"...there’s something profoundly evil about the Trump campaign at this point..." - Nate Silver

[Snarkoleptic]

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/emergency-elections-podcast-what-a-week/?ex_cid=2016-forecast

full quote-

Nate Silver: One theme of this election in general is that it might advance a lot of conversations but it also proves how far society has to go. And that’s putting it politely. I’m not sure what words to use, but there’s something profoundly evil about the Trump campaign at this point, and the people he attracts to it. And I think that’s the right word to use.

[gademocrat7]

1. Pure evil.

trump and his followers are beyond redemption.

[GWC58]

23. And you better believe

tRump will say some disparaging things, regarding this, about Nate Silver. You can bank it!!😡😡

[Bernardo de La Paz]

36. Nope.

Not pure evil. "Profound evil" as Nate Silver says. Which is a bad enough problem. A very bad problem.

Donald J. tRump is too stupid to be pure evil. He is running a very amateur campaign. He's not a very good business person.

Dick Cheney is much smarter. He was (is) much closer to pure evil.

Hair DrumpFührer and the Republicans need to be crushed up and down the ticket. [font size="+1"]If they aren't, there will be room for a Trump 2.0; a smarter even more evil version.[/font]

tRump's followers, even the deplorables, are mostly redeemable, over time and with some care and enlightenment. Unfortunately there are two awful factors: 1) Most of the redeemables will never get time, cares, or enlightenment. 2) There are millions of deplorables who are really far gone, really set and etched in their ways, channelized and rutted and ossified in their thinking.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

44. ^. n/t

[exboyfil]

51. Got one for you

Tom Cotton.

I think he can pick up the Trump base and run with it. War hero, Senate experience, Harvard education, passes abortion and immigration test, family farmer, etc.


http://ijr.com/2016/10/711491-tom-cotton-stands-by-trump-explaining-why-hillarys-character-is-in-no-great-shape-either/

[nikto]

60. Well said

[tblue37]

2. Another appropriate word would be "deplorable.". nt

[groundloop]

17. EXACTLY - Sometimes the truth hurts.

Maybe, just maybe, Hillary could have worded her statement a little bit better, but her meaning was right on the money - many of the trump supporters are assholes.

[Hortensis]

20. Deplorable was for some followers before. Evil for

what the Trump campaign, including Trump, and the passionate followers are doing--Nate Silver has it right. Depraved. Profoundly evil.

Btw, Steve Bannon, speaking of a revenge smear campaign against Bill Clinton, promised, "We're going to turn him into Bill Cosby." They're going to try to restyle in the public mind a man who genuinely likes women--and whose accusers have all been discredited and/or disproven (and profited nevertheless)--as a vicious serial rapist. Evil.

Cute pretty Perky is one of the faces of evil. Like the others, she's been a vicious H predator for a very long time.

[catbyte]

26. Her husband certainly has.

[Hortensis]

28. Oh, yes. I just showed her because she has

such a "nice" face and is actually such a terrible person.

[catbyte]

29. I have no doubt that it's been a "family activity" for some time now.

[pangaia]

31. I find nothing nice about her face. It's just a face.

Yellow. that's another story. That is downright blechk...

[awoke_in_2003]

43. How ironic....

that they compare Bill Clinton to Bill Cosby, and don't recognize that tRump is the one that compares. Like Cosby, so far all we have is what the victims have said, and he has not been found guilty (yet) in a court of law. However, probably because Cosby is black, they automatically assume that he is guilty, and that the accusers are all telling the truth. Conversely, tRump is innocent, and all his accusers are lying. Irony is dead in this country.

[Safe as Milk]

63. She has "gravitas" with the cable news shows.

Or so it appears. Tweety wants to go on a long boat ride with Conway. He thinks she's just swell. I can't figure it out. Conway's a professional liar. Why mince words when everything else isn't as accurate? She's very good at reframing and spreading lipstick on a pig. If she had a kid who turned into a serial killer, Conway would go on a promotion tour for the kid to get sainthood.

[Hortensis]

82. Yes. She's been a pollster specializing in telling right-wing

troglodytes and locusts how to sell their agenda to women. Although she's always been right in the middle of the industry specializing in preying on the Clintons, she's managed to build a acceptably respectable reputation with this line of work. Although Perky's husband was once a Judicial Watch swiftboater and otherwise up to his eyebrows in covert dirty work against the Clintons a couple decades ago, my googling didn't show he's been overtly involved for some time.

