I think this election jolted or even shocked most people. It had an effect on me too even though I'm not a citizen. It made me rethink that part. I have lived here for a long time, but never felt I needed to become a citizen. I have assimilated and my family and kids are all 100% Americans. I just never felt like an American myself. I always felt like a Swede living in the US. After this election, I took a hard look at myself and I realized that if I still lived in Sweden, the US is still the country I would dream to move to. Therefore, this election convinced me that it's time for me to become an American.

I'm just wondering, Bogey, if you nitpick every statement by Obama or Hillary.

Quoted from leitskev I'm just wondering, Bogey, if you nitpick every statement by Obama or Hillary.

If you're referring to my pointing out the Trump racist comments, his years of stating that a sitting U.S. President was a foreign born operative and a terrorist supporter, his dangerous comments that lauded the leadership qualities of anti-American dictators like Putin and Assad, his unconstitutional stance on stop and frisk, and his campaign banana Republic rhetoric of jailing a current political opponent, then no, I haven't "nitpicked" Obama or Clinton for the obvious reason that they've never said anything approaching those things.

Pia, your post from yesterday about becoming an American citizen made me very happy and proud.  

Cathy

I tell you what, Trump may be a bit more intelligent then some people think. He's just settled a fraud lawsuit for $25 million, a case he said he'd never settle, and what is everyone talking about? The Tweet he posted complaining about the cast of Hamilton 'harassing' Pence and demanding they apologies. Notice he doesn't mention the audience booing him.

He's successfully distracted everyone from something extremely serious and damming towards something petty. Clever stuff!

Quoted from c m hall Pia, your post from yesterday about becoming an American citizen made me very happy and proud.

Cathy, this election made me realize that I'm more American than I thought. I love this country and there's no other country I would want to move to. Although, a house in St. Thomas would be nice in the winter.  

Does this country have problems? Of course. Show me a country that doesn't.

Bogey, nitpicking the lawsuit settlement is what I was talking about.

Quoted from leitskev Bogey, nitpicking the lawsuit settlement is what I was talking about.

Fair enough, but here's why I believe it's significant news and not a nitpick: Trump doesn't strike me as someone who parts with $25 million unless he stands to lose much more by not paying it. He likely believed he was going to lose that lawsuit, and was told as much by his lawyers.

Would the election have turned out differently had he settled it two weeks earlier? I don't know. Maybe not. But when a President-elect pays that kind of money to avoid a trial, the timing deserves scrutiny. It tells me that Trump himself thought the event would hurt him with voters, so he waited until after the election. And why, should anyone ask, did Trump care about a trial if he was already elected? Because the trial was scheduled for November 28th, and the electoral college meets on December 19th.

Now we'll never know what that trial would have revealed about Trump or whether it would have affected anything, which is exactly as he would have it.

From what I read, the Trump U thing is a true blot on his record. I don't mind it being reported on.

As for settling, that's just common sense. 25 million is nothing to him. Get it out of the way, move on, even if they think it was all BS.

Now, I will make a promise to you: as this administration proceeds, I will NOT do what liberals did with Obama. I promise it. I will not ignore lies, failures, and scandals. When the administration is caught in a lie, I will admit it and call them on it. The number of liberals in the country who did that with Obama can be squeezed into a family size SUV. And the lies were a constant feature for the whole 7 years. I hope I need not list any, I can rattle off a dozen whoppers off the top of my head.

Another example is the economy. If there is a recession in the first year or two, I will not blame Trump, we're overdue. But if it takes us two years to come out of it, and if we only have 1 or 2 percent growth after we do, yes, I will say his economic policy failed.

If our strategic situation in the world continues to deteriorate, and we remain on the brink of nuclear war as we now are, I will criticize that too.

If real employment remains a sham, as it is now, I will call Trump on it.

I am skeptical about most things Trump. But I'm certainly hoping for the best. And I will be honest about the results.

Nitpicking - to be excessively concerned with or critical of inconsequential details.

As George Takei just Tweeted - A fraud case of this magnitude would disqualify any normal candidate. Fraud means deception. It means injury. Our president elect is a CROOK.

This isn't nitpicking, this is extremely serious. People can call Trump out till they are blue in the face but he's in power now despite being a crook, he can and will do whatever he wants.

