Shame and disgust first came to mind when I woke to find that Hillary Clinton lost the presidency. That was followed quickly with fear and despair. Goodbye rationalism, hello paranoia. Time to practice saluting to The Leader ... or else.
37
Dear President Obama:
Please disable all of our nukes before leaving office.
Thank you from a little less than half of the nation and the rest of the world.
Please disable all of our nukes before leaving office.
Thank you from a little less than half of the nation and the rest of the world.
86
I hope that all the die hard Hillary supporters can get access to her Inmate ID number so they can write her in the pokey.
19
Lot of Bernie fans lamenting that he could have won. Yeah, maybe, but his chance for governing were nil, not with minds like Cruz, Gohmert and Steve King, shouting leftie, commie!
28
"Crooked Hilary" (a.k.a. "Establishment") - the most succesful catchword of this Election.
Pundits and Op-Ed writers will never get it.
Pundits and Op-Ed writers will never get it.
30
Prepare for Armageddon with the prophecy of two colossal entites (USA and Russia) combining...and this dim bulb at the helm with the nukular code.
15
I want to know how Trump's supporters view his conflicts of interest. Maybe Mike Pence has already made a deal with old Scratch. Call Daniel Webster.
11
Yes, I do agree it was foolish for the DNC and the new media (I'm looking at you too, NYT) to force Clinton on us, when people were clearly more enthusiastic about Bernie... and watching the results slowly pour in tonight with agonizing heartbreak, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if the DNC elite had given Bernie a chance.
46
You guys are going to have to start flying over Ohio, now.
14
And the sob you heard was millions of Americans wondering what happened to decency and common sense. And the bang you will hear tomorrow will be our fists on the table vowing not to let down the fight for minority rights, women's rights, and human rights.
48
Trump was right: The system is rigged!
14
Mr. Bruni, with all due respect, your columns praised Hillary Clinton all year long. And now--not at the 11th hour, but at the 13th--you tell us that she really was not a particularly strong candidate? You're a bit late, I think.
57
Look on the bright side; we will not be going to war in Syria.
20
Excuse me Frank, but I don't recall you ever putting your support behind Bernie. And I distinctly recall the complete blackout on even mentioning Bernie's name. He is the one who could have creamed DT.
So, you and NYT should not act so shocked. This paper's part in this debacle and its early an ointment of Hillary played no small part. So in short, thanks for nothing NYT.
So, you and NYT should not act so shocked. This paper's part in this debacle and its early an ointment of Hillary played no small part. So in short, thanks for nothing NYT.
56
Perhaps,Trump wil start a newTV show once he takes he oval ofice,called The Apprentice,part I.''olks, this could be a scary show. I bet that the Dems will record it for use in the next election. It will have some juicy stuff on it!
2
As disgusted as I am by having to admit it, Karl Rove is still right. The only thing that matters is how excited you get your base. Sadly, a talent HRC was entirely devoid of.
30
This would have never happened if the DNC hadn't sandbagged Bernie. The entire DNC leadership should be turned out, along with their pollsters and pundits.
34
"After all the lies he told, all the fantasy he indulged in, all the hate he spewed and all the divisions he sharpened...."
When you're done whining, I trust you will realize that your words are projections of similar Democratic party actions and words.
The hate spewed by Black Lives Matters and campus "progressives" who often shut down dialogue or discussion in a fascist manner parading as "liberalism." The embraced hate of a Dem party platform which refused to disavow Nazi-era boycotts against the lone Jewish state and our ally, Israel.
The "sharpened divisions" stemming from "executive fiats", exemplified by an "Iranian nuclear deal" which was not debated in Congress, but instead signed as "an executive agreement," while Jews who did not support Obama on the "deal" were ostracized and shamed (yes, even Chuck Schumer).
The "sharpened divisions" caused by a Clinton campaign, and the DNC, which crapped on the hopes of young people by rigging the Bernie Sanders revolt and then proceeded to shame them into supporting the corrupt establishment figure named Hillary.
The lies told that "if you wish to keep your doctor, you can," which left many working class whites wondering why premiums were going up as their doctors could no longer treat them.
There is plenty here for the Dems to ponder, along with Republicans.
But you do a disservice when you point the finger instead of engaging in self-reflection.
When you're done whining, I trust you will realize that your words are projections of similar Democratic party actions and words.
The hate spewed by Black Lives Matters and campus "progressives" who often shut down dialogue or discussion in a fascist manner parading as "liberalism." The embraced hate of a Dem party platform which refused to disavow Nazi-era boycotts against the lone Jewish state and our ally, Israel.
The "sharpened divisions" stemming from "executive fiats", exemplified by an "Iranian nuclear deal" which was not debated in Congress, but instead signed as "an executive agreement," while Jews who did not support Obama on the "deal" were ostracized and shamed (yes, even Chuck Schumer).
The "sharpened divisions" caused by a Clinton campaign, and the DNC, which crapped on the hopes of young people by rigging the Bernie Sanders revolt and then proceeded to shame them into supporting the corrupt establishment figure named Hillary.
The lies told that "if you wish to keep your doctor, you can," which left many working class whites wondering why premiums were going up as their doctors could no longer treat them.
There is plenty here for the Dems to ponder, along with Republicans.
But you do a disservice when you point the finger instead of engaging in self-reflection.
20
I wonder if Goldman Sachse and the other behemoth banks are still going to pay millions in speaking fees to Hillary and Bill....
20
Still can't believe the KKK-endorsed candidate was elected. He is what he is. But who are we?
43
No, Frank.
It wasn't that she was a "profoundly flawed candidate".
It was that we were profoundly flawed citizens.
And given that that "news media" sat around for 600 days "blowing out of proportion" that earth-shaking non-story on emails instead of investigating Trump, I'm not surprised at how it went down. Horrified? Oh, yes. But no, no surprise here.
I'm just really P.O.ed that this country has just elected a man that no one has a clue who he is, how much he's worth, where his money is, what his plan is... you know.... facts.....
You may wring your hands for you "can't bear to think about the conflagrations to come", but I woke this morning remembering a few. Here we go:
Abortion is done and over. Planned Parenthood gone. Women and doctors in jail.
I remember him waving a list someone had given him, a list of potential Supreme Court Justices. The Republicans now hold the Presidency, the House and the Senate. They will determine who sits on the Supreme Court, and you can bet they will be the most uber-right-wing religious whacks in the USA.
Trump swore to take all restraints off religion. He will because he hasn't a clue what the First Amendment means. It means that the Dept. of Education will go. This has been the right's dream for 35 years.
The R's are finally going to get exactly what they want... with no legal impediment. They own it all.
Get in line, kiddos... or he'll fill Gitmo with you and kill your family.... just like he said....
It wasn't that she was a "profoundly flawed candidate".
It was that we were profoundly flawed citizens.
And given that that "news media" sat around for 600 days "blowing out of proportion" that earth-shaking non-story on emails instead of investigating Trump, I'm not surprised at how it went down. Horrified? Oh, yes. But no, no surprise here.
I'm just really P.O.ed that this country has just elected a man that no one has a clue who he is, how much he's worth, where his money is, what his plan is... you know.... facts.....
You may wring your hands for you "can't bear to think about the conflagrations to come", but I woke this morning remembering a few. Here we go:
Abortion is done and over. Planned Parenthood gone. Women and doctors in jail.
I remember him waving a list someone had given him, a list of potential Supreme Court Justices. The Republicans now hold the Presidency, the House and the Senate. They will determine who sits on the Supreme Court, and you can bet they will be the most uber-right-wing religious whacks in the USA.
Trump swore to take all restraints off religion. He will because he hasn't a clue what the First Amendment means. It means that the Dept. of Education will go. This has been the right's dream for 35 years.
The R's are finally going to get exactly what they want... with no legal impediment. They own it all.
Get in line, kiddos... or he'll fill Gitmo with you and kill your family.... just like he said....
39
No, it wasn't something inexplicable. It was long due and foresight, well outside the NYT building, at least.
what the NYT editorial board and the ex mrs. Rodham Clinton's surrogates ( now again called columnists ) didn't get at the time was baffling today.
1) Insult the insulter didn't turn anyone to vote for the other candidate ( the incentive?)
2) Insult the voters as the memorable "47% of takers" phrase that costed mr. Romney's presidency should have clicked out that comment about mr. Trumpìs voters as "50% despicables". That, in fact actually costs her presidency.
3) Attack the character and personality didn't change a voter's mind ( look that wasn't about electing a new Pope, where moral compass is paramount as much as electing a doing-better for americans at home AND THEN on the foreign stage. maybe now the NYT did get it that there was not a foreign elected president and an elected president. It is one single elected president.)
Now the NYT can dismiss and give a ribbon and a pat on the shoulder to mrs. Rodham Clinton and thank her for having costed the democrats this Sanders presidency ( if you don't believe that, take a look at the rust belt votes, and think again )
what the NYT editorial board and the ex mrs. Rodham Clinton's surrogates ( now again called columnists ) didn't get at the time was baffling today.
1) Insult the insulter didn't turn anyone to vote for the other candidate ( the incentive?)
2) Insult the voters as the memorable "47% of takers" phrase that costed mr. Romney's presidency should have clicked out that comment about mr. Trumpìs voters as "50% despicables". That, in fact actually costs her presidency.
3) Attack the character and personality didn't change a voter's mind ( look that wasn't about electing a new Pope, where moral compass is paramount as much as electing a doing-better for americans at home AND THEN on the foreign stage. maybe now the NYT did get it that there was not a foreign elected president and an elected president. It is one single elected president.)
Now the NYT can dismiss and give a ribbon and a pat on the shoulder to mrs. Rodham Clinton and thank her for having costed the democrats this Sanders presidency ( if you don't believe that, take a look at the rust belt votes, and think again )
22
Mr. Bruni,
I am sorry that Mr. Trump won; I voted for him.
What you accuse the Democratic elite of-- you about reflect carefully upon--you are Hillary and a Democratic elite.
Arrogant and foolish. Your columns have been one long diatribe (yes, diatribe) of narcissism.
I am sorry that Mr. Trump won; I voted for him.
What you accuse the Democratic elite of-- you about reflect carefully upon--you are Hillary and a Democratic elite.
Arrogant and foolish. Your columns have been one long diatribe (yes, diatribe) of narcissism.
26
well, in the "conflagrations to come," you can pour more gasoline (how's that been working for you?) or do some digging and lifting...it says here that no one is "irredeemable" so, forthwith, a silver-dollar wager on your good faith and fair mind...point out the flaws (no wall will ever stop the problems of illegal migration or drug traffic) offer your best solution (hint: you can't leave it at "the wall won't work"), and pin down the "generalistics" (neither candidate had much to say, for only one example, about a job corps or other program (see fdr) to address infrastructure repair, much less national service requirements that might help get kids started and create some connection to the republic for which they're supposed to stand...and so on with due diligence and depth of focus...skip the lazy brick tossing (no matter at whom, both candidates, spewed hate, hillary's hand basket hells were hardly welcoming) and sharpened divisions (cellar-dwelling baristas, coal miners and catholics will tell you about that)...so get out there, listen to america full time if you want to find out what its citizens have to say.
on that subject, btw, it was the politics of the LAST few years that gave trump "the highest office in the land," grasp that and portent for the next few will become clearer...for starters try howard beale (the news anchor in "network") whose slogan, "i'm mad as hell and i'm not going to take it any more" sums it up.
on that subject, btw, it was the politics of the LAST few years that gave trump "the highest office in the land," grasp that and portent for the next few will become clearer...for starters try howard beale (the news anchor in "network") whose slogan, "i'm mad as hell and i'm not going to take it any more" sums it up.
7
Looks like the voters totally rejected all the media's lies, most especially Bruni's.
17
In the vein of Michael Moore, the people have spoken and are extending a big middle finger at the establishment. The chips were stacked against Donald Trump, but he has won. Let's hope this victory rocks the media to its core. Get back to your roots of rugged journalism, not pandering to a particular candidate.
51
You could have listened to Bernie Sanders.
44
NY Times lost its gray lady traits in this election, colluding with the DNC to elect Hillary when she has such a pathetic chance of winning. Horrible reporting with lack of coverage to Sanders, a completely erroneous probability scale running non stop that was just a joke and pushing Trump coverage as if he was a side show vs a title weight.
Sad day for this country and an even more sad day for journalism...
Sad day for this country and an even more sad day for journalism...
57
You and the entire NYT editorial board are clearly out of step with the average American. Your sneering elitism offends and infuriates many, many people.
42
The DNC, and yes you NYTs, ignored, then scoffed at Bernie.Right, unicorns and rainbows, and fairy dust.America was was looking for a populist.The mass media and the DNC, threw the populist who had integrity, honesty, and was advocating for every US citizen, as his agenda,right under the bus.So now we have a bigot,misogynist as president.Hang on to your hats.Social Security and Medicare will likely be privatized.College tuition will only increase.Water quality will not only happen in Flint.The 1% will get their tax cuts, the middle class and working class will see their taxes increased. Oh, there will be no middle class or working class soon. Welcome to the new America.The Statue of America should be shipped back to France. Our country was once great. We are now a banana republic.We actually have elected a president, who bragged about grabbing p.......
26
11/9 feels like 9/11.
This time we did it to ourselves.
This time we did it to ourselves.
45
They were both very flawed candidates but only one had the credentials the world expects an American President to possess. Unfortunately for America, that candidate lacked the ONE credential many still demand in their President, a Y Chromosome. Gender seems to have been the factor that none of the polls took into account. A majority of people in this country, men and women, cannot see a Woman in the Oval Office except maybe to push a vacuum cleaner. How much longer will we have to wait to break that glass ceiling? When WOMEN, young and old, can shake the belief that they are not as capable as men.
19
Forgive them, for they know not what they have done...
8
I'd like to thank all the third party voters who didn't vote for Clinton in order to avenge Bernie. You've ruined us by not voting for the Democratic candidate, and your "Bernie would have trounced him!" won't help us now. Do you feel righteous this morning?
26
"There was an arrogance and foolishness to lining up behind Hillary Clinton as soon as so many Democratic leaders did, and to putting all their chips on her."
Why oh why didn't you pen this in January, Frank?
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/opinion/sunday/hillary-clinton-endorse...
Why oh why didn't you pen this in January, Frank?
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/opinion/sunday/hillary-clinton-endorse...
18
It isn't Trump I am worried about as much as who would be in his administration. We saw the damage Rumsfeld and Cheney et al did. Can you imagine Guliani as Attorney General? To all those white guys brandishing their pocket Constitutions (but never actually reading it) you might as well rip out the Bill of Rights and use it as toilet paper. Because that's about all the respect Guliani has for it.
95
This is what happens when people think those who disagree with them are just plain stupid, misogynistic, racist or clinically insane. This is what happens when you support candidates you don't like, trust or believe in, simply because they aren't the other party's candidate. This is what happens when you aren't really connected to how people feel. And most of all, this is what happens when you are more concerned with your agenda and legacy than you are with the people you govern.
20
From rom the other side of the world comes many a plaintive cry:
Oh, America, what have you done?
Oh, America, what have you done?
12
ok, Mr. Bruni, so you and other Clintonites are in the first of the five (or seven, as you will) stages of grief ... don't get too down; "acceptance" is coming sooner or later... meanwhile, we can all be thankful that you have far too little influence to incite the "conflagrations" that your state of "denial" (or are you already in stage 2 ?) would so irresponsibly seem to advocate
5
Betcha' all wish Bernie Sanders was the nominee, hey?
Well, there's always 2020 IF we make it that far.
Well, there's always 2020 IF we make it that far.
11
The Opinion Pages|Donald Trump’s Shocking Success — The shocking failure of the NYTs is more like it. The self appointed masters of the universe delivered us a candidate so despised by more that half the country that an ignorant clown beat her. Point your finger at the DNC and the DEM leadership. All of them should be pilloried. Don't ever mention Clinton to me again.
Ps: Her campaign was about nothing. — Think that might have something to do with it?
Ps: Her campaign was about nothing. — Think that might have something to do with it?
27
Frank, you and your colleagues need to climb down off of your ivory towers and understand how the real America thinks. All of you missed this when it was hitting you in the face since the primaries began. How about a column on the demise of the Democratic Party? Since 2014 it's been a bloodbath.
17
People laughed at Trump and his supporters from the start, but never once did they address the issues they were introducing. And here again, the NYT claims it's "disaffected working-class white men". No, it is the people who are annoyed that anyone who can manage to get across the border can stay, it is the person who worked hard all their life and watched their life savings go up in smoke and not one banker go to jail. It is the people who have watched people settle into Washington and never leave, who feel entitled to their office. Trump is a joke, but the Democrats did not listen to the real fears that Americans have. They pander to minorities, but they ignore the majority at their peril. And this is what you get, when you don't listen. Welcome to the new reality show that is America. Pat yourself on the back NYT, you are part of the problem. Those people who live in fly over territory are sick of your lectures and you failed to practice journalism during the campaign, you got on the Hillary bandwagon and never got off.
41
America is officially tired of hip hop being shoved down their throats....Should of listened to C. Delores Tucker
10
To all the editors and readers of the NYT who are in shock: besides yourselves, the person whom you should hold most accountable is your hero, Barack Obama. I voted for Trump and it was not a tough decision. What WOULD have been tough for me would have been Biden -but Obama, in his predictable certitude, forced him out. As always, Barack Knows Best. I'm not a Democrat but I can see that Joe Biden loves his country in a way that Hillary Clinton (and Barack Obama) never have. They are just grievance candidates.
16
People responsible for this include:
The media - you served yourselves instead of your country. Happy now? Did you make plenty of money off of this? Did you get your eyeballs, advertising time and all of that?
Hillary Clinton and the Democrats - by being so dishonest about the emails, the Clinton Foundation, Wall Street speeches and so much else, you have allowed Hitler to be elected. The best revenge I can imagine is for Hillary to see Elizabeth Warren elected as the first woman President.
Black voters - you went to the polls for one of your own, but for this you were - kind of busy, disinterested, or whatever? Trump said that those 5 black kids from New York were guilty of raping the Central Park jogger when they were proven innocent. He wants "law and order", and that means against you. But you had other things on your mind. A bunch of under educated white guys voted and you stayed home. You like to make a lot of noise, but you can't be relied on when the going gets tough. You deserve whatever happens.
The media - you served yourselves instead of your country. Happy now? Did you make plenty of money off of this? Did you get your eyeballs, advertising time and all of that?
Hillary Clinton and the Democrats - by being so dishonest about the emails, the Clinton Foundation, Wall Street speeches and so much else, you have allowed Hitler to be elected. The best revenge I can imagine is for Hillary to see Elizabeth Warren elected as the first woman President.
Black voters - you went to the polls for one of your own, but for this you were - kind of busy, disinterested, or whatever? Trump said that those 5 black kids from New York were guilty of raping the Central Park jogger when they were proven innocent. He wants "law and order", and that means against you. But you had other things on your mind. A bunch of under educated white guys voted and you stayed home. You like to make a lot of noise, but you can't be relied on when the going gets tough. You deserve whatever happens.
25
Apparently the voters were suffering from "economic anxiety", according to pundits. Well, they're about to get ECONOMIC ANXIETY on steroids. The sheer stupidity.
22
Don't be so snarkey about what Trump had, his hair and ego.
No. what he had was a deeply flawed opponent in HRC.
Take the blinders off Mr. Bruni. Climb out of your narrow view and see what many have known. If this is what it took to bring down Clinton and the DNC with fools such as DWSchultz and D Brasile so be it.
No. what he had was a deeply flawed opponent in HRC.
Take the blinders off Mr. Bruni. Climb out of your narrow view and see what many have known. If this is what it took to bring down Clinton and the DNC with fools such as DWSchultz and D Brasile so be it.
23
"That shriek of horror was mine." Really? Because I thought it that was me.
.....and everybody else I know.
.....and everybody else I know.
21
Geez, I guess it's time for you to move to Canada.
7
Stunning and mind numbing. That's what Donald Trumps's election has left
the American public. Reviewing the past columns of the op-ed writers of
the NYTIMES, Blow, Brooks, Bruni, Cohen, Collins, Douthat, Dowd, Friedman,
Kristof and Krugman, is revealing about Trump's failings. These columnists
did not explore his strengths, nor his appeal to people who were
dissatisfied with the current Obama administration. Readers of the
TIMES are not responsible for Trump's victory. The columnists failed to show
his enormous appeal to millions of voters.
the American public. Reviewing the past columns of the op-ed writers of
the NYTIMES, Blow, Brooks, Bruni, Cohen, Collins, Douthat, Dowd, Friedman,
Kristof and Krugman, is revealing about Trump's failings. These columnists
did not explore his strengths, nor his appeal to people who were
dissatisfied with the current Obama administration. Readers of the
TIMES are not responsible for Trump's victory. The columnists failed to show
his enormous appeal to millions of voters.
11
When you burn your house down, you better be ready to be homeless for awhile.
16
Be very afraid. ...
12
Hillary never should have run. Period. It was the emails, hubris and Bill's baggage. To all the Nay Sayers about Bernie Sanders: I told you so.
27
I love the NYT, but not everything in it. I have dreamed of the opportunity to write this comment for 18 months. WRONG. as usual wrong.
11
About Trump's "shocking success: Tell it to the media !
8
PT Barnum and HL Mencken were right.
10
The arrogance and ignorance of the DNC vis a vis the American electorate and what they were clearly hungry for (i.,e., a candidate they could believe in...which was handed to them on a silver platter: BERNIE), has resulted in this horrible result! Bernie Sanders was the only candidate who polled, consistently, higher than the Donald, but (sigh) Hillary was foisted upon us...since, you know, Bernie was unelectable...the biggest loser in all this? The American People!
24
I guess all the name calling didn't work out where is Charlie Blow today...can't wait for his balanced thoughtful perspective....
14
Well, so much for the pollsters! Fire them all! I put the blame on the Democrats. They could have nominated Sanders........with all her negative baggage, Hillary was unelectable from the start, not to mention having tons of bad karma, but the machine pushed her onto the public nonetheless. So...this is what we get. Remember, Hitler was elected democratically, too. Ain't democracy great??? So, if we thought the Bush era was bad, this could be a lot worse. However, unlike Clinton, Trump hasn't killed anyone (yet), hasn't taken big money from the Saudis, given big money to al-Qaeda, etc. I just wonder if/when he's going to arrest her for war crimes? Ha! Huge mandate for his plans, now. Ugh....fasten your seat belts, people....greatness has a price....and yes, you will pay.
9
come on now bruni,hillary losed not because of putin or comey,she losed because she is not authentic,pretends to care about theworking class but dresses as a rich person played dirty with bernie.You receice what you sow,she cannot thank her supporters after conceding,she lacks character.
7
Yes, isn't it shocking, Frank, that so few voters read the NYT pundits.
We Dems picked the wrong candidate. Here's how & why we blew it ... https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/09/donald-trump-white...
Time to reform the party – Sanders and Warren, do your stuff.
We Dems picked the wrong candidate. Here's how & why we blew it ... https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/09/donald-trump-white...
Time to reform the party – Sanders and Warren, do your stuff.
13
Amazing how Bruni and some commentators fail to factor in a few variables.
1. The GOP has been sowing the seeds of hatred, discontent for years- they collected on it tonight;
2. Working class white men have a penchant for voting against their self interests, remember Reagan?
3. The electorate was fed lies as a steady diet by GOP, Trump and the media. HRC & DJT were on equal footing? Really? Are you that gullible or perhaps have dulled synapses?
4. The Trump campaign appealed to the lowest common denominator, fueled by strategies set by Breitbart hacks;
5. Oh yeah, and then there are those pesky isms...race-ism, sex-ism, class-ism, native-ism.
Perhaps you were oblivious to what was occurring ...or maybe you were part of the whitelash, or bought into the tired, old, and cheap misogyny propegated by DJT. Well there is an old saying...you get the government you deserve, and this is the hard truth America. We created this Frankenstein, through the Tea Party, a Republican power structure that was all about obstructionism & divisive fear mongering demogogues. This hell is the product of our labour.
1. The GOP has been sowing the seeds of hatred, discontent for years- they collected on it tonight;
2. Working class white men have a penchant for voting against their self interests, remember Reagan?
3. The electorate was fed lies as a steady diet by GOP, Trump and the media. HRC & DJT were on equal footing? Really? Are you that gullible or perhaps have dulled synapses?
4. The Trump campaign appealed to the lowest common denominator, fueled by strategies set by Breitbart hacks;
5. Oh yeah, and then there are those pesky isms...race-ism, sex-ism, class-ism, native-ism.
Perhaps you were oblivious to what was occurring ...or maybe you were part of the whitelash, or bought into the tired, old, and cheap misogyny propegated by DJT. Well there is an old saying...you get the government you deserve, and this is the hard truth America. We created this Frankenstein, through the Tea Party, a Republican power structure that was all about obstructionism & divisive fear mongering demogogues. This hell is the product of our labour.
21
i see your true color shining through ...
i never thought this would be a sad song to me and the world
i never thought this would be a sad song to me and the world
1
The Republican Establishment did not want Trump...but he did prevail and won. The Democratic Establishment wanted Clinton. They got her...and she lost. Sanders was the man...but was cheated.
15
I guess the election was RIGGED!
5
Well NY'ers, your New Yorker map, with huge coasts and terra-incognito lands west of the Hudson has been dispelled. The real AMERICA is somewhere you might visit! Not as fashionable as the Family Safari to Kenya or Costa Rica, but a drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway with side trips down into the towns below might make you more aware of American-Americans exotic culture. Yes, their strange religious customs and marriage rites (male and female only!), young woman becoming pregnant before they pass the bar, their *guns* all make for a fascinating journey. And their minds informed by their deep roots in the soil unencumbered by climate "science" evoke a long forgotten era.
Appalachia, the Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley, the energy boom towns in the Dakotas, Alaska, Louisiana Texas, Wyoming etc., the small towns with the Peterbuilt or Fleetwood cab and 18 wheeler in the driveway saying "daddy's home", men with bellies and unashamed lacking the pretense of speaking softly privately as if generously dispensing drops of business acumen, but no gym bag, nor golf- shoes ....
