….the midterms. The midterms were not SO bad but so clearly NOT good that it is a form of bad simply because it was so bereft of good. Let me explain….
Trump is bad. Trump sucks. The GOP toadies are bad. The GOP toadies suck. Any 3-digit IQ knows that – even the embarrassed GOP! And that blanket condemnation could be applied to all the rabble deplorables as well but I tend to forgive the blind, the halt and the lame…and the massively ignorant, addicted and fearful as well. THEY are conned victims even if they don’t know it.
But here’s the really bad part: November 6th could have been a ‘correction’. It could have been an ‘oops’. It could have been a ‘sorry‘. It wasn’t. Trump is horrible and that is totally evident but the masses could have ‘sent a message’. But they didn’t. As Sarah Sanders said, ‘it may be some ripples but it is not a wave’. She’s right.
Americans stood up and got counted as bigots, fools and fear-mongerers. Americans stood up and got counted as idiots. They turned out in the millions to support a bully-cum-tyrant who lies, cheats, steals and intimidates his neighbours. Americans stood up and applauded all that.
It is hard to believe but the evidence is there. Those slimy sycophantic, power-tripping crooks, McConnell, Ted Cruz and Orin Hatch, along with Pence, the ultimate toady-in-waiting, are NOT alone. There are millions of them! November 2016 was NOT an aberration. Trump was NOT a fluke. It was NOT an accident. Trump IS AMERICA!
Well, he speaks for half of it, anyway. The other half are as shocked as I am.
And therein lies the genesis of the two bigger threats. Civil war and international war.
Let’s face it, Trump (and friends) can make life hell for a lot of people and he has done it every which way but one. War. Now that the House of Representatives can partially hold him in check, he has only one viable place to go. It’s the same place dozens of presidents before him have gone for little reason. Trump makes up an enemy and then fights a war. It doesn’t matter who the ‘enemy’ is. Not really. War on Iraq. War on Drugs. War on Terrorism. War on WMD. Waddya got? Grenada? Let’s hit Grenada again! The economy surges, Congress unites behind the flag and a few million pigmented people die by drone strike. And the idiots continue to march with guns, MAGA hats and wave the flag.
The original All American recipe.
If it ain’t broke……
But something else might be at play here. It could be Russia. Probably not. But maybe. Could be the elite 1%. Could be simply built-in-the-genes programming. But wouldn’t an American Civil War be good for Russia? Good for Iran, maybe? DEFINITELY good for business. The elite, the corporations and the GOP could make more profit, consolidate more power. They would be GREAT AGAIN!
Hell, maybe an American Civil War would be good for the whole world! Why not? Let ’em blow each other up for awhile.
Look, I have lots of US friends and I care for them deeply but let’s be honest: the Civil War was never over. They kept it going. The North and the South have had an acrimonious relationship ever since Lincoln freed the slaves. The American marriage isn’t working. The US is like a very dysfunctional family that only gets it together when fighting someone else. Hell, they mock-battle every weekend with the NFL and every other kind of violent sport. ‘Mericans like to fight. They think it makes ’em stronger.
Fighting gives them meaning. Something to live for. Purpose. They believe in competition, they believe in fighting. They believe in winning. They love the game, the stage, the competition, the spectacle and the celebrity. They love the cheats. They love the heroes. They love the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. They watch pro-wrestling. They love the smell of napalm in the morning. Most of all, they like to see the other guy fall. If you have any doubt about those preceding sentences, you have not watched even a dozen ‘Merican movies.
And that, my dear friend, might just be a blockbuster action-thriller coming to a theater near you.
“Do you really think so?”
I dunno. What do I know? I guess I know a bit about history. I guess I know a bit about war and economy. I guess I know a bit about American culture and I guess I know what they value and worship…..and NOW I KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM THERE ARE LIKE THAT……..
So, yeah… it is a definite possibility and an OBVIOUS choice for a little man like Trump.
Our Off the Grid Home 
I am sorely afraid. – Margy
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Fear has entered the realm of a reasoned response. This is an ignorant man who does not learn, does not work and has taken to electioneering full-time. President Trump just campaigns! And his campaign is hateful and threatening. Does anyone think our position in Canada (with no wall, no defenses, no closets full of guns) is going to fare much better?
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I was shocked by the violence I saw directed at protesters when I watched the Vietnam documentary.
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There is a natural level of violence in all humans and men have more due to testosterone and a sub culture of violent sports and outlets. We’re basically just moose. We have antlers for no real reason. But we need to bash stuff. Thankfully, most societies exert a controlling influence over that and it can be a strong one. Chinese cultivate harmony. Germans and Japanese do social order. Canadians, apparently, tolerance, diversity and obesity. But Americans promote violence. They have institutionalized it, centre-staged it, are entertained by it. Violence in America is a common and everyday occurrence. There are industries built around it. Today, some Californian shot and killed 12 people. Tomorrow another mass shooting.
If Trump told the deplorables to kill Canadians, they would do it. In a heartbeat.
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That must create a very fearful, anxious society. And engender bullies.
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The churlish and petulant boor was on full display today at a press conference. Full of sound and fury incoherently claiming that the loss of the House of Representatives was part of great victory. Trump was visibly angry was he spared with the press, his face flushed with anger. He lashed out at every challenge. Trump is wounded and dangerous.
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I work with an American who commutes home on the weekends.
He smart, articulate and a very good worker.
He was voting for Trump.
I was surprised at his announcement and without showing my dismay I asked why.
“Employment, job, the economy Everything is booming and we need to recoup after the 2008/09 meltdown”
I didnt bother explaning that the 08 banking/economy meltdown was brought about by the deregulation of the bank rules during the Bush Presidency. or that Obamas steady hand at the wheel helped immeasurably.
Whats the point.
The Republicans have “spun” this success story to their benefit.
And as the Democrats still dilly dally to choose a leader for the next Presidential election in 2020….. Trump is already amassing a huge re election war chest.
This midterm election was the most expensive in history…. 5.5 billion dollars spent
Lobbying and the massive amounts of money and favours it buys……..
Its the scourge of democracy.
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Guy votes for Trump because of jobs….? Brilliant! And he works with you everyday in North Vancouver? Like, duh…..
Doesn’t matter that he works for an American company, what the hell does he think he’s doing to Canadian workers….? And the stupidity just keeps marching on and on.
I have ‘Merican friends who vote Trump (not many) and they too, are simple minded good ol’ boys who drank the Kool Aid and haven’t had a real thought in their heads since grade school. Friendly, pleasant, generous….IF you are married, white and have a crew cut. Got pigment? The jury is out on pigmented folks for a lot longer.
“Hey, Bubba, you racist?” “Nope! Jus’ bein’ more careful, ya know? I got a permit to carry for a reason bro.”
Dysfunction starts with an O and a C. “O, say can you see, by the dawns early light……”
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I remember talking to University students in the early 1980’s when I was in the States. I asked them “HOW could you vote for Regan?”
“Jobs and taxes. We dont care about his foreign policies….”
When It comes right down to it.
Jobs and less taxes pretty much sums up what most people want.
Trump’s just the latest boorish version.
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Agree 100%
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On the other hand, the way the electoral boundaries are drawn seemed to have had quite a significant affect on the election results…
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If you think about that it only makes it worse . The GOP gerrymandered and the courts corrected that Machievellian act. And despite the more fair redefining of districts, the middle and left only gained a few extra House reps. In other words: even in a fair fight, there are a helluva lot of right-wingers.. More than I imagined.
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More attacks upon the media today by Trump calling a reporter, “Stupid!”
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