Alt Right Or Alt Trump?

Election Night 2016 turned out to be a dud, suspense-wise. And a 8,978 gigaton nuclear bomb otherwise.

Donald J. Trump will nominate at least the next two (sorry Ruth) Supreme Court Justices. Unless 45 pulls out another rubber mask and returns as Don Pro-Choice T. (which neither Mike Pence nor the GOP-controlled Congress would let happen), the US are bound to return to the Middle-Age on key human rights*. And maybe embrace durably the ultraconservative line, the way Israel did after the murder of Yitzhak Rabin.

The only good news of today is the hope that, at long last, the Clinton Dynasty will stop ruling the Democratic Party. We saw how Joe Biden's familial tragedy combined with Elizabeth Warren's reluctance to run against Hillary allowed a new figure to ride the Need For Change + Anything But Hillary waves, and her weaknesses to sink deeper into everybody's minds acrosss the aisle. Had Bernie Sanders won the primaries, Michael Bloomberg would have probably decided to run, and won the elections. Maybe also made a decent POTUS.

Even with Sanders and Warren on board, even with the full support of Barack and Michelle Obama at the peak of their popularity and motivation, even with a superiority in the ground and online games, Clinton couldn't carry the positive side of the force. Abandoning the rustbeltiest parts of the Democratic firewall didn't help against The Donald's one-man-show.

Nationwide, state by state, county by county... the scale of Trump's victory is scary. Way scarier and deeper than W's 2004, which Obama managed to gracefully compensate.

If Trump delivered the acceptance speech he was expected to give, he remains a dangerous, loose canon surrounded by such bad hombres as Breitbart's Steve Bannon.

And we still don't know how far the interests of people like Vladimir Putin have been pushed at the core of the world's supposedly model democracy.

Now that the Alt Right and the KKK are celebrating a victory they claim as theirs, the future of America lies in moderate Republican lawmakers. And in a new and truly uniting figure to reach for them from the Democrats' ruins.

Trump claims electoral and popular vote, the House and Senate, the Supreme Court, and a seat for Putin's SOTU address (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796265430914473985)
BREAKING - Hillary Clinton just gave a concession call to Putin (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796257288197545985)
Will Obama hand the nuclear and @POTUS twitter codes to Trump? (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796255962143174656)

The new POTUS has big hands... and his name is Putin (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796242317216595968)

BREAKING: USA legalizes recreational votes - #RIPUSDemocracy (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796235476990496768)
The only good news today: DNC is freed from Clinton rule - Hopefully (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796235045161734144)
Duterte, Shinzo Abe, Donald Trump - When democracy votes against democracy (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796232108758863872)

Why did Hillary Clinton run in the first place? (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796194014072422400)
USA pulls a Brexit. Donald Trump will nominate at least the next 2 Supreme Court judges. Democracy loses - NB Jake Tapper concedes to Trump (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796193850842705921)
Key projection: CNN dream team to keep their lock on Election Night (Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash, John King) (twitter.com/stephanemot/status/796157101730955266)

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* we have yet to grasp the full extent of the damage already done down the ballot (e.g. death penalty restored in NE)

Donald vs Trump

One of the things the Donald Trump campaign has in common with George W. Bush's is the way their propaganda systematically inverts accusations.