YES, you need to see a Travel Section for exotic cultures of fly-over country!
Appalachia, the Mississippi Valley, the Ohio Valley, the energy boom towns in the Dakotas, Alaska, Louisiana Texas, Wyoming etc., the small towns with the Peterbuilt or Fleetwood cab and 18 wheeler in the driveway saying "daddy's home", men with bellies and unashamed lacking the pretense of speaking softly privately as if generously dispensing drops of business acumen, but no gym bag, nor golf- shoes ....
YES, you need to see a Travel Section for exotic cultures of fly-over country!
17
The writer, like many of his fellow journalists supported the status quo in Washington which is destroying the fabric of our country. Mired in debt, involved in meaningless wars, ignoring the inner cities and desperately needed infrastructure repairs....
The media has done a disservice to our country for being so biased and not reporting the TRUTH.
The media has done a disservice to our country for being so biased and not reporting the TRUTH.
11
Beyoncé and Jay Z on the front page of the N.Y. times with Hillary at a time when the 'Ferguson effect' (see Chicago, among other places) is not only obvious but also a high profile national concern; what was she thinking?
9
And so, the unimaginable has happened: Trump won! I struggle to find the words to describe my emotions . . shame, sadness and fear come the closest. It seems we really are that racist, misogynistic and, yes, ignorant. Trump knows nothing; his supporters know less although they match him in the first two categories. The news media has failed us miserably, but, in truth, I suspect most Trump voters don't consume any “news” except FOX and Rush. But the real networks and respectable newspapers, virtually every one of which endorsed HRC, were, in the end, no better. Now, they tell us in their mea culpas, that they misjudged the depths of “blue collar” and rural discontent with the “establishment”. Here it was all about "change". To which I can only say, in the words of Saint Ronnie, “There you go again!” If this was a “change” election, why does one struggle to find any change agents elected other than the fool from the tower? Look at the faces beaming behind him: Rudy, Newt, Christie, Pence and on and on. Look at the Senators and Congressmen reelected. Change? I think not. Trump voters and the chastened media now cry “Change!”, but we have in fact doubled down on establishment figures who espouse racism, economic policies favoring only the wealthiest, male dominance and science denial. Perhaps Jesus would forgive these voters “for they know not what they do”; I cannot.
15
Hillary must demand a re-count.
As after 9/11 my phone has not stopped ringing this dismal morning, with European friends offering condolences and my American family almost too shell-shocked to speak. We have now not only validated the "Lord of Misrule" Donald Trump and his acolyte Pence but all his court jesters- the Palins, Christies, Giulianis, Limbaughs, Bannons, Hannitys ad nauseum and given them agency over us.
With such people at the fore, our national nightmare is only beginning.
With such people at the fore, our national nightmare is only beginning.
13
Why the sideswipe at Sanders? Had to do it I guess.
12
"Shocking" only to you, Frank, you and the best and brightest at the NYT.
Greg Gerner Wake Forest, NC November 3, 2016
The complacency of the Democratic Party, of the Democratic "elite" (I gag as I write that), of the DNC, of Obama, of Hillary, of the Washington Consensus, of the media elite (I'm looking at YOU, NYTs) toward the genuine needs and real concerns of the bottom 90% of the US population is truly breathtaking to behold. This level of contempt, this level of obliviousness as to the real state of the world never goes unpunished, nor should it, be that at the ballot box or worse. This complacency, this utter disregard of the well-being of the overwhelming majority of the American citizenry leads to a warning, which you may take or leave as you wish: The Hamptons is not a defensible position. Eventually, people will come for you. (See also France, 1789.)
Greg Gerner Wake Forest, NC November 3, 2016
The complacency of the Democratic Party, of the Democratic "elite" (I gag as I write that), of the DNC, of Obama, of Hillary, of the Washington Consensus, of the media elite (I'm looking at YOU, NYTs) toward the genuine needs and real concerns of the bottom 90% of the US population is truly breathtaking to behold. This level of contempt, this level of obliviousness as to the real state of the world never goes unpunished, nor should it, be that at the ballot box or worse. This complacency, this utter disregard of the well-being of the overwhelming majority of the American citizenry leads to a warning, which you may take or leave as you wish: The Hamptons is not a defensible position. Eventually, people will come for you. (See also France, 1789.)
17
A new day. We woke like Rip Van Winkel from his long nap in the Hudson Valley to find that an American Revolution had taken place while we slept. The American media - of which you are part and parcel, respected and loved as you may be by we the people, your admirers - failed to see the reality of this horrendous presidential campaign, and literally hyped Hillary Clinton to a fare-thee-well. America swings like a pendulum do. Time to embrace a new American reality which will be the Trump Presidency. The "conflagrations to come" you mention, Frank, may well be the crucible in which our blighted Democratic Party is refining itself. Meanwhile we must bind up our wounds and get on with life.
5
I wonder what celebrities Trump will be able to lure to the White House. Scott Baio and who else? Ted Nugent?
3
Welcome to Yahoo, uneducated America. A horror show indeed. Thank god I live in California. I wish we could create our own state.
10
Conflagrations have started.
1
Get a grip Mr. Bruni, perhaps next time the democrats will not railroad an entitled isolated out of touch candidate, that for whom winning was the only thing. Give credit to the American people, they showed wisdom and character.
Accept the result, give him a chance to settle in, and then if necessary, you can renew your elegant vitriol.
Accept the result, give him a chance to settle in, and then if necessary, you can renew your elegant vitriol.
11
Lost in all this is the death of Beau Biden, and the profound effect it had on the race. Had Joe Biden entered the race, we would have had a candidate with experience AND a warmth that America could connect to. Hillary Clinton was always cut out to be a wonky "prime minister" in a country that often favors personality over competence in choosing its president.
10
To cite a line twice spoken from the Mad Men episode The Flood, "It's a shameful day."
8
Election in 2020? Never assume.
6
Really enjoying reading the Times editorial page this morning.
8
Mind blowing result just a yesterday the entire media /Press including a few Republicans and the entire Democratic party and its sympathizers including the current President Obama and political experts & soothsayers were predicting a comfortable Hillary Clinton Win ,but alas the majority American electorate surprised us just like Mandrake the magician bestowed power to Donald Trump as the 45th President of USA
4
Let's be frank, Frank: A big reason that Mrs. Clinton lost was because too many voters couldn't stomach the idea of having a female Commander-in-Chief. This election was as much a backlash against feminism as it was against the political elites.
20
Maybe all those people in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin got tired of having their homes called the rust belt. It's as if pundits like Bruni know their preferred policies are responsible for the destruction of all those lives and jobs but simply do not care. Those people are just like rust... decaying, weak, losing coherence... Rusting waste to be discarded by the new economy.
Well, they aren't dead yet.
Well, they aren't dead yet.
10
I am sick and heartbroken. How do we now tell our kids that hard work and substance matters when the country has handed the presidency to an ill-informed man with only a slick slogan and nothing behind it, and who has never served someone other than himself? You can blame Hillary Clinton for losing the election because she had the audacity to have policies and not a "pithy, pointed message," but at least you knew she would work hard to get those plans put in place for the American people. What now America? Did you happen to hear through all the slogans and name-calling any actual plans that will affect your life in the 21st Century, other than one to build a wall? I agree a wall will be built, but it will be a wall impeding American progress in the global economy. May God help us all.
14
It's mourning in America.
Apologies to the rest of the world.
Apologies to the rest of the world.
7
Thank you for insights that make me feel a bit
better.
Unfortunately, though, it's not just what the
next four years hold. After Trump gets
done with the Supreme Court, whatever
oligarchic changes he makes will be
set in stone.
better.
Unfortunately, though, it's not just what the
next four years hold. After Trump gets
done with the Supreme Court, whatever
oligarchic changes he makes will be
set in stone.
7
So much of what you write is true, but why were you not writing it before the election? The Times was so pro Hillary and so smug about it, they failed to contemplate a Trump victory. They failed to see Hillary as the flawed candidate you now point her out as being. A little too late, I might add. I did not vote for Trump. I did very reluctantly vote for Hillary, but my real support was with Bernie Sanders. This is a sad, sad day.
20
As much of the America that the media knows- the coastal America, the urban America, the elite America, the Washington power-broker America- stands stunned and confused by this upset, they are belatedly waking up to the fact that they aren't the only America. Much of that elite America, the America who seems to live in its own bubble, anointed a flawed candidate and blindly refused to see or hear any criticism. Any negativism must have been coming from a handful of misogynistic, racist, homophobic, uneducated white men.
Many in this elite America view the people who live in 'fly-over' country as simple bumpkins who provide their food and the cannon fodder for their military, and little else. They don't know or even like the other half of America. They are shocked if they happen to inadvertently drive out to the country and suddenly see roadsides awash in Trump signs.
To that America and much of the media who promoted and defended a Hillary candidacy all I can say is you did this to yourself. You sabotaged Bernie's chances and in doing so made this outcome as possible. You blindly followed the DNC leadership to a stunning defeat. Thanks a bunch.
Many in this elite America view the people who live in 'fly-over' country as simple bumpkins who provide their food and the cannon fodder for their military, and little else. They don't know or even like the other half of America. They are shocked if they happen to inadvertently drive out to the country and suddenly see roadsides awash in Trump signs.
To that America and much of the media who promoted and defended a Hillary candidacy all I can say is you did this to yourself. You sabotaged Bernie's chances and in doing so made this outcome as possible. You blindly followed the DNC leadership to a stunning defeat. Thanks a bunch.
27
The media is "shocked." Most of us are not. The media has been more disconnected from reality than either of the candidates.
16
Am I wrong in thinking that the realty TV Honey Boo Boo Duck Dynasty Nation just elected our 45th President? I have not felt this despondent since September 12, 2001
15
Folks here still aren't getting it - or at least, the folks who didn't support Bernie aren't getting it. Best analysis I've read - and one that I found immensely heartening: http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/michael_hudson_on_why_trump_is_the_...
3
For anyone at the Times to write "There was an arrogance and foolishness to lining up behind Hillary Clinton as soon as so many Democratic leaders did, and to putting all their chips on her." without embarrassment is an act of extreme obtuseness. Your newspaper's unflagging Clinton boosterism was a major factor in eliminating the one Democratic candidate who could have harnessed the national mood.
36
The 2008 Crash took $trillions out of our economy, mainly in those rural areas that voted so heavily for Trump. And they have not come back to economic prosperity. Obama sent NONE of the fraudsters and criminals to jail. NOT ONE!
The urban areas and the counties around Washington DC bounced back quickly. Wall Street and corporations were bailed out, and the flyover parts of the country were left to wither on the vine.
Hillary's "strategy" was to play the odds, work the numbers, and focus group on those urban areas with the biggest votes for the buck, ignoring vast swaths of the country in real need. She represented the elite, aloof, detached, cynical, smug, limousine Liberal that talks a populist game but cozies up to the Big Money at every chance.
The victims have voted. They blame Bill Clinton for helping to deregulate the financial industry. They blame Obama for not prosecuting the people who caused the 2008 crash and for not curbing the banks (Wells-Fargo anyone?). And they blame Hillary for being so greedy over the years and not really understanding what they are living. "Deplorables" is just icing on the cake to people whose lives and livelihoods have been destroyed.
The urban areas and the counties around Washington DC bounced back quickly. Wall Street and corporations were bailed out, and the flyover parts of the country were left to wither on the vine.
Hillary's "strategy" was to play the odds, work the numbers, and focus group on those urban areas with the biggest votes for the buck, ignoring vast swaths of the country in real need. She represented the elite, aloof, detached, cynical, smug, limousine Liberal that talks a populist game but cozies up to the Big Money at every chance.
The victims have voted. They blame Bill Clinton for helping to deregulate the financial industry. They blame Obama for not prosecuting the people who caused the 2008 crash and for not curbing the banks (Wells-Fargo anyone?). And they blame Hillary for being so greedy over the years and not really understanding what they are living. "Deplorables" is just icing on the cake to people whose lives and livelihoods have been destroyed.
23
This isn't just about Trump. I rely on sources like the NY Times to be my window to the world. Now I'm realizing how distorted and short-sighted my view has been over the last several months. I have to wonder what other stories based on 'data' is being completely mischaracterized by the media.
24
This is a sad day of the United States.
8
It's inequality and frustration. The pitchfork rabble.
4
The term "Bully Pulpit" has now taken on an ominous "double entendre" meaning.
6
Many are sad and many are gloating but we should all mourn for our Republic. Mr. Franklin has his answer. Let the just hope it is a gentle authoritaxn nation we become.
3
Frank the shock and horror was mine too.
Lat night as I was watching the election outcome with my husband which was slowly unfolding went to bed thinking hey there is still CA .
This morning first thing I looked in my ipad was Times and it says Trump Triumphs .
Felt a shiver going down my body and now I am facing the reality. Yesterday I was going to have a blue balloon on my mail box so all my Republicans could see.
Anyways Hillary Clinton gave it all she had and I disagree with you there was no other candidate to beat her. Her biggest baggage was Bill Clinton.
Perhaps Hillary Clinton was lucky and can retire while we have to face the mess of Trump.
Lat night as I was watching the election outcome with my husband which was slowly unfolding went to bed thinking hey there is still CA .
This morning first thing I looked in my ipad was Times and it says Trump Triumphs .
Felt a shiver going down my body and now I am facing the reality. Yesterday I was going to have a blue balloon on my mail box so all my Republicans could see.
Anyways Hillary Clinton gave it all she had and I disagree with you there was no other candidate to beat her. Her biggest baggage was Bill Clinton.
Perhaps Hillary Clinton was lucky and can retire while we have to face the mess of Trump.
2
H Clinton was likely in touch with the average voter when she was younger but she has been too far removed for too long. Too many people feel disenfranchised and she did not speak to those people as Sanders did.
And let's remember the contribution of Wasserman Schultz to this election. The Democrats had a candidate who did much better in head to head polling against Trump but Wasserman Schultz didn't like him so she did everything she could to make sure he didn't get the nomination.
And let's remember the contribution of Wasserman Schultz to this election. The Democrats had a candidate who did much better in head to head polling against Trump but Wasserman Schultz didn't like him so she did everything she could to make sure he didn't get the nomination.
16
Hah! Brexit redux. I remember the Times' Brexit coverage - and that from other East Coast institutions, like the New Yorker, all of which completely failed to get under the skin of Brexit, and instead traduced the motives of the Leave voters as xenophobic, inward looking, driven entirely by race and immigration issues. Well America has had its Peasant's Revolt now, and liberal America has been deservedly pitchforked.
On another note, we're all highly amused here that a French minister tweeted last night "The world is collapsing". But it's been taken down now...
On another note, we're all highly amused here that a French minister tweeted last night "The world is collapsing". But it's been taken down now...
4
Those of us watching the media play and replay every sick sound bite Trump delivered to death are not so surprised. The media handed this election to Trump on a silver platter. You couldn't get enough of him and his outrageous claims so you never did the real homework of exposing him for the pathological liar he is until it was too late and he had convinced the electorate to buy into his hate-mongering rhetoric.
In the meantime you couldn't shut up about Hillary's emails--a grossly over-reported and inconsequential story you all used to bury the poor woman who absolutely deserved to be President.
Shame on all of you for your role in destroying everything we hold dear. A dark time is upon us and it's on your heads - not ours and certainly not Hillary's.
In the meantime you couldn't shut up about Hillary's emails--a grossly over-reported and inconsequential story you all used to bury the poor woman who absolutely deserved to be President.
Shame on all of you for your role in destroying everything we hold dear. A dark time is upon us and it's on your heads - not ours and certainly not Hillary's.
14
Repeal of the Voting Rights Act
Comey
Wikileaks
Putin
A woman reviled for 30 yrs
Emails
And now, reality TV personified.
Comey
Wikileaks
Putin
A woman reviled for 30 yrs
Emails
And now, reality TV personified.
7
Now that Trump has repeatedly vilified the media and, specifically, the New York Times, it is the sacred duty of the media to guard the truth. Now, more than ever, the role of print press and televised news must be to shine the brightest light on government. Be our beacon, please. Please.
8
With the Republicans in charge of everything, we will now see a new dawn of Nirvana-- right? The fools who voted for him and the fools who didn't support her - how long will it take them to figure out that someone who Putin likes, someone who says he has secret plans to pay for universal infrastructure, instantly ending Isis, no more medical bankruptcies, and making all jobs return... someone whose smarmy character is set at age 70. Well, good luck with that. And a special thanks to the Republican leadership--you sold your souls.
17
Today, for the first time in my life, I am ashamed to be an American.
16
Thank you NYT, CNN, and liberal media. Never was a candidate so demonized nor his supporters so misrepresented as Trump. Your reporting clearly demonstrated the corruption of the Clinton campaign. Pro-Trump articles and stories were dropped or underreported. Letters to the editor went unpublished. No one listened or cared and Trump supporters were categorized as racist, uninformed, poorly educated, or influenced by the Russians/Hitler. Clinton supporters meanwhile were smug, snarky, and self-righteous, including the POTUS and FLOTUS. Clinton's faults were blamed on everything except Clinton, while Trump's faults were greatly exaggerated and considered personal character flaws. Who was bullying whom in this race? Toward the end of thre night, Clinton went to bed. What does that really say about her as a woman, her fitness for office, or grace as a candidate?
6
Dear NY Times, Never give up. Please keep up the fight. I was so grateful for your coverage and opinions. We are the people of the U.S., and we need you--now more than ever. Continue to speak truth to lies, and to shame the liars. Continue to speak for the people. I don't understand how people ignore the data and are swayed by propaganda. I don't understand how people hate themselves and their neighbors so much, that they would embrace violence, disgust, derision and put all that ugliness up on a pedestal.
10
" What does that portend"
The ugliness you mentioned was already there. I saw meritocracy begin to wane in the corporate world after another, quieter, but just as evil, incompetent take office. We are still suffering the mark of the 'W'!
Personally, I saw the "white" guy's pain....especially the highly educated ones.
I just didn't know how ubiquitous it was.
In the red and blue belts we are all acutely aware of incredulous CEO salaries. But in places like NY and California, you think the world is okay. You are blinded, by incredulous real estate prices and even more incredulous, civil service pensions. You don't care that the FED has mauled milliions, or that people get tossed out of jobs, to be replaced by cheap and cheaper labor or that government employees get diminimus pensions.
I didn't vote with the anger driven mob, believing the worst "is yet to come". Hope I'm wrong.
The ugliness you mentioned was already there. I saw meritocracy begin to wane in the corporate world after another, quieter, but just as evil, incompetent take office. We are still suffering the mark of the 'W'!
Personally, I saw the "white" guy's pain....especially the highly educated ones.
I just didn't know how ubiquitous it was.
In the red and blue belts we are all acutely aware of incredulous CEO salaries. But in places like NY and California, you think the world is okay. You are blinded, by incredulous real estate prices and even more incredulous, civil service pensions. You don't care that the FED has mauled milliions, or that people get tossed out of jobs, to be replaced by cheap and cheaper labor or that government employees get diminimus pensions.
I didn't vote with the anger driven mob, believing the worst "is yet to come". Hope I'm wrong.
2
Another "Dewey Beats Truman" moment for the liberal media. Now the Dems need to finally start thinking outside the Clinton box. We don't need to make history with a woman, we just need to make history with the best candidate out there.
4
Okay, Trump, now you have real responsibility. Let's see if you can keep this country from going bankrupt. Let's see if you uphold the first line of the Constitution.
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
7
Deal with it.
President Donald Trump.
Let the work to restore America begin. Let the rule of law prevail. Let freedom ring.
President Donald Trump.
Let the work to restore America begin. Let the rule of law prevail. Let freedom ring.
2
The only ones shocked are those who prefer being lied to.
Thank goodness the corrupt progressive Liberal Marxist elitist "intellectual" idiot democrat lost. It is time to erase the stain that Obama and the democrats soaked into the USA..
We don't need to "bring people together." What we need is to abolish the federal department of education so we can teach folks what it means to be the USA. The USA is about individual rights, not special rights for for sub-groups and classes. The Democratic Party has been exposed to be corrupt and rooted in racism and Marxism.
The Democratic Party is a disgrace to the USA and humanity. Frank ?Bruni must be the dumbest writer on earth.
Thank goodness the corrupt progressive Liberal Marxist elitist "intellectual" idiot democrat lost. It is time to erase the stain that Obama and the democrats soaked into the USA..
We don't need to "bring people together." What we need is to abolish the federal department of education so we can teach folks what it means to be the USA. The USA is about individual rights, not special rights for for sub-groups and classes. The Democratic Party has been exposed to be corrupt and rooted in racism and Marxism.
The Democratic Party is a disgrace to the USA and humanity. Frank ?Bruni must be the dumbest writer on earth.
5
You and Friedman and Krugman and Blow and Dowd have all proven yourselves out of touch, reporting from your couches and reaffirming the bicoastal Liberal mind-set that's foundational to your opinions. Calling Trump a bigot/racist/misogynist/narcissist pleased the choir and confirmed your own superiority, but went no further. The fourth estate has done us citizens a disservice by not reporting on America.
11
Wow, my vote made a difference. I helped put Trump over the top in Pa. I was thinking about voting Stein, but then my hatred for Hillary trumped everything else. I wanted to make her pay for her Iraq war vote, her tacit support of the Bush administration, her flouting of the law - and getting away with it, Libya, Obamacare, her nauseating and misleading ads. Revenge is sweet. Thank you, America and on to greater things..
8
November 8, 2016 was a sad day for America. It was going to be a sad day for America regardless of which of the two major parties triumphed.
4
Okay, now you finally get it. In your arrogance and that of your editors, you chose to ignore the warnings last spring. Poll after poll for months told us that the only person on either side who could defeat Trump was Sanders. He brought in new voters, young voters, Independents - all the people who did not vote for Hillary - who supported him with enthusiasm. He had no baggage. He had forty years of experience in government. And he was a rock star to his followers - a dependable, seasoned, rational, and rock steady one at that. But, but, but - the beltway and elite insiders in the media and the DNC were having none of it. They wanted one of their own. Someone who did not make their cushy life uncomfortable. So they took their best hope for a wave election and hit him in the head with a sandbag.
I hope you are happy with the results. Eat it. It is yours.
I hope you are happy with the results. Eat it. It is yours.
16
We have either just made America great again or secured continual decline through a self-inflicted wound.
3
The question: "Are there still enough uneducated White racists out there in the Hinterlands to vote for a racist misogynist demagogue?" has been answered in spades. It's a resounding; Yes. The alt-Right, KKK faction of the GOP has its day of glory. Dry clean those white hoods, boys.
DD
Manhattan
DD
Manhattan
9
When Sen. Jim Webb was laughed out of the race before a single primary vote was cast like some wacko I knew the Democratic Party was heading for trouble.
He would have been the perfect candidate to address the white working class animus out there, while addressing serious issues liberal concerns like the disaster of mass incarceration. But he was a moderate, straight white male from a Southern state and in the identity politics--obsessed New Democratic Party, it made his candidacy a non starter, little more than a punchline.
When liberal white men were derisively labeled "Bernie Bros" for daring to be upset or impatient with African Americans who shut out Bernie Sanders message because Hillary made them feel safe, I felt in my bones this was trouble.
In the waning days of the campaign, there was a condescending article in the NYT about how Bill Clinton was being "handled" by Hillary clever, young, know-it-all staff of millennial generation rainbow young women and nu-men. Basically it pooh-poohed President Clintons worries about not trying to pull in more white workings class voters--that the "demographics is destiny" approach was very dangerous. Their job was to keep "The Big Dog" chained up and not make any messes for their Obama II data-driven march to victory. That also made me very nervous.
So convinced that it was already 2042, the Democratic Party and the liberal elite media have now ushered in 1952 instead. God help us.
He would have been the perfect candidate to address the white working class animus out there, while addressing serious issues liberal concerns like the disaster of mass incarceration. But he was a moderate, straight white male from a Southern state and in the identity politics--obsessed New Democratic Party, it made his candidacy a non starter, little more than a punchline.
When liberal white men were derisively labeled "Bernie Bros" for daring to be upset or impatient with African Americans who shut out Bernie Sanders message because Hillary made them feel safe, I felt in my bones this was trouble.
In the waning days of the campaign, there was a condescending article in the NYT about how Bill Clinton was being "handled" by Hillary clever, young, know-it-all staff of millennial generation rainbow young women and nu-men. Basically it pooh-poohed President Clintons worries about not trying to pull in more white workings class voters--that the "demographics is destiny" approach was very dangerous. Their job was to keep "The Big Dog" chained up and not make any messes for their Obama II data-driven march to victory. That also made me very nervous.
So convinced that it was already 2042, the Democratic Party and the liberal elite media have now ushered in 1952 instead. God help us.
7
This is all the fault of condescending and sanctimonious feminist.
1
When jobs don't return to your country, when trade-deals among other countries leave yours increasingly isolated, when the whole-lot-of-nothing Mr. Trump has planned to replace Obamacare is unveiled, when his criminal history is resurrected for the whole world to see, perhaps the wool he so skillfully placed over the eyes of those naive enough to have supported him will finally lift. Exposed will be a country blanketed with a red flag and well-armed bulls rampaging everywhere.
The best of luck to you all. You'll need it, especially Mr. Trump.
The best of luck to you all. You'll need it, especially Mr. Trump.
9
Gosh, I'm sure Clinton would have won if she had worked just a *litttle* harder pandering to the concerns of blacks, illegal aliens and Muslims, instead of the desperate white working class that Democrats have alternately ignored, ridiculed and marginalized for the last 30 years.
9
"And is a party being remotely realistic — or entirely reckless — to try to sell a candidate who personifies the status quo to an electorate that’s clearly hungry for some kind of shock to the system?
There was an arrogance and foolishness to lining up behind Hillary Clinton as soon as so many Democratic leaders did, and to putting all their chips on her.
