Belize

I know what Trump is, but I think Vance is a neophyte who could be controlled.

That will be a relief.

Pollsters sometime ask the question, "Do you think America's best days are in front of her or are behind her?" I am firmly in the behind opinion. This is the first time I ever felt that way.

Not to judge, but have you tried completely ignoring those posts? Not even a snarky insult.

I agree that a Republican trifecta (presidency, House, Senate) would be a catastrophe for the world, but also keep in mind the limitations. *Democrats* held a trifecta with almost 60 Senate seats from 2009 to 2011, and it was hard as hell getting things done.

A brief internet search says if you work remotely for an employer based outside of Canada (which would be me), you don't need a work permit. You can just get a 6-month visitor visa and extend it indefinitely. So, I could just find a place to rent, get a visitor's visa and go. If I ever change employers or want to be a permanent resident, that would be a lot more steps to take. It could be fun. It would be an experience at least.

I have never seriously considered emigrating from the United States. I know it's a lengthy, tiresome process, but I also feel you make your own destiny so why not do it? I know one person who is, or was, an American who moved to Canada, and I was always surprised by the thought of someone just leaving to live somewhere else. Like, they just decided they didn't like it here and wanted to go somewhere they liked better. So it's got to be a little bit realistic. Yeah yeah, I know no place is perfect, but are you really going to argue that some other countries are not better to live in? I'll look into it.

One interesting take I heard recently is that Trump is unique. Only he can pull off his successful fascist bigot schtick. Anyone else who tries to emulate it fails to gain a following. That's somewhat optimistic implying it's just a singular phenomenon. I don't trust it because it's optimistic though.

That's why I'm fatalistic in the sense of hating this country now. I don't say that lightly. It's the kind of thing that you don't forgive and it changes one's whole worldview. I don't want to be associated with the USA anymore. I would leave if I had an easy way.

2016, eh? I never really gave my side of the story on what happened then. I was shocked and dismayed by the election results and took time off from being online, without telling anyone. I tried to come back to the ASMB about a month later in late November or early December, to discover the ASMB was deleted. I thought it was unfortunate, but I figured I had much more serious problems to be concerned with. I remember that exact moment, thinking "oh no, the message board I like is gone. normally, that would affect me, but the world it falling apart so we have bigger problems".

Another dumb take below and my response: This thing this person approvingly cites, perhaps as a joke, is still not a scientific poll and it doesn't actually mean anything.

... in like maybe 2 years from a heart attack.

I've been wrong about a lot of things recently, so I'm willing to listen to takes I disagree with. They might be right. But my first impression is Rogan or even Twitter aren't important. A very small minority of the population actually interacts with that media.

Here's an example of a dumb take, but not even close to the dumbest. My response to it: Actually, the traditional campaigning, fundraising, GOTV does help a lot and makes the difference in lower turnout elections. That's why Democrats won almost every election from 2018 till now. High turnout elections, on the hand, become unwieldy and the traditional campaigning loses its efficiency.

There are a lot more dumb takes on social media today than usual. I guess it's understandable.

There is something to the idea that Trump is so stupid that he will ruin everything and face a backlash. I just hope we survive it.

Not listening to Trump supporters has made my life more peaceful for years.

People *do* get the country they deserve, for sure. I could add that I don't really have anything in common with the people who voted for Trump. Nor do I want to have anything in common with them. If there were some way the negative consequences could be reserved just for them.

This could be the moment where I give up on being a patriotic American. Like, I have doubts whether I will ever vote again. I could conclude the system is so corrupt that it's not worth saving. That's part of needing time to process it.

Well, this is a catastrophe. Unless a miracle occurs, a second Trump term is going to be an existential threat to the United States. There is no sugarcoating about it. I doubt whether the USA survives it. With that in mind, I will need time to process this fatalism. Like 2016, I adjusted my whole life and career because of it.

I am still holding my breath, but what I've seen: Democratic Twitter is orgasming right now and one Trump supporter I follow just posted the Looney Tunes "That's All Folks" image.

One can dream, right?

All of these people we will forget about soon for at least two years.