Who is watching the election results??

[Briana]

Wow!  This is really interesting.  Never thought it would be as close as it is.

[Mitgefühl]

I don't find this to be interesting at all. In fact I find this to be mildly terrifying.

[tracy_j]

The ripples are already washing up over here

Well we will see!

Tracy

[Sakura]

Interesting but personally not unexpected. I think in the end it was the media and the pollsters that beat Hillary. they inflated and twisted polls to show her with double digit leads trumpeted her victory from every rooftop and in the end I think it back fired on her it convinced more democrats thinking she had this in the bag, to stay home. than it compelled them to the polls. while at the same time pushing and prodding... and insulting his supporters to push even harder. This race was tight it had always been tight and the false sense of security that was built up around her I think softened any lead she might have had and cost her the election.

As a republican I feel mixed about it, I thought it would feel better watching that electoral counter roll past 270. But I also realized that this election has polarized this country to such an extent that I am almost afraid of what I am going to wake up to tomorrow.

[Jennifer T]

Republican house and senate as well? Wow.

[MarcieMarie12]

Well it happens, they don't have a super majority in the senate though. So expect a lot of filibusters by the Democrats in the near future. Republicans did the same thing after Obama got elected and Dems had control of the house and senate.

[Timber Wolf]

Very, very disappointing, but what's done is done. We'll have to batten down the hatches, and prepare for rough sea's. But we'll stay affloat taking it one day at a time. And we'll stay affloat together. Only the election has come to an end, not the world.

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[Jennifer T]

26 minutes ago, MarcieMarie12 said:

Well it happens, they don't have a super majority in the senate though. So expect a lot of filibusters by the Democrats in the near future. Republicans did the same thing after Obama got elected and Dems had control of the house and senate.

Very true. 

[Jennifer T]

1 minute ago, Timber Wolf said:

Very, very disappointing, but what's done is done. We'll have to batten down the hatches, and prepare for rough sea's. But we'll stay affloat taking it one day at a time. And we'll stay affloat together. Only the election has come to an end, not the world.

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

Rough seas is exactly how i described this on another forum. 

But also like you, we'll persevere. 

[Charlize]

I have only tears and shock to share.  What this will mean for the LGBTQ community is only one issue.  I can only imagine what a conservative supreme court will do.  I know i shouldn't but i'm afraid that our community will be in increasing danger.  Our country is so deeply split.  I can only hope that the nonsense that Mr. Trump spewed during the campaign are not his true beliefs.  

Now i need to drop this horror and move forward.  Life will go on and our community will continue to find a home in this society.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[Guest]

United States : another failed Trump business. Putin is doing cartwheels this morning. Every flag I see looks tattered and tarnished. It makes me feel too icky to hug. JodyAnn

[tracy_j]

I can only speak from our experiences over here, but it has usually been the case of one set of promises before an election and another after. One of the things I have noted is that there have been many mentions of unemployment and decimation of major employers and industries. Mr Trump worked on that one.  I take particular note of the coal industry as this was a major issue quite locally here a number of years back and is still an issue which really brings hatred even now. Although personally I think it is a waste of resources not making use of it (in an environmentally friendly way), I can see that in the current climate coal extraction is gone. Trump won't likely change that, as much as he might like so he has given himself a major headache there.Something that may be swept under the carpet now he is in? I hope not. For him to succeed for any length of time I see that compromise and working with people is required.

Government is often more about what the backup people do rather than the leader who has not time for a lot of the (for him) minor issues. In your situation that is the senate and other departments many will not even be aware of etc. Their attitude and approach will be perhaps more important than his.

Just a distant opinion, but I wish everything keeps moving forward for the good.

Tracy

 

[Guest]

Hate has spoken.......

[Jennifer T]

1 hour ago, JodyAnn said:

United States : another failed Trump business. Putin is doing cartwheels this morning. Every flag I see looks tattered and tarnished. It makes me feel too icky to hug. JodyAnn

JodyAnn, presidential powers really are limited. And for good reason. While I am no fan of Trump I personally believe most of his candidacy rhetoric was just showmanship. In reality, the business of running a country is much tougher and more tedious than simply making proclamations.  From an acquaintance this morning:

"My predictions:

There won't be a wall.

Corporate taxes will be reduced but incrementally and may never hit 15%

Laws will be passed to stem the flow of companies out of the US. 

The Clinton Foundation will continue to be investigated and may well collapse.  They have made their money and she now lacks clout. 

There will be increased spending in the military.

Existing trade agreements will be negotiated with small adjustments but no sweeping changes will be implemented implemented.  New agreements will favour the US and will take years to implement. 

Any market loss will correct within days or weeks. "

I mostly concur. We'll see. And we'll continue on.

