I think everyone should read Trump's acceptance speech.

[theLeslie]

I was actually pleased with Trump's acceptance speech.  It was not as haughty or arrogant as I had feared it would be.  That said, it was not written by him (though presidents have frequently had speech writers) and the whole thing was read from a teleprompter.  I hope it was more than rhetoric.

[TheGlyphstone]

Just wait until he gets his Twitter back. Then we'll see TheRealDonaldTrump again.

[Eikichi]

Just wait until he gets his Twitter back. Then we'll see TheRealDonaldTrump again.

I still can't wrap my mind around this. This one thing bothers me more than anything else.

We gave the nuclear codes to someone who literally had his twitter taken away so he wouldn't have a tantrum before the election.

[Twisted Crow]

...

Trump's first act on getting elected - his first words - directly speak to the tribalism that has been festering in the United States over the past few decades. To the point of paralysis.

I genuinely was not expecting that. I genuinely believe that division is the biggest problem America has been facing.

It is why I wrote this.

For it to get called out and addressed from the Republican side is something new.

I don't know what is going to happen. The Sun still rose today, and we owe it to ourselves to do the best with what we are given.

Please do not let fear and anxiety paralyze you.

...

This, particularly the parts I've bolded, pretty much sums up my disposition on this.

I still can't wrap my mind around this. This one thing bothers me more than anything else.

We gave the nuclear codes to someone who literally had his twitter taken away so he wouldn't have a tantrum before the election.

Honestly... I wouldn't really feel any better if Hillary had that power. Besides, I can't seriously picture Trump launching nukes 'because of butthurt'. He would lose much more than he would gain. Even the Republicans would turn on him if Trump didn't have a sufficient reason (Terrorists, et. al.). Besides, Trump's capitalist and with him... it's about the money. People put too much stock on his childish "Reality TV" behavior and underestimate his greed. Which even then... if Trump went to war because of greed... you can't really profit from a conquered country when it's nuked into nothing. That doesn't mean he won't do it, but I'd very surprised if he bombed some country for making fun of his hair, is all I'm saying.

[TheGlyphstone]

Honestly, the scariest thing about Trump and nuclear weapons isn't the threat of some impulsive use, it's the precedent he could set internationally. Let's say he follows through on his stated intention and orders a nuclear strike against ISIS forces as part our total withdrawal from the international stage. Even if it's nominally done with the approval of the Iraqi government, now the gloves are off. Russia and China are both highly aggressive nuclear nations, and could jump at the chance to justify their own deployment of nuclear weapons during their own conflicts - Ukraine Two: Electric Bugaloo, or the long-awaited invasion of Taiwan, for instance.

[Twisted Crow]

Now you see, that is an understandable concern.   

[Eikichi]

Now you see, that is an understandable concern.   

It's less about him using nukes. I honestly don't think nukes will ever be used in our life-time, or during wartime. There's just no benefit to them, and unless someone is elected that is absolutely bat-shit crazy we won't ever have to worry about nuclear war now that nukes have escalated to the point where a nuke doesn't just contaminate one country, but has the destructive force to spread across continents.

It's more about the fact people can trust him with the country when his own advisers didn't trust him to use his twitter.

[Samael]

"Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them why can't we use them," Scarborough said on his "Morning Joe" program.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/08/03/trump-asks-why-us-cant-use-nukes-msnbcs-joe-scarborough-reports.html

The whole "Trump and Nuclear Weapons" thing isn't pulled out of thin air though.
Which is very, very scary.

[Twisted Crow]

It's less about him using nukes. I honestly don't think nukes will ever be used in our life-time, or during wartime. There's just no benefit to them, and unless someone is elected that is absolutely bat-shit crazy we won't ever have to worry about nuclear war now that nukes have escalated to the point where a nuke doesn't just contaminate one country, but has the destructive force to spread across continents.

It's more about the fact people can trust him with the country when his own advisers didn't trust him to use his twitter.

