2016 Election Thread

[USAFChief]

Ohio and Florida have already flipped.  That's nearly a 50 vote swing.

 

I think, too often, those without experience in that large swath of America that like Trump underestimate how much of the country disagrees with their thinking.  Clearly that's been the case this entire election and, even if he loses, the results demonstrate the truth of that discord.

I'd say its more underestimating how strongly and deeply many dislike and distrust Hillary Clinton.

[TheLeviathan]

 

I'd say its more underestimating how strongly and deeply many dislike and distrust Hillary Clinton.

 

There's that too, but I wouldn't underestimate the other part of that.  There is so much disdain for a lot of left-wing ideas  and the way the systems seem rigged against non-urbanites that I lean towards that being a lot of the fuel for tonight. 

 

Some of that Hillary hate is wrapped in that disdain.  She's sort of the poster child (not fairly) for that system.

[nicksaviking]

I'd say its more underestimating how strongly and deeply many dislike and distrust Hillary Clinton.

Trump and/or the RNC's biggest win was convincing people to get upset about the "establishment". People always hate politicians, but only now after 240 years of the same thing it needed to change? Well done.

[BeenHazy]

 

There's that too, but I wouldn't underestimate the other part of that.  There is so much disdain for a lot of left-wing ideas  and the way the systems seem rigged against non-urbanites that I lean towards that being a lot of the fuel for tonight. 

 

Some of that Hillary hate is wrapped in that disdain.  She's sort of the poster child (not fairly) for that system.

Yet if the Dems had nominated Sanders, we'd be electing a Socialist tonight.

[nicksaviking]

Clinton can make up 30K in Detroit still and get NH.

[TheLeviathan]

 

Yet if the Dems had nominated Sanders, we'd be electing a Socialist tonight.

 

Possibly.  The Dems may always look back at the decision to choose Hillary as their undoing.  I think that will be another big take away from this race - did the Dems misread the tea leaves on Bernie vs. Hillary?

[PseudoSABR]

 

Trump and/or the RNC's biggest win was convincing people to get upset about the "establishment". People always hate politicians, but only now after 240 years of the same thing it needed to change? Well done.

Sigh.  Imagine if Bernie was the candidate?

[stringer bell]

OK, why hasn't Florida been called? It was at 95% an hour ago and is at 96% now.

[TheLeviathan]

 

OK, why hasn't Florida been called? It was at 95% an hour ago and is at 96% now.

 

Stave off the inevitable rioting?

[TheLeviathan]

It's crazy to think that after months of talking about the Republican Party crumbling in the ashes of Trump....that it may in fact be the Dems doing that.

 

Holy crap.

[Squirrel]

 

Cheering for Iowa, Wisconsin and Detroit in a Minnesota sports thread.

Hope none of these middle class angry white men voting Trump were depending on their 401Ks for retirement.

I should've moved around my 403b percentages all out of stocks

 

[Squirrel]

 

Yet if the Dems had nominated Sanders, we'd be electing a Socialist tonight.

Or not. I honestly don't believe Bernie would have won regardless.

[nicksaviking]

Possibly.  The Dems may always look back at the decision to choose Hillary as their undoing.  I think that will be another big take away from this race - did the Dems misread the tea leaves on Bernie vs. Hillary?

I misread them. Maybe Sanders would have done just fine. I thought all Trump would have to do is call him a pinko red commie one time and it would have been over. I have no clue what other people actually care about now.

[TheLeviathan]

 

I misread them. Maybe Sanders would have done just fine. I thought all Trump would have to do is call him a pinko red commie one time and it would have been over. I have no clue what other people actually care about now.

 

I think the edge Bernie would've had is that you can't call him "establishment".  That may have been enough, but the problem for Bernie was always the fact that he couldn't turn out the non-white vote.

 

Though, in his defense, it looks like Hillary may have had trouble with that too.

[Squirrel]

 

I misread them. Maybe Sanders would have done just fine. I thought all Trump would have to do is call him a pinko red commie one time and it would have been over. I have no clue what other people actually care about now.

Yeah ... I mean we can 2nd guess all we want ... there is no way of knowing ... when we get this result ... yeah ... no clue ... 

[Vanimal46]

Trump wins Florida. Jesus.

[BeenHazy]

 

Possibly.  The Dems may always look back at the decision to choose Hillary as their undoing.  I think that will be another big take away from this race - did the Dems misread the tea leaves on Bernie vs. Hillary?

