US election 2016

[Meenzer 15531]

https://www.good.is/articles/what-trumps-wall-looks-like

 

Nerdtastic

[Alex 35093]

Look, I'll come clean if you all get off my case. I'm Richard Littlejohn

Well, carry me off to hell in a handcart.

[jonasjuice 0]

Well, carry me off to hell in a handcart.

You wouldn't fit in a handcart. It's a fat joke, fatty.

[jonasjuice 0]

(Apologies if you have a genuine weight problem and this causes any distress in advance)

[Dr Gloom 21924]

Bannon: "Dick Cheney. Darth Vader. Satan. That's power." 

 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steve-bannon-trump-tower-interview-trumps-strategist-plots-new-political-movement-948747

[Howay 12496]

Interesting, he's a smart bloke and it does seem he saw his opening and helped Trump get in. We'll just have to wait and see what they do but I still think it's complete and utter hot air with all their "working man" noise, they'll streamline taxes for Corporations, lower taxes for the rich, etc, I hope I'm wrong but I don't see Trump doing much to help anyone but himself and people like him.

 

It's setting up to make NYC a total fucking nightmare as well, they're saying Melania is going to remain in Trump tower and he'll go back at least every weekend, meaning road blocks, military security etc in mid-town Manhattan, add to that JFK has to basically shut down their runways 15 minutes either side of Air Force One arriving. Residents in Trump tower are going to have to be put through airport level security check points , what a complete ball ache man. 

[Rayvin 5223]

Interesting, he's a smart bloke and it does seem he saw his opening and helped Trump get in. We'll just have to wait and see what they do but I still think it's complete and utter hot air with all their "working man" noise, they'll streamline taxes for Corporations, lower taxes for the rich, etc, I hope I'm wrong but I don't see Trump doing much to help anyone but himself and people like him.

 

It's setting up to make NYC a total fucking nightmare as well, they're saying Melania is going to remain in Trump tower and he'll go back at least every weekend, meaning road blocks, military security etc in mid-town Manhattan, add to that JFK has to basically shut down their runways 15 minutes either side of Air Force One arriving. Residents in Trump tower are going to have to be put through airport level security check points , what a complete ball ache man. 

 

I reckon Bannon probably is genuine in his 'nationalism', and won't be particularly into the idea of being on side with globalist corporations. Still though, how much actual impact he's going to be able to make on Trump is another issue entirely.

[Howay 12496]

I reckon Bannon probably is genuine in his 'nationalism', and won't be particularly into the idea of being on side with globalist corporations. Still though, how much actual impact he's going to be able to make on Trump is another issue entirely.

Perhaps, he's still an ex-GS I-banker mind and they're not really renowned for being that arsed about the working man. I get your point though he does seem a bit more into the idea than the politicians that pay it lip service. I do think he has Trumps ear, probably the most out of everyone, but they also have the fight of getting the house on their side as well. Either way though I just don't see them doing much if anything for 'the working man', how do you bring things like manufacturing back unless they do something drastic like slashing minimum wage? it's not like people want to pay $10k for an iPad. 

[Rayvin 5223]

Perhaps, he's still an ex-GS I-banker mind and they're not really renowned for being that arsed about the working man. I get your point though he does seem a bit more into the idea than the politicians that pay it lip service. I do think he has Trumps ear, probably the most out of everyone, but they also have the fight of getting the house on their side as well. Either way though I just don't see them doing much if anything for 'the working man', how do you bring things like manufacturing back unless they do something drastic like slashing minimum wage? it's not like people want to pay $10k for an iPad. 

 

You can't bring back industry or anything like that, but you can limit immigration, creating less labour supply, and therefore more negotiating power for the workforce. Of course, this may put some companies under, or have them looking overseas, and may overall harm the US economy, but the logic there is actually sound.

 

Bannon, despite his past, gave it all up to run what he considers to be a website for speaking truth to power. That suggests to me that he is someone who believes in something other than his own personal enrichment. I doubt he ever thought he'd get this close to power either, so it's hard to imagine that his was primarily motivated by that, either. This doesn't mean goals don't change though. And moreover, he could just be driven by racism - which isn't great either.

