Friday, December 9, 2016

So what is Fascism and where do King Cyclops and Trumpf Fit

Unlikely that other odious form of 20th century Totalitarianism - Leninism -Fascism is not a consistent ideology.It is barely an ideology at all.

More a loose collection of ideas.,taking somewhat different form under different leaders in different places--Mussolini,Hitler,Franco,Peron,Galtieri,Pinochet or Putin.

But scholars have identified a set of factors commonly present in most forms of Fascism.

How does the new kid on the block do on these factors?

1. Extreme Nationalism

"Make America Great Again" "keep them [Mexicans]out "
Build the wall
“From now on it is going to be America First”

Big on Flags

"people who burn the flag should lose their citizenship and face a year in prison "

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights

In fascist regimes human rights and due process can be ignored because of "need"

Waterboarding

Supporting the use of torture
"Lock her up"

Bombing of civilians-- but probably only Muslim ones

Putin is strong

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

Mexicans are rapists

Deport the children of illegal aliens

Ban Muslims entering America

“Islamism” is “a vicious cancer inside the body of 1.7 billion people on this planet and it has to be excised”

4. Exaggerated focus on the Military

"I am yuuuge on the military".

"There's nobody bigger or better at the military than I am"

Soldiers and military service are glamourised.

Four Generals appointed to the cabinet or to critical national security posts--so far.
The nominee for national security advisor, General Michael Flynn likes to tweet conspiracy theories

Military Men All

5. Obsession with National Security

Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.Remember Dick Cheney?Watch this space.

6. Sexism and Homophobia

Megan Kelly Hillary Clinton Carly Fiorina Rosie O'Donnell Bette Midler et al et al
In May 1996,Alicia Machado a 19 years old Venezuelan was crowned Miss Universe.Trump shamed her about about gaining weight, calling her “Miss Piggy” and “an eating machine”.
“And when you’re a star they let you do it,” “Grab them by the pussy,”“You can do anything.”
"You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever"
Trump has been accused of sexual harassment by at least 20 women.

VP Pence

both as governor and as a Congressman, Pence took the lead in attacking legal equality for homosexuals
favors withholding rights from LGBT Americans, from adoption rights to allowing same-sex couples to marry.
takes his bigotry a step further by favoring laws and policies that give legal protection to people to discriminate against members of the LGBT community.
signed a bill in 2013 that would jail Indianan same-sex couples who applied for a marriage licence

to prove that he wasn’t singling gay people out, Pence was a willing to jail marriage clerks who supplied a license or clergy who performed the ceremony
wanted to ensure that “federal dollars were no longer being given to organisations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviors that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus.” “Resources should be directed toward those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.” euphemism for conversion therapy.
Conversion therapy is banned in California,Illinois, Oregon, New Jersey and the District of Columbia.
He served on the board of the Indiana Family Institute which has been in the forefront of attacks on LGBT rights in the Indiana
The head of IFI served as an aide to Pence in Congress ,the state house and as a campaign consultant.

YOU thought Tumpf was bad ?

Both men favour overturning Roe vs Wade and during the campaign Trump advocated women should be jailed for having abortions.

7. Controlled Mass Media

Unlike Berlusconni,Mussolini,Peron or Hitler,Trump does not own or control a major media outlet.

Fox news is the semiofficial voice of the Republican far right but as yet Trumpf does not control it.

He has those shown major disrespect the freedom of the press and the First Amendment.

He banned both major and minor news publications from his rallies.

Anybody else notice Trumpf railing against the "dishonest media"' and journalists being "the worst the worst people"

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined

Mussolini embraced the Catholic Church and returned to the Vatican significant rights and that had been diminished after the unification of Italy.

The Catholic Church was the main pillar of Franco's Spain and supported Pinochet in Chile.
Notwithstanding the importance of the Catholic Liberation tradition in Latin America .The church hierarchy has been involved with dictatorial regimes in Argentina,Chile, Brazil, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
Putin has embraced the Russian Orthodox Church as a major bastion within his regime.

Leaders of the southern evangelical church shamed their faith by their full throated support of Trumpf in both the primaries and the general election.Over 80% of evangelicals voted for this bigoted, profane, thrice married, philanderer, liar and charlatan.

