At least he's not Hillary...

[Ogre]

When I read this earlier today I couldn't help but think of a few of our own here on the X. 

A curious story circulated late last week involving an audio tape of Donald Trump talking to a People magazine reporter. Trump, going by the name “John Miller”, bragged about himself, his sex life, his business, and more. Here is where it gets interesting.

Years ago Trump admitted it was him. As my friend Ben Domenech noted in his always excellent Transom, “Donald Trump admitted it happened, both in a court of law and in the press, in 1990 and in 1991. It is not and was not in dispute prior to the past week.” But on Friday morning, Trump denied it was him after years of admitting it was him. Suddenly, the Branch Trumpidians swung into action going on television and radio to deny it was him.

On the weekend shows, Trump loyal comrade Paul Manafort, the Kremlin’s favorite Republican, explicitly denied that Trump was Trump. It was a lie. It is always a lie with the Branch Trumpidians. They will crucify the truth at noon on a Friday if they thought it would resurrect Donald Trump’s career on a Sunday.

It serves the greater good, you see. Because Trump is not Hillary Clinton.

Time and time again, Trump’s supporters in and out of his cult ultimately conclude that any sin committed by Donald Trump is okay because he is not Hillary Clinton. It cannot be that they are both unfit for office. Trump, in every case, is more fit for office because Trump is not Clinton. Never mind the bankruptcies, never mind the endorsement of war crimes, never mind the advocacy of torture, never mind the swindling, never mind the affairs and women and corruption and mob ties and nepotism and repeated failures and the list goes on and on. Trump is not Clinton.

Then there are the issues. Both Trump and Clinton support a government run, Canadian style universal healthcare system. Both Trump and Clinton support increases in the minimum wage. Both Trump and Clinton support transgender bathrooms. Both Trump and Clinton have advocated increasing taxes on the wealthy. Both Trump and Clinton believe Planned Parenthood does wonderful things. Both Trump and Clinton have denounced free trade and demanded “fair trade.” Both Trump and Clinton believe Washington needs to be stronger. Both Trump and Clinton believe deals must be cut. On issue after issue, Trump and Clinton have aligned at present or in the past with Trump even praising Clinton’s work as Secretary of State and supporting her for the Presidency in 2008 on the same platform for which she is again championing.

But Trump is not Clinton so Republicans will embrace Clinton’s policies under Trump’s banner because, again, Trump is not Clinton.

In Nebraska over the weekend, Republicans voted down a resolution that simply stated, “the Nebraska Republican Party strongly opposes all degrading remarks toward women, minorities, and other individuals by Republican elected office holders or party officials, including candidates for President of the United States,” because to oppose degrading remarks was opposing Donald Trump for President.

A week ago, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts stood on stage to endorse Trump after Trump had threatened Ricketts’ parents for their opposition to him. After Ricketts’ endorsement, Trump then proceeded to call out Ricketts’ brother Todd for opposing Trump while Pete Ricketts just stood there.

Former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal took to the pages of the Wall Street Journal and went on television to tell America how absolutely unfit for office Trump is, but that everyone should support Trump because he is not Hillary Clinton.

Just four years ago, Reince Preibus rallied Republicans to surrender the Missouri Senate seat to the Democrats because of Republican Todd Akin’s muddled answer on abortions from rape. Now he demands we unite behind Donald Trump because Donald Trump is not Hillary Clinton.

A month ago, the ostensively pro-life Baptist pastor Robert Jeffries was defending Planned Parenthood because Donald Trump said Planned Parenthood does “wonderful things.”

On any given day, some Republican defends Donald Trump’s absurdity because Donald Trump is not Hillary Clinton. That is the ultimate defense of Trump. If you don’t vote for Trump, you are supporting Hillary Clinton. We must stop Hillary Clinton. Any criticism of Trump benefits Clinton, therefore we must not criticize the precious Donald Trump.

More and more Republicans on a daily basis surrender their credibility and integrity to justify their support of Donald Trump. The morning of the Indiana Republican Party every other Republican Presidential candidate save Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum had gone on record declaring Donald Trump unfit for the office of President. He lacked the character, the integrity, the fitness, the mental competence, the wisdom, the judgment, etc. to be Commander in Chief and President of the United States. But by the next morning suddenly these same men declared Trump fit for the office solely because he was not Hillary Clinton, even though they stood by their former remarks. The only exceptions were Jeb Bush, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, and Carly Fiorina.