- Hillary Clinton is a crook: Trump University, anyone?
- she illegally deleted emails: you've been doing worse for decades, Don*. And how about that secret server communicating with Russia?**
- she's hiding things: show us your tax returns, Donald - no other candidate has dodged this fundamental duty
- she's working for special interests against small people: story of your life, Don. Well documented, and complaints keep pouring in.
- she betrayed the African American community: you've been charged with racial discrimination, and keep fueling racial hatred across the country
- she'll ship jobs to China: how many Trump branded accessories are made in China, by the way?
- she'll ruin the economy: remind us how many bankruptcies you achieved, Donald
- she's rigging the elections: your Trump campaign has already been charged with voter suppression in Ohio, and your KKK friends have said they will do their best to deter colored people from voting
- she's getting pay for play: you paid to play, Don. And tell us more about your ties with Russia - maybe these tax returns, deleted emails, and secret servers could help us measure your dependence on Vladimir Putin (judging by how you changed the GOP policies towards Russia and Ukraine, no wonder Vlad is rooting for you and doing his best to undermine Hillary's campaign).
- she's facing prosecutions for the years to come: your next trial will be by the end of this year, Don
- Bill is a sexual predator: at least he never bragged about it the way you did - maybe because he seems more confident in his own virility

YUGE: Donald Trump spared new sex scandal by his friend called Pecker at National Enquirer - politico.com/media/story/2016/11/report-national-enquirer-bought-rights-to-trump-affair-story-but-never-published-004848 (20161106 - twitter.com/stephanemot/status/795096590520225792)

Just one last one: she's not qualified to be president. Coming from you, Donald J. Trump, Hillary R. Clinton should take it as a compliment.

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* see "Trump’s companies destroyed emails in defiance of court orders" (The Independent - 20161105)
** see "Was a Trump Server Communicating With Russia?" (Politico - 20161031)

EXCLUSIVE: Donald's live tweets during the first debate

ICYMI, Donald Trump's Twitter timeline during his first 'Presidential' Debate with Hillary Clinton:

• I'm GOOD. This audience is AWESOME, Lester Holt is a peach - love this mike.
• Look at Crooked Hillary - dressed in red to court GOP voters... NOT NICE, MISS PIGGY
• Memo to myself: gotta remember that Crooked is not her first name.  
  
• Damnit. Hillary's handshake is tough. And her hands are BIGGER than mine. YUGE!!!
• I don't care. I'm the Babe Ruth of debaters. 16 strike outs in a row, remember?
• Boy. She's got a fastball. And knuckleballs too. 
• Correct that: she's got balls, period. 
• Scratch that: she's got her period, period. She's got blood coming out of her whatever.
• Please Vlad, can you hack into Hillary's brain? Put another virus there?
• BTW, while you're at it, gimme a Kleenex, my nose's running like my ex wives.
• I want to talk about Bill SO BAD. Believe me, right now I'm controlling myself.
• They switched the mikes. This one has PNEUMONIA, I can sniff it!
• Call my gastroenterologist, my nose is infected!!!
• THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!! Why did you have to mention my dad's 14 million kickstart?
• THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!! How come your dad was a true entrepreneur and a good boss, unlike me?
• No, that's not true. I only tweeted it five times
• No, that's not true. I only tweeted it five times
• No, that's not true. I only tweeted it five times
• No, that's not true. I only tweeted it five times
• No, that's not true. I only tweeted it five times
• YES, THAT'S TRUE AND THAT MAKES ME SMART, HA!!! And all of you suckers!!!
• This debate is RIGGED. Who agreed on 90 minutes? Where's the prompter?
• I NEED A KLEENEX. Or another line of coke. 
• I want to say something NASTY, but that wouldn't be PRESIDENTIAL. 
• I DON'T WANT TO BE PRESIDENTIAL. I DON'T WANT TO BE PRESIDENT, I JUST DON'T WANT TO LOSE!!!
• This debate is RIGGED. I should be THE ONLY ONE on stage.
• Hillary is NOT QUALIFIED. Lester is NOT QUALIFIED. This mike is NOT QUALIFIED
• I need to punch someone. Where is Rand Paul when you need him?
• I need to punch something. Where's that red button when you need it?
• I've got the most WINNING TEMPERAMENT! It wins each time I try to tame it!

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It's all about character

If Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are equally disliked for their characters, it seems that more and more Americans are starting to feel less and less comfortable with the latter blend.

