Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Not. Saying. Much. I can say that about people I worked with at Choice Messenger Service in the 1980s.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

That's the exact opposite of what she said, but point taken.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

You're serious with this shit aren't you?

Who gives a fuck about walking pneumonia? Or are you one of those psychos that thinks she's hiding brain damage or some other catastrophic illness? If you actually think it's walking pneumonia what exactly is the significance of her hiding it other than to keep it from being the entire focus of the next two weeks of questions?

As for "basket of deplorables," are you somehow insinuating that what she said isn't true? Or is the point that she's a terrible candidate without the sense to decline insulting a significant portion of the electorate. The idiots who will be offended by this comment are already voting for Trump or they're kidding themselves into thinking they haven't decided already.

But given all of the truly detestable shit Trump has said so far, it is highly comical that you have seized on these two bullshit "issues" in order to say something as ridiculous as...

Insanity.

TM

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

You need to follow me on twitter (and TM on Facebook - I tend to respond to his political posts alot) if you want to get the full beauty of all my rants and raves.

I know you think Trump himself is pretty deplorable - what percentage of his followers do you think share that trait?

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I generally won't say this in public debate, because it's not relevant to the pros and cons of Hillary's campaign and distracts from real issues, but all of the health discussion burns me up (and this goes for Trump, too - I mean, since he has a Gastro-intestinal guy as his primary, a very odd thing, I assume it means he's clinically full of shit, but who am I to say).

It all suggests a few mild physical disabilities disqualify you for the office. Shit, we better purge FDR from the list of Presidents!

Yeah, some days I can barely stand because of the neuropathy, but why should anyone give a shit.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Screw the emails. I hacked those and they're pretty boring. How would you feel if we released your greatest hits on the fashionboard?

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but a few things:

1. I think a candidate's health is a legitimate issue. If there is nothing that is going to keep them from doing the job, the issue should be settled.

2. The issue that has been created around Hillary's health is absolute bullshit. If some lunatic implies that Hillary is hiding a severe issue, hoping that it gains traction with people looking for a reason to not vote for her, and the media jumps on Hillary because she has walking pneumonia, they're fucking stupid. The only evidence that is relevant is evidence that shows she has a debilitating issue. Coughing, getting woozy when it's hot are not news worthy events. But the media, by reporting the fuck out of that stuff, legitimizes the initial bullshit which is based on absolutely nothing. If no one accused Hillary of having brain damage initially, her coughing or her having walking pneumonia are not campaign issues. It's a fucking joke.

3. Trump released a note from a quack that said he's in better shape than any candidate in the history of the country. Will he actually release the results of a real exam? Who the fuck knows? But at this point, people think Hillary is the one hiding something, while Trump skates. It makes zero sense.

TM

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

If you're undecided and you're white, would Hillary's chances of getting your vote improve if she played to the sense of white grievance? Probably. Of course you assume that a voter who is still undecided is white, but that's probably the case, isn't it?

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I suppose most anyone undecided is not Hispanic or black, mostly white, yes. But take a white guy who just can't see himself voting for either, he doesn't want a wall, he thinks all that is bullshit- I mean the people who want a wall are not undecided, are they? This guy just can't decide who he hates more. I am not happy Hil will be president, but I pray to the Baby Jesus she wins, so this guy just doesn't see the choice as so clear. And now Hil says he must be a racist for even considering Trump?

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I'm really fretting right now over where the white women are at, because polling is putting them pretty close to 50/50 in this race!? @!@!@$#RW$%

That is a bad number. I've been very heartened at the number of Republican women I know who have been ready to support Hillary, and think it spells the difference in a bunch of states. But the misogynistic asshole seems to be recovering among that group somehow.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

This assumes that this person exists in a vacuum in which the only thing he has heard during this campaign is Hillary calling half of Trump's supporters bigots.

Now, it may be a fact that, like you, that person has translated what Hillary actually said into "If you vote for Trump, you're a bigot," and therefore they overlook the truth of the statement (as evidenced by the many fucking bigots who support Trump whom he actively courts).

