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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#138876: Sep 16th 2016 at 12:12:12 PM

Michelle Obama bringing that fire.

Ya'll should tune in.

New Survey coming this weekend!
Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#138877: Sep 16th 2016 at 12:12:23 PM

[up][up]Part Libertarian (very small part), part Nixon-era Republican, part just plain rich bully.

edited 16th Sep '16 12:13:10 PM by Elle

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#138879: Sep 16th 2016 at 12:17:43 PM

She's basically on the campaign trail. Basic summary. "She's one of the most qualified people in this race, and ya'll got mofos still undecided?"

She's throwing so much subtle shade at third party voters.

New Survey coming this weekend!
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#138880: Sep 16th 2016 at 12:31:29 PM

[up] I can only wish her luck.

Most media outlets have been more or less "cucked" (using their term for the irony) by Trump's threats to revoke their press passes. He's a big enough rating magnet that media corporations go easy on him in spite of his threats against freedom of the press. They're Only in It for the Money at the end of the day, and this cycle it's showing more than ever before:

edited 16th Sep '16 1:24:21 PM by CaptainCapsase

Morgikit Mikon :3 from War Drobe, Spare Oom Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: What's love got to do with it?
Mikon :3
#138881: Sep 16th 2016 at 12:34:13 PM

Nevermind. Not getting into it.

edited 16th Sep '16 12:38:05 PM by Morgikit

rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#138882: Sep 16th 2016 at 12:47:26 PM

@Armstrong: He'd probably be one of those libertarian Tea-Party types.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
Nightlikeday Teller of secret stories. Since: Sep, 2016 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Teller of secret stories.
#138883: Sep 16th 2016 at 1:52:46 PM

Indeed. There is no denying that Trump is a master of theatrics and one-liners. Clinton is not as snappy and that has been a disadvantage for her.

It shouldn't matter as Clinton is much more capable than him. But it does. Disappointingly, in the mind of many, a phrase like "crooked Hilary," overrides her experience and competence. This is something Trump will, most likely, exploit at the debate. Should Clinton lower herself to his level, she will look worse than him. Facts alone can't beat charisma. She needs to be ready.

I know the truth—darkness beats light. Visit my DA: I'll share my secrets stories with you.
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#138884: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:19:24 PM

She held her own and occasionally Beat 'Bams himself.

Trump is child's play. The only way he comes out looking good is if Twitter and the Mainstream Media start sucking him off for not failing completely

New Survey coming this weekend!
Nightlikeday Teller of secret stories. Since: Sep, 2016 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Teller of secret stories.
#138885: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:31:36 PM

As much as I dislike Trump, I've to admit that he does have experience in reality TV and he knows how to give a good show. He knows how to move crowds. If he didn't have this quality he wouldn't be a candidate in the first place. He did beat people that are more capable than him to become one.

The media follows him because he is a source of entertainment– to our detriment. If he was a bore he wouldn't be against Hilary today.

edited 16th Sep '16 2:39:42 PM by Nightlikeday

I know the truth—darkness beats light. Visit my DA: I'll share my secrets stories with you.
nervmeister Since: Oct, 2010
#138886: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:34:05 PM

Most people don't act like that because it's not a smart individualist thing to do. The wheel that isn't pulling its weight gets removed and replaced with a different wheel. This runs antithetical to an individualist's goals.
.............But what if I want to steer the car itself?

edited 16th Sep '16 2:34:25 PM by nervmeister

MysteryMan23 (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#138887: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:35:37 PM

Personal anecdote time: I just saw a news channel - ABC, I think - asking if good TV made good campaigning. I wonder if the media is starting to get wise to Trump's antics?

blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#138888: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:38:02 PM

[up][up]People who dismiss "fifth wheels" seem not to think about the fact that the fifth wheel controls the movement of the whole car XD

edited 16th Sep '16 2:38:16 PM by blkwhtrbbt

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#138889: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:38:22 PM

‏@dave_thomason Why does Mike Pence always look like he's about to introduce legislation to outlaw the X-Men

Tweet of the damn election. Holy shit.

