When it was Trump vs. Clinton
 

many months ago, I predicted Trump would win.

Clinton is a tired story, an old person with huge baggage, that could not beat Obama, a virtual unknown. She barely beat Sanders. She has zero charisma. I just didn't see how she could win.

I also thought that Trump would go "on the rails" after the primaries. And that didn't happen. His discipline was much worse than I imagined it would be, which greatly decreased my confidence in his ability to lead.

It would be weird if I wake up tomorrow and Hillary won.

Hillary ignored workers who haven't recovered. There is no recovery for them. And she campaigned for open boarders which signaled to them they would lose more jobs. A Democrat should know better.

She is and has been a terrible candidate.

It has become impolite for educated persons to talk about the impact of Mexican immigration on our economies and cities. It is MASSIVE. And not all of it is positive. Yet we can't have a conversation about it due to political correctness.

Agreed. Open boarders and no change in immigration policy means you have no policy. Many people are concerned about that.

A coworker of mine -- young, college educated, born in the US but from a Lebanese family already got harassed last night by an idiot redneck emboldened by Trump's racist bullshit. Hopefully a few Republicans in Congress will have enough backbone to block some of Trump's worst ideas. If Trump can push through his radical anti-trade agenda, prepare for an economy crash much worse than 2008.

Based on his victory speech I don't think he's really going to build a wall, impose a 45% tariff on China, or ban Muslim immigration.

He said those things to connect with rednecks who felt like the system was neglecting them. And he's sure done a damn good job at it. His victory amazes me.

Trump got over a million FEWER total votes than Romney did in 2012. It's just that Hillary got a lot less support and turnout than Obama did. This wasn't about everyone loving Trump. It was a reaction to Hillary. Any of the GOP candidates could have beaten Hillary. Also consider that the same party winning three straight presidential terms has only happened twice since the 1800s (Reagan, Reagan, Bush) and FDR by himself. Change is what won the election. I can only hope Trump the president isn't the same as Trump the candidate. Yes, his speech last night was a little encouraging.

Go to West Virginia. They're crazy about Trump.

I don't agree. Only Trump could have won, because he reached the blue collar worker the stuffy white men, sans Rubio, could have reached. You don't reach those people with out of touch rich people. You need to feel their pain and act like a fighter.

Clinton was an awful candidate who had everything. She had tons more money. She had all the media cheering for her like school children. She had all the right connections. She had a ground game.

Yet she failed, because she is stuffy, rich, out of touch, arrogant, pedantic and condescending. She was dismissive of people's concerns. The economy is great for all. Anybody complaining is a basket of deplorables.

Seriously, if gutless Republicans who know better allow Trump to push through his awful anti-trade ideas it will get really ugly. Then he'll get voted out and the dopey dems at that point will say it's because he didnt' go far enough with the destructive trade wars and make it even worse.

It's the tax code and crony system of special tax breaks that is causing the problems for the middle class and not trade. Get rid of the tax code. Don't close ourselves off from the global economy.

Must be a shock to DC residents. Who voted for Clinton at the tune of about 93%. Must be like living in a total bubble.

“I live in a rather special world. I only know one person who voted for Nixon. Where they are I don’t know. They’re outside my ken. But sometimes when I’m in a theater I can feel them.”

Pauline Kael.

Horrible rumor: Palin being considered for a cabinet position. Ugh, barf.

yes, disturbing. I wouldn't hire her to be my babysitter.

There will probably be some hits and some misses on his cabinet. There is a rumor around Jon Huntsman for Sec. of State. That's probably actually a pretty good one for those who don't like the US being overly involved in wars all over the planet. It would also be a pick that would ease concerns our friends in Europe and Asia might have. He's not one to want the US to suddenly throw those relationships away.

I would hire somebody to babysit her. I am spewing profanities at the thought of her. f)&&(U(_&&U

Sessions, Gingrich, and Huntsman would be acceptable.

