The Many Faces of US Politics...

[Syferus]

The electoral college system favours the Democrats more than the Republicans.

Bush beat Gore in the Electoral college while getting less votes than Gore.
Trump beat Clinton in the Electoral college while getting less votes than Clinton.

Could you explain why you think the electoral college system favours the Democrats more than the Republicans?

More votes are in mainline democrat states. The 2000 election was an incredible anomaly where but for a court case the result would've been different. This was an election lost because Clinton lost blue states. Trump could have won Ohio and Florida and still lost if Clinton had kept her own house in order. Trump needed those states while she didn't - hence he system favoured her not Trump.

[seafoid]

The big issue in the US is the distribution of wealth. The richest 1000 people own 100 times more now than the comparable 1000 in the 60s.
And they will not share that.
They couldn't tolerate Bernie. They can't tolerate anyone who wants to change things.
Trump is fine cos he will protect them. He's like psy ops. All means to attract and distract . Nobody knows what he stands for.

The only thing that counts is median wage. If that doesn't go up the US is fucked.

Without any change there can't be any growth. 

Rap is getting very interesting. People at the sharp end are used to being shafted and know how power works . Poor liberals are just waking up to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUC2EQvdzmY

[Milltown Row2]

Regarding prisons, watch 13th on Netflix.

Can any TV show or film capture the reality of systematic rape? The US army is similar.
Violence is one of the things that defines the US.

we put the effort in for about 30 odd years!!

[J70]

Ouch, this clip from the Washington correspondants dinner a number of years back doesn't look too hot for Obama in today's world...

https://youtu.be/k8TwRmX6zs4

The Donald would have a wry smile watching this!

Nothing he said wasn't true. That Trump is a joke and a buffoon does not change because of the election. Except of course that the joke is now also on the US people and the world.

Don't forget this was right when Trump was on his birth cert "quest".

Completely agree. I meant that Trump (and his followers) will feel a smug sense of satisfaction looking back on this today, which is hard to stomach.

A lot of conservative and Republican people despise Trump. I mean a lot of them, me, I am delighted Hillory will never be President but feel absolutely no be a for Trump.

I get that.

I feel no personal sympathy for Hillary, but given the wider implications with respect to policy and the courts, would have been delighted had she beaten Trump (the endless House hearings and investigations aside!).

[screenexile]

Trump very conciliatory and respectful of Obama... Is there a chance he'll soften now and be a bit more statesmanlike now he doesn't have to chase votes??

Or could it be as stew reckoned from the start he's a Democrat in wolfs clothing??

[Cunny Funt]

Is she seeking free superbowl tickets?

https://mobile.twitter.com/MulherinFG/status/796294561073131520

[Hardy]

Regarding prisons, watch 13th on Netflix.

And follow up by watching "United States Of ALEC" on YouTube. One of the biggest factors in the growth of prison populations is the activities of ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council, a formal coalition of corporations and state legislators) in not just influencing, but effectively framing sentencing policies and legislation.

I'm sure I'm not alone in never fully appreciating how the direct input of corporations to lawmaking in the states (i.e. in the individual states) is actually formalised. In many states they are directly drafting the laws, which are then rubber-stamped by their state legislator ALEC-member colleagues.

Among countless examples, CCA, the biggest private prison corporation in the US, effectively drives sentencing policies in many states by using its membership of ALEC to get laws enacted that ensure their prison populations continue to grow and deliver profits.

[muppet]

Regarding prisons, watch 13th on Netflix.

And follow up by watching "United States Of ALEC" on YouTube. One of the biggest factors in the growth of prison populations is the activities of ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council, a formal coalition of corporations and state legislators) in not just influencing, but effectively framing sentencing policies and legislation.

I'm sure I'm not alone in never fully appreciating how the direct input of corporations to lawmaking in the states (i.e. in the individual states) is actually formalised. In many states they are directly drafting the laws, which are then rubber-stamped by their state legislator ALEC-member colleagues.

Among countless examples, CCA, the biggest private prison corporation in the US, effectively drives sentencing policies in many states by using its membership of ALEC to get laws enacted that ensure their prison populations continue to grow and deliver profits.

