US President 2016 - the Great Horse Race

[Angra Mainyu]

I've never met an American who couldn't speak Spanish.[/B] I'm not saying there aren't any. I just haven't met any.

According to a Wikipedia article ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language_in_the_United_States ), based on data from Instituto Cervantes, about 45 million Americans can speak Spanish, but according to another article ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States#Population ), based on data from the American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, it's 35,437,985, a 12% of the population.

At any rate, the vast majority of Americans can't speak Spanish.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

All three are now in Republican hands. Should prove an interesting couple of years at least.

May you live in interesting times.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Or English, which is the language they speak. Swedes already know English. I've never met an American who couldn't speak Spanish. I'm not saying there aren't any. I just haven't met any.

Selection bias from too small a sample size.

The overwhelming majority of people in the US understand no Spanish. Of course immigrants from Spanish speaking countries, people in areas close to the Mexican border, and people in Hispanic areas in major cities will have a higher percentage of those who understand Spanish.

Then what's the problem? Countries don't have languages. People do. All they need to know is enough of a language to get a job. And chances are pretty good that enough of the American economy is Spanish speaking for this to not be a problem.

 

[Terrell]

All three are now in Republican hands. Should prove an interesting couple of years at least.

May you live in interesting times.

Yeah, isn't that a Chinese curse?

 

[Jayjay]

May you live in interesting times.

Yeah, isn't that a Chinese curse?

It's as Chinese as the fortune cookie.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Now some are discussing Calexit as a response to Trump being elected.

Of course 8 years ago anyone discussing Texit was derided as a sore looser and an uninformed idiot, but this is entirely different.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

All three are now in Republican hands. Should prove an interesting couple of years at least.

Yeah, last time that happened, 3000 died and we invaded Afghanistan, but they cut our taxes.

 

[skepticalbip]

Now some are discussing Calexit as a response to Trump being elected.

Of course 8 years ago anyone discussing Texit was derided as a sore looser and an uninformed idiot, but this is entirely different.

Any leftists who do not live in California and think that this is great (and there are many) are sadly lacking in political awareness. California leaving would mean that the US House, Senate, courts, and President would be under control of Republicans for the foreseeable future. Thinking that they could move to California to live in the new utopia wouldn't work either because it would be many decades before the California economy growth would be capable of supporting the half of the US population trying to squeeze in there, that is if their economy grew rather than collapsed under the massive additional burden.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

May you live in interesting times.

Yeah, isn't that a Chinese curse?

That was the point. Interesting times often aren't good times.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Now some are discussing Calexit as a response to Trump being elected.

Of course 8 years ago anyone discussing Texit was derided as a sore looser and an uninformed idiot, but this is entirely different.

Any leftists who do not live in California and think that this is great (and there are many) are sadly lacking in political awareness. California leaving would mean that the US House, Senate, courts, and President would be under control of Republicans for the foreseeable future. Thinking that they could move to California to live in the new utopia wouldn't work either because it would be many decades before the California economy growth would be capable of supporting the half of the US population trying to squeeze in there, that is if their economy grew rather than collapsed under the massive additional burden.

Yes, the displacements would be fascinating. However, if CA left, isn't there a distinct possibility that New York and other hard-blue states would say "fuck, I'm stuck in a permanent red country, I'm getting out too"?

 

[angelo]

I always thought that people agree with democracy at all times. The will of the majority. It appears that many only agree with that sentiment when their man or party wins but feel hard done by when the other guy/party wins! Witness some riots by hard left leaning ratbags!

 

[bilby]

I always thought that people agree with democracy at all times. The will of the majority. It appears that many only agree with that sentiment when their man or party wins but feel hard done by when the other guy/party wins! Witness some riots by hard left leaning ratbags!

If you think democracy is to be agreed with at all times, then you are a fool.

Democracy is one way to make decisions. It's usually not the best way; but it can be better than the alternatives for certain types of questions that are not on matters of fact, but instead are legitimately matters of opinion.

Not all (or even most) opinions are legitimate. No matter how many people agree that 2+2=5, they remain wrong, and shouldn't be listened to.

If 47.7% of voters, (or even 97.7% of voters) think that a lunatic should be made president, then they remain wrong - it is an objectively bad idea to give a lunatic access to nuclear weapons.

Of course, lots of people prefer not to think very much; and for those people, easy and thoughtless slogans like 'It's the will of the people so it must be right', are an appealing alternative to the effort of considering what they are actually saying.

The will of the people is important. But it's not the only important thing, and pretending that it is is very stupid and dangerous.

 

[angelo]

Of course even 99.9% of people are wrong if they don't happen to agree with you!

 

[ksen]

Now some are discussing Calexit as a response to Trump being elected.

Of course 8 years ago anyone discussing Texit was derided as a sore looser and an uninformed idiot, but this is entirely different.

Any leftists who do not live in California and think that this is great (and there are many) are sadly lacking in political awareness. California leaving would mean that the US House, Senate, courts, and President would be under control of Republicans for the foreseeable future. Thinking that they could move to California to live in the new utopia wouldn't work either because it would be many decades before the California economy growth would be capable of supporting the half of the US population trying to squeeze in there, that is if their economy grew rather than collapsed under the massive additional burden.

They could always build a wall.

 

[bleubird]

delete

 

[bilby]

Of course even 99.9% of people are wrong if they don't happen to agree with you!

Not at all. But they are wrong if they don't agree with reality.

Being popular has no bearing on the truth value of a claim; and 'This person is capable of performing the duties of president' is a claim.

 

[Shadowy Man]

Any leftists who do not live in California and think that this is great (and there are many) are sadly lacking in political awareness. California leaving would mean that the US House, Senate, courts, and President would be under control of Republicans for the foreseeable future. Thinking that they could move to California to live in the new utopia wouldn't work either because it would be many decades before the California economy growth would be capable of supporting the half of the US population trying to squeeze in there, that is if their economy grew rather than collapsed under the massive additional burden.

They could always build a wall.

Or block all the roads across the Sierra Nevada.

 

[skepticalbip]

Any leftists who do not live in California and think that this is great (and there are many) are sadly lacking in political awareness. California leaving would mean that the US House, Senate, courts, and President would be under control of Republicans for the foreseeable future. Thinking that they could move to California to live in the new utopia wouldn't work either because it would be many decades before the California economy growth would be capable of supporting the half of the US population trying to squeeze in there, that is if their economy grew rather than collapsed under the massive additional burden.

They could always build a wall.

Therein lies the dilemma. One of the big reasons for California considering secession is that Trump wants tighter controls on emigration but for the secession to be viable they would have to enforce tight emigration controls.

I do appreciate your pointing out the irony. I love irony.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I always thought that people agree with democracy at all times. The will of the majority. It appears that many only agree with that sentiment when their man or party wins but feel hard done by when the other guy/party wins! Witness some riots by hard left leaning ratbags!

Clinton did win the majority. A lot of liberals are upset because the fascist campaign won.

They'd been upset with Clinton winning too, but wouldn't be worried about the unknown and likely anti-American Presidency that will come with assholes like Steve Bannon in the White House.

 

[skepticalbip]

I always thought that people agree with democracy at all times. The will of the majority. It appears that many only agree with that sentiment when their man or party wins but feel hard done by when the other guy/party wins! Witness some riots by hard left leaning ratbags!

Clinton did win the majority. A lot of liberals are upset because the fascist campaign won.

No she didn't. She won a plurality of the minority of citizens who voted. No one got over 50% of even those who did vote.