Foxy
- 2016-12-26
Now, listen carefully here Foxy, there is an institution in the US that does not exist in the
UK or Australia called the electoral college. But please make an effort to understand
here, because you are starting to sound embarrassingly hopeless. The electoral college
is not a direct democracy system.
Fair enough. So this electoral college is designed to be a 'democracy within a democracy' insofar as it purports itself to be 'fair'?
As a Brit/Aussie, it does take a toll on the old brain because it's something we're not used to.
Last week Trump made a comment about 'courting' the electoral college, rather than the popular vote'. He then went on to say something about Hilary, with all her political experience, should have also courted the electoral college if she wanted to win the presidency.
I can understand then, how the American people see their system of democracy as essentially being 'broken'. To the minds of British people this makes no sense at all. Likewise, Aussies.
Our system appears to be quite simple by comparison insofar as the political party with the most popular votes wins the election.
Isn't that how the original ancient Greek system of democracy worked?
Seems to me that the Americans have turned what is essentially a simple system, into a farce.
BeenThere
- 2016-12-26
You seem to forget (you had understood it last week, but you forgot), Foxy, and I will repeat it again for you, what was explained here over and over in the last 2 months almost: Hillary got 2,865,000 votes more than trump. Two million, eight hundred and sixty-five thousand more votes than trump. So, to summarize: The American people voted for Hillary.
Now, listen carefully here Foxy, there is an institution in the US that does not exist in the UK or Australia called the electoral college. But please make an effort to understand here, because you are starting to sound embarrassingly hopeless. The electoral college is not a direct democracy system. It's a system that was created as a check on the popular vote by people in power, in the early days of the constitution, who did not trust the majority of voters and wanted to protect the small states against the big states: It's a system that allows the small states to almost be as important as the big states. It's a system that allocates 538 votes - not millions - to the candidates; the candidate with the most votes win. Each state is allowed a number of votes including votes based on the population BUT ALSO an equal number of votes to each other state, just for being a state, whether it has 35 million people or half a million. It's a mathematical system that took over on Nov 8. Not the american voters, Foxy. The American people voted for Hillary. By a majority of 2,865,000 votes.
Foxy
- 2016-12-26
My 2017 conundrum is finding forgiveness and understanding for Trump voters, recognizing that
their anger is justified.
People voted for Trump because they didn't want Hilary in the White House. I believe it really IS that simple.
American voters who didn't want to see Hilary as president had no choice BUT to vote for Trump.
Foxy
- 2016-12-26
"My 2017 conundrum is finding forgiveness and understanding for Trump
voters"Me too!
Haha, the lesser of two 'weevils', perhaps?
BeenThere
- 2016-12-26
"My 2017 conundrum is finding forgiveness and understanding for Trump voters"
Me too!
Trump diplomacy
- 2016-12-26
I acknowledge that Paul has his hand on the shoulder of the horror, and Paul certainly voted
orange. I acknowledge.But his bikes, TD, his bikes....
This is one of the conundrums (better: conumdra) I have to live with.
My one and only motorized two wheel experience was on a Yamaha that deposited me in a neighbor's shrubs.
My 2017 conundrum is finding forgiveness and understanding for Trump voters, recognizing that their anger is justified. If only poor minorities and poor whites would find common cause.
Curious
- 2016-12-25
Thank you for your reply. Appreciated.
Again, for the record, this is not a Harley, this is a OC chopper. Harley is into mass production, nothing above US$50K, while OC is into expensive and highly creatively customized beauts. The difference is like Budweiser (Harley) and craft beers like Rogue http://www.rogue.com/rogueabout/ (OC)
The orange horror truly looks horrible in a suit on this bike.
I acknowledge that Paul has his hand on the shoulder of the horror, and Paul certainly voted orange. I acknowledge.
But his bikes, TD, his bikes....
This is one of the conundrums (better: conumdra) I have to live with.
Trump diplomacy
- 2016-12-25
Neither the article nor the photo is mine. But I do take responsibility for the juxtaposition.
I googled to find Trump on a Harley. My apologies for the collateral damage to your friends.
Curious
- 2016-12-25
TD, TD, TD.... I have to intervene here. And strongly.
I was slowly scrolling down (mouse or fingers still not fully awaken) your post on this sleepy Christmas morning when I first saw, on your photo, the head of the guy on the right and thought HEY!!!!! That's my Paul. I accelerated scrolling down to see the rest of the pic and then, oh horror, oh Christmas morning horror, I saw the orange thing. This felt like a knife blow to the heart, TD. It caught me in a place and at a moment (Christmas morning, nothing less) of psychological vulnerability.
I am a woman, I am Liberal and studied way too much (I am still shedding all that shit) but I love motorcycles and I do ride motorcycles.
Orange County Choppers are part of my mythology: Paul and his sons are red necks, but Paul is a good father. And the bikes they make, TD, the bikes they make give me wet dreams year after year. Have a look at the beaut below (sorry Paul for lifting a pic from your website but I need to make a point in your favor here). I can only dream of licking the accidental oil drop off the primary of one of those.
The photo you posted was poor Paul Teutul Senior, the father You can see his page on their website at http://www.orangecountychoppers.com/paul-teutul-sr I say "poor" because his bikes do not match the text of your post at all; his bikes are mostly used by professionals (lawyers, dentists, doctors and edge fund managers, all sorts of professionals who can afford it, love to ride once a month, on Sunday morning, on one of those $150,000 beauts). He also makes a lot of bikes for charities (to display at special events).
Please Paul and his bikes have nothing to do with Hells Angels (although some of them get to ride choppers like Paul's the way they get to ride Ram trucks and Cadillac SUVs and the way they live in houses and breathe air).
Peace!
"Hunter Thompson would want us to see this: Trump supporters are men and women who know that, by all intellectual and economic standards, they cannot win the game. So whether it be out of self-protection or an overcompensation for their own profound sense of shame, they lash out at politicians, judges, scientists, teachers, Wall Street, universities, the media, legislatures—even at elections. They are not interested in contemplating serious reforms to the system; they are either too pessimistic or too disappointed to believe that is possible. So the best they can do is adopt a position of total irreverence: to show they hate the players and the game.
Thompson’s Hells Angels were mostly working-class white men who felt, not incorrectly, that they had been relegated to the sewer of American society. Their unswerving loyalty to the nation— the Angels had started as a World War II veterans group—had not paid them any rewards or won them any enduring public respect. The manual-labor skills that they had learned and cultivated were in declining demand. Though most had made it through high school, they did not have the more advanced levels of training that might lead to economic or professional security. 'Their lack of education,' Thompson wrote, 'rendered them completely useless in a highly technical economy.' Looking at the American future, they saw no place for themselves in it."
