That's adorable that you think the midterms are going to help. Dems are likely going to lose the Senate seats in West Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Montana, and probably at least one of Ohio/Florida/Pennsylvania too. I wouldn't be surprised if the GOP ends up with 60+ seats and a filibuster proof majority. (Assuming the filibuster survives that long).

And the House isn't going to change either. Incumbent reelection rate in this "angry" cycle? 97%.

If you want change, move to a rust belt state and try to influence people without being a dick about it. Hint: don't call them racist misogynists or use the term 'privilege' or 'intersectionality.'

Anyone who writes this many words should know that a column or an op-ed is NOT an editorial.

President Racist

@1 it is an absolute plain fact that Trump was a candidate many racists and misogynists were very excited about. You cannot try to disallow discussion of that fact because some non-racist non-misogynist but otherwise fucking stupid people also voted for him and might get their moron feelings hurt.

What does it even mean to give Trump a chance? Who is Kristoff addressing?

Trump's administration is going to be mostly like the administration of any other republican. But with an extra thick layer of malice, incompetence and cronyism slathered on top. The speed with which this supposed outsider is transforming into a generic Republican astonishes even me - and I was expecting him to do this all along. And not just any establish republican but the seediest sort of Bush-era establishment republican. Jamie Diamon for Treasury? John Bolton for State? Newt Gingrich? A guy driven from politics in disgrace 20 years ago? wtf, man.

@1 You call somebody adorable and then admonish them for condescension. Be careful or you'll be sucked into a vortex of irony. Spot on with the predictions for 2018, though. If I was going to bet money today, that's how I'd bet too. But there are two years worth of events between now and then.

Haha, these responses are making my case better than I ever could. Enjoy the next two decades of conservative dominance while the world's on fire, the callout culture is really working!

PS: Trump won white women, and improved on Mitt's performance with African Americans, and even with Latinos/Latinas. Are 1/3 of Latinos racist morons?

I should note that obviously Trump is a clown and a terrible person. I didn't vote for him. My anger is directed at the party apparatus who cleared the field for possibly the most inappropriate candidate for a change election and shouted down the 'Berniebros' as misogynist for pointing out the obvious. Well, now we all get to see actual misogyny in action!

@7 I'm inclined to agree that the immediate future does not look good. Watch out for that hubris there though Mr. SuperDeplorable.

One thing that never changes in this godforsaken land is the endless list of grievances of the old white jackass, and his 'throw the bums out' mentality. Also, your people are old, and angry, which probably means they all have high blood pressure and are not long for this world. Word is the first order of business of the cockroaches that represent you is to take away health insurance from 20 million people. I'd say that might not go over so well. Could well find yourselves the victim of your own success, sooner rather than later. Reality is a bitch.

Get over it. Dwelling and pouting is negative energy.

Your average Democrat in Congress is a spineless puddle on a good day. It takes a massive grassroots revolt just to get Democratic pols to vote Democratic. I don't even know what amount of pressure it will take to get any of our weak ass elected Democrats to seriously obstruct this psychotic agenda. More than we've ever seen before.

Trust me. Our elected Democrats will give Asshole a chance. Our job is to stop them from giving them a handjob and a kiss with it. We go our work cut out for us.

@8, do you really believe that people would have voted for an old Jewish Socialist who's been part of government for 40 years instead of their hero Trump? Yeah, sure.

Leonard Cohen died today. I could not possibly hate 2016 more at this point.

I'm with you. Fuck this shit. I'm sick and tired of Democrats meeting the Republicans half way -- giving them a chance -- and then getting stabbed in the back. It happens over and over. Fuck that. Stop being pussies, Democrats. Play their game. Drag your feet, put sand in the gears, and when bad things happen, blame them. It won't be hard, because -- guess what -- it will be their fault. If the economy goes through a bad patch (which could happen to anyone) it doesn't matter, blame the Republicans. Because (obviously) it wouldn't be so bad if the Republicans hadn't fucked things up for so fucking long. If Democrats -- or just reasonable Republicans -- had been in charge in the last 30 years, a financial downfall wouldn't be so devastating. But now, if we hit a rough patch, point the finger and tell everyone to stop believing them.

