What does the proliferation of Trump threads indicate ?

Ah 'Regretsit' ! Hardly a comparable situation to giving a blatant poseur like Trump an ounce of credibility. And I don't think it indicates a sense of superiority to point out what seems to be obvious.

You are right, Brexit is far dafter. Trump won't win and hasn't yet hurt the country in any significant measurable way. Brexit caused the single greatest loss of wealth in human history and has been an economic disaster for Britain just because they, like Trump, want to be xenophobic and keep Muslims out of the country.

Brexit was incredibly stupider than Trump's candidacy. You guys actually went and shot yourself in your foot while with Trump a minority of Americans are only considering it.

And admit it, you are feeling superior about Britain over Trump. Not that I can blame you for that, he's stupid.

We are long past our Godwin's Law moment.

By the way, professor Godwin (who Godwin's Law was named after) would not say, when asked, that comparing Trump to Hitler was inappropriate. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/12/14/sure-call-trump-a-nazi-just-make-sure-you-know-what-youre-talking-about/

If the Swastika fits...

Touchez indeed ! But xenophobia is far too simplistic an explanation.

You guys over the Atlantic Ocean have far cooler accents: from Geordie to Cockney to Midlands English to Northern England English, etc.... Ergo, you are technically superior to us American peeps. #justsaying

I hadn't noticed because I try to stay away from anything related to Trump these days , but there are something like 67 threads tagged with Trump on the board. Probably more than anyone needs but I guess everyone wants to discuss a different angle.

Even the one active Clinton thread seems to have devolved into a discussion of Trump.

That'll be his way to win - everyone will have his name top of mind and vote for him

it's worked for him so far ... name recognition keeps him cranking along without having to pay much for ads

Completely agree. Right after I posted I knew saying it was "just" that was an indefensible absolutism (and would have edited if I hadn't gotten distracted by work). It's definitely more multifaceted than that.

I remember reading some years ago that name recognition is very important in elections.

It definitely is, but usually when competing with someone without name recognition. Name recognition in this race shouldn't be too much of a factor. Everyone voting knows both names very well.

Don't you think, though, that Trump as a textbook racist will attract similar minded voters? Just on that basis?

Not sure how that is connected but yes, Trump will get most of the racist vote. Thankfully these days it is a minority and he's losing bigger swaths of the public by courting them.

My point was about name recognition, Hillary has so much as well that it shouldn't be a big factor in this election.

By everybody concentrating on hating Trump, attention may be diverted from Clinton's shortcomings.

I don't think so. But, that's me.

I feel pretty confident that Clinton will win (and I hope to God I am right!)

I am hoping that Trump will permanently damage the Republican party in a way that will shift American polity to the left for decades to come. The Republicans have been flirting with racism ever since the 1968 election. They have combined it with guns, military strength, small government and taxes (all reasonable political position) but there is no question that Republicans have used underlying racism to their political advantage for decades.

I am hoping that this is the election, and Trump is the person, to blow all that up. Maybe what comes out of the smoldering ashes of the Republican party will be something more reasonable and less cynical.

The Republican brought Trump upon themselves. It would foolish for Democrats and Progressives to not push this wonderful political mess to its greatest advantage possible to push the country forward.

I want Trump boisterous and hateful as ever... and I want the Republicans to be painted with every extreme, foolish and intolerant thing that Trump says... he is a character of the games they have been playing for years anyway.

Trump is what the Republican party has chosen to become.

Now let's make them pay.

I see that possibly going either way. Right before Trump the party really recognized that it needed to broaden its base and court the Latin vote. Trump has set that back and I am curious to see if a Trump loss steers them back to that course or toward more extremism that he has courted.

I agree with your analysis, and hope you are right. That so many organizations are speaking out against Trump is a good sign. His survival is left to the bigots of this country.

The self-inflicted damage is done. Americans (with the exception of Trump supporters) now see the Republicans as the anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, anti-diversity party. If the Republicans try to overcompensate (by being extra decent to Hispanic Americans), they will lose the Angry Right vote they now depend on.

I think the two party system will adjust to meet the new demographics, but I think the conservative movement will have some time in the wilderness before they can make this adjustment.

I was a starter on Clinton's short comings. I am not impressed - I get them, very well and still are; I also consider the possible.

It's the politics, stupid



A2k is, if nothing else, a way for people to work out their thoughts and feelings as they discuss them with others – and it's always good to keep the cutlery sharp. I think there's a good deal of shock here that the guy is as close as he is to the white house, especially given that he says something stupid, deplorable and/or false on a near daily basis – all of which could play in to the multitude of threads started about him

I agree, they have to choose between broadening their base or keeping the angry white vote. It could go either way, they mostly understand which one makes more sense (broader base) but the transition could be painful with losing a core part of the existing base which could keep them down for a while.