Looks like Trump is gonna win. Aside from the usual "world is gonna end" "what happened to humanity" type of statements, what are some of the potential real threats? Interest rate hikes? End of globalization? Rise of new wave of racism?
What's your opinion?
@Eeples: Okay, I stand corrected, apparently Clinton has about a million more popular votes. Trump won because of the college vote system. So it's around 49.42% Trump and 50.57% Clinton. There is still a point regarding media bias.
It's mind boggling that real people (allegedly with brains) entered a polling booth and effectively ticked the box that said "Trump". I mean, WTF. It's like voting for Krusty The Klown in an Ooopa Loompa costume. Trump won't last, I genuinely doubt he even wants the job, it's his ego talking now, I can see him resigning in a blaze of fire a couple of months in.
Welcome to The New America, the biggest laughing stock on the planet. But….great!
As they said in his roast, can't wait for his assassination…I mean inauguration…no I mean the former!
But his deputy…good grief!
Hmm, wondering if Homeland Security are filtering e-traffic for that word you just wrote above.
L*D in the water supply would be more effective, not that I have any.
But didn't politicians reach the same credibility lowpoint years ago. Hillary is proposing big spending and further deficits when the US is about 20 trill in debt, about three times more in unfunded liabilities and she wants the job. The US peace plan in the Middle East has gone backwards incredibly. Tony Blair in the UK is probably more sinister and underhanded than Trump at his worst. I agree that the world will resemble Runnng Man under Trump, but it isn't apples to begin with. Bad politicians create protest votes and Clive Palmer and Trump benefit.
I'm confused by your comment. Trump is planning on cutting US tax revenue by $5.8 trillion. Unless you believe in Trump-down economics, debt and deficit will be much higher under Trump so why mention Clinton?
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2016/09/26/donald-trump-would…
Yes you are correct. I don't know where Trump will find the money to make America great again but now he's a politician he has core and non core promises
Tony Blair in the UK is probably more sinister and underhanded
Probably?
That man is scum.
egomaniac yes, but a quitter - I doubt it. He'll drown in the swamp.
I think it's more like the recent elections we've had here. Most people have voted against the candidate they don't want rather than for anyone.
Because people are sick of the mainstream media, SJW, social media telling them what to think. Trump has his flaws but he hit a note with the American people. If you stop reading the media which are in Clinton's pockets and are protecting their own interest you'll see that he's actually genuine about MAGA.
Fox News is the most popular news outlet in America and they are enthusiastically pro-Trump. That is the mainstream media. Trump uses undocumented labour, Chinese steel, doesn't pay income tax and doesn't pay his contractors. It's bordering on ludicrous to believe that he suddenly cares about American workers when he's spent his entire life dudding them. His economic plan is to give the wealthiest 1% a huge tax cut. I still can't believe anyone thinks this guy is genuine.
As a businessman that was his role. Everyone is going to take the route that benefits them, to get where they want. Now as the President we'll just have to see what he does.
It was his choice to be that kind of businessman. Some people choose to start NGOs, some donate 10% of profits to charity, some use only locally-sourced materials. Trump chose to be the selfish type, screwing over anyone he could to make more money without any thought to the effect this had, say, on the smaller contactors he shafted in his 6 "strategic" bankruptcies. That type of businessman is so common as to be unremarkable. What is remarkable though is that he could suddenly pretend to care about the people he has spent his life screwing and these people would actually believe him.
There are two possibilities: Trump has suddenly started to care about workers. Or Trump only cares about Trump, is a shameless liar and manipulator, and has told the American people exactly what they want to hear just to get himself elected. I know which side all of the evidence points to.
Fair points. That's true it was his choice to be the selfish type and not paying contractors etc is really bad but it also doesn't make you an angel because you decided to start an NGO or donate to charity etc.
If it's worth anything, there's a video on youtube containing footage that dates back over 20 or so years of him pointing out his disappointment the way the country was headed and with a plan to run for presidency for quite a while.
I don't know the man and I only recently followed American politics literally less than a month ago so not going to predict what I think he's going to do or whats going to happen, only that he talks like he cares about the people more than Hillary does.
Both choices suck, but weighing up what they've done publicly and what shitty things they've done, Trump is the "better" person in my unqualified opinion.
Trump has his flaws but he hit a note with the American people.
Well - half the murrican people.
not just the usa. some australians voted pauline hanson and clive palmer in to government
They voted them into Parliament not into government.
If you're driving towards a cliffs edge, and you're past the point of no return, it's better to hit the accelerator to the floor than continue coasting along
'I can see him resigning in a blaze of fire a couple of months in.'
Then Bernie Sanders took over as an independent , Byyaaahhhhhhh!