She fit the circumstances of 2016 awkwardly, in the same way that Jeb Bush did."
Mr. Bruni, I'm as horrified by what just happened as everyone else here. But some of us were saying this all along. And everyone comfortable with the party's status quo - such as NYT columnists - sneered at us. Now you see that the status quo wasn't being "remotely realistic." But not so long ago, your peers all said that we were the unrealistic ones, because we wanted Sanders.
As you seem to finally understand now, the establishment was arrogant and foolish. The Democratic establishment was arrogant enough to pre-select the party's candidate before a single vote was cast. It was foolish enough to imagine that its own particular brand of fetishized bland technocratic centrism was synonymous with "realism." It genuinely believed it had the pulse of the people, and it was wrong at every turn, about pretty much everything.
Hopefully, everyone knows better now. Hopefully most people who thought this way will look in the mirror instead of blaming third party voters and other scapegoats for their own side's failures. But it's too late.
There was an arrogance and foolishness to lining up behind Hillary Clinton as soon as so many Democratic leaders did, and to putting all their chips on her.
She fit the circumstances of 2016 awkwardly, in the same way that Jeb Bush did."
Mr. Bruni, I'm as horrified by what just happened as everyone else here. But some of us were saying this all along. And everyone comfortable with the party's status quo - such as NYT columnists - sneered at us. Now you see that the status quo wasn't being "remotely realistic." But not so long ago, your peers all said that we were the unrealistic ones, because we wanted Sanders.
As you seem to finally understand now, the establishment was arrogant and foolish. The Democratic establishment was arrogant enough to pre-select the party's candidate before a single vote was cast. It was foolish enough to imagine that its own particular brand of fetishized bland technocratic centrism was synonymous with "realism." It genuinely believed it had the pulse of the people, and it was wrong at every turn, about pretty much everything.
Hopefully, everyone knows better now. Hopefully most people who thought this way will look in the mirror instead of blaming third party voters and other scapegoats for their own side's failures. But it's too late.
5
If the "disaffected working-class white men " think that Trump will help them, then they are dreaming.
7
My daughter wakes this morning to a country where a woman cannot be elected President. My heart weeps for her.
5
Thank You Frank for the first analysis.
Horrible candidate, endorsed by your paper, Crowned by the Democratic party,
Then there was the the pundits, the talk shows, That group of americans who
have been left behind lost there jobs, lost homes openly saying too bad no course for them. Unfortunately for all of us there was. I like Hilary but she was the most flawed candidate ever. Corrupt, dishonest, entitled. The shock waves
are now running through the country. Think Trump is bad pray he survives 4 years because Pence is worse. Want to place blame go to your editors start there.
Chuck From Ohio
Horrible candidate, endorsed by your paper, Crowned by the Democratic party,
Then there was the the pundits, the talk shows, That group of americans who
have been left behind lost there jobs, lost homes openly saying too bad no course for them. Unfortunately for all of us there was. I like Hilary but she was the most flawed candidate ever. Corrupt, dishonest, entitled. The shock waves
are now running through the country. Think Trump is bad pray he survives 4 years because Pence is worse. Want to place blame go to your editors start there.
Chuck From Ohio
2
DJT is a repudiation of the Obama administration's more severe left tilt. This is not unusual as governance shifts between the two parties every 8 years looking back. I guess this is simply a dial back of some policies that has gone too far left and as a nation we ideally would like to be in the center. The campaigns also defined how the Presidency would be won, specific ideas were offered by DJT that did appeal to voters and the tact that HRC took was targeting women voters for a woman President - a historic possibility. In the end the issues led over the gender in office, it's as simple as that. People want meat and potatoes not Hors d'oeuvre. What the Clinton campaign did well was make a case that if you don't vote for a woman then you are someone who is bad. What I look to whether you are black, gay, whatever gender that you propose concrete ideas to move us forward from a tepid Obama Administration, who's ideas of good jobs are working at Wendy's or allowing a flood of unvetted alien and beefing up the rights of illegal aliens tunnelling under our borders. Redistribution of wealth gutted the middle class 8 years ago and last night is the result. Let us take care of our own, our citizens come first, rebuild pride and strength for all citizens.
3
"I can’t bear to think about the conflagrations to come."
I am paralyzed with fear, feelings I have never had in my life.
I am paralyzed with fear, feelings I have never had in my life.
4
One of the first things Trump could, and should do, is release his tax returns, as he said he would if he won. Trump could start his presidency by keeping his word.
7
On the bright side - nobody has to worry about their Obamacare premiums rising next year.
And, now we know that anyone, truly anyone, can become president of that once-great North American country nestled between Canada and Mexico.
And, now we know that anyone, truly anyone, can become president of that once-great North American country nestled between Canada and Mexico.
4
Here's a better way to look at this: I think this will be the best thing that has happened to the country in a long time.
We've all been wanting somebody to change the Republican party, and when we're faced with somebody that won without their support, what is our reaction?
Did we really want this party changed? Or rather did we just want to believe the other party was the righteous one?
Chill, everyone, please chill out. This will probably be a good thing for the country and the world. Will he actually build a wall? Nobody knows because congress stands in the way.
Building a wall is not the worst thing than could happen.
He already softened his stance in his first speech! This is what we were wishing for, a person to go in and shake up that party and bring it back to reality.
I'm not sure how long it will take to sink in. This is not a bad thing for the world, folks. He'll tame down his supporters. It will be ok, I'm sure.
We're stunned! This is true! I'm stunned! But I think it will turn out ok.
Would you rather have one of the other Republican candidates as president? Which one? He's the best of that lot even though he can be offensive. He'll tone it down, I'm certain!
I actually believe the world is safer because we're not pretending any more. The Democratic party was becoming this giant PC monster trying to enforce PC on countries that had bigger problems. Sorry people, but both parties were off the rails. I'd have preferred Sanders, but...
We've all been wanting somebody to change the Republican party, and when we're faced with somebody that won without their support, what is our reaction?
Did we really want this party changed? Or rather did we just want to believe the other party was the righteous one?
Chill, everyone, please chill out. This will probably be a good thing for the country and the world. Will he actually build a wall? Nobody knows because congress stands in the way.
Building a wall is not the worst thing than could happen.
He already softened his stance in his first speech! This is what we were wishing for, a person to go in and shake up that party and bring it back to reality.
I'm not sure how long it will take to sink in. This is not a bad thing for the world, folks. He'll tame down his supporters. It will be ok, I'm sure.
We're stunned! This is true! I'm stunned! But I think it will turn out ok.
Would you rather have one of the other Republican candidates as president? Which one? He's the best of that lot even though he can be offensive. He'll tone it down, I'm certain!
I actually believe the world is safer because we're not pretending any more. The Democratic party was becoming this giant PC monster trying to enforce PC on countries that had bigger problems. Sorry people, but both parties were off the rails. I'd have preferred Sanders, but...
4
Is this the same Mr Bruni who two weeks ago predicted a "mandate" for Mrs Clinton?
What is amazing is that never has a man been elected president who owed nothing to special interests.
Not to the monied class, people of color, the beautiful people, the media, the Hollywood stars, or as it turns out women. All of whom railed against him, and ridiculed him.
The only ones he is indebted to is Joe six pack, and the other millions who have undergone the same ridicule from the same groups.
What is amazing is that never has a man been elected president who owed nothing to special interests.
Not to the monied class, people of color, the beautiful people, the media, the Hollywood stars, or as it turns out women. All of whom railed against him, and ridiculed him.
The only ones he is indebted to is Joe six pack, and the other millions who have undergone the same ridicule from the same groups.
3
Is there no potential protective strength to be found in what I have heard talked about this whole campaign: the Republican Party bigwigs who see their party as fractured? Are our country's leaders going to cower before Trump: allow him to rip apart our government, our policies, and our legacies? Will the Republican Party make any attempt to resurrect our second major political party?
Is Congress so inept, so weak, that they will see Trump’s non-policies as a mandate? Despite Trump’s win, there are still 320 million Americans to care for. That ultimately is Congress’s job.
Is Congress so inept, so weak, that they will see Trump’s non-policies as a mandate? Despite Trump’s win, there are still 320 million Americans to care for. That ultimately is Congress’s job.
4
"I can't bear to think about the conflagration to come." Really? You should have started with that sentence rather than ended there and tried to think about it out loud. Otherwise, this sounds like a lyrical ode to Trump, rather than some consideratios of what this stunning, frightening style of win portends.
So obviously pithy sayings, repeatable epithets are preferred over pamphlets that set forth details of policy. Darker implications is an understatement.
4
I will be sworn in as an American citizen in a few short weeks but I feel no excitement. None.
8
Sure, the Democratic nomination process was short circuited and maybe there were better choices but do you really think it would have made a difference? The results of the election says who we are as a people. Period. It turns out Trump understood the answer to that better than anybody, and I do mean, ANYBODY! I feel like I just woke up to learn that my favorite uncle was just arrested for being a pedophile. I guess I will just have to learn to live with that.
3
I did not think I would be writing this, Deplorables win, Elites lose. Nowhere could the smug and often open hostility of the "Establishment Media" be more easily found than on these pages. i was dismayed that most comments and commentators never spoke about the important issues our country faced. Maybe the polarizing journalism will now finally subside, especially I hope here. I used to read the NYT cover to cover and was better off for having done so. I hope I can get back to that again.
3
It seems to me that no one at the NY Times is in the slightest position to pronounce on the subject of "what the lessons are" of this election. The Times was in the tank for Clinton from before the campaign started, suppressing news of Sanders' popularity among likely voters, and has been wrong about this whole process all along.
In a way, I'm glad Trump won, because losing is the only thing that the Democratic party nabobs, including those of you in the mainstream media, understand. Maybe being hit hard across the face with a cold fish will get your attention, although I have my doubts. Democracy has many enemies.
In a way, I'm glad Trump won, because losing is the only thing that the Democratic party nabobs, including those of you in the mainstream media, understand. Maybe being hit hard across the face with a cold fish will get your attention, although I have my doubts. Democracy has many enemies.
9
It seems to me the reason for trumps victory is the wealth gap in this country. He had the bigots,the xenephobes,the right wing religious,the rednecks but what put him over the top were ordinary Americans disaffected by wall streets insatiable need for greater profits. To them a rising tide lifted only yachts. This election came down to dollars.
6
Unfortunately among the worst things that Trump's win shows us is that the mask is off. People so inclined will be "allowed" to voice the deplorable part of the American character. The vigilantism, hatreds, racism, bigotry and the parts of us that we've been able to keep hidden will all be front and center. Can our social fabric stand the strain?
5
I enjoyed flipping between all of the networks last night watching the biased liberal media anchors and commentators contemplate suicide as America revealed its sentiments on the liberal agenda. Amazing to watch them squirm as they realized how truly out of touch and disastrously wrong they have been and how worthless their roles really are. Imagine making a living as an expert and waking up to find that your field is a sham. As for Frank, your nastiness and wrong-headedness is noted, as is your lack of understanding of politics; although, for the first time, you did get just one thing right:
"She was a profoundly flawed candidate unable to make an easy connection with voters. She was forever surrounded by messes: some of her own making, some blown out of proportion by the news media, all of them exhausting to voters who had lived through a quarter century of political melodrama with her."
"She was a profoundly flawed candidate unable to make an easy connection with voters. She was forever surrounded by messes: some of her own making, some blown out of proportion by the news media, all of them exhausting to voters who had lived through a quarter century of political melodrama with her."
4
For many of us this will be the day the music died. We don't remember the original event so we won't be looking back and longing for music of the fifties. Instead, we'll remember that we had an inspiring president who tried his best to move us forward and sang Amazing Grace to us when we needed him to. And there was a woman whose lifelong work expanded possibilities in our all of our lives and she was trying to keep that going.
And then the plane crashed.
And then the plane crashed.
5
You know whose fault this is? Hillary Clinton's. Not only did her campaign collude with the DNC to sabotage Bernie Sanders, but her domination of the Democratic party discouraged other Democrats from even trying for the nomination. But, even after all that, she could have salvaged the election by picking Bernie Sanders as her running mate. But no. She didn't need him. She didn't need all the people genuinely excited about the changes promised by his campaign, and she didn't need to make a case for serious change anyway, because the alternative was unthinkable.
Now, let's see if the Democrats learn anything at all from this, or if they just continue to blame racists, xenophobes and misogynists.
Now, let's see if the Democrats learn anything at all from this, or if they just continue to blame racists, xenophobes and misogynists.
5
In the 2008 election part of me wanted the Republicans to win to see how they would get us out of the mess they'd created. Instead, a mild mannered, polite and intelligent Black man wins and gets a little ways out of the gate before the Republicans hobble him like a horse, belittling his credentials, his "pedigree" (birth) and start obstructing the Executive function of government in preparation for blaming him for the whole economic mess created by Bush.
Why are Democrats always the ones who have to clean up the mess? If McCain/Palin had won does anyone really think Trump would have been handed this victory?
Why are Democrats always the ones who have to clean up the mess? If McCain/Palin had won does anyone really think Trump would have been handed this victory?
2
Donald Trump was elected president because the electronic media, the very mainstream media he savaged, took the bait as ratings and revenue soared to record highs, packaging and selling him to a staggeringly lazy, ignorant American public as entertainment, covering as breaking news every single thing about him at the molecular level except for his bowel movements-and given time, that was certainly next. A shameful, criminally negligent con perpetrated by the "mainstream media" in the name of greed. Signed, sealed and delivered by the media's obsession with the TRUE "loudest voice in the room" (I am sure Roger would be fine with sharing that designation with his puppet).
6
I thought the leaders of the Democratic Party made a major mistake in backing Hillary Clinton as their candidate. The people wanted change. Her candidacy was simply being anti Trump and appealing to the two major minority groups- blacks and Latinos. The Clintons also have too much negative baggage which Trump used against her. The Democrats ran a terrible campaign in 2014 and did so again. Donald Trump is a terrible person. We as a nation will suffer.
6
A simple answer to an unanswerable question against complex answers that people don't like. "Make America Great Again" won; Clinton's answer was "Learn to Live With it, Folks." Clinton was right, but when does that ever matter?
Magical thinking on the part of most of American. Don't expect the rainbows and unicorns to follow.
Magical thinking on the part of most of American. Don't expect the rainbows and unicorns to follow.
1
Almost any Republican would have beaten Hillary, and almost any other Democrat--and this certainly includes Bernie Sanders--would have defeated Trump. Democrats' fate was sealed when all of those super delegates decided not to rescind their support for Hillary after learning that she had been lying for over a year about her incredibly reckless, smarmy email set up. This, and the infuriating collusion of the DNC during the primary campaign, gave the nomination to Hillary and the election to Trump. Donald had one simple question when news broke that CNN's Donna Brazile had slipped Hillary several debate questions in an attempt to give her an unfair advantage over Bernie: Why didn't Clinton turn her in? Democrats' stupid, cynical answer goes a long way in explaining what happened last night.
5
The Republicans won't care about the conflagrations to come. They will not allow the Democrats in the Senate obstruct them the way they blocked President Obama. They will quickly move to undo the "super majority" rule in the Senate; give Trump his Supreme Court; and steamroll everything else. Damn the consequnces. They will act on their power in the here and now. Unlike Democrats, Republicans are not afraid to use their power.
5
Trump makes me embarrased as an American, corruption has made me ashamed to be Greek, and I live in a country that voted for Brexit.
Three strikes and I'm out -- out of words to describe how people can be so hoodwinked into voting for demagogues, charlatans and really, really bad ideas.
Three strikes and I'm out -- out of words to describe how people can be so hoodwinked into voting for demagogues, charlatans and really, really bad ideas.
6
In all honesty, I rarely read Bruni.
Whatever else my life is all about, I identify myself as white working class and obviously older.
Right now I'm remembering a young girl on some PBS segment asking about the value of this college degree she needed to get, when she realized she could have done the job with the skill set she had when she was a freshman in high school.
What really have all the pundits meant when they say uneducated?
This is the first piece by Bruni I've read this year that doesn't reek of superiority and prejudice.
Mark Shields mentioned that this result says a great deal about Obama's legacy.
I am choosing to believe that President Trump will retain the expansion of Medicaid. If I'm wrong, I'll be sad.
I'm choosing to believe that President Trump will rethink the kneejerk reaction to expand NATO and rethink an old institution's place in a changing world. If I'm wrong, I guess will go to war for those who collaborated with the NAZIS, even providing concentration camp guards.
But what I really hope is that the leaders of a Democratic party that has been telling me in every way for eight years that it doesn't need me to win, will stop deluding themselves.
Obama won nicely for himself in 2008 and 2012. Not so much in 2010, 2014, and now, 2016.
The first words out of my father's mouth were union and worker's rights and he loved Jimmy Durante. Can you imagine someone with that nose and voice charming America today? Or someone with Lincoln's mug?
Whatever else my life is all about, I identify myself as white working class and obviously older.
Right now I'm remembering a young girl on some PBS segment asking about the value of this college degree she needed to get, when she realized she could have done the job with the skill set she had when she was a freshman in high school.
What really have all the pundits meant when they say uneducated?
This is the first piece by Bruni I've read this year that doesn't reek of superiority and prejudice.
Mark Shields mentioned that this result says a great deal about Obama's legacy.
I am choosing to believe that President Trump will retain the expansion of Medicaid. If I'm wrong, I'll be sad.
I'm choosing to believe that President Trump will rethink the kneejerk reaction to expand NATO and rethink an old institution's place in a changing world. If I'm wrong, I guess will go to war for those who collaborated with the NAZIS, even providing concentration camp guards.
But what I really hope is that the leaders of a Democratic party that has been telling me in every way for eight years that it doesn't need me to win, will stop deluding themselves.
Obama won nicely for himself in 2008 and 2012. Not so much in 2010, 2014, and now, 2016.
The first words out of my father's mouth were union and worker's rights and he loved Jimmy Durante. Can you imagine someone with that nose and voice charming America today? Or someone with Lincoln's mug?
1
Is America a laughing stock? No, because we don’t feel like laughing about the nightmare to come in the next four years. Mr Bruni’s talk of “conflagrations” is justified. What’s going to happen when all the fanatical Trumpists wake up to the fact that their hero’s sole, abiding interest is himself? That, rather than finding them jobs and making America great again, he’s going to drive the nation into recession and drag quite a few other countries down at the same time. Somehow it seems unlikely that the “lock her up” brigade will take the realization that they’ve been conned quietly. Combine that with all the racial tensions that Trump has been inflaming and it’s not hard to see how those conflagrations might arise.
Not to mention the trouble he’ll foment on the international scene…
Not to mention the trouble he’ll foment on the international scene…
4
-----
The dog has finally caught the car.
He has promised many things just like he does in his business deals. Unfortunately he never delivers.
He has hoodwinked the dispossessed. They will also be the biggest losers.
The educated have or can get jobs.
The dog has finally caught the car.
He has promised many things just like he does in his business deals. Unfortunately he never delivers.
He has hoodwinked the dispossessed. They will also be the biggest losers.
The educated have or can get jobs.
3
You missed it Bruni. It's not about Trump's hate, lies, fantasies and divisiveness. It's still about the economy st*pid! More than anything else, people need and want more money in their lives, it's that simple. They'd elect Ted Bundy if they thought he could facilitate that. Right or wrong, the majority of people believe Trump can do that for them. No need to wring your hands about so-called conflagrations if Trump miraculously succeeds.
The President-elect is a transparent charlatan and an overt sociopath. He is a racist. He is a pathological liar. He is a sexual predator. He is globally and utterly ignorant of virtually everything which a President HAS to know about domestic and foreign affairs, and has no interest and likely no ability to learn. He is the object of overwhelming derision (and now fear) overseas.
How will our great nation last for four years with such a void of leadership?
How will our great nation last for four years with such a void of leadership?
5
Hillary's pundits were wrong all year. The Dems had a candidate that seemed to unite the angry white workers with the young idealists. But the Poo-bas and their media stenographers insisted on preserving the status quo with an unpopular unelectable.
Although we warned this would happen, we are still shocked we were right.
Although we warned this would happen, we are still shocked we were right.
3
Donald won the election fair and square, whether you like the results or not. Respect the voice of the people and respect the democratic process by supporting the new chief executive in doing his job. Picking through his stupid remarks and his mistakes instead of highlighting his focus on the ills of globalization is a passive aggressive way of stating I don't respect the electoral process.
Be a responsible journalist.
Be a responsible journalist.
1
'America' has shown its true image - not the 'bells and whistles' thrown our way to detract. It is democracy, without the dilution and interference of outside operatives. What hidden 'sins' of HRC's that were revealed, may very well have been the tip of the iceberg. Personally, I prefer dealing with a declared foe and not an 'ally' I cannot trust.
Let Trump advance his morbid agenda but at least we have been forewarned.
Let him look within and maybe others will manage their own affairs without the unceasing interference by big brother. Let America Heal and perhaps it will stop 'bringing' its disaffected to 'heel.'
Let Trump advance his morbid agenda but at least we have been forewarned.
Let him look within and maybe others will manage their own affairs without the unceasing interference by big brother. Let America Heal and perhaps it will stop 'bringing' its disaffected to 'heel.'
The number one thing learned from the 2016 campaign / election:
The NYT's columnists, editorial board, and opinion writers know not of what they speak (write). It is time for the Times to hear and digest the voice of the American public.
The NYT's columnists, editorial board, and opinion writers know not of what they speak (write). It is time for the Times to hear and digest the voice of the American public.
1
The media enabled him.
Normalized him.
Normalized his hate, his bigotry, his racism, his misogyny.
Shame on you.
Normalized him.
Normalized his hate, his bigotry, his racism, his misogyny.
Shame on you.
7
I'm horrified. On so many levels...all of them basic,daily gut-check levels. Like food, housing,survival on Social Security, further cutbacks oN Medicare which already makes the acquisition of a desperately needed wheelchair impossible & denies me any help because I was silly enough to save before an accident changed my life entirely.
Now we have a president who makes fun of the disabled. Who has, apparently, defrauded hundreds of people. Who was born into wealth so he could "borrow" a few million & his father's good name to start & restart businesses.
And yet....
Mrs. Clinton, I believe, might have been a wonderful president. But she was a terrible campaigner made worse by advice that seemed to constrict her even more. Who never said 10 words if 25 could do. Who forgot that white people could be desperate, disappointed or suddenly robbed of both job & dreams. Who campaigned in but never really LOOKED AT the rust belt.
Media coverage treated the election as a nationwide game show. News followed Mr. Trump waiting for the next outrageous comment.never seriously looked at his proposals. Never pointed out his lies.Just waited for the next entertaining faux-pas. Mrs. Clinton never got equal coverage & was never treated with the gentleness Mr. T. demanded. No-one addressed sexism (how many educated white men said to all "I'm with her", only to vote for a "him".)Our media has failed us badly. elections became horse races became entertainment TV. No wonder Mr Trump won.
Now we have a president who makes fun of the disabled. Who has, apparently, defrauded hundreds of people. Who was born into wealth so he could "borrow" a few million & his father's good name to start & restart businesses.
And yet....
Mrs. Clinton, I believe, might have been a wonderful president. But she was a terrible campaigner made worse by advice that seemed to constrict her even more. Who never said 10 words if 25 could do. Who forgot that white people could be desperate, disappointed or suddenly robbed of both job & dreams. Who campaigned in but never really LOOKED AT the rust belt.
Media coverage treated the election as a nationwide game show. News followed Mr. Trump waiting for the next outrageous comment.never seriously looked at his proposals. Never pointed out his lies.Just waited for the next entertaining faux-pas. Mrs. Clinton never got equal coverage & was never treated with the gentleness Mr. T. demanded. No-one addressed sexism (how many educated white men said to all "I'm with her", only to vote for a "him".)Our media has failed us badly. elections became horse races became entertainment TV. No wonder Mr Trump won.
6
To the rest of the world - and especially to Germany, who tried to warn us - I am sorry.
6
So, we will have a president who is, on one hand, endorsed by Putin, and on the other, by David Dukes and his Ku Klux Klan. And if that isn't surreal enough, our next first lady has a calling to preach about setting good examples for our children, while having a substantial portfolio of girl-on-girl nude photos attained by working illegally as an immigrant without a work visa. And this just a smidgen of the Trump package. Good job, voters.
8
"when there’s a fury out there that you haven’t fully and earnestly tried to understand?" And disparaged those who held that fury. Hillary Clinton identified the furious as "deplorables'" and in doing so awarded them unity and motivation. Now, Trump has earned a mandate; look out!
2
I don't care if Bernie should have been the nominee.
I don't care if her message wasn't "pithy" and "pointed" enough.
I don't care if she was "profoundly flawed".
I don't care if she didn't connect with disaffected working-class white men.
Anyone who saw 1, 2, or all 3 of the debates between this highly qualified and articulate woman and this lying blowhard shouldn't have had to even think twice before pulling the level for Clinton. Those 4 1/2 hours were the moments that revealed the candidates for who they are, unfiltered. And she cleaned his clock. Doesn't that count for anything?
I don't care if her message wasn't "pithy" and "pointed" enough.
I don't care if she was "profoundly flawed".
I don't care if she didn't connect with disaffected working-class white men.
Anyone who saw 1, 2, or all 3 of the debates between this highly qualified and articulate woman and this lying blowhard shouldn't have had to even think twice before pulling the level for Clinton. Those 4 1/2 hours were the moments that revealed the candidates for who they are, unfiltered. And she cleaned his clock. Doesn't that count for anything?
11
I wish there was at least a silver lining that the typical Trump voter would somehow benefit from his triumph. It's a pity we don't even have that!
2
Hillary failed and the winner is Donald ! The best solution for Europe and for all of US. Killary should be jailed! She is the most corrupted American and a serial killer.
As a 67 y/o woman Trump’s victory was a thundering defeat for every woman who was never a ten, never acquiesced to NOT being equal to men. Boy was I put in my place tonight!
Every slight, every bit of sexual harassment, all four brutal rapes were MY fault in a country that voted in a sex predator.
