The Art of the Donald Trumpocalypse

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Thu Jul 14, 2016 10:38 pm

YellowKing wrote: Trump can't have someone up there that runs circles around him intellectually.

So that pretty much limits it to the Duck Dynasty guy and the Jello I just had for desert.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Thu Jul 14, 2016 10:58 pm

tgb wrote:
YellowKing wrote: Trump can't have someone up there that runs circles around him intellectually.
So that pretty much limits it to the Duck Dynasty guy and the Jello I just had for desert.

And Indiana.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:44 am

Actually, the good news from this (for me, at least) is that Pence is dropping his gubernatorial campaign in favor of this. When (!) he loses, he'll be out of our hair here for at least a little while.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:52 am

Pyperkub wrote:
YellowKing wrote:The party's penis obsession never ceases to amaze me. It's just so bizarre and one of the reasons I've drifted away. I started to feel like I was the only conservative who didn't care about other people's dicks.
This should help you out (not!):

One of the Republican National Convention speakers would like to rub his testicles on your mother’s face—that is, if you happen to be Twitter user @Grateyfratez... “I’m gonna rub my nuts on ur moms face!!!!” White replied...

...“bro ur name is OMG lady gaga!?” he tweeted at the now-defunct account @OMG_LadyGaga on Feb. 13, 2011. “LMFAO you should be beat with a fuckin stick and kicked in the nuts repeatedly.”

Ok, I know nothing about Dana White, but that article and some of those tweets were pretty funny. The article didn't make him seem like a Not PC (I'm really a racist) guy, but more like a Not PC (I just don't give a fuck) guy.

Not saying that makes him RNC Convention speaker material, but I bet he'll be a lot more interesting than Tim Tebow!

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:54 am

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:55 am

YellowKing wrote:I'm sure Trump is gleefully salivating at the chance to market this vanilla candidate however he sees fit. The evangelicals will love Pence by default, but for everyone else he's a blank slate.

Yeah, I can see the appeal of Pence for Trump. He reassures evangelicals because he's one of them (and because of the Indiana anti-gay bill). He reassures establishment Republicans because a movement conservative and not Dennis Rodman or something. And he's unknown enough that Trump can market him however he likes to different audiences.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 6:21 am

YellowKing wrote:I'm sure Trump is gleefully salivating at the chance to market this vanilla candidate however he sees fit. The evangelicals will love Pence by default, but for everyone else he's a blank slate.

He's not exactly a blank slate, though, and he's certainly not a centrist. He's extremely conservative, with a record that would have made him a better surrogate for Cruz than Trump.

--

It's probably just speculation, but there's talk that Trump still hadn't decided and that yesterday's leak was a trial balloon.

As the Pence announcement was met with no excitement and even some right-wing backlash, Trump might be reconsidering. The news from Nice, especially, puts a spotlight on Pence's earlier criticism of Trump's Muslim ban. Last night Trump announced that he was postponing the VP announcement everyone understood to have already been made, a strange move.

gilraen · Post by **gilraen** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 8:19 am

Holman wrote: It's probably just speculation, but there's talk that Trump still hadn't decided and that yesterday's leak was a trial balloon.

Well, there's a reason for that speculation: Trump's own words. When the attack in Nice happened, and Trump told Bill O'Reilly that he will postpone the VP announcement/press conference out of respect, he specifically said, "I haven't made my final, final decision". I don't remember the rest of the quote, but he did go back to mentioning how he has 3 "very good" people.

Of course Pence has to file paperwork today to withdraw from running for re-election for his current position. Either he'll be named VP or he will have a serious beef with Trump

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 8:25 am

I just can't imagine anyone (except maybe Trump I guess) not being in closed door meetings with their potential choices and coming to an agreement before announcing. There's just no way it's not already a done deal long before the press gets wind of it.

Hilarious to think that Trump is making the decision just moments before announcing, only to find out that his pick wants nothing to do with him and declines.