All of which is to say that, like Pat Buchanan for a long while, she has a thin veneer of respectability that has allowed her to appear on cable and upper echelon pols to be seen in public with her. Very unlike people like Bannon and Bossie.

[calimary]

85. My husband calls her Jodyanne Jerkmeoff.

[Hortensis]

86. Lol. Lot of truth to that, too. But she's being

extremely well paid, by Trump (if he is paying for her services) and by a genuine billionaire who helped put the whole raging-bigot trumpster package together.

[BSdetect]

3. Despicable would do

Perhaps detestable?

[Hortensis]

22. Nate Silver didn't use the term "profoundly evil"

lightly. (Btw, wow!) These people are well known for years of vicious behaviors. This is not a case of misinterpreting their intentions.

[riversedge]

4. For a while it seemed like the violence at Trump rally's was down but last few weeks, he has

instilled more Hate-literally with is violent talk about Hillary. Trump incites violences.



Daniel Dale ‏@ddale8 2h2 hours ago

Reporters covering Trump rallies now feel compelled to hide their professional identities as they leave the room: http://wpo.st/M6J62








Daniel Dale Verified account
‏@ddale8

Truly frightening report from Trump rally in Cincinnati: supporters call for Clinton's death, say stuff like this. http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2016/10/15/donald-trump-warnings-conspiracy-rig-election-are-stoking-anger-among-his-followers/LcCY6e0QOcfH8VdeK9UdsM/story.html?event=event25 …

[lonestarnot]

8. Proceed at your own risk you stupid motherfuckers.

[Hortensis]

24. Makes me wish I WAS one of their targets.

How DARE they!

[Nay]

40. Where are hatpins when you need them? And a little something nasty to paint onto the

pointed end?

[avebury]

25. Did the MSM really think that things

would improve for them if tRump actually made it to the White House? They have to take some of the blame for the dangerous position that they have put their employees in.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

37. I'm sure that "making them a little bit nervous" is illegal at a voting location. . . . nt

[BumRushDaShow]

41. "People who can't speak American"

The only 3 "ethnic groups" that his tiny mind now knows thanks to Drumpf are "American", "Mexican", and "Syrian". And he probably couldn't find any one of these countries on a map.

[Neema]

55. You're wrong.

I'm sure the waste of breath also knows "n*****s" and thinks they can't speak "American" either.

[BumRushDaShow]

57. But "n*****s" aren't considered "people"

or even citizens according to his supporters, so don't count.

[vlyons]

77. No loitering allowed at the polls

Once someone has voted, he is expected to leave the premises. Loitering, standing behind people will get him arrested.

[Raster]

5. I would say "profoundly evil" just about covers it.

Hyperbolic, apocalyptic cliches are so cliche, HOWEVER we truly are at a unbelievably consequential juncture for humankind. We are actually having a national referendum on whether or not we want to elect Randall Flagg as POTUS. Light side or dark side. Make your choice. WE WILL ALL LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES FOR DECADES TO COME.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

47. ^. n/t

[saltpoint]

6. Agree with Nate. The footage of Trump's rallies

has been ugly. There's a jagged and ominous threat in the environment, in the behavior of those crowds.

I'm not hearing 'evil' because I would struggle to define it, but Silver is opening a discussion on why Trump supporters are drawn to Trump, the power he seems to have in playing to their resentment, the skill (the only one Trump has) with which he manipulates the media, and the good things about our country that are lost when those rallies occur.

Silver's argument here is very persuasive, and there's the suggestion of a broad indictment.

[randome]

7. Objectively speaking, "evil" is the correct word.

Now that they're all gathered in one place, it's time to send some specially equipped bombers their way and...


[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[lonestarnot]

10. Why are they green?

[randome]

11. They've been slimed -a Nickelodeon game show thing a while back.

I have no idea if this is still a 'thing'. Is there still a Nickelodeon? I cut the cable cord a long time ago.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]No squirrels were harmed in the making of this post. Yet.[/center][/font][hr]

[KittyWampus]

9. Trump is openly appealing to the reptilian brain of his supporters. Openly. No dog whistles.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

48. Yep.

Evolutionary moment.

Social approval or disapproval is powerful. Thanks to social media, we know about them, and can shun them.

Shunning is a real way that people mold society.
Thankful for the innerwebz.

[TonyPDX]

12. No kidding, Nate. Have you been so caught up in the horse race that you missed the evil?

[cagefreesoylentgreen]

13. Not deplorables

I think deplorable is the wrong word. "Total fucking monsters" is about right.

