Election 2020

[IdleRich]

This kind of thing?

No matter the outcome of this election, DJT will always be called "Mr. President" by the more than 70 million of us who voted for him. Dems might be able to forge an election but they cannot rewrite the unparalleled achievements that are forever etched in our nation's history.
Lowered tensions in North Korea and Iran. Brokered peace between israel, egypt and saudi arabia. Only president on earth to confront China without sweetening. No new wars. Lowest unemployment until Covid. Started a process of industry repatriation. What will Joe do?

The Middle East one.... as far as I know Kushner went over, suggested a solution that pleased no-one and came back declaring he'd solved the knotty problem that had outwitted generations of statesmen. I mean it's easy to suggest - demand even - something that you think works... but again it's not how the world works. To me it's a perfect example of the Trump administration ignoring reality and just insisting the world is how they want it to be... it's incredible how successful this been with their hardcore supporters. I guess it's totally understandable that they keep doing it. But of course you can't wish away a virus or change an election result that way. I think that this inability to go beyond this has ultimately being their biggest failure and I hope it's not their legacy.
This is a terribly naive thing, but I'd love the world to go back to a time when there was something like objective truth. That people could agree on the basic facts and argue about what they meant and how to change them or whatever instead of just denying anything the actuality of anything they don't like even when it's right in front of their face. Now I know this has been an increasing trend for years but I really think that in the last four or five year it went into a hyperdriving and ever increasing death spiral or something.

 

[version]

 

[IdleRich]

As someone who doesn't live in the US it's that that has (in some ways) had the most effect on my life. When I'm pontificating about the senate or whatever those are really secondary to me (in a selfish way I mean) to this destruction of values. But I guess this is real "old man shouts at cloud" stuff.

 

[IdleRich]

I guess Trump did tacitly support the "Tom Hanks is a paedo" cult.
On twitter I saw a tweet saying "We must heal. But first, we must gloat".

 

[blissblogger]

woo hoo

 

[version]

@IdleRich

I'm reading an article on American foreign policy atm,

If you’ve been following White House briefings and mainstream US media over the past four years, you could be forgiven for thinking that Trump has radically rewritten US foreign policy. In fact, despite Trump’s pledges to extract American soldiers from foreign conflicts, troop numbers have barely fallen overall and have risen in the Persian Gulf. The administration has been presented as ‘isolationist’ yet has agreed bilateral trade deals around the world and strengthened ties with Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia – three traditional partners – while undertaking major war games against Russia and China. This year’s Defender Europe 20 would have been the US army’s largest exercise on the continent in 25 years if Covid-19 hadn’t limited its scope. It’s hard to detect any measurable change in approach. Even Trump’s attempt to pressure Beijing into abandoning industrial measures that allegedly give it an unfair advantage in international trade have ample precedent in Reagan’s 1980s trade war with Japan. If Trump can make any claim to uniqueness, it may be that, once his record on Covid-19 is factored in, he is the only postwar US president whose administration is responsible for the deaths of more Americans than foreigners. During this year’s presidential campaign, while the gap on domestic policy has widened, any hint of foreign policy differences between Trump and Biden has evaporated as they each homed in on the status quo. Both have promised to end America’s ‘endless wars’ even as they ratchet up their anti-China tirades and cling to the notion of America as leader of the free world.

Thomas Meaney · Warfare State · LRB 5 November 2020

Democrats and Republicans across the spectrum are increasingly united in an anti-China front, whether on grounds of...

www.lrb.co.uk

 

[IdleRich]

As someone who doesn't live in the US it's that that has (in some ways) had the most effect on my life. When I'm pontificating about the senate or whatever those are really secondary to me (in a selfish way I mean) to this destruction of values. But I guess this is real "old man shouts at cloud" stuff.

Also this sort of thing can affect me too of course

"Britain is highly unlikely to secure a US trade deal unless it first strikes an agreement with the European Union, a former top American official has warned."

 

[IdleRich]

It mentions China in that thing Version - why is everyone (well somewhat under half of everyone) suddenly insisting Biden will have the US speaking Chinese within a year, how did that particular insult get so much traction?

 

[version]

He isn't as aggressive as Trump, his son's had dealings with a Chinese energy firm and he's seen as a "globalist" who's happy for China to benefit from the decline of American manufacturing.

 

[version]

Trump looks genuinely upset in that shot of him returning to the White House.

 

[version]

South Ayrshire Golf club owner loses 2020 presidential election | Ayrshire Daily News

Donald Trump, a South Ayrshire golf club owner has lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden, after running again to be re-elected for a second presidential term. Donald Trump, currently the 45th president who also owns the Trump Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire, Scotland has lost...

www.ayrshiredailynews.co.uk

West Clare hotelier loses out in US Presidential election - Clare Echo

West Clare hotelier Donald Trump has lost out in his US Presidential re-election bid.

www.clareecho.ie

 

[yyaldrin]

am i the only one depressed over people acting as if a revolution just happened?

 

[Mr. Tea]

It's mad Trump's somehow seen as not having gotten involved in any wars during his time in office.

US air strikes killed Somali civilians - Amnesty

Amnesty International says it recorded 14 recent deaths - the US says its targets are "terrorists".

www.bbc.co.uk

Shroud of secrecy around civilian deaths masks possible US war crimes in Somalia

Over the last two years, the US military has dramatically increased the number of air strikes it has launched in Somalia, tripling the number of attacks and now outpacing US strikes in Libya and Yemen combined. Despite this, the US government claims that it has killed zero civilians in Somalia...

www.amnesty.org

Yes, and hearing "Well at least he hasn't been hawkish overseas", even from notional progressives has been, has been very frustrating.

 

[DannyL]

That's what I assumed/feared.
nb we call the enforcers whips here too

Bit of a sidenote, but this always seems to be reminiscent of public schools to me.

 

[DannyL]

It's mad Trump's somehow seen as not having gotten involved in any wars during his time in office.

US air strikes killed Somali civilians - Amnesty

Amnesty International says it recorded 14 recent deaths - the US says its targets are "terrorists".

www.bbc.co.uk

Shroud of secrecy around civilian deaths masks possible US war crimes in Somalia

Over the last two years, the US military has dramatically increased the number of air strikes it has launched in Somalia, tripling the number of attacks and now outpacing US strikes in Libya and Yemen combined. Despite this, the US government claims that it has killed zero civilians in Somalia...

www.amnesty.org

I can't remember exactly what they're called but didn't Trump relax the restrictions on military action that led to much more unrestrained bombing?

 

[DannyL]

The "lowered tensions in Iran" thing is crazy. He literally gave the order that killed the most important figure in the Iranian military establishment.

 

[DannyL]

Not that I think that was a bad thing btw - he's to a degree popular in the Syrian diaspora because of this.

 

[Mr. Tea]

am i the only one depressed over people acting as if a revolution just happened?

If you're worried you're going to have to drink a pint of rancid badger piss but it turns out merely to be some flat, tepid beer with a bit of crisp floating in it, you might well react as if it were a glass of vintage champagne.

 

[DannyL]

My cursory first look gives 48 to 48 gridlock with some still to be counted I assume. Does anyone know which way it'll swing?

 

[craner]

Everyone's going to be bummed out if the declared result gets overturned in December like it did in 2000.