# Thoughts about the election that don't seem to belong anywhere else **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 14, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002 "2016-11-14T20:57:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/221 "2016-12-05T02:03:14Z")
> [@jacobson](#): > > I would ad his pro-life stand when his cry is 'Bomb the Hell out of them" Lots of innocenr born and unborn lives included in that statement. You think there are innocent born and unborn ISIS members? šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/222 "2016-12-05T02:11:38Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Funny, because Iā€™ve been fascinated by the way the FoxBart crowd, who heard the same alternately repulsive and absurd garbage come out of Trumpā€™s mouth, and who presumably have at least a passing familiarity with his lengthy, extremely public reputation as an impetuous egomaniac, a serial liar, a proudly uneducated know-nothing, a failed entrepreneur and an honest-to-God swindler, are busy imploring us to give him a chance, as though the moment he trods across the threshold of the Oval Office heā€™s going to transform into a wise, thoughtful, ethical, effective leader. With a goatee, maybe. Right, a ā€œfailed entrepreneurā€ with a hundred million dollar jet and dozens of high end properties scattered across the globe. Absurd garbage all right. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/223 "2016-12-05T02:23:02Z")
> [@BrerRobert](#): > > You think there are innocent born and unborn ISIS members? šŸ˜• You evade the point as deftly as a matador evades the horns. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/224 "2016-12-05T02:42:11Z")
> [@BrerRobert](#): > > Right, a ā€œfailed entrepreneurā€ with a hundred million dollar jet and dozens of high end properties scattered across the globe. Absurd garbage all right. :rolleyes: Trump has not been all that successful in business. Yeah, he has a lot of money, but thatā€™s no measure of his skill as a businessman. He has a lot of money in spite of his entrepreneurial skills, not because of them. Trump has declared bankruptcy [six times.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-the-first-presidential-debate/fact-check-has-trump-declared-bankruptcy-four-or-six-times/) Does that sound like a success? Plus this: [ā€œTrump Worth $10 Billion Less Than If Heā€™d Simply Invested in Index Fundsā€](http://www.moneytalksnews.com/why-youre-probably-better-investing-than-donald-trump/) > [@](#): > > While Trump did have a big head start ā€” his father, Fred, was a multimillionaire New York real estate developer ā€” thereā€™s no doubt The Donald has created a fortune of his own. But if heā€™d stopped working 30 years ago, he could have done much better. > > All he had to do was shift away from real estate and park his money in the same place that you can: an unmanaged stock index fundā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/225 "2016-12-05T02:44:25Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > You evade the point as deftly as a matador evades the horns. Haha quite ironic since your posts look like they could qualify to be nominated for the vaguest vague-posting on the internet award. The only members of ISIS that could even plausibly be argued to be innocent are conscripts who have not yet participated in atrocities. But they still need to be destroyed or made to surrender by violent means. Here is a nice scholarly treatment for you about how the men responsible for carrying out these sorts of tasks on your behalf are reacting to Trumpā€™s new SecDef: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHh6ciCGEdw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHh6ciCGEdw) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/226 "2016-12-05T02:59:25Z")
They are the worst of the worse, men blinded by hatred. And even they are often in the company of innocents, people who have no responsibility for their crimes, and ought not to be subjected to our vengeance. I explain the bleeding obvious to you because you insist that you do not understand. And if you donā€™t like the flavor of my prose or the nougat of my nuance, you donā€™t have to read any, usernameā€™s right there up top. And I know for sure some people here _d_o understand, quite clearly, they take it apart with razors and leave it bleeding on the ground. And also, thereā€™s the occasional ā€œPip, pip! Good show, that!ā€. Couple times. ---
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/227 "2016-12-05T03:05:23Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Trump has not been all that successful in business. Yeah, he has a lot of money, but thatā€™s no measure of his skill as a businessman. He has a lot of money in spite of his entrepreneurial skills, not because of them. > > Trump has declared bankruptcy [six times.](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2016/live-updates/general-election/real-time-fact-checking-and-analysis-of-the-first-presidential-debate/fact-check-has-trump-declared-bankruptcy-four-or-six-times/) Does that sound like a success? Of course it does. Trump has started hundreds of businesses. ā€œAbout 50% of new U.S. companies fail in their first five years.