutely mercurial. Restrictions on Muslims? Sending back the Mexicans? He waffled on his biggest promise to his constituents who were hobbled by Affordable Care Act costs, we have little reason to think he'll take on big (read impossible) Constitutional challenges.

 

[Banana72]

How legit is the urging of electoral college electors through change.org that people have been talking lately?

https://www.change.org/p/electoral-...make-hillary-clinton-president-on-december-19

 

[fastpitch17]

How legit is the urging of electoral college electors through change.org that people have been talking lately?

https://www.change.org/p/electoral-...make-hillary-clinton-president-on-december-19

It is legit because the electoral college has not cast their actual votes yet. The can change their vote to whomever they like. They would be fined for doing so, cast out from being a delegate, and probably humiliated for going against the legal process. Then, when votes change it has to go to I think congress and they make the final determination. They are heavier in republicans so it would in all likelihood remain trump. It's just not something you do. I think one person did it one time. hell rained down on that person.

 

[Davita]

It's been done a few times before but has never changed the outcome.
'There has been one Faithless Elector in each of the following elections: 1948, 1956, 1960, 1968, 1972, 1976, and 1988. A blank ballot was cast in 2000.'

I believe it would need more than one 'faithless elector' to change this one...but there's a first for everything.

 

[Scooterindo]

Post election results I will add my tuppence worth.

I cant believe trump is president, what a shock, but in some ways worth it to see the snug smile wiped off Clintons face. Never mind that's democracy in play - As much as I despise Hillary Clinton I would have preferred to see a politician at the helm and not a egotistic TV Celeb. Still lets see what happens next, I have a feeling we will all be surprised.

Despite his many short comings lets not forget he is a billionaire businessman (read; no mug) and I feel that whilst he will be a poor statesman I think he will run the US like a big business. Anything felt to be unprofitable will be re-managed, relocated, down sized, or just shut down, whether he stops to consider the human price in these "business decisions" awaits to be seen.

 

[fastpitch17]

What I have seen as rather rediculas with these protest is that many were Sanders supporters that went over to Hillary. They seemed to ignor the fact that it was Hillary and the DNC that basically kept Sanders from winning in the primaries. So they turn around and get upset that Hillary lost and proclaim Trump can't be president. Plus, if I were a reporter doing some homework there I would try to find out just how many of those protesters never even bothered to vote. I bet many. Same for the petition for the Electoral College Voters to change their votes. Time to grow up and act like adults.

Trump won and Hillary lost. It is what it is. Declare the popular vote went to Hillary and in a Democratic nation that should mean she won all you like. Perhaps a visit to the US constitution would be in order to try hard to find where it says the US is a Democracy. You won't find it. What you will find is that the Constitution states the US is a Republic. I don't like it but Trump is the President elect and I will respect the position even if not the man that holds it so much. Now we wait.

 

[Puspawarna]

This is why it's so hard to take anything he says seriously. I'd actually be pleased if he scrapped the Affordable Care Act, it's a disaster.

But I take comfort in knowing that he doesn't seem to be set on anything. He's absolutely mercurial. Restrictions on Muslims? Sending back the Mexicans? He waffled on his biggest promise to his constituents who were hobbled by Affordable Care Act costs, we have little reason to think he'll take on big (read impossible) Constitutional challenges.

While I agree that Trump himself is starting to pull back from some of his more extreme policy positions, and he may be too lazy to push for the rest, I still think we may see a lot of policies put into place that are (in my view) unpleasantly right-wing. That's because so far he is surrounding himself with very right-wing Washington insiders like Gingrich (and Pence is playing a large role, as Trump always said he would), who have the energy, knowledge, and savagery to push for a lot of scary "reforms" on everything from immigration to health care to trade. And I can't believe Trump would bother to try to stop them.

But who knows.

 

[fastpitch17]

I wonder how the protesters would feel if Trump said he was bringing back the draft? Now, that would put some real fear into many of them.

