USA Election Day 2016

[squ1d]

I really really really hope you guys elect Hillary Clinton.

Watching the coverage, it again strikes me how manifestly undemocratic the electoral college system is.

[geonuc]

Yeah, I don't like the system either.

[SciFiFisher]

I really really really hope you guys elect Hillary Clinton.

Watching the coverage, it again strikes me how manifestly undemocratic the electoral college system is.

Apparently it was a compromise put in the constitution. One group wanted Congress to elect the president and the other wanted it to be by popular vote. The good news is that the current process of selecting electors is heavily weighted towards selecting the candidate who won the popular vote.

Another theory I have heard is that the electors are a check on the possibility of a dictator, demagogue, or a particularly unqualified candidate (cough cough Trump) winning the popular vote. In theory they could elect the candidate who came in second.

[geonuc]

Wife and I are going to a Democratic institution in Atlanta tonight - Manuel's Tavern. All the liberal, tree-hugging, dirt-worshipping, socialist pinko commies will be there.

[Rommie]

WTF

[squ1d]

Starting to look like I was right

[Sigma_Orionis]

Unfortunately yes

[grapes]

Another theory I have heard is that the electors are a check on the possibility of a dictator, demagogue, or a particularly unqualified candidate (cough cough Trump) winning the popular vote. In theory they could elect the candidate who came in second.

So, Bernie still has a chance? And there's always Michelle...

[Rommie]

What a shitty day. I've realized my disappointment politically is split on two lines-

- We will now likely lose the last window of opportunity to do something about climate change and the irreparable damage it will do to the planet.

- I personally won't be affected as much- I am a straight white woman independent enough socioeconomically to switch countries if I want fairly simply. I do feel so awful for those who are not as lucky as me, like a poor woman who needs an abortion or will now suffer racism as those people are emboldened (likely to happen if Brexit is any example) or a myriad of others in that class. It breaks my heart to see my friends who happen to be gay now worried about whether they will be forced to divorce, and the lesson now given to children that it's ok to be a bully.

On a personal level, I am disappointed in my family members celebrating this. I kind of lost it against my mom on our family text group when she was celebrating to say no, I was raised to have integrity and value kindness so cannot be excited about such a reprehensible man representing me, and Trump as a person is not any better just because they hate the Clintons. My father's reaction went from at first just saying "Trump will protect freedoms better by cutting down the entitlement state" to "just see how we are in two years" when my sister and I pointed out all the things he will do to curtail freedoms. And my brother, when I pointed out how fucked up it is to now worry a little for my sister physically whose job takes her to the White House, said "but Bill Clinton assaulted women" as if (once again) that made Trump's behavior ok, and as if we can't expect human decency to progress in 20 years.

Ugh.

[Swift]

- We will now likely lose the last window of opportunity to do something about climate change and the irreparable damage it will do to the planet.

Yep

Good bye polar bears, good bye corral reefs

Good bye Supreme Court, and with that, good bye abortion rights, good bye marriage equality

Good bye Muslim-Americans

Good bye libel law protection for journalist and with that, good bye freedom of the press

[Rommie]

I have a friend who is a gay marriage advocate who is a little concerned right now that there is essentially a federal database of gay people in the USA, as so many have taken part in their right to get married in recent years.

I also swear, this makes me want to travel even more when I finish my PhD. Not because "eww, Trump!" but the climate change reasons. It almost feels selfish to say, but I want to see things like the coral reefs and the polar bears and a lot of glaciers before I never will, and it's getting more and more clear not all these things can wait for my retirement when one traditionally does those things.

[Swift]

I have a friend who is a gay marriage advocate who is a little concerned right now that there is essentially a federal database of gay people in the USA, as so many have taken part in their right to get married in recent years.

I don't think your friend need worry about getting rounded up. But I fully expect that once Trump's Supreme Court appointment is in place, that there will be some sort of challenge to marriage equality, and that the Court will overturn this. At best, they will make it up to the individual States; at worst they will enforce some sort of Federal "Defense of Marriage" act.

I expect similar things to happen on abortion.

[Thumper]

I'm trying to figure out how to explain this/apologize to my daughter.

[Swift]

I've been thinking about the Russians this morning. Reportedly, the Kremlin is very happy with the results.

I suspect that Russia's involvement with this election (and yes, I do think they tried to influence things), was much more than Putin likes Trump, that Trump is beholden to various Russian factors, they think Clinton would have opposed them more strongly in Eastern Europe, and that Trump will weaken NATO.

I think it also was about the economy.

The Russian economy is in the toilet, because it is so strongly tied to oil and gas. But look this morning: stock markets everywhere, except Russia, are tanking, and oil prices are up.

[Rommie]

To be fair, the rounded up bit was likely slightly hyperbole. But I think it's also a legit fear tied to the fact that bigots will now feel very emboldened in the coming months and years.

I don't think America as a country needs to be freaked out about Russia, but if I was a Latvian I sure would be.