And not to be pedantic, get Condie Rice in there, but she is too sane. We need women and people of color as well. The GOP can't turn a deaf ear to the growing demographic. We can appoint Asians, Latinos and other groups. Get quality, get diversity and then listen to them.

appoint me. I'll by the Czar of the internet. and I will punish my enemies. With random and nonsensical 1 month suspensions from their own message boards.

There are problems in our cities, but it's not illegal immigration. Actually, I've heard repeatedly lately that illegal immigration into the US is modest and actually there is no net increase of illegal immigrants in the US for a long time now. They come and they go. I heard billionaire Trump supporter Peter Theil say this just last night. (He's a billionaire Trump supporter who doesn't believe Trump will keep any of his campaign promises.)

Actually, I have no problem with polite society looking askance at immigration bashing. Without exception, anyone I've ever known (outside of demagoguing politicians) who cares about the immigration issue is a bigot or a loser, pretty much usually both. The demagoguing sure didn't sell in California.

You haven't been impacted by it. Hispanic immigration has reshaped the city of Dallas.

Dallas ISD (schools) is now 70.2% Hispanic, 22.5% African American, 4.9% White.

Of course a wealthy lawyer who has kids in private school is not going to feel any impact. You're not competing for wages, you've not had to pull your kids out of their school and move away. Hispanic immigration is the #1 factor for white flight in this area.

Unfailingly liberal elites who say none of this is an issue have their kids in private schools.

The economic impact is significant in terms of Medicaid expenditures, ESL classloads and welfare contributions. Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Cali are significantly impacted.

For example one of the unseen complications is ESL students count against graduation if they fail to graduate which affect federal funds in support primary and secondary education.

Medicaid expenditures are significantly affected.

Prisons and Jails are affected by the influx of immigrants.

Naturally, uberwealthy liberal elite attorneys in the northwest are unaffected and can judge and offer opinions about matters that do not affect them and about which they know nothing. Michael, if you or I were worth $10 to 20 Million, with nannies, house cleaners and auperes ushering them to private schools, we would think askance too about anybody believing immigration had any negative impact upon US cities.

Public schools are taxed by individuals who are not paying property taxes. The immigration issue does have a severe economic impact upon the region.

I don't really care if SeattleUte doesn't believe that illegal immigration has no negative effects on the country.

The part that I really despise is that people like him try to shut down even having a conversation about it, by accusing all people who bring this up as being racists.

THIS is a major reason why they lost. Not just on this issue, but all the other politically correct issues. It's a kind of intellectual bullying through accusing and labeling in the name of liberal political correctness.

Many commentators and Democrats have noted the "shutting down" of any discussion one of the reasons why Trump won and the Dems lost. It is intellectually dishonest to win a culture war via demagoguery. The issues of the Republic cannot be addressed or resolved if they are shouted down through intellectual tyranny.

I have been impacted by illegal immigration. I get $230 carpet cleaning for $60, $15 dry cleaning for $1.99, and yummy burritos.

Add to that, the economics profession is near unanimous on this, regardless of ideology.

Obviously I'm not an economist. But I counter your stupid burritoes with the massive devaluation of property in these cities, home prices stunted, land prices. Not to mention the expenses that Archaea mentioned. Not to mention massive wage deflation among the working class.

By your way of thinking we could taken in many more millions of the poorest, least educated persons on Earth and this would lead to national prosperity for all. I'm sure SeattleUte agrees. He consulted with his housekeeper on this one.

it doesn't impact me currently. But it certainly impacted me when I lived close to the city center. The poor quality of schools forced me to move away.

It doesn't directly affect me, but it does indirectly in terms of the extra burdens on state and federal resources that poor, unskilled and uneducated workers necessarily incur.

I'm sure white flight only occurs when schools are bad.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113236377590902105

Poor white people. Or just maybe...

the article is behind a pay wall. But yes, I've encountered where my Asian friends didn't want their kids in my school district because they think it is too competitive with too many Asians.

Discrimination against Asians is well known and accepted by liberals. Asians are capped at Ivy League schools. You're better off being white than Asian.

White people just move away if they see masses of non-white people moving in. That's just the way they are. Good schools, crappy schools, doesn't matter.