Evangelical Leaders Laying on of Hands

It is not clear how many of the Ten Commandments Trumpf has not broken but certainly he has "honoured "his Klan supporting, racially bigoted, church attending father.
Trump's education secretary nominee, Betsy de Vos, is a billionaire Christian activist and philanthropist who has been active in promoting a conservative Christian worldview to children
Incidentally Betsy's brother, Erik Prince, founded the private security company Backwater. Look it up, and shudder.

9. Corporate Power is Protected

Perhaps the most overlooked feature of the fascist state is the degree to which the industrial and business bureaucracy intertwines and creates mutually beneficial relationship with key government leaders.

While not unique to fascism,the degree to which the great leader picks and chooses to support or denigrate individual companies or owners is very greatly enhanced.Volkswagen and Beyer Chemicals in Nazi Germany,Fiat in Italy,favored industrialists in Argentina and key mining interests in Chile.At the same time individuals and companies are selected to be condemned or pilloried by El Duce, the Fuhrer or the President

In capitalist democracies companies or businesses are treated in categories not simply by the grace and favor of the leader.
Of course there are favorites and crony capitalism but such activities are frowned upon and kept as covert as possible.
In the fascist state they are lauded and bragged about.
The recent furore over special tax deals for the Carrier Company, part of United Technologies, and the denigration of Boeing bodes very ill. The Boeing chief executive had the temerity to question the wisdom of Trumpf's demagoguery about China and the threat to raise 35% tariffs on specific companies and products.
Both companies are very dependent on US military and other government contracts and no doubt Boeing's troubles will chill the speech of other executives.
Needless to say the deal with carrier has been greeted with great approval by the generality of workers.Their disillusionment will be sad to behold.
Such tactics of bullying and stroking individual companies has been the hallmark of fascism from Mussolini to Putin.
Always with the initial approval of the masses and the enrichment of those in power.

For those of you who think that during his presidency the Donald will be able to resist finding ways to enrich himself and his family , I have some Florida swamp land I could sell you at a premium , along with a magnificent bridge in New York.

If this does not yet convince you,please review the number of billionaires he is nominating to run the country.Look at the tax policies he has proposed and note how heavily bent towards reducing corporate taxes,the advantageous tax treatment for the return of trillions held by corporations offshore and then to the reduction of personal taxes for the very wealthy.

He ran against crooked Hillary,Goldman Sachs, special privilege;against them and for us.Now note his appointments.

10.Labor Power is Suppressed

In all fascist states the power of organized labor is either savagely repressed or replaced by fascist party appointees. Hitler favorite suppression,Peron favoured the takeover of the unions by his party, Mussolini created his own unions.

In any event strong leaders do not welcome labor staking out an alternative centre of power that could oppose or delay policies that the leader and his corporate friends want to impose.
Steel Workers Union Leader Chuck Jones has called out Trumpf on the false claim that he saved “more than 1,100 jobs”at Carrier's Indiana plant.As he said,Trumpf "lied his ass off".
Unions have joined Ford in rejecting Trumpf's claim that he prevented them moving a new plant to Mexico.
Trumpf ,as one would expect, has reacted furiously,vilifying Chuck Jones.Predictably Jones has been the subject of cyber bullying and death threats.

Trumpf's nominee for Sec. of labor is Andy Puzder a fast food CEO whose companies employ over 80,000 low-paid American workers. He was a major Trump donor and outspoken denigrater of worker rights.He is a member of the Jobs Creators Network, which is linked to a group of conservative CEOs and anti-union operative Richard Berman, a Republican lawyer and lobbyist.

He has consistently opposed:

raising the minimum wage,
worker protection regulations,
Obama care and
mandatory overtime pay.

His espoused dream is of totally robot controlled fast food restaurants without the need to hire any of those pesky, difficult and costly workers.

Puzder is a passionate pillar of anti union big business.He will undoubtedly pursue policies that Trumpf’s white working class base will love. -- Please see last weekend’s post for the “definition of idiots”.

11.Rigging or Falsifying Elections

What do you want me to say? Could anybody imagine Trump rigging an election or claiming that somebody else has rigged election because he didn't win?

Can anyone imagine Trump objecting to a recount of votes so as to ensure that there were no mistakes in the Democratic ballot?

Can anyone imagine the people around Trump-- say the new Atty. Gen.-colluding in voter suppression? Based on race?

Me neither!!!

12. Anti-Semitism

In the popular mind Fascism is of course linked to anti-Semitism because of Nazi Germany.