Hitler is not Hillary Clinton either. The neo-nazis and white supremacists backing Donald Trump fetishize Hitler too. Trump dog whistles to them and the Republican Establishment joins them in howls of delight. One need not stretch beyond Godwin’s law to conclude that the current Republican Party would support Hitler too because Hitler, thanks be to the reich, is not Hillary Clinton.

Too few Republicans will come out of this with their integrity intact and too many Republicans, thinking they can change Donald Trump, will instead one day find that Trump has changed them instead. But hey, at least he is no Hillary Clinton.

Hail victory, Republicans. Hail victory.

[Saniflush]

So Trump = Ron Mexico.  Got it.

[wesfau2]

More and more Republicans on a daily basis surrender their credibility and integrity to justify their support of Donald Trump.

Yep.

He lacked the character, the integrity, the fitness, the mental competence, the wisdom, the judgment, etc. to be Commander in Chief and President of the United States.

I'd change the past to present tense, but every fucking word of this is correct.

[Kaos]

He's still not Hillary. 

She cannot be elected. 

Whether or not they are similar is irrelevant.  She is the worst. 

That's all there is. 

[wesfau2]

He's still not Hillary. 

She cannot be elected. 

Whether or not they are similar is irrelevant.  She is the worst. 

That's all there is.

Glad your credibility and integrity mean so little.

[GH2001]

Glad your credibility and integrity mean so little.

Just a hypothetical here but would it not be even worse with credibility and integrity to support Hillary over Trump, if one truly thinks Hillary is much much worse? Kaos obviously thinks she is worse and there is certainly a strong case there. She is as crooked as a question mark. So is it not a matter of credibility and integrity in his eyes so much as it's simply a disdain for Hillary who would be the ultimate lack of credibility and integrity?

[wesfau2]

there is certainly a strong case there.

Except there's not. 

The only case is: He's not Hillary.

There is no substantive evidence that Trump possesses the experience, acumen, intelligence or decorum to be the leader of the free world.  He's a bellicose cartoon of a person who has tapped into populist angst by playing on their latent (or in some cases, patent) racism, xenophobia and sexism.

[Kaos]

Glad your credibility and integrity mean so little.

So I'd have to vote for that fucking whore shrew bitch in order to have "integrity" as you see it?

Well fuck that.   

It's not like I can choose Trump, Hillary or Reagan.  There are two choices.  Trump or her.  Meaning there is no choice.  I'd vote for Hitler with Stalin as VP over her.  I'd vote for Scott Baio over her.  I'd vote for Jesse Jackson, Slimer from Ghostbusters, Darth Vader, Ryan Seacrest, a dog biscuit, a box of hammers, trayvon Martin, Beatrix Kiddo, Forrest Gump, Joe schad, or a bag of dicks over her. 

Don't see how that has anything to do with integrity or credibility. 

What other choice do I have?  She cannot be president. 

[CCTAU]

So an interview happened before 1990 where a dude with money bragged about being a stud? Now he's a different person and this is all they left has on him. Pffft.

In 1990, I'd bone your sister and your mother and tell your neighbor just so she would not want to get left out. I was young. Full of piss and vinegar. The world was my playground.

If you have never had the opportunity to be that guy, don't hate.

While I, and maybe Trump, was out entertaining your mom and your sister, we never let any other Americans die due to "what difference does it make"!

<The story above may or may not be true - Rob miller.>

[Kaos]

Except there's not. 

The only case is: He's not Hillary.

There is no substantive evidence that Trump possesses the experience, acumen, intelligence or decorum to be the leader of the free world.  He's a bellicose cartoon of a person who has tapped into populist angst by playing on their latent (or in some cases, patent) racism, xenophobia and sexism.

And she is a lying, power mad elitist.  Her policies are misguided and dangerous.

She is the fucking antichrist. 

[wesfau2]

So I'd have to vote for that fucking whore shrew bitch in order to have "integrity" as you see it?

Well fuck that.   

It's not like I can choose Trump, Hillary or Reagan.  There are two choices.  Trump or her.  Meaning there is no choice.  I'd vote for Hitler with Stalin as VP over her.  I'd vote for Scott Baio over her.  I'd vote for Jesse Jackson, Slimer from Ghostbusters, Darth Vader, Ryan Seacrest, a dog biscuit, a box of hammers, trayvon Martin, Beatrix Kiddo, Forrest Gump, Joe schad, or a bag of dicks over her. 