And right now, if America were to chose an untruthworthy, badass POTUS, she would prefer a devil she knows. Many paleocons prefer someone on the hawkish, SIG-friendly side of the Democrats to a suicidal, narcissist Nero burning bridges for breakfast.

When he should be courting independents, The Donald keeps alienating Muslims, Vets, parents, Ryans, McCains, you-name-its, keeps being offensive to defend his sacrosanct brand. Yes, he's already survived bad weeks during this campaign, but this one digs way deeper under his disguise.

And at long last, GOP figures are making themselves heard. To win, Republicans must defeat the YUGE bad apples within their own ranks (see "GOP Implosion (continued)"). A few electoral defeats are better than the defeat of democracy itself.

Donald Trump's babygate reminds me of Stephen King's The Dead Zone, the moment when Greg Stillson loses the election (20160803 -twitter.com/stephanemot/status/760661014371119105)

RNC in CLE or RNC 2016 in Nuremberg? Making Amerika Great Again (20160721 - twitter.com/stephanemot/status/756105675902586880)

Close encounters of the third kind (Reich?). Donald Trump at RNC2016 (20160719 - twitter.com/stephanemot/status/755235038988423168)

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Constitutionless

Japan just voted for its Peacexit - or is it Democracexit? After securing a 2/3 majority in the House of Councillors, Shinzo Abe is getting closer to his lifetime dream: undoing the nation's postwar constitution and restoring the fundamentals of the imperial rule that disgraced it.

The UK doesn't have a constitution to protect, and it doesn't have a clue how to cope with the Brexit mess that left the whole political spectrum in shambles. David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn, all lost face, leaving to Mother Theresa May the tough job of caring for untouchable issues. At least, something is working in the UK this Summer: Sadiq Khan got elected, and the Chilcot Report exposed Tony Blair's responsibility in George W. Bush's Iraq imposture**.

Europe doesn't have a constitution, but it remains ruled from 101 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001, the headquarters of Goldman Sachs, a company that gave us Draghi, and is hiring Barroso. Mario Draghi is certainly not Jean-Claude Trichet, Jose-Manuel Barroso is certainly not Jacques Delors, and Hollande is not even Giscard. Where's there's no political will...

No constitution? No problem: 101 Constitution's so easy to learn! Just dial Constitution 101, and ask for instructions from Goldman Sachs

Israel doesn't have a constitution, and it helps when you want to circumvent the rule of international law. In the 2008 and 2012 tradition (see "Deja vu all over again"), I expect Bibi Netanyahu to seize the US election year opportunity and further fuel tensions with Palestine. It would only take a few skirmishes to start the fireworks... who wants to bet?

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* "Japan votes Peacexit - if not Democracexit" Seoul Village 
** reminder: "Invasion of Iraq: The Bush Legacy in 3 Impostures"

Cenotaphs, shrines, and an obituary of Japan democracy

History will remember the first time a POTUS and a Japanese PM stood together in Hiroshima more than their empty words.

Hiroshima mon amour

As expected, Shinzo Abe delivered one of his trademark, crocodile-tearful, "History is harsh" speeches*, sparing us his usual fake excuses, because this time, he was not required to provide any. Today, Barack Obama chimed in by using similar smoke screens. And of course, without apologizing.

Yes, 'we have a shared responsibility to look directly in the eye of history', but don't count on us for saying that nuking Hiroshima and Nagasaki was wrong, or that Imperial Japan committed war crimes that also need to be remembered.

The choice of a G7 host city is a fantastic opportunity to push a political agenda, and Hiroshima was a finalist for Shinzo Abe, who wants everybody to remember Japan as a pure victim, and to forget that it committed atrocities under the fascist regime he has, along with fellow members of Nippon Kaigi, pledged to restore ("Imperial Japan v. Japan"). Sorry, Mr Abe, but "No, you can't honor A-Bomb victims in Hiroshima AND War Criminals in Yasukuni".

