Really? That's not what they're saying in the press:

"David Cobb, another campaign spokesman, said that plenty of problems showed up in the recount, especially with all the unrecountable ballots.

“What we’re seeing is a national disgrace. We see that in Detroit, half of the votes were ineligible to recount because of antiquated state laws,” he said. “Just as we were gearing up to discover something wrong going on, the court stopped us.”"

"Ingham County is the only one of Michigan’s 83 counties that was done with its recount of 115 precincts and six that couldn’t be counted because ballot containers were improperly sealed."

Doesn't sound like anyone got 'extra' votes out of Michigan, but the idea that more than half of Detroit 'couldn't be counted' sounds more than a little bit suspicious, eh?

I'm heartened to hear that Stein will get her recount in Wisconsin. Republicans are fighting this. Whattsa matter? Not confident of the results, I'm guessing.

Just like Democrats have no confidence in the guv race in North Carolina, eh? :D

The recount is a waste of time and money.. The recount in Michigan net'ed MORE votes for Trump.. :D

Obama is leaving office with a record that the next Democratic contender can run on. Remember Lincoln's admonition about who you can fool and for how long? Trump's force field should collapse about the time that he has to answer, finally, to all of the people all of the time.

TRUMP IS TOAST-esque prediction #189 :D

This might be a very interesting investigation that Obama has triggered. It is difficult to avoid leaving financial fingerprints, and very often hackers are less anonymous than they think - I'd hazard a guess that the dark net community underestimate the forensic skills of the NSA.

The whole world will land on my head for saying this, but, how much do you suppose Putin invested in the Bernie or Bust movement? I mean, I can't believe that he just left it alone and worked the Trump-Clinton angle exclusively. In the end, it only took a tiny push to get lots of those folks to abandon their party's nominee. Great return on investment?

Whether that's what he's trying to do or not, he will certainly stick to a game plan that he has every reason to believe is working. He's got people ready to spin like Dervishes if he crosses a line, so he feels like he's working with a net...

The stats are very interesting.

This was a really telling data series:

https://twitter.com/yottapoint/status/798357520335048704/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

White men who don't think white privilege exists and think women are out to get them voted heavily for Trump.

"He doesn't do random." Nikki, in The Bourne Supremacy heh.

How can you tell the difference between 'random' and 'clueless'? Hard to say. David Fromm just keeps repeating: follow the money. Men don't change, only our perception of them.

I'm heartened to hear that Stein will get her recount in Wisconsin. Republicans are fighting this. Whattsa matter? Not confident of the results, I'm guessing.

And I'm heartened to see that Obama is opening an inquiry into the Russian meddling. That he wants it done before Trump's inauguration tells us everything we need to know.

There's a great big silver lining to all of this, you know. The nazis were shinin' up their guns for an anti-Hillary hoedown, when Trump's win took all of the air our of their plans. Next time we see them, they'll be drunk on the National Mall.

Obama is leaving office with a record that the next Democratic contender can run on. Remember Lincoln's admonition about who you can fool and for how long? Trump's force field should collapse about the time that he has to answer, finally, to all of the people all of the time.

Lets see who he picks for SCOTUS. If he really wants to be a President for all Americans he'll pick Merrick Garland.

Anyone who thinks Trump is unpredictable hasn't yet worked out who he is psychologically in which case you're going to be constantly wrong about what he does. It's like a self-fulfilling prophecy really. But it sure does make Trump sound more interesting.

http://electionado.com/canvas/1479173071893

http://publicpolicypast.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/stop-saying-that-trumpism-is-about.html

Thanks!!!!

You DO realize it's going to be IMPOSSIBLE for me to be an arrogant prick anymore!!!!

Sincerely, thanx... I am speechless..... Thank gods my fingers still work though... :D

I'll accept that...

Like I mentioned previously, I would not be surprised if 60% of Weigantians turn into Trump voters by 2020....

Trump has a lot more in common with Democrats than he does with Republicans...

If Trump REALLY had some sense, he would change his PARTY status to INDEPENDENT.. :D

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bw5RlKBX2EcGNXVmdm9QWmJaTFE

Seen

neilm

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bw5RlKBX2EcGNXVmdm9QWmJaTFE

I promise I will. Did my email get thru?

Let's get real, Neil.. There is absolutely NO WAY yer gonna give him a chance.. :D

I mean, if we're pushing honesty here.. right?? :D

No, I didn't. I called her on the TPP rejection - I thought that was a complete lie.

I also praised Trump for Mattis.

You're making this out to be one dimensional.