But, if you're telling me that we don't live in a vacuum and the avalanche of awful, terrible, horrendous, racist, misogynist, islamophobic, etc. hate that spews from Trump's mouth on a daily basis can be overwhelmed by that one statement in anyone's mind, what are you actually saying?

I'll tell you. That person was already voting for Trump, whether they knew it or not.

TM

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

As issues go, the health of either of these two ranks just above their position on fracking - yeah, it's an issue, but it's not one that should sway a ton of people one way or the other. It shouldn't be THE issue.

As to Trump's health, screw his physical health. I want to know just how fucking clinically crazy he is. I have no doubt he's got several diagnosable mental conditions. That is NOT hyperbole.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

This scares the ever living crap out of me. I've been telling my wife every day that whatever Republicans say, they'll mostly end up with Trump in the end, but I was really starting to believe otherwise and thinking there were some good Rs out there who really were ready to jump to Hillary.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Agree.

Agree.

What is amazing about this is that if Trump wins, Hillary will be blamed. She'll be the terrible candidate who couldn't beat an unhinged lunatic. But that will be a small part of it. The larger story, that only minorities in this country will be talking about (not entirely) amongst ourselves is that this country is filled with racist, ignorant, selfish, stupid assholes.*

TM

*Even more than we thought.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I'm expecting Trump to do or say something dickishly misogynistic during the debates and move that number.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

2. I truly thought that 90% of undecided would break for Hil, but it is not looking that way.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Last week, I took a Lyft out to meet my family at a restaurant, and got to talking about the election with the driver, who was African American. He was talking about voting Stein or Johnson because Hillary just didn't ring his bell. He thought she was a lousy speaker, and wanted someone who could speak like Obama and motivate people. So I went trying to find some issues to ring his bell, on top of the Trump is scary stuff, which he agreed with but wasn't going to change his mind.

I talked a bit about women's issues and went back to the Beijing speech and told him he should look at it because it was a great speech on Women's issues.

And he said, and this is the part that made me dejected, that he really just couldn't care about women's issues, it wasn't something he could relate to. I guess I really shouldn't expect a higher moral standard and more empathy from African American men than White men, but I do.

Fucking depressing conversation.

Who knows, maybe Hillary calling out Trump's deplorables moved him a little.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Point taken, but that's not what she said.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

If the election is just about Trump and whether he is good or bad, he really might win. Because at least he stands for something. Hillary, IMHO, has squandered the lead she had after the convention because she has gone low-key and has been trying to let Trump sink himself, and hasn't been giving people a reason to vote for her. If she argued that she was going to make your Lyft driver's life better, maybe he would vote for her. Hoping that he votes out of empathy seems like a crappy strategy.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

My post is unfair. I clearly can't claim complete moral superiority for communities of color. That's ridiculous.

But I do not understand the appeal of a billionaire who maintains his fortune fucking over small business people and workers, who outsources jobs to other countries, who openly says the most hateful, racist, sexist shit, and who openly brags about how he has manipulated the political system by buying politicians. To me, the explanation is anti-black, anti-Mexican, anti-Islam, anti-Jew appeal. Sebby and Notbob can try explain the thought process of the workin' man all they like, but this is what he's playing to. And in every single instance of a black person being killed by the cops, without repercussion, for no fucking reason or the backlash to a quarterback who kneels quietly during the anthem as a protest of the obvious mistreatment blacks suffer in this country or the hyper-incarceration of black people for crimes white people commit at the same rates or the unequal unemployment rates or whatever, we see it--this massive, unending racism that colors decisions large and small, personal and institutional. And the fact that this asshole--this idiotic, orange-faced, cotton candy-headed, racist clown--is supported by an overwhelmingly white portion of the electorate confirms it all.

And to play fair, whites haven't cornered race discrimination or misogyny or anti-Semitism, or Islamophobia. The black community has its fair share of all of that bullshit. And your Lyft driver clearly has his head all the way up his ass. But we're voting in huge numbers against what Trump stands for.

TM

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Have you listened to Hillary?