I dunno man, you can say 'how can people with any brain tick Trump,' but we did vote for Tony Abbott at some point, under pretty similar circumstances. And we all know how that worked out. Apparently Tony is a big Trump and Brexit supporter. Surprise Surprise. So, it's not all that boggling to me that Trump was voted. A racist misogynistic blowhard is still better than a sour-faced shrew of a woman, to most people, it seems.
Trump will alienate all the US's friends.
Trump will launch a war against someone. Nobody will support him.
The US will lose, and with it, superpower status.
Russia and China will laugh, and laugh, and laugh.
So, more of the same.
Nope.
Remember the damage Dubya did to the position of the US?
Obama came along are helped rehabilitate that somewhat. Now there is someone even more clueless than Dubya in place - and politicians around the world aren't going to take that.
This is NOT going end in a pretty fashion.
Obama shattered Libya and Syria. That's what we call rehabilitation these days?
You can make a good case that it was the lack of military action by Obama that caused much of the problem.
Obama wanted to go into Syria and deal with the nascent civil war in 2012, after Assad used chemical weapons - but he unwisely gave congress the vote on whether to or not - and they stopped it.
That was before most of the bloodshed, before ISIS, before millions of refugees. All that could have been prevented.
In Libya similarly, there was bombing from the air, but no imposition of good governance on the ground. So they got rid of Gaddafi, but allowed the place to spiral out of control.
The lesson that should have been learnt by now is that you can't leave a vacuum, you need to do the rebuilding. And that NOT doing something can make things much worse if they are allowed to fester.
PS Remember, Trump wants to go MORE isolationist.
I kind of agree. He is giving isolationist rheteric but wait until a terrorist attack on US soil spurs a massive retaliation based on his feels
Yep, and Obama deserves his nobel peace prize for bringing drone bombs to the middle east.
what are some of the potential real threats?
In all honesty, there aren't any. This has been an insanely negative campaign - if you listen to either side then apparently the world is doomed either way.
What's been made very clear in this vote so far are a few things:
1) Americans are sick of "the Establishment". They are sick of political elites that don't speak their language. They're sick of secret deals, of corruption, of lies. They're sick of endless conflicts and wars and playing World Police.
2) America isn't in great shape and the people want to be heard - Trumps message cut through. Clinton's "we're doing great, America is great!" message wasn't bought. Trumps message was - Make America Great Again - was. Americans are hurting - low wages, highest poverty rates in decades, high debt. A vote for Trump was seen as a vote for change.
What does this mean? Obamacare is all but gone, and the political class will be feeling a wave of absolute fear (both Dems and GOPs) because the establishment, Washington, big business and the media tried to sew this election up. They have been smashing Trump daily for 2 years now, they've been propping Clinton up for the same time. Clinton outspent Trump by 4 times. And it hasn't worked. Suddenly the people don't look as easy to control anymore.
Will it change the lives of many ordinary people in the US? Not really, not in the short term. Will it change the way that politics is played in the US? Definitely.
We found it in Brexit, we got a taste of it in the last few Aus federal elections, and now the US is showing it. The politics of old is dead - controlling the people is becoming a really hard thing to do. That's going to be the biggest change out of this election.
One of the best responses I've read.
Not much will change.
Trump will definitely dial it down on the rhetoric etc.
Just to add on to the-mal's comment, I think people are also sick of the mainstream media TELLING them what to think.
News organisations no longer want to tell you the news, rather they want to shape your opinions.
I sincerely hope there is a big improvement in journalistic standards across the globe.
CNN makes me sick , I stay clear of all news.
Just to add on to the-mal's comment, I think people are also sick of the mainstream media TELLING them what to think.
News organisations no longer want to tell you the news, rather they want to shape your opinions.
I sincerely hope there is a big improvement in journalistic standards across the globe.
I really hope Fox's(Murdoch) control of the media starts to disintegrate into nothingness there, and here too as a result of him winning.
It's kind of the opposite. It will embolden Murdoch and the conservatives in Australia.
In January this year, News Limited ran a headline on news.com.au that 'Trump should quit' after he lost the first state (Iowa) during the primaries. Just one state voted, and Murdoch was telling Trump quit. Amazing.
News Limited has been against Trump from the very beginning, and only after he won the Republican ticket did Fox News and affiliates begin to try and support him. It was fascinating to watch as they were forced to talk up someone they hated.
1) Curious that they voted for an elite as the protest against elites! One who is known to lie, do deals, and possibly be corrupt. Trump intends to escalate America's role as the world's police.
You can pick continuation of the status quo, or a guy that acknowledges the problems you face, albeit he is proposing ridiculous answers.
The candidate that acknowledged the problems got the votes.
Next time, maybe the Democrats will acknowledge the problems too. And if they run a candidate who can offer real answers (I am hoping for Elizabeth Warren) she may get elected.
