US Presidential Election, Nov 5th 2024

[robbieh]

I live in that part of the world, the economy has slowed down but the infrastructure put in place is incredible.

Just look at the car industry, the cars they are putting out are simply mind blowing compared to even a couple of years ago, and the quality of them is improving enormously.

Don't dismiss the Chinese.

Mate I think there's an awful lot of empire thinking in our populace. And racism with a small r. It will take time for people to realize that the world has moved on. Whether we want to be part of that or not who knows. I'm guessing Badenoch won't but Starmer might.

 

[BTH]

So you don't like democracy!

I think you'll find the President elect doesn't care much for democracy, or have you forgotten what happened last time around?
The painted fool won't be blubbering about stolen elections, electoral fraud or outside interference this time around. That much I can guarantee.

 

[threespires]

I don’t think some here understand the meaning of this.

If a convicted felon, serial liar, enemy-cozier, possible pedophile, nearing dementia, fascist-rhetoric spewing, insurrection-encouraging, near if not actual fascist racist can win the POPULAR vote in what is a factually reasonable economy . . . what in the world is the hope for any election in the future?

It’s not just Trump. It’s what it says about the electorate here. Harris was right when she said “We are never going back” . . . we are never going back to a rational, reasoned electorate with a moral center.

Ever.

Not that there is a whole heap of value in introspection in the immediate aftermath but my sense is that in the late 70s much of the west made a series of choices when it came to decide the old post war consensus was no longer meeting it's needs. These choices may have been an overreaction to the energy crisises of the 70s and the associated geopolitical changes. Those choices allied to technological advancements prompted us to point our economies in a particular direction and have subsequently led to huge wealth inequalities/concentrations which in turn leads to the fracturing of societies. We have allowed plutocracy and to some extent kleptocracy to go unchallenged and that never leads to a good place. The irony is that in the last four years that rate of inequality was actually coming down slightly in the US but too little too late. It's not the absolute state of the economy that drives people to the populists it's their perception of their lot and chances which is why increasing inequalities are a nightmare and a gift to malevolent actors.

The consequences of those choices have now led us to this point and it's certainly not just a problem for America. What it will take for us to turn away from those choices we may be about to find out.

I refuse to give up hope that we can turn things around but that job looks harder today than it did yesterday. The only thing you can say now is that it couldn't be clearer what issues we face and only the super rich can insulate themselves, at least to some degree. The rest of us need to decide just whose side are we on, sadly it will take the world burning down around them for some to realise.

 

[MCFC1993]

Things are very polarised right now, but one election doesn't form a marker for future ones. Circumstances dictate what happens in elections. We had years of decline under the Tories who partied their way through a pandemic and lied about it. They were always going to take a battering in the last election. But the slate is then wiped clean and it's on Labour to justify their win. If they do then they might win the next one, if they don't then the Tories are back in the fight.

Similarly in the US, the economic situation was the driving force behind this win. But in 4 years there either he's delivered growth and therefore more people might actually be happy with things so it's less polarised, or things are completely fucked and so the Republicans are out on their arse.

There were lots of rational people in this country that could see the bullshit behind Brexit. And then there were those that couldn't and voted for it. It was, and still is a car crash. But plenty of those would vote differently now and not only that, went from supporting a movement from the right of the conservatives to voting for a left of centre MP in the general election. I believe the swing states will still see that shift in balance.

It's bonkers people have voted for Trump. But people will always look past the clear and obvious if someone is saying the right things and they want change. Again, not as extreme here, but Boris was always a bumbling idiot it's just some people found it endearing and liked his charisma before they realised it wasn't an act and he was just a fucking moron.

A lot of this is predicated on the system remaining the same in the next 4 years. As we saw with gerrymandering, it isn't always a fair fight.

He and his party said some pretty frightening things about democracy in the lead up to the election and now they have absolute power.

I dread to think some of the things they could vote through. A national abortion ban is coming in 21st century America, so they're fine stripping women's health rights. So we really don't know where the line is with regards to this government.

 

[mancity2012_eamo]

Assuming Trump now goes ahead with his promised deportation of unauthorised immigrants, then that will presumably need large use of the military, many of whom will have to be recalled from overseas missions.

Yeah, but who’s going to serve Amurkans their burgers? The army being brought in for that?

 

[Keeper!]

Mate I think there's an awful lot of empire thinking in our populace. And racism with a small r. It will take time for people to realize that the world has moved on. Whether we want to be part of that or not who knows. I'm guessing Badenoch won't but Starmer might.

Totally true,as soon as most of the people in the UK realise we are now a insignificant little island the better for everyone.

 

[TonyM]

Republicans are always bad news so let them do their worst.

Maybe they'll surprise us.

 

[Bazzmand Show]

So you don't like democracy!