I don't think it was so much Bernie vs Hillary as it was that any other Dem would have beaten Trump. Clinton was the one candidate who Trump could entrap in his fetid cesspool of a campaign.  Any other candidate would have garnered more sympathy when treated that way, and also articulated a more believable message of optimism.  

 

 

[ashbury]

I'd say its more underestimating how strongly and deeply many dislike and distrust Hillary Clinton.

How about a synthesis of the two factors? Her wisecrack to donors about "basket of deplorables" may be what ultimately did her in, because she didn't take Bobby Kennedy's dictum to heart that you should “hang a lantern on your problem.” Everyone mis-speaks during a campaign at some point - she should have clarified over and over and over for the rest of the campaign exactly what groups she meant when she said it. The Trump campaign succeeded in recasting the gaffe as "she means YOU." Her campiagn was so risk-averse that they didn't spot this meta-risk.

 

The perception of condescension that these hillbillies feel is pretty hard to dispel.

[Vanimal46]

Brian Williams and cast sounds annoyed/devastated revealing the calls on MSNBC...

[TheLeviathan]

 

How about a synthesis of the two factors? Her wisecrack to donors about "basket of deplorables" may be what ultimately did her in, because she didn't take Bobby Kennedy's dictum to heart that you should “hang a lantern on your problem.” Everyone mis-speaks during a campaign at some point - she should have clarified over and over and over for the rest of the campaign exactly what groups she meant when she said it. The Trump campaign succeeded in recasting the gaffe as "she means YOU." Her campiagn was so risk-averse that they didn't spot this meta-risk.

 

The perception of condescension that these hillbillies feel is pretty hard to dispel.

 

Truth is a hard thing to dispel.  The left is going to have to figure out that while a lot of the resentment leveled at them is ridiculous, there are kernels of truth in it too.  Those kernels are central to what is happening tonight.

 

At least, that's the vibe I get from the areas I'm from in rural Minnesota.

[BeenHazy]

Wisconsin is going to be the tipping-point state.  For Trump.  Screw you, Wisconsin.  

[TheLeviathan]

If he closes out Michigan....Wisconsin may not matter.

[ashbury]

Brian Williams and cast sounds annoyed/devastated revealing the calls on MSNBC...

My favorite thing on nights the Dems are winning is to turn to Fox News and watch the bitter tears. Turnabout fair play here tonight.

[LaBombo]

It's utterly fascinating to me that in an election with what is probably the highest combined unfavorable rating between the two major candidates since the stat has been polled, no independent candidate has managed to even consistently affect the outcome state-by-state tonight, let alone mount a serious challenge nationally.

 

If memory serves it was maybe Chi who correctly noted that independent candidates want to play on the national stage without doing their homework first, by way of building an infrastructure and winning elections at the local and state level first.

 

If they get started with that to-do list now, maybe one of them will have a viable presidential candidate ready in the unlikely event that both parties drop the ball this hard again in my lifetime.

[BeenHazy]

What are the odds that Trump gets impeached by his own party in the next four years?

[Badsmerf]

This election is ****ing stressing me out. I could care less if trump wad the president if there wasn't a supreme court justice already on the line. Plus, Iowa voted in Steve king again. **** me Iowa.

[TheLeviathan]

 

If memory serves it was maybe Chi who correctly noted that independent candidates want to play on the national stage without doing their homework first, by way of building an infrastructure and winning elections at the local and state level first.

 

Again though, this is easier said than done.  Hell, a borderline third party candidate with a surging popularity base (Bernie) couldn't even get the Dems to give him a fair shot.  Imagine what it's like if you're outside the party if they'll do that to someone who plays by their own rules?

[nicksaviking]

I think a lot of these people view Trump as a third party candidate. Probably something we all will look back at and say , oh duh, maybe we should have seen this coming.

[Squirrel]

 

I think a lot of these people view Trump as a third party candidate. Probably something we all will look back at and say , oh duh, maybe we should have seen this coming.

Pretty much. So many frustrated people out there ... willing to just say '**** it, I'm done' and there it is ... we'll see how it goes. (And yes, I know that was rather simplistic, but that's all I've got tonight.)

[glunn]

I think that polls showed that Bernie had a better chance against Trump. There are a lot of people who are fed up with the establishment, and I think that Bernie would have done better with them.