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The author is delusional. This isn't a re-run of Bush 2000 for liberals or Obama 2008 for conservatives. At a time of greatest institutional weakness, a demago

The author is delusional. This isn't a re-run of Bush 2000 for liberals or Obama 2008 for conservatives. At a time of greatest institutional weakness, a demagogue with authoritarian tendencies that considers the norms of a liberal democracy to be a inconvenience and subordinate to the needs of order has just been elected on a wave of hate, lies, racism, and bigotry with the promise of locking up his political opponents and abandoning international allies and obligations. This is potentially a game changer from which there is no return and everyone is a loser.

joeblow9999 10y ago
"a demagogue with authoritarian tendencies that considers the norms of a liberal democracy to be a inconvenience and subordinate to the needs of order " You know she lost right?
- elsurudo 10y ago
  Every politician must be a demagogue to some degree, but Trump appeared to say one thing to one group, and then the next day, say the direct opposite to another group. It's a matter of degree. What does he _actually_ stand for? Nobody truly knows.
  - mikeash 10y ago
    The next day? Trump wasn't afraid to say the opposite in the next sentence.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
      He just has a faster release cycle, more iterations. I seem to recall at least a few threads on HN over the past couple of years that suggested politics needs to be more agile.
  - munificent 10y ago
    > What does he _actually_ stand for? Nobody truly knows. Sure, we do. It's easy. Just look at someone's actions and ignore what they say. Trump's entire career very clearly about making things better for Trump. Simple extrapolation indicates that's what his presidency is going to be about too. If you happen to be like Trump -- a wealthy US business owner -- you may get some improvement in your life as a sort of halo effect. But otherwise, a Trump presidency is good news for no one whose name doesn't rhyme with "Ronald Rump".
devonkim 10y ago
The most apt analysis I've read was that from a historical standpoint Clinton was trying to do something even very strong candidates have trouble doing - keeping a party three terms in a row for the White House. There's only one president that's done it to date and it was George Bush, Sr following Reagan. It implies that Americans' desire for party change may be among the strongest of predictors. On the other hand, this party streak breaking is completely irrelevant for any other elected branch of the government as seen by the unending cycle of easy defense for incumbents in office.
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago
  >The most apt analysis I've read was that from a historical standpoint Clinton was trying to do something even very strong candidates have trouble doing - keeping a party three terms in a row for the White House. There's only one president that's done it to date and it was George Bush, Sr following Reagan. The Democrats actually managed it back after the Great Depression. Three terms of Franklin Delano Roosevelt followed by one of Harry Truman.
  - kjbflsudfb 10y ago
    Technically FDR was elected to 4 terms (not 3), but died in the 4th.
    - rpeden 10y ago
      Didn't he die in his 3rd term? Truman was re-elected on his own in 1948.
      - Jtsummers 10y ago
        FDR in 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944 (death, succeeded by Truman); Truman in 1948.
        rpeden 10y ago
        Thanks. I should've looked that up before commenting!
WillPostForFood 10y ago
Whether you are liberal or conservative, it is hard to argue that 2016 is more a time of institutional weakness than 2008.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- Terr_ 10y ago
  How so? What makes 2008 more politically dysfunctional than 2016? Are you referring solely to the economic situation with the housing bubble?
  - larrik 10y ago
    Economic crash and burn? Major financial institutions going under? GM? Edit: parent edited his comment, so now mine seems off.
- a_humean 10y ago
  If I had to guess your definition of what counts as an institution is much narrower and fairly specific to banking and international finance. When I say institutions I mean the political institutions that support and enforce the norms liberal democracy which make the key difference between say Russia and Egypt vs the US or France as models of democracy, specifically in these cases of presidential democracies.
lap421 10y ago
"This is potentially a game changer from which there is no return and everyone is a loser." You'd better to swallow your loser vote instead of preaching false prophecies. "promise of locking up his political opponents" He will not lockup any political oponentes. Justice will, if the law is applied. "abandoning international allies and obligations" Contracts are contracts. Are you an adult? "hate, lies, racism, and bigotry" This. Exactly that. One of the biggest losers of the election is this hate speech, "ain, he is ugly, boring". Grow up. Never in the American history a candidate was such a liar as Hillary. People were killed because of that. She protected a pedophily rapist.