Myself, I wouldn't worry about Trump going in and changing everything. He has his priorities according to him, trade, jobs, and finances. The man to worry about is Pence. He is now head of the transition team and he will set up the new administration with some old out of date individuals. Giuliani who was Trumps Bull Dog durring the campaign wants to still go after Clinton even though Trump has backed off of it and he could well be the new AG. Gingrich is another out dated member of the good o boy old party. Sessions, a bigoted Southern legislator that will allow the religious right to control whatever they like. Trump seems to want to give Pence a lot of power for a VP and in so doing that will be able to have others do the bidding for what he doesn't want to be out front on. The really scary part, I still, like I have said many times before do not see Trump making it two years without for one reason or another being removed from office. Then it will be president Pence and that could be a lot worse for the US then a president Trump.

 

[jukung11]

I don't agree with all the changes Trump is expected to make, but most of the immediate ones are simply repealing Obama's executive orders. That is not very scary to me. Most laws will simply be as they already have been on the books for years. Many of the key immigration orders were being undone.by the courts anyway. I didn't disagree with policies that Obama was advancing but the way he did it. I was not a fan of constant executive orders. I did not see him as gifted of a politician to get things done like Bill Clinton did.

I was listening to marketplace and they gave the example that Trump could repeal the executive order that mandates insurers cover 100% the cost of birth control and women might have to make a copay. Yes an extra $10 a month would suck, but not a great shock to society.

I am interested to see if he goes back to enforcing federal drug, banking, and money laundering laws.

I am generally not a fan of the executive branch refusing to enforce laws. If the president doesn't want to do it, go to Congress to change it or go to the courts to declare it unconstitutional.

 

[Puspawarna]

I think the birth control fear (too early yet to say whether it is well-founded) is not that women have to co-pay for birth control. It is that there will be NO coverage of birth control, at all. Trump wouldn't do that - but there have been cases where companies have balked at having to include birth control as part of their health insurance, for "religious reasons." (Either because they don't believe in BC period, or because they think making it available promotes promiscuity because single women can get it.)

If the right-wingers make it legal to deny birth control as part of health insurance, we could see a lot more "religion" going on.

 

[fastpitch17]

With Pence in the lead, religion will certainly enter the big arena.

 

[jstar]

^
And with Ben Carson? Is that guy even serious about the pyramids etc.?

I was even more flabbergasted when Pence said that "Sarah Palin was his role model for smart and beautiful American women".

Puspa eat your heart out...

 

[PhilippeD]

This one is killing!
Sara Palin as role model of the level of the smartness a woman should be.



?? He don't like woman more smart than him???

 

[Puspawarna]

^
And with Ben Carson? Is that guy even serious about the pyramids etc.?

I was even more flabbergasted when Pence said that "Sarah Palin was his role model for smart and beautiful American women".

Puspa eat your heart out...

Sarah Palin is quite pretty, it's true. And as we know, beauty is likely to be an important qualification for females in positions of power tokenism with the Republicans.

Actually, I think Republicans have had the prettiest women for quite some time. Here's an interesting exercise: If I do a GIS on the phrase "famous Republican women," this is what I get.

If I do the identical search with the phrase "famous Democratic women", I get this.

That's a little unsettling.

 

[waarmstrong]

Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, has been named Trump's Chief of Staff. That suggests that the batshit crazy right wingers, (read campaign chief Steve Bannon) will not be controlling access to the President or setting the agenda. Still, Bannon was also appointed as senior counselor to Trump meaning there is likely to be a tug of war behind the scenes.

While moderation seems to be creeping into winning camp, the march toward a more inclusive and equitable franchise will most certainly be slowed, if not halted. Attempts to do an about face on such things as gay rights, same-sex marriage, abortion, racial and religious profiling, and many others certainly will be made, and may have some success. The biggest impact, though, will be to generate the equivalent of trench warfare, galvanizing the opposition to regroup and reclaim lost ground.