I see a constant stream of lies from Trump. You let him off and tell us to give him a chance. That would be far more palatable if you'd admit that Trump's relationship with the truth is too frequently precarious.

It was non-existent..

How can you scrutinize perfection? C'mon!

neilm

Yet you give Hillary a pass for her lies and her actions..

That's exactly my point..

You don't care about lies and bonehead actions...

It's the '-D/-R' designation that determines whether or not you will call someone out on their lies and their actions..

That's why I can't take any of your Trump slams seriously...

Because it's well-documented that the attacks are solely and completely based on an ideological agenda.. Party loyalty...

This is a serious job. It deserves to be held up to scrutiny.

Yes it does.. But where was your scrutiny when Democrats were in power??

It was non-existent..

Ergo, the ONLY thing that matters to you is the Party agenda.....

And he could admit a mistake.

"My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and evidence tell me it is not." - Ronald Reagan, admitting the Iran-Contra Affair, March 1987

When Trump says something like this, I'll be far more open to giving him a chance. If he keeps lying, like he is doing about the popular vote, and a myriad of other times, I'll use his own words and actions against him.

Uh-huh, but I post reliable sources for my facts, such as the furnace plant. You don't.

For example, the FT had a headline about the closure:

https://www.ft.com/content/5cb6c67c-ee15-11e5-aff5-19b4e253664a

Notice the word "furnace" in the headline?

This is a serious job. It deserves to be held up to scrutiny. You had no problem scrutinizing Obama for years, but you start blubbering when your idol is held to the same standard.

If you can't take it, don't give it out.

She has the maturity to look past the loss and wait and see how Trump actually governs before she declares him a failure.. :D

That was one of the great things about Reagan.. His humbleness and modesty... :D

Nope.. All you are doing is spin..

If Hillary had actually won and did the exact same thing Trump did, you would be crowing how Hillary saved a thousand jobs at Carrier..

Nothing but spin...

And announced we could keep buying American made Air Conditioners ... from a furnace plant (yup, he even got that fact wrong).

Like I said. Nit picky spin...

Why do you have a problem with what he says and what he does?

I don't have a problem with what Trump says and does.. I don't even have a problem with your spin because I know it is simply born from frustration over having to dine on sour grapes and crow every day..

The only problem I have is your continued obsession in saying that your spin are the facts..

They are not.. They are simply spin..

Or Reagan's. I mean, you'd think he would know. Unless you think he was to ga-ga to have a clue. Pick your poison.

All I'm doing in quoting Trump and stating his reported actions.

And pointing out reality, like how he claimed victory but in reality let about 2/3 of the carrier plant jobs go to Mexico and still paid $7M for the opportunity to grandstand.

And announced we could keep buying American made Air Conditioners ... from a furnace plant (yup, he even got that fact wrong).

Why do you have a problem with what he says and what he does?

Maybe you are Trumpregretting subconsciously already?

You keep telling us that it is sour grapes. I'll keep pointing out what he says and what he does. And the facts.

You mean, they haven't read YOUR history...

That reality thing is a bummer for the feelies, so they just ignore it.

Reality Is What You Make It
-Democratic Party motto

:D

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/reagan-and-gorbachev-shutting-the-cold-war-down/

Reagan knew the score:

"Reagan himself went even farther. Asked at a press conference in Moscow in 1988, his last year in office, about the role he played in the great drama of the late 20th century, he described himself essentially as a supporting actor. “Mr. Gorbachev,” he said, “deserves most of the credit, as the leader of this country.”"

You mean, like Obama "acted"?? A lot of whining and mewling and then he did nothing..

And talking about the "madman" approach, how'd that Vietnam thing work out in the end? Humiliation by a foe who was more determined, could take more losses that we could, and didn't have public opinion stacked against them.

Exactly... The politicians got scared of political correctness...

Do you think that Trump is going to let PC sway him?? :D

Once again, the man you describe simply could NOT have accomplished the things that Trump has accomplished..

It's all nothing but sour grapes...

You just can't handle that you lost.. That you lost to someone like Trump.. :D

If they do they haven't read their history. That reality thing is a bummer for the feelies, so they just ignore it.

Then we saw what happened when a suicide bomber attacked our Marines. Reagan turned tail and went home. And we were seen as a paper tiger that could invade Grenada, but would not stand by our strongest ally in 1983 when Margaret Thatcher asked for help. Thanks Ronny.

And we saw what happened when Gorbachev started liberalization within the USSR. Reagan (who by this time was mostly ga-ga) and the neoCons took credit for something they had little to do with? (All accounts from within the Soviet power structure in the late 1980's stated that the Russians weren't concerned about our growing our military because once you get to a certain point, the law of diminishing returns is basically flat lined. If anything they thought we were nuts running up huge deficits for no incremental return).