In his wildest dreams, this incurable provocateur would have selected Yasukuni, but the international community would have condemned him vehemently. He settled for another controversial Shinto shrine he loves to visit as frequently as possible: Ise Grand Shrine doesn't honor war criminals, but it is also led by a eminent member of Nippon Kaigi. And a Japanese government is supposed to respect the separation of State and religion...

Don't forget that as far as extremist lobbies go, Abe follows Shinto Seiji Renmei as well as Nippon Kaigi, and that as a fundamentalist, he wants the restoration of State Shinto, and of the Emperor as the supreme religious and political leader. 

A few Japanese voices raised objections regarding the choice of Ise, but who's listening to the dwindling resistance of the local democracy?

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* for last year's two masterpieces, see ""History is harsh" and other sick jokes" and "Decoding the Abe Statement: "why apologize for crimes Japan never committed?""

New York in the bag

The "New York" songs played ahead of tonight's victory speeches? A cunning old mobster for Donald Trump (Frank Sinatra), a smart young African American for Hillary Clinton (Alicia Keys). 

Both winners seemed sincerely relieved, Hillary Why-So-Tense Clinton looking even, all of a sudden, twenty years younger:

HRC and family keep fighting for U$

Her victory was so clear that it turned the 125,000 voters rejected at the Democratic primary into an epiphenomenon (still, she probably wouldn't have won by such a landslide had all unregistered Democrats been allowed).

The Donald didn't look younger than last week. He even seems to be shedding hair and gaining weight during this campaign. But he won in spite of his closest allies: his own kids couldn't vote because they didn't register, and Ben Carson's name remained on the ballot - Doc claimed more votes than Ted Cruz in parts of Westchester County (they wouldn't appear in the official, final count):

Yet the most defining moments of the campaign were John Kasich eating his way to a victory in Manhattan, and Bernie Sanders having his 'Ich bin ein New Yorker' moment on Washington Square.

Bernie's not out yet, he's gone as far as his candidacy allowed him to go*.

And Ted Cruzed far further than I thought: I believed that he kicked himself out of the race as soon as he entered it (see "2016 - Recyclable Expendables"), but this 2016 GOP is nuttier than ever.

Yet the Dems have their own blend of unexpected uniter in Elizabeth Warren, who could receive a call from Hillary long before 3 A.M.

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* see "ABH Corpus" (May 2015): By submitting his candidacy first after Hillary on the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders claimed at least 3 obvious categories : "ABH" (Anyone But Hillary), "EWE" (Elizabeth Warren Erzatz - Sanders reaches even further to the left, pitching himself as a 'socialist'), and "OFGWAB" (that perennial candidacy type I dubbed "Old Farts Going With A Bang").

GOP Implosion (continued)

After 2004, 2008, and 2012*, I have to post a blogule about the implosion of The Republican Party on an election year. This time, I come after all mainstream media, who've been paying more attention since Donald Trump pushed the tragicomedy to new levels.

Each election cycle adds a nuttier flavor of the month to the old Paleocon-Theocon fault line highlighted by the election** of George W. Bush in 2004: first came the Neocons, then Tea Party ayatollahs, and now Donald Trump is single-(short)handedly shifting the rift below the (Bible) Belt.

As I wrote before, the GOP is a bit like France's Socialist Party: it refuses to reform itself, and to dump for good its most radical elements, but keeps winning every now and then, which only further delays reforms demanded by this millenium.

Decent leaders fail to emerge. We even saw John McCain sell his soul to creationists and theocons to win the primaries, and Chris Christie, after proving he could be a bully (see "a bridge to you know where"), turning into a shameless political whore by endorsing Mr. T moments after quitting the race. Even Mitt women-in-binders Romney sounds decent compared to what we have now.

Marco Rubio failed to seize a once in a lifetime opportunity against a dangerous fascist (Trump), a dangerous theocrat (Ted Cruz), and a harmless paleocon (John Kasich). Jeb Bush*** wouldn't help him save Florida, where Hurricane Donald seems about to touch down.