Muslims and Latinos must be terrified...is this now open season on them all? For Trump’s followers chanted “Build the wall” over and over..”Get ‘em out of here.” On the first day of his office he will deport 2 million that are criminals..then start on the rest.
Do Black Lives even matter to Trump? Will he work with GOP governors to increase police presence in predominantly black neighborhoods to oppress, to show white people that he’s got their backs?..that he will stop this silly #BlackLivesMatter movement? That he doesn’t give a damn about them...he just wants them to stop being so uppity. He HATED Obama and with his birther movement showed that blacks don’t belong anywhere, certainly not counting his money before he bankrupted four casinos.
Will Jews and Muslims not have to register and wear identifying symbols? Stars of David or crescents attached to their clothes? Will there be increased surveillance on all mosques and temples?
Will all immigration be stopped--except from Western European countries--NO refugees, just the wealthy.
Yes white men got their country back tonight. 7 of 10 Trump supporters want to return to the 1950s. I hate my fellow citizens- so scared!
Every slight, every bit of sexual harassment, all four brutal rapes were MY fault in a country that voted in a sex predator.
Muslims and Latinos must be terrified...is this now open season on them all? For Trump’s followers chanted “Build the wall” over and over..”Get ‘em out of here.” On the first day of his office he will deport 2 million that are criminals..then start on the rest.
Do Black Lives even matter to Trump? Will he work with GOP governors to increase police presence in predominantly black neighborhoods to oppress, to show white people that he’s got their backs?..that he will stop this silly #BlackLivesMatter movement? That he doesn’t give a damn about them...he just wants them to stop being so uppity. He HATED Obama and with his birther movement showed that blacks don’t belong anywhere, certainly not counting his money before he bankrupted four casinos.
Will Jews and Muslims not have to register and wear identifying symbols? Stars of David or crescents attached to their clothes? Will there be increased surveillance on all mosques and temples?
Will all immigration be stopped--except from Western European countries--NO refugees, just the wealthy.
Yes white men got their country back tonight. 7 of 10 Trump supporters want to return to the 1950s. I hate my fellow citizens- so scared!
6
Did James Comey comit suicide?
1
It is now their time on the wall.
The minority Democrats (and Bernie) have been sent back to Washington to defend the Constitution and work for the people of America. They will face a White House that will do what it can to destroy civil and human rights, and if you doubt that listen to the exultant shrieks of Putin's Puppets, who some call Trump supporters.
Fight for us, defend us, don't weaken. All empires fall in this way, but we don't have to go the way of Rome, or the Soviet Union, or...and have an endless succession of power hungry fascist nincompoops running things. Do what the Republicans did to Obama, shut down what you can.
Yours is a solemn duty. I fear for the constitution.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene
The minority Democrats (and Bernie) have been sent back to Washington to defend the Constitution and work for the people of America. They will face a White House that will do what it can to destroy civil and human rights, and if you doubt that listen to the exultant shrieks of Putin's Puppets, who some call Trump supporters.
Fight for us, defend us, don't weaken. All empires fall in this way, but we don't have to go the way of Rome, or the Soviet Union, or...and have an endless succession of power hungry fascist nincompoops running things. Do what the Republicans did to Obama, shut down what you can.
Yours is a solemn duty. I fear for the constitution.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene
4
It appears that the Times' pundits and regular contributors of comments were correct about one thing. One of the two major political parties is so far out of touch with grass roots America that it is unlikely to survive as presently constituted. The mistake they made? They picked the wrong party...
2
Bruni, no more silly articles from you on topics you know nothing about!! Thank you.
1
I’m lost. Depressed to the point of being suicidal.
I’m a 67 y/o white woman and my country was surely taken away from me and all sane good women tonight.
Who knew that racism ran so deeply in our country as I watched a VERY good man, Barack Obama, superb father, and husband restore faith in our nation and economy and become better friends with our allies.
I have always known that misogyny ran deep too...I know it well...for I was never a great looking 10 who did well because of her looks; no I worked so hard to be the best PERSON I could be...whether that was at golf or at fighting my way through rancor and laughter at becoming a trauma physician. Yes white MDs especially white male surgeons told me that they wouldn’t let me operate on their hunting dogs much less work with human beings at THEIR hospitals.
So I worked in underserved areas with the very poor. They deserved the very best care just as anyone going to a Park Avenue physician. Looking back... how much was because deep down I never felt equal to my brother MDs and I BELIEVED their entitlement...I was the interloper. Graduated in the top 10% of my class...yet was isolated much of the time--there were only three of us women in a class of 120 men. Every time I shot my hand up excited to know an answer I heard the snickering.
I NEVER felt as if I belonged and today I realized that my gut feelings were right. I don’t belong; America belongs to the privileged white male and they ripped it out from the rest.
I’m a 67 y/o white woman and my country was surely taken away from me and all sane good women tonight.
Who knew that racism ran so deeply in our country as I watched a VERY good man, Barack Obama, superb father, and husband restore faith in our nation and economy and become better friends with our allies.
I have always known that misogyny ran deep too...I know it well...for I was never a great looking 10 who did well because of her looks; no I worked so hard to be the best PERSON I could be...whether that was at golf or at fighting my way through rancor and laughter at becoming a trauma physician. Yes white MDs especially white male surgeons told me that they wouldn’t let me operate on their hunting dogs much less work with human beings at THEIR hospitals.
So I worked in underserved areas with the very poor. They deserved the very best care just as anyone going to a Park Avenue physician. Looking back... how much was because deep down I never felt equal to my brother MDs and I BELIEVED their entitlement...I was the interloper. Graduated in the top 10% of my class...yet was isolated much of the time--there were only three of us women in a class of 120 men. Every time I shot my hand up excited to know an answer I heard the snickering.
I NEVER felt as if I belonged and today I realized that my gut feelings were right. I don’t belong; America belongs to the privileged white male and they ripped it out from the rest.
10
Such a sad day. However valid some of the protests against globalisation it is tragic that America has just lost all its validity as a serious nation. We are living through the era of the worst form of populism and there is darkness and division ahead.
1
Felt the Bern, but he "couldn't get elected."
The NYT needs to reassess its own conventional wisdom.
The NYT needs to reassess its own conventional wisdom.
3
Mr. Bruni:
Please read below what I wrote as a comment regarding one of your editorials on October 29. It was not "published" so I trust in the name of free speech and fairness it will be this time. It turns out it was ironically prophetic.
Mr. Bruni: You've written so many Trump hit pieces over the last year it appears as if it is your sole occupation. At least you, and the entire editorial page of the NYT are consistent. . .and so redundant. . .like the boy who cried wolf. In case you can't hear any other voices besides the ones in your own NYT bubble. . .even many of the vast majority of your readers (aka left wingers) aren't paying attention any more.
But the real tragedy here is not the completely one-sided editorial section. It is the sacrifice of even rudimentary journalism that has overtaken all of the "reporting" in the NYT. . .such that in this case there is little "news that's fit to print" but instead a front page that has turned into an editorial page itself. . .dedicated to the election of Ms. Clinton and the disparagement of Mr. Trump.
One wonders what the NYT front page would look like if Mr. Trump actually won. "Apoplexy Strikes Entire NYT Reporting and Editorial Staff."
Please read below what I wrote as a comment regarding one of your editorials on October 29. It was not "published" so I trust in the name of free speech and fairness it will be this time. It turns out it was ironically prophetic.
Mr. Bruni: You've written so many Trump hit pieces over the last year it appears as if it is your sole occupation. At least you, and the entire editorial page of the NYT are consistent. . .and so redundant. . .like the boy who cried wolf. In case you can't hear any other voices besides the ones in your own NYT bubble. . .even many of the vast majority of your readers (aka left wingers) aren't paying attention any more.
But the real tragedy here is not the completely one-sided editorial section. It is the sacrifice of even rudimentary journalism that has overtaken all of the "reporting" in the NYT. . .such that in this case there is little "news that's fit to print" but instead a front page that has turned into an editorial page itself. . .dedicated to the election of Ms. Clinton and the disparagement of Mr. Trump.
One wonders what the NYT front page would look like if Mr. Trump actually won. "Apoplexy Strikes Entire NYT Reporting and Editorial Staff."
2
I don't think Bernie would have won because the real issue here is the elitism of the democratic and the traditional republican agendas. The working class are angry and scared--for good reason--and no-one is giving them much to hang their faith on--except Donald Trump.
2
It is a grim morning in American history. Our politics has sunk to its lowset point ever. It is a hard day for thinking and decent Americans. Indecency personified has won.
11
The NYT is more surprised than it should be because it had become an echo chamber. When I commented favorably on Clinton, my comments almost always were published, and when I was critical, rarely published. I'm sure I was not alone. Even in blue Illinois, among life-long Democratic friends, I saw lack of enthusiasm for Clinton. Yes, a woman President would have been grand, but that wasn't reason enough for many.
7
To those True Believers who maintained there was no quid pro quo in the Clinton speeches, explain why her going rate going forward is about $1.98.
5
It is definitely a cold comfort, but let's not forget that Hillary won the popular vote.
As I said, cold comfort.
As I said, cold comfort.
9
This was a closer election than the Electoral Vote might indicate.
It seems a lot of potential Hillary Voters thought she had it in the bag
and stayed home. Meanwhile, those who rather dislike Hillary and the
Status Quo kicked in the door to the Presidency.
Remember Trump is a businessman - he loves to make deals and he is
used to dealing with all sorts of people.
Reach out to him and he will reach out to you.
Demonise him and he will look elsewhere.
It is not the end of the world but it does reveal a world that most
Americans live in - not a Metropolitan/Cosmopolitan lifestyle that
cares little for anyone who does not agree with them.
It seems a lot of potential Hillary Voters thought she had it in the bag
and stayed home. Meanwhile, those who rather dislike Hillary and the
Status Quo kicked in the door to the Presidency.
Remember Trump is a businessman - he loves to make deals and he is
used to dealing with all sorts of people.
Reach out to him and he will reach out to you.
Demonise him and he will look elsewhere.
It is not the end of the world but it does reveal a world that most
Americans live in - not a Metropolitan/Cosmopolitan lifestyle that
cares little for anyone who does not agree with them.
3
I think the error most pollsters and political pundits made was this: They took a good look at the two nominees and concluded that the American electorate would make an intelligent decision.
16
As a Canadian, I'm wondering if your publicly-funded schools are required by law to hang a photograph of the current President of the United States in a prominent place.
If there is such a requirement, I'm trying to imagine the significance of your president-elect's image, your soon-to-be "bully in chief," hanging on all of those walls, with all of those impressionable young eyes glancing upwards.
But, as your duly-elected next president seems to be, by all accounts - and by all I mean a great number of your own people as well as BILLIONS of people around the rest of the world - a bullying, misogynist, racist, quasi-fascist, hate-mongering, voyeur, narcissistic (etc.) political interloper, perhaps your schools might consider a framed photograph of, well, maybe just a nice dog, as the image more appropriate for those young eyes.
If there is such a requirement, I'm trying to imagine the significance of your president-elect's image, your soon-to-be "bully in chief," hanging on all of those walls, with all of those impressionable young eyes glancing upwards.
But, as your duly-elected next president seems to be, by all accounts - and by all I mean a great number of your own people as well as BILLIONS of people around the rest of the world - a bullying, misogynist, racist, quasi-fascist, hate-mongering, voyeur, narcissistic (etc.) political interloper, perhaps your schools might consider a framed photograph of, well, maybe just a nice dog, as the image more appropriate for those young eyes.
6
It looks like Trump will win with not only fewer votes than Hillary, but also millions fewer than Mitt Romney and even fewer votes than John McCain.
So I'm not buying into the notion that this is some sort of movement.
What it really looks like is a masterful exercise in voter suppression. Starting with the repeal of th Voting Rights Act and continuing through to the 20 month long investigation into the practices of the Democratic nominee who was never charged ( and never will be ), and including oddities like an uninvestigated Watergate style hack into the Democratic National Committee, billions of dollars of free media, and a curious amount of Republican support for liberal candidates like Bernie Sanders and even Jill Stein.
His ability to get votes is being overblown. Just look at the vote count.
So I'm not buying into the notion that this is some sort of movement.
What it really looks like is a masterful exercise in voter suppression. Starting with the repeal of th Voting Rights Act and continuing through to the 20 month long investigation into the practices of the Democratic nominee who was never charged ( and never will be ), and including oddities like an uninvestigated Watergate style hack into the Democratic National Committee, billions of dollars of free media, and a curious amount of Republican support for liberal candidates like Bernie Sanders and even Jill Stein.
His ability to get votes is being overblown. Just look at the vote count.
11
Sorry, but I wish people would stop putting this on Clinton being... what? Too smart? That she couldn't put her policy positions and vision onto a silly hat? That the conspiracy theories the GOP have been force feeding the public worked and that was her fault? Sorry, but pin this on a media that let Trump get away with his constant lies and flip flopping, his total lack of policy, his complete ignorance and lack of knowledge, all for ratings. Put this on an education system that has obviously failed to teach people to listen and think, less and less of our population with no critical thinking skills, and a population fed on tv, instant gratification, and the inability to look beyond sound bytes and the flash and bite of reality tv to read. Name me one politician who isn't flawed? Clinton was extremely qualified and her policies would have helped those who supported Trump. No matter how angry Americans are, put the blame where it lies and that place isn't Clinton.
25
Frankly I'm mad. Us Democrats have put up with years of crap and racism and more or less turned a cheek. Starting with the Supreme Court giving the 2000 election to Bush, and then 8 years of racist attacks and vengefulness against Obama including Congress!s refusal to consider Merrick Garland for SC despite the fact that the Constitution says they should do that. Now we've had a year of sexist attacks against Hillary, calling her a bitch, DNC emails have been hacked by the Russians in a blatant ploy to influence the election, which appears to have worked, her use of an email seerver has been blown grossly out of proportion and Benghazi was turned from a legitimate tragedy into an opportunity to tarnish Clinton in a faux-scandal. Meanwhile Republicans have nominated and elected the worst candidate in the history of our country because a black man ran the White House and a woman was getting close. Yeah, I'm mad and I don't intend to forget it.
33
The grim reality is that a great number of White Americans came out to the polls and approved a message that it's okay to say hateful, bigoted, misogynistic, homophobic angry words. The great number of White Americans agree that Climate change is a hoax. That the poor can to take care of themselves. That all immigrants are murderers'. That all muslims are terrorists. That businesses don't need regulation. That all blacks in urban cities are thugs. That it's okay to cheat on your taxes. That the world is flat!
Good Luck, if you are not white and rich!
Good Luck, if you are not white and rich!
21
America is already a great country, Now we have to work together to keep it that way. We assume Mr. Trump will now learn some on-the-job humility by implementing a moral responsibility of working equally for all the people.
3
I don't know what will happen during a Trump Presidency. No one does. But I can say this: I am shocked that a majority of people in our country actually thought that Trump is qualified to be President. There's something disgusting and, yes, deplorable in the heart of the Trump voters.
42
This is an incredibly dark day in America. I am 75 years old, and I have seen a lot, but never anything so terrible as this. Mr. Trump will not help those in need, those in poverty, those who are disadvantaged. He will attempt to take away everything that helps our citizens to live a decent life.
22
Yes, working class white men got an opportunity to express their frustrations in voting for Trump, but, alas, Donald Trump has no real plans to make their lives better, and Congressional Republicans do not either. Step back and see if you can remember over the past ten years or so of any Republican proposed or enacted legislation that actually helps working people. I cannot, and it is highly unlikely that we will see any. What we will see is more tax cuts for the wealthy wrapped up in the debunked "trickle-down" theory.
28
Half of America bought into right wing media's lies about President Obama, the Democratic Party, Hillary R. Clinton, and Democratic candidates.
Over the past eight years, the brainwashed half of our nation have been programmed 24/7 by right wing propaganda, some of which originates in Russia.
Brainwashed Americans have become robotic and are no longer willing to examine the unfiltered facts surrounding our government and it's leaders.
The Americans who will be hurt the most by trump/republican party are the ones who voted for him.
What is the answer to this ongoing tragedy unfolding in our nation? One answer is to hold the right wing media strictly accountable for it's false, fraudulent, and malicious statements and publications targeting Democrats.
Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, must all be held strictly accountable for their lies about Democrats and Democratic candidates. These liars must never be allowed to repeat their trashing of our nation in the same way that they have trashed it during this election cycle and within the past eight years.
Over the past eight years, the brainwashed half of our nation have been programmed 24/7 by right wing propaganda, some of which originates in Russia.
Brainwashed Americans have become robotic and are no longer willing to examine the unfiltered facts surrounding our government and it's leaders.
The Americans who will be hurt the most by trump/republican party are the ones who voted for him.
What is the answer to this ongoing tragedy unfolding in our nation? One answer is to hold the right wing media strictly accountable for it's false, fraudulent, and malicious statements and publications targeting Democrats.
Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, must all be held strictly accountable for their lies about Democrats and Democratic candidates. These liars must never be allowed to repeat their trashing of our nation in the same way that they have trashed it during this election cycle and within the past eight years.
14
This Ivy League educated "billionaire" con man managed to convince the people that he speaks for the disenfranchised. I fear the worst for our country.
21
It's over, Frank. Trump and the unfettered Republicans will lead our nation to the brink and then push us over, while they laugh. The feeling of foreboding I have this morning is like nothing I have ever experienced. It isn't a matter of whether Trump will lead our nation into economic collapse or war, or both. But when. When.
26
Climate change is a lie. Pregnancy to term, mandatory. Less healthcare. LGBT; back in the closet. No refuge for refugees. Walls, lots of them. This our new country. Trump was right about one thing; I am tired of winning already.
16
First thing this morning I removed my American flag from its place on my home . After last night....It is obvious I no longer live in America, the country I defended and served for most of my adult life is gone. It will remain furled and stored until America returns.
So, let the gloating begin. Trump voters who mindlessly voted to burn the house down should understand that your enjoyment will be short lived. The Trump target list is too long to recount here, but , "believe me" it will impact each and every one of you in profound and painful ways.
So, let the gloating begin. Trump voters who mindlessly voted to burn the house down should understand that your enjoyment will be short lived. The Trump target list is too long to recount here, but , "believe me" it will impact each and every one of you in profound and painful ways.
168
I don't think we can blame the clinton campaign for handing out pamphlets dense with policy. I think we need to place blame on an electorate that doesn't have the good sense to cast a vote based on real policy. We have now elected a reality tv star who doesn't know the first thing about even formulating a policy. When the nation starts feeling the consequences of that reality, they might wish they had read those pamphlets and considered them for a couple minutes.
8
The media utterly failed this country.
There will always blustering idiots, but the media- especially the more respected "mainstream" media, refused to challenge this idiot with his horrendous tax-dodging, minority-hating, and scamming businesses.
And they refused to challenge his idiot supporters.
Instead they chose to fixate on the other candidate's flaws-email, making the emails seem as bad as Trump's purposeful scams.
So, thank you, media.
The stupidity of Americans is clear now for the whole world to see.
There will always blustering idiots, but the media- especially the more respected "mainstream" media, refused to challenge this idiot with his horrendous tax-dodging, minority-hating, and scamming businesses.
And they refused to challenge his idiot supporters.
Instead they chose to fixate on the other candidate's flaws-email, making the emails seem as bad as Trump's purposeful scams.
So, thank you, media.
The stupidity of Americans is clear now for the whole world to see.
8
There's something wrong with the PA numbers. Go to the over-all map, click on Pennsylvania below, and expand the list to all counties. The populous counties at the top are about as expected. My own Chester County even went blue this time. But below about 100K population, both the total number of votes, and especially the number of Dem votes and the winning margins are historically unusual. Compare these ratios and numbers across PA's northern tier to NY's southern tier. Same red, as expected, but very different margins, more in line with historicals Compare to 2012 ans 2008 maps. Doesn't make sense. Fishy.
3
I heard an interview with a sociologist who talked to Trump supporters and who found that they felt that "certain people"--minorities, women--"cut in line," keeping them from getting the respect or success they felt was their due. There probably will be a big push to restore white men as the default choice in all aspects of life. However, that is going to wreck the economy. That and the wars that Trump will get into.
Obama 2020.
Obama 2020.
5
Trump flaws are totally obvious & don't need repeating. What does need repeating - because there will be other elections is that it was arrogant of the Democratic party to choose a candidate who so clearly represented the elites, even though she said whatever she thought was necessary to win. I still think Sanders would have Trumped Trump. That he didn't get the chance is not only partly the Party's fault. In fact, he sold out his followers in caving & actively supporting Clinton - for a platform? really? Who remembers the 'platforms' of any past presidents? Platforms are written by political operatives and don't inhibit incumbents. Nor do we expect them to. I guess what Sanders really wanted was to retire.
2
Just when things were not looking bleak for Clinton and the Democrats, despite Wikileaks and all that, Comey intervened and Trump used it to his advantage by talking about indictment, imprisonment, constitutional crisis, etc.
Comey's "never mind!" was too little, too late.
The country, at least a majority, almost welcomed Trump grabbing it by its proverbials. Regrets may come later, but as with Comey's second letter to Congress, it will be too little and too late.
One party rules. There will no checks or balances.
Times and others who didn't give much support to Sanders' candidacy and favored a flawed Democratic candidate have no one to blame but themselves.
Comey's "never mind!" was too little, too late.
The country, at least a majority, almost welcomed Trump grabbing it by its proverbials. Regrets may come later, but as with Comey's second letter to Congress, it will be too little and too late.
One party rules. There will no checks or balances.
Times and others who didn't give much support to Sanders' candidacy and favored a flawed Democratic candidate have no one to blame but themselves.
8
Joe Biden would have stomped Donald Trump like an insect. Instead, our country has been squashed down to the level of its lowest inhabitants.
We're stuck with Trump for four years, then must undo the damage he and Pence will inflict on the environment, the economy, our worldwide relationships, human rights, and our collective psyche. Now is the time to start looking for Democratic leaders people can admire, trust, and relate to.
We're stuck with Trump for four years, then must undo the damage he and Pence will inflict on the environment, the economy, our worldwide relationships, human rights, and our collective psyche. Now is the time to start looking for Democratic leaders people can admire, trust, and relate to.
17
I reckon that the entire nation - every last one of us - both political parties and all voters need a massive dose of personal and collective humility before we even think about taking a single step. Be interesting to see which factions are up to it, and which resort to blame.
Clinton was defeated by the Sanders message that Big Money and the entrenched political elite control the U.S. government and the economy.
Clinton is the personification of Big Money and the political elite.
When she traded political influence for cash while Secretary of State and accumulated enormous personal wealth as a result,she demonstrated "extreme carelessness" and a low opinion of Americans.
Clinton is the personification of Big Money and the political elite.
When she traded political influence for cash while Secretary of State and accumulated enormous personal wealth as a result,she demonstrated "extreme carelessness" and a low opinion of Americans.
17
In the car this morning, my son -- who had voted in his first presidential election and was off to student teach Social Studies at a middle school -- said a few wise words. He said, "Folks like us -- white, Christian, heterosexual, middle class -- can likely survive a Trump presidency. We have to reach out to people who are truly frightened: non-whites, the disabled, the LGBT community, Muslims, Latinos, recent immigrants, Asians, anyone feeling left out and unwanted in Donald Trump's America." We can't think about ourselves. He left out people who've been bullied and sexually assaulted, so I'm adding them in -- we cannot allow this new presidency to be a license to attack anyone.
25
I am not surprised at all; so much for the NY Times/Enquirer and the hatred that was spewed for many months on a daily level by continuous fictional columns and editorials. As for the polls: they are annoying and should be eliminated. I know many people who would not commit to a poll. All of the scare tactics were a huge ploy by the media and socialistic democrats. Luckily many ignored the poisonous press and media and voted for Trump. There is a big world outside of the East Coast with its self-absorbed people who think the world revolves around them.
3
As old Democrat hunkered down, here in my Red state, one would offer these thoughts.
The real Trump has yet to show himself. We have seen the showman, the entertainer, the investment broker, the outrageous one at center stage, using our profit-dominated media to his advantage.
Now, when he offs his light dress shoes and finds himself clumping around in the big heavy boots of the Presidency, his usual dance routine will change. And the complicated steps of this new tango will have to be learned, with those boots strapped so tight, 24/7, from the knees down.
This routine has fatigued many a better man.
And four years go flying in no time.
The real Trump has yet to show himself. We have seen the showman, the entertainer, the investment broker, the outrageous one at center stage, using our profit-dominated media to his advantage.
Now, when he offs his light dress shoes and finds himself clumping around in the big heavy boots of the Presidency, his usual dance routine will change. And the complicated steps of this new tango will have to be learned, with those boots strapped so tight, 24/7, from the knees down.
This routine has fatigued many a better man.
And four years go flying in no time.
4
Trump won because the eroding middle class was at their wits end. In truth, niether party seemed willing to fully address the exodus of jobs from this country to other countries. The ACA was a very expensive option for many people, and the democrats refused to acknowledge this. Voting for Hillary really did mean the same old. Voting for Trump was like jumping off a cliff - but with that delusional optimism that everything will turn out fine at the bottom. It looks like many voters chose the cliff.
12
Trump represents a needed collective disturbance. The resonance of "drain the swamp" was lost on the establishment media because you are so embedded with the privileged stratum of incumbency. The NY Times and other print and broadcast, and cable media have their noses in the same trough as the political cronies. Dirty money is your life blood (unlimited campaign financing), and your corporate masters surprising lost their cover in the eyes of the common man.
Truth is that the Democratic Party (my Party) needs to be overthrown and remade as much as the Republican Party. Whatever is deplorable about Trump did not make Hillary a desirable candidate. The rigged system that robbed Bernie and his reform movement of this momentwas not forgiven. Collective disturbance: painful but necessary.
Truth is that the Democratic Party (my Party) needs to be overthrown and remade as much as the Republican Party. Whatever is deplorable about Trump did not make Hillary a desirable candidate. The rigged system that robbed Bernie and his reform movement of this momentwas not forgiven. Collective disturbance: painful but necessary.
