2024 US Election

  On 11/7/2024 at 8:39 PM, YEK said:

(TikTok about Poland)

This article in The Guardian was interesting. Its not exactly a rosy article but it explains how the USA has better legislated protections to prevent tyranny than most places. Trump will be able to make things difficult for a lot of people but there will be limits.

"Will Donald Trump destroy US democracy? Unlikely"

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/06/will-trump-destroy-us-democracy

  Quote

Does this mean that Trump will destroy US democracy, like his “friend” Viktor Orbán in Hungary? Unlikely. Not because Americans are more democratic than Hungarians, which is a doubtful assumption anyway, but because the US political system is much more complex than the Hungarian political system. Largely set-up to prevent tyranny, the US political system is extremely complex and rigid. Most importantly, it is almost impossible to change the constitution, which has been at the heart of Orbán’s transformation of the Hungarian system. This does not mean that Trump cannot significantly weaken liberal democracy, but he will have to do it with weaker instruments (like executive orders) and with significant judicial pushback (although probably less from the US supreme court than from state and local courts).

...

While the far right’s plans for mass deportations or a federal ban on abortion might not come to fruition, or at least not to the extent that its most fanatic supporters hope, marginalized groups will face an even more hostile state while enjoying even less protection from an increasingly embattled judiciary and media. And, while they can hope for a Democratic victory in 2028, it will be more difficult than in 2020, as this time the elections might still be free but they will no longer be fair.

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I’m still having a hard time with 13 million less people voting for the democrat this time than last time. Like 13 million. That’s like Illinois and Wyoming not voting.

Incumbents do badly when the economy is bad, its kindof obvious in retrospect. The same party rarely gets to put two Presidents in a row (Reagan to GHW Bush 36 years ago was the last time that happened). So you need really strong headwinds for that to happen. Biden was a mumbly old man and Kamala had to scramble a campaign together at the last minute. Perhaps she did really well to do as well as she did? I'm sure someone is arguing that somewhere.

i don't know the source for this but there's a lot of data here if anyone cares to dive in.. seems to check out w/the chart above

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/interactive-how-key-groups-of-americans-voted-in-2024-according-to-ap-votecast

us pol/eco system is corrupt, broke

  On 11/8/2024 at 1:11 AM, zazen said:

Incumbents do badly when the economy is bad, its kindof obvious in retrospect. The same party rarely gets to put two Presidents in a row (Reagan to GHW Bush 36 years ago was the last time that happened). So you need really strong headwinds for that to happen. Biden was a mumbly old man and Kamala had to scramble a campaign together at the last minute. Perhaps she did really well to do as well as she did? I'm sure someone is arguing that somewhere.

Fair enough. I guess none of the otherwise disqualifying stuff he said and did seemed to matter to over 13 million people that seemed to care enough last time to vote against him. 

On the bright side, at least there's no risk of a violent coup for the foreseeable future (until the end of his term where he does away with the democratic process altogether, but there's a still a bit of time between now and then, so relax).

  On 11/8/2024 at 1:43 AM, prdctvsm said:

us pol/eco system is corrupt, broke

and dumb, cruel, devious, nefarious, murderous... 

  On 11/8/2024 at 1:45 AM, Zephyr_Nova said:

On the bright side, at least there's no risk of a violent coup for the foreseeable future (until the end of his term where he does away with the democratic process altogether, but there's a still a bit of time between now and then, so relax).

it's crazy. he's probably so relaxed now and sleeping well. can put all the court cases behind him and prepare for vengeance. he won't die in jail.. maybe he'll die in office but he seems healthy enough and lucky enough to not have major health problems other than the personality problems and possible dementia on the horizon.  so, he'll probably make it to the end of his term. 

Yeah he’ll be like 1989 Ronald Reagan. There but not really there.

Yeah he’ll be like 2024 Joe Biden. There but not really there.

jk

Well...

  On 11/8/2024 at 1:59 AM, Hi Guys said:

Yeah he’ll be like 1989 Ronald Reagan. There but not really there.

Yeah but instead of Nancy's dumbass astrologist calling shots it will be some truly and competently evil people.

