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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
#154101: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:03:37 PM

Doesn't matter how you put it but I can't see the US losing influence to Russia and China as something good.

For all the shit the US does those two manage to be worse. Maybe the EU should take the lead but that isn't happening.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:04:03 PM by AngelusNox

Inter arma enim silent leges
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#154102: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:05:04 PM

Remember, the UK was once the most powerful country of the world....nowadays it is even questionable if it will be the UK for much longer.

[up] Worldwide most likely not, if for no other reason than most of the EU states have little interest in interfering in other countries unless they feel they absolutely have to. At least not in short time...but let's assume that the EU survives the current trouble and continues to prosper. Than I am ready to bet that nearly every state in Europe is part of it in 30 years, and after that it is only a matter of time until it expands even further, starting with Africa.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:08:04 PM by Swanpride

Bat178 Since: May, 2011
#154103: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:06:12 PM

[up][up] It's possible they could change. Remember, the US also did really horrible stuff before they became a Superpower.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#154104: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:09:02 PM

The U.S. is a democracy. By design, it is less resistant to change than a dictatorship.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Pseudopartition Screaming Into The Void from The Cretaeceous Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
Screaming Into The Void
#154105: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:10:19 PM

Nice avatar. [awesome]

Fingers crossed for Canada picking up the slack.
Unlikely, as we have like a 10th of the population.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#154106: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:14:37 PM

Trump indicates he would like to keep the "no denying preexisting conditions" and "children get to be on their parents' insurance" parts of Obamacare. Man I don't even know what to think anymore. Dude is a literal wildcard at this point.

@Angelus Nox

Let's hope India can pick up some of the geopolitical slack.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:15:10 PM by AlleyOop

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
#154107: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:14:55 PM

Russia is a dictatorship in all but name and China is in the hands of the PRC chairman and is also a dictatorship in all but name.

They aren't going to change soon and not for better, specially China which isn't above killing thousands of their own groups to fuel organ trading markets.

Inter arma enim silent leges
carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#154108: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:19:03 PM

[up][up]I guess we'll see when it happens. He said on his website he'd do away with the preexisting condition clause and replace it with an insanely expensive high risk pool policy literally just the other day.

Beatman1 Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Gone fishin'
#154109: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:19:41 PM

[up][up][up] Those are very popular with the general population. The excess costs some families face, not so much.

You'd swear given the results (damn near 50/50 in the popular vote) and the rhetoric we are literally one spark away from starting another civil war.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:20:03 PM by Beatman1

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#154110: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:21:24 PM

@Swan: The EU is more or less untenable from a geopolitical perspective; far too many member states have conflicting interests for it to be held together voluntarily over the long term. There's a reason in thousands of years of European history, the bulk of the continent has only been united for a long period of time Once, and those reasons are starting to rear their ugly heads again after a few decades of peace.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:23:16 PM by CaptainCapsase

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#154111: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:25:50 PM

[up] Considering that the EU was never supposed to work, I wouldn't bet on it. Nothing keeps partner closer together than success...and the EU has become so interwoven economically, the member states have to find some sort of agreement.

The EU doesn't have much hard power (mostly because it doesn't want to), but I wouldn't underestimate the soft power. I wouldn't be surprise that between all the posturing the alliance of states which mostly looks at the long term gain and consequences will emerge as the strongest in the very end (the very end being in around 100 years).

IFwanderer use political terms to describe, not insult from Earth Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
use political terms to describe, not insult
#154112: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:26:31 PM

3. Finally, this one might be a bit radical, but I suggest that we need to write an open letter to the U.S. Military to prevent Trump from assuming the office of the presidency.

No. NO. NO!!! The rest is fine. But military intervention with a democratic (or an electoral college) result is the one and only thing worse for the stability of a republic's democratic institutions than a demagogue like Trump. I say this from the history of my country, where the army deposed the demagogue Juan D. Perón in 1955. And then they took a liking to removing presidents whenever their policies weren't to the liking of the military high command.

1 2 We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be. -KV
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#154113: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:28:34 PM

Is Trump going to be as inconsistent DURING his presidency as he was during his campaign? It seems like he says whatever he thinks different people will like at the time.

If I might ask an uninformed question, what does the GOP get out of repealing Obamacare anyways other than giving him and the Dems the middle finger?