[Thumper]

I think I may have officially given up. I'm not really kidding. Maybe I'll feel different in the coming weeks. But I'm seriously like, "What the he|| is the point?" right now.

I usually find it rather sad when I note someone giving up on something.

[geonuc]

I've about given up. This country is circling the drain.

Once again, the popular vote went to the loser of the electoral college.

[pumpkinpi]

I did not stay up last night to watch the results.

I literally woke up three times from nightmares that Trump won, and each time I was relieved that maybe it wasn't true.

Maybe this is still the fourth nightmare?

The last time I've felt this much despair (for non-personal reasons) was September 12, 2001. I went into work thinking, there is no way I can say "Good Morning" because it isn't one, and it won't be for a long time.

I can't really compare this event to that, but I will say it's different in that we did this to ourselves. Republicans played on their base's hatred and racism, and democrats dug a huge hole early on by choosing to nominate someone that so many liberals hate so much that they wouldn't vote for her.

[Rommie]

After talking to several old white dudes today reassuring me it'll be ok, I really fucking wish they were required to do that to the face of a kid coming out trans, or a Latina in Texas who just found herself pregnant. (Obviously not including present company in this.)

It's also a strange example of the definition of privilege that so many of my friends on FB are now discussing moving to other countries etc. Like I get it, I'm part of this class too and know where the feeling is coming from, but I'm thinking a lot more about Syrian refugees who have nowhere to go today, and (in the case of many of my friends) academics in Turkey who are no longer permitted to travel abroad without permission of their government. Not in the sense of I think these things are seriously going to happen in the USA or anything, just thinking.

[Swift]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY

[pumpkinpi]

When I told Rose the results, she cried. "I wanted Hillary to win. I didn't want Trump to win." She doesn't quite understand it, she just had been proud to go with me to vote for Hillary. So it was more of a "I didn't get what I want" cry, but I was sad for her just the same. In fact, I cried before I woke her up, because I had been so proud in anticipation to tell her Hillary won.

Buster's response was incredulous. I will never forget the look on his face when I told him Trump won. He said, "Mom, that's not true." I told him it is, and he still didn't believe me. It was like he couldn't imagine I would ever play such a sick joke on him. Even though he's only 7--he gets it. We've talked about this election a lot. We told him that because he won means that other people support him--some of our friends and family voted for him, some of his friends' parents voted for him, and that doesn't necessarily make them bad people. So the most important thing to do now is to be kind, and rise above anyone who uses this as an opportunity to bully or make fun of people. And it will happen--it already has at his school. He came home yesterday saying some friends told him that Hillary is going to ban sports. Huh? Where did that come from?

I did get a flash of peace last night when I was holding Rooster after her bath. I knew that no matter what happened last night, when we woke up this morning she would still be my daughter. We would still be a family. No one can take that away from us.

But it sickens me to think that because this man will be our president--not every family will have that security.

There are so many things to worry about. For example, one of my colleagues posted, "I work with environmental scientists and I am fucking terrified." We all could make a list a mile long of the bad things that will come from this presidency. What I told Buster, and what I am trying to think myself, is that come January we just have to hope that he makes good choices. But really, WHAT THE FUCK GOOD CAN COME OF THIS??? I cannot think of one good thing he could do.

[pumpkinpi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY

What is it? My browser can't play it because it's in restricted mode.

[Swift]

After talking to several old white dudes today reassuring me it'll be ok

I guess I'm just another old white dude, but it will be OK. But it won't be OK any time soon; maybe not in my lifetime. Probably in your lifetime; certainly in PP's kids' lifetime.

It is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. And it will get worse in ways that I think most people are not expecting.

I don't really expect WWIII, in fact I suspect we will get along great with the Russians. But it is going to be bad for the economy. It is going to be bad if you are a Syrian refugee. Its going to be bad if your health care was part of the ACA. Its going to be bad if you are in the lower middle class (did you really think Trump was going to help you?). It is going to be bad for the environment, and for a very long time to come (the NPS and a lot of other worthy agencies are going to pay for all those tax breaks for Trump's rich friends).

[Swift]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY

What is it? My browser can't play it because it's in restricted mode.

REM - It's the end of the world as we know it....

[Rommie]

I had a friend post this on FB and I've been thinking about it, so reposting it here (friend is a gay Brit living in the USA):

As in Britain earlier this year, we learn an uncomfortable truth today: that there are plenty of people outside our privileged enclave for whom the system *isn't* working. Indeed, it is working so poorly for them that they're prepared to vote for *anything but* the status quo, no matter what that may mean. This is a genuine crisis for western democracy, and it tells us that, truly, inequality is the key issue of our time, and, alas, one that the new government will surely only make worse. It is a time to be vigilant, friends, for let us not forget that the Weimar Republic was the most progressive society in the world at the time of its fall. Let us not surrender progress without a fight.

Something I'll be thinking about.