[Coyotl]

14. The man is a deplorable basket case at this point, paranoia runs deep.

Incipient Alzheimer's is no longer sufficient as explanatory, his very nature is on full display.

[mountain grammy]

15. K & R

[Cha]

16. No kidding! Thank you, Nate Silver

Nate Silver: One theme of this election in general is that it might advance a lot of conversations but it also proves how far society has to go. And that’s putting it politely. I’m not sure what words to use, but there’s something profoundly evil about the Trump campaign at this point, and the people he attracts to it. And I think that’s the right word to use

.
ye gods.. that pic

Thanks, Snark

[Dangerrus]

18. I love that opening pic, LOL

[Rose Siding]

19. Sounds positively deplorable.

[dgibby]

21. "Profoundly evil" really sums it up.

I don't know about anyone else, but I, and many of my friends, are finding ourselves living in an almost constant state of unease, sort of liking waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I believe that win, lose, or draw, we are in for serious violence. If Trump wins, this country won't be recognizable. If he loses, his rabid, unhinged armed followers will take to the streets. Either way, things are going to be dangerous in the aftermath.

Although I post my liberal views on FB, I don't have any signs in my yard or stickers on my car. Still, I worry that it's going to be open season on Dems and liberals.

[NastyRiffraff]

30. This is my fear also

I'm not known as a fear-monger, but Trump and his deplorables are truly frightening. Yes, I think they WILL heed his call, at the polls and after he loses the election. I was wary at W's election, now I'm truly afraid even when Trump loses.

[SunSeeker]

27. "Profoundly evil" describes Trump and his enablers well. nt

[NAO]

32. Trump Sidious: voice of the Dark Side of the Force -nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

33. Proof that money is the root of all evil.

[Retired George]

34. As an agnostic, I don't believe in Good or Evil

But for Trump, I'll make an exception, and it ain't a Good one!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

38. As an atheist, I know there is good & evil, but fundamentally they have nothing to do with religion

Atheists frequently do good things (helping people, the environment) without fearing punishment if they don't. We all know there are atheists who have done profoundly evil things, just as there are very religious (or seemingly very religious) people who have done profoundly evil things.

The measures of good and evil are on an axis (dimension) orthogonal to (crossing) the axis of religious piety or devotion.

It seemed that your post hinted at not believing in good/evil because you don't believe in religion, hinting that perhaps good/evil might be a religious or godly attribute.

[bhikkhu]

59. As a human and an atheist, morality is usually obvious and universal

That is, prior to any religion or cultural impositions, its in our brains. And of course there is good and evil, just not overseen by any magical beings; there's only us.

One thing that I've learned is that, while I don't believe in karma per se (another magical construct), because of the way our minds work, there is always a cost to bad behavior. If you harm someone by your behavior or do wrong, there is a mental cost whether you are conscious of it or not. Watching movies and so forth it seems there is a great fascination in portrayals of people who can do terrible things without cost, demonstrating a lack of internal morality. That's fiction, not real people.

As far as trump, for instance, I think we can see the dark spiral well under way, a mind suffocating in its own shrinking little box of hatred.

[dgibby]

35. MSNBC is going to be discussing this "call to violence" after the next commercial break. n/t

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

39. To me the saddest and most frightening thing in that conversation

is this:

81 percent of Republican women and 84 percent of Republican men are still supporting Donald Trump. And that’s despite a lot of hand-wringing in the leadership of GOP.

To continue to support that man, especially after this past week's revelations, says a lot, mainly that party loyalty is more important than anything else. To remain loyal to a nominee like this does not bode well for our country.

[Scurrilous]

42. K & R

[Marthe48]

45. How can people support Trump?

I was out today and saw so many Trump signs (Marietta, OH) I was in my former neighborhood yesterday and was sad to see Trump signs in 2 yards of people I thought knew better.

There are so many reasons not to respect Trump. And if you can't respect someone, how can you support him? I can't respect Trump because of the business deals, because of his overbearing persona as a celebrity, as a candidate. I can't respect Trump because of his view of women as objects, as 2 dimensional stick figures, with no need for thoughts, personality, emotions. And people from any background, socioeconomic level, culture, who can support him, lacks something in their own characters.

I know people who are rich, poor, professional, blue collar, white collar, educated, not educated. The support for Hillary spans all of those human conditions. But so does the Trump support.