  On 11/8/2024 at 2:10 AM, Cyteen said:

Yeah he’ll be like 2024 Joe Biden. There but not really there.

 

jk

Well...

 

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Touché

I voted Harris. But I'm not upset with the results.

I think inflation did her party in, and clearly, voters are willing to vote against their usual party... and vote for the morally questionable, convicted candidate, in order to help with that problem. Or that's the hope for them anyway: basically, maybe my grocery bill goes down with Trump? Maybe, just maybe. But it definitely won't go down with her....

Whatever, it is what it is.

  On 11/8/2024 at 3:21 AM, Cyteen said:

I voted Harris. But I'm not upset with the results.

 

I think inflation did her party in, and clearly, voters are willing to vote against their usual party... and vote for the morally questionable, convicted candidate, in order to help with that problem. Or that's the hope for them anyway: basically, maybe my grocery bill goes down with Trump? Maybe, just maybe. But it definitely won't go down with her....

Whatever, it is what it is.

 

 

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I dunno, I feel like the level of inexcusably horrible things he and his cohorts have said and done kind of make it impossible to not be upset with the results but hey like you said, it is what it is. Cheap groceries await us all!

  On 11/8/2024 at 1:49 AM, ignatius said:

 he'll probably make it to the end of his term. 

If you want to find a silver lining in this, eras where life is shit tend to produce more interesting art and music.

  On 11/7/2024 at 6:56 PM, J3FF3R00 said:

I just want somebody to regulate how bright car headlights are these days. 

Regulation ain't gonna happen under this admin. You're going to have headlights with the full power of the sun coming toward you at night.

  On 11/8/2024 at 3:59 AM, kuniklo said:

If you want to find a silver lining in this, eras where life is shit tend to produce more interesting art and music.

isn't that anecdotal? besides.. the way things are today... what we'll get is "more interesting advertisements"

but if you're right.. the next Ae live drops will pierce a hole in the sun. 

  On 11/8/2024 at 3:32 AM, Hi Guys said:

I dunno, I feel like the level of inexcusably horrible things he and his cohorts have said and done kind of make it impossible to not be upset with the results but hey like you said, it is what it is. Cheap groceries await us all!

Itd be happy if cheaper groceries were to come... bout the only decent thing that might happen

Fun fact comrade: ain't gonna happen

  On 11/8/2024 at 4:18 AM, Cyteen said:

Itd be happy if cheaper groceries were to come... bout the only decent thing that might happen

half or more of inflation was price gouging by companies using inflation as an excuse.  some of it was real of course but a lot of them just jumped on the bandwagon and said "inflation" while raking in record profits. 

also, depending on trump's tariff plan all kinds of chaos could happen. they're kind of betting on it really. but tariffs don't work the way a lot of people think they do. maybe end result is people buy less crap they don't need???

saw this reposted on Mastodon earlier and got me thinking of those not-immediate but definitely likely knock on effects of the recent American turn. i believe there was some of this saving/prepping that went on during the 2017-2021 term that had good results as some amount of stuff was being futzed with (don't think it was too bad? memory is shit...)

also related, would any of you fine WATMMers care to share your not-US-based reliable news sources for US news/etc.? BBC seems pretty solid of course, but i can't say i've got much other experience trying to find out US news from sources based outside of the country.

  On 11/8/2024 at 4:46 AM, auxien said:

saw this reposted on Mastodon earlier and got me thinking of those not-immediate but definitely likely knock on effects of the recent American turn. i believe there was some of this saving/prepping that went on during the 2017-2021 term that had good results as some amount of stuff was being futzed with (don't think it was too bad? memory is shit...)

also related, would any of you fine WATMMers care to share your not-US-based reliable news sources for US news/etc.? BBC seems pretty solid of course, but i can't say i've got much other experience trying to find out US news from sources based outside of the country.

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DW News is on PBS in the afternoons. also on youtube. there's a bunch on youtube. french, german, al jazeera... all in english language. 

as for data,.. yeah.. people collected and protected it. i don't recall details though. but sounds like project 2025 wants to get rid of weather collecting organizations that collect climate data etc.. all kinds of things.. we'll see.