[MarcieMarie12]

Yes, the markets will take a pounding in the next few days. But like the Brexit, it is more smoke than fire. The reality is not much will change. Here is where things will change:

 

1. Federal support for transgender rights will vanish--it will no longer be a priority of the justice department as it was under Obama. He can't roll back anything though. Too many obstacles and momentum have already made those changes.

2. The supreme court pick will be very interesting as he does need some Democrat support to get his nominee through. No more 4-4 ties. Also consider that the republicans might have issues stopping the democrat nominee because if they do, the Democrats will stonewall everything in the senate. 

3. Expect Trump's positions to get watered down or completely changed as the reality of what the presidency is sets in.

 

 

[Briana]

Yeah Mitgafuhl....interesting like a bad accident. LOL. Seriously, we the people have to take a step back and look at ourselves.  We are all responsible for this outcome despite who we voted for during this election. Over time I think we've enabled a poor political climate and lots of bad candidates.  I.e. The two primary ones we got to choose from this election for example.  We the people need to start holding our politicians more accountable and push for better people running for office vs. what we got this time around.   

Like others have said, we all will push forward and the world won't come to an end.  And like Jennifer has said, we have to remember that presidential powers are limited and there's a check and balance in place to protect the republic from "bad" leadership and decisions.  Hopefully congress and senate can get it together vs. their performance the past 8 years - democrat, republican, and independents all included.  

[Guest Ladyinker]

I am not sure about all this. There is a lot of evidence that Trump really isn't suited for the Presidency, and I do base this on what he has said over his campaign. I feel that one mistake the Democrats have made over the years is tied into climate change. If you are going to stop coal mining and use, you have to have something to put in it's place for those people who worked in the coal industry to go and do. You have to locate it in their communities too. James Carville has said that poor and non-college educated white people consistently vote against their better interest, and that is act is born out of ignorance. I ran into this ignorance first hand when I lived in Idaho. My S.O.'s parents would often say things about how the country was formed and how it should run that were just not true. One good example was " This country was founded on Christen values ". I minored in Western Civ in college with a focus on U.S. History and government. The statement they made is just not true, not even close if you have studied the founders of the country. When I would point this out to them their reply would be " Well I was more interested in playing ball than learning history in school ". This was said to me like I was in the wrong, or stupid, for actually learning in school. I feel that this is an attitude that is very prominent throughout rural America. This is the same group of people that disbelieve that climate change is real and human made despite that 98% of the worlds scientists say it is. Also remember this, Trump is still under investigation for some of his business practices. If he is found guilty of committing a crime, Mike Pence becomes President, and that guy has voted in favor of legislation that is extremely harmful to the LGBTQ community.    

[AngieT]

Trump winning the presidency really isn't the big problem.  He can scream for a dozen different changes, but the democrats won't hear it and his own party is horribly split.  Absent unity, little will get done, but I think that discrimination by federal contractors will return, military/DADT policies will be re-implemented, and many LGBT service members will be forced out against their will.  For those that rely on ACA health coverage, I believe that the first priority during Trumps presidency will be repeal of Obamacare and renewed restrictions on issues like insurance coverage for transgender care.  

In times past, balance inside the beltway was maintained through balance across the branches of government and political parties, but the era of bipartisan cooperation is gone, and, unfortunately, majority power is all now held by the GOP.  I expect renewed assaults on LGBT protections, implementation of new, discriminatory "religious freedom" legislation, and renewed efforts to redefine "marriage" and roll back marriage rights. 

On the state level, the vast majority of state legislatures will remain in the hands of the GOP, which means conservative use of "states rights" claims to justify anti LGBT religious rights laws, an explosion of bathroom bills across the nation, and denial of equitable treatment for trans children. 

Normally I'd recommend just having faith in our system, but such usually requires having a somewhat unbiased and impartial court system.  Trump will have the power to appoint a conservative justice to affect the balance of power in the courts, and could potentially have long term effects if Ruth Bader-Ginsburg or Anthony Kennedy decide to retire. 

Let there be no mistake... Yesterday was a train wreck of epic proportions, and the LGBT community, women, and other minority groups will feel the wrath of our coming extremist government.  For those that haven't already done so, I implore you to get your legal work done.  Legally change your name.  Have the court order a change of gender/sex.  Get your driver's license changed.  Update your social security records.  Get a new passport.  Amend your birth certificate if possible.  I fear that the days of easily getting legal documents changed is almost over, and the LGBT community, (especially the "T") is going to be amongst the biggest loser from this election. 