I truly believed Mike Bloomberg would go for it, but he joebidened out of the race before even starting it.

Will the GOP chose its soul over victory, and moderates lead a revolution at the RNC? Should Trump be confirmed, whom will he face? Hillary Clinton seems as good at screwing up campaigns as Republicans are bad at cleaning up their own mess, and Michigan landed on Bernie Sanders' lap. I'm not sure America would prefer a self proclaimed socialist to a fascist.

This party and this World deserves better leaders.

USA must chose between her own soul and Donald Trump (a Mussolini wannabe endorsed by the KKK and  Jean-Marie Le Pen**** (20160304 twitter.com/stephanemot/status/705509307673083904)

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* ICYMI "Grand Old Parting: fix your party before causing more damage to your country" (2012), "GOP : Time to Split" (2008), "Red Blogule to the Bush system - Prevent a New War of Secession" (2004)

** as usual I don't say "reelected", since W was handed the job by Jeb in 2000 (btw Florida's likely to play a key role this year as well).

*** as pathetic as expected  ("Jeb? A World Leader? Not kidding anyone anymore")

**** Jean-Marie Le Pen was bound to support Trump, they look and think like twins (see "Trump Parliament")

Happy New Year 2017

It's that time of the year, and for the 16th time*, I have no choice but to wish you a happy next year, considering what's going to happen in 2016:

January 2016: 

China devaluates its smog index; the new level for red alerts is now 10,000 PM2.5.

February 2016 : 

After losing the Iowa caucus to Ted Cruz, Donald Trump runs as an independent for the Presidency of FIFA.

March 2016: 

Three tie for first place at the World Drone Championships, all of them ISIS pilots.

April 2016: 

The Great Internet Blackout: Fidel Castro, the Dalai Lama, Robert Mugabe, David Attenborough, Ian McKellen, and Justin Bieber pass away on April 1st, leading to a social network overload.

May 2016: 

Hillary finds her voice. To shout at Bill, found in bed with a Fox News intern.

June 2016: 

France wins the UEFA Euro 2016, Michel Platini allowed to watch the final from his Guantanamo cell.

July 2016: 

China reveals that the easiest way to fulfill its goal of +7% growth in GDP per capita in 2016 is to shrink its population to 650 million people by the end of the year.

August 2016: 

Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: Brazil's sailing teams dissolve in the polluted waters of Guanabara Bay.

September 2016: 

The flow of migrants from Syria has officially stopped since Syria officially ceased to exist.

October 2016: 

Wall Street collapses: Xiaomi buys Apple, Alibaba the New York Times, and Trump Tiananmen Square.

November 2016: 

Michael Bloomberg is elected the 45th President of the United States in a landlordslide.

December 2016: 

The Nobel Peace Prize goes to Martin Shkreli for preventing the advent of singularity by making Turing tests unaffordable.


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* see "Happy New Year 2010" (Jan 2009), "Happy New Year 2011" (Dec 2009), "Happy New Year 2012" (Dec 2010), "Happy New Year 2013" (Dec 2011), "Happy New Year 2014" (Dec 2012), "Happy New Year 2015" (Dec 2013), "Happy New Year 2016" (Dec 2014)... and in French: "Bonne Année 2009" (Jan 2008), "Bonne Année 2010" (Dec 2008), "Bonne Année 2011" (Dec 2009), "Bonne Année 2012" (Dec 2010), "Bonne Année 2013" (Dec 2011), "Bonne Année 2014" (Dec 2012), "Bonne Année 2015" (Dec 2013), "Bonne Année 2016" (Dec 2014), "Bonne année 2017" (Dec 2015).

SHCOMP!

I knew it! SHCOMP or NASDAQ are not stock exchange index symbols, but onomatopoeia invented by the late Don Martin:

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