[Howay 12496]

You can't bring back industry or anything like that, but you can limit immigration, creating less labour supply, and therefore more negotiating power for the workforce. Of course, this may put some companies under, or have them looking overseas, and may overall harm the US economy, but the logic there is actually sound.

 

Bannon, despite his past, gave it all up to run what he considers to be a website for speaking truth to power. That suggests to me that he is someone who believes in something other than his own personal enrichment. I doubt he ever thought he'd get this close to power either, so it's hard to imagine that his was primarily motivated by that, either. This doesn't mean goals don't change though. And moreover, he could just be driven by racism - which isn't great either.

I think you're giving Bannon a bit too much slack, he didn't really give it all up to run Breitbart that was just another part of his career making money. He'd moved into the media/entertainment sector a long time ago and actually makes a shit ton of money from Seinfeld, he then joined the Breitbart board and then sort of took over it after the bloke running it died. I don't know what his views are because I think most of his Breitbart stuff is focused on making money from the far-right garnering clicks by being as outrageous as possible, what he does do however is facilitate these racists etc. I agree he didn't think he'd get this far politically, but I don't know if that makes him any more likely to want to do good, I think these type of guys get off on power as his weird comment about "Cheney, Darth Vader, the Devil, that's power" seemed to be.

 

As for the industry stuff, that's what they ran on though, this idea that they would bring back manufacturing jobs because the blue-collar workers in the centre of the country are starved for work. I'm saying all of that is just hot air, chasing off immigrants really doesn't help any of them other than massage their racist side, as most of the illegal immigrants work cash in hand jobs that these people wouldn't dream of doing, let alone doing it for the money they'd get for it. 

Edited November 21, 2016 by Howay

[Rayvin 5223]

I think you're giving Bannon a bit too much slack, he didn't really give it all up to run Breitbart that was just another part of his career making money. He'd moved into the media/entertainment sector a long time ago and actually makes a shit ton of money from Seinfeld, he then joined the Breitbart board and then sort of took over it after the bloke running it died. I don't know what his views are because I think most of his Breitbart stuff is focused on making money from the far-right garnering clicks by being as outrageous as possible, what he does do however is facilitate these racists etc. I agree he didn't think he'd get this far politically, but I don't know if that makes him any more likely to want to do good, I think these type of guys get off on power as his weird comment about "Cheney, Darth Vader, the Devil, that's power" seemed to be.

 

As for the industry stuff, that's what they ran on though, this idea that they would bring back manufacturing jobs because the blue-collar workers in the centre of the country are starved for work. I'm saying all of that is just hot air, chasing off immigrants really doesn't help any of them other than massage their racist side, as most of the illegal immigrants work cash in hand jobs that these people wouldn't dream of doing, let alone doing it for the money they'd get for it. 

 

The illegal ones do sure, but the legal ones are competing for the real jobs. In fairness I'm probably conflating Brexit into this now, I don't know if Trump actually ran on a platform for reducing immigration in the legal sense.

 

Nice analysis on Bannon - I really don't know much about the guy but fair enough on the comments you've made. I'm just not sure why anyone looking to make money would go for the far right. He's playing a high stakes game if that was his thinking.

[Howay 12496]

I also don't see Trump being the sort that would want to increase the power of the workforce, what I do see him doing is engaging in a lot of gray area type stuff that helps his businesses out, he's already apparently in danger of running foul of the emoluments clause in the constitution due to foreign diplomats staying at his hotel in Washington as they want to gain favour and wouldn't want to insult him by staying elsewhere (that's coming from George W. Bush's former ethical counsel ( I know)).

[Howay 12496]

The illegal ones do sure, but the legal ones are competing for the real jobs. In fairness I'm probably conflating Brexit into this now, I don't know if Trump actually ran on a platform for reducing immigration in the legal sense.

