'Murica

[Ardiles]

I doubt Trump wins this time. The middle ground will likely pop out to vote against him, but his ability to motivate a small group of voters can’t be ignored.

Given that the US political system is inherently binary - you're blue or red, and that's it - I would imagine that capturing the centre ground would be enough.  The problem for Trump, though, is that he only knows how to talk to the MAGA crowd, and they're in the bag already.  He squeezed through last time by coming 2nd (in terms of votes cast) in a 2 horse race - which is weird in itself.  But you have to hope that if he continues as he is now, he won't be so lucky this November.

[pauld]

It’s all a bit weird here.  In the town where we live they had a protest in the main square but it was all very civil with Police and Protestors mingling.  Which is weird itself, because overt racism is just around the corner here.  So for anyone wondering why they powder keg set off, it’s because there are still plenty of public racists here, it’s not a big leap to see some of those people may join the police.

Trump is loved by a small but not insignificant group, usually white and usually no higher than a High School education.  That’s not a stereotype, it’s real.  It is a group that the USA forgot about when all the jobs where automated or offshored.  That is not to say they’ve had it tough, it’s a new phenomenon, but it created a sense of being shat on, not unlike the centuries of shit the African Americans have taken to a much worse extent.  You now have two groups fighting to be the ones most downtrodden and it’s ugly.

I doubt Trump wins this time. The middle ground will likely pop out to vote against him, but his ability to motivate a small group of voters can’t be ignored.

I think you're right, both about the likely outcome in November and a very good analysis of the "two groups fighting to be the ones most downtrodden and it’s ugly". The thing is that this genie isn't going back in the bottle. People seem to think that if Trump is defeated in November, that's it, it's all good and we can go back to how everything was before. But it won't. Trump has enabled and emboldened overt racists and white supremacists in a way we've not seen before (or at least not since the 1960s) and they're not going away. That's why the white supremacist/neo-Nazi fringe were so delighted when he won, not because they really thought he'd suddenly immediately enact all their White Power shit, but because they knew he'd given permission for their hatred to go mainstream. That problem will remain whatever happens in November

[horlock07]

People seem to think that if Trump is defeated in November, that's it, it's all good and we can go back to how everything was before. But it won't.

On a more selfish level it is going to royally fuck up the UK considering that our government have pinned their mast to him and this idea that through the links our governments enjoy at the moment we will get a good trade deal (FWIW I don't believe this for a minute).

See also https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/dominic-raab-donald-trump-george-floyd_uk_5ed38d32c5b66f44f99c5a1d

The problem for Trump, though, is that he only knows how to talk to the MAGA crowd, and they're in the bag already.

A trait he shared with Jeremy Corbyn.

[pauld]

On a more selfish level it is going to royally fuck up the UK considering that our government have pinned their mast to him and this idea that through the links our governments enjoy at the moment we will get a good trade deal (FWIW I don't believe this for a minute).

It may spare us from our govt tieing us into a disastrous trade deal with the US which destroys food standards and opens our public services up to pillaging from US mega-corporations.

[Bob's Orange]

One of Trump's latest tweets 'get tough police' I doubt is going to help quell these matters somehow.

What an ass hat.

[horlock07]

Wonder whether Andrew Neill will get the same scrutiny and rebuke from the BBC that Maitlis (And Munchetty before) got?

[Flashheart]

Blimey.

[Banker]

Wonder whether Andrew Neill will get the same scrutiny and rebuke from the BBC that Maitlis (And Munchetty before) got

Doubt it, unlike the other two it wasn't on the Beeb, done while at work. Don't people often put a twitter disclaimer 'views are my own' ?

[Richie Wellen-Dowd]

Wonder whether Andrew Neill will get the same scrutiny and rebuke from the BBC that Maitlis (And Munchetty before) got?

I wouldn't put too much faith in anything Andy Ngo says, he's been assaulted by antifa a few times and i think he got a blood clot on his brain the last time. Not the most impartial commentators to say the least.

As for Andrew Neil, I'd assume he's safe from scrutiny because he's not on a bbc tv show at the time(that's not to say I agree with the others being censored). He's actually shared and posted a lot of criticism of Johnson and his government recently, which should also be frowned on if this is, no?

[horlock07]

I wouldn't put too much faith in anything Andy Ngo says, he's been assaulted by antifa a few times and i think he got a blood clot on his brain the last time. Not the most impartial commentators to say the least.

I must confess I wasn't fully aware of Mr Ngo and his work, a little research emphasised that he is something of the provocateur.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/josephbernstein/andy-ngo-portland-antifa.

[Flashheart]

Some complain that they should be protesting peacefully.

This bloke could not have been acting more peacefully, yet: https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1268150549666500608

I hope they burn the fucking place down. Nothing else has worked so far. I only hope they target the large businesses/establishments and leave the small business owners alone.

[horlock07]

https://www.thenation.com/article/activism/antifa-trump-fbi/

[tans]

Obama addressing the US this evening

[horlock07]

[theakston2k]

Some complain that they should be protesting peacefully.

This bloke could not have been acting more peacefully, yet: https://twitter.com/joncoopertweets/status/1268150549666500608

I hope they burn the fucking place down. Nothing else has worked so far. I only hope they target the large businesses/establishments and leave the small business owners alone.

I know you don’t mean literally, but what would ‘burning it down’ achieve exactly? I really don’t get all these people that seem to advocate burning everything down! Same goes for targeting companies of any size, protesting is one thing, advocating wanton destruction is quite another and would likely cause untold harm everyone.