joeblow9999 10y ago

"a demagogue with authoritarian tendencies that considers the norms of a liberal democracy to be a inconvenience and subordinate to the needs of order " You know she lost right?

elsurudo 10y ago
Every politician must be a demagogue to some degree, but Trump appeared to say one thing to one group, and then the next day, say the direct opposite to another group. It's a matter of degree. What does he _actually_ stand for? Nobody truly knows.
- mikeash 10y ago
  The next day? Trump wasn't afraid to say the opposite in the next sentence.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    He just has a faster release cycle, more iterations. I seem to recall at least a few threads on HN over the past couple of years that suggested politics needs to be more agile.
- munificent 10y ago
  > What does he _actually_ stand for? Nobody truly knows. Sure, we do. It's easy. Just look at someone's actions and ignore what they say. Trump's entire career very clearly about making things better for Trump. Simple extrapolation indicates that's what his presidency is going to be about too. If you happen to be like Trump -- a wealthy US business owner -- you may get some improvement in your life as a sort of halo effect. But otherwise, a Trump presidency is good news for no one whose name doesn't rhyme with "Ronald Rump".

devonkim 10y ago

The most apt analysis I've read was that from a historical standpoint Clinton was trying to do something even very strong candidates have trouble doing - keeping a party three terms in a row for the White House. There's only one president that's done it to date and it was George Bush, Sr following Reagan. It implies that Americans' desire for party change may be among the strongest of predictors. On the other hand, this party streak breaking is completely irrelevant for any other elected branch of the government as seen by the unending cycle of easy defense for incumbents in office.

eli_gottlieb 10y ago
>The most apt analysis I've read was that from a historical standpoint Clinton was trying to do something even very strong candidates have trouble doing - keeping a party three terms in a row for the White House. There's only one president that's done it to date and it was George Bush, Sr following Reagan. The Democrats actually managed it back after the Great Depression. Three terms of Franklin Delano Roosevelt followed by one of Harry Truman.
- kjbflsudfb 10y ago
  Technically FDR was elected to 4 terms (not 3), but died in the 4th.
  - rpeden 10y ago
    Didn't he die in his 3rd term? Truman was re-elected on his own in 1948.
    - Jtsummers 10y ago
      FDR in 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944 (death, succeeded by Truman); Truman in 1948.
      - rpeden 10y ago
        Thanks. I should've looked that up before commenting!

WillPostForFood 10y ago

Whether you are liberal or conservative, it is hard to argue that 2016 is more a time of institutional weakness than 2008.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
Terr_ 10y ago
How so? What makes 2008 more politically dysfunctional than 2016? Are you referring solely to the economic situation with the housing bubble?
- larrik 10y ago
  Economic crash and burn? Major financial institutions going under? GM? Edit: parent edited his comment, so now mine seems off.
a_humean 10y ago
If I had to guess your definition of what counts as an institution is much narrower and fairly specific to banking and international finance. When I say institutions I mean the political institutions that support and enforce the norms liberal democracy which make the key difference between say Russia and Egypt vs the US or France as models of democracy, specifically in these cases of presidential democracies.

lap421 10y ago

"This is potentially a game changer from which there is no return and everyone is a loser." You'd better to swallow your loser vote instead of preaching false prophecies. "promise of locking up his political opponents" He will not lockup any political oponentes. Justice will, if the law is applied. "abandoning international allies and obligations" Contracts are contracts. Are you an adult? "hate, lies, racism, and bigotry" This. Exactly that. One of the biggest losers of the election is this hate speech, "ain, he is ugly, boring". Grow up. Never in the American history a candidate was such a liar as Hillary. People were killed because of that. She protected a pedophily rapist.