[up] Seconding this. You guys do not want the military to have to intervene. It could spell DISASTROUS consequences.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:30:05 PM by Draghinazzo

Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#154114: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:29:59 PM

Bad enough that the FBI interfered with the election, the last thing needed is the military interfering, too....

Though it would be helpful if it somehow forgets to give Trump access to the big red button.

unnoun Since: Jan, 2012
#154115: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:30:10 PM

Not gonna lie, really hoping for Keith Ellison for DNC chair.

I mean, seriously. If there's somebody who knows how to turn red states blue.

Shippudentimes Since: Dec, 2012
#154116: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:30:22 PM

Read in yesterday's NY Times that after an initial massive dip due to Tuesday's election fears, they've seem to have balanced out to a somewhat comfortable rate.

That's something, I guess...

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#154117: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:30:43 PM

I don't think the people in his cabinet trust Trump with the nuclear codes, myself.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#154118: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:35:03 PM

Keith Ellison is intelligent and has a decent track record but other than that what exactly does he have to offer other than ticking off demographic boxes? I'm not sure if the strategy that got him elected to Minnesota can be repeated on a national scale, but for now I think Dean's approach is a lot more pragmatic.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:35:36 PM by AlleyOop

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#154119: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:36:51 PM

Is Trump going to be as inconsistent DURING his presidency as he was during his campaign? It seems like he says whatever he thinks different people will like at the time.

Yes. Because he has no f*cking idea what he's doing and probably didn't want the position anyway. He's sorely unqualified for the role of President and he knows it. It's why he promised so much power to Mike Pence. Look at the photos of him touring the White House. He is terrified of what the next four years are going to bring.

In the linked article, his opinion on Obamacare changed because of an afternoon's conversation with President Obama. That's all it took, because Trump doesn't know the Oval Office from his ass but Obama does. This might not be the last time Trump courts Obama's advice and changes his position based on what he hears.

As much as the GOP would cringe to hear it, Obama is the President that Trump wants to tell himself he could be.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:38:28 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
FergardStratoavis A Fluff Ringer from Bellveins (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
A Fluff Ringer
#154120: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:38:07 PM

So from what I understand, Electors still need to "appoint" Trump as a definite Obama's replacement.

But I've also been told that they don't have to and they could very well appoint someone else (like Clinton). Is there any reason why they would do that? If so, what kind of results can be expected?

[up] I mean, Trump getting Obama's advice is probably a good thing for you guys, right?

edited 11th Nov '16 2:39:01 PM by FergardStratoavis

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
#154121: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:39:41 PM

The rest of November will set the tone for the next 4 years.

I am sure as Trump gets more acquainted with the US political system the more of his rhetoric and promises will change to fit in. Trump said he'd drain the swamp and I think he will be swallowed by it.

Inter arma enim silent leges
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#154122: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:39:48 PM

So many electors would have to defect at this point that it's about as likely as a rat fart burning down the American Midwest.

But it would be an amazing Hail Mary. Imagine it: getting Clinton into office and a smoking gun for Congress to wipe out the Electoral College all in one go.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#154123: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:40:41 PM

If Obama can rein him in any yes that's probably good for the US.

Doesn't stop all the shit that's going to pass with the GOP controlling all the other branches of government though.

AlleyOop Since: Oct, 2010
#154124: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:46:48 PM

I will laugh my ass off if Obama wins the Trump tug of war with Pence.

[up][up] The risk is it would potentially be a Pyrrhic victory that would taint and delegitimize the Democratic Party for all eternity. Persistent rumors that they were bribed by the Democrats, that it disregards the will of the people (Clinton only won the popular vote by 0.2%), etc.

edited 11th Nov '16 2:48:18 PM by AlleyOop

CosmicButtMonkey Probably has undiagnosed mild autism from An eternal abyss of apathy Since: Nov, 2016 Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Probably has undiagnosed mild autism
#154125: Nov 11th 2016 at 2:46:51 PM

Yeah sorry bout that I am just really scared of what the GOP and trump are capable of. What I'm most concerned about is the herd-of-cats syndrome the left has here in its inability to organize that's why there needs to be a plan put in place asap for an effective opposition. I really don't believe that the democrats are going to be able to be effective going forward without massive intervention from its base.


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