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Thursday, November 3, 2016

Hillary Clinton for President

The party nears a Trump rally.
   
I know, I know. I can hear the groans already. "Politics doesn't have any place on this kind of blog." "Stick to writing about RPGs, addict." "I'm never going to read your blog again."

This election cycle has broken all boundaries, snapped all taboos. And what hangs in the balance is important enough that it ought to be talked about everywhere. When so much depends upon the outcome of a small handful of Americans, there is no place in which politics should be off-limits. If I help convince even one person, it was worth it. If I lose your readership because of these comments, I didn't want it in the first place. 

The New York Times recently called Donald Trump the most unqualified person to ever run for the office of president. They were spot on. The man is a living embarrassment to the United States of America, and a nightmare to contemplate as a president of the United States. The idea that the presidency is even within his grasp--that nearly 50% of voters plan to cast their ballot for this immoral, ignorant, unfeeling horror of a candidate fills me with shame and despair for the future of this country.

I don't have to recount all of the things that make him a terrifying candidate with terrifying policy proposals--just read The New York Times or USA Today (which has otherwise never taken sides in a presidential race). Don't trust papers in such liberal cities? Try the Dallas Times Herald, which hasn't endorsed a Democrat in 75 years, or the Arizona Republic, which has never endorsed a Democrat. Or, frankly, read the endorsement of any newspaper, because only six newspapers in the entire country have endorsed Trump, and together they serve a population of about 25,000 people. "Why should I trust what newspapers have to say?" you ask? Because they're run by people who spend every day researching what's actually going on in the world. But my own arguments against Trump don't rely on newspaper endorsements; I'm just pointing you there because they make the arguments better than I could. You could also listen to the opinions of nearly 400 economists, both liberal and conservative, who call him a "dangerous, destructive choice." Are you a pro-business Republican? Listen to the opinions of literally every single CEO of the Fortune 100. I mean, I'd point to endorsements from the Harvey Milk Club, the Humane society, NARAL, the NRDC, and the Sierra Club, too, but if you care about those, you're already voting for Clinton.

Hillary Clinton is far from a perfect candidate (although she is also far from the corrupt, criminal monster that Republicans have made her out to be by simply repeating the same accusations over and over). If you are a Republican, she might enact a few policies that you disagree with. But she won't dissolve NATO, wreck the world economy, cancel the health insurance of 40 million Americans, appoint lunatics to the Supreme Court, reverse progress on minority rights, give a national voice to racists and misogynists, and do god-knows-what with the nuclear football. You can suck up 4 years of a Clinton presidency to avoid the end of American civilization as we know it, can't you?

If you're an American citizen and eligible to vote, I beg of you, go out on Tuesday and vote for Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. Vote for anyone else that you agree with down ballot, but don't turn the presidency over to a callow, egotistical monster. And don't increase the chances that he'll win by voting for a third-party candidate. When we can get true election reform, including ranked-choice balloting, I will welcome the golden age of third parties, but this is not the election to screw around with.

I could end with something dramatic and say that if Trump wins, I will cancel this blog in protest. While this isn't true, I will probably be forced to give up the blog because Trump has already pledged to cancel my health insurance and de-fund the government organizations that hold most of my contracts. I'll have to go get a real job, maybe move, and won't be able to play Fate: Gates of Dawn in the middle of the day. So, if nothing else, vote for Clinton to keep the CRPG reviews coming. [Edit: for anyone who misunderstood this, I didn't mean to suggest that I play games during the time I'm supposed to be working a government job. Rather, the nature of my contracts gives me the flexibility to work when I want to work--nights, weekeneds, whenever--so I can better manage both my work and leisure time. I've always given the government an excellent product for the money that they pay me and have never misrepresented my hours.]

Back to our normal programming tomorrow. I don't intend to make this a debate, so I won't be responding to comments, but I'll leave commenting open because it's only fair. Just as in the regular posts, offensive comments with obscenities or insults get deleted.

******

Three follow-up comments, two short, one long:

1. Where are all you people when I post about RPGs? I don't mind that you commented on this post, but if you chose this post to make your first comment, whether supportive or not, I'm a little disappointed.

2. For everyone saying something like, "I come here to read about RPGs, not politics," please note that I only post about RPGs every 2 or 3 days. You may notice that I posted about an RPG on Wednesday. You'll see another one later today or early tomorrow. The cycle of RPG postings was not interrupted by my support of Hillary Clinton for president. If you like this blog because of my RPG reviews, you have lost nothing. You could have just skipped this entry.

3. Let me clarify a bit more on what I meant by, "If I lose your readership because of these comments, I didn't want it in the first place."