ā€ [http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/178787/why-new-companies-fail-during-first-five-years.aspx](http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/178787/why-new-companies-fail-during-first-five-years.aspx) > [@](#): > > Plus this: ā€œTrump Worth $10 Billion Less Than If Heā€™d Simply Invested in Index Fundsā€ That is a garbage argument, since it uses data cherry picked from a particular date with the benefit of hindsight. You might as well claim that lottery winners are better entrepreneurs than mutual fund investors. The money invested into mutual funds would generate a better return if it was instead used to purchase Powerball tickets with numbers that we now know are winners. And then there is the fact that Trump was able to leverage the fame of his brand into becoming the most powerful person on the planet. There is no telling how profitable this prominence will be over the following decades. The Clintons managed to become worth $150 million iirc, and that was just through simple book deals and talks, they didnā€™t have a string of hotels and golf courses branded in their name. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/228 "2016-12-05T03:10:03Z")
And their Foundation actually gives away money, to buy medicine so that people will live. Iā€™ve got some time, regale us with all the good and Godly works of the Trump Foundation. Iā€™ll clear my schedule, if you need more time. ---
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/229 "2016-12-05T03:19:54Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > They are the worst of the worse, men blinded by hatred. And even they are often in the company of innocents, people who have no responsibility for their crimes, and ought not to be subjected to our vengeance. > > I explain the bleeding obvious to you because you insist that you do not understand. I never insisted I didnā€™t understand, I donā€™t know where you got that. You are not informing anyone at all of anything that they donā€™t already know when you point out that acts of war often kill innocent people. The post I was responding to claimed that there are ā€œLots of innocenr born and unborn lives included in that statement.ā€ The statement being ā€œbomb the hell out of themā€. The ā€œthemā€ being ISIS. Carrying out the actions alluded to by the statement could certainly lead to the loss of innocent life. They could also save innocent lives. But the _statement_ did not include innocent lives, as per the accusation. ---
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/230 "2016-12-05T03:47:06Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > And their Foundation actually gives away money, to buy medicine so that people will live. Iā€™ve got some time, regale us with all the good and Godly works of the Trump Foundation. Iā€™ll clear my schedule, if you need more time. Oh the CF has certainly done some good things, especially in Africa. It has also been used as a PR tool to advance Hillaryā€™s political career. Trump has personally done lots of good things in his life. He tends to focus on helping Americans. [http://ijr.com/2015/11/461306-these-5-acts-of-kindness-reveal-theres-more-to-donald-trump-than-just-his-celebrity-persona/](http://ijr.com/2015/11/461306-these-5-acts-of-kindness-reveal-theres-more-to-donald-trump-than-just-his-celebrity-persona/) However, I wasnā€™t talking about the Clinton foundation, but their leveraging of the fame gained through Billā€™s presidency into a _personal_ net worth upwards of $100 million. I am not casting these actions as nefarious, they have every right to capitalize on their fame. The point I was making was that Trump has managed to leverage his investments into his own brand into becoming the most famous and powerful man on the planet. And he doesnā€™t just have books and lectures, he has high end properties branded in his name, so he and his family will very likely be able to profit much more than the Clintons from the fame that comes with being POTUS. This makes the claims about him being worse at investing than the average holder of mutual funds to be pretty silly. And that is leaving aside that there are diminishing returns of satisfaction at very high levels of wealth, and people generally pivot to trying to acquire power and influence, which Trump has obviously succeeded at to just about the highest degree possible. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/231 "2016-12-05T04:26:13Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Funny, because Iā€™ve been fascinated by the way the FoxBart crowd, who heard the same alternately repulsive and absurd garbage come out of Trumpā€™s mouth, and who presumably have at least a passing familiarity with his lengthy, extremely public reputation as an impetuous egomaniac, a serial liar, a proudly uneducated know-nothing, a failed entrepreneur and an honest-to-God swindler, are busy imploring us to give him a chance, as though the moment he trods across the threshold of the Oval Office heā€™s going to transform into a wise, thoughtful, ethical, effective leader. With a goatee, maybe. > [@BrerRobert](#): > > Right, a ā€œfailed entrepreneurā€ with a hundred million dollar jet and dozens of high end properties scattered across the globe. Absurd garbage all right. :rolleyes: I can see that the failed entrepreneur point is a very weak one (The most important item related to that was how he stiffed many other entrepreneurs on his way to become a successful one) but that was not the only thing **Vinyl Turnip** was talking about, regarding the serial liar, the big issue I have with that feature of Trump is that it is making the Republicans into becoming just as bad as him in exchange of the power they will get. > **[Paul Ryan On Trump Tweeting Lies: 'Who Cares?'](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-donald-trump-tweets_n_5844b2f2e4b0c68e04818206?section=politics)** > > The