When 9-11 happened, we didn't blame it on Bush. Even years later, when we could point out that it was a Republican President that fucked up and failed to keep us safe, we didn't want to upset their feelings. When the greatest financial crisis in a generation occurred, we did the same. Big mistake. We should have just let the banks fail and blamed it on Bush. Yes, it would have cost us a bundle (probably more than it did to rescue them) and unemployment would have been higher (for a while). But passbook savings would have been secure (because Democrats) and folks still would have gotten their Social Security check (because Democrats). Oh, and when people starting pointing blame and saying it was Clinton's fault for repealing Glass-Steagall, we should have said "Hell Yes! We fucked up. We trusted you Republicans, and met you half way. Never again."

@12: I think the point is that with how close the margins were in key swing states, a Democrat who was able to come closer to Obama's turnout numbers would have beaten Trump.

Turnout from Democrats was way down across the board. They were not excited or inspired by Hillary Clinton.

@8 -- It wasn't the "party apparatus" that nominated Hillary Clinton, it was the people of the Democratic Party. She got more votes -- way more votes -- than Bernie did. If anything, it was the "apparatus" that helped Sanders. In a more democratic primary -- say, mail in ballot primary elections with every state -- she would have won in a landslide. Sanders did better in the less Democratic primaries (such as the one in this state) where it was more difficult to vote. In short, rightly or wrongly, the people of the Democratic Party wanted her.

Keep in mind that it was almost exactly the same apparatus for the election eight years ago. Yet somehow a less experienced Obama was able to overcome the party endorsements of Clinton, and win the nomination. You may be right -- Sanders may have been a better candidate. But it is pretty hard to see that he would have been a great candidate when he couldn't even get most of the votes in his own party.

I'll give you a chance Bobby Roberts. A chance to accept reality and not retreat into your "safe space", free of hurty words and fee fees. Luckily we don't need to invade Normandy again with this generation.

@15 -- Why do you assume they would have been more inspired to vote for Sanders when he didn't even inspire enough voters to win the primary?

Obama was a once a generation political talent, and comparing Bernie to him is unfair. That said, you'd better believe that every state party apparatus was busy telling their flocks that Hillary was the "safe choice", and of course she ran up her delegate counts in blood red states a dem would never ever carry in in the general, but point this out and you're told to check your privilege. Well, the laugh's on the scolds, a few more points in the rural rust belt counties Bernie thumped Hillary in and we'd have a D president. Oh well.

Not only should the dems NOT give Trump a chance, they should do to him exactly what the repubs did to Obama for 8 years.

Block everything they can. If they pass anything, vote to repeal it, endlessly. When he gives the State of the Union addresses, boo loudly and yell "Liar!" at him. Be disrespectful. Be mean. Blame him for everything, regardless of whether he's responsible for it or not.

After all, that's what republicans did, and they just won big time.

No quarter asked and no quarter given.

To win the Democrats needed young voters to turn out in the upper Midwest like they did for Obama, and they needed African Americans to turnout in North Carolina and Florida, like they did for Obama. Young voters went for Bernie 80/20, African Americans went for Hillary 80/20.

The real problem is that for the last 6-10 million voters necessary for the Democrats to compete with the Republicans they aren't actually committed to a progressive ideological project. They won't show up just to move the ball towards a more equitable and just society. For those last 6-10 million voters, they need a cult of personality to follow.

Until the Democratic party is faceless, until we accept generic liberal because generic liberal will move this country, or this state, or this city toward a more equitable society, even if it's not by very much. We will lose.

Because the conservatives, they show up. They show up because the candidate is conservative. They show up because the candidate moves the ball a little bit more to the right. Conservatives may bitch and moan and tear their party apart when the country doesn't move far enough fast enough, but even then, on election day they show. Until Liberals and Democrats show up like that, we will lose in the Congress, in the States, and in the Counties. Because Democrats and Liberals follow a personality cult and not an ideological project, Trump is President, and the Republicans control the Supreme Court.

