It’s Election Day, as everyone knows from the millions of calls and texts and emails. Have at it.
By the way, I’ve decided to alter the Hall rules on commenting. Except for open threads, like this one, I’ll begin deleting comments that aren’t on topic unless they’re super interesting. I think I’ll enjoy things more within a more focused discussion, and many of you have privately suggested something like this.
But this one’s open. Have at it.
I am reminded of this extended comment thread after the 2016 election: Duh
ReplyDeletePaul Krugman writes:
What we do know is that people like me, and probably like most readers of The New York Times, truly didn’t understand the country we live in.
Democrat-voting "Liza" commented on this thread in an attempt to find out what made Trump voters tick. I suspect the replies were not what she expected. As far as I can tell, she hasn't commented since at Grim's Hall.
It's tough to understand because they live in such a different conceptual world. They really think the biggest threat to democracy is Donald Trump, not the big agencies that have spent four years trying to undermine him; nor the media that is tilted 90% negative; nor the Big Tech that is actively suppressing investigative reporting into his opponents; nor the judicial system that is actively targeting his allies, while actively forgiving his opponents. Both little guys like the Kenosha Kid and big guys like retired 3 Star General Flynn, sitting NSA, are taken down with all the terrible force of law; both little guys like Portland firebombers and Hillary Clinton are walked safely through the process and let go with no charges.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many little things that add up, rather than one big thing that could change your mind at a stroke.
That was an interesting thread. I see that I was thinking much along the same lines then, too, and my predictions about how Trump would be treated were correct.
ReplyDelete"But for me, and I think for many others here, the thought of a President who had successfully corrupted all the systems of accountability was far more terrifying than a Trump. He will be held accountable for what he does -- by Democrats in Congress, by those Democratic-leaning officials who make up most of the Federal bureaucracy, by the Democratic-leaning media. Whatever mistakes he makes, we'll know about them. They won't be covered or hidden. And if there's anything anyone can do to punish or stop him, it will be done -- and the people who do it will be treated like heroes for it.
"If that's right, then Trump is much less deadly to our system than Clinton would have been. And I do believe that it is right. I don't expect Trump to do right all the time, but I think the system can handle him when he does wrong.
"We have seen, with our own eyes, that Clinton faced no such controls. We saw her violate her oaths, her sworn word in sworn statements, her legal agreements, and the trust she held with those deployed. We saw that the system that should have punished her instead bent itself to excusing her. That fact was far more dangerous than anything to our way of life."
I've voted in the same location for almost 6 years and have never seen lines anything like the ones today. Whatever the end result, if other polling places are the same, turnout will be remarkable.
ReplyDeleteElise
It's not entirely correct. The main sewer media did not hold Trump accountable, because everything they criticized was made up. That meant the actual excesses, went deep underground or unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteThe force keeping Trump under control was none of the things listed. It was something a lot more powerful.
The Left does not hold Trump accountable. The Left is goading Trump into being Hitler. There's a difference.
Do you intend to delete off-topic comments only on your posts, or on all posts?
ReplyDeleteSomebody got offended by the previous comments and don't want to make a public hay of it.
ReplyDeleteYou know, Tex, I’m happy to extend you sovereign rights over your posts if you want them.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine deleting a comment. I confess it would make me unhappy if you did it to one of my posts.
ReplyDeleteThen you shall have full control of your posts. I will do nothing to make you unhappy -- not on purpose, anyway.
ReplyDeleteTrump is dangerous to their tribe, and they expand that into thinking he is therefore dangerous to America. They truly cannot separate the two in their minds. It is a cautionary example of how different wisdom and intelligence are. In most world religions wisdom is praised, intelligence is not even mentioned. The latter is merely an attribute than can be useful, like height, strength, or dexterity. It is not a virtue. Many of the Trump opponents are quite intelligent. (Not as smart as I am, but you know what I mean.) They lack the humility, the self-observation to be wise.
ReplyDeleteDelete comments off-topic as you like, with no fear of criticism by me. I have been tempted to do the same, but fear my own prejudices. When someone consistently does not advance the discussion but just keeps repeating his (nearly always a male) views that are clearly tied up in personal issues, I want to just move along. I am currently keeping them at my own site because most of my readers know who to ignore.
ReplyDeleteFor the first time I can remember, when I arrived at the polling station, there was only one person in front of me, and only one or two more came in before I left. In and out in 10 minutes.
ReplyDeleteOurs was slow. But that was because we only had two machines this year, and the folks in front of me were elderly and needed a lot of help.
ReplyDelete“I have been tempted to do the same, but fear my own prejudices.”
ReplyDeleteI think I might embrace mine. The old Hall aimed at something; the new one might aim at something different. More like a clubhouse. Less open, but more comfortable for the members.
"I’ll begin deleting comments that aren’t on topic unless they’re super interesting."
ReplyDeleteOh, man. I'm in serious trouble...
When someone consistently does not advance the discussion but just keeps repeating his (nearly always a male) views that are clearly tied up in personal issues, I want to just move along. I am currently keeping them at my own site because most of my readers know who to ignore.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a potentially big psychological problem, when someone online has that much space in your head.
Does it have something to do with the amount of difficult information people in your field, often have problems accepting or tolerating?
Like I wrote Grim, somebody got offended.
I can affirmatively state that AVI has never written me to mention you.
ReplyDeleteBut avi did write several comments to ymar in the past, often ones using pyschiatric institutions or dsvm 4s as justification for conclusions rendered.
ReplyDeleteLike gringo, above mensa, and avi, i have a relatively good memory. Gringo recounts his sadinista reaction often and as if it happened yesterday. Iq above a certain norm curve, can get stuck like that at certain points because what you think of as a hazy past that nobody remembers clearly, the weird iq batch like ymar gringo avi, sees crystal clearly.
I have actually requested divine intervention to delete or modify this memory retainment. It is very inconvenient for peace but good for intel analysis.
I do remember that every attempt i made debunking the conclusions against, vis a vis psychological texts, were ignored or considered off topic. That behavior is one of avoidance, repression, rationalizing defenses.
Such a trend favors ignoring and repressing the source of the problem. So they are not consciously aware of why. Taken to the extreme in ptsd and trauma repression, individuals will even blank out unfavorable memories or identities.
That s the logical arguments. The intuitive side is that i know when people are directing hostile reactions, emotions, or intent towards me.
Professionally speaking, dsm 4 or other material is not for diagnosing random people online. Hence prejudices. It is an unethical practice. It is even more annoying that the person initating this conduct, ignores the responses to it and dismisses them to move on.