[Timber Wolf]

Hi Everyone,

It's important to keep things in perspective. We have suffered a terrible defeat, yes. It's going to be hard for us in the LGBTQ community. But we can't just wilt and die. Even in the face of a disaster like this, we often expect the very worst to come, but the very worst seldom does. Even if the very worst does come, we can weather it together. And we have one real hopeful note; when one party gets control of everything, thier over reach usually does them in. We are now seeing the Republican zenith. Thier decline will begin in January when the new president and the new Congress are sworn in. That's when they begin doing things. We just have to get through this political time of winter and look ahead to the spring that will follow. I do however, fear the possible carnage. The suicide rate is already far too high as we all know. I cry for every one of them.

 

Lots of love,

Timber Wolf?

[Carolyn Marie]

The impact will take a while to be felt.  Yes, it hurts right now, but that will pass.  What matters is that we remain vigilant and ready to fight for our rights, as well as what we believe to be right for all Americans.  I can only hope that what The Donald said over the last 18 months was largely an act, a very successful one.  He may find, upon taking office, that it is no longer possible to snap his fingers and have things done for him.  Yes, he can put some policies in place without Congress, just as President Obama did.  He can (and I'm certain will) cancel many of the policies Obama put in place.  That may include initiatives affecting the LGBT community.  Whatever happens, we will survive and continue fighting.

It's going to be a difficult time.  We will have to concentrate on fighting for our rights at the state and local level.  We have seen that hate against us has its consequences, as Gov. McCrory has discovered, to his chagrin.  We have allies in the business, sports and entertainment arenas, and those are powerful allies.

As for me, I'm going to continue with my efforts to educate and inform.  We can all do that in our own way, and thereby create more allies.  It is not time to despair, my friends, it is time to watch, learn, and fight.  We are not going away, and we will not be silent. 

Courage, my friends.   

Carolyn Marie

[Jennifer T]

6 minutes ago, Carolyn Marie said:

The impact will take a while to be felt.  Yes, it hurts right now, but that will pass.  What matters is that we remain vigilant and ready to fight for our rights, as well as what we believe to be right for all Americans.  I can only hope that what The Donald said over the last 18 months was largely an act, a very successful one.  He may find, upon taking office, that it is no longer possible to snap his fingers and have things done for him.  Yes, he can put some policies in place without Congress, just as President Obama did.  He can (and I'm certain will) cancel many of the policies Obama put in place.  That may include initiatives affecting the LGBT community.  Whatever happens, we will survive and continue fighting.

It's going to be a difficult time.  We will have to concentrate on fighting for our rights at the state and local level.  We have seen that hate against us has its consequences, as Gov. McCrory has discovered, to his chagrin.  We have allies in the business, sports and entertainment arenas, and those are powerful allies.

As for me, I'm going to continue with my efforts to educate and inform.  We can all do that in our own way, and thereby create more allies.  It is not time to despair, my friends, it is time to watch, learn, and fight.  We are not going away, and we will not be silent. 

Courage, my friends.   

Carolyn Marie

Well said CM!! Well said indeed. No matter what our individual politics may be, one thing you all taught me in this journey is that one over  powering trait that defines transgender (all inclusive) is courage.

 

Peace

[VickySGV]

As I noted on my Face Book page --

There is an old proverb that if the Devil became God, the Devil would have to take on the best qualities of God or be totally powerless in all ways. I hope there is truth in that proverb.

 

  

 

 

[Jani]

Erin you're correct about people that vote against their interests.  I was constantly amazed at the claim that shuttered factories were going to come back.  That sounds like a business decision to me not a government one.  And this coming from a "small government" republican?  I am also concerned that Pence would be worse for our community and the country as a whole, given his lack of experience too and so called values. Aside from the environmental reasons we also don't use coal as much because natural gas is cheaper.  Why would we want to go back to using a inferior product that costs more?  Any business person worth their salt would say no.    

Trump is already finding it hard to fill key positions in the government because the qualified list has too many of those republican's who swore "never Trump".  We'll have to sweat out the details with younger less experienced leaders in many agencies.   

I'm glad to see that McCrory is out, even if it was by the slimmest of margins. 

We just have to hang tough and work hard.  A better day is coming...

Jani

[Sakura]

10 minutes ago, VickySGV said:

As I noted on my Face Book page --

There is an old proverb that if the Devil became God, the Devil would have to take on the best qualities of God or be totally powerless in all ways. I hope there is truth in that proverb.

 

  

 

 

In the end I think it will. When Donald Trump gave his acceptance speech. I can honestly say I crossed my fingers. Depending on what he said on that podium I either realized that I made a sever error in judgment voting for him ( yeah put her in jail ! kick all the Muslims out) or that I made the right choice. After hearing him speak like a president I feel  more at ease with it.

[Guest Alexx21]

Am so very scared for all of you in the us ...please try to keep yourself safe am very scared for this world  if i could id move to Pluto  but am unsure if that is far away enough .

Wish you could all live at my flat ...please everyone stay safe