Hillary Clinton just lost the election to someone that got fewer votes than Mitt Romney. This isn't on her, this isn't on the Democratic establishment, this isn't on Bernie Sanders. This is on the so called liberals that are out there looking for the next cult of personality to follow and don't really care about moving the ball toward a more just society.

21: Correct. Here's a 'fun' fact: since the Affordable Care Act passed, Dems have, on net, lost:

12 Senators

65 House

11 Govs

900+ state legislators

12 states to 1 party control
&

The Presidency

Last time I checked, no one asked you to give your opinion on anything.

Trump can take a flying frack.

And everyone needs to run for every elected office in 2018. You can't wait this out. We tried that with Reagan and Bush. Don't give up a decade to Trump.

Give someone a chance who has filed for bankruptcy and won't disclose his taxes? Fuuuuuuck no.

Largely agree with the sentiments though I lost the argument's threads here and there. The writing in The Stranger is too fast and loose but at least no ALL CAPS in this one LINDY WEST. Dating myself, I realize she's moved on...

@20, 21: Word.

Sharing a petition on change.org to request that the Electoral College Vote for Hillary Clinton on December 19th: https://www.change.org/p/electoral-colle…

Though some of you may despise the Electoral College, it is here for precisely this reason: To exercise the will of the popular vote and protect the public at large in an extreme circumstance. This is an extreme circumstance. We must protect ourselves from this racist, xenophobic, fear-mongering, misogynistic, climate change denier, con artist who will drain us of every dollar and undo all the progress we have made over the last 8 years. Please act now by signing and passing the petition along. Thank you and much love.

@18: I did not mention Sanders. But someone without negative favorability ratings may have helped.

Interesting: everyone was so worried that Trump and his supporters would go ape shit if they didn't accept the result of the election when maybe they should have asked Hillary and her supporters if they would?

Exactly, the Stranger. We know exactly who he is. What's more surprising and deeply disturbing is that this country is more ignorant, privileged, and racist than even I knew.

@15 because polls showed Sanders winning over Trump by double digits and most reasonable candidates should have been able to beat Trump and the disastrous campaign he ran.

More like the country does not want the status quo. Racism is not the whole story.

As we said elsewhere,

we had so hoped this election would provide a Teachable Moment for The Left
but they seem to be shitting away the opportunity.

Michael Moore was on Morning Joe.
Michael, you recall, called Michigan weeks before the fact.
He talked about how disillusioned, disappointed and disgusted Democrats there were with Obama/Hillary.
He told about Obama's trip to Flint, where he drank some of the water; he said the residents felt patronized.
He talked about the Flint question in the debate, how initially the questioner felt heard but after the story about Donna giving the question to Hillary etc the questioner just felt used.

Moore shared something fascinating;
Trump won Michigan by 11,000 votes,
according to Moore there were 90,000 ballots
in which the voter voted for all the local and state races and initiatives,
but left the President blank.

Ninety Thousand.

Hillary got 10 MILLION fewer votes than Obama did 8 years ago.

Trump is not your problem.
Rural folk did not steal your rigged election.

The Left is despised.

Your arrogant smug condescension drove 13% of black men,
29% of Hispanics
to vote for Donald Fucking Trump…..

Look into a mirror.
You have met the enemy and he is YOU.

Protest THAT, you clueless ignorant simps.

@36 Trump won because of 26% of registered voters. The other 70% were not interested in Trump's specific bullshit or the bullshit of the entire arrangement. There is no majority representation behind this joke of a president elect.

@36 "Trump is not your problem."

yes he is. He's the president.

I'm with Harry Reid.
"If this is going to be a time of healing, we must first put the responsibility for healing where it belongs: at the feet of Donald Trump, a sexual predator who lost the popular vote and fueled his campaign with bigotry and hate," Reid said in a long statement.
"Winning the electoral college does not absolve Trump of the grave sins he committed against millions of Americans. Donald Trump may not possess the capacity to assuage those fears, but he owes it to this nation to try."

