Donald Trump, the road that might not lead to the White House!

[Johnny Canuck3]

Comments about gay people, from Trump's new domestic policy advisor:

Ken Blackwell, tapped last week by President-elect Donald Trump to head domestic policy during the businessman's transition to the White House, has made anti-LGBT statements for years. Among them: Homosexuality is a sin, and gay people, just like petty thieves and fire-setters, can be rehabilitated.

The Ohio politician has long endorsed a controversial mental health practice known as conversion therapy or reparative therapy. The goal is to cure a person of his or her homosexuality, and in the case of transgender people, to reaffirm the gender into which they were born.

Two years ago, in a radio interview with Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, which has been deemed a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Blackwell appeared to blame the deaths of six individuals in a 2014 mass shooting in Isla Vista, Calif., on the LGBT rights movement, saying it undermined "natural marriage."

"When these fundamental institutions are attacked and destroyed and weakened and abandoned," said Blackwell, a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, "you get what we are now seeing, and that is a flood of these disturbed people in our society that are causing great pain."

In an unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2006, the former Ohio secretary of state claimed that being gay was a “choice” that could be “changed.”

“I think it's a transgression against God's law,” he told the Columbus Dispatch at the time. “And I think you make good choices and bad choices in terms of lifestyle. Our expectation is that one's genetic makeup might make one more inclined to be an arsonist or might make one more inclined to be a kleptomaniac. Do I think they can be changed? Yes.”

And in 2009, on Michelangelo Signorile's radio show, Blackwell reaffirmed his stance, saying, "People choose to be who they are, as they choose to break civil law and God's law. ... I think you can choose not to be homosexual."

Gays can be reformed, just like arsonists, Trump’s new domestic policy adviser has said

 

[ska invita]

So, did he steal the election or not?

You’re not just imagining it: the Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump vote totals do look rigged

as the author of that says, his piece is low on proof but high on unusual turns of events.
Orangutan posted this graph earlier which does show a pretty incredible drop off in people voting - especially those who might vote Democrat. The article makes the point that anecdotal evidence of turnout doesnt match such a big drop off (9 million people in fact).

 

[butchersapron]

as the author of that says, his piece is low on proof but high on unusual turns of events.
Orangutan posted this graph earlier which does show a pretty incredible drop off in people voting - especially those who might vote Democrat. The article makes the point that anecdotal evidence of turnout doesnt match such a big drop off (9 million people in fact).

7 million more people voted this time than last on a lower turnout due to 18 million more voters. That chart is out of date.

 

[treelover]

Video: Miami Man Screams "Trump!" at Black Starbucks Employee, Claims "White Discrimination"


Deplorable.

it is and its the same when hate crimes happen to disabled people, but for some reason they don't seem to get the same level of reportage.

 

[maomao]

Orangutan posted this graph earlier which does show a pretty incredible drop off in people voting - especially those who might vote Democrat.

It's a rigged graph. If you extended the bars down to zero the drop off would be far less striking (and is based on erroneous figures as BA points out). There would also have been less of a drop off if they hadn't run a shit campaign and a shit candidate.

 

[Idris2002]

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest:

 

[butchersapron]

I'm presuming that is the protest against the nazi group - themselves openly and legally armed with AK47s and other weapons - in texas yesterday? Partisan they call themselves.

 

[Idris2002]

I presume so, yes.

 

[Libertad]

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest:

RPG's for christmas.

 

[CRI]

Learning from history can save America from tyranny

Just about to send this to my sister. A lot of this is already happening, already being accepted as "normal" to varying degrees, for some because they think it will "Make America Great Again" and for others because they still believe the myth of American exceptionalism - that "it could never happen here."

 

[CRI]

Just a wee reminder for those who have forgotten about what the next US President's key international ally is doing, and will probably continue to do unhindered, with the full blessing of the US government, until nothing and no one is left to destroy.

 

[ViolentPanda]

So you are claiming that Trump could turn America into something resembling Appartheid South Africa or 1970s Rhodesia, a claim to to some (most likely smelly liberals) looks ludicrous. Your defence of that statement is those two countries had private property, although the majority were excluded. A definition of "liberal" that seems could be applied to the modern Zimbabwe of ZANU PF or Hitlers regime. One that is completely meaningless in the context of US politics were liberal is commonly used to define those politically close to the Democratic Party by its political enemies.

You know you could have just backed up a bit on your original silliness? But no, your ego just had to keep digging.

Trump is a cunt. But ffs try to keep the criticism grounded in some kind of reality.

No, he's claiming something akin to apartheid Rhodesia as a worst case scenario - an outlier - not as a probable possibility, you overwheening, egotistic cockwart.

 

[ViolentPanda]

You have to admit, though,



is a tiny bit..... excessive?

I believe Trump to be a terrible choice for the presidency, capable of doing harm to the US nation - and who in all likelihood will cause harm to the US nation; but a lot of Constitution - and a lot of blood - would stand in the way of a recreation of apartheid in the 21st century United States.

The problem being that the constitution is a) amendable, and b) only pertains outside of a state of emergency. Demagogues have done more with less, sadly.

 

[Idris2002]

No, he's claiming something akin to apartheid Rhodesia as a worst case scenario - an outlier - not as a probable possibility, you overwheening, egotistic cockwart.

Feck yeh, I was about to post that.

 

[Idris2002]

I was thinking about comparisons to current Australia last night and what are the thing that might happen over the next four years in the US.