I think the obvious answer is that Trump still hasn't worked out the details with whichever finalist is his preference and so used the Nice attack as a smokescreen for delaying his announcement. The real truth is probably that he's simply not ready to announce.

That's not really a positive or a negative in my opinion. i.e. I'm not saying this is another example of Trump sucking. I just think the logistics weren't ironed out and it was easy to delay without raising too many eyebrows.

I do like the idea of Pence getting completely screwed if Trump decides on someone else though. I just like the idea of anyone trying to work with Trump getting screwed. Everyone who has ever tried to work with Trump over the decades has gotten screwed in one way or another, so why would a potential VP pick be any different.

It's a case of "Fool me once, shame on ... shame on you. Fool me... You can't get fooled again!". People should know better than to trust Trump at his word by this point, and anyone that does...well, they get what they deserve.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 9:19 am

Perhaps they're still negotiating over the confidentiality and non-disparagement clause Trump requires for the job.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 9:23 am

I'm surprised they didn't plan this as an homage to Steve Jobs with a "one more thing" moment at the end of the convention. Complete with a curtain drop revealing the mild-mannered Pence giving a lackluster wave. It would be tv magic.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 10:05 am

I don't believe that Trump hasn't made his pick; it's much more likely that he's delaying the announcement because Nice is dominating the news cycle today and Trump doesn't want to be a tertiary story.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 10:07 am

Max Peck wrote:I don't believe that Trump hasn't made his pick; it's much more likely that he's delaying the announcement because Nice is dominating the news cycle today and Trump doesn't want to be a tertiary story.

Fair enough.

Considering we were already seeing headlines that announced his VP pick, you're probably right. A co-worker here didn't believe me when I said Trump had not announced his VP pick yet, so clearly the news cycle was confident enough to run with it.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 11:09 am

I can't link it, but it appears that Trump has tweeted that Pence is the pick.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 11:26 am

Zarathud wrote:Perhaps they're still negotiating over the confidentiality and non-disparagement clause Trump requires for the job.

Hah! Or a non-compete contract.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 11:48 am

Silicon Valley Unites Against Trump

Open letter wrote:"We have listened to Donald Trump over the past year and we have concluded: Trump would be a disaster for innovation," the letter says. "His vision stands against the open exchange of ideas, free movement of people, and productive engagement with the outside world that is critical to our economy -- and that provide the foundation for innovation and growth."

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 11:53 am

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 11:53 am

LOL, talk about awkward optics, our state Republican chair just said how great it is that Trump is running a Nationalist campaign.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:00 pm

Wasn't Pence the guy who supported rejecting the Supreme Court on gay marriage bans and a businesses right deny gay customers? Wasn't that what got GenCon and eventually the NCAA all in a huff?

/runs to the Internet...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-gen-c ... story.html

But somehow Trump is not about bigotry?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:03 pm

Yep. That was the guy. That's why I'm actually happy about him being chosen. It means that he's out of a job as governor here after Trump loses.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:09 pm

Pence is in the weird position of being hating by the non-Right for his "Religious Freedom" campaign and being hated by the Right for caving in.

According to 538, he's the first VP nominee since the 1970's to have negative approvals when chosen.

Fitzy · Post by **Fitzy** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 12:14 pm

Holman wrote:
According to 538, he's the first VP nominee since the 1970's to have negative approvals when chosen.

Ah. Now it makes sense. A negative times a negative equals a positive.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 1:08 pm

Fitzy wrote:
Holman wrote:
According to 538, he's the first VP nominee since the 1970's to have negative approvals when chosen.
Ah. Now it makes sense. A negative times a negative equals a positive.

Sorta - but an understandable error - you have to refer to the errata for Gary Gygax's Dangerous Journeys source book to find the rule:

Dangerous Elections Addendum wrote:In a Presidential Contest where both (main party) candidates have extreme negative approval ratings you have to multiply the approval ratings for the Presidential candidate and VP candidate and then modify them based on INT before rolling for success in each successive polling round.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 1:19 pm

Fitzy wrote:
Holman wrote:
According to 538, he's the first VP nominee since the 1970's to have negative approvals when chosen.
Ah. Now it makes sense. A negative times a negative equals a positive.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 1:30 pm

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 1:37 pm

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 1:46 pm

I'll admit it, I lol'd

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 1:51 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Yep. That was the guy. That's why I'm actually happy about him being chosen. It means that he's out of a job as governor here after Trump loses.

