The rest of the world understands more about the real history of the United States than its own citizens because people outside the USA are not as subjected to the propaganda and false patriotism.

Yeah, Nixon was bad, but he tried to hide it - use the 'dog whistle'. Trump makes the bigotry the defining feature of his campaign.

bully. It's appalling to think this is the sort of person they want to elevate to the highest office in the land, to represent us to the world.

and nixon was a horrible person in so many ways.

eisenhower might have been a decent guy and ford/rockefeller was a blip on the radar, but those types have long been drummed out of the modern republican party.

all that shrub contributed was the beginnings of the obviousness that trump has taken to its logical extreme.

but the bigotry and hate have a very long history in the republican party and in the country as a whole. that voting bloc has shifted parties but they remain strong enough to influence outcomes.

though I also think that they have movements in their own country that are just as scary and racist. It's becoming more pervasive around the world.

My point is, I don't think we should waste time worrying about how other people see us. We need to work together with likeminded people throughout the world to make this a better place for all of us.

it has gotten better for a bit (the rest of the world respects Obama a lot more the this country does), but tRump is reminding the world just how much idiocy this country is capable of cranking out.

They have put forth the false equivalence of the Party's and failed to discuss and analyse Republican policies to show how they favor the extremely wealthy and big corporations.

Small business owners are getting squeezed out by the big corporations and heavy tax burdens. They vote predominately Republican because they are told the Democrats want to raise their taxes even more. Democrats want to lower their tax burden while raising it on the billionaire class and large corporations. The media just reinforces their wrong headed belief that the Republicans have their backs.

But if i mention the name, some people will get all upset.

GWB was a half bright dry drunk legacy but they have trumped that, no pun intended.

Again, HRC should win but ven so tens of millions will vote for that orange bozo reality flake. Their thinking is just so clueless based on low info and/or proganda info.

We think the US will be top dog or even here forever but look at history. Trump in office would speed our demise and we would be the laughing stock of the world for now.

The world laughed, then cringed when GWB came on the scene. Then crazy eyes Bachmann, orange Boehner (who now openly works for the tobacco industry) Along came dingbat $arah Payme, with McCain defending her racist speeches. This is how we got to tRump and his plastic family.

leaving the US.

Go back to the landfill?

I never believed that newspapers were shutting down all over the country because Americans are getting their news online. I believe that the average American no longer invests the time necessary to stay abreast of national and world affairs. I doubt most Americans could pick out Iraq and Afghanistan on an unlabeled map even though thousands of Americans have died there over the past 13 years. That is why Trump is a viable candidate IMO. We have turned into a reality television country. Americans believe that democracy IS a spectator sport.

I have been saying that since it was clear to me that Trump was going to win the R nomination - late last year.

But, here is the really sad fact.

If by the grace of god this country is not stupid enough to elect Trump, it will change nothing. The R party and its whore media will do what they have done the last four years, work against the country in the name of defeating the democrat. NOTHING will get done, the country will suffer how it does through the repubican's petulant sedition, the media will do its part to spin the "they both are the same" narrative and the feckless dumb asses in this country will NOT hold republican's responsible.

It will only be stalling, the repubicans won't change one bit, and the country will continue to indulge them.

I am voting and supporting Hillary, and I absolutely speak against the negative frames against her. She is a too tight with big money but otherwise would be a fine POTUS, as BHO has been.

But, there is a part of me, as truly as horrific it would be, that wants to throw my hands up and see Trump win.

Not that it will be some great awakening, not that republicans change, but that the non full on republicans will have to face their responsibility for him and JUST MAYBE this country will hold them responsible for their jackassery.

I'm voting for Clinton, so I'm not the least bit embarrassed.

I keep posting this perspective everywhere I can. The republican party is motivated mostly by the greedy accumulation of wealth at any cost. Fueling racism and bigotry is just one of many ways they get votes. Buying politicians and suppressing the vote is another.

I think the beginning of the end started with Reagan when he, and the architect Jack Kemp, pushed the economic policy of trickle down. The media is controlled by corporations and they only care about the bottom line , so here we are trapped in this nightmare of a mentally unstable fool with no knowledge or even any desire to gain knowledge on the precipice of becoming President. The World indeed is looking at us as fools.