In some ways, it's nice that we live in a world in which not everyone has the same values. It would be boring otherwise. Our combinations of values make us unique. But then again, you want a certain limit on the deviations of those values. I'm happy to be your friend if you tip 15% or tip 25%, but not if you leave Jack Chick tracts in place of a tip.

If we all had the same values, political debates would come down purely to facts, and they would be boring. They'd go:

Debater 1: We need to stop taxing Americans and spending their hard-earned money on foreign aid. The foreign aid budget makes up 25% of government spending!

Debater 2: No, the foreign aid budget makes up 1% of government spending.

Debater 1: Oh, I see. I misread the chart. That's not so bad, then. Never mind.

But it doesn't work that way. Instead, Debater 1 simply does not agree with the value that the United States ought to give any of its money, raised primarily from income taxes on its citizens, to other countries, no matter what percentage it makes up. Debater 2 thinks that there is strategic value in foreign aid that pays off in an improved world economy and global security. They might still fight over the "facts," but only as weapons to promote their specific values.

We often argue over facts because we don't want to admit our values. Right now, there's a debate going on about how much election fraud there is. The general consensus among people who know seems to be that there's hardly any, and all these laws meant to deter it are a waste of money and a clear attempt to disenfranchise voters. But here's the underlying value that we don't often say: I would oppose voter ID laws even if voter fraud was quite common because I think the greater evil is in disenfranchising voters. The death penalty is another one. It doesn't deter crime and costs more than keeping someone in prison for life. But what if it did deter crime and cost less? I'd still oppose it. My value is the harm of executing a single innocent person outweighs any possible cost savings or deterrent effect.

People on the right do it, too. We have arguments about how many people are killed with guns versus how many are saved with "defensive gun use." But admit it: even if the number people killed were far, far, higher than the number saved, you still wouldn't support gun control because your value is to preserve gun ownership rights. That's fine. I might not agree with the value, but I at least respect its existence. We should be more open when it comes to admitting our values. It saves time. No point arguing the facts if the facts don't matter anyway.

The problem with values, though, is that they're deep-rooted, hard to change, and often very personal. And every so often, when the divide in values is strong enough, you have to take a stand. This is how wars happen. The American Civil War came down basically to values. It ended up wiping an entire value from American society. I've heard presidential candidates say some pretty odious things, but I've never heard one advocate a return to a slave system. What if one did? What if an entire pro-slavery movement sprung up? Right or left, north or south, you'd be willing to stand up and fight against that, wouldn't you? I mean, physically take up arms. What if a group of people in the mid-west believed it was okay to stone a woman to death for adultery? You'd join a march out there and put yourself  between the stone-throwers and her body, wouldn't you? Maybe throw a few stones back at them? I'd happily join you.

Fortunately, most values divides aren't so great that we'd be willing to resort to physical violence (although that itself is a value, and some people are willing to engage in it more readily than others). Instead, we have a host of lesser "solutions" on a fairly long scale. If you think that creationism ought to be taught in schools, I'm not willing to go to war over that, but I won't be marrying you, either. If you believe in de-funding Planned Parenthood, you'll probably be invited to the larger post-Thanksgiving party that my wife and I throw on the following Saturday rather than the more intimate "real" Thanksgiving. If you rail against gay marriage, I won't show up at your house with a baseball bat, but I will unfriend you on Facebook.

If you tend to vote Republican, you're already on the other side of a lot of my values, probably. It's tough to say, because there are a lot of political issues and it's a fairly arbitrary combination of them that coalesce in to the Democratic and Republican platforms. But generally speaking, I don't respect someone's decision to side with a party that seems eager to suppress minority rights, promote religion in schools and government, deny climate change, and slash social programs, not even if you agree with their energy policy. Still, I will and do work with Republicans. I won't get up and leave the table if I find out my dinner companion is a Republican. I'd give one a ride if his car was broken down on the highway.

Supporting Donald Trump, on the other hand--that takes how I feel about supporting Republicans and multiplies it by 10. I'm still not so far on the side of the continuum that I'll go to war over Trump's election, but if you support him, you're cut out of my life. No, it's not because I don't "get" him; it's not because I've been brainwashed by the liberal media; it's because he has shown that his values are so different than mine that we can't coexist in the same America. I'm perfectly happy to admit that he's not the worst person in the world. He doesn't believe in killing gay people, for instance, or hanging people for witchcraft, or re-instituting slavery, or (I don't think, despite what some other anti-Trump people might say) seizing the presidency for life, or refusing to allow women to drive. There are some world leaders that do believe these things. They are demonstrably worse than Trump. But Trump may be, in my sense of values, the worst person to ever receive a major party nomination for president. I say "may" because I'm fuzzy on some of the candidates in the late 1800s. He is as un-American to me as I'm sure I am to him. There is a huge values divide between us. He won't even be invited to the post-Thanksgiving party.