I don't blame you. This is the guy that wanted to divert AIDS funding to ex-gay therapy.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 2:32 pm

The word out now is that Trump was talked into Pence by his advisors, but then even after flying Pence to NY for the announcement, was trying to back out of his decision, and had to be convinced all over again and be told by his advisors it was too late.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 2:33 pm

Skinypupy wrote:I'll admit it, I lol'd

Fark 403 hotlink error messages are pretty funny.

RunningMn9 · Post by **RunningMn9** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 2:35 pm

Grifman wrote:The word out now is that Trump was talked into Pence by his advisors, but then even after flying Pence to NY for the announcement, was trying to back out of his decision, and had to be convinced all over again and be told by his advisors it was too late.

I mean, that's how you want your campaign run, right?

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 2:42 pm

TP the white house in 2016!

Sounds about right no matte who wins.

I will say Pence most impressively molds Trump into even more of a modern American Pink and somehow actually pushes me one step closer to voting for Clinton to prevent it.

tgb · Post by **tgb** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 2:43 pm

LordMortis wrote:Wasn't Pence the guy who supported rejecting the Supreme Court on gay marriage bans and a businesses right deny gay customers? Wasn't that what got GenCon and eventually the NCAA all in a huff?

/runs to the Internet...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-gen-c ... story.html

But somehow Trump is not about bigotry?

His gays love him.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 3:16 pm

Grifman wrote:The word out now is that Trump was talked into Pence by his advisors, but then even after flying Pence to NY for the announcement, was trying to back out of his decision, and had to be convinced all over again and be told by his advisors it was too late.

Omg, don't tease me with these sorts of stories. I so want them to be true.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 3:21 pm

GreenGoo wrote:
Grifman wrote:The word out now is that Trump was talked into Pence by his advisors, but then even after flying Pence to NY for the announcement, was trying to back out of his decision, and had to be convinced all over again and be told by his advisors it was too late.
Omg, don't tease me with these sorts of stories. I so want them to be true.

Has Trump ever been known to kowtow to his advisers? (Advising Trump must be the most thankless job on the planet.)

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 3:33 pm

I have a bit more respect for Tim Tebow after this:

CLEVELAND — Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner, reality television star and former N.F.L. player who was supposed to be one of the biggest names to appear at the Republican National Convention, said Thursday that he would not speak after all.

In a video he posted to Instagram, Mr. Tebow called reports that he would be a speaker “a rumor.”

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 3:34 pm

So they're a marriage of necessity in which the top candidate doesn't really want his VP but they have to run together anyway?

It's like Eisenhower/Nixon, except with two Nixons!

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 3:51 pm

Kraken wrote:
GreenGoo wrote:
Grifman wrote:The word out now is that Trump was talked into Pence by his advisors, but then even after flying Pence to NY for the announcement, was trying to back out of his decision, and had to be convinced all over again and be told by his advisors it was too late.
Omg, don't tease me with these sorts of stories. I so want them to be true.
Has Trump ever been known to kowtow to his advisers? (Advising Trump must be the most thankless job on the planet.)

I bet it would truly suck providing IT security resources for him....

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 3:59 pm

Kraken wrote:Has Trump ever been known to kowtow to his advisers? (Advising Trump must be the most thankless job on the planet.)

Advisors is code for his children and wife. For instance, Chris Christie was a favorite and apparently his son-in-law doesn't like him and was railing against it because Christie put his pops in jail.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Fri Jul 15, 2016 4:10 pm

Wouldn't it be great to watch Big Daddy and Junior get into a fistfight on stage? Or hell, I'd settle for a shouting match.