* Spoiler *

The above is massive. I will look up that video, but I Google ALEC after watching 13th.

What is called lobbying is basically a crime against humanity.

The whole thing would make you sick.

[seafoid]

FT

Private prison companies, for example, are uniquely dependent upon the ebbs and flows of government funding. August's decision by the Department of Justice to stop contracting private prison operators such as Geo Group for federal detainees hit their shares; hopes of this ruling being repealed sent them soaring on Wednesday. The enthusiasm was based on positive comments from president-in-waiting Donald Trump about private prisons (despite their cost effectiveness being called into doubt by academic studies).

[sid waddell]

The Dem superdelegate system is a stitch up..Clinton would not have won without it. Bernie v Trump would have been fair. But it was Clintons turn. A bit like FF and Cowen.

Clinton got 3.7 million more votes than Sanders in the primaries, 16.9m to 13.2m.

I'd have voted Bernie had I had a vote, but it's wrong to say Clinton would not have won without superdelegates. By any stretch of the imagination, pledged delegates, all delegates, popular vote, she was the legitimate nominee.

But the delegate system (particularly the Democratic superdelegates) and the electoral college are both awful systems.

It's incredible in this day and age that the US election is not organised on a standardised basis nationwide in terms of things like voter eligibility, polling hours and method of voting.

The US system claims to be one (wo)man, one vote.

But each vote cast across the nation clearly does not count equally. In what is effectively a straight two-way race for President, it's utterly baffling that the person getting the most votes losing the election is not a major issue, and that's twice in five elections it's happened now.

So much for "the Democrats having the advantage in the electoral college".

The position of President is national one, the method of electing the President is decided to a disproportionate level by the partisan acts of states and state politicians. That is an utter disgrace.

"States' rights" is a euphemism, a loaded term which was used to justify segregationist laws in southern states. Today it's used to justify thinly veiled racist practices like voter suppression.

[muppet]

If fairness to the US, at least most of them get a vote for President.

The EU doesn't offer us that.

[omaghjoe]

Ouch, this clip from the Washington correspondants dinner a number of years back doesn't look too hot for Obama in today's world...

https://youtu.be/k8TwRmX6zs4

The Donald would have a wry smile watching this!

Nothing he said wasn't true. That Trump is a joke and a buffoon does not change because of the election. Except of course that the joke is now also on the US people and the world.

Don't forget this was right when Trump was on his birth cert "quest".

Completely agree. I meant that Trump (and his followers) will feel a smug sense of satisfaction looking back on this today, which is hard to stomach.

A lot of conservative and Republican people despise Trump. I mean a lot of them, me, I am delighted Hillory will never be President but feel absolutely no be a for Trump.

I get that.

I feel no personal sympathy for Hillary, but given the wider implications with respect to policy and the courts, would have been delighted had she beaten Trump (the endless House hearings and investigations aside!).

Id agree with that alot of people are distraught about Clinton, might be as much the woman president thing as anything which I get, but the harsh truth is thats just an appeal to novelty.

She didn't win because she nothing for people to get excited about, and she done nothing but talk about Trump. Her presidency would have been the status quo very much remaining, which may or may not be better than Trump (prob the former to be fair). Cant help think that the real nominee should have been Bernie Sanders,he would have been very strong in the swing states and went straight for Trumps base. Wishful thinking maybe

On a side note its nice to see Stew and j70 agreeing. I actually find myself agreeing with you both alot, I dont know how you seem to fall out so much.

Its like yis are singing from the same hymn sheet but arguing about which key.

[screenexile]

Had Sanders won Bloomberg would have thrown his hat in the ring and we'd still be exactly where we are currently!!

[omaghjoe]

Had Sanders won Bloomberg would have thrown his hat in the ring and we'd  still possibly be exactly where we are currently!!

[stew]

Obama put his legacy on the line here, he stated it was and yet the people rejected it, why?

Liberals, do you have the intestinal fortitude to ask were it all went wrong?

By the way, eat as much pizza as you want, cuddle puppies as much as you want but the fact remains America is sick of your shit!!!

True story.