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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
The Trump transition team's day, in recap
◊.
Like, the Black Comedy potential of our present situation as a dramatized TV show is absolutely hilarious. The US elects a complete boor and blowhard former tv personality as president, who has no idea how to run the country and didn't even really want to win, because he unknowingly tapped into America's complete apathy, ignorance, and vapid celebrity culture.
The first thing that happens is he gets utterly humiliated when the lame duck president, who's far more qualified for the job than he will ever be, tries to show him the ropes, making him realize how unfit he actually is.
His cabinet and transition team is filled with cannibals, some of which are incompetent, some of which are competent but have horrible and immoral agendas. He's so petty and impulsive that he repeatedly vexes their attempts to run the country due to his own unpredictable whims and ego. They manage to achieve absolutely nothing of any substance during the entire presidency, leading America to essentially be stuck in limbo for 4 years.
I could not make this shit up if I tried.
edited 15th Nov '16 8:56:25 PM by Draghinazzo
I was going to plan to write some kind of tragedy story about the Trump campaign, until he lost, and now I'm hoping that I don't have to write a tragedy about the Trump administration (though if I'm alive to write it I guess that things can't have gotten that bad, so maybe it's good if I can write it? Provided he loses the next election)
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." -Thomas EdisonTrump is Joffrey Baratheon.
Hillary is Stannis Baratheon.
Chris Christie is Reek.
Whoever ends up as Trump's # 2 man is going to be Tywin Lannister. Maybe Jared Kushner or Bannon or Mike Pence.
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I'm not sure he won't be reelected. Let's suppose he does as several past Republican administrations have done, and decided the deficit doesn't matter if a democrat lead administration is the one cleaning up the mess, but instead of slashing taxes for the rich and going to war, they slash taxes for the rich and spend bigly on infrastructure and moderately on military spending. That gives the appearance of a good economy, even if a massive bubble is forming.
Let's also suppose that the Russian thaw people are speculating about goes well and Russia remains quiet for the next few years, if only because their economy desperately needs time to recover before they start trouble again. That gives the appearance of a major foreign policy victory, even if it's unlikely to last. That gives the appearance of a major foreign policy victory.
Much like Hugo Chavez, a Trump administration could bring a few years of calm that will inevitably implode spectacularly a decade down the line after dear Donald has left power.
edited 15th Nov '16 9:03:10 PM by CaptainCapsase
So, I caught up with the thread... And I'm even more convinced that 2016 is not actually happening. Like, this has to be some kind of cosmic joke, right? Anyway, I really hope a significant number of voters are following this whole mess.
This is going to get long and disconnected, but this is just as much me trying to work things out in my head as it is me trying to communicate:
About climate change; Look, if we do end up "doomed" it certainly will not solely be the fault of 60 million people. We as a species made billions of little decisions that lead us to this point (including the simple act of me sitting here typing this). Hell, there are some who say it was too late even 20 years ago. Humans actively chose to exploit our environment for personal gain, and it hurts us. Culturally, it feels as if we all value temporary comfort over the safety of the future. Quite likely, we just weren't evolved for it.
The (probable?) death of the Paris Agreement is a massive setback though, obviously. Still, it certainly wouldn't be the first environmental agreement I've seen fail to effect much real change. But change is coming whether the Republicans or the millions of people mostly apathetic to the reality of climate change like it or not.
And about apathy; as I understand it, the American public was much more receptive to the idea of global warming a decade or so ago. Until a very effective smear campaign by industrialists like the Koch Brothers managed to convince wide swaths of people that anthropogenic climate change was not real. Which is presumably why I can't hear an online argument on the subject without someone whining "but they thought global cooling was real!" or "environmental change is just natural, it's all just a natural cycle!" or the painfully obtuse "scientists are just doing this to make themselves rich," as if the oil industry has no financial investment whatsoever?
But humans are also really goddamn stubborn. I wouldn't count us out just yet. We certainly can't go back to a world of untouched natural landscapes, but we have options. Science "got us into this mess," but it's our best shot at trying to mitigate the damage.
The climate has undergone massive changes before, life will still find a way, even if we're not there to see it (presumably as long as we can properly secure our nuclear waste for the millions of years required for it to decay - which, for the record is probably part of the reason people are opposed to nuclear energy, although so far it has killed much fewer people than coal production has). And if not, well, everything ends sometime.
I probably sound like a huge downer here, but I'm actually weirdly optimistic? Like it may end up being entirely hopeless, but hey, we've got to try, right?
On that issue I'm really not sure, but Trump made a point of tearing up the Iran deal, and Tehran says they'll rush towards a nuke (or at least full breakout capability) if the deal (which they've given plenty of concessions for and honored so far) falls through because one party in one stakeholder nation doesn't look at issues rationally. If Iran goes for the bomb, the US and Israel will feel pressured to strike (and the failure of the deal/rise of new sanctions will empower the Iranian hardliners), which will only escalate things further and drive Tehran into making their own bomb will more urgency.
Now Trump can flipflop on this issue like any other thing, but his party is hellbent on destroying the deal so they can have a casus belli to attack Iran in the name Israel/freedom/whatever demented foreign policy framework they are following now that the neocons are done.
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.Trump isn't in charge of foreign policy, also the Republicans will never sign of on infestructure spending anyway, it's gonna be tax cuts, more tax cuts and maybe a war.
Likewise I don't see the Russian thaw you're expecting, Putin has no reason to not press the advantage he just gained, why waste his best chance to assert Russia globally? He'd be gambling his chance to advance his agenda decades just to maybe get Trump re-elected. .
“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran@Rationalinsanity
Oh yeah, I bet that Doomsday Clock is about to start ticking reeeeeeal close to midnight. Note: experts have started meeting to discuss, results expected early next year.
edited 15th Nov '16 9:28:44 PM by Pseudopartition
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I'm not quite so sure Putin isn't serious at least in the short term, if only because Russia's economy is in pretty dire straits, and even under President Trump, sanctions will come back if Russia starts acting aggressively again. Which means things might very well be quiet for a few years in Eastern Europe.
edited 15th Nov '16 9:22:50 PM by CaptainCapsase
Putin might be willing to make a gambit, he has no idea how long Trump will last, or how long Trump will (if he ever does) be the one calling the shots. All it takes is another Republican with a more hostile view of Russia in charge on this file and Putin's options narrow dramatically.
If Putin wants to seriously undermine the American lead order in the West, he has to act quickly. Fortune favors the bold....
edited 15th Nov '16 9:29:14 PM by Rationalinsanity
Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
They let the faceless supporters at the rallies say it for them. Not Making Up This Disclaimer.
Donald Trump transition team in disarray after key adviser 'purged'
Winter is coming . . .

If I were a House of Cards producer I'd pretty much cancel the show, to be honest.
No plot they come up with could come close to the fuckery of this election
New Survey coming this weekend!