I don't know either candidate personally. I never will. So hate and love doesn't have anything to do with my choices. I don't want to hear things like one candidate would be great to drink a beer with. Most of us will never know if the candidate is someone to fun hang out with. I imagine that if we happened to be picked to have a beer with any candidate, that person would be sneaking glances at the clock, to be sure to get on to the next meet and greet in time. But I know that I would never, ever want to meet Trump personally. If you have any sense of self, any sense of personal self-sufficiency, how would you see Trump as a guy in your corner? Getting away from his self-admitted sexual advances, think about how he treated contractors, small businessmen, employees. If you worked for someone who didn't respect you, wouldn't you feel dread and discomfort when that person called on you? And relief when he was gone? And how would you feel if he hired you for work, and you did the work, and he stiffed you?

Are the people who are vouching for Trump, because if they support him, they are vouching that he will protect our country, are those people really going to intimidate voters, take up arms, rebel, because Trump is appealing to something in their nature? Or is it just something in their nature?

[ailsagirl]

46. I wish I had the answers

It boggles the mind that there are so many easily-duped people in our country-- why? how? -- I just don't know. Maybe we don't have to understand it but, instead, accept they exist and do what we can to thwart them. It's good to know we are not alone and that we are the majority (and we happen to be on the side of the law).

[Marthe48]

49. Yes we are

I think the bigmouths are banking on no resistance if they decide to 'take up pitchforks' (thanks Sheriff David Clarke). I think by and large, the majority is on the side of law, but that doesn't seem to change anyone's mind. I would like to see some of the more outrageous comments investigated. Maybe a visit from the FBI or secret service would give someone like David Clarke, who should KNOW BETTER, a reality check.

[Upthevibe]

52. When considering the "Hillary Hate" there is so much planning and work that has been

responsible for the character assassination of the Clintons' It goes all the way back several decades. Google "The Arkansas Project." Then thumb through the book "Blinded by the Right." (By David Brock). It will explain a lot. As far as the republican nominee goes, someone said it perfectly when they talked about the reptilian brain. The worst parts of the most misguided and factually uninformed citizens are now on the stage for all to see. They are proud to say and show who they are. "Finally, they think, I can say nig**r, I can get behind a sexual predator, I can be anti-Semite." To me, they are the dark. I personally have worked very hard on being a do-goober. Or, metaphysically, it would be called "of the light". My understanding is the light always wins!

[Marthe48]

56. I understand!

When I have time to think, one of the things I've been considering is good vs. evil. I committed 'to the light' a long time ago. I think it is easier to take the low road, but I am glad I made a choice and live the way I do. No regrets. I am working on my temper lol

I don't like it that it is so easy to appeal to the reptilian brain. However, it is easy to hate because of otherness. Hate radio, hate television and hate speechifiers know exactly what to say to release the Igor. I wish there were easy buttons to either turn Igor off or direct it to what makes us human.

I looked up humanity in The Thesaurus the other day. There isn't a single synonym signifying hate or cruelty listed.

[ailsagirl]

53. I'd like that too-- maybe it'll happen?

[Snarkoleptic]

50. If I recall correctly, GW Bush somehow had 26% approval rating when leaving office.

Last edited Sat Oct 15, 2016, 07:57 PM - Edit history (1)

So I suspect there is a floor level of support that even the most deplorable R cannot go beneath.

I have a retired family member who was a union mechanic with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
Retired early with no debt and major liquid assets.

He's an avid Faux Newz watcher who is convinced- Reagan was the best POTUS ever, FDR was a monster (direct quote), unions are destroying America, Democrats want to hollow out our country, Rush, Glenn Beck & Michael Savage are the greatest political minds, etc.

We try to avoid speaking politics with these folks, but they're so convinced they're fully informed and right on the issues, that they frequently start converstations that I end up finishing with facts, figures, timelines and dates. Now their big thing is the Hillary is on death's door stuff. A couple of weeks ago, my father tried to convince me to vote for Trump, I let him prattle on and then gave him the poll numbers for Illinois. I explained that he's got ZERO chance of winning here and that came as a shock to him.

I'm the only liberal in the immediate family, so I'm pretty sure I was dropped on my head or switched at birth.