The to do not necessarily go together but Jews in many Christian societies have been ostracized or viewed as outsiders or used as convenient scapegoats.Peron in Argentina.Even Franco's Spain.Spain expelled its Jews 1492.

Trumpf claims a free pass on the anti-Semitism front because his daughter Ivanka is married to a Jew and herself converted to a form of orthodox Judaism. He loves his daughter.

Unfortunately there is a record not least from the campaign.

I will not dwell on each outburst and dog whistle and just leave it to the illustrations below.

During the campaign and in the long public business career he has made disparaging remarks about Mexicans, Latinos,"the blacks"and Muslims. Why on earth would he leave out the Jews?

Less amusing is the record of his chief strategist in the White house,Stephen Bannon founding editor of Breitbart.Bannon is an unapologetic white supremacist,racist and supporter of Holocaust deniers.

In his own words:

“Fear is a good thing. Fear is going to lead you to take action,”--classic fascism.

“I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.” the Daily Beast

“didn’t want his kids going to school with ‘whiny Jewish girls.’ ” Bannon’s ex-wife,

“Let the grassroots turn on the hate because that’s the ONLY thing that will make them do their duty,”

Described Anne Applebaum as “a Polish, Jewish, American elitist scorned.”

"Breitbart is a hate site steeped in misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, white nationalism and anti-Semitism" -- A conservative critic.

A sample of articles published during Bannons tenure:

“Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy”

“Bill Kristol: Republican Spoiler, Renegade Jew”

World Health Organization Report: Trannies 49 Xs Higher HIV Rate”

“Roger Stone: Huma Abedin ‘Most Likely a Saudi Spy’ With ‘Deep, Inarguable Connections’ to ‘Global Terrorist Entity’”

“There’s No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews”

“The Solution to Online ‘Harassment’ Is Simple: Women Should Log Off”

He would have fit right in at Der Sturmer in 1933

In addition to a clutch of Wall Street billionaire asset strippers,a national security advisor who likes to tweet conspiracy theories, and multiple generals;Trumpf nominees include Jeff Sessions, a documented racist as head of the justice department, Betsy De Vos, a Christian zealot with no teaching or administrative experience, as head of education, and Scott Pruitt, a climate change-denier as head of the Environmental Protection Agency.Mr Trump’s senior counsel, Stephen Bannon, is a white supremacist.He is now considering appointing the Head of EXXON as Secretary of State.

Does all this this mean that the USA has become a fascist state.Of course not.Such things do not happen overnight.Judge for yourself if Trumpf and his cabinet represent a dangerous potential.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
Mark Twain

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.

Thursday, December 8, 2016

"what happened" and Continues to Evolve

There was so much feedback on the last posting that King feels obliged to pick up on two themes.

His Majesty had conclude b that the main reasons TRUMPf won were

Hillary Clinton and

the IDIOT ELECTORATE

No one disagreed with the first but several readers took exception to the second.

The kinder, gently berated me for not being sufficiently sympathetic to those sufferers of "false consciousness" among the downtrodden masses, condemned to live a semi literate existence in the American Heartland and Rust Belt.

The more combative suggested that I was a "fascist "for condemning the populist masses for being fooled by Donald Trumpf.

I plead guilty to eschewing the soft bigotry of low expectations.I did not use the term " idiot" lightly.

Not all of Trumpf's supporters are bigots, know nothings or xenophobes .But many are. Many more are stupid.That is,they are idiots.

There is no excuse for idiocy.

APPARENTLY MANY

Miners

factory workers

long term unemployed

elderly

business people

believe him or know he is a crook but do not care

THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS WERE NOT FOOLED

but enough were to deliver the electoral college to a narcissistic,know little, blowhard BULLY .

AS to being a FASCIST :

An insult used so unsparingly as to have lost its meaning.

Speaking out against the bigotry,ignorance ,xenophobia and spite of the {"GREAT LEADER"} DONALD and the large number of deluded Trumpf voters is the DEFINITION of anti fascism.

The next posting will now have to be on the definition and characteristics of fascism.

Readers may judge for themselves the degree to which whether Trumf, his behaviour, his cabinet choices and his policies fit or not.