Don't see how that has anything to do with integrity or credibility. 

What other choice do I have?  She cannot be president.

You've been provided plenty of other options, you simply dismiss them.

Trump won't be president...and that certainty helps me sleep at night.

[Townhallsavoy]

Except there's not. 

The only case is: He's not Hillary.

There is no substantive evidence that Trump possesses the experience, acumen, intelligence or decorum to be the leader of the free world.  He's a bellicose cartoon of a person who has tapped into populist angst by playing on their latent (or in some cases, patent) racism, xenophobia and sexism.

I'm no Trump supporter and definitely see the issue with Trump's strong rhetoric, but I have to disagree that his campaign is relying on racism, xenophobia, and sexism to be successful. I think there is a large majority of people (yes, it's conservative, Christian white people - mostly males) who feel underrepresented and have been led to believe that their security in this country is in danger.

I don't think they just hate blacks or Muslims or immigrants or fear Hillary because she's a woman. Perhaps it's the fault of the media and radio talkshow hosts, but there's a genuine belief among a large swath of the voting public that the white Christian conservative is the bad guy and will be marginalized in the future. They hoped for a competent candidate to emerge, but their choices are Hillary, Bernie, the 15 GOP stooges, or Trump. Trump just so happens to be their favorite choice of brass knuckles in what they perceive to be a a very difficult fight to win in today's culture.

[wesfau2]

I think there is a large majority of people (yes, it's conservative, Christian white people - mostly males) who feel underrepresented and have been led to believe that their security in this country is in danger.

Did you type this with a straight face?  White, xtian males are "underrepresented" and their "security" is in danger?

Besides being patently laughable, this is the exact genesis of white power/racist movements: we gotta protect this white, xtian paradise from them invading brown folk.  Keeping women down is just a bonus result.

[Townhallsavoy]

Did you type this with a straight face?  White, xtian males are "underrepresented" and their "security" is in danger?

Besides being patently laughable, this is the exact genesis of white power/racist movements: we gotta protect this white, xtian paradise from them invading brown folk.  Keeping women down is just a bonus result.

This is the second exchange I've had with you in the last two months where you failed to comprehend the basic gist of what I wrote. You feeling okay?

[wesfau2]

This is the second exchange I've had with you in the last two months where you failed to comprehend the basic gist of what I wrote. You feeling okay?

Spell it out for me.  Cuz it sounded like you were arguing that fear of the white (xtian) man losing his place atop society was driving the Trump campaign.

[Kaos]

You've been provided plenty of other options, you simply dismiss them.

Trump won't be president...and that certainty helps me sleep at night.

Give me one option that was dismissed.  Just one.

I've never voted for Donald Trump.  When I do in the general election it will be the first. 

The remainder of the options were eliminated by their own missteps or failures.

Gary Johnson?  Don't make me fucking laugh.  A vote for him is nothing but a vote for her.  He can't win. 

I oppose her.  I have from the first minute her lying, whoring, cancerous ass indicated she might run for the office.  She is the worst human being on the planet.  If Trump is the last option between her and the office then that's what I do. 

Don't rest easy just yet George clooney.  You might be surprised.

[CCTAU]

Spell it out for me.  Cuz it sounded like you were arguing that fear of the white (xtian) man losing his place atop society was driving the Trump campaign.

Actually, I thought it was the first coherent thing he has written in months. Telling that you do not "get it"!

[wesfau2]

Actually, I thought it was the first coherent thing he has written in months. Telling that you do not "get it"!

See, if you "get" it and I don't?  Then I think the message is fucked.

[WiregrassTiger]

Did you type this with a straight face?  White, xtian males are "underrepresented" and their "security" is in danger?

Besides being patently laughable, this is the exact genesis of white power/racist movements: we gotta protect this white, xtian paradise from them invading brown folk.  Keeping women down is just a bonus result.

[CCTAU]

See, if you "get" it and I don't?  Then I think the message is fucked.

You didn't hear what he said. You heard what your white guilt told you to hear.

The majority is feeling disenfranchised. It usually happens like this when the majority starts to feel that way. But of course those like you can only come back with, "RACISTS"!