House speaker can't prove Trump's allegations of voter fraud, but he doesn't think the lies are a problem. > [@](#): > > In an interview that aired Sunday on CBSā€™ ā€œ60 Minutes,ā€ Ryan said he could not prove Trumpā€™s baseless claim that ā€œmillions of people voted illegally,ā€ which the president-elect tweeted to his millions of followers last Sunday. > [@](#): > > When Pelley continued to press him, Ryan said that the fact that the president-elect of the United States circulates false information on social media is not a concern to him. > > ā€œIt doesnā€™t matter to me. He won the election,ā€ he said. ā€œThe way I see the tweets youā€™re talking about, heā€™s basically giving voice to a lot of people who have felt that they were voiceless. Heā€™s communicating with people in this country whoā€™ve felt like they have not been listened to. Heā€™s going to be an unconventional president.ā€ Yep, it is clear to me that Trump, Ryan and most Republicans do not care if the voiceless are involved thanks to the endless lies they will make or repeat, they are counting on many to follow the propaganda to rule. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/232 "2016-12-05T05:04:01Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Thereā€™s crime and then, thereā€™s crime. Looting the gullible and desperate with a fake University, thatā€™s just good olā€™ American entrepreneurship! [George Carlin] ā€œThey want to stop street crime, so long as that street isnā€™t Wall Street.ā€ [/George Carlin] ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/233 "2016-12-05T07:35:55Z")
> [@BrerRobert](#): > > ā€¦But the _statement_ did not include innocent lives, as per the accusation. ā€œBomb the hell out of themā€ is the statement of boisterous lout. Its is not burdened with a mournful concern for the lives of the innocent. Unless we are talking about the _really_ smart bombs, the ones with sentient and specific shrapnel? Only penetrates the bad guys? ISIS hides among the people, you probably already know that, Iā€™m sure I already know that. You think _he_ knows that? Are you sure that he cares? I donā€™t trust a man who can regard military action with enthusiasm. Something deeply wrong with people like that. Always working perfectly, but thereā€™s a part thatā€™s not screwed on. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/234 "2016-12-05T07:44:34Z")
And what a cite! For all the generous charity that flowed from the Donaldā€™s hand! The _Independent Journal Review_, eh? I suppose thereā€™s really no explanation for why his copious generosity has gone unnoticed if we donā€™t blame it on the lying media. And heā€™s too humble, too shy, to brag about it in public? Well, anyway, we got their word on it. ---
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/235 "2016-12-05T08:18:49Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > ā€œBomb the hell out of themā€ is the statement of boisterous lout. Its is not burdened with a mournful concern for the lives of the innocent. > > Unless we are talking about the _really_ smart bombs, the ones with sentient and specific shrapnel? Only penetrates the bad guys? > > ISIS hides among the people, you probably already know that, Iā€™m sure I already know that. You think _he_ knows that? Are you sure that he cares? > > I donā€™t trust a man who can regard military action with enthusiasm. Something deeply wrong with people like that. Always working perfectly, but thereā€™s a part thatā€™s not screwed on. The enthusiasm is for meeting and defeating an enemy who gleefully broadcasts videos of the brutal massacres of itā€™s campaign of genocide, an enemy with a declared intent to make US citizens victims of this genocide, an enemy with some limited success at carrying out massacres on American soil and on the soil of dear allies as punishment for our liberalism. An enemy with actual fucking sex slave markets. There is as much, rather more justification over the enthusiasm for the defeat of ISIS as there ever was for the Union boys singing about the moldering of Jon Brown. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSSn3NddwFQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSSn3NddwFQ) The horrible truth is that the killing of some innocents is justified if it is an unavoidable consequence of eliminating ISIS members who throw gay people off of rooftops or Taliban commanders who time the detonation of giant IEDā€™s placed in Hazara neighborhood markets for just a few minutes after schoolchildren are released for the day. As Mattis said: ā€œYou cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, itā€™s going to be bad.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/236 "2016-12-05T08:41:11Z")
And the struggle for Mosul proceeds even as we speak. I am not fool enough to make predictions about such things, I have no military expertise. Sure didnā€™t stop _him_. **Why is Trump rooting against U.S. troops in Mosul?** > **[Why is Trump rooting against U.S. troops in Mosul?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2016/10/24/why-is-trump-rooting-against-u-s-troops-in-mosul/?utm_term=.89405b341759)** > > Trump has become a cheerleader for the failure of the Mosul mission while promoting a conspiracy theory that itā€™s all about him. **Trump at Odds With Pentagon in Calling Mosul a ā€˜Total Disasterā€™** > **[Trump at Odds With Pentagon in Calling Mosul a ā€˜Total Disasterā€™](https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-WB-66217)** > > Donald Trump doubled down on his critique on an American-backed Iraqi military offensive to retake Mosul from Islamic State, calling the effort ā€œa total disasterā€ and saying that American leaders are "stupid." Shitload of these, google ā€œTrump Mosul failureā€. So, you tell me, Trump: strategic savant or blowhard shooting his fool mouth off? ---
