[barmar]

I still think Trump is trying to see how far he can go in trying to alienate voters.

He gave a speech in Reno this week, and he mispronounced the state's name. Locals pronounce the second syllable to rhyme with "bad", but outsiders say it more like "vod". OK, most people wouldn't be familiar with these nuances, it's probably a common mistake. But he went out of his way to tell them that they are pronouncing it wrong, and repeatedly emphasize how he pronounces it.

No sane person trying to win an election would deliberately put down the audience like this.

[shyams]

In connection to the new Trump fiasco today, I'd say the amount of "righteous" backlash at Billy Bush, Nancy O'Dell and other ancillary people involved in the incident (and the leak of the tape) will be a quasi-measure of the likelihood of Trump getting elected.

If the aftereffects lead to utter humiliation for Billy Bush, the Today Show, Access Hollywood, and others, then Trump will more likely prevail despite his disgusting behaviour.

[onoway]

Just when it seemed it couldn't GET more bizarre....remind me, how many millions of taxpayer dollars did the righteous Republicans spend trying to nail Clinton to the wall for Monica Lewinski and now they offer this diseased slug as their choice to be President? Who would have thought the Republicans would be able to find someone who can make Sarah Palin look reasonable.

The prof who has correctly predicted the winner in the last 18 presidential elections said last week the data predicts Trump will win. He also said this election process has been so unusual that the data may not be as reliable as usual. We can only hope.

[Trinidad]

 barmar, on 2016-October-07, 08:26, said:

True, although many of his horrid comments came long before he got into the race. For instance, his comments about Machado's weight problems were from 20 years ago, when she gained 12 pounds during her reign as Miss Universe. While I think most people probably shared his views that a beauty queen shouldn't be overweight, calling someone with an acknowledged eating disorder "Miss Piggy" is just childish, like calling someone with glasses "Four-Eyes".

Oh, don't worry. You don't need to convince me that he is a narcissist and "horridist". But the main characteristic is that he is simply an opportunist.

I am fairly sure that his comments on Machado's weight earned him quite a bit of money at the time, which is pretty much his only goal in life.

Rik

[hrothgar]

 onoway, on 2016-October-08, 05:32, said:

The prof who has correctly predicted the winner in the last 18 presidential elections said last week the data predicts Trump will win. He also said this election process has been so unusual that the data may not be as reliable as usual. We can only hope.

Said professor is a classic example of the dangers inherent with overfitting...

[Al_U_Card]

Neither candidate is likely to become the lowest point in the Presidential hierarchy of awfulness. Even the somewhat innocuous Jimmy Carter went down with each year in office. Sadly, there seems to be no lower limit...

[kenberg]

 onoway, on 2016-October-08, 05:32, said:

Just when it seemed it couldn't GET more bizarre....remind me, how many millions of taxpayer dollars did the righteous Republicans spend trying to nail Clinton to the wall for Monica Lewinski and now they offer this diseased slug as their choice to be President? Who would have thought the Republicans would be able to find someone who can make Sarah Palin look reasonable.

The prof who has correctly predicted the winner in the last 18 presidential elections said last week the data predicts Trump will win. He also said this election process has been so unusual that the data may not be as reliable as usual. We can only hope.

I am 77 and I have voted in every presidential election from 1960 through 2012. This makes 14 of them. You subtract 2012-1960 =52, you divide 52/4=13, you add 1 to get 13+1=14. To see why you add 1, note that after I voted in 1960 you get (1960-1960)/4=0 but I voted in that one, so you have to add 0+1=1.

So to get to 18 predictions, the last in 2012, he began with Roosevelt-Dewey in 1944. I was five at the time and failed to make any prediction. I didn't even guess the Truman-Dewey race in 1948. Who is vouching for this brilliant accuracy, his mother?

[onoway]

Sorry I stand corrected, I ought to know better than to post things off the top of my head just because I can't get to sleep. It's University Professor Alan Lichtman, he has correctly predicted every presidential election since 1984 and he uses a 13 point system, so I got it all muddled. Apologies for posting carelessly, I usually try not to do that.