She will talk in great detail about what specific programs or policies she will or has advocated to address making people's lives better for hours.

His problem wasn't her message, which has been spot on for anyone listening, but the lack of pizzaz and showwomanship with which she delivers the message.

I'd love people to vote on messages, we'll win if people listen.

I'd love them to vote on empathy. Also a win. And yes, people should have empathy.

But if they're voting based on whose more entertaining then we should expect that we will get and we will deserve a buffoon. Every time.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Your post was generally fair. A lot of this election is about minorities saving the country. Mine was just a footnote to your point.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Take a look at this, on where Trump's racism comes from. Jeet Heer is very sharp.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

She needs to run for president, not head policy wonk. And I am pretty sure that she could get elected if she could meet with each voter for an hour to explain to them in person what she would do for them, given the chance. But that's not how it works.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Meanwhile, football is doomed. I have a harder and harder time watching it.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Probably less damaging than my actual e-mails. But either would likely be a career-ending injury.

Here is another song that I cannot hear without thinking of a song that sampled it (Ice T's "Power"). It's James Brown! "I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lkFPW7uHqs

Just for fun, here is Ice T (gotta love the cover):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3rhBwnNU6o

http://www.streetbonersandtvcarnage....2/07/icet1.jpg

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Even in Texas, it is having a hard time. The 7 year old Chicklet is starting his second! season of tackle football and the league is having fewer kids and teams every year.

Mr. Chick and I have had many discussions as to how long we'll allow the Chicklet to play. He loves it and is the defensive team captain. The laws of physics indicate that the mass of an average first or second grader is limited in its force and impact, and much attention is paid to teaching technique in heads up tackling. That said, we are doing a concussion baseline test next week.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I find myself putting more and more of my tickets on NFL Ticket Exchange instead of going to the games. Sooner or later I'll give them up.

My cousin's kid plays on the line now, and his parents were hoping that he'd hate it. Of course he loves every second, and they sort of take comfort in that 13 year olds on O and D line are essentially just wrestling without any major hits. But if he keeps on going, they are going to reevaluate.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I don't see how Trump overcomes the demographics. He needs to get something like 85% of white male votes to pull this off, and that's just not happening. The tightening we're seeing right now is embellished because the networks want a close race.

That said, Hillary's Achilles Heel is her lack of a compelling message. The country wants radical change, and she's slow-and-steady. I know people want to find more complex reasons for her failure to open up a massive and insurmountable lead, but the explanation is just that simple and boring. She's more of the same, and a lot of people think that's simply intolerable.

Don't try figuring it out. I've asked numerous ardent GOP friends, "Why are you so incensed by a moderate? The people on the right ought to be pleased with her. She's closer to a classic Republican than the current Republican, who's a fucking populist! It's the Left who have a true complaint here." They offer in reply some claptrap about her dishonesty, and then get to the real reason they're so against her - "We can't have another four years of Obama. The country won't survive it. Trump is nuts, but he'll blow things up, and undo much of what Obama's done."

Nevermind that Obama really hasn't done all that much. Nevermind that Trump isn't going to change anything in a manner that these people desire (well, except for giving the Archie Bunker voters "law 'n order").

The economic problems in this country being largely terminal, I suspect for a lot of people, this vote is a referendum on the timing of what we all know is coming. We're heading into a period of upheaval and social unrest. Do you vote to hold it together for a little while longer - keep the fabric from coming apart entirely so that we have a long series of soft landings and slowly turn into a sort of gilded Brazil? Or do we put a madman in the office and increase the likelihood of an accelerated, convulsive period of governmental and societal disruption and "creative destruction"?

Isn't that kind of always the question... A variant of the old economic debate of whether to go Von Mises or Keynes?

I'd vote for a creative, smart candidate who'd "blow it all up," and get on with a short, nasty form of the intense pain we all know is coming. But Trump is a fool, and I fear he'd only create a police state.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

We've not seen the debates yet. That can swing things five points.

Trump needs PA and VA. He's not winning either.

Pay attention to the electoral college vote numbers. National polls are noise.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Without football, where will kids learn how to cheat and bully?