To be honest, I feel that the same could be said of Hillary if we wanted to dig up all of her recent and past scandals (and also improperly transpose them, too). Not that I can blame anyone. And truth is, I'm not really saying that to enable Trump. It's more so the fact that we allowed our government and media to drop these two in our laps as "our only viable choices". And we seem to opt for this, every time. This election struck me more as "Vote Against _____." rather than "Vote For _____" than any other election that I lived to see. :-/

[Beguile's Mistress]

Even if he never meant the things he said when he was campaigning it's disturbing that he is the kind of person who would spew the venom he did.  In my mind he is one step away from the edge of a mental breakdown.  The sick thing is that the Democrats didn't have to make anything up about him, or twist or spin things he said.  All they had to do was play the tapes.

[Twisted Crow]

Watching footage on some Trump campaign rallies were concerning for me as well, to say the least. That being said, I don't blame anyone for feeling the way they do. I just kinda hope we can get through all of this together. Whatever may happen in these 4 years. 

I'm going to politely bow out of this discussion for now. I've got some other things that I want to focus on.

-Dall

[Missy]

I cannot respect a man who has spoken that way so casually.

And I don't know what to believe about a country that put that kind of person into office.

I'm just glad I live and work where the sane people live and work, I don't think anyone I know was happy with it.

[Callie Del Noire]

I'm not convinced (yet) that Trump is good for the country, but I will respect the will of the people and do the same thing for my representation.

I'll watch, listen, and hold them accountable for their actions. I've nagged Rubio for years over his  favoritism of big business over small business, every damn rep/sentator I've ever had for listening/caring more for the special interests than John Q Public.

And I tell my friends to encourage their elected officials to work with one another and be statesmen rather than politicians.

Let's see what he does compared to what he says like for his first 100 days.

Some of what he says is .. ambitious..

I'll let him try.  I will try to .. hope for his better angels coming thru.

[Orval Wintermute]

I don't know how closely other people were watching the results and global reaction on election but, overseas markets and currencies took a big nose dive as it became clearer the Trump would win. However after the acceptance speech those markets began to recover because as one commentator put it "Trump sounded more Presidential than he had at any point during the campaign." Admittedly that's a pretty low bar to clear but still it's a move in the right direction. 

While the thought of a Trump is scary, in someways I'm not worried about the short term. Political office is new Trump and despite his lofty new position he might find that getting things done might not be as easy as he thinks, all those special interest groups and corrupt politicians that he railed against hold a lot of power and will be to contain Trump's worst instincts. The bigger problem is in the longer term when Trump doesn't deliver on his promises, sure he'll blame everyone else for stopping him doing whatever he wants, but the backlash against either Trump or the people Trump chooses to blame could get very ugly.

So while there nothing that can be done about Trump's election that doesn't mean it's over; volunteer to help with whatever local issues are important to you, don't make politics something that happens once every four years, reach out to the other side to see their point of view and then persuade them they are wrong.

It will take a Constitutional Amendment to get it changed.

Not necessarily. The Presidential election proper doesn't happen until next month, all that happened on the 8th was the election of State Electors. Now in theory they can vote who they like, and many years ago I think it was New York State Elector voted for a friend of his who was either a dentist or plumber (I forget) because he just such a good guy. In practice a number of states have laws that prevent 'faithless electors', so the individual state legislatures can control the voting in the Presidential election. Now there are a number of states that have agreed in principle to an interstate compact that would require all electors in those states to vote for the Presidential candidate that wins the popular vote, currently there are 165 votes worth of states that are on board with idea if they can get that up to 270 votes worth of states then the Presidential election would be decided by the popular vote. So if you want to change the system push for your state to sign up to the compact.

[Samael]

Washington (CNN)Donald Trump surrogate Omarosa Manigault said the President-elect's campaign is keeping a list of people who did not support his run to the White House.
"Let me just tell you, Mr. Trump has a long memory and we're keeping a list," Manigault, the campaign's director of African-American outreach, told the Independent Journal Review, an online news outlet started by two former GOP staffers aimed at a center-right audience.

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/09/politics/omarosa-list-donald-trump/index.html

I don't know about this 'new' Trump.
Kind of sounds like the 'old' Trump.

[Beguile's Mistress]

@ Orval Wintermute

My remark still stands.  In replying to someone who suggested we should divest ourselves of the Electoral College I stated that we will need a Constitutional Amendment to make that change.  My remark had nothing to do with the current election.  What you suggest in your post above is not outside the realm of possibility, however, we'll probably still have to deal with Trump for four years.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Whether you supported Trump or not you may want to read the following.  It will give you an idea of what could possibly happen on Trump's first day in office and what may take a little longer.