[sammcgee68]

64. Im surrounded by Idiots.

In Reply to Snarkoleptic. I feel your pain. I happen to be the only Progressive in my family, my neighborhood, my county ; Damn its fucking Lonely out here. Its such a chore to attend Family reunions, I just come prepared . I have the only Hilary signs , on top of my Bernie signs in the whole Damn neighborhood and I am surrounded by hundreds of Trump signs. (Im a glutton for punishment I guess.) Help , these people scare me to death . I will conclude with the words from an Alice Cooper song from long ago "I gotta get outa here. "

[HeartlandDem]

54. Have to agree about the evil element

of some trump supporters. I don't personally know any of them.. only what I've seen on tv. What I do know are many, many trump supporters that are good people who just refuse to listen to facts. They watch Fox News, they go to church, they have long held conservative views, they hate Hillary, they have never, ever voted for a liberal and they are deeply embedded in denial and rationalization.

[oberliner]

58. The scary thing is that it's not "the Trump campaign" it's the millions of people who support him

Watch any video of any rally.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

72. Exactly! I knew there were some greedy, crass bigots out there.

But I really was not expecting so very many people--most of whom he would call fat, or ugly, or stupid, or losers--to be supporting him as a candidate for President of the United States of America. So disappointing.

[oberliner]

73. It is really disturbing

And will be something that will still be a problem long after this election is over.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

74. Yep, the accomplishments of the pervasive RW propaganda machine will not be easily undone.

In fact, some of these people are too far gone. Brainwashed into paranoia that anyone who disagrees with the RW message is a liar, or worse. Reason cannot reach them. We can only try to reach those not yet too far gone with a well-reasoned, multimedia counter message.

[nikto]

61. As creepy and awful as Trump's sexual comments/deeds have been ...

I still insist,
the scariest things he's said are still his original comments long ago, about rounding-up
immigrants and Muslims (as well as, more recently, his political opponent), and his ignorant,
racist comments about Mexicans.

I mean, I'm glad that his sexual comments and behavior have acted as a last-straw
for some folks.
But really, for many of us, Trump went WAY WAY past the pale with those earlier,
non-sexual comments (which clearly imply a taste for tyranny and fascism).

[RKP5637]

68. Many seemed to give his creepy comments in the beginning a free pass, but then the

sexual bit was too much for him. To me many of his horrific comments have been worse than his sexual comments/actions.

[nikto]

75. Yup. And Here's a fairly-complete reminder of those earlier horrific coments ...

https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughTrumpSpam/comments/4teoxl/a_final_response_to_the_tell_me_why_trump_is_a/?st=iubwtc2z&sh=69db3ebe

[RKP5637]

83. You should really also post this as an OP for greater visibility, maybe you have, I remember many of

these, but never have seen them compiled and documented into one list. Thanks

[liberalhistorian]

62. At THIS point?

How about from the very beginning of Herr Drumpf's campaign? It's been nothing but evil from start to finish. And it's going to take a long time, if ever, to undo the damage.

[Lord Magus]

65. At this point? There's always been something profoundly evil about the Trump campaign.

It's a neo-Nazi candidacy.

[MBS]

66. I agree 1000%.n/t

[colsohlibgal]

67. Nailed It Nate

I am reading "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis and as Sinclair wrote it surely can.

The hard right Neo Nazi core Trump people need to be squelched as harshly as needed. Then sent to re-education camps to wean them off right wing propoganda.

[zentrum]

69. Don't agree with this narrowing down of what's evil.

Yes, Trump is evil. But sexism and rape culture and predatory culture is more evil because it's almost everywhere and effects every man, woman and child in America. Trump is just the current face of this evil. When we defeat him—this evil will still exist.

Actually, I'm thrilled that Trump is inadvertently "advancing the conversation"—along with the awareness of men who had no idea, and the bonding of women who are coming out of silence. Ironic.

[Lil Missy]

70. I'm convinced he's the new Jim Jones. And has a Kool-Aid mix ready to give his supporters.

[Divine Discontent]

78. Ya know... I bet if he told them all to off themselves in his concession

there'd be tens of thousands who would attempt it!

[Lil Missy]

80. I have learned not to underestimate the stupidity of the American people.

[Divine Discontent]

81. so true... I see how fascist dictators in the past rose to power, by watching this mess...

[Dawson Leery]

71. His supporters are deplorable.

[RandySF]

76. And Farai Chideya challenged his comment

by twisting it around to say that he called Trump "inhuman". She spents the entire podcast trying to redeem him and his supporters.

[Divine Discontent]

79. Trump=Randall Flagg

leading all of the dark hearted people who are proud in their hate and viciousness...

[Fast Walker 52]

84. unfortunately, there were others on the podcast who disputed that

or at least that characterization

[smirkymonkey]

87. K&R