I agree completely, it's slowly dissolved into this mess starting with Nixon and cemented with Reagan.

have viewed American Democracy with a snicker for centuries

Probably some would like to return to power, some want to profit,
Trump's their guy

There is the film "Kings of Kallstadt" and some others that hint
of an Eastern European Hungarian Empire connection, as well
as some tracing back to the 700s

Political elites tolerate democracy when they are elected

When out of power, it's something to be controlled so they can
regain power

America's exceptionalism does not extend to fools. They are evenly dispersed across the planet.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

Although my name says I'm a Newcanuck, I've now been here 20 years but I don't think I've ever heard of this Harold Ford, even googling the name. Now, if you'd said Stephen Harper, yes, we were unfortunate enough to have him, but I like to believe we've recovered from that with our shiny new PM. I would offer my apologies for the Harper years but obviously, I never voted for him.

The person referred to was Rob Ford, the late, former mayor of Toronto. Ford was a dunce for a short time, but he did get a lot done when he was a city councillor. His constituents loved him because he took the time to listen to their problems and then made the time to solve them.

Trump only does one thing: puff up his already bloated ego. He won't make anything great except his own self-image.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

He was of biracial ancestry and he was considered at one time to be an up and coming leader in the Democratic Party. He was strongly disliked by progressives because of his DLC connections and his conservative views. If I remember correctly, he was involved in some scandal -- I think a sex scandal -- and he lost his seat in the House. Last I heard, he was working for the Council on Foreign Relations and some RW think tank.

republicans, trump, media: the axis of evil

Not because the Republicans have nominated a dangerous ignorant to high office. They do that all time. Joni Ernst, Louie Gohmert, e.g. But this time, they have nominated a very dangerous and thoroughly ignorant egomaniac to the highest office in the land. The world knows that Republicans sometimes put up guys like that, but usually only for primary entertainment distraction. This time, their distraction became the main attraction. The world asks how can a party that nominated Dwight Eisenhower for the presidency can, 64 years later, nominate Donald Trump and expect to be taken seriously around the world. It freaks them out that Trump is taken seriously in the USA by any sighted person who doesn't need help being led to a bathroom.

I'm in Stuttgart for my job today. From the main train station, I took a taxi to my hotel. I correctly guessed that the driver was a Pakistani. I greeted him in my 2 words of Punjabi. He smiled, complimented me on my accent and asked how often I had been in Pakistan. I explained that I had never been in Pakistan or anywhere near it. I said I was from the USA and met lots of Pakistanis living there, so it wasn't a difficult guess. Big smile. One less Muslim Pakistani that will be inclined to hate us without ever having met an American.

We've had weak and useless Republican candidates before, but since Eisenhower 64 years ago, their caliber has gone way downhill. Even France's useless Hollande, a bureaucrat dba as "socialiste," isn't down at Trump's level. But look at the constituency that chose Trump. Ask any typical Republican to even find Pakistan on a map, and I'll bet he or she won't even know on which continent to look. Then ask them how important might Pakistan be, anyway? Top fifty countries in population? Top forty? Top thirty, Top twenty? Top ten? Top ten would be correct, but my guess that the percentage of Republicans who know that (or that they possess nuclear arms) is around the same percentage who think Ben Carson still has a chance to beat Hillary as a write-in.

and used to live near Stuttgart. I'm in Basel now and I try not to talk politics with anyone but it comes up every single time I meet an English speaker. It usually goes something like, what do you think of this Trump guy? Ugh. I have to be careful how I answer too because there are many here from the UK that voted brexit because of the immigrants. It's tough. I voted for Bernie in the Dems Abroad primary and will vote for Hillary as soon as I get my ballot. Have a nice weekend.

With the mess Germany is fighting a battle NOT to become, Switzerland may be the oasis of refuge in Central Europe. It's even worth learning Schwyzerdüütsch to live there.

I frankly don't run into many English-speaking people in the course of my work. Indeed, I got my job because I speak 8 languages that are NOT English, so I'm expected to spend my work time speaking something else. The only Trump supporter I ever met here was a Frenchman who was half-Israeli, and who was convinced Trump would be better for Israel than Hillary because he hates Muslims. In other words, the same sort of infantile, simplistic thinking that got Trump nominated in the first place.

I'm only semi-active with the Dems abroad, as they always seem to meet when I can't (Thursday evenings, for crying out loud! I still have a day--as in 23 hour--job, and in a different country practically every day!). It was due to that connection, though, that I got the invite to spend an hour with Obama 4 years ago, so I guess I should at least try to spare them a little more time.