"If Trump wants to roll back the tide of hate he unleashed, he has a tremendous amount of work to do and he must begin immediately."

I'm hoping Obama doesn't acquiese into the conciliatory role... let Trump deal with what Trump dealt.

In The Guardian...

Robert Reich: Democrats once represented the working c…

Thomas Frank: Donald Trump is moving to the White Hous…

Frank: She was the Democratic candidate because it was her turn and because a Clinton victory would have moved every Democrat in Washington up a notch. Whether or not she would win was always a secondary matter, something that was taken for granted. Had winning been the party’s number one concern, several more suitable candidates were ready to go. There was Joe Biden, with his powerful plainspoken style, and there was Bernie Sanders, an inspiring and largely scandal-free figure. Each of them would probably have beaten Trump, but neither of them would really have served the interests of the party insiders.

And so Democratic leaders made Hillary their candidate even though they knew about her closeness to the banks, her fondness for war, and her unique vulnerability on the trade issue – each of which Trump exploited to the fullest. They chose Hillary even though they knew about her private email server. They chose her even though some of those who studied the Clinton Foundation suspected it was a sketchy proposition.

To try to put over such a nominee while screaming that the Republican is a rightwing monster is to court disbelief. If Trump is a fascist, as liberals often said, Democrats should have put in their strongest player to stop him, not a party hack they’d chosen because it was her turn. Choosing her indicated either that Democrats didn’t mean what they said about Trump’s riskiness, that their opportunism took precedence over the country’s well-being, or maybe both.

His Nibs.

"I trust that for the first two years of his term he and our Congress will essentially regard us not as constituents, but currency. They will spend us. He will come for our most vulnerable, and they will let him, so long as they are assured his signature on whatever bill they want passed in return."
***************************

Lots of journalists making lots of predictions in the last couple of days. I'd prefer the press stick to telling me what is actually **happening** instead of these wordy predictions from an armchair Nostradamus. I invite all journalists that want to take the "crystal ball" tactic in their careers to add, to each article, a cumulative score that includes all prior predictions made and the percentage of accuracy the have achieved.

If you are going to make a career as a journalist/prophet, the least you could do for your readers is be up front about how good you actually are at making such predictions.

How about it Bobby? Care to give us a resume of your prior predictions for the US, and let us know how many came out right? To say you "trust" that you know the minds of each member of Congress is a pretty amazing claim. In fact, with such an amazing ability to tell the future, are you not wasting it writing for The Stranger?

It's frustrating seeing so many liberals who thought they were going to glide to victory with clinton, basically just pussy out the minute we lose an election.

When Republicans lose, they don't just roll over. You know what, of all the things they are wrong about, they aren't wrong about that. They got their guy in they White House because they fought hard for it for 8 years, until they succeeded.

We don't need to make nice. If this election proves anything, it's not that the Republican party has a lot of popular support. Their candidate was behind the entire election, and just barely won through timing and luck.

Seriously, they lost the popular vote and they lost seats in congress DURING A YEAR THEY WON THE PRESIDENCY. 2018 will be a bloodbath for them if we play this right.

"If you are 21 and not a liberal, you have no heart. If you are 41 and a liberal, you have no brain." Winston Churchill

Nikolas Krystof, you are an idiot. Trump will NEVER be my President. Ever.
Let the revolution begin.

wow.. i need a safe space.. i need a trophy even though i lost.. i need something given to me by the government.. i need a criminal as president who has a pedophile husband..you morons are just making my day.. I have a spring in my step like i haven't had in 8 years.. seeing the hang dog looks and the bags under the eyes from crying.. you just make my day.. the best part is.. it's going to be this way for years to come now that the working class has finally said fuck off to those in california and new york and seattle that think they are soon much smarter.. i would console you a bit more, but it's just too much fun to watch all of you miserable fucks wallow in your self pity.. Go Hawks.