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Brexit -the Fat Lady is not Singing

King Cyclops is sticking to his Prediction

“…the fat lady has gone on vacation. King Cyclops predicts Britain will stay in the single market and may not even leave the EU" 5^th November 2106

Nobody Singing Yet

TODAY'S Headlines in the UK

May rebuked over Brexit in UK by-election

Liberal Democrats gain Richmond seat after backlash over ... EU vote

Theresa May was given a warning shot on Brexit after the pro-European Liberal Democrats staged a major upset at the Richmond Park by-election in south-west London, overturning a 23,000 majority.

Financial Times

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron :"... a remarkable, come-from-nowhere upset that will terrify the Conservatives".. "This was not just about a Remain versus Leave rerun - this was about people trying to say to Theresa May, 'We do not like the extreme version of Brexit outside the single market you're taking us down,'"

BBC radio Four

Zac Goldsmith was dumped as an MP today in a spectacular by-election backlash against Brexit.
Thousands of Conservative voters in west London’s Richmond Park sat on their hands or switched to the Liberal Democrats to show their dismay at Theresa May’s hints of a hard Brexit.
Evening Standard
Liberal Democrats secured a stunning by election victory by convincing up to a third leave supporting Tory voters to switch ... Tim Faron claimed that the outcome could "change the direction of British politics"They they overturned at 23,000 Tory majority... In a vote that became a de facto plebiscite on the government bricks it plans.

The Guardian

The European Parliament’s lead negotiator in Brexit talks has mocked David Davis over the Conservative’s shock in Richmond.Following weeks in which European politicians have demanded more detail of the UK’s position, Guy Verhofstadt said he would now finally have something to talk about with Britain’s lead negotiator and that he would ask Mr Davis to explain the defeat.

Independant
The Liberal Democrats have secured a clear victory in the Richmond Park by-election - dubbed the "Brexit by-election"
The Week

EU immigration hit new high before Brexit vote. In the 12 months to the end of June 2016, an estimated 284,000 EU citizens moved to the UK to live, an increase of 19,000 on the previous year. The single biggest contributor nation was Romania, with ten per cent of immigrants.

The Week

Support for the EU on the rise since Brexit vote … even in the UK

Support for the EU has risen across Europe, including in the UK, since the British people voted to leave.Pro-EU sentiment has grown in five of the six largest member states, according to a Bertelsmann Foundation Survey... it showed that 56% of British citizens wanted to stay in the EU, compared with 49% in March...enthusiasm is slightly stronger than France or Italy ;53% and 51% respectively . The Guardian

Farron: 'If the British people decide to say to Theresa May there is a better way forward than the one she is proceeding with and we then end up with a soft Brexit or, better, the terms of the deal are put to the British people in a referendum because they fear losing dozens of seats to the Liberal Democrats, we'll have done a great day's work.....'Most of them[British voters] don't regret their vote in June but they do regret Theresa May taking their vote and perverting it to something they never meant it to mean.'They want to be in the single market even if they are outside the EU".

Daily Mail

The results of the by election cuts the conservatives majority in the House of Commons to a very slim 13. This will make it very difficult to push contentious measures through. It will also embolden the House of Lords to insist on a proper examination of any Brexit agreement.
Therese Mays "Brexit means Brexit" nonsense has clearly worn very thin.The British are waking up to the shambolic nature of her government's approach to negotiations and the real costs of leaving the single market.
There is a growing feeling that they were "had " by the leavers prior to the referendum.There is also an opening for the anti-leavers to appeal to a very British sense of the importance of parliamentary primacy.For many this was an underlying reason to vote to leave the EU.

Even some of the most ardent proponents to leave have become very concerned at the real economic costs of an overly simplistic government approach to its objectives and negotiating strategy.David Davis the chief minister responsible for the exit negotiations and according to the Times

Britain is leaning towards a softer Brexit after ministers admitted that they were considering plans to allow low-skilled migration and could pay to access the single market after leaving the European Union.
The government does not want to end up with damaging labour shortages the Brexit secretary said last night amid growing signs that ministers were moderating their stance.
The government was not ruling out the move to “get the best possible access for goods and services to the European market”, he said.

Earlier in the day Mr Davis told the Commons that Britain could keep paying into the Brussels budget in exchange for access to the single market.

Hmmm; must stay in the single market[Including all its regulations],need to ensure that British financial service companies can operate in the EU,will allow continued EU immigration,on slightly different rules, and will make a budgetary contribution as compensation for staying in the market.

So what's the point of leaving again?