5
I said to many over a year ago that I thought this worthless excuse for a human would win. I have waited and hoped and dreamed of an America willing to accept the responsibility of owning its promise of all people being equal. I have known that it was over for a great many years but I have been too cowardly to give in to the truth - the USA will never be able to overcome its statement that some are 3/5 human. It is over.
5
My prediction is that after justice runs its course, without the need of any push from president Trump, what will come out about Hillary Clinton will make people horrified at the idea that she almost got elected... in fact in the wikileaks several of her closest advisors question whether it is a good idea for her to subject herself to scrutiny by running for presidency, and wisely advise her against it.
2
two things:
The pundits are no better than the rest of us at figuring this stuff out. the best poll was the IBD poll -- the most accurate over a few elections, and the one basically ignored this cycle. It saw Trump up by two points going in to tonight. The pundits saw what they wanted to see.
Second, Trump will likely be an ok president. Might even get things done (we probably should give him a chance.)
I'm not hugely happy that he controls the nukes. But, really, the idea of any one person controlling nukes seems a bad one to me, generally. Still, not hugely excited.
The pundits are no better than the rest of us at figuring this stuff out. the best poll was the IBD poll -- the most accurate over a few elections, and the one basically ignored this cycle. It saw Trump up by two points going in to tonight. The pundits saw what they wanted to see.
Second, Trump will likely be an ok president. Might even get things done (we probably should give him a chance.)
I'm not hugely happy that he controls the nukes. But, really, the idea of any one person controlling nukes seems a bad one to me, generally. Still, not hugely excited.
1
Let's not forget Nixon won his second term by a huge margin. There are many mysteries in politics. Crazy things happen. That's what a constitution is for, to ensure that no one person can ride roughshod over millions. Admittedly, there is very little for progressives to take comfort in now but the fight is not over. Trump ran a successful campaign, he captured lightning in a bottle, but that's a very different thing to actually having to do the job.
Let's see what happens with that wall. I predict it will not be quite as simple as he thinks. None of the things he has so glibly promised will be. His supporters have been sold a bill of goods. When they begin to realise that, then you will REALLY see some serious anger out there only this time it wont be directed at Hillary Clinton.
Let's see what happens with that wall. I predict it will not be quite as simple as he thinks. None of the things he has so glibly promised will be. His supporters have been sold a bill of goods. When they begin to realise that, then you will REALLY see some serious anger out there only this time it wont be directed at Hillary Clinton.
4
H.L. Mencken saw this coming a century ago:
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."
190
Seems elections have consequences. Perhaps they also provide lessons. In any case, it may well be possible that the "consequences" will be excellent, and the lessons learned positive. Enlightening, even?
For those safely locked away in the enclaves of money, media or power, I believe the country just spoke. Listen up, it's a good thing.
For those safely locked away in the enclaves of money, media or power, I believe the country just spoke. Listen up, it's a good thing.
3
The answer is education. I am not talking about University for all. I am talking about skills training. In Germany and Switerland people who train in the trades are valued and valuable members of society. They have jobs, money and respect.
We have allowed a huge swath of our population to be neglected. I see this as a result of the Republican stripping of the country and the Democrat or liberal starry eyed view that everyone should be college educated.
Countries with populations of skilled workers have infrastructure and systems that work, not airports that look like LaGuardia.
We have allowed a huge swath of our population to be neglected. I see this as a result of the Republican stripping of the country and the Democrat or liberal starry eyed view that everyone should be college educated.
Countries with populations of skilled workers have infrastructure and systems that work, not airports that look like LaGuardia.
7
Obvious there is a lot to digest this morning, for all of us - Hillary supporters and Trump suppprters alike. It may take a few days to wrap my head around what has happened. I can only say with certainty that I am relieved the entire sordid mess is over.
And, as a progressive Democrat, I plan on doing exactly as I did with George W. Bush. I will give Trump the benefit of the doubt and wish him well. That is my duty as as American. Perhaps he will surprise us and be a different man in office. I don't know. But I do know that the election was not stolen or rigged, and, if we expect the institutions of the country to keep him in check, we must accept that, in regard to this particular institution, he won; we must hope for the best; and we must be prepared to fight like hell when the need arises.
Freedom and democracy are not defaults. They're not easy to maintain. We're about to have a very real civics test.
And, as a progressive Democrat, I plan on doing exactly as I did with George W. Bush. I will give Trump the benefit of the doubt and wish him well. That is my duty as as American. Perhaps he will surprise us and be a different man in office. I don't know. But I do know that the election was not stolen or rigged, and, if we expect the institutions of the country to keep him in check, we must accept that, in regard to this particular institution, he won; we must hope for the best; and we must be prepared to fight like hell when the need arises.
Freedom and democracy are not defaults. They're not easy to maintain. We're about to have a very real civics test.
2
One never knows what a president might do. Obama was elected to get out of Iraq and close the American torture center in Cuba and he broke his promises. Hillery promised to set up a no fly zone in Syria to get the Russians to shoot down American planes and start World War III. If we were lucky she would break that promise. Trump promised to ship all sorts of vulnerable people back to the hell they had escaped and do all sorts of interesting things to screw up the US economy and bring on the final roast of the planet that would fry us all. If we are lucky and consistent he, like other presidents, will break his promises. He may, like several other recent presidents, upset people with his sexual flaws but that seems to be par for the course. He may be, like most other large businessmen, have something of the flavor of major illegality running through his hormones but that too seems par for the course in our latest presidents. I suspect he is a pragmatist and hopefully a fast learner since he obviously has much to learn. We have leaped off the cliff and hopefully there is water, not rocks down below. I have my fingers crossed.
1
"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." --H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
6
This morning, my young teachers here in Italy and friends on email were writing to me aghast. My daughter called me in tears at 7 a.m. my time, my son writing to me on FB. I walked out at 8 to take my aging dachshund out and lo and behold, after greeting the elderly Italian gentleman with whom I share our mutual love of our dogs, not 10 feet from my entrance, I ran into a Trump supporter. Bad Karma? He sat with another American gentleman, quiet, silent who shook his head when I asked if he had supported Trump as well. But, he remained silent. When I voiced my concerns, the first man immediately tagged me as "an Angry Woman." When I countered with this was a human issue not gender, he countered with the fact that he was a nice person and nice to everyone -- right after his comment. As he went on about Obamacare and other Obama 'failures', he talked over my concerns about rural Americans who needed expansion of care - a move to universal coverage. He countered that Democratics were fat cats as well and that everybody in Washington was rich and corrupt. These folks truly believe these things.
America, pull up your big girl and big boy pants. Acknowledge and address disparity and work for change. I told my son to join his Democratic organization and work for the better good. I plan to return to America, not only as a therapist, but also activist. Now is the time. We must prevail and not wither in the face of righteous anger coupled with 'unrighteous' facts and beliefs.
America, pull up your big girl and big boy pants. Acknowledge and address disparity and work for change. I told my son to join his Democratic organization and work for the better good. I plan to return to America, not only as a therapist, but also activist. Now is the time. We must prevail and not wither in the face of righteous anger coupled with 'unrighteous' facts and beliefs.
2
We've seen what's happened in Kansas under total Republican control: a crumbling economy, bankrupt government coffers, severe reduction of essential services including infrastructure repair and education, imposition of Christian Sharia Law. Add to this government sanctioned armed goon squads rounding up 10+ million undocumented immigrants, and be afraid, very afraid.
8
I don't see Hillary Clinton as a "deeply flawed candidate." I see her as a knowledgeable and responsible and overwhelmingly honest candidate who does (let's admit it) carry around two breasts and a uterus and has defended the rights of women, girls, immigrants, African-Americans, and LGBT citizens.
Donald Trump has been proven to be a serial liar and adulterer, a cheat, a con artist, a big baby with an attention span of four seconds, who requires 24-hour daily daycare to keep him on message.
And he has been elected.
That ain't Hillary's fault.
That's the fault of the gullible sexists and racists and religious fundamentalists who elected him.
Donald Trump has been proven to be a serial liar and adulterer, a cheat, a con artist, a big baby with an attention span of four seconds, who requires 24-hour daily daycare to keep him on message.
And he has been elected.
That ain't Hillary's fault.
That's the fault of the gullible sexists and racists and religious fundamentalists who elected him.
12
Proven, the DNC and it's special group focus, it's behind the scenes orchestration and determination to give America what it ought to want, the product they defined as best for all of us, again, is dead.
So many out there, obviously, said that they were fed up with dynasty control, with having to vote for more of the same, again.
For many it was a coherent political choice, for some a rejection of a Democratic party that has been talking out of both sides of the mouth for way too long, and for others it was a vote out of pure spite.
It is a classic reaction against an elite political group that presented the American voter with a false choice again- a refusal to accept just more of the same and to bust out of the box.
Hopefully though, we will see that the high office often works a change on the office-holder.
So many out there, obviously, said that they were fed up with dynasty control, with having to vote for more of the same, again.
For many it was a coherent political choice, for some a rejection of a Democratic party that has been talking out of both sides of the mouth for way too long, and for others it was a vote out of pure spite.
It is a classic reaction against an elite political group that presented the American voter with a false choice again- a refusal to accept just more of the same and to bust out of the box.
Hopefully though, we will see that the high office often works a change on the office-holder.
2
When the minorities became the majorities our right wing citizens said enough. No more immigrants, no more Muslims, no more cheap imports, no more liberal policies, no more political correctness, no more multiculturalism no more gay rights, no more welfare, no more save the environment, no more black lives matter, no more free child care, no more equality, no more peace etc. trumps America and millions of Americans seem to desire for the old days of America first. Who needs the rest of the world when we have all these "Nukes"lying around. World beware, Trumps America is muscling up. No weak woman can run our country like a Macho Man like now President Trump, Reagan, GWB 2, and their failed policies are back. We shall see.
5
All of us who didn't vote for Trump are in a state of shock. But we need to remember that when Obama was elected in 2008, he was NOT the status quo. We, the Democrats, did not take that into consideration when we allowed Hillary to become our candidate. It is a time to grieve...for sure. But to recoil in horror and fear? I think not. There is too much work to do to find and support a Democratic candidate for 2020 that really can address the change that has clearly taken place over the past 10 years in the American electorate. Fear only begets more fear. Our strength will come from our faith and being very pro-active in our local communities.
While pundits predicted the implosion of the Republican Party, with Trump's nomination as proof, they were oblivious to the comparable drama within the Democratic Party that ignored, patronized and undermined the grassroots support to Bernie Sanders candidacy.
The fix was in with the gratuitous assignment of delegates to Hillary and the DNC's antipathy to Sanders, not to mention the mass medias gravitation to the status quo versus real change.
It was clear from the beginning that both Sanders and Trump spoke to the hurt and feelings of isolation of those left behind in the economic collapse under Bush.
The guy who stayed within the "system" lost. The guy who kept spitting in the eye of convention, won.
The media was complicit in this outcome.
The fix was in with the gratuitous assignment of delegates to Hillary and the DNC's antipathy to Sanders, not to mention the mass medias gravitation to the status quo versus real change.
It was clear from the beginning that both Sanders and Trump spoke to the hurt and feelings of isolation of those left behind in the economic collapse under Bush.
The guy who stayed within the "system" lost. The guy who kept spitting in the eye of convention, won.
The media was complicit in this outcome.
5
Both parties ignored the desires and fears of most of the US public. Both lost but Donald Trump won.
Whether he will address those needs as he says is highly questionable. He has shown a record of dishonesty toward so many in so many ways that it is difficult to believe he will not eventually betray his constituency in his own personal interest.
Whether he will address those needs as he says is highly questionable. He has shown a record of dishonesty toward so many in so many ways that it is difficult to believe he will not eventually betray his constituency in his own personal interest.
1
Blown away. Just blown away. After the polls closed, the tape showed that Trump had carried the precinct where I worked the election. The precinct had backed Obama decisively in 2008 and 2012. We hand sorted the optically scanned ballots looking for write-ins not caught by the scanner and one thing stood out oh so clearly. The number of Republican straight ticket voters far exceeded the Democratic straight tickets voters. That's not easy because a straight ticket voter must vote for each candidate separately. There were far more voters who had voted only in the Presidential race and voted for Hillary Clinton than for Donald Trump.
The facts on the ground here don't square with the notion that Trump voters supported only Trump and voted against the Establishment.
The facts on the ground here don't square with the notion that Trump voters supported only Trump and voted against the Establishment.
6
I am ashamed to be an American. Trump's victory just changed the view the world has of the USA. Americans are for "family values", integrity, the Statue of Liberty welcoming the hopeful and bedraggled to our land? They want a president with character? What a lie. I make one prediction: in four years the working stiffs of this land will be no better off. Our relations with Russia, China and Iran will be more strained. Climate change will really start to bite. The USA will be deeper in debt because a "trickle down" economy only trickles upward. So a lot of voters decided to burn the house down forgetting they were inside. Thank you Republicans for giving us a Trump.
9
Throughout the campaign, I felt and expressed despair and anger that, apparently the only way a woman can become president of the United States is if her opponent is a toxic mess of a man, a person with severe personality disorders, who is completely incompetent and unfit and unprepared for the job, who offends larges swaths of people, and who even admitted to serial sexual assault of women.
Apparently I was wrong.
Apparently I was wrong.
11
It's a terrible terrible thing to say, but this is the triumph of stupid and the ascendance of the party of stupid. I have had the misfortune of enduring Nixon, Reagan and G.W. Bush in my lifetime, and now this. Empires seem to have a shorter lifespan in today's world than they did in the past, but America's choice of leaders has pretty well condemned it to a future of decline and dissension. The Russian strategy is working perfectly: undermine the governance of your adversary and his weaknesses will destroy him from within.
Unfortunately in this case it's not just US but the entire planet that will suffer.
Unfortunately in this case it's not just US but the entire planet that will suffer.
11
As a self-employed cancer patient, currently covered by the Affordable Care Act, I am terrified.
As a woman who has just watched the culmination of 30 years of swift-boating of one of the most talented women who has ever served in public life, I am revolted.
As a mother, I am unspeakably sad.
As a woman who has just watched the culmination of 30 years of swift-boating of one of the most talented women who has ever served in public life, I am revolted.
As a mother, I am unspeakably sad.
283
I suspect that those voters who put the Republicans in charge will be quickly disillusioned as the party continues its payoff to the 1% and continues to screw these Rust Belt unemployed as they have for the last 10 years by ignoring their needs. Trump's slogans are not policies that can save these people and they have just handed our democracy to a fanatically anti-labor, anti-woman group who don't really give a damn about these workers and who cost up to neo-fascist and authoritarians. They'll reinforce this with a right wing conservative Court that will destroy much of what we now take for granted as citizen rights in favor of business above all. I feel very sad for my children and grandchildren and for the viability of the planet.
128
Bruni has written a perceptive article, one of his best. Especially liked anecdote about Clinton's campaign workers showing up at people's houses with complicated position papers, which no doubt went unread.Keep things simple should be the rule of thumb in such cases, and Campaign apparently believed the opposite.Reassuring to know also that Mr. Bruni was not averse to doing investigative reporting on his own.Clinton's problem was a lack of empathy, nowhere more evident than in her strident, bellicose attacks on little whites..Her condescending remarks,echoing those of Obama,towards white working class folks resonated with her own wealthy donors, but had the effect of alienating DT's supporters.Irremediable strategic error."Pride goeth before a fall."When u become cocksure and arrogant about ur superiority over others, people sense that, and react negatively. Trump also worked harder, took nothing for granted,and up until election day traveled from state to state promoting his candidacy. We appreciated that.Finally, there will be no infernos or firestorms following his election as FB, playing the role of Gus "le tenebreux," or that of a downcast Schopenhauer, predicted. When was Schopenhauer ever not downcast you ask? DT will compose his differences with his opponents while defending those who put their faith in him. If only my parents,who never earned more than $20,000 yearly, could have been here to celebrate Trump's victory:Ohalla!
17
Republican control of the Senate.
Republican control of the House
Republican control of the White House
Republican control of the Justice Department
Republican control of the Supreme Court
I was and am a Hillary Clinton supporter. I voted for her.
I am listening, this morning, to all the radio pundits, and reading all the major newspaper opinion-writers, and I am startled at the number of times I have heard/read "what went wrong?" Quite simply, nothing went wrong. The system worked EXACTLY as the founding fathers intended: the will of the people has been expressed through the electoral process, and it is going to be obeyed.
Nothing went wrong.
However, the process has exposed a major flaw within itself: there are no protections against the candidacies of incompetent contestants. Trump is probably the first -- at best, ONE of the first -- candidates who has no experience in public service, has never served in the House, has never served in the Senate, has never been a major or even a town council member -- has never served in the Military. Suddenly this clown is going to sit in the most powerful seat, in the most power-filled room, in the most powerful nation on earth. But the process worked. Nothing went wrong.
Remember, in grade school, when your first, second and third grade teachers kept saying "This is America! ANYBODY who wants to be president can be president!" Well, by god, that is exactly what has happened.
And nothing went wrong.
Republican control of the House
Republican control of the White House
Republican control of the Justice Department
Republican control of the Supreme Court
I was and am a Hillary Clinton supporter. I voted for her.
I am listening, this morning, to all the radio pundits, and reading all the major newspaper opinion-writers, and I am startled at the number of times I have heard/read "what went wrong?" Quite simply, nothing went wrong. The system worked EXACTLY as the founding fathers intended: the will of the people has been expressed through the electoral process, and it is going to be obeyed.
Nothing went wrong.
However, the process has exposed a major flaw within itself: there are no protections against the candidacies of incompetent contestants. Trump is probably the first -- at best, ONE of the first -- candidates who has no experience in public service, has never served in the House, has never served in the Senate, has never been a major or even a town council member -- has never served in the Military. Suddenly this clown is going to sit in the most powerful seat, in the most power-filled room, in the most powerful nation on earth. But the process worked. Nothing went wrong.
Remember, in grade school, when your first, second and third grade teachers kept saying "This is America! ANYBODY who wants to be president can be president!" Well, by god, that is exactly what has happened.
And nothing went wrong.
120
This election is the answer to the question no one asked: what happens when the hopes and dreams of the working class of America are abandoned for two generations? Think about that for a minute. Or two. For forty years the inflation adjusted income of the working class has, at best, remained flat. They were left behind. All around them, everyone else was making gains. The rich got richer. (A lot richer.) Women and minorities moved up. But for them there was no better life ahead for their children or their children's children. While the Democrats abandoned them, the Republicans callously manipulated them - focusing and funneling the working class’ frustrations for conservative electoral gains, even while pursuing policies that made the working class’ situation ever more dire. Donald J. Trump is the apotheosis of these strategies.
1
I remember how angry I was when President Obama passed the ACA. I had just lost my job of 10 years due to the recession. Too add insult to injury I had to spend a month in the Dominican Republic training my replacement because my company could cut labor costs by 70%. I didn't care about health insurance I needed a job but no one was hiring.
Had the Democrats also put out infrastructure projects we wouldn't be having this conversation. The banks were bailed out, wall Street recovered but the working class was neglected. We are now seeing the results of this anger.
Ultimately I was grateful for the ACA. My new employer was forced to give health insurance to employees that were hired to work 30 hours but then offered unlimited overtime. This was their way to not have to pay benefits and with the economy they got away with it.
The Democrats and Republicans both need to spend some time getting to know the American people and what we need to thrive. Trump is our generations President Carter. Carter was elected by an angry electorate struggling with inflation and disgust over Nixon. But he only lasted four years so there is hope for the future.
Had the Democrats also put out infrastructure projects we wouldn't be having this conversation. The banks were bailed out, wall Street recovered but the working class was neglected. We are now seeing the results of this anger.
Ultimately I was grateful for the ACA. My new employer was forced to give health insurance to employees that were hired to work 30 hours but then offered unlimited overtime. This was their way to not have to pay benefits and with the economy they got away with it.
The Democrats and Republicans both need to spend some time getting to know the American people and what we need to thrive. Trump is our generations President Carter. Carter was elected by an angry electorate struggling with inflation and disgust over Nixon. But he only lasted four years so there is hope for the future.
2
I have hated election outcomes in the past but this is the first time my reaction was outright fear. Fear on so many levels from economic survival if Medicare and Social Security are tampered with to very real fear of global financial recession and war.
My fellow countrymen think we did not listen to them here in the Democratic eastern corridor. Do they never consider that they in the hinterlands might have listened to our well constructed reasons for concern? The red state countrymen hate before they know us, don't listen to us or try to understand us. Do they really think we do not know what they face and that we also feel concern for that creeping plight of under employment and loss? Well now it will get worse with an incompetent at the helm.
My fellow countrymen think we did not listen to them here in the Democratic eastern corridor. Do they never consider that they in the hinterlands might have listened to our well constructed reasons for concern? The red state countrymen hate before they know us, don't listen to us or try to understand us. Do they really think we do not know what they face and that we also feel concern for that creeping plight of under employment and loss? Well now it will get worse with an incompetent at the helm.
2
I seem to recall that other to defend their interests or to make their voices heard have chosen a billionaire builder with no political experience, taking advantage of good their communication skills was able to convince them to be the right man for change things.
In Italy the under-representation and the politics like profession are still present and also we have lost twenty years resulting political paralysis, cultural and economic.
In Italy the under-representation and the politics like profession are still present and also we have lost twenty years resulting political paralysis, cultural and economic.
1
Donald Trump has exposed America, again. A nation divided by race, by religion, by ethnicity, by income, by education, by values, by seething anger. The American melting pot is actually a boiling cauldron of oil and water; we have not been so divided since brother fought brother in the Civil War.
Trump ran on being himself, an unapologetic man-child consumed with an unquenchable need for approval, absorbed with his absurd appearance, spewing hate, proud of his ugly soul. America was not hoodwinked, not deceived; Trump fully exposed himself (just short of literally), America looked on and America embraced this man-child and his foulness with open arms.
We are entering a dark chapter in our history (hopefully not the last chapter). Hate, anger and anguish define us. Trump may deliver on his venomous promises. How will his roiling supporters react if he does not? How will progressives react if he does? Can America survive Donald Trump? Not just his divisiveness, but quite literally, survive his denial of climate change? Not just a delay in averting catastrophe, but choosing to accelerate and exacerbate climate change.
We must endure. One thing for sure, America's path ahead is uncertain.
Trump ran on being himself, an unapologetic man-child consumed with an unquenchable need for approval, absorbed with his absurd appearance, spewing hate, proud of his ugly soul. America was not hoodwinked, not deceived; Trump fully exposed himself (just short of literally), America looked on and America embraced this man-child and his foulness with open arms.
We are entering a dark chapter in our history (hopefully not the last chapter). Hate, anger and anguish define us. Trump may deliver on his venomous promises. How will his roiling supporters react if he does not? How will progressives react if he does? Can America survive Donald Trump? Not just his divisiveness, but quite literally, survive his denial of climate change? Not just a delay in averting catastrophe, but choosing to accelerate and exacerbate climate change.
We must endure. One thing for sure, America's path ahead is uncertain.
1
I went to sleep knowing he had won. I awoke after Hillary conceeded. I compare this event with the election of Richard NIxon. He was also a person who saw the world as a place filled with enemies. In the end he impeached himself. The country survived. I listened to our future President's acceptance speech. It was unsurprising. Like NIxon, he was gracious in victory. However. what will he do when he meets resistance from some in his party and even more substantially from his opposition. The resistance from those of us who believe that Obama was born in Hawaii, that the globe is warming up and the seas are rising because of the addition of carbon to the atmosphere, that calling people crooked liars is obnoxious beyond belief, that suing people reflexively when they come forth to call a spade a spade, the list is long. We survived the vice presidency of Aaron Burr who actually took a gun, shot and killed his opponent Alexander Hamilton. Burr is credited with inventing modern political campaining. Burr was brought to trial for treason in the end. We will see what is in store for Donald Trump.
Predictably, the carrion-eaters have begun to feast on the carcass of Clinton's candidacy, focusing on her faults and the blindness of her supporters, as if the victory of Trump represented a rational and justifiable outcome of this election. But Hillary Clinton, whatever her shortcomings as a campaigner, possessed in abundance the qualities that would have made her a fine president. The preference of the electorate for a vicious, unqualified blowhard reflects more on them than on her.
Americans demanded change, oblivious to the reality that the only kind of change Trump offered centered on an attack on their own institutions and values. Democracy requires an informed electorate, and for fifteen months Trump had thoroughly informed us of what kind of man he was. The fact that we chose him anyway constitutes the greatest indictment of American voters in our history. One reader commented on the fact that Clinton volunteers dropped off pamphlets detailing her proposed policies, while Trump relied on a vacuous slogan, completely unaware of the intellectual shallowness betrayed by a preference for the latter's approach.
For the first time in my life, I am ashamed of my country.
Americans demanded change, oblivious to the reality that the only kind of change Trump offered centered on an attack on their own institutions and values. Democracy requires an informed electorate, and for fifteen months Trump had thoroughly informed us of what kind of man he was. The fact that we chose him anyway constitutes the greatest indictment of American voters in our history. One reader commented on the fact that Clinton volunteers dropped off pamphlets detailing her proposed policies, while Trump relied on a vacuous slogan, completely unaware of the intellectual shallowness betrayed by a preference for the latter's approach.
For the first time in my life, I am ashamed of my country.
10
Mr. Bruni suggest that the two parties who have led us to this strange and perhaps catastrophic reality will have to soul search, to come to a reckoning of their actions. The Democrats will soul search until they once again completely paralyze themselves into entropy. The GOP is incapable of any such soul searching, if they were we wouldn't be in this rather ridiculous situation of having the most extreme wing nuts at the helm with some vague hope that moderate influences will temper the extreme. That extreme won, to the victor the spoils. My God help us all.