**Author:** ![BrerRobert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@BrerRobert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrerRobert)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/237 "2016-12-05T10:04:04Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > And the struggle for Mosul proceeds even as we speak. I am not fool enough to make predictions about such things, I have no military expertise. Sure didnā€™t stop _him_. > > **Why is Trump rooting against U.S. troops in Mosul?** He is not. It is a total bullshit claim, there is nothing whatsoever in that article that indicates Trump is ā€œrooting against U.S. Troopsā€. To claim so is nothing but a blatant political smear. Criticizing the prosecution of a war is not rooting against the Troops, not at all. You might remember that Obama himself had plenty of (IMO justified) criticism for Bushā€™s methods in Iraq during his 2008 campaign. That certainly did not mean Obama was rooting against the troops. Itā€™s a preposterous statement. Of course that did not stop people from smearing Obama with the same nonsense. > [@](#): > > So, you tell me, Trump: strategic savant or blowhard shooting his fool mouth off? Neither. He has very talented and experienced military advisors, maybe the best. They had been telling him that our efforts against these enemies need to be carried out in a wholly different manner. In the weeks before the election, which is when the articles you linked were written, he translated this advice into political rhetoric that resonated with voters, especially members of the armed forces, and got him elected. This will enable us to fight these enemies with a new strategic vision. I am hopeful, but far from certain, that it will be an improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/238 "2016-12-05T11:02:11Z")
> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#): > > It is already starting to look unsustainable. If the criticism of DeVos is correct and the plan is to slash public education, that could be viewed as a way of making room in the budget for growing interest payments. It is not as if there is a plan for increasing revenue. > > **Continue that trend with other programs and pretty soon all we have left is a military and interest payments. How is that going to work out?** That is why I have a conviction that there is about to be a reset in American politics very soon(I donā€™t think Trumpā€™s win is the reset). We keep hearing that demographics will soon lead to a Democratic Party majority at presidential level. I donā€™t believe the demographic changes can withstand the US debt burden and increased pressure of spending on retiring baby boomers. I also believe nothing will be done about the debt/deficit until it is forced upon the consciousness of voters. This consciousness will only happen when the Govt \*has \*to cut spending on popular programs. Until then just enjoy the ride as there is nothing to done to prevent it. ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/239 "2016-12-05T14:28:04Z")
> [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](#): > > That is why I have a conviction that there is about to be a reset in American politics very soon(I donā€™t think Trumpā€™s win is the reset). We keep hearing that demographics will soon lead to a Democratic Party majority at presidential level. I donā€™t believe the demographic changes can withstand the US debt burden and increased pressure of spending on retiring baby boomers. I also believe nothing will be done about the debt/deficit until it is forced upon the consciousness of voters. This consciousness will only happen when the Govt \*has \*to cut spending on popular programs. Until then just enjoy the ride as there is nothing to done to prevent it. Iā€™m not much of a ā€œnothing to be doneā€ kind of guy. Thing is, conditions are such already that people are pissed off enough to elect the likes of Trump. The kind of reset trigger you are talking about would have to be far worse. Iā€™m better off than a lot of folks, so potentially at least I may ride things out. But I donā€™t think Iā€™ll much enjoy watching half the country descending into chaos as the ā€œharbringer of changeā€ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Pashnish\_Ewing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8797f3/32.png) [@Pashnish\_Ewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pashnish_Ewing)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2016, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002/240 "2016-12-05T15:09:59Z")
> [@BrerRobert](#): > > Criticizing the prosecution of a war is not rooting against the Troops, not at all. You might remember that Obama himself had plenty of (IMO justified) criticism for Bushā€™s methods in Iraq during his 2008 campaign. That certainly did not mean Obama was rooting against the troops. Itā€™s a preposterous statement. Of course that did not stop people from smearing Obama with the same nonsense. Agreed! > [@](#): > > He has very talented and experienced military advisors, maybe the best. Uhhhh, you lost me there. Sounds like a direct quote from Trump himself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-about-the-election-that-dont-seem-to-belong-anywhere-else/772002.md?page=13)