18-11-2016, 23:22
(18-11-2016, 21:23)0762 Wrote: One way or the other, Trump winning this election is an absolute disgrace and no wonder America's voting population has been so polarised in a situation that has never ever happened before in US political history. I'm listening to President Obama on his farewell visit to Germany and how articulate and decent a character this man is compared with the this oddball of an incoming president who was amazingly voted in by a significant proportion of people who Trump himself described as the 'stupid vote' that could play a big part in making him president - he was never fit to be a US president as Obama rightly described him a few weeks ago!!! As usual, the USA (or more aptly - part of it's population) baffles the world again! Nuts!
Actually, this will be the 5th US Presidential election where the winner got less overall votes than the loser. The last time this happened was in 2000 when Bush got less overall votes than Gore. If there is one benefit to come out of this it has seen serious debate over the electoral college and how the votes are distributed among the states. As I said before though, the states like their bit of power in the whole Presidential process, so I am not sure it will be easy to get them to give it up.
As regards those who voted for Trump, I think its unfair to call them all nuts, there were many reasons why educated, reasonable people voted for him that were nothing to do with racism or any other ism out there. But, the republican party consistently target the lowest level of the US society, white, uneducated southern men and women, people who in general are not educated or intelligent enough to see past the rhetoric or even have the means to gut check what is being said. They on the whole do not watch mainstream TV, they watch Fox News and the crap they spout, they listen to Rush Limbaugh on the radio, a guy as right wing as they come and they are often inherently racist under the surface. Trump did a superb job in getting these people out to vote, something Hillary could not do with the Latino and black vote that she needed to combat the rednecks!!
Obama is light years ahead of Trump in terms of being a statesman and a President, of that there is no doubt, I just wish he had been able to do more than he did during his 8 years, as that would have allowed any Democrat to succeed in the election following him!!