Here we go- kicking Hillary around again. Hillary had many liabilities but few of her own making. She was running against a tailwind for change that haunts any party that tries for a third term. She was continuity with Obama when voters usually want the opposite of the who has sat for 8 years in the white house- Obama was the antithesis of W- and Trump is surely that to Obama. She's a woman and she's been reviled for being uppity for decades- by both men and women. The language used against her in Trump rallies- the B word was the gentlest epithet- would not be tolerated against any other group even in most right wing circles. And then there was the false, mindless equating- equal timing of the two candidates by the media- which created the impression that her confusion over e-mails was the equal of if not worse than Trump the birther, Trump the mocker of disabled reporters, Trump the inciter to violence, Trump who doesn't reveal of pay his income tax and uses charitable donations to pay off his debts. Hillary was our best shot against the winds of resentment fueled by an economy that is leaving so many behind, against the divisions stoked by Trump and his minions. We owe her a debt of gratitude- this is what Trump said in rare moment of generosity in his acceptance speech. And it's the thing he's ever said that I agree with.
1
If Trump does what he said he will do, 35% tariff on imported cars, deport aliens, decrease taxes for the wealthy, build a wall etc, we can expect:
1. A trade war followed by recession.
2. 20 million Americans with Health Insurance dropped from the list of insured. Replaced with smile and a kind word.
3. Loss of workers in most unskilled jobs throughout the US. The deportation of illegal aliens, and a loss of thousand of workers in the Midwestern slaughter houses-resulting in an increase in food prices.
4. A large increase in the deficit.
5. More conservative justices on the supreme court resulting in more state voter ID laws to disenfranchise minorities to blunt the demographic forces that will change the racial makeup of America.
1. A trade war followed by recession.
2. 20 million Americans with Health Insurance dropped from the list of insured. Replaced with smile and a kind word.
3. Loss of workers in most unskilled jobs throughout the US. The deportation of illegal aliens, and a loss of thousand of workers in the Midwestern slaughter houses-resulting in an increase in food prices.
4. A large increase in the deficit.
5. More conservative justices on the supreme court resulting in more state voter ID laws to disenfranchise minorities to blunt the demographic forces that will change the racial makeup of America.
1
Here's the lesson:
Clinton threw away the election by doubling down on massive immigration.
From the get-go, Trump's signature issue was the need to take strong measures to rein in massive uncontrolled immigration.
Clinton and the Dems doubled down on massive immigration, egged on by poohbahs in the Academy and the Fourth Estate, and they took foolish false comfort in the self-interested support for massive immigration tantamount to open borders chanted by the inveterately pro-cheap-labor business crowd on Wall Street and in the Business Roundtable CEO Guild and their water carriers among some Repubs. Witness how enthralled they all were with the supposed "Bipartisan Comprehensive Immigration Reform".
But now the hoi polloi have spoken, in a stiff rebuke to all of them.
Yes, there were many other issues.
But massive uncontrolled immigration was the first and remains the biggest.
It is the first one that Trump needs to address now.
And it is one where Dems ought to be able to yield.
If they don't yield on immigration, they will lose everything else they hold dear.
Clinton threw away the election by doubling down on massive immigration.
From the get-go, Trump's signature issue was the need to take strong measures to rein in massive uncontrolled immigration.
Clinton and the Dems doubled down on massive immigration, egged on by poohbahs in the Academy and the Fourth Estate, and they took foolish false comfort in the self-interested support for massive immigration tantamount to open borders chanted by the inveterately pro-cheap-labor business crowd on Wall Street and in the Business Roundtable CEO Guild and their water carriers among some Repubs. Witness how enthralled they all were with the supposed "Bipartisan Comprehensive Immigration Reform".
But now the hoi polloi have spoken, in a stiff rebuke to all of them.
Yes, there were many other issues.
But massive uncontrolled immigration was the first and remains the biggest.
It is the first one that Trump needs to address now.
And it is one where Dems ought to be able to yield.
If they don't yield on immigration, they will lose everything else they hold dear.
"Both parties are going to have to reckon with it." Really? No, the Republicans won't have to. Now securely in power, unchecked by literally any opposing philosophy or power center, they'll take the actions they've long promised and, in the process, almost certainly continue to feed pablum and little else to the masses which voted for them. Some notables throughout the years have said that the majesty and responsibilities of the presidency constitute a natural restraint on abuse of power. But this time, with this person and his coterie, that may not be true.
2
There is no question many factors, some already mentioned, led to this electoral result. Yet, maybe the single greatest factor, the lack of a signiificant social institution for all, is really to blame. Things like misogyny, racial bigotry, the bully mentality, and even ignorance are clearly not important enough to a large number of American voters to matter in regard to a choice for President. Yet if Americans had access to free, or at least far more affordable, higher education we would probably have a far different result due to a far different national mindset.
When students head off to Universities they live next to and attend classes with people from different, and sometimes, very different walks of life. A far cry from a homogenized hometown of ten thousand and a graduating class of two hundred. Preconceived notions regarding sexism, racism, xenophobia tend to evaporate in these bastions of eye opening possibility. Tolerance and finding common ground becomes the norm when everyone is in the same boat heading toward finding one's self.
Many of the disgruntled writers at the Times, colleagues of mine at the lunch table and even members of the Republican party itself are outraged with the antics and subsequent election of Mr. Trump. What do they all have in common? They all could afford to attend University and are educated. Maybe if there was more of this in the U.S. thanks to "Socialist" policies like universal higher education, Mr Sanders would be president.
When students head off to Universities they live next to and attend classes with people from different, and sometimes, very different walks of life. A far cry from a homogenized hometown of ten thousand and a graduating class of two hundred. Preconceived notions regarding sexism, racism, xenophobia tend to evaporate in these bastions of eye opening possibility. Tolerance and finding common ground becomes the norm when everyone is in the same boat heading toward finding one's self.
Many of the disgruntled writers at the Times, colleagues of mine at the lunch table and even members of the Republican party itself are outraged with the antics and subsequent election of Mr. Trump. What do they all have in common? They all could afford to attend University and are educated. Maybe if there was more of this in the U.S. thanks to "Socialist" policies like universal higher education, Mr Sanders would be president.
1
Trump had more than his over-the-top ego, he had his well-honed vulpine intuitive sense of the successful con man who senses weakness and turns it to his advantage. Having seen how hollow and superficial they'd become, and destroying their other nominees (none of whom were themselves truly fit to become president) in vulgar fashion, he used this abillity first to conquer the Republican party. Having done so, he then reshaped it by conning voters who previously were afforded no legitimacy or socially acceptable voice. This was easier done than not because Trump is also base and brash. He conned hypocrites, especially the evangelicals, because he surfaced their contorted hypocrisy while promising them everything they want. Last, of course, he sensed and exploited the weakness in the Democratic party which suffered lasting effects from its internecine battle. The role of external actions, including possible Russian involvement, Wikileaks releases and the ham-handed work of the FBI, will be debated for years. But at root, as he's shown time after time, the principal reason for his success is his con man's ability to exploit every opportunity and, importantly, to care nothing about consequences or responsibilities after success.
1
Mr. Bruni, I am very disappointed but not at all surprised. While many political analyst last night stated that the Latino population was a sleeping giant that had awakened, last night revealed that a larger giant had awoken a majority(many of whom were silent) who were tired of tradition.
As an African-American female who voted for Mrs. Clinton, several people in my family (mostly African-American males) voted for President Elect Trump. When I asked them why and reminded them of all the things that were said and done, their response was simply....we want a change and all stated that they didn't believe Mr. Trump really believes in all the things he said. I fought back by quoting a bible verse found in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." They still didn't care and jokingly said, "What do we have to lose" to get me to lighten up, but I couldn't. An individual can't change overnight without a Damascus Road experience and up until last week, our President Elect was still the same person we had seen the entire campaign season.
On a positive note, his victory speech did sound unifying, if only I could believe that he will hold true to his words. I am doubtful, but then again perhaps we will all be surprised again to find him with a changed heart just as we are surprised that America elected Mr. Trump irrespective of some of his hateful words and actions.
As an African-American female who voted for Mrs. Clinton, several people in my family (mostly African-American males) voted for President Elect Trump. When I asked them why and reminded them of all the things that were said and done, their response was simply....we want a change and all stated that they didn't believe Mr. Trump really believes in all the things he said. I fought back by quoting a bible verse found in Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." They still didn't care and jokingly said, "What do we have to lose" to get me to lighten up, but I couldn't. An individual can't change overnight without a Damascus Road experience and up until last week, our President Elect was still the same person we had seen the entire campaign season.
On a positive note, his victory speech did sound unifying, if only I could believe that he will hold true to his words. I am doubtful, but then again perhaps we will all be surprised again to find him with a changed heart just as we are surprised that America elected Mr. Trump irrespective of some of his hateful words and actions.
2
If you want to know what happened yesterday, you have but to re-read Jimmy Carter's "Crisis in Confidence" speech of July 15, 1979: "The threat that haunts America today is a crisis in confidence. It strikes at the very heart, soul and spirit of our nation. We can see it in the dwindling belief in a significant meaning for our individual lives; and in a decline in unity of purpose for our country. The erosion of confidence in the future is destroying the social and political fabric of our America." President Carter talked of going out among the people and listening to their stories. One in particular is haunting: "I feel so far from government. The ordinary citizen is excluded from political power." We mocked him for that speech. We chose the sunnier Ronald Reagan to replace him. What we did not do was to confront the problems Carter so presciently identified and cataloged. Well, those disenfranchised, angry, forgotten people, from the depths of their malaise, have spoken and have placed their faith in the one man they think has the power and the tenacity to chase from our nation's capital what Carter called the "hundreds of powerful and well-financed special interests" that have produced "paralysis, stagnation, and drift". The question is whether President Trump will keep faith with those who have delivered him and take on these entrenched power-brokers, or merely bend them to his uses.
1
There are deeply divisive issues that tear at the unity of our nation: issues that seem to be ignored by the pundits and political wonks who dominate the media, but who have not walked in the footsteps of the those who found a kindred spirit in President-elect Trump. Notwithstanding his wealth and celebrity, Mr. Trump spoke the language of those who believe their voices have been muted by the elites who dominate the press corps and who have created a closed political system. Mr. Trumps vulgarity - as distasteful as it is - resonates among those who for a very long time have felt they have been barred from entry into the very exclusive country club whose members rule business and buy politicians. Much to my personal dismay, the voters have refused to "eat cake" choosing rather to elect an iconoclast who appears to recognize their deepest concerns. I am confident our great nation will survive, but over the next four years, we will be greatly tested.
2
While I spent the 80s waiting out the Reagan years in Europe I tried to explain to Europeans that American are not ignorant just gullible. Reagan was dictatorial but not a dictator. Trump is a charlatan with dictatorial aspirations and we elected him. This may be his first legitimate employ in his long sordid career. We have been duped by the world's greatest conman. We are quite literarily the collective embodiment of Ignorance. This is the beginning of a dived the likes of which this nation hasn't seen since 1859. And while I was laughing at this clown for the past year the joke is on us.
5
Trump was right. This is a rigged election. Thanks to Trump's Russian friends, the FBI and the Republican legislatures that work so hard to disenfranchise American voters and gerrymander safe districts for Republicans. My husband and I were about to buy a house. We'll rescind that decision as we no longer have confidence in the future of this country.
It's past time to consider breaking this country up into three separate countries: the West coast, the East coast and then all the red states in between. I'm tired of blue states supporting red states and then being subjected to their racist and hateful laws attacking the rights of women, minorities, LGBT, science and educated people. Let those people live in their own little Taliban style country and leave the rest of us alone.
It's past time to consider breaking this country up into three separate countries: the West coast, the East coast and then all the red states in between. I'm tired of blue states supporting red states and then being subjected to their racist and hateful laws attacking the rights of women, minorities, LGBT, science and educated people. Let those people live in their own little Taliban style country and leave the rest of us alone.
8
A few days ago, I wrote a comment in response to a wonderful piece penned by Harry Belafonte and carried here in the Times. You can read it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/opinion/campaign-stops/harry-belafonte...
Basically, I said I was an Angry White Male--but not Angry in the Trumpian sense. I wanted my country back, the one with hope and compassion and tolerance, the one Harry was writing about.
I never for a moment thought there were enough other Angry White Men--the ones who believed in Trump's vision--to triumph. Indeed, it looks like Hillary will win (barely) the popular vote count. Yet, here we are.
I've written as often as anyone how old Roosevelt Democrats knew that white working class men, and their families, had major economic difficulties, too. And there was a time when such Democrats tried to help these people, and did not sneer at/condescend to them, realizing they were undereducated, underemployed, under health-serviced, just like many "minority" groups.
Of course Republicans played divide and conquer, stoking fears of a black/brown planet, encouraging the Kardashianization of education and media (Where are the civics classes? Budgeted out), cynically manipulating a vulnerable group.
That vulnerable group needs to accept blame, too, for thoughtlessly blowing things up without regard to where the debris fell.
I just hope it has the insight to toss the bum out when he dashes its hopes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/opinion/campaign-stops/harry-belafonte...
Basically, I said I was an Angry White Male--but not Angry in the Trumpian sense. I wanted my country back, the one with hope and compassion and tolerance, the one Harry was writing about.
I never for a moment thought there were enough other Angry White Men--the ones who believed in Trump's vision--to triumph. Indeed, it looks like Hillary will win (barely) the popular vote count. Yet, here we are.
I've written as often as anyone how old Roosevelt Democrats knew that white working class men, and their families, had major economic difficulties, too. And there was a time when such Democrats tried to help these people, and did not sneer at/condescend to them, realizing they were undereducated, underemployed, under health-serviced, just like many "minority" groups.
Of course Republicans played divide and conquer, stoking fears of a black/brown planet, encouraging the Kardashianization of education and media (Where are the civics classes? Budgeted out), cynically manipulating a vulnerable group.
That vulnerable group needs to accept blame, too, for thoughtlessly blowing things up without regard to where the debris fell.
I just hope it has the insight to toss the bum out when he dashes its hopes.
If only both parties had put up better candidates. Neither one did. And that's how we got Trump as president. Now we're going to have to live with the consequences.
15
Hate Trumps Love
The Confederate States of America have finally won their uncivil war against America's Statue of Liberty for all.
Make America Hate Again has won the Trumpian day.
Sad.
The Confederate States of America have finally won their uncivil war against America's Statue of Liberty for all.
Make America Hate Again has won the Trumpian day.
Sad.
204
Enshroud the Mother of Exiles.
YOU are sad. America has had enough of your kind of thinking (and hate).
1
S,
On your way to Canada you might want to look at some of those Red States up north next to Canada! We'll miss you!
On your way to Canada you might want to look at some of those Red States up north next to Canada! We'll miss you!
2
Frank - next election get in your car and drive around America. You might learn something. Most Americans aren't racist but are tired of the constant race baiting going on as a political tool. Rural and blue collar whites are tired of being called stupid. Most importantly - Hillary was a bad candidate. Imagine if a real Republican had run against her.
52
Rural and blue collar whites are tired of being called stupid.
So to dispel that notion they vote for Trump. Good thinking.
So to dispel that notion they vote for Trump. Good thinking.
4
When the jobs don't come back, because it's corporate America that will continue to say where the jobs stay and where they go, what will white jobless Americans do then? Oh, they'll find another scapegoat.
2
Thank you , Bill from Des Moines. My thoughts exactly.
Frank, I share your shock. All Democrats do. Trump not only ran the table, he threw it across the floor.
Get ready for a really rough ride--this is uncharted territory.
Get ready for a really rough ride--this is uncharted territory.
72
Frank, all that name-calling - deplorables, homophobes, bigots, xenophobes, etc. - didn't work. It seems to have only further polarized the country.
71
It worked for Trump
1
Sorry but the things that Trump said ARE deplorable, racist and xenophobic. Let's not pretend - the racists understood his message and supported him for it. It was no surprise that the KKK openly endorsed him.
Perhaps not all his supporters are deplorable- but they heard the same message as the deplorables and said "Okay".
Perhaps not all his supporters are deplorable- but they heard the same message as the deplorables and said "Okay".
1
Yes, because Trump didn't do any name-calling. Riiight.
Now America will be living in a reality show. A horror show.
219
Not necessarily. The ongoing investigations into trump's fraudulent business activities will very likely result in indictments and he will be gone from the White House before we know it.
2
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
THE SECOND COMING
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
THE SECOND COMING
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
I go to bed tonight believing that, like Esau, America has just sold its birthright for a mess of pottage.
93
I am absolutely stunned, but not surprised.
I really don't know what to say to my students today, who are not the shade of the "silent majority" that apparently just "got their country back."
I can only hope that Mr. Trump's bluster and egomania will be tempered when he realizes that running a country is not some dictatorial reality show.
The branches of our government exist to prevent an autocrat.
Simply shouting from the balcony and banging one's fist apparently equals governmental policy. After all, it seemed to work for a while in Italy in the 1920's.
As our digital age chickens have come home to roost, in this great "information age", it seems that sheer repetition and sloganeering, was enough to convince Mr. Trump's supporters that he was the man to transport them back to a mythic time and place, which by definition would be an "unreality show."
With apologies to Ronald Regan, "It's Mourning in America."
I really don't know what to say to my students today, who are not the shade of the "silent majority" that apparently just "got their country back."
I can only hope that Mr. Trump's bluster and egomania will be tempered when he realizes that running a country is not some dictatorial reality show.
The branches of our government exist to prevent an autocrat.
Simply shouting from the balcony and banging one's fist apparently equals governmental policy. After all, it seemed to work for a while in Italy in the 1920's.
As our digital age chickens have come home to roost, in this great "information age", it seems that sheer repetition and sloganeering, was enough to convince Mr. Trump's supporters that he was the man to transport them back to a mythic time and place, which by definition would be an "unreality show."
With apologies to Ronald Regan, "It's Mourning in America."
118
"The branches of our government exist to prevent an autocrat."
Not so much when all three branches are Trumped.
Not so much when all three branches are Trumped.
1
I'm thinking about what to say to my students,too. I'm going to see some scared young people today.
1
Tell your students that Hillarys lies lost her the election
1
Millions will begin to see the light this morning as they look at the fallen Dow and dollar. And the response from our allies around the world in horror and dismay. Not unlike Brexit, only far, far worse.
As the Int. Herald Tribune headline appeared the day after George W. Bush was elected for a second time, "How Can 50,000,000 People Be so Stupid?" more will come to see the light on January 20, 2017.
They will see it more as their healthcare disappears, along with their jobs, and their access to Planned Parenthood. When their daughter gets assaulted, raped, and becomes pregnant, and has no recourse to her destiny.
The light will become brighter as we witness the families, the women and children of our enemy combatants fall prey to his assurances of their blood in the sand. When our very own are abused, killed, in ever-increasing numbers by those rogue ones sworn to protect them.
When the support systems of America disappear with the shriveled tax base of the super rich, the light will come blazing.
And when our soft spoken and apparently humbled new President gets over his shock along with the rest of us, we will prayerfully not see the most blinding light of his ultimate fantasy of power come to manifest when he is first tested with the nuclear codes within his reach and mere minutes to deliberate a wise response or a wild reaction.
As the Int. Herald Tribune headline appeared the day after George W. Bush was elected for a second time, "How Can 50,000,000 People Be so Stupid?" more will come to see the light on January 20, 2017.
They will see it more as their healthcare disappears, along with their jobs, and their access to Planned Parenthood. When their daughter gets assaulted, raped, and becomes pregnant, and has no recourse to her destiny.
The light will become brighter as we witness the families, the women and children of our enemy combatants fall prey to his assurances of their blood in the sand. When our very own are abused, killed, in ever-increasing numbers by those rogue ones sworn to protect them.
When the support systems of America disappear with the shriveled tax base of the super rich, the light will come blazing.
And when our soft spoken and apparently humbled new President gets over his shock along with the rest of us, we will prayerfully not see the most blinding light of his ultimate fantasy of power come to manifest when he is first tested with the nuclear codes within his reach and mere minutes to deliberate a wise response or a wild reaction.
99
Your hope is admirable, but you fail to realize that all of those people wanted to kick out the corrupt political establishment in America, and they selected the only guy who was telling them he would do it. What they do not realize is that Donald Trump is the wrong guy for the job. He hobnobs with the rich and powerful. He will not do anything to harm their positions of power. Instead, his nightmarish ego will prompt him to become the ultimate power broker himself. It will take a LOT more time for people who voted for him, to discover their mistake. It probably will take at least 2 years, until the next election cycle. Hopefully, we will not all be dead by then.
1
So can we now admit that Sanders would have been the better choice?
Just the other day when Obama made his "'Not Everything's Supposed to be Inspiring" comment, I had to wonder - Was I the only one who realized that he was essentially admitting that Clinton was uninspiring and would merely be a bit of first aid to avoid undoing his great accomplishments?
The President's job is to inspire - like Kennedy's space race, or Johnson's Great Society or even Reagan's Morning in America to some extent. Even Trump's lackluster redux of Reagan's shtick was something people could hope for. Clinton's forced smiles and business as usual duplicity didn't convince anybody - not even Democrats could pretend to care this time around.
Bernie would've swept the floor with Trump.
Just the other day when Obama made his "'Not Everything's Supposed to be Inspiring" comment, I had to wonder - Was I the only one who realized that he was essentially admitting that Clinton was uninspiring and would merely be a bit of first aid to avoid undoing his great accomplishments?
The President's job is to inspire - like Kennedy's space race, or Johnson's Great Society or even Reagan's Morning in America to some extent. Even Trump's lackluster redux of Reagan's shtick was something people could hope for. Clinton's forced smiles and business as usual duplicity didn't convince anybody - not even Democrats could pretend to care this time around.
Bernie would've swept the floor with Trump.
167
@S. MIller in Oakland - how Sanders "would have" done is only a wild guess. He is a self-proclaimed socialist, a label which is anamathema to a majority of Americans. As to the idea that he polled better than Hillary, much of that has to do with the fact that the right attacked her and pretty much left him alone - which they would not have had he been nominated. I like Bernie; I even agreed with many of his ideas (though free college for everyone was a bit over the top), but while idealism is engaging and feel-good, it is also often impractical (which is why the idealists in a society are often the young folks) and not doable. Waving a flag for a single-payer government-run healthcare system is great (I'd actually like that), but not if that is your only idea and it won't fly.
40
I'm not convinced that Bernie would've out trumped Trump. His critiques of U.S. trade deals, employment, and banking/regulation policies would've appealed to white working and middle class voters across the Rust Belt. Bernie's record in the U.S. Senate left no policy watermarks he'd have to defend--probably useful for a "change" candidacy like his own. He'd be able to stand toe-to-toe with Trump on those points.
But Trump's constituency wasn't Bernie's. Trump's voting bloc was larger than Bernie's. It was less diverse than Bernie's. And it ran far deeper and broader than Bernie could have ever imagined--or tapped. Polls didn't measure the actual breadth of Trump's electorate because no one would outright admit their allegiance--all the better to spring their surprise at the voting booth, where their tally mattered most.
Trump's "forgotten people" far outnumbered those who "felt the Bern." An avowed Socialist would've been an anathema they'd never comprehend--let alone support. To reach them, Bernie would've had to take positions on immigration, anti-Black police brutality, the US Supreme Court nominations--and so many other social issues--that violated his own principles.
Rueing Bernie's defeat misses the point. Trump's America is one Bernie could have never reached, let alone governed.
But Trump's constituency wasn't Bernie's. Trump's voting bloc was larger than Bernie's. It was less diverse than Bernie's. And it ran far deeper and broader than Bernie could have ever imagined--or tapped. Polls didn't measure the actual breadth of Trump's electorate because no one would outright admit their allegiance--all the better to spring their surprise at the voting booth, where their tally mattered most.
Trump's "forgotten people" far outnumbered those who "felt the Bern." An avowed Socialist would've been an anathema they'd never comprehend--let alone support. To reach them, Bernie would've had to take positions on immigration, anti-Black police brutality, the US Supreme Court nominations--and so many other social issues--that violated his own principles.
Rueing Bernie's defeat misses the point. Trump's America is one Bernie could have never reached, let alone governed.
1
Anyone who thinks Bernie would have won this election has his/her head in the sand.
Dems will be analyzing this loss for years, but the fact is that 8 years of Obama were enough for a majority of the country. Winning 3 terms in a row is difficult in any case, but putting up either Sanders or Clinton made it even more difficult. Perhaps Biden might have won, but it's by no means certain given his reluctance to challenge Clinton.
Dems will be analyzing this loss for years, but the fact is that 8 years of Obama were enough for a majority of the country. Winning 3 terms in a row is difficult in any case, but putting up either Sanders or Clinton made it even more difficult. Perhaps Biden might have won, but it's by no means certain given his reluctance to challenge Clinton.
1
"After all the lies he told, all the fantasy he indulged in, all the hate he spewed and all the divisions he sharpened, he was rewarded with the highest office in the land."
What do we tell our children? That this is the kind of behavior and person that is valued and rewarded in our country? The young of this nation deserve so much better than this.
What do we tell our children? That this is the kind of behavior and person that is valued and rewarded in our country? The young of this nation deserve so much better than this.
275
What would we be telling our children if a lying, deceitful, woman who advocated open borders while taking donations from countries that denigrate women and gays had won?
That is exactly the kind of behaviour that is admired and rewarded in this country. And this election has throw it into stark relief. America loves a rich bully. And bullies are the winners pretty much every time.
1
Yet, you're perfectly okay with Hillary's deep, long-term corruption and Bill's excessive long-term infidelities. Explain those to your children while you're at it.
My condolences to United States of America for the death of civility and critical thinking.
389
This is what comes of an arrogant elite who think they know best and a dumbed down educational system. While we argue about charter schools and national testing the children are graduating with little to no critical thinking skills and no one notices or cares.
1
Civility and critical thinking represented by you, I take it, while us "deplorables" are too dim witted to realize it.
1
The death of civility happened when hip hop culture was shoved down the throats of America..
2
Congratulations, America. Welcome to the right side of history.
A nation is not a nation without nationalism. Were I an American, I would've voted for Trump even knowing there are Alt-Right racists, because the advance of nationalism is greater than any one race or people.
What we've seen today is nothing less than true social justice.