New Survey coming this weekend!
Elle Since: Jan, 2001
#138890: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:39:00 PM

[up][up][up]I'll believe it when they start showing it through actions.

edited 16th Sep '16 2:39:19 PM by Elle

blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#138891: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:39:21 PM

[up][up] BAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA

edited 16th Sep '16 2:39:37 PM by blkwhtrbbt

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
Nightlikeday Teller of secret stories. Since: Sep, 2016 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Teller of secret stories.
#138892: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:43:38 PM

I wonder if the media is starting to get wise to Trump's antics?

Of course not. Because that would imply that they don't know what they're doing. They've always known. They aren't naive. They just don't care. In the end, they are a business and like any business, profit is valued above everything else.

edited 16th Sep '16 2:45:19 PM by Nightlikeday

I know the truth—darkness beats light. Visit my DA: I'll share my secrets stories with you.
blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#138893: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:45:34 PM

[up]But that reflects poorly on my precious bae Anderson Cooper, so I'm going to pretend that he isn't involved in the dishonesty of the media and is valiantly fighting to preserve journalistic integrity.

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
nervmeister Since: Oct, 2010
#138894: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:56:01 PM

People who dismiss "fifth wheels" seem not to think about the fact that the fifth wheel controls the movement of the whole car XD
That's so zen.

blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#138895: Sep 16th 2016 at 2:59:48 PM

It's more faux Zen than So Zen..

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
Lennik (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#138896: Sep 16th 2016 at 3:04:58 PM

Nate Silver says we should panic if the polls still look like this in a week.

Fuck this country sometimes, I swear. sad

That's right, boys. Mondo cool.
Matues Since: Sep, 2011
#138897: Sep 16th 2016 at 3:05:23 PM

Zen would be asking someone what the fifth wheel is, then hitting them with the car.

nervmeister Since: Oct, 2010
#138898: Sep 16th 2016 at 3:15:19 PM

[up] I had no idea Caitlyn Jenner wrote zen proverbs.

blkwhtrbbt The Dragon of the Eastern Sea from Doesn't take orders from Vladimir Putin Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
The Dragon of the Eastern Sea
#138899: Sep 16th 2016 at 3:17:12 PM

[up]I think it was Laura Bush, actually.

Say to the others who did not follow through You're still our brothers, and we will fight for you
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#138900: Sep 16th 2016 at 3:19:55 PM

The Economist: Who's deplorable?

It is perilously hard to criticise Donald Trump without seeming to insult his voters

WHEN Hillary Clinton recently said that she puts half of Donald Trump’s supporters in a “basket of deplorables”, calling such folk “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic—you name it,” her Republican rival gleefully dubbed this outburst “the single biggest mistake of the political season”. Certainly, Mrs Clinton does seem to have broken a cardinal rule of politics: attack those running for office and their policies by all means, but never blame the voters. As Democrats scrambled to defend their nominee, they urged Americans to consider Mrs Clinton’s remarks in context, and to study the kindlier thoughts that she shared next, about how she puts other Trump backers into a second “basket”, unhappily filled with folk who feel the government and the economy has let them down, leaving them “just desperate for change” and deserving of understanding.

Alas, if Clinton allies think that sympathy will get them off the hook, they may be misjudging how much voters enjoy being called “desperate”. Take a step back, and the whole Trump-bashing riff by Mrs Clinton, delivered on September 9th against the slightly unhelpful backdrop of a fund-raising gala in Manhattan, points to a dreadful dilemma that the Republican presidential nominee represents for the entire political establishment, meaning not just Mrs Clinton and the Democrats, but principled and thoughtful Republicans, and (at the risk of navel-gazing) journalists trying to report fairly on this election, too.