Now is the time to begin contacting you incumbent/returning Congressional members as well as the newly elected members to let them know where you stand.  Start petitions in your area and among your groups and encourage everyone to write and/or email to let them know what you want and how you feel.  Some of what Trump wants to do requires Congressional action.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/many-of-trump%e2%80%99s-sweeping-promises-will-be-hard-if-not-impossible-to-fulfill/ar-AAk71Xd?li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=AVRES007

[Nowherewoman]

Sarah Palin as Sec. Int.
Chris Christie as HomeSec
Rugy Guiliani as Att.Gen.
Newt Gingrich
Ben Carson

It's like a Bottom 40 playlist.

[Ralhend]

All politicians are worthless.  They all want to tax me and spend my money on what they think is important.

Trump's acceptance speech sounded good, but like Veks said this guy is a professional salesman and actor.  But while he sounds good and words are great, his actions will speak louder than anything else.

Then there was this, after all of his talk on being for traditional marrage: 

I don't know what to expect.  He is a wildcard at best. 
(People ought to be free to love whoever they want, without ridicule.  I don't understand why in the hell we need legislation to define that.)

[Nowherewoman]

All politicians are worthless.  They all want to tax me and spend my money on what they think is important.

Trump's acceptance speech sounded good, but like Veks said this guy is a professional salesman and actor.  But while he sounds good and words are great, his actions will speak louder than anything else.

Then there was this: 

I don't know what to expect.  He is a wildcard at best.

That's the nature of the system, alas. In theory, what they think is important lines up, at least some times, with what the folks who elected them think is important. I don't quite get the disjunct- poll after poll shows that the hard-right Republican hotbuttons are mostly of marginal importance even to their base- they are more concerned about the economy, mostly, than who's sleeping with whom. And yet...

Of course, these are the same folks who told us Trump had about as much a chance of winning as his hair does of ever being a colour ever found in nature, anywhere.

As for the banner...anyone can make a banner and hold it up. I can't say I know anyone, personally, who has a stripe in that rainbow.

[Beguile's Mistress]

As for the banner...anyone can make a banner and hold it up. I can't say I know anyone, personally, who has a stripe in that rainbow.

Any time Trump felt he was losing touch with a group he would have a new sign.  Remember "Blacks for Trump?"

He knew he wouldn't get much from the Latino community but he felt he could appeal to the 'Blacks,' like that time there was a black man in one of his audiences and Trump did a shout out to him.

[Trigon]

Trump still outperformed Romney with the Latino vote though, surprisingly enough. Granted it was a low bar to hop over but still, as a member of the Latino community myself it infuriates me that any of them would cast a vote for him. 

[Nowherewoman]

Trump still outperformed Romney with the Latino vote though, surprisingly enough. Granted it was a low bar to hop over but still, as a member of the Latino community myself it infuriates me that any of them would cast a vote for him. 

Interesting quite from Bill O'Reilly, before the election but after Trump had won the nomination:

"It wasn't that he (Trump) did anything so extraordinary, it was they hated everybody else."

I hope BOTH parties learn from that. And so do the rest of us.

[TheGlyphstone]

Trump still outperformed Romney with the Latino vote though, surprisingly enough. Granted it was a low bar to hop over but still, as a member of the Latino community myself it infuriates me that any of them would cast a vote for him. 

I'm not sure where I saw the article/quote, but it was someone talking to a conservative Hispanic/Latino Trump supporter asking why he would vote for a guy like that. The gist of the response was that they had gone through all the difficulties and immigrated legally, and didn't like the idea of someone who had done it illegally getting put on an equal footing with them. Selfish as hell, but not entirely illogical.

[Beguile's Mistress]

I'm not sure where I saw the article/quote, but it was someone talking to a conservative Hispanic/Latino Trump supporter asking why he would vote for a guy like that. The gist of the response was that they had gone through all the difficulties and immigrated legally, and didn't like the idea of someone who had done it illegally getting put on an equal footing with them. Selfish as hell, but not entirely illogical.

Not illogical, yet like reformed smokers and drinkers, there are people who have no tolerance for others.