Unofficial Apolyton Predicts

[C0ckney]

Politics as usual, particularly politics that cares about injustice and social welfare, is much better than Trump or even Bush 2.

You can argue about how it compares to Romney, I am suspicious it is still better.

JM

depends on your point of view i suppose. accepting massive corruption as normal part of the political process = brazil, essentially.

will a potenial hillary administration be very far away from a romney 2012 administration on the economic front? it's hard to see much daylight between them.

[Giancarlo]

There is no massive corruption. Keep trying.

This is corruption though:

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/3/1577320/-New-York-AG-Order-Trump-Foundation-to-shutdown-fundraising

But that doesn't matter right? His foundation was shut down in New York for irregularities.

Why the refusal to discuss this?

[Elok]

I find myself somewhat surprised by my hopefulness here. For a couple of reasons:

1. The mere fact that people are talking about the left-behind America--and they are--shows that Trump's ghastly campaign has done some positive good in spite of the man himself. That people have deigned to pay attention to the sufferings of their enemies (cf. the recent Tom Hanks SNL skit) is very encouraging to me. I don't honestly believe Hillary will do anything that offends any man (or woman, or transpersyn) with a checkbook, but that doesn't mean progress can't be achieved in spite of her.

2. Trump has driven a stake through Reagan's filthy heart at last. The plutocrats and the gunsmiths are Hillary's friends now, and as for the Religious Right, their craven bootlicking has risen to such a spectacular prominence that I think it will actually embarrass the current (Reaganite) leadership out of public life. Russell Moore, a very prominent member of the Southern Baptist hierarchy, has been tearing fist-size hunks out of them for groveling before the most revoltingly unprincipled candidate in living memory. And at Liberty University, the students have been rising in revolt against Falwell Jr. The new face of the RR is still going to be largely evangelical, and quite conservative on sex and marriage matters--but it might also be friendly to the environment, merciful to foreigners, and willing to listen when somebody talks about God and Mammon. Thank God!

[rah]

There is no massive corruption. Keep trying.

This is corruption though:

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/3/1577320/-New-York-AG-Order-Trump-Foundation-to-shutdown-fundraising

But that doesn't matter right? His foundation was shut down in New York for irregularities.

Why the refusal to discuss this?

If he wasn't already toast people might put in the effort, but why bother, he's lost.
I'm more curious why you continue to put in the effort. No one here is going to vote for TRUMP so your effort is expended towards someone that can't even vote.

[Giancarlo]

If he wasn't already toast people might put in the effort, but why bother, he's lost.
I'm more curious why you continue to put in the effort. No one here is going to vote for TRUMP so your effort is expended towards someone that can't even vote.

I like entertaining myself lol.

[BeBMan]

Two weeks - the suspense is killing me.

[Jon Miller]

depends on your point of view i suppose. accepting massive corruption as normal part of the political process = brazil, essentially.

will a potenial hillary administration be very far away from a romney 2012 administration on the economic front? it's hard to see much daylight between them.

The point that even Hillary is really far from Brazil or any similar place. Rather she is about the level of UK, Sweden or Germany.

Not ideal, but not a disaster.

Almost assuredly better than Bill.

JM

[C0ckney]

elok:

1. the problem is that the interests that hillary represents, and is paid handsomely to represent, are diametrically opposed to the interests of the people who trump's campaign has flagged up. we all know which group hillary will prefer.

2. yes, i agree that trump has basically killed the old GOP. but i disagree about a resurgence of the religious right. there are a lot of votes in trump's programme, even if he himself turns people off, and i can't see the populist genie being put back inside the bottle. social and religious conservatives can find common ground with populists and nationalists, but i suspect it will be as junior partners.

[rah]

I like entertaining myself lol.

I can appreciate that.

[Elok]

I don't know quite where the new, younger RR is going to go politically. I'm told a lot of them are disgusted with politics entirely. This is cheering to me because, first, it means my faith will no longer look like an obvious and discredited duck blind for Ayn Rand and Lockheed Martin, and second, because it allows for a re-energized American Christian community to transcend the limits imposed by the Moral Majority's legacy. Trump is what any number of people might foolishly have wished for: the GOP cleansed of all Christian conscience. The Falwell types are only fawning over him out of a last desperate hope for patronage, and everyone knows it. What comes next? Who knows, but it will probably be less disgusting!

[C0ckney]

The point that even Hillary is really far from Brazil or any similar place. Rather she is about the level of UK, Sweden or Germany.

Not ideal, but not a disaster.

Almost assuredly better than Bill.

JM

i can assure you that no UK politician would be able to get away with taking in 8 figures for speeches(!) from corporations and/or having a foundation that took millions from foreign governments while in office(!) making decisions about those countries; nor, i suspect, would any politician from sweden or germany.

and indeed hillary does remind me of certain brazilian politicians. for example, in the last government there was a guy who increased his wealth twentyfold while in office before he was exposed and sacked. the clintons have gone from 'dead broke' (hillary's words) to an estimated $110,000,000 since bill left office. it is different of course: the brazilian guy is going to gaol...

[rah]

While the party will be weaker with out their auto vote, I can't wait to be done with those like Ben. Maybe something decent (yep, I love to dream)

[Elok]

Depends what you mean by "decent." Look at Moore's Wiki page. He is perfectly traditional on sex, marriage and abortion. He also argues for allowing in Middle Eastern immigrants, despises the Confederate flag, rolls his eyes at ex-gay therapy, and calls for increased adoption (he has adopted kids). He also, to judge by his recent Erasmus lecture, doesn't believe in tacky televangelist crap like shoehorning current events into Scripture. You should at least be able to consider him a respectable enemy. He's in his forties--and people listen to him.

[pchang]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...dc7_story.html

So this doesn't matter?

You do realize that Cockney's criticisms of Hillary are in NO WAY an endorsement of Trump, right?

[Giancarlo]

You do realize that Cockney's criticisms of Hillary are in NO WAY an endorsement of Trump, right?

His criticisms are generally without merit. And the inability to look at Trump leaves me wondering.