Where does that leave us? I spend a lot of time on this blog. I try to keep it informative and entertaining. It occupies more of my life than it probably should, frankly. It's personal to me. And it's free. You don't have to pay for anything. I make you watch like one ad. You don't know who I am, and I don't know who you are, but when you read my blog, I'm extending a kind of friendship. I'm doing you a kind of favor. If we knew each other in another way, I might connect with you on LinkedIn, or lend you $50 if you needed it.

If you honestly support Donald Trump, then your values are so different from mine that I would disconnect from you on LinkedIn, I wouldn't be inclined to lend you $50, and I don't want you to benefit from the effort that I put into this blog. You are hurting America, hurting the world, hurting me, and thus don't deserve to benefit from a free favor that I'm doing you. I'd help you out of a burning car, but I don't want you sharing this personal part of my life, this personal journey with me. Obviously, there is nothing that I can do to keep you away, but if you support Trump, you are not welcome here. You are not welcome to the fruits of my labor. So keep telling me how I've lost you as a reader. It makes me feel that, if only for me, this post really did some good.

265 comments:

  1. The number of Americans backing Trump is mind boggling. I wish it was Bernie that had the Demo nomination, but a flawed Clinton candidate is still the only forward thinking choice.

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  2. This is very unexpected. Also amazing.

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    1. If you read his posts for a while, it's pretty clear he leans to the left. Also he is from Massachusetts. I knew he was voting for Hillary. I didn't know if he'd put it on his blog. ;)

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  3. Honestly, I think you should have just stayed out of this whole matter.

    Princeton's Election Consortium has Hillary at a 99% chance of winning. She's ahead in all the polls. She's basically got this in the bag. Trump has basically 0 chance of winning the presidency. If he wins, I'll eat a bug.

    I mean, at this point the outcome is pretty much obvious, so I don't really see your endorsement having any effect on the election. If you're worried about Trump winning, well don't be, since it's pretty much guaranteed that Hillary is going to win.

    All I can see coming out of this post is more division, punditry, and bickering from the commenters. Just a lot of contention and fighting without anything good to come out of it.

    If Trump had even a chance of winning, then maybe it'd be worth it. But he doesn't and I think you are just going to provoke conflict among your readership for no reason.

    But while we're on the topic of politics, if you want to really make a difference, vote in your senate and house elections. They are really close this year, and with such razor thin margins every single vote makes a big difference. Yes, Hillary is going to win the presidency, but unless she gets a majority Democrat senate and house, the Republicans are just going to block everything she tries to do. They already shut the government down once under Obama, they won't hesitate to do the same to Hillary.

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    1. 538 has Trump's chances of winning at 33%, and he's been gaining all week. It's dangerous to assume Clinton has it sewn up. I'm with Chet. Anyone with a rational mind ought to be using ALL their influence to convince anyone who will listen to not vote for Trump.

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    2. Nate Silver's (the 538 guy) model has some problems. It's correct, but it's very underconfident in its predictions, resulting in predictions that aren't as confident as they should be, since Nate throws in other things into his model like national polls. Dr. Sam Wang at Princeton's model is much more accurate. He only uses averages of state polls, so his predictions are more accurate. Historically every election of the past few decades have followed the state polling average, excluding those early elections when polling methodologies weren't as accurate as they were today.

      He has an excellent article here where he counters many popular arguments, such as Brexit, 2014 midterm elections, Trump not being predicted to win the primary, unknown unknowns, and 3rd party/undecided voters:

      http://election.princeton.edu/2016/10/14/motivated-reasoning-strikes-again/

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    3. Nobody thought Brexit had any chance of passing, and yet...

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    4. The people whose livelihood depends on being accurate forecasters of these things are the bookies.

      As a rule of thumb, Oddschecker is the place to go for political probabilities.

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    5. The best way of ensuring a Clinton victory is to vote for Clinton. If she really does have it in the bag, so much the better. The more decisively she wins, the more comprehensively Trump's brand of politics are rejected and the better off we all are.

      And of course, while the presidential election is the big show, there are plenty of smaller races being held concurrently that will have a great deal of impact on the way our governments function (or fail to function) in the near future.

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    6. Yeah, people who play videogames really hate arguing about stuff. What a travesty that Chet has gone