[kenberg]

 onoway, on 2016-October-08, 12:16, said:

Sorry I stand corrected, I ought to know better than to post things off the top of my head just because I can't get to sleep. It's University Professor Alan Lichtman, he has correctly predicted every presidential election since 1984 and he uses a 13 point system, so I got it all muddled. Apologies for posting carelessly, I usually try not to do that.

It was more fun the other way!

[billw55]

Seriously, did anyone think that this was not who Trump is? Not a word of it surprises me the slightest bit, nor will it when the mistresses start getting dug up, or the prostitutes, or whatever.

[kenberg]

 billw55, on 2016-October-08, 13:44, said:

Seriously, did anyone think that this was not who Trump is? Not a word of it surprises me the slightest bit, nor will it when the mistresses start getting dug up, or the prostitutes, or whatever.

Exactly.
All of this shocking new stuff on Trump!?! Everyone quotes Louis from Casablanca, but Louis was funny, this isn't. Some R bigwig was going on about how awful it was that Trump was hitting on a married woman. Where, exactly, has this guy been for the past year? Which cave? Trump brags about his conquests. I can't say that I am all that interested in DT's sex life one way or the other, but, at this point in the campaign, being shocked by any aspect of it is beyond ridiculous. Same for all of his other obnoxious traits. Spare me more details, I have got all I need, quite a while back.

[helene_t]

snip

[hrothgar]

 kenberg, on 2016-October-08, 15:10, said:

Exactly.
All of this shocking new stuff on Trump!?! Everyone quotes Louis from Casablanca, but Louis was funny, this isn't. Some R bigwig was going on about how awful it was that Trump was hitting on a married woman. Where, exactly, has this guy been for the past year? Which cave? Trump brags about his conquests. I can't say that I am all that interested in DT's sex life one way or the other, but, at this point in the campaign, being shocked by any aspect of it is beyond ridiculous. Same for all of his other obnoxious traits. Spare me more details, I have got all I need, quite a while back.

Trump was describing sexual assault and explaining that his privileged position lets him get away with it...

The election is over

[kenberg]

 hrothgar, on 2016-October-08, 16:05, said:

Trump was describing sexual assault and explaining that his privileged position lets him get away with it...

The election is over

I sure as hell hope so!
Way, way past time.

I think when things like this turn, the turn is steep and final. I hope so.

I started following elections, in my 13 year old way, in 1952. I saw Joe McCarthy on tv talking about how Stevenson had belonged to organizations on the Attorney General's subversive list. Perhaps that was worse [no, cancel that, McCarthy was not going to be the pres. Ike should have disavowed this, but at least McC did not become pres], but this has been more repulsive.

Later, it was impossible to find someone who would acknowledge that he was once pro-McCarthy. I wish the same fate for Trump.

[Phil]

They play Fox at the fitness center next to CNN. Today, instead of a bunch of talking heads defending Trump, it seemed like topis were non-political like Matthew.

At some point (probably now) since nearly all of the Republican leadership has written him off, I would think O'Reilly and Hannity will cast him aside. 2016 is a disaster - the best they can hope for is not have a rout in the Senate as well.

[Al_U_Card]

Hmmnnn let's see. McCarthy wanted to limit your rights and freedoms. Trump has yet to profess that although he appears to want to limit rights and freedoms of illegal immigrants and radical muslims. I guess commies and pinkos are pretty much the same except that you can more easily define and describe one of them.

American history, what a debacle. (But not more so than British or French or Russian ....)

[mike777]

Perhaps the best we can hope for is an ultra left victory

[Al_U_Card]

 mike777, on 2016-October-09, 00:02, said:

Perhaps the best we can hope for is an ultra left victory

Most likely a "won't be anything left" victory no matter who wins because they aren't likely to stop the socio-economic rape of the common man that has been going on since....forever.

[Aberlour10]

No matter who wins the election, this undignified spectacle over the months causes considerable damage to the image of the land which claims worldwide leadership.

[helene_t]

 mike777, on 2016-October-09, 00:02, said:

Perhaps the best we can hope for is an ultra left victory

Did I miss something? Is Raul Castro running in this election?