The Political Thread

[TordelBack]

Today is the first time in a decade when it feels like a weight has been lifted, instead of yet another added.

Yes, everything's still utterly fucked, and I have no expectations for a Biden presidency or what happens after, but at least the world feels a little saner.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Today is the first time in a decade when it feels like a weight has been lifted, instead of yet another added.

Yes, everything's still utterly fucked, and I have no expectations for a Biden presidency or what happens after, but at least the world feels a little saner.

I've avoided this thread, and news sites, for the last few days.  The sad truth is, I was wracked with anxiety about the election after seeing the numbers on Wednesday far closer than I was comfortable with.  When I finally got it together and looked at the news, I'm slightly ashamed to admit my first reaction was a feeling of schadenfreude; watching a vindictive sociopath who has railed against 'losers' for so long have to face up to the fact that he's one himself.

It feels like an anticlimax and it's far from over yet, and I'm still anxious.  Joe Biden will not be a perfect president and a huge number of Americans think it's ok to destroy the environment, discriminate against other races and let a virus run rampant.  But the next four years can't be worse than the last four, and imagine how Trump would behave if he didn't have re-election to worry about.

The schadenfreude hasn't quite left me yet either.  The Shitgibbon has lost for the first time in his life, and he's lost the bigliest competition of them all.  Also, he'll have a few taxes to pay and harassment allegations to face up to come 2021.

[Jim_Campbell]

Today is the first time in a decade when it feels like a weight has been lifted, instead of yet another added.

Yes, everything's still utterly fucked, and I have no expectations for a Biden presidency or what happens after, but at least the world feels a little saner.

Literally all of this.

[shaolin_monkey]

When I finally got it together and looked at the news, I'm slightly ashamed to admit my first reaction was a feeling of schadenfreude; watching a vindictive sociopath who has railed against 'losers' for so long have to face up to the fact that he's one himself.

I would say that is a legitimate response, all things considered!

One of the few pluses of such a drawn out election is watching the Curious Orange slowly disintegrate.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Aye, well, I suppose.  Just not sure if I'm happy about being vindictive back at him. Also, weirdly, I thought about his weird, sheltered life last night and genuinely began to feel sorry for him - the man is a giant toddler whose toys have been taken away from him forever.  It led me to this article, which I found very interesting.

https://jbarbush.medium.com/the-awkward-moment-i-stopped-hating-trump-and-began-to-feel-sorry-for-him-18b7559510

But when I woke up today, I remembered I'd been at the whiskey and sod him: I'll feel sorry for the immigrant children whose parents he's taken away and lost, the families of the coronavirus victims he did nothing to help, and the future generations who have to deal with a climate he's helped to destroy.

Also, the Curious Orange! I loved him! The other one, that is; the one on TMWRNJ with the Fall theme music.

[IndigoPrime]

Fuck him. I'll go as far as saying I wasn't rooting for him to die of COVID. That's it. Everything else: fuck him. The man has burned through money all his life, got constant opportunities, squandered everything, and never, ever been held to account. He sees everything as a fight and doesn't have the most basic understanding of mutual benefit in business. He's responsible for the deaths of tends of thousands of people. He's wrecked US political institutions and ensured the country's highest court will be heavily conservative for a generation. (And bearing in mind that this is conservative from the viewpoint of a conservative country. The closest equivalent here would be a political high court where a couple of members are DUP and the rest of the majority is Johnson-era Tories.)

He became the president of the USA and then discovered he didn't really want it? Boo fucking hoo. See also: Boris Johnson, now whining about the increased workload and reduced income he has on being PM.

[JayzusB.Christ]

He became the president of the USA and then discovered he didn't really want it? Boo fucking hoo.

One might even say 'womp womp'. 

I'm not sure if he doesn't want that job, though.  Judging by this little mickey-fit he's throwing right now, it seems he wants it very much.  In fact he really doesn't seem to have a plan B -  I hope he doesn't come here to waddle round his poxy, eroding golf-course as his hides from his enormous debts.

But yeah, you're right: Fuck him  My sympathy for him was a moment of tipsy madness.  I'm also curious to see how Nigel Farage is going to crowbar his tongue back out now things haven't gone his way. 

Speaking of Johnson, I heard in a political podcast recently that the Tory Brexit strategy, such as it is, depended on Trump's re-election.  I don't really know why; only that Trump loved the idea of the UK leaving the US - I can't really see how that would lead to any significant trade deal, though, going by Trump's utterly one-sided approach to such matters.