The democrats insistence that everything is fine like a dog in a burning room is what got them this result.
I disagree. It was the ridiculous answers that got him elected. Everyone wants more jobs. Obama has more than halved unemployment since 2009. Yet Trump runs on a platform that the Chinese are stealing US jobs. His proposed solutions are a tariff on Chinese imports and ordering Apple to make iPhones in the US. Clinton's solution is more money into education.
Trump wants to remove illegal immigrants that are criminals. At other times he mentions that Obama is already deporting thousands of them but makes it sounds like a bad thing.
What exactly are the problems that Trump is identifying that the Democrats won't?
@dazweeja:
I don't disagree there were a lot of ignorant people who voted for Trump, but about half the electorate chose him.
The US has seen stagnant incomes for a generation. Clinton said things are getting better and pointed to stats like falling unemployment.
But this isn't the lived experience of most Americans.
Most Americans see themselves and their circle in a cycle of losing good jobs to be replaced by bad jobs, with poorer conditions and pay.
Arguing that is ok because the number of unemployed is declining produces anger.
Income stagnation: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/10/09/for-most-wor…
While this income has gone nowhere, real costs have risen. If you want to send a kid to college with the hope of avoiding the income trap, it is vastly costlier now than a generation ago, college debt cannot be discharged in bankruptcy, and kids are graduating in debt up to their eyeballs, with immediate payment required, not like our gradual HECS repayments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_tuition_in_the_United_…
When you take away the avenue of hope for average people, that breeds anger.
Amidst all this, healthcare costs have soared as well. Obama tried to do something about it, but the flawed solution he was forced to adopt to get it passed has been costly and unpopular. If you are very poor, it has been ok, but if you are lower middle class it forced costs on you that you had previously avoided by being uninsured. And it heaped all the burden for escalating costs on the public, with no reduction in profits on suppliers. US healthcare is a racket, and it is very visible.
http://www.businessinsider.com.au/college-and-health-cost-ve…
Take these three issues, on the one hand you have an establishment insider saying things are getting gradually better, trust me to stay the course. If you feel things are not getting better that just makes you angry.
On the other hand you have a charismatic populist who somehow seems to live a billionaire lifestyle on a raft of dodgy financial deals telling you he has a plan that will fix all this. The details aren't clear, and to an expert, it looks like nonsense, but he is an individual who isn't beholden to the establishment, promising to smash it up and make change. Who knows, he seems to be rich even though 'experts' question his success, so maybe his plans will work.
Once you have identified Clinton isn't going to make the progress you need, and worse, she was instrumental in getting you in the mess you are in now, choosing to give your vote the guy who is at least recognising your pain isn't a big leap.
I'm scared that the take away from this disaster for the left is what you have posted - that the electorate is gullible and were fooled.
Consider instead that the electorate is furious, and would rather cut off their nose to spite their face than put up with a continuation of the status quo.
Most of what you said also describes Australia which is why we were all misled when Turnbull become leader and we thought things would change but same old same old.
@chumlee:
I tend to agree, except we have had substantially better income growth (except the last 5 years) and neither the health or tertiary edu issues here are anything like the problems in the USA.
But we are heading in the wrong direction. The idea that Downer & Birmingham can look at the US education system and want to replicate it horrifies me.
@mskeggs: white people voted in trump, people who would not be affected by his bigotry. They're not ignorant, just racist
The electorate are gullible and were fooled. Because the message Trump was sending was based on a big lie. That he was going to bring the jobs back and fix the problem.
I agree that Clinton wasn't offering the progress that Trump voters wanted because she was offering the only solution available. The only solution is to upskill the American population and that takes time.
Because the truth is that jobs for poorly educated Americans are gone and are never coming back. Trump lied about it and offered ridiculous solutions. The Democrats accept it and are involved in the long, slow process of transitioning to a post-manufacturing US economy. I don't disagree that middle Americans were furious but it was Trump's lies that stoked that fury. And honestly the fact that the whole Trump pitch was wrapped up in some pretty blatant racism - that all the problems of the US are caused by Chinese, Muslims, and Mexicans - was a huge factor as well, just as it is with One Nation voters.
@mnermner:
I think it is lazy to assume 50% of Americans are racist. Consider they just finished electing a black president twice.
I dismiss the sexism reasoning too.
Sure, there are a small number of people who vote based on sexism or racism, but I suggest the bulk of Trump voters voted for him despite his obnoxious views on Mexicans and Muslims.
Hell, Trump got 33% support among Latino men! (http://i.imgur.com/CLI75fr.jpg)
There isn't much that can be done against racism and sexism in a political cycle, but you can try progressive policies that improve economic equality and see if I am right.