I don't know what it could be about my posts that you like, but thanks for the kind words!!

so that's why I remember that you lived in Germany. No, not interested in learning this version of German either. We're planning our escape from this outrageously priced country (Italy) so that we can save for our retirement in a decade or so. In fact, we're going to dinner in Germany tonight so we can get a decent priced meal with portions that satisfy my husband, ha. We want to move to Italy next.

I can't chat right now. Have a great weekend. Cheers! Ciao.

Head to tourist information near the train station and ask if any besens are open either in the city or Ober/Unterturkheim, which you can take the Sbahn to....if you drink wine.

I don't drink wine, or beer, or any alcohol at all. I AM, however a great fan of Bratkartoffeln!

(Eine kleine Sünde hat doch jeder, oder?)

oder alcohol frei bier?

Gute Fahrt!

I could see him turning into a fascist dictator in office so easily. I'm literally losing hours of sleep over this fucking election. This country is unbelievable.

And I'm happy I'm across the pond to stay. I hope you're in a very.blue state.

We ARE the face-Palm of the world even right now.
If we actually elect this idiot, we will be the enemy of the world.
The upside? The deplorable will get to express their racism openly and the wealthy will get more tax breaks a la GW Bush. There is no upside beyond that.

Democracy when more people know who on this season's "Dancing with the Stars" than who is running for President.

Actually Trump's probably worse than anyone here, to be fair. But what's so upsetting is that we'd made so much progress in the last 40 or 50 years, and now seem prepared to throw it all away, because of a government that puts party unity ahead of country, a former prime minister who gambled our country's future and lost, a Foreign Secretary who is a self-seeking buffoon, an Opposition that devotes most of its energies to fighting one another, and a large number of citizens brainwashed by the toxic tabloids.

Its going to be short lived but ugly, again IMHO.

Then we all need to figure out how to see the signs and prevent it going forward.

Embarrassing elections and a referendum, but not in the Trump league of "considering electing a egomaniacal bigoted con man" yet. No one has proposed Katie Hopkins as the leader of a party yet.

Nikolaos Michaloliakos, Heinz-Christian Strache, Berlusconi, etc.

There are lots of them. And the far right is surging globally unfortunately.

"Make America Great Again" is the same as 'I want my country back'. So they are afraid because they woke up one day and saw this Black man in the White House, and it scared the heck out of them.. that they fear losing hold of all that was there's because of their privileged position in this country, and what once worked, they've given up on it.

"Make America White Again."

Divide and conquer is a very successful strategy. The RW are masters.

I agree it is embarrassing. But, we are not the only fools in the world. We are in good company.

And have been since 2000....

This is Jungian but I think it works.

We see so much projection coming from the rightwing.

We see so much ugly, shadow bully behavior also; and
this has traction because people don't want to be on the
receiving end of that.

Dems tend to cave in to it also. I mean, for one example
among many, how did Tom Delay's thugs get away with
stopping the vote recount in Dade County?

I suppose we really needed to hit rock bottom, once and for all. No candidate could be worse than Trump.

When obama was elected twice to a racist bigotted people. Interesting.

Perhaps the saner among us will vote and we will win out.

And unlike Barack, their fears of punishment will come true with Hillary because she will be effective at combating their BS. The deplorables will be neutered once and for all.

let alone be the nominee of a major party.

...another half are enduring relentless ISIS-inspired violence because they can't get their migration programs in order.

We're not perfect, but embarrassed? I don't think so. This is how democracy works. And we'll show Trump that in November.

But with Brexit, the rise of Neo-Naziism in some parts of Europe, I don't think that we are alone.

And places like North Korea and Russia would totally respect us with Trump in charge. There's always that.

I spent a lot of time in France during the worst of the Bush regime and I had some fairly tense encounters with Europeans, until I said the word "California" and that melted every situation.

They look at the backwards parts of the US the same way they look at the backwards parts of Europe, either with a cringe or chuckle.

good speech. Personal, rousing for the crowd, factual. She's a natural.

I try to tell all my non-US friends that I'll apologize later, when sanity is regained.

One of the comedians, Ed Byrne, started getting serious. "Hillary ill - even Hillary dead - would be a better president than Trump. The crud I clean out of my shower drain would be more suitable as president". Hugh audience applause, rather than laughter.

No kidding, they made me proud to be a fellow American.