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Translation: I'm scared of the black man and the woman, but not the lunatic as long as he's white.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Yes, in the campaign, many people want the grand oration, not the policy wonk.

The calls for "radical change" though come from different camps that want wildly different radical change. Trump is looking for a police state, Rand Paul wants a hippy commune where white guys in suits can sit around and complain about the help, and Sanders wants a golden age where hipsters sit around remembering with fondness their union line fathers. About all they agree on is some degree of xenophobia and freedom from talking about the excruciating detail of reality.

Oh, and there is one other thing these camps have in common -- they're overwhelming white and male.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

I think it's a bit more complex than that. There's a voter out there, D and R, who looks at the system and says, "We need a complete overhaul."

I'm in that camp to an extent. We can't kick the can much further without suffering serious social upheaval and crippling govt dysfunction. On top of that, in just about all institutions impacting our lives, we're seeing what I'd call "peak corruption." We're reaching that tipping point where we become a case study for the next update of The Collapse of Complex Societies.

The failure in Hillary's message is it's just more shuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic. She'll try earnestly to fix things, and she's as qualified as anyone would ever be for the job. I don't worry about her ability to competently govern us in the least. But she is a warrior for retention of the status quo. That's her prime marching order, above all others, dictated to her by the powerful but frightened interests who donate to her -- the powerful but frightened interests whose only aim is to maintain the game they're winning for as long as possible.

As Leonard Cohen says, "Everybody Knows"... This doesn't end well. And Hillary's just another cipher, bought and paid for, buying time for her masters.

The Internet fucked politics but good. The Clintons are the first political dynasty to have their entire history collected digitally, much of it in real time. You can see right through her... straight to the armies of defense contractors and various "vampire squids" of finance behind her. She'll do a lot, but none of what needs to be done. Because to do what needs to be done would cost her any hope of raising enough for re-election.

We will voluntarily or involuntarily (as we have, to an extent, already) go through the mother of all debt workouts in this country. It's not govt debt. It's private debt. And this process will be a nasty reckoning for investors. But it will occur, overtly or not. The only question is whether we do it slowly, and languish as we have, to protect the old, or we have a collapse. But one way or another, debt that cannot be repaid will not be repaid. And we have a massive debt problem.

Tick, tick, tick...

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

They want a revolution. They're just not organized enough to put a winning one together.

Eventually, however, people of all backgrounds getting economically fucked in the current status quo will congeal to an extent. And all it takes is one large enough contingent of them, desperate and united strongly enough to overcome the "prisoners dilemma" that scares people from challenging the enforcement capabilities of govt, to shake the country to the core.

The moment enough people collectively act and expose the limits of enforcement, this status quo has some serious problems.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

There are other factors, but those are a bigger part of it than even the people you are describing probably consciously realize.

Yeah, this is still nonsense.

It's a funny time to be thinking that:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=7gem

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=7eZt

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=7ger

(That's just a few minutes playing with data from Fred. There may be better data sets to use.)

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

http://www.slate.com/articles/busine...ve_charts.html

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/thi...out-2016-09-16

http://www.azcentral.com/story/money...cans/89103976/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-survey-finds/

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/...ebt-is/379865/

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Unless he is really big (I mean 6'5" ) he should devote his energy to something else.

That being said my son went to HS with a kid who was a decent baseball player who played for their lame ass HS football team. He really picked up football in college as well as getting bigger, stronger, faster, and starts for an NFL team now on their O line.

Shame, his dad was the biggest dingus I ever met.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Hey, that's what I said.

I don't think most people want radical change. If Obama were running again, I suspect he'd be destroying Trump.

I don't understand the people who say that. Things just aren't that bad.

Trump isn't competent enough to create a police state, and the GOP establishment is scared that he'll win. He wishes he were a Putin, but he'd be a Hugo Chavez if he were lucky.

Re: I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused.
 

Hearing you talking about this stuff is like listening to the neoconservatives for whom it's always Munich 1938 and the choice is always between being Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill. WTF? Things just aren't that grim. What's the tipping point?