Blaming the result on racism and ignorance suggests it isn't worth trying better policies.
@dazweeja:
Waleed Ali putting it more articulately than I can in Fairfax:
http://www.smh.com.au/comment/us-election-2016-its-not-about…
Possibly corrupt vs IS corrupt. Trump didn't just win, Hillary lost.
What does it tell you about Hillary's record if people would vote for Trump over her
Trump focused on winning, Hillary focused on Trump.
Winners focus on winning, losers focus on the winner.
Are you a meme?
World Conflict should decrease: https://newmatilda.com/2016/03/23/john-pilger-why-hillary-cl…
(Pilger is famous for doing some Doco's on the plight of Aboriginals; most famous is the "Utopia")
Not much will change for white people.
What will be the effects on the Australian Dollar compared to its US counterpart?
I was hoping for an opposite effect…
Give the orange man a chance. If nothing else it will give comedian fresh material. Barack did not provide much.
i'm pretty sure i know who he'll be looking after during his term
Australian dollar will rise… Posibly till parity with the US dollar.
Come on guys we are not American we should be happy if Trump wins. US will be put in its place.
What about "tall poppy syndrome" we value?
Huh?
I thought that the US dollar will rise, as their Fed is looking to raise rates, but the RBA here is looking to cut ours.
USA is our ally, and we rely on China as a trade partner. I don't see much to be happy about here.
It doesn't matter what the people say!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)
Warning - audio on the link below - informative and brilliant video.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/how-does-the-e…
What does this mean for buying stuff from US sellers? Will it be like back in the days AUD was at parity with USD?
I hope so. Doesn't look good so far though as the Australian dollar is falling against the US and Trump wants to restrict imports which will make US retailers more expensive.
Invest in Mexican wall building companies.
Haha that was on the latest Mad Money. Buy Cemex! they'll have a new wall to build
Goodbye superannuation fund, I will miss you. Not that I ever had a chance to spend you.
Prices for bricks will go up. Especially wall-grade stuff.
Buritto N Taco as well
Naturally. Black market always has inflated prices.
They're not building the wall out of bricks. They're using the bones of women and blacks.
and blues?
Can someone please answer WHY $AUD Will Increase?
Is it beacuse Consumer Confidence will decrease in America, and so Aggregate Demand in USA will decrease, and as a result, $AUD will increase relative to $US?
Because the U.S. will be run by an orangutan and our PM is slightly smarter
mate you are insulting the orangutan
What a load of crap. And anyway, predictions are the AUD and ASX will go down if Trump renegotiates free trade agreements.
This guy was on ABC a few months ago predicting AU$ will be at parity with the US$.
I thought it was a brave call.
Now looks like it could come true.
Australian dollar back to parity on Trump win: Saxo chief economist Steen Jakobsen
The $AUD will suffer
Interest rates will be on hold for longer in USA. If rates are expected to go up, then USD goes up.
I thought the AUD will rise immediately as well. Reason is that the market has lower confidence in Trump's economical policy. However, looking at the exchange rate again, the AUD didn't rise. And it's correlated to the commodity price. One of Trump's policy is to tax China heavily, and 18% of china export is to the US. So if Trump implements his policy, it's likely that China will suffer hence us as well
It's about the relativity between the currencies. In short, the demand for AUD will be greater than the demand for USD.
Mexican Peso has gone down, because if TRUMP does what he says- you won't need any Peso's after the tariff goes up. So Demand goes down, so does the Peso.
Anarchy
Don't know why you got down voted :-s
Me either, also ISIS for our armed forces :)
Just like Obama. All talk but not much will change
ha ha ha! they deserve what they got
I hope Trump will get elected. Not because he is better, but because he won't be a 2 term president and he will serve as a wake up for both sides. Hilary would be 2 term president, and nothing will change - same old downward trend.
Congress also seems to be all red, so maybe things will move this time, instead of veto after veto. Look at Obamacare…
Moving into the toilet is moving.
What's wrong with Obamacare? Is trump offering universal healthcare like we have in Australia? It would appear the Republicans oppose universal health care, so why is obamacare an issue? it's an improvement on what they offer.
I meant it's not moving as it supposed to… They couldnt get it past Reps.
Couldn't agree with you more Alfred. With over 90% of news outlets being grossly overcritical of Trump you have to wonder whether they are reporting facts or forming public opinion. So over 50% of the country voted Trump - where is THAT voice in the media?
Also watching the election day coverage, EVERY commentator said "I don't know how EVERY pre election poll got it wrong". I'll tell you how:
1) the polling experts are idiots and polled the wrong people
2) the people they polled lied and said Hillary (why would you, it's anonymous)
3) the outcomes of the polls are manipulated in order to deceive the public to influence outcomes