Put simply, Mr Trump’s shtick should not be working. In part, that is because he has repeatedly made appeals to bigotry since entering the race more than a year ago. It is dismaying to see so many Americans either nod in agreement or pretend not to hear what he is really saying. To be still more blunt, to anyone with their critical faculties undimmed by partisan rage or calculation, he is obviously a con-man. He is a self-styled billionaire who will not reveal his tax returns and claims credit for acts of charity that others funded. He is a portly 70-year old who likes to insinuate that Mrs Clinton is in desperate health while declining to reveal his own medical records. Then there are his promises to restore American greatness if elected president, and to do this at head-spinning speed (“so fast”, is a favourite Trump boast). In a country long used to fibbing candidates and policy platforms constructed out of flim-flam and magic money, Mr Trump breaks new ground. He is, arguably, the first major party nominee to realise that when working to please a crowd, there is no reason to offer policies that even try to make sense. Just start with the businessman’s most famous promise, that he can make Mexico pay for a 2,000-mile border wall which will stop both illegal migration and drug smuggling: a nonsensical claim that reliably provokes roars of delight at Trump rallies, and chants of “Build That Wall”.

Mrs Clinton has now revealed that two aspects of the Trump phenomenon appal her. She is disgusted by how many of her countrymen cheer his nastiest attacks on women and minorities—though she later expressed regret for saying that she thinks fully “half” his supporters are prejudiced. She also sorrows that so many are wretched enough to fall for his empty promises—though, during her riff in Manhattan about understanding Trump-fans, she correctly noted that those pinning their hopes on the Republican may not buy “everything that he says”. Conventional wisdom holds that her disgust will hurt her more than her sorrow. The Trump campaign clearly agrees, rushing out TV ads for use in battleground states, replaying the “deplorables” line and accusing Mrs Clinton of “viciously demonising hard-working people like you.” Conventional wisdom is wrong. Calling Trump-backers bigots is a gamble that could yet pay off. Greater peril lurks in telling them that they are marks for a con-man.

True, Mrs Clinton’s analysis of Trumpian bigotry was horribly sweeping. At one point she called some Trump voters “irredeemable”, which was inexcusable. She has further enraged conservatives: some Trump-backers struck defiant poses in hastily printed “Deplorables” T-shirts. But here is another truth, born of today’s deep partisan divisions. Most Trump-backers were lost to Mrs Clinton long ago. If she is lucky, her words will help her, by firing up apathetic Democrats and by depressing the Trump vote among squeamish Republicans—among them moderate professionals and suburban women who do not want to back a bigot.

If the question from enraged Trump voters is: “Who are you calling racists?”, Mrs Clinton may yet feel safe staring them down. The rest of the political establishment is more or less comfortable weighing that question, too: rival politicians, journalists and the fact-checkers employed by news outlets are all accustomed to assessing claims that a given policy will have an outsize impact on a particular race, ethnicity or religious group. Instead, it is another question from Trump-backers that makes political professionals squirm with discomfort, including many reporters and pundits. That question is: “Are you calling us stupid?” Social class makes that discomfort still sharper, as polls and campaign-trail interviews reveal how much of Mr Trump’s support comes from blue-collar whites who hail him not just a candidate, but a champion who sees the world as they do and speaks for them, only with the authority of a fabulously successful businessman.

Fact-checking a peddler of dreams

In short, Mr Trump has brilliantly manoeuvred himself into a place in which fact-checking him sounds like snobbery. As his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, has bragged: “He’s built a movement and people are proud to be a part of it. When you insult him, you insult them.” That makes the presidential debates, set to start on September 26th, more important than ever: they are Mrs Clinton’s best chance to challenge Mr Trump’s nonsense directly, without seeming to scold his fans. The Republican is already trying to intimidate the moderators, growling that debates will be “rigged”. Good. That means he knows what is at stake.

I wouldn't bother with being worried with insulting Trump voters, they pretty much deserve the insults.

edited 16th Sep '16 3:21:12 PM by AngelusNox

Inter arma enim silent leges

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