[Tjm86]

IIRC on Oliver Stone's History of America, FDR pursued a policy of bankrupting the UK to cripple the Empire and lay open space for American ascendancy.  Maybe I'm being hyper-cynical in suggesting that perhaps what Trump was looking forward to was the full and final reversal of fortunes with Britain becoming totally subservient as a colony of the US.  Tin-foil-hattery it may be ...

[Rately]

We can only hope that along with the current humiliation, and inevitable countdown till his Presidential immunity expires, that he is gripped by the knowledge that he may lose everything he has managed to grift, steal and destroy.

He had every advantage in life, destroyed all that he was given, and, as somebody wisely said, everything Trump touches dies. Squandered his inheritance, owes money to God only knows how many very dodgy people.

Hopefully judgement is coming, and he lives out his remaining years in prison, or exile.

[JayzusB.Christ]

IIRC on Oliver Stone's History of America, FDR pursued a policy of bankrupting the UK to cripple the Empire and lay open space for American ascendancy.  Maybe I'm being hyper-cynical in suggesting that perhaps what Trump was looking forward to was the full and final reversal of fortunes with Britain becoming totally subservient as a colony of the US.  Tin-foil-hattery it may be ...

Seems fairly likely that he'd want complete subservience; whether it's because of Britain's former dominance or not it's impossible to say.

Anyway, it's lucky he survived his hospitalisation.  If he hadn't, Mr 'I'm much more humble than you'd understand' wouldn't be experiencing the humiliation of defeat by an unremarkable rival - that 'your favourite president' shit isn't really cutting the mustard any more.  My schadenfreude may have waned a bit last night, but it's back with a vengeance.

[IndigoPrime]

Trump will lose a lot if this doesn't go his way, but I expect him to flee to somewhere he cannot be extradited from, or spend the rest of his life in court but not jail. His plan B is to set up Trump TV, and I'd genuinely like to see that happen because Murdoch would nail him to the wall.

Farage: he'll be fine. He's rebranding his party for the umpteenth time, and it'll now be the meaningless Reform UK. But that word strikes home. If nothing else, he's good at branding and a superb salesperson. So he'll end up on TV constantly, despite his party having no MPs, precisely 12 councillors, and a polled ~1% of the vote. (By contrast, the Green co-leaders are barely given airtime, despite the party having 1 MP, 2 Lords, 2 London assembly seats, 382 councillors, running one council, and polling in the 3–5% range.) The worrying thing: Farage this time is going full anti-science rather than just racist. Media companies need to stop giving him oxygen.

Johnson and the Tories: well, yes. Everything they've done relies on Trump winning. If he doesn't, they have no path forward. Biden will rightly prioritise the EU and there will be no special relationship. We will effectively be alone, yelling from a distance, just as everyone predicted would happen. That's not to say the UK lacks clout and influence. We are still a big economy of some importance. But we are about to learn the difference between being a worldwide rule-taker and medium-sized country alone in the world versus 'vital cog in the machine' status where we existed as a driving force within the world's largest market, alongside Germany and France.

[sheridan]

When I finally got it together and looked at the news, I'm slightly ashamed to admit my first reaction was a feeling of schadenfreude; watching a vindictive sociopath who has railed against 'losers' for so long have to face up to the fact that he's one himself.

I would say that is a legitimate response, all things considered!

One of the few pluses of such a drawn out election is watching the Curious Orange slowly disintegrate.

I share those feelings except I haven't got the slightest trace of shame that a horrible, vindictive, cruel tyrannical person is finally facing a set-back.

[Leigh S]

Less Curious, more Furious Orange!

[sheridan]

Speaking of Johnson, I heard in a political podcast recently that the Tory Brexit strategy, such as it is, depended on Trump's re-election.  I don't really know why; only that Trump loved the idea of the UK leaving the US - I can't really see how that would lead to any significant trade deal, though, going by Trump's utterly one-sided approach to such matters.

Er yes - Trump loved the idea of the UK leaving the EU, but it wasn't because it was going to go well for the UK.

[JayzusB.Christ]

Less Curious, more Furious Orange!

I'm having that one.

But we are about to learn the difference between being a worldwide rule-taker and medium-sized country alone in the world versus 'vital cog in the machine' status where we existed as a driving force within the world's largest market, alongside Germany and France.

Welcome to the economically-insignificant nation club.