A nation is not a nation without nationalism. Were I an American, I would've voted for Trump even knowing there are Alt-Right racists, because the advance of nationalism is greater than any one race or people.
What we've seen today is nothing less than true social justice.
28
I'm sorry Ryan, I must disagree. Nationalism is a dangerous thing. Nationalism is a utilitarian doctrine that can act as a cover for highly questionable or even immoral actions on the basis that they serve the greater good. Nationalism is often driven by emotion in place of reason and by a romantic vision of the past in place of a clear vision for the future. Nationalism subordinates the individual to the state, and demands that the individual makes sacrifices on behalf of the state. But who gets to decide what the state needs? If I am a liberal, it's because I believe the state should liberate the individual and not demand fealty and obedience from the individual. Ironically, most Democrats and Republicans, however much they disagreed on other matters, used to agree on that.
4
truly scary comment. nationalism is not patriotism. hitler was a nationist
4
please stay in Hong Kong with your not very intelligent comments.
2
Will we now have a United Hates of America? Look at the man's friends, starting with Roy Cohn. The lesson here, that it's easy to unite the weak with hatred, is one Trump knows well.
http://www.thecriticalmom.blogspot.com
http://www.thecriticalmom.blogspot.com
102
& just think, Roy was gay!
Roy Cohn is dead and gone. Mr. Cohn was also a Hunts Point guy. Hunts Point is now a slum.
1
Trump will usher in accelerated global warming, rising sea level, millions of refugees from our own coasts who will flee their flooded cities toward the rural lands whose white uneducated Trump supporters will have made it happen. Instead of making America great again, Trump policies promise to create chaos and regression toward the evils of the Dark Ages. Trickle down economic policies will only increase inequality. Impulsive foreign policy will threaten nuclear annihilation. Right wing social policies will reduce women back to the status of chattel. It is all so depressing.
254
The good old days. Our now President is a failed casino "Mogul", wow.
Florida will have a hard time deciding elections when it is underwater.
4
We have to come together. This is America. Let's do her proud. Lets go back to serving our country and one another.
Hillary was never a good politician. She was given the Democratic nomination on a silver platter and she barely beat a 70 year old socialist. The Democrats underestimated the disdain many have for the Clinton name and overestimated her "machine"" and the changing electorate.
I should be angry with the Democratic party for shoving her down our throats and keeping good candidates from running who may have tapped into this American disquietude. The lesson is coronations do not work. But I am not.
The Democrats saw a paradigm shift where there was none.
What happened tonight was a message from "old America" to "new America" that we are still here and you ignore us at your peril.
Democrats need to rebuild its house and prepare for the fights to come. It is not the end of the world.
I should be angry with the Democratic party for shoving her down our throats and keeping good candidates from running who may have tapped into this American disquietude. The lesson is coronations do not work. But I am not.
The Democrats saw a paradigm shift where there was none.
What happened tonight was a message from "old America" to "new America" that we are still here and you ignore us at your peril.
Democrats need to rebuild its house and prepare for the fights to come. It is not the end of the world.
151
Quite right. The Democratic National Committee did the country a great disservice and must bear a significant portion of the blame for the results of this election. There was simply no way that the DNC and the Democratic Party elite were going to allow anyone, including a non-Democrat (Sen. Sanders), but Clinton to become the Party's nominee. They were too caught up in the "historic moment" of the possibility of the first female President to sanction that. I do not believe for a minute that VP Biden decided not to run for the nomination because of intensely private family issues. That said, I fervently believe, as difficult as this might be to admit and to come to terms with, that no Democratic Party nominee could have beaten Trump. (I held my nose voting for Clinton, preferring four more years of gridlock, rather than the uncertain, but quite likely, much more dangerous future presented by demagogue-in-chief Trump.). We are seeing a resurgence of anti-intellectualism and bigotry on a scale not seen in this country in a very long time. Here, and this is also very difficult to come to terms with, the Democratic Party bears blame because it abandoned the working class and the middle class (including small business owners who ran to the Republican Party in droves) in favor of identity politics and corporate interests. It is no longer a "progressive" Party seeking the betterment of the general welfare. Rather, it is mired in promoting the narrow interests of the few(er).
3
Nobody sane is going ride to the rescue.
Nihilism won. There probably will be a bonfire.
Nihilism won. There probably will be a bonfire.
1
In searching for the "whys" of this, I think your statement about "old" and "new" America is very illuminating.
Thank you Mr Trump you showed the mainstream media that you could close the deal, YOU BEAT NOT ONLY THE Clinton machine, But the main stream media, the establishment and all the dems that said you would never do it!!! cant stop dancing!!!!!
50
He has yet to close the deal. The most difficult task of all is ahead.
He must, for the next four years, be President of all, most particularly for the less fortunate, and not merely the angry. I pray he steps back from his chosen tool --bullying, denigration, belittlement -- to win and run a nation.
We, as well as the world, await his first move, many of us with no little trepidation.
Is there kindness? Patience? A vision we can all buy into?
Or will the angry seize his victory as confirmation of their anointment as the "enlightened" and resort to contempt and similar Trumpian displays of intemperance that won them over, but has yet to be embraced by all Americans.
He must, for the next four years, be President of all, most particularly for the less fortunate, and not merely the angry. I pray he steps back from his chosen tool --bullying, denigration, belittlement -- to win and run a nation.
We, as well as the world, await his first move, many of us with no little trepidation.
Is there kindness? Patience? A vision we can all buy into?
Or will the angry seize his victory as confirmation of their anointment as the "enlightened" and resort to contempt and similar Trumpian displays of intemperance that won them over, but has yet to be embraced by all Americans.
34
Suzy: Are you dancing, why, because you think you are safe in Australia?
Good luck with that.......
You just doomed us all. But you go ahead and dance.
While you can.
Good luck with that.......
You just doomed us all. But you go ahead and dance.
While you can.
2
Do you want to trade places?
You still have a word to say regarding the reality of your country. Stand your ground and keep being better at everything you are. You have a pen, you have a voice, you have a well functioning democracy, you have freedom. Hold on to them.
34
Thank you, we need to remember your words.
Thanks. Can I come live with you?
2
History will view the election of Donald Trump to the office of president as the opening shot, the Fort Sumter, of the Second Civil War. After Trump destroys the economy, enflames racial conflict, encourages sexual violence, start strategic nuclear wars, and worsens the global warming crises, he will scapegoat his enemies and use the machinery of government to persecute the opposition. The inevitable endgame of this conflict will be the division of the US into three countries: a Democratic West Coast US; a Trumpist Middle America (including the South) in which minorities have voted with their feet and factories go bankrupt manufacturing overpriced products that no one wants to buy; and an old-style Moderate Republican North-East Coast US teeming with banks, minorities, the arts jand immigrants.
16
Thank you for your positive thoughts, you must
Be a nun
Be a nun
Sounds a lot like Colin Woodard's "American Nation".
Wow, big lies and utter fantasy win without any vision or direction or hope. Now the Republicans have to govern instead of obstruct. I hope they have it in them to do so. But for the first time I am truly afraid for our country.
47
Actually, W was pretty scary. He had to attack & occupy Iraq, the gift that keeps on giving. And then there was Reagan who insured that a couple of our southern neighbors had murderous right wing regimes. What could be worse than what W or Reagan did?
1
The DNC shot itself in the foot by doing what it could to block Bernie, whose no-nonsense, pragmatic approach to real problems and history of integrity would have made him a much tougher opponent. It's time for the Bernie/Elizabeth wing to take over the Democrats and keep The Donald's feet to the fire as his empty promises fall victim to his ego.
65
This is like a breath of oxygen.
Those of us who said that the primary votes in the southern states should not be counted as heavily as they were, and the rustbelt results should be taken into greater consideration were correct all along. Had Sanders been given more serious consideration, it might not have been the disaster it is.
49
Many thanks to the DNC and the media and the NYT doing their part to ensure this debacle. Sanders was the candidate who held massive populist appeal for Independents, Democrats, Republicans. But the DNC and media talking heads took care to ignore him, then denigrate him when they couldn't ignore him any more. In one timeframe analysis, ABC gave Trump 81 minutes of coverage and Sanders 30 seconds. The Republicans have their lunatic fringe and gerrymandering. The Democrats have their DNC and bubble world. Both Democrats and Republicans have spent the last 40 years selling out the middle class in the greatest transfer of wealth in history. So don't be too shocked, NYT: You helped bring this about with your shameless role here. You are supposed to give the public the information they need to make informed decisions; instead, you slanted it all in favor of the coronated one. You are the institution the public should be able to rely on to hold candidates' feet to the fire. You have lost all credibility. The Democrat and Republican Parties deserve to disappear; they are corrupt beyond repair. And so are you.
94
Let me repeat my reply to Stephen of Oakland--another who thinks Bernie would've snatched victory from Trump:
I'm not convinced that Bernie would've out trumped Trump. His critiques of U.S. trade deals, employment, and banking/regulation policies would've appealed to white working and middle class voters across the Rust Belt. Bernie's record in the U.S. Senate left no policy watermarks he'd have to defend--probably useful for a "change" candidacy like his own. He'd be able to stand toe-to-toe with Trump on those points.
But Trump's constituency wasn't Bernie's. Trump's voting bloc was larger than Bernie's. It was less diverse than Bernie's. And it ran far deeper and broader than Bernie could have ever imagined--or tapped. Polls didn't measure the actual breadth of Trump's electorate because no one would outright admit their allegiance--all the better to spring their surprise at the voting booth, where their tally mattered most.
Trump's "forgotten people" far outnumbered those who "felt the Bern." An avowed Socialist would've been an anathema they'd never comprehend--let alone support. To reach them, Bernie would've had to take positions on immigration, anti-Black police brutality, the US Supreme Court nominations--and so many other social issues--that violated his own principles.
Rueing Bernie's defeat misses the point. Trump's America is one Bernie could have never reached, let alone governed.
I'm not convinced that Bernie would've out trumped Trump. His critiques of U.S. trade deals, employment, and banking/regulation policies would've appealed to white working and middle class voters across the Rust Belt. Bernie's record in the U.S. Senate left no policy watermarks he'd have to defend--probably useful for a "change" candidacy like his own. He'd be able to stand toe-to-toe with Trump on those points.
But Trump's constituency wasn't Bernie's. Trump's voting bloc was larger than Bernie's. It was less diverse than Bernie's. And it ran far deeper and broader than Bernie could have ever imagined--or tapped. Polls didn't measure the actual breadth of Trump's electorate because no one would outright admit their allegiance--all the better to spring their surprise at the voting booth, where their tally mattered most.
Trump's "forgotten people" far outnumbered those who "felt the Bern." An avowed Socialist would've been an anathema they'd never comprehend--let alone support. To reach them, Bernie would've had to take positions on immigration, anti-Black police brutality, the US Supreme Court nominations--and so many other social issues--that violated his own principles.
Rueing Bernie's defeat misses the point. Trump's America is one Bernie could have never reached, let alone governed.
1
Societies manipulated, not by reason, but by emotion:
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am (Julius) Caesar."
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am (Julius) Caesar."
68
Though I agree with the sentiments, the quote is fabricated: see snopes
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/caesar.asp
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/caesar.asp
1
As a long-time Hillary supporter, a part of me dreaded the SHEER HELL that surely awaited her should she become President. Now, my only consolation is the thought of her enjoying the next few years spending time with her family and grandchildren.
As for Donald Trump, the exact opposite is true. This man loves a rally, but he is going to HATE being President.
As for Donald Trump, the exact opposite is true. This man loves a rally, but he is going to HATE being President.
111
She won't be spending it with her family. She will be spending it with a phalanx of high-priced legal talent as The Con-Artist-in-Chief seeks his revenge and to satisfy his promise to put her in jail.
This carnival-barker-turned-president will simply love the trappings of the presidency. He'll be able to fly around on an even BIGGER plane and will have no end of people whom he can use to try to fill the bottomless pit of his need for gratification. Expect to see a large gold-lettered TRUMP sign on the White House in time for the inauguration.
And what woman can resist when he sexually assaults them? If they aren't fit to be sex objects, they ought to be home making dinner!
The real work will be done by the establishment GOP figures in Congress who now will have carte blanche to institute the will of the .1%, very much to the derogation of everyone else. The 21st Century in America will become the "New Guilded Age," fitting only for the Koch's and Edelson's.
Today, I join the ranks of the angry- middle-aged-white-guy brigade. But my anger is at the ignorance and foolishness of my fellow citizens who have opted for "celebrity" instead of competence.
Perhaps the only thing worse than a President Trump is living in a country whose ignorant and misguided people appear to have elected him. Many thanks to the Trailer Park Trash/Putin/FBI coalition that has installed a narcissist with tiny hands and a YUGE personality disorder in the White House!
This carnival-barker-turned-president will simply love the trappings of the presidency. He'll be able to fly around on an even BIGGER plane and will have no end of people whom he can use to try to fill the bottomless pit of his need for gratification. Expect to see a large gold-lettered TRUMP sign on the White House in time for the inauguration.
And what woman can resist when he sexually assaults them? If they aren't fit to be sex objects, they ought to be home making dinner!
The real work will be done by the establishment GOP figures in Congress who now will have carte blanche to institute the will of the .1%, very much to the derogation of everyone else. The 21st Century in America will become the "New Guilded Age," fitting only for the Koch's and Edelson's.
Today, I join the ranks of the angry- middle-aged-white-guy brigade. But my anger is at the ignorance and foolishness of my fellow citizens who have opted for "celebrity" instead of competence.
Perhaps the only thing worse than a President Trump is living in a country whose ignorant and misguided people appear to have elected him. Many thanks to the Trailer Park Trash/Putin/FBI coalition that has installed a narcissist with tiny hands and a YUGE personality disorder in the White House!
2
You are right: the Democrats got behind Hillary too early. Was there truly no other viable candidate? No other Democrat in the entire country who could inspire the American people?
Now we have President Trump. God help us all.
Now we have President Trump. God help us all.
73
In history, there will be an America before November, 2016, and then an America after November, 2016.
Let us mourn for the country that was, and no longer is. We will have to do this work of mourning as we do for the death of a parent, partner, or dear friend.
And perhaps as the days and months progress we will find some way or ways to deal with, to survive in, this new and unfamiliar land.
Let us mourn for the country that was, and no longer is. We will have to do this work of mourning as we do for the death of a parent, partner, or dear friend.
And perhaps as the days and months progress we will find some way or ways to deal with, to survive in, this new and unfamiliar land.
44
The "America that was" was hit over the head and stuffed in a closet back in the early 80's following Reagan's ascent. That is the one Trump's followers want back: the one where hard work literally paid off and families had stability.
1
Apparently the 'America before November 2016' was just an illusion. The people who voted for Trump were not made overnight. They've been there all along.
1
I think the watershed moment was the America and world that happened after Bush "won" and Gore "lost" in 2000. Other than the incredible bright spot of 8 years of Barack Obama, the slide continues into an avalanche.
3
Good luck, America. This is your moment to reflect on what you have become. The New Democrats are finally finished, the GOP is a shambles. A new era began last night.
37
The end of the New Democrats is reason for rejoicing. They were always GOP-lite and sold us down the river the same way. Even Obama was ready and willing to gut Social Security to get a deal. Foolishness. He left his "hope and change" on the floor after the inauguration. He and Clinton are the same.
The GOP and Trump will likely have a rocky road. They can't control him and all they want in a president is someone to sign the bills the Koch machine writes. Who knows, maybe he won't be the willing fool W. was.
The GOP and Trump will likely have a rocky road. They can't control him and all they want in a president is someone to sign the bills the Koch machine writes. Who knows, maybe he won't be the willing fool W. was.
1
CL Paris: learn from our hard lesson and don't laugh off the National Front and "impossible" candidates like Le Pen
What nobody seems willing to talk about as the hidden factor in the race (and the reason why the polls, with their social desirability biases, overpredicted Hillary's success) is SEXISM. No, she wasn't a perfect candidate, but a male with her exact same personality, credentials and baggage would have done far better. (For all the fuss over the email, nobody denounced her predecessors for doing exactly the same thing.) Americans -- male and female alike -- just aren't ready to accept the idea of a woman as president. If the resentment toward Obama -- as a highly intelligent, intellectual black man -- was palpable, the resentment toward a woman daring to think she could become president was over the top. As a highly educated professional woman myself, this does not surprise me in the least, as I experience similar resentment for my success from both men and women. It's disgusting that so many Americans would rather have a president with narcissistic (and quite possibly antisocial) personality disorder as a president than a woman.
302
I agree, Susan. The most qualified candidate lost to the least qualified. What if she was the one with no law degree, no political experience, a list of bankruptcies, three wives, adultery, etc.? Think she'd be anywhere near the ticket?
5
This is the tragic shock that you have named so well. Mysogeny is still so powerful. Bullying women is still acceptable. Yes, Colin Powell and other in the GW Bush Administration had their own emails, but this was left quiet in the press.
1
Why does the left always have to come up with one ism or another to blame for their candidates loss? Maybe it was because most Americans think he will be leading the country more towards their morals and values than yours.
3
I feel lost, untethered, spiraling through the phases of grief. As the shock begins to wear off, I'm filled with profound sadness for the country my immigrant grandparents saw as their salvation. That country no longer exists. Tomorrow my sadness will morph into fear. What happens now? I shudder to think of the dark possibilities that lie ahead.
181
That country died with Nixon's abuse of power
Mr. Bruni, I hope for all of our sakes that you're as wrong about the years to come as The Times was in their decision to join the Democratic elites in the coronation of Ms. Clinton. The treatment of Senator Sanders was both foolish and unfair.
I've read the phrase "deal with it" in these comment forums more times than I choose to remember. It's most unfortunate that we will now all have to deal with tonight's unneccessary loss.
Kudos to Mark Thomason for repeatedly getting it right about Hillary Clinton in his intelligent comments. I look forward to seeing him on the same page with the other members of the Order of the Green Check again. I hope a coalition of smart commenters will emerge to help guide us away from the party power elite and toward genuine liberal candidates.
I've read the phrase "deal with it" in these comment forums more times than I choose to remember. It's most unfortunate that we will now all have to deal with tonight's unneccessary loss.
Kudos to Mark Thomason for repeatedly getting it right about Hillary Clinton in his intelligent comments. I look forward to seeing him on the same page with the other members of the Order of the Green Check again. I hope a coalition of smart commenters will emerge to help guide us away from the party power elite and toward genuine liberal candidates.
60
What happened to humanity, human decency??
97
It fell to the reptilian brain that thinks about survival.
If you go to Germany, Poland and Austria, and listen carefully while visiting the concentration camps, voices will whisper in your ear the same of what you ask. "What happened to humanity?"
It died when hip hop culture was sold to America. It died when you couldn't retain your doctor. it died when we sided with Iran, our enemy..
The New York Times played no small part in this, cheering on the one candidate who could lose to a madman as they followed the DNC script to the letter in attacking, no, smearing, the one decent, honest candidate who could have handily defeated Trump.
And the DNC, after rigging the primaries with the aid of the New York Times, proceeded to ignore down-ticket candidates who had a real chance to retake the Senate. Instead, the DNC declared that every nickel, every effort, would be focused on Clinton alone. The hard-working Democratic Senate candidates got thrown under the bus by their own party. Write about that.
And the DNC, after rigging the primaries with the aid of the New York Times, proceeded to ignore down-ticket candidates who had a real chance to retake the Senate. Instead, the DNC declared that every nickel, every effort, would be focused on Clinton alone. The hard-working Democratic Senate candidates got thrown under the bus by their own party. Write about that.
156
Reccomend, squared.
1
You say that the Democrats put up a flawed candidate, but only was she highly qualified, but there really was no one else ready to take on this role in the party. Sure Bernie Sanders was popular among the left as someone to challenge the system. But his challenge was completely different and would not have appealed to Trump voters. He challenged income inequality and corporate malfeasance, while Trump is a brutally capitalist billionaire tax dodger who wants to cut taxes on the wealthy. Bernie Sanders was for civil rights, women's equality, and help for immigrants and refugees, while Trump promoted racism, misogyny, nativism, and general hatred of many. The list goes on. Other than the fact that Trump used Clinton's issues to lie, exaggerate and promote deep hatred of her, she was not the problem - his appeals to the public were.
113
Sorry, Bernie appealed to the voters Hillary could not: white men, young people, lower middle class and Independents. Turns out they were the groups who handed the election to Trump. Hillary adopted his language and his agenda to win the nomination, but she wasn't trustworthy on those points. They just weren't who she is. It isn't about misogyny, though that is always there along with racism. It was about a widely disliked candidate with no innate ability to campaign.
And, no, she wasn't the "most qualified candidate ever". That title belongs to a man who spent years in Congress as a representative and a senator, followed by eight years as vice president: Al Gore. The media trashed him, too. Beware anyone beloved by the NYT.
And, no, she wasn't the "most qualified candidate ever". That title belongs to a man who spent years in Congress as a representative and a senator, followed by eight years as vice president: Al Gore. The media trashed him, too. Beware anyone beloved by the NYT.
She was absolutely the problem.
3
Commentators and the political elite were wrong about trump and his supporters from the beginning. He was independent. The Republican Party didn't know what to make of this former Democrat who they couldn't control. The Democrats who had ignored the white working class for decades interpreted his concern for their economic straits as racist. His supporters were similarly demonized as deplorables. This motivated them to turn out to vote like they had not in years.
116
Frank, as you, I, and others attempt to wrap our heads around the notion of this nightmare, may I humbly suggest that finding fault in Mrs. Clinton or throwing stones at her for her effort, energy, fund raising, and all that was her campaign is an entirely counterproductive exercise. Over 55 million people, some smart, not so smart, and many average Americans wanted someone who presented them with a fantasy, who does not speak with qualifying clauses, and loudly presents easy answers and casts blame in every direction. He's our president elect, and he will soon to be the most powerful man on the planet. May God help us.
465
Agree-- it was Americans voters that put Trump in office, not Hillary Clinton. To blame others is preposterous. American voters have had ample time to judge Trump's character, fitness for the office, and policies (and lack thereof). They still voted him in. What we have to face is that we have an angry and disenfranchised block of voters out there who feel that racism, hatred, and disrespect are their only way to "make America great again." We have done our republic a great disservice by focusing our resources on entertainment rather than education, greatness in sports rather greatness in intellectual or humanitarian achievement. There is absolutely no emphasis on achieving true greatness in this country. All these people so depressed they keep getting fatter and increasingly addicted to pain killers. People don't know how to think. It's so sad-- the very people who will suffer most from Trump's policies just voted him in!!!
3
It remains to be seen if Trump keeps or is able to keep his campaign promises. I suspect the he will recind most of Obamas executive orders, replace Obamacare, secure the Southern border, reduce taxes, and renegotiated trade deals very quickly.
1
It is too early for anything but raw emotion. I fear for us all.
1
I think the rest of the world will be afraid of the U.S.
22
Isolationists? Anyone come to mind?
Trump’s success wasn’t so shocking.
We will ask as the dust settles how it is that a still-overwhelmingly-liberal MSM got this so wrong, when Real Clear Politics had Trump and Clinton in a statistical dead-heat for some time now. Could it be a desire to influence the outcome by cooking the books with convenient but unsupported assumptions and desperately presenting an inevitability that never actually existed? Imagine what the Electoral College outcome might have been if Trump HAD been supported by the usual Republican money-guys, HAD assembled a formidable ground game, HAD spent the gazillions on attack ads that Mrs. Clinton did. And cluck-cluck at the fact that if Mrs. Clinton knew it was going to be this close and possibly go against her, she might have made different decisions that could have won her the presidency.
And consider that Trump doesn’t owe the establishment a single marred penny. He is now free to dicker with Republicans and Democrats alike to forge bipartisan compromises that neither side may love but that allow us to move forward again. Will he? Well, the chance of his doing so ALWAYS was MUCH higher than the probability that Hillary Clinton ever would have gotten a single progressive policy enacted. Enough voters concluded that the potential outcome was worth the risk and a mass. We’ll see.
His success wasn’t so shocking to me. I’ve been explaining the reasons for a possible Trump win for months that Frank and others are merely recognizing now.
We will ask as the dust settles how it is that a still-overwhelmingly-liberal MSM got this so wrong, when Real Clear Politics had Trump and Clinton in a statistical dead-heat for some time now. Could it be a desire to influence the outcome by cooking the books with convenient but unsupported assumptions and desperately presenting an inevitability that never actually existed? Imagine what the Electoral College outcome might have been if Trump HAD been supported by the usual Republican money-guys, HAD assembled a formidable ground game, HAD spent the gazillions on attack ads that Mrs. Clinton did. And cluck-cluck at the fact that if Mrs. Clinton knew it was going to be this close and possibly go against her, she might have made different decisions that could have won her the presidency.
And consider that Trump doesn’t owe the establishment a single marred penny. He is now free to dicker with Republicans and Democrats alike to forge bipartisan compromises that neither side may love but that allow us to move forward again. Will he? Well, the chance of his doing so ALWAYS was MUCH higher than the probability that Hillary Clinton ever would have gotten a single progressive policy enacted. Enough voters concluded that the potential outcome was worth the risk and a mass. We’ll see.
His success wasn’t so shocking to me. I’ve been explaining the reasons for a possible Trump win for months that Frank and others are merely recognizing now.
39
And, yet, it's possible that nothing she could have done toward the end could save her from this outcome when her biggest mistake was that just after the Democratic convention she unnecessarily embraced the far-left policies of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Apart from a desire by enough Americans to break this dreadful political paralysis that has plagued us for the past six years, she just turned off a LOT of center-left people who would have voted for that moderate, center-left candidate of nine months ago.
Could'a, should'a, would'a. By these unforced errors presidencies are lost.
Could'a, should'a, would'a. By these unforced errors presidencies are lost.
12
Richard,
First of all, you called it when so many of "us" didn't, so that should be acknowledged. However, I disagree with you about the cause. She will likely win the popular vote, by the slimmest of margins, which means that demographics, as much as anything else, played an important role. But, the other aspect that strikes me is that she didn't have an easily stated theme, and like it or not, having a simple theme sells, and that's what campaigns are about: the sales pitch.