Hardly democracy when a billionaire can purchase the worlds biggest social media platform to brainwash people for years.

 

[flook]

He will be assassinated in office, then he can do fuck all. My wife told me so, and I'm not betting against her again.

:)

I thought that last time, I'm still utterly gob-smacked that it didn't happen

 

[Keeper!]

There is no doubting that but you have to look to the future and consider debt, for example. Infrastructure does not earn anything if you can’t use it. There was an attempt recently to boost Bank borrowing but it is too early to gauge its effectiveness. The fact that all recent policy has been aimed at stimulating the economy is a clue as to its current resilience or rather lack of it. Companies are showing a marked reluctance to borrow.

We have sold out to the Chinese through utter and total greed, now it's payback time.

 

[moomba]

So you don't like democracy!

Not much at the moment.

 

[BlueHammer85]

One thing I will say about Trump was his campaign.

It was extortionary and for a man of his age, his stamina was incredible and his ability to judge and know his audience.

Dressing as a garbage collector was genius.

Not sure if serious - But either way it wouldn’t suprise me if so many Americans actually thought him posing in McDonald’s and driving a garbage truck was ‘genius’ and hilarious. Some seriously thick shits out there.

 

[jrb]

In some Democratic Party circles, the postmortem is already beginning despite a result not officially having been called yet.

One Democrat political operative in DC texts to say the party "needs to flush out elitist snobs in DC for a start".

Others have told me the same, albeit less bluntly - that while they praise the efforts of the campaign, they feel the party as a whole has an 'image problem' at a time when basic, everyday things like the cost of living are front of mind for most voters.

This Democrat despair brings to mind a conversation I had with a Republican at one Trump rally who said their candidate had completely "reimagined" the Republican party from its country club voter stereotype to appealing to working class families, while the Democrats had become the "party of Hollywood".

These are big generalisations, but ones Republicans publicly, and some Democrats privately, now share.

 

[Keeper!]

Not sure if serious - But either way it wouldn’t suprise me if so many Americans actually thought him posing in McDonald’s and driving a garbage truck was ‘genius’ and hilarious. Some seriously thick shits out there.

I hate the twat but he knows how to work his audience, IE the joe rogan podcast 45m views, incredible and it was to his people, meanwhile Harris was Infront of a few thousand with Beyonce and none gave a crap.

Trump hates Elon Musk with a passion but he used the little weasel, again genius move.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

I don’t think some here understand the meaning of this.

If a convicted felon, serial liar, enemy-cozier, possible pedophile, nearing dementia, fascist-rhetoric spewing, insurrection-encouraging, near if not actual fascist racist can win the POPULAR vote in what is a factually reasonable economy . . . what in the world is the hope for any election in the future?

It’s not just Trump. It’s what it says about the electorate here. Harris was right when she said “We are never going back” . . . we are never going back to a rational, reasoned electorate with a moral center.

Ever.

Honestly, all it says to us after weeks of largely monochrome pro-kamala 'debate' on here is that empty vessels sometimes make the most noise and predictions of a close result or democrat win were well wide of the mark. It just shows there is a world of difference between persuading people and just surrounding ourselves with folk that share our own viewpoint. I thought it would be much closer than this btw - it looks like what I thought were hopelessly biased polls were spot on.

 

[JASR]

And the Supreme Court too. He can control and shape absolutely anything he wants. Those Senators and Congress folk will bend the knee like never before

Frightening times, But this is what the American folk have voted for.

He can get quite a lot rammed through at the start, but it will be the mid terms in 2026 that will determine whether he can get a big enough majority to start messing with the constitution - repealing maximum 2 terms being the minimum, they’ll be a lot more :-(

 

[KS55]

They need to do something as this **** and his Family will take some shifting.

Talking of his family, Melania was all over him at his victory speech after shunning him for months. The prospect of being First Lady again seems to have changed her mind.

 

[bluesteel]

I’m surprised anyone is surprised. I was shocked when I posted here on Saturday and people thought Harris would win, I found out people were even betting money on it.

It’s hard having a discussion on here because so many are blinkered to reality, it doesn’t help that this place is an echo chamber for blinkered people reading the same drivel, but I said my piece on the US politics thread and I’ll leave you all to it.

 

[halfcenturyup]

They weren't strong enough to put him behind bars.

Yes, sorry, needed a sarcasm emoji.

 

[BlueHammer85]

I don't think that's true, Starmer will still be in charge in 5 years, as long as he grows the economy. That's his challenge.

The economy is doing fine in America yet they’re still led to believe the Democrats have ruined the economy, jobs etc
Same will happen here, there will be bumps in the economy as always but the rhetoric will be ramped up that Labour have destroyed this country and they will be out - Farage and Reform will have a big big chance and it would not suprise me if Musk throws his weight in for that to happen. Everything is off the table now.