 

Nice analysis on Bannon - I really don't know much about the guy but fair enough on the comments you've made. I'm just not sure why anyone looking to make money would go for the far right. He's playing a high stakes game if that was his thinking.

Yeah I get your point now, the only question really would be how much do legal immigrants affect that type of work? are there loads coming over legally to work in blue-collar jobs in the middle of the country? I genuinely don't know, I know I'm focusing it on those people but they're the ones Trump really played to when he was remarking about these disillusioned workers and I'm just not convinced Trump, Bannon, Priebus, Guliani, etc really want to do anything for them (as I said above).

 

I think his platform about immigration was primarily focused on illegals, particularly ones that break the law, he did mention things about tightening controls over visas etc so that will obviously lower legal immigrants. As I said above though I genuinely don't see Trump as the sort that wants to workforce to have real power.

 

Yeah I mean I think that's the crux of Bannon, the public generally don't know much about the bloke, I don't know his personal views but as I say what he has done is facilitate that section of the population so take from that what you will (again I've no idea what it'll really mean regarding what he will do). It was easy money for him in reality, he spotted a gap in the market that things like Fox news just wasn't scratching and he pushed towards that, I think we see it as risky because we think it could be reputation damaging but honestly a lot of these blokes will just dust that off their shoulders and put it down to an investment not their views (as he has, or at least people on his behalf). Perhaps I am giving him too much slack myself and he got involved with them because he genuinely is a far right winger and believes a lot of the stuff people like Milo post (such as washing machines are the worst thing ever invented as it meant women had time to leave the house and get work and women aren't cut out for work), I think that is what most are thinking and what most are afraid of with him. 

Edited November 21, 2016 by Howay

[Rayvin 5223]

 

 

Yeah I mean I think that's the crux of Bannon, the public generally don't know much about the bloke, I don't know his personal views but as I say what he has done is facilitate that section of the population so take from that what you will (again I've no idea what it'll really mean regarding what he will do). It was easy money for him in reality, he spotted a gap in the market that things like Fox news just wasn't scratching and he pushed towards that, I think we see it as risky because we think it could be reputation damaging but honestly a lot of these blokes will just dust that off their shoulders and put it down to an investment not their views (as he has, or at least people on his behalf). Perhaps I am giving him too much slack myself and he got involved with them because he genuinely is a far right winger and believes a lot of the stuff people like Milo post (such as washing machines are the worst thing ever invented as it meant women had time to leave the house and get work and women aren't cut out for work), I think that is what most are thinking and what most are afraid of with him. 

 

 

I guess I'd just suggest that we're careful about assuming Bannon is just in it for himself. If he is then he isn't much of a threat to anything - but I genuinely suspect that he'll be motivated by an agenda, and that this agenda is an opposite one to the SJW one that we've seen in recent years. I've heard some people describe him as some manner of radical leftist when it comes to the working class as well. He really could reach out to them en masse from where he is now.

 

I think it's just that he's a guy who seemed to know Trump was going to win before anyone else did, and who outplayed the whole media establishment. I'm not convinced 'seeking money' is enough of a motivation for someone to play that kind of game.

 

Let's just say that I hope he is in it for the money. Or that he's just a nationalist with real plans to help the working class, irrespective of creed or race... which feels unlikely... If he actually means what he says then violent change may be upon us.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Rayvin

[Howay 12496]

Aye, I mean who knows really. I just have a hard time thinking a bloke like him cares too much about 'the working man', maybe he does, I guess we'll find out.

[Happy Face 29]

Jill Stein got less than 0.7% of the vote in Florida.

 

I know it was a hotly contested state and most people would be more inclined to go with major parties, but it's a quarter of what Johnson got.

 

Isn't Florida the US state most at risk from man made climate change? If they can't be convinced to vote with the environmentalists there's no hope.

[Rayvin 5223]

I don't think we can read too much into that. This vote was about immigration (more or less) and economic misery. Not sure many people thought about environmentalism as a long term issue.

 

In better times, if we ever get them, I think it'd be a bigger issue.