Everyone needs to calm down

2-feign-reluctance said:

HughFreakingDillon said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

I've calmed down significantly since yesterday. I had Trump all wrong the whole time. I posted so many times basically telling you all there was no way he'd get elected. I am eating a lot of crow with my coffee this morning. I am a white, overly educated professional who has never known a blue collar working class life. I failed to see how all along Trump was mobilizing our working class (not all of which are racist, etc., etc., etcs) but honest hard working people who have had it with government. Looking deeper, talking with people I know, reaching out to my blue collar working friends, I get it and I failed to see how Trump could be appealing to anyone by completely forgetting about our rust belt. That's on me. I was in my own little bubble, filled with job security, great home, benefits, etc., etc., and this morning I feel like a very judgemental asshole. I truly believe in the 'Forward, Together' mantra coined by the DNC this year and that means everyone. I don't have to like Trump the man - in fact I don't. I just don't. He stands for everything I detest in humans. But, spending my time brooding about it, getting all pissy is getting me nowhere. And while I won't out and say I will support Trump in any fashion, I am going to focus my energies on what matters and send a lot of hope that the people that essentially elected Trump gets what they want from his presidency, because I believe we should all feel some level of contentment and happiness in our lives and if this is what MIGHT do it for our working class and all who voted for him, and the result are more happy and content people, then I am more content.

I don't think any of us believed he'd get elected. I posted several times when the primaries began that he would go down in embarassing fashion, thinking he'd start out strong and fizzle like Giuliani did. I was wrong. Then I said he'd get demolished in the general. I was wrong. And I was shocked as all hell.

But I simply cannot fathom voting in a sociopath for one word: "change". I understand how many in the working class feel forgotten. But this guy doesn't "get them". Neither did Hillary, but to believe he did is beyond me. Very few, if any, politicians at this level understand the working class. When a large segment of your population is desperate for change, that can be a very dangerous thing.

I go back and forth on this. "how much damage can he really do with all the checks and balances in the US process?" back to "he's going to destroy international relations and possibly start a new massive recession". He may do damage, he may do zero. Only time will tell.

But I still find it incredibly embarassing to the US that this guy is the president of the US. Regardless of what he does or doesn't do, it's a stain on the office. Especially following Obama. Jesus.

Justin Trudeau is probably thinking "I didn't sign up for this shit". LOL

Only thing we can do where Trump is concerned, is sit back and watch to see if he meant it all. At this very moment in time, I have nothing direct to FEAR. Like I said, I detest the human qualities and I feel this way about others too, but at this time, Thursday 11/10/16, I can't allow myself to fear a bunch of 'what ifs'. Gets me nowhere, and as a therapist I work with people on this very action. So like Anthony Kides once preached, "walk it like you talk it"....that's where I am today.

well as I said many times, I'm not fearing anything. just a discussion of hypotheticals. I can't imagine he will do none of what he said he wanted to do. I hope he doesn't. I hope he's the least effective president in history (with the exception of economics).

and as a side note, I am so glad I dumped Facebook and all social media last year. It's not worth it to me. At least here there is some intelligent discussion.

benjs said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

I've calmed down significantly since yesterday. I had Trump all wrong the whole time. I posted so many times basically telling you all there was no way he'd get elected. I am eating a lot of crow with my coffee this morning. I am a white, overly educated professional who has never known a blue collar working class life. I failed to see how all along Trump was mobilizing our working class (not all of which are racist, etc., etc., etcs) but honest hard working people who have had it with government. Looking deeper, talking with people I know, reaching out to my blue collar working friends, I get it and I failed to see how Trump could be appealing to anyone by completely forgetting about our rust belt. That's on me. I was in my own little bubble, filled with job security, great home, benefits, etc., etc., and this morning I feel like a very judgemental asshole. I truly believe in the 'Forward, Together' mantra coined by the DNC this year and that means everyone. I don't have to like Trump the man - in fact I don't. I just don't. He stands for everything I detest in humans. But, spending my time brooding about it, getting all pissy is getting me nowhere. And while I won't out and say I will support Trump in any fashion, I am going to focus my energies on what matters and send a lot of hope that the people that essentially elected Trump gets what they want from his presidency, because I believe we should all feel some level of contentment and happiness in our lives and if this is what MIGHT do it for our working class and all who voted for him, and the result are more happy and content people, then I am more content.

I agree with this, and think Trump's win has to be one of the greatest successes in mobilization and unification since the end of the Vietnam War. That being said, I hope that the American people can hold Trump accountable to the people on topics which dissuaded them from voting for Clinton: deflections and obfuscations to keep real topics off the table or unaddressed (why were climate change or the $10B military assistance package with Israel not discussed at the Presidential debate), accepting lobbyist dollars, favouring self-serving ideas from the rich. Trump in office doesn't have to be the apocalypse, but we probably shouldn't turn off our bullshit alarms. In addition, I really hope that socially, America can succeed in combatting the divisive and derogatory rhetoric which Trump has used regularly.

Honestly, I'd just love to find out that my worry was unwarranted, because I'd love for America to change for the better - it affects us all.

Agreed, but whilst we all wait, there's plenty of HERE AND NOW to focus on right?

what dreams said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

I go back and forth on this. "how much damage can he really do with all the checks and balances in the US process?" back to "he's going to destroy international relations and possibly start a new massive recession". He may do damage, he may do zero. Only time will tell.

There is no more "checks and balances." We lost all three branches of government for a very long time. That's why I'm having such a hard time calming down.

We are about to enter an era of one party rule, in other words, a dictatorship, with the ruling party being more extreme than most people fully understand.

People complain about divided government and gridlock. Wait until you see what one party rule brings us.

Don't expect to change course in 2018 or 2020 or anytime soon. By capturing almost 40 statehouses across the nation, they have gerrymandered the districts so their power is practically undefeatable. They did all this on the sly while everybody else was distracted with stupid, stupid stuff.

A walk in the woods is not going to change these facts for me. Yet I'm going to take a walk in the woods anyway. Ugh.

And this is the 14th time that has happened since the 1920's where one party has controlled the White House and Congress. The most recent being President Obama's first term in office. This isn't unprecedented. basically, 25% of the time over the last 100 years have been spent with one single party in control. They're not going to start overturning every law that Democrat's have put in place.

what dreams said:

2-feign-reluctance said:

I go back and forth on this. "how much damage can he really do with all the checks and balances in the US process?" back to "he's going to destroy international relations and possibly start a new massive recession". He may do damage, he may do zero. Only time will tell.

There is no more "checks and balances." We lost all three branches of government for a very long time. That's why I'm having such a hard time calming down.

We are about to enter an era of one party rule, in other words, a dictatorship, with the ruling party being more extreme than most people fully understand.

People complain about divided government and gridlock. Wait until you see what one party rule brings us.

Don't expect to change course in 2018 or 2020 or anytime soon. By capturing almost 40 statehouses across the nation, they have gerrymandered the districts so their power is practically undefeatable. They did all this on the sly while everybody else was distracted with stupid, stupid stuff.

A walk in the woods is not going to change these facts for me. Yet I'm going to take a walk in the woods anyway. Ugh.

Take good care of yourselves good people.

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

OffSheGoes35 said:

One can never have too much Jack Handey.

Damn straight!
You're all right, thirty.