@21 Do you think she cares about moving the ball forward?: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/c…

Did you give Bernie Sanders - who actually won the Demoncrap primaries ( despite the BlaKKKout from the Hellary's Fartners in Krime at the Ass Media) - a fucking chance? How about Jill Stein? She was on enough state ballots to theoretically win over four-HUNDRED Electoral-College votes. --- http://www.gp.org & https://www.politicalcompass.org/test & http://jampac.us/dnclawsuit & https://www.wikileaks.org

Agree 100 percent. There is no cooperation possible with Trump. A leopard does not change its spots. People who think he "might" be different are either hopelessly naive or they are delusional and can't face reality. Get off your asses. The work has now started. The election was not the end. This is the beginning.

@44: Churchill never said anything of the sort. And he in fact was a conservative in his youth and a liberal later in life.

The only way anything will change is if Dems start getting elected widely in state elections. Governors and legislatures control the gerrymandering. Get working on the local scenes and put strong candidates up against the Rs. No placeholders or re-runs that voters have rejected before.

@30: Thank you. I just did.

@46: Your long-winded rant makes you sound just as crazy as DJT and those rabidly supporting him. Do you honestly think DJT's going to deliver to all those seeking his vision of change? Okay. We'll find out soon.

@55: It wouldn't surprise me though if the pending DJT Presidency leaves you butt-hurt, effective immediately like everyone else he's about to rear-end doggystyle.

@56 is intended for @46.

#12: "do you really believe that people would have voted for an old Jewish Socialist who's been part of government for 40 years instead of their hero Trump? "

Yeah, and people would never vote for a Catholic president, and they DEFINITELY wouldn't vote for a black man, right?

The voting percentage of 18-30 year olds in 2008 was over twice as high as it was last week. Bernie had incredible support from young people, rural whites, and independents (the same groups which were noticeably absent from HRC's column this year). In fact, he would have easily won the primaries if they were all open to non-Democrats.

By the way, red-baiting only works on those who would've voted for trump anyway .

so far, he is easing off on immigration and the Iran deal and ACA...but still full bore anti-abortion. Figures. He doesn't care about women.

@20, There is almost no chance that the Senate will not eliminate or severely restrict the filibuster and, in the long term, that's a good thing. In the short term, it means that Democrats cannot obstruct anything for the next two years. I also think there is a small, but real, risk that it won't matter how badly Trump screws up the country or how many people want to throw the Republican's out of office. Scalia will be replaced with another rubber stamp Republican justice and, if any of the liberal justices or Kennedy dies, who knows whether we'll have any voting rights or free press by that time.

I expect that we'll probably avoid going the Venezuela route and be allowed somewhat free election, but I don't take it for granted. If we are, the party with the presidency usually loses seats in Congress during midterm elections. I'm sure the Trump Kleptocracy/presidency won't be any different.

The problem is that the Democrats have many more seats to defend in the Senate and gerrymandering makes changes in the House extremely slow. If Trump gets to appoint 2 or 3 justices, we may face a real risk of degenerating into a one-party state.

@21, You speak of " the last 6-10 million voters necessary for the Democrats to compete with the Republicans," which makes me wonder, are you aware that Hillary Clinton actually got more votes than her opponent? Have you heard that Democratic candidates for the Senate received about 5 million more votes than Republican candidates, despite the fact that Republicans were incumbents in more than twice as many seats?

Getting most of the votes isn't usually thought of as being unable to compete.

Full disclosure: Republican candidates did receive more votes for the House of Representatives.

Robby Roberson,

This is well-said, but I feel the need to watch about an hour of kitten and laughing-baby videos to restore my spirits.

@18- The general election was determined by independents. Being more popular among the Democratic primary voters isn't a good predictor of performance in a general, and Democratic primary voters really should pay attention to that in the future.

@44- "If you use a Winston Churchill quote referring to UK political parties without understand the context (or capitalizing the party names) then you don't understand what you're doing." - Wayne Gretzky.