And what did the neoCons' overconfidence in themselves give us? Iraq. "Mission Accomplished". And exactly the morass the French told us time and again we would end up in. But we named our fries "Freedom Fries" because that showed them.

Indeed, that was the whole point -- to set up as much dramatic tension as possible -- which was also why viewers tuned in.

You are spot on. All we need to know about Trump was his answer to the question during one of the debates about whether he would accept the election results:

"I'll keep you in suspense"

and the drama around Sec State "finalists" and only Trump knows the "who the winner is".

Add to that his insistence on keeping his "Celebrity Apprentice" job and you can tell exactly what Trump is going to do.

He is going to make sure he is the center of attention. As we have seen from the election process he thinks there is no such thing as bad news - and after Pu$$7gate who can prove him wrong.

But what if there is another Sandy Hook (heaven forbid) and an outcry for gun control. Do you think he will act? I don't.

On the other hand, what if there is a terrorist attack (also heaven forbid), do you think he will act? I do.

Maybe he isn't as unpredictable as all that. He will roll "downhill" a lot more easily than "uphill".

What happens when everybody gets bored and starts talking about something else. I think that is when we'll see the "madman" come out as he tries to grab attention again. But he will have to continually escalate. At the moment there is speculation over Sec State, but not much about the other roles he has to fill, so when he announces his Sec State, the whole transition drama will deflate. What then for the "President Trump Show"?

And talking about the "madman" approach, how'd that Vietnam thing work out in the end? Humiliation by a foe who was more determined, could take more losses that we could, and didn't have public opinion stacked against them.

As the world’s most powerful country, and the only one whose leadership can safeguard the world order, the United States must care more about whether it commands international respect than whether it is loved by international elites. The incoming administration appears poised to return the United States to this precept after an eight-year drought. Americans and America’s allies should be relieved. America’s enemies are right to be afraid.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/09/opinion/the-world-fears-trumps-america-thats-a-good-thing.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Yep....

278

The Left is TERRIFIED that Trump is going to be a greatly effective POTUS who leads this country into greater prosperity than it's seen in a century...

"I am not worried about the general who wants a hundred nuclear weapons...
I'm terrified of the madman who just wants one..."
-Nicole Kidman, THE PEACEKEEPER

:D

The old joke about the grumbling diner comes irresistibly to mind: "The food is disgusting -- and such small portions."
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-12-08/trump-is-blessed-with-weak-opponents

That explains the Left's problem perfectly...

The Left isn't afraid that Trump is going to be a crappy POTUS that stumbles this country into disaster..

The Left is TERRIFIED that Trump is going to be a greatly effective POTUS who leads this country into greater prosperity than it's seen in a century...

270

As opposed to Hillary where there is NO QUESTION that Hillary was just spewing crowd-pleasing hype..

Funny how the majority of the Left didn't object to that..

Present company excepted, of course... :D

One thing that should give his political opponents some degree of hope is that Donald Trump is perhaps the least ideological Republican who could have won.

Yup, yup, yup..

Trump truly is simply a Republican in name only. He has many ideas that the Left has claimed to love..

That's why I am so surprised at the opposition to Trump around here.. If one was purely objective, they would have come to the conclusion that Trump is their dream candidate. Doesn't have to accept lobbyist or special interest money.. Is not bought and paid for by Wall Street...

I guess that '-R' after Trump's name has more power over people then even I believed...

Donald Trump is a wild card, and he may govern as a complete maverick. He could pick and choose which issues he'll support and which he won't, irrespective of what he's said previously and completely separate from what the left-right divide thinks about such things. Could such perceived irrationality actually serve Trump well? That's a question few have yet asked, but the answer may surprise us all.

Asked and answered... :D

That's the theory, anyway -- and it assumes Trump knew what he was doing (instead of just making a blunder through ignorance of America's foreign policy history, which is an alternative explanation).

That theory has been rendered moot. It's clear from reports that the Taiwan gambit was planned for several weeks prior to the actual call...

Trump is truly playing 3D Chess here.. And is winning! :D

Irrationality and instability could become the new normal under President Trump. Whether that turns out to be a good thing or a bad thing is completely unknowable at this point. Which, really, is the whole point of keeping people in suspense and constantly guessing.

Yep.. It's going to be an exciting 8 years...

I am not really worried though.. Many on the Left and Right had similar concerns about Reagan. And his administration was great for this country..

I expect even more so under President Trump...

269