There has been no comment from Mrs. May on the implications of this by election and the growing sense that the British people are losing faith in her approach to Europe.She is hunkered down at her country residence.
Her hard-line may temporarily appease the reactionaries in her party but it has alienated potential allies in Europe and lost her considerable support in the UK.
May has managed to get herself in an extremely uncomfortable place. She does not have sufficient support in parliament to push through a hard article 50 exit. She should be terrified that calling an early election will destroy the Labour Party, give the Lib Dems a new lease on life and overall leave her with a very substantial Tory majority-- at least in England.
The last thing she needs is a new intake of loony Tory simpletons baying for an immediate exit from the EU and to hell with the consequences.

If the slim lady does not find soon her political touch and an ear for the country she will be singing before the fat lady-- but her tune may be a dirge.

WE ain't leaving the EU---not really.

Friday, November 25, 2016

SO WHAT HAPPENED ?

It has been a fortnight since my last posting. The King was as disappointed as every sane person in the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. He took a trip to London to commiserate with family and friends.

He also attended the 150^th anniversary of his boys’ grammar school where he found not a single Trump sympathiser in a group ranging in age from 40 to 92.

His Highness also distracted himself by supervising the electrical refurbishment of Prince Daniel’s pied a terre.The electrical crew comprised a Turkish owner, a Colombian lead electrician and [most unusually] a local cockney electrician’s mate. There was no Pole in sight. All three professed great interest in the King’s wisdom on Trumf, Brexit,Erdogan and the Colombian government deal with FARC. Well ,the King was footing the bill.

As regular readers of this blog will realize I am stalling. Apparently readers want to hear from King Cyclops an explanation of how “Hillary Lost the Presidency”.

Given that King Cyclops,along with every other pundit and prognosticator, managed to get it totally wrong, I’m not quite sure why anybody might believe I have any worthwhile insight now.

On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.
H. L. Mencken

MANY EXPLANATIONS AND NONE

The PUNDITRY has no shortage of reasons :

FBI director Comey’s interference was the last straw----certainly. It stopped Clinton’s momentum and deflected the whole tenor of the campaign’s final week.

The African-American turnout in the Rust Belt states was way below 2008/2012-- cause or effect?

Too many millennial’s stayed at home wasted their vote on the greens--- cause or effect?

Insufficient educated Republican women abandoned their party – – effect not cause.

Her primary campaign against Sanders was poor and failed to excite any part of the Democratic base except for a small segment of dedicated “feminists”.

Every woman the King spoke to thought it would be “nice”to finally have a woman president but not that it was definitive for a campaign in 2016.

Sanders and his supporters were lukewarm in her support -- so was the rest of the Democratic Party.

Bill Clinton blames the campaign team and leadership for poor strategy and operation – – Bill always blames the help.

The announcement of the substantial increases in Obama Care premiums ten days before voting did not help.

And it was no surprise that the media could not explain that this affected about 3% of the population. Even Trumpf thought that it affected his workers.He is the Emperor of the Know Nothings.

While Latino turnout was up 25% some exit polls indicated that 28-30 % voted for Trump. Well the polls got so much wrong maybe they got this wrong too. There can’t be that many old Cubans in Florida. But Clinton did lose Florida!

The Clinton campaign failed to connect as effectively as it should with the working class. Not just the white working class but also the black and Latino – – This is undoubtedly true.Her fault.

Clinton lost Wisconsin Michigan and Pennsylvania;by less than 1%.No Democrat should lose those states to a Republican let alone to Donald Trumpf.

The electoral college – – Trumpf won the electoral college but Clinton seems to be heading for a 3 million votes lead in the popular vote. Well those are the rules.Although the 3 million vote lead will allow some pollsters to claim they got it right—watch.

She really won,tell that in four years to the deported, conned,coal miners, long term unemployed and know nothings.

Those bloody emails – – what can one say.

The Goldman Sachs speaking fees – – inexcusably stupid for somebody planning to run for the Presidency as a Democrat.

Wiener and Uma were a major late distraction – – yeah, so.

The white working class were conned by Trumpf – – “false consciousness” is always good for a trot around the track. A proportion of the white working class is racist and xenophobic;and always has been. Democratic presidents from Roosevelt to Obama won despite that.

The ”know nothing” tradition of American politics triumphed this time.Well actually,in aggregate, it didn’t ;but it has always been with us. Nothing unique about this election?