Immigration: lets say that the wall is built (not a certain giving it's cost and dislike of many Republicans for public spending, but possible) and lets say that he manages to get deportations up to 6 million. Well obviously this is would be really horrible for many people but lets keep in mind that Obama and Clinton wanted a fence and Obama has deported 3 million people. Now compare that to Australia, which has set up concentration camps for refugees (including children) in developing countries (a policy that is not only terrible for the refugees but also causes huge problems in these developing countries) and has a turnback the boats policy (supported by both major political parties). I'm not sure the the actually existing Australian immigration policy isn't worse than the one Trump would like to introduce.

Sexuality/Transgeneder rights: It's not outrageous to suggest that Trump might go after gay marriage (though I don't think it will be one of his first targets), but even if he does he has to get the supreme court to change it's decision. On transgender rights there's clearly form there that a Trump administration would go after them. Again horrible shit, but the Australia government has (in practical terms) ruled out gay marriage for at least the next three years, and recently launched a very nasty attack on the "Safe Schools" programme for LBGTIQ kids.

Climate change: Different issue this, as with the weird Deep Green stuff I could easily see a fascist government that was strong on climate change, but worth comparison anyway. The Trump administration is very scary on this, he's just put a denier in the EPA and will roll back any advances made by Obama. But lets not kid ourselves that Obama (or just about any government for that matter) really did all that much, moreover, many of the advances made have been driven by public pressure (companies to divest from fossil fuels etc) as much as by government. Now while Australia doesn't officially deny that climate change occurs (though there are plenty that believe that in the LNP and some in the government) it's policy is effectively to do absolutely fuck all about it while cutting jobs for those measuring the impact of climate change.

Abortion: This is the only one of these four where I see a really significant mismatch between the US and Aus. There clearly will be another round of attacks on abortion rights, exactly how successful they'll be is still open (and lets not lose sight of the fact that in practice millions of American women don't have any access to abortion at the moment) but I think things could very well worse in 2020 than in 2016. There's not really such a movement here, though a few of the shittier end of the LNP make occasional noises as do Family First.

So of those four areas the only one I see with being really worse under a Trump administration than under the current Australian government is the last. Of course that's not to say that people shouldn't fight these things, that they are not appalling, but there can still be progress. Indeed these attack can be motivators for progress, the Australian governments refusal to back gay marriage hasn't resulted in people opposing it but rather the opposite, if anything the utter hypocrisy and it's use as a political football has it's strengthened support right across society.

Except that Australia isn't experiencing anything like the social crisis that's been going on in the US for years.

 

[CRI]

Meanwhile, in today's edition of normalising white supremacy . . .

 

[Idris2002]

The President (for life) - elect gets the Eamon Dunphy treatment from top East Euro despot Lukashenko:


MINSK, November 17. /TASS/. Donald Trump’s election win will not do other countries any good given the fact that he will develop his policies guided by the US interests only, Belarus’s President Alexander Lukashenko said at a press conference held for the Russian regional media.

"You just can’t imagine how pro-American his policies will be. So my advice is to stop the media hype over his victory," Lukashenko said.

According to him, "Trump is a hardline pro-Amercian patriot, he is sure to put the US above all." "And we should think where our place will be, taking this policy into consideration," the Belarusian president noted. "He has no obligations concerning you and us, he didn’t promise anything," Lukashenko added.



Lukashenko says pinning high hopes on Trump is unreasonable

OT: you never hear of Belarus much anymore.

 

[CRI]

Doesn't it just make you feel sorry for poor Donald?

 

[chilango]

I'm presuming that is the protest against the nazi group - themselves openly and legally armed with AK47s and other weapons - in texas yesterday? Partisan they call themselves.

Any links to reports?

 

[CRI]

Alt-Right Exults in Donald Trump’s Election With a Salute: ‘Heil Victory’

 

[butchersapron]

Any links to reports?

Loads. Which i hadn't realised. I'm on an email list with someone who was there so was aware of it.

 

[CRI]

Hmm, not clear who shouted "Heil the people . . . " etc. Sure



snipped the full thing

 

[maomao]

Just a wee reminder for those who have forgotten about what the next US President's key international ally is doing, and will probably continue to do unhindered, with the full blessing of the US government, until nothing and no one is left to destroy.

Of course Clinton wasn't planning to bomb anyone at all, no siree.

 

[CRI]

Of course Clinton wasn't planning to bomb anyone at all, no siree.

Did I say that?
War is Hell and shitty, regardless. Deliberately bombing civilian and medical targets and using chemical weapons is a special kind of Hell and shitty, imho, but there you go.

 

[maomao]

Did I say that?
War is Hell and shitty, regardless. Deliberately bombing civilian aof Hell and shitty, imho, but there you go.

As hellish and shitty as the Russians are being in Syria right now I don't think in world terms they can really compete with the last 70 years of US 'foreign policy' under democrat and republican presidents alike, Obama included.

 

[rekil]

CRI Don't post links to nazi video channels please ta.

 

[CRI]

CRI Don't post links to nazi video channels please ta.

Apologies, I'll remove it and leave the clip.

 

[CRI]

As hellish and shitty as the Russians are being in Syria right now I don't think in world terms they can really compete with the last 70 years of US 'foreign policy' under democrat and republican presidents alike, Obama included.

Okay, US foreign policy has always been imperialist and often brutal. What's probably on the horizon will be like that with a fuckton of bells on. You're not bothered? Okay.

 

[maomao]

Okay, US foreign policy has always been imperialist and often brutal. What's probably on the horizon will be like that with a fuckton of bells on. You're not bothered? Okay.

I'm very bothered. I've been bothered for most of my life. You've been bothered for about two weeks.

 

[chilango]

Loads. Which i hadn't realised. I'm on an email list with someone who was there so was aware of it.

Thanks.