- It doesn’t surprise me that Trump and Putin get along
well. I can see them getting along in the same way that a couple of mob bosses might get along well. They each respect the others turf and don’t interfere with the others “activities”. - I supported Sanders in the primary. (You knew that already.)
- I don’t like Clinton. (You probably knew that too. I think she’ll fight voter disenfranchisement efforts and will nominate reasonable people to the Supreme Count. That’s about the extent of my positive expectations.)
- Make a list of all Clinton’s negatives. Now make up a bunch of truly awful things about her and add them to the list. (For example, “She murdered Vince Foster and Chris Stevens with her bare hands!”) Compared to Trump, she’s still a prize.
- Sanders backers who do not acknowledge the truth of the last sentence in #4 h
ave shit for brains.should think through how they’re going to create a more responsive political system after the 2016 election. Will that work be easier under a Trump administration or under a Clinton administration? Actions must be considered in the context of alternatives. Will we have to fight more rear-guard battles under Clinton or under Trump? [UPDATE: Fortunately, the vast majority of Sanders supporters get this.]
- Yes, the Clinton administration will likely flip us the bird once in office. Politics is about who gets to do what to whom. Losing an election has consequences. Suck it up and quit whining.
- I don’t fear Trump so much as I do what would happen to institutions of government under a Trump regime. What do you suppose a Trump Justice Dept. would look like? Or a Trump Labor Dept.? Or the NSF?
- Along the lines, my contempt for people who would vote for Trump probably runs deeper than my concept for Trump himself. (Stalin couldn’t have done what he did without Stalinists.)
- 2016 is what it is. To those in the Warren/Sanders wing of the Democratic party, don’t forget that there are elections scheduled for 2018 and 2020 too. (Provided Trump and his minions don’t cancel them or Clinton doesn’t engage in a strategic nuclear exchange with the Russians, I figure they’ll proceed as scheduled.) We would do well to cultivate a more agreeable House and Senate – not to mention more agreeable state legislatures – when those roll around. Keep your powder dry.
Being a citizen is not the same as being a consumer. We can choose not to buy the phone or the car that doesn’t have our optimal combination of features, but the country is going to end up with a president, with or without our vote. It’s incumbent on us to behave like makers, not consumers, to recognize that any leader is only as strong as the ongoing movement that drives them.