Wiki Leaks and the Russians planted fake stories about crooked Hillary’s financial conflicts. These probably hurt because some of the stories rang true, and the electorate didn’t seem to care about the real scandals surrounding Dodgy Donald.

False equivalence.The media did a lousy job. It always does.

Too many voters were racist or sexist or homophobic or xenophobic – – can’t argue with that. But Obama won twice – – It seems too many were Clintonphobic.

This was a "change election" and Hillary represented the status quo. This is very popular with “serious” pundits and political scientists. Hands up those who think Joe Biden would’ve slaughtered Trumpf. Me too.So much for being against a continuation of the Obama regime.

This was just like Brexit,a howl of anger against the established order and the way “Washington” ignores ordinary folk. If you watch cable news [any network] you will hear this kind of linkage all the time.

Even the King will lapse into such commentary ;and there is something to it – – but for goodness sake the electorate sent back nearly all the same Republicans to the House and to the Senate. Most governors were reelected. A funny way to get change.

Any and all of these reasons is enough to explain how Hillary lost this election.

King Cyclops believes that there was a confluence of factors which may be summarised as

HILLARY CLINTON

IDIOT ELECTORATE

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

READER COMMENTS

The Democrats opted to build a coalition which failed to include white male idiots. In retrospect how could that have succeeded ?

Cuban

Rome survived Nero, China survived Mao, Russia survived Stalin, Germany survived Hitler, Uganda survived Idi Amin, Cambodia survived Pol Pot. So why the wailing and gnashing of teeth over Drumpf? He is almost harmless in comparison. A little bit of racism here, a bit of sexism there, a few deportations and a wall. Bigly deal! Plus an Eastern Bloc model, if not a role model, thrown in for free as First Lady.
And Secretary Clinton? Server right! Trivia counts.
For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
for want of a shoe the horse was lost,
for want of a horse the knight was lost,
for want of a knight the battle was lost,
for want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
So a kingdom was lost—all for want of a nail.

The Secretary should take up shorthand-typing, as the technology might serve 'er better.

Sub continental

The innocent assumption is Trump will not implement more than 10% of what he said (which is a lot!!). What if we are wrong and he is serious??? History has shown that these mistakes happen.

Argentine

SIT VIS VOBISCUM. Englishman

Had Hillary been a tad more likable, a tad less bathed in sudden wealth, or tad less teller of obvious untruths, she would have won by a landslide. She didn’t listen to your “don’t blow this, Hillary!”

American Male

OY VEH AN SHANDA London Chassid

Time for a Mencken (not an admirable character overall) quote:

“Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.”

British Male

Today (9th Nov) is the anniversary of kristallnacht

British Male

Most stunned here as well.There were apparently far more ants and far fewer grasshoppers voting.

New Yorker

Oy va voy 2^nd New Yorker

Devastated 2nd American Woman

Your formula actually works—but negative MC in Florida and Arizona means you lost. Perhaps the TV pundits could use it to bluff erudition. As did you!

MC {Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado} ≤ Δ (2016/12) H

3rd American Male

What the hell happened last night ? American Woman

[Cyclops readers: she means the election smart asses]

I expected the pollsters might get it wrong,but the King ? ,never.

English Man

WTF?? Ausssie

Don't worry Cyclops,I don't blame you! How many nightmares in one year?

English Man

Ah well Cyclops you can`t win them all.What a turnup or is that turnip? Where next? Another English Gent

What about Trump!!! Death and Despair how did we anger the Gods so profoundly?

Heaven is weeping,its pouring with rain here this morning. English Woman

Like many millions around the world we are hoping that by the dawn’s early light we will find out the Hillary has averted Trumpageddon Mancunian

Hillary turned out to be weak candidate to run against Trump. How would Bernie have done if he had won the Democratic nomination?

Mancunian

Does the Trump Post Office Hotel in DC have anything to do with Centenary of the Easter Uprising? Cos this result looks like a once in a century disaster. Irishman

Cyclops: problem with people who are intelligent, well educated, generous, not afraid of foreigners or people of different religions, like you and me--is that we persistently make the mistake that we are a majority, instead of a small minority!

Dubliner

Read: Fared Zakaria's piece in Nov-Dec Foreign Affairs, "Populism on the March, Why the West is in Trouble" Trump was just the lucky right guy, right place, and right time.

New Yorker