It's nice of people to allow Trump to have a recession for the first couple of years though, I bet he's glad he won't be accountable for that as the US is, apparently, due one. I never realised economic policy was so easy. Most leaders get blamed for whatever happens to whatever it is they are leading, be in their fault or not because they are in charge. The buck stops with them. They take credit and blame for everything that happens while they are running the show, it is part of the job.

I just feel like I've woken up in a TV show and the Fonz is jumping over a shark.

Quoted from MarkRenshaw I just feel like I've woken up in a TV show and the Fonz is jumping over a shark.

Sounds to me like you're still asleep. At least part of you is.

Being sued for fraud is the same as being guilty of it? Good grief.

Our economy is cyclical. Should you be voting if you don't know this?

A recession generally comes every 7 years. It's not usually created by short term policy.

Quoted from leitskev 25 million is nothing to him.

Maybe, maybe not. We don't know, because he wouldn't release his tax returns (which show bank account deposit balances and interest earned on those balances) because he's under a "routine audit". I've heard of IRS audits, but never a "routine audit". I thought one is audited because of something irregular, not routine. Does he have the cash on hand, or will he be borrowing it, and if so, from whom? Those are fair questions of a President-elect that just settled a class action fraud claim against him. He'll likely never provide answers, but the questions should be asked.

Quoted from leitskev From what I read, the Trump U thing is a true blot on his record. I don't mind it being reported on. As for settling, that's just common sense. 25 million is nothing to him. Get it out of the way, move on, even if they think it was all BS. Now, I will make a promise to you: as this administration proceeds, I will NOT do what liberals did with Obama. I promise it. I will not ignore lies, failures, and scandals. When the administration is caught in a lie, I will admit it and call them on it. The number of liberals in the country who did that with Obama can be squeezed into a family size SUV. And the lies were a constant feature for the whole 7 years. I hope I need not list any, I can rattle off a dozen whoppers off the top of my head. Another example is the economy. If there is a recession in the first year or two, I will not blame Trump, we're overdue. But if it takes us two years to come out of it, and if we only have 1 or 2 percent growth after we do, yes, I will say his economic policy failed. If our strategic situation in the world continues to deteriorate, and we remain on the brink of nuclear war as we now are, I will criticize that too. If real employment remains a sham, as it is now, I will call Trump on it. I am skeptical about most things Trump. But I'm certainly hoping for the best. And I will be honest about the results.

I know you are attempting high ground - but that is undermined when you include generalizations of "what liberals do." Much like conservatives, we come in all shapes and sizes. Liberals as a whole did not tolerate lies anymore than conservatives did as a whole under the Bush administration (and there was a cornucopia of lies there).

I do not disagree with Trump merely because he wears a conservative hat. I disagree with him because I have fundamental differences on policies. I think most people are like that. We didn't love Obama because he lied. When liked him because we supported marriage equality, the dream act, women's right to choose, etc. etc. I believe that intelligent well meaning people can hold opposite views and I would cast no aspersions on their character for having them.

Quoted from leitskev Sounds to me like you're still asleep. At least part of you is. Being sued for fraud is the same as being guilty of it? Good grief.

No but to quote a lawyer I know, "I have been representing victims in civil cases for 30 years. A $25 million settlement only happens when there is powerful evidence of guilt."

And this is just the very tip of the Trump iceberg.

Listen, if Trump turns out to do good and be a good force in the world then I'll gladly tip my hat and admit I'm wrong, but I think he's going to be a horror and a lot of innocent people will suffer terribly.

Quoted from Bogey Trump Tweets are not a legitimate source of news.

The mainstream news is not a legitimate source of news. The networks have tainted it from the very top brass on down. Evident by decades of drive-by manipulation and internal campaigning. And, of course, every day that lead up to election 2016 and the utter mega-failings of analysis and polling data manipulations.

Or are there some who still fail to recognize this even after the last few weeks?

Wake up, stop shoveling failed liberal hypocrisy to the malleable youth, stop trying to bring down the greatest country on the face of the Earth that champions liberty, freedom and rule of law. Stop insisting that Government can solve all our problems (it can't) and stop listening to socialist, communist, billionaire hacks who now use their fortunes for globalist/nationalist self destruction and national suicide all in the name of power and money grabbing.

In all corners of the world you can find a shit hole tyrannical nation to live and suffer in. Have fun under some other human being's rule of law. I'm sure you'll prosper really well there. Let me know how you do.