When I write scientific grants, one of the rules of thumb is to tell a completely clear story in the first two paragraphs of the introduction because otherwise, you've lost. I think something like that happened last night.
We'll see what happens, but I think the anxiety that people are displaying is that, given the coalition that he put together, and the messages that he used, we're not simply in for a right-ward shift, but that we may very well be in for a fundamental dismantling of civil discourse and democracy. I'm sure that to you that seem hysterical (in the "fire!" sense, not ha-ha). Heck, I hope that it IS hysterical. But, I honestly fear that it is not. So I live in hope, but it's a severely diminished hope now.
First of all, you called it when so many of "us" didn't, so that should be acknowledged. However, I disagree with you about the cause. She will likely win the popular vote, by the slimmest of margins, which means that demographics, as much as anything else, played an important role. But, the other aspect that strikes me is that she didn't have an easily stated theme, and like it or not, having a simple theme sells, and that's what campaigns are about: the sales pitch.
When I write scientific grants, one of the rules of thumb is to tell a completely clear story in the first two paragraphs of the introduction because otherwise, you've lost. I think something like that happened last night.
We'll see what happens, but I think the anxiety that people are displaying is that, given the coalition that he put together, and the messages that he used, we're not simply in for a right-ward shift, but that we may very well be in for a fundamental dismantling of civil discourse and democracy. I'm sure that to you that seem hysterical (in the "fire!" sense, not ha-ha). Heck, I hope that it IS hysterical. But, I honestly fear that it is not. So I live in hope, but it's a severely diminished hope now.
We have no idea what Trump owes to whom, now do we? It will come out eventually, and if he worked so hard to keep it inder wraps, we know it won't be pretty.
If you were as smart and prescient as you want us to believe, then you best not crow too much, Richard. Not with a president-elect who is as guaranteed to cause the world of regret that yours will.
If you were as smart and prescient as you want us to believe, then you best not crow too much, Richard. Not with a president-elect who is as guaranteed to cause the world of regret that yours will.
3
Tonight reminded me of the Brexit vote. The polls all pointed to a narrow victory for one side. Then the results came in and they weren't quite what was expected. In the UK it was the old manufacturing areas that swung things. Tonight it was the same, with Michigan and Wisconsin dooming Hillary.
If you only read the New York Times, then tonight's result probably surprised you. However, if you read less biased media sources then you knew that the election was going to be very close. This was a vote against globalization and mass immigration. New York City may have done well out of globalization, but a majority of Americans know that free trade isn't making them richer.
We'll have to wait and see what Trump can accomplish. He faces a lot of opposition within his own party, and will be hated by many Democrats. It will take all of his deal making skills to make anything happen in Washington.
If you only read the New York Times, then tonight's result probably surprised you. However, if you read less biased media sources then you knew that the election was going to be very close. This was a vote against globalization and mass immigration. New York City may have done well out of globalization, but a majority of Americans know that free trade isn't making them richer.
We'll have to wait and see what Trump can accomplish. He faces a lot of opposition within his own party, and will be hated by many Democrats. It will take all of his deal making skills to make anything happen in Washington.
42
When I saw the Brexit outcome I realized that as awful as Trump is, he could win and my heart sunk.
35
Trump now faces no opposition in his party, ostensibly. The Republicans now control every branch of the government! Now it is finally time to see how they 'change things.' In his speech, Trump is now talking about rebuilding America's infrastructure. Hilarious. How will he do that? By reducing taxes further? By 'allowing' all those unemployed rural voters to take on the low paid work that the soon-to-be-deported illegal immigrants have 'stolen'? I can just see the rural voters lining up for those jobs! Those living in rural areas could care less about infrastructure! I am going to sit back and watch the Republicans govern like they always have wanted to. Let's see-- which of our elected congressional leaders will vote to turn off electricity in the capital so they can scrape up money for these supposed infrastructure programs?
6
Deal making skills???????
2
This early morning, Bruni sees all these things about Hillary. He saw, or said, none of it when it mattered.
I still don't see the name of the option turned down. Bernie would have won. He would have stolen Trump's thunder on overthrowing the Establishment.
The DNC cheated themselves and all of us of their best option, when the Donna Brazil and Debbie Wasserman Shultz behaved so badly they both got fired for it. Yet they rallied to the cheaters, and insistently justified cheating Bernie while abusing and betraying and driving away those voters they turned out to need very badly.
Hillary and the DNC did this to themselves. The pundits like Bruni helped. Now they have a very belated realization, yet still stick to their story of being right all along about everything.
I still don't see the name of the option turned down. Bernie would have won. He would have stolen Trump's thunder on overthrowing the Establishment.
The DNC cheated themselves and all of us of their best option, when the Donna Brazil and Debbie Wasserman Shultz behaved so badly they both got fired for it. Yet they rallied to the cheaters, and insistently justified cheating Bernie while abusing and betraying and driving away those voters they turned out to need very badly.
Hillary and the DNC did this to themselves. The pundits like Bruni helped. Now they have a very belated realization, yet still stick to their story of being right all along about everything.
347
The Democrats never really had a proper primary. They had a coronation set up and then the Bernie people came in and crashed the party.
64
Come on, Mark: Bernie would have fared worse than Jeremy Corbyn in Britain, and would have done Democrats far more strategic damage than Corbyn did Labour. He's simply too far left for a basically center-right America.
You want my opinion? Mrs. Clinton lost because subsequent to the Democratic convention she unwisely embraced the hyper-liberal agendas of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- and enough Americans realized that this would continue the political deep-freeze that has plagued us for the past six years; and rejected that prospect. The once moderate, center-left candidate who was the inevitable Democratic nominee ... would have won the presidency.
You want my opinion? Mrs. Clinton lost because subsequent to the Democratic convention she unwisely embraced the hyper-liberal agendas of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- and enough Americans realized that this would continue the political deep-freeze that has plagued us for the past six years; and rejected that prospect. The once moderate, center-left candidate who was the inevitable Democratic nominee ... would have won the presidency.
13
I disagree with you Richard. The republican voters rejected the establishment candidates. During the primaries, Trump said he was going to tear up the trade treaties, just like Bernie and the voters supported him against all the other republican candidates. The American electorate wanted change. They rejected the establishment.
21
What's shocking about this election is that the media believed what it put out.
From my new essay:
"Hillary Clinton lost an election she should have won handily. Why? Because white working class and former middle class Democrats wanted what Bernie Sanders offered. The Clinton campaign engineered the Sanders campaign’s demise through a combination of media control, with journalists and some think tanks practically taking dictation from the DNC, and Clinton campaign headquarters, well-known columnists literally changing the life narrative of millions of voters, and cable news networks presenting obvious political operatives as analysts. Voters tuned out en-masse."
You can't tell a hungry person that the hunger pang they are feeling are all in their head. But that is what the Clinton campaign and the mainstream media told the public this past year. Not Trump was never a winning strategy. An absentee campaign was also not a winning scheme, even as this was the election that should have been a slam dunk.
There were signs, starting in 2012, that voters wanted change. What were they given?
---
http://www.rimaregas.com/2016/11/hillaryclintons-loss-a-complicit-msm-br...
From my new essay:
"Hillary Clinton lost an election she should have won handily. Why? Because white working class and former middle class Democrats wanted what Bernie Sanders offered. The Clinton campaign engineered the Sanders campaign’s demise through a combination of media control, with journalists and some think tanks practically taking dictation from the DNC, and Clinton campaign headquarters, well-known columnists literally changing the life narrative of millions of voters, and cable news networks presenting obvious political operatives as analysts. Voters tuned out en-masse."
You can't tell a hungry person that the hunger pang they are feeling are all in their head. But that is what the Clinton campaign and the mainstream media told the public this past year. Not Trump was never a winning strategy. An absentee campaign was also not a winning scheme, even as this was the election that should have been a slam dunk.
There were signs, starting in 2012, that voters wanted change. What were they given?
---
http://www.rimaregas.com/2016/11/hillaryclintons-loss-a-complicit-msm-br...
123
Wishful thinking, Rima. You are working way too hard to bend this result into your own personal pretzel. Bernie contributed to this disastrous result, as did the media. Comey played into it nicely as well. But the real tragedy is in how successfully the Right demonized Hillary Clinton. They worked at it so hard, and for so long, that all Trump had to do was perpetuate the lies. They cheated, they jerry-rigged, and they bet on an uninformed, ignorant electorate whom they shamelessly conned. And they won. To the detriment of the entire world.
15
Rima, I am a big fan of your writing, but if people wanted Sanders, why did they chose Trump as the alternative. Hillary would have been better at the helm because she would have listened. IMO, Americans just shot themselves in the foot. We now have, not only Trump, but Gingrich, Giuliani and God help us, Christie, A Republican dominated House and Senate and a fiercely conservative Supreme Court, not to mention the triumph of the Kochtapuses, Trumponomics bully diplomacy, and our coastal cities underwater and polluted air and water. Somehow, I don't think entering the Oval Office will make him a kinder, gentler narcissist. Nice.
10
Also, where was the massive infrastructure investment like a New Deal when the economy crashed? Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I didn't see Obama carry out any crash building campaign, and he certainly didn't do anything for the millions of people who lost their homes to foreclosure--all the while bailing out the banks that were responsible. And none of the banksters went to jail.
Trump's a terrible racist, but if Obama had done anything substantial during his first two years when he had a majority in Congress, maybe there wouldn't be so many desperate people now. Although both capitalist parties are anti-working class, neither will improve the lives of working people.
Trump's a terrible racist, but if Obama had done anything substantial during his first two years when he had a majority in Congress, maybe there wouldn't be so many desperate people now. Although both capitalist parties are anti-working class, neither will improve the lives of working people.
1
The America I know died tonight. I am in mourning. And I am utterly frightened with what it's replacement will be.
436
The problem is that we have absolutely no idea what its replacement will be. Talk about a gamble. We had problems, for sure. Compared to the rest of the world, however, we were in pretty good shape. The only places where the working class was better off than here were in leftist Europe. We rejected that years ago. Thought we knew better. Now, who knows?
3
The Presidency, the House and Senate and the next four years of Supreme Court appointments.
Thanks to the Democratic Party establishment and media (you know who you are) for deciding long ago on who the party candidate would be.
Oops!
Thanks to the Democratic Party establishment and media (you know who you are) for deciding long ago on who the party candidate would be.
Oops!
61
A retreat into the Dark Ages means that now, more than ever, there needs to be a free press. The New York Times and its reporters must work hard to remain the beacon of human rights, information, and culture during the coming years.
184
Well, perhaps they will be more objective, less patronizing.
2
Only if it is profitable for them......
3
"Remain"? They gave that up ages ago to pander for clicks. I am surprised you never noticed.
3
America, it seems, couldn't handle the responsibility of its promise. We threw in the towel tonight.
60
I will never refer to him as President Trump. He does not deserve that title.
86
Millions of Americans have said he does...
2
I said the exact same thing when I woke up this morning. His hateful rhetoric plus the behavior of his deplorables ("lock her up!") will resonate with me for a long, long time.
2
I agree. I will not acknowlledge him at all. I already change the channel so I don't have to took at his face. I mute the sound so as not to have to hear him. I will not have his face appear on my television, his speech heard on my radio. I think I can get all the news from reading about it.
2
There are many things that contributed to this loss. Both Democrats and Republicans have been misreading sentiments of white working class Americans.
It was desperation that allowed many to vote for a virtual unknown who promised change in 2008. But when he entered the white house, the President and the Democrats squandered precious political capital on ACA (which no doubt was needed) rather than coming up with a New Deal and mortgage relief . I heard people say "save my home and give me a good job and I can buy healthcare myself". The anger was palpable and Democrats suffered in 2010.
In 2012, the Democrats won on a largely populist message and because Romney was a fat cat who shipped jobs oversees. Yes Obama was charismatic but it was the Blue collar anger about off-shored jobs due to trade agreements, young folks who distrusted the old establishment and the Minorities who propelled him in 2012.
So what did the Democrats do in 2015 & 2016? Promote another NAFTA like proposal known as the TPP and then nominate someone whose name is aligned with NAFTA, China most favored nation status and the very Wall Street Banks that cause so much suffering.
Now couple this with rising racial resentment/tensions, an uncertain economy, the fear of changing demographics and perceived loss of cultural dominance and you get a wicked brew that led to the election of Trump.
It was desperation that allowed many to vote for a virtual unknown who promised change in 2008. But when he entered the white house, the President and the Democrats squandered precious political capital on ACA (which no doubt was needed) rather than coming up with a New Deal and mortgage relief . I heard people say "save my home and give me a good job and I can buy healthcare myself". The anger was palpable and Democrats suffered in 2010.
In 2012, the Democrats won on a largely populist message and because Romney was a fat cat who shipped jobs oversees. Yes Obama was charismatic but it was the Blue collar anger about off-shored jobs due to trade agreements, young folks who distrusted the old establishment and the Minorities who propelled him in 2012.
So what did the Democrats do in 2015 & 2016? Promote another NAFTA like proposal known as the TPP and then nominate someone whose name is aligned with NAFTA, China most favored nation status and the very Wall Street Banks that cause so much suffering.
Now couple this with rising racial resentment/tensions, an uncertain economy, the fear of changing demographics and perceived loss of cultural dominance and you get a wicked brew that led to the election of Trump.
360
CD:
"So what did the Democrats do in 2015 & 2016? Promote another NAFTA like proposal known as the TPP and then nominate someone whose name is aligned with NAFTA, China most favored nation status and the very Wall Street Banks that cause so much suffering."
You pretty much nailed it.
"So what did the Democrats do in 2015 & 2016? Promote another NAFTA like proposal known as the TPP and then nominate someone whose name is aligned with NAFTA, China most favored nation status and the very Wall Street Banks that cause so much suffering."
You pretty much nailed it.
21
Pretty much the only sensible comment here. But a couple of points 1) the GOP fought every Obama effort to help the middle and working classes, especially mortgage relief. Yet the GOP escaped blame. Even in MI where Obama was instrumental in saving the entire auto industry, against entrenched GOP opposition, the GOP deflected blame; 2) I am still stunned by the hatred of white working class voters against brown, black, non-Christian, LGBT people. Bigotry like this will never make America great. Finally, all those blue collar white voters who think Trump will bring back their jobs: dream on: you've been used.
9
And the DNC shot itself in the foot by blocking the candidate who would have had true solutions and blocked Trump: Bernie
5
As a 74 year old retired schoolteacher who thought that my 42 years in education was making a difference, I humbly apologize to my country.
Clearly, I failed. Where I thought I was helping my students to develop the ability to adapt to a world of rapid change, instead I left them bereft of the skills needed to adapt to that change. And now I look at the generations I taught (as well as my own generation) filled with hate, fear and ignorance.
I am so sorry.
Clearly, I failed. Where I thought I was helping my students to develop the ability to adapt to a world of rapid change, instead I left them bereft of the skills needed to adapt to that change. And now I look at the generations I taught (as well as my own generation) filled with hate, fear and ignorance.
I am so sorry.
343
Marilyn,
Our entire country has failed to educate our people. It will take nearly 100 more years to overcome the hatred and bold racism this country was founded on. You are right though-- our education system has brushed the nasty basis for our existence (slavery, hatred, and abuse) under the table with watered down history books and a lack of insistence on general excellence in this country. We have our work cut out for us. It is good for the young generation to see how much further we have to go.
Our entire country has failed to educate our people. It will take nearly 100 more years to overcome the hatred and bold racism this country was founded on. You are right though-- our education system has brushed the nasty basis for our existence (slavery, hatred, and abuse) under the table with watered down history books and a lack of insistence on general excellence in this country. We have our work cut out for us. It is good for the young generation to see how much further we have to go.
5
Perhaps you have not failed but succeeded greatly? Shouldn't we encourage our students to be free thinkers and to make their own minds up about the direction they want this country to go? Why should we force our political beliefs on younger people especially from a position of authority? Are we so narcissistic to think that our opinion is the correct one? Right or wrong, democracy was evident tonight and democracy is an envy of much of the world. Therein lies the next teaching lesson.
2
Education failed when we elected Reagan. Downhill ever since for the middle class.
2
Just watch as a Trump Presidency accelerates what has been lacklustre growth into a global recession. Global trade wars, tearing up agreements including the Paris Climate Accord. Pull out all the stops for King Coal and Big Oil. Say hello to Global Warming, Big League.
211
Give it a rest. The fact is that no one, probably not even Trump himself, knows what he will actually do. Save the tears and fears for when something happens. As my mentor used to say, don't bleed until you are stabbed.
5
Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, was turned in to the FBI by his brother.
Millions of Americans, including many of his supporters and close acquaintances when they
speak and write candidly about him, have seen and heard Mr. Trump in action on numerous occasions and know him to be an erratic and mentally unstable man, temperamentally unsuited for the Presidency.
His wife, children and doctor surely are aware of this fact and should now be making serious efforts to dissuade him from becoming President; and when those efforts fail -- as they are likely to -- should be motivated by a sense of duty to the country to publicly warn the American people about his condition.
The scowling, the tics, the frowns, the sneers, the grimaces, the sniffing, the hand waving, the pacing back and forth, the advancing on Mrs. Clinton we saw in the debates and the conspiracy theories we know him to harbor are not indicators of a healthy man.
Millions of Americans, including many of his supporters and close acquaintances when they
speak and write candidly about him, have seen and heard Mr. Trump in action on numerous occasions and know him to be an erratic and mentally unstable man, temperamentally unsuited for the Presidency.
His wife, children and doctor surely are aware of this fact and should now be making serious efforts to dissuade him from becoming President; and when those efforts fail -- as they are likely to -- should be motivated by a sense of duty to the country to publicly warn the American people about his condition.
The scowling, the tics, the frowns, the sneers, the grimaces, the sniffing, the hand waving, the pacing back and forth, the advancing on Mrs. Clinton we saw in the debates and the conspiracy theories we know him to harbor are not indicators of a healthy man.
231
Instead the left hitched their wagon to a women who comprised national security, has a laugh that should have remained part of the Wizard of Oz, a habit of thrusting her finger in the air to make a point, called a huge portion of America a basket of deplorables, couldn't get through a speech without a coughing fit sounding like she did a whole lot of inhaling in the 60's, could not navigate stairs or even make it to her transportation without falling, who lied to the bereaved parents of Americans in Bengazi, who obviously pandered to minorities for votes while trashing white America and had a tour with mothers of thugs. I guess y'all misjudged a little. Better luck next time
5
Not sure what unibomber's brother has to do with this comment. Are you he?
1
And Hillary is a pillar of health?
1
Today I wake up embarrassed to be an Earthling. Good god, what is next for us as a country? What does the future hold for my children, my grandson, my own prospects for retirement? This is just a bad dream, right?
189
I've been wandering the house muttering much the same thing. This is a bad dream right? I'll wake in the morning and it will it will not have happened. We didn't just start a headlong collision with the inevitable and indomitable forces of change, the result of which will plunge us into depression, conflict and despair. Millions can't possibly be thrown off their health care? Millions of undocumented people won't be summarily rounded up and deported, some to countries they do not remember and whose language they do not speak; The U.S. isn't going to develop a torture practice to elicit information from opponents?
4
Makes me glad I never had children.
Plan on working longer. Raising Medicare to age 67 is now in our future.
Plan on working longer. Raising Medicare to age 67 is now in our future.
3
Hillary is a worse bad dream
Really, America? Really?
Do you realise you are now considered a laughing stock by most people in the rest of the world? I say laughing, but in reality Trump as President is a terrifying prospect.
Heaven help the USA. Heaven help us all.
Do you realise you are now considered a laughing stock by most people in the rest of the world? I say laughing, but in reality Trump as President is a terrifying prospect.
Heaven help the USA. Heaven help us all.
467
So then why did the Democrats anoint such a thoroughly corrupt liar and grifter like HRC ? What a pathetic performance by all concerned.
92
The system IS rigged. Just not the way Trump thought.
How about Trump grifter?
We warned you that if HRC were the candidate she would lose. Polls showed during the Democratic Primary that she would lose against Trump but that sell out Bernie would win. She didn't lose exclusively because of blue collar whites' anger but anger among liberals and Independents, who were cheated during the Primary. She was a very flawed candidate who represents the status quo. We told you we wanted change, real change, but Dems said no take Hillary. You serenaded her, told us she was the most qualified and best to lead this nation, and we said no, and so she was rejected, for a second time. So, send her and her operatives back to NY and AK.
162
Make sure Wasserman-Schultz and Brazile are in the back seat.
3
The only good thing about this is that we have likely seen the last of the Clintons.
7
Oh, the joy of being governed by the ignorant. I'm not aware of the Clinton's connection to Alaska.
3
Conflagrations? Mr. Bruni, is that what you think of Democrats and progressives, that they will respond to a legally-conducted election by resorting to arson? Are we to think that you might just approve of this? You, sir, are the shocking one.
18
He's referring to the conflagrations that Trump will engineer though intent or incompetence or both.
33
Swoosh! The sound of a metaphor flying over your head.
6
"a legally-conducted election"
a day ago it was hopelessly rigged, what changed your tune?
a day ago it was hopelessly rigged, what changed your tune?
5
Well at least we won't have to listen to the Clintons anymore ( after 25 years).
102
Small consolation when one considers we'll get to listen to a modern day Mussolini.
7
Yes, but now we will have to listen to Trump everyday for years to come, talking about how great he is, name-calling and putting down everyone who doesn't meet his standards. Sure sounds like fun!
1
The exit of the Clintons from the DNC is the only bright spot in this abyss.
6
No, Hillary Clinton was not a very good candidate. But that's not the issue. I would rather not have lived to see this day. America, defeater of facism, the shining city on a hill, the last best hope of mankind, the refuge of the hopeless, is revealed now as a hateful country, filled with racists, misogynists, and cowards too weak to stand up to them. I have seen the steady increase in anti-semitism on the Web and on Twitter. I know what we are now and it breaks my heart.
567
@JohnA - Canada is north. Good riddance.
2
The only people who are shocked are the ones living in echo chambers and media bubbles. Take a ride through suburban and rural America. There should be absolutely nothing shocking about what occurred tonight.
125
But Trump as the agent of change? I don't understand his appeal. At all.
6
So, how is what happened tonight going to remedy the situation?
1
Thank God! He won!
I say this as an unaccounted Black American voter who was forgotten in this election and assumed that I would simply vote for HRC. Earlier from time to time I commented on the NYT only to get berated by other commenters. Many did not realize that I have suffered like others economically and was forgotten by the political establishment that selfishly served themselves.
My support for Trump is more a rejection of the political establishment than anything else and I am glad the majority of voters agreed with this point of view.
I say this as an unaccounted Black American voter who was forgotten in this election and assumed that I would simply vote for HRC. Earlier from time to time I commented on the NYT only to get berated by other commenters. Many did not realize that I have suffered like others economically and was forgotten by the political establishment that selfishly served themselves.
My support for Trump is more a rejection of the political establishment than anything else and I am glad the majority of voters agreed with this point of view.
72
Thanks. I too have been destroyed economically by the Recession that occurred in the last year of the last GOP presidency. I'm so glad that now we have the GOP back in charge - of everything - headed by a man whose coarse, crude, and offensive behavior to women, non-christians, hispanics and so many others have made him a model for 17 months of how NOT to teach your children to behave.
Yeah thanks. I'm sure the rust belt factories will reappear overnight and you and I will get new fabulous jobs within months. Check back with us next year and tell us how that's going.
Yeah thanks. I'm sure the rust belt factories will reappear overnight and you and I will get new fabulous jobs within months. Check back with us next year and tell us how that's going.
8
It would be nice to know what we got in rejecting the establishment. I hope it might be something positive, but based on what Mr. Trump has been saying, I'm afraid it is likely that you will soon have a terminal case of buyer's remorse.
4
My parents had a term for what you did- cutting off your nose to spite your face. What a horribly immature position to take in such a critical election. I hope you fare well living in an America where racism and hate brought this demagogue you voted for into the highest office in the land. Enjoy your victory.
2
This is the end for gay rights. Trump will appoint , successsfully, SCOTUS "justices" who will revoke gay rights, including same-sex marriage, and all other protections for the LGBT community. We are entering the second Inquistion.
124
To the world around us, the ugly American is alive and well.
402
Didn't read the book, then? The Ugly American was a good guy with unfortunate physiognomy.
2
It's over.
America can never be great again.
Donald Trump succeeded where Jefferson Davis failed.
Our worst nightmare has become reality.
The infantile ranter now has the nuclear codes.
If you voted for this madness, you own it.
America has repudiated its first black president.
Mitch McConnell and the Confederacy have won.
Climate change has become a hoax.
The wall that really counts--the one separating us from one another--has gone up.
The Supreme Court will go even further to the right in reaction. The damage might not be undone for another 240 years.
If we last that long.
America can never be great again.
Donald Trump succeeded where Jefferson Davis failed.
Our worst nightmare has become reality.
The infantile ranter now has the nuclear codes.
If you voted for this madness, you own it.
America has repudiated its first black president.
Mitch McConnell and the Confederacy have won.
Climate change has become a hoax.
The wall that really counts--the one separating us from one another--has gone up.
The Supreme Court will go even further to the right in reaction. The damage might not be undone for another 240 years.
If we last that long.
611
If we overcame 200 years of slavery, we can overcome 4 years of this nonsense. We need to pick ourselves up and reorganize. Examine what our country is about. If people have this attitude, then nothing WILL ever change. Get over it and organize to create a better future for our children!!
3
I remember similar profound expressions of doom when Reagan. GHW Bush, and W were elected. The US and the planet seemed to have survived.
Funny. I think the big wall, "the one that really counts", and was erected over the last eight years,.........is going to come tumbling down like the Berlin Wall. Unless of course you keep that attitude and pile the rocks back on. That you could even state same is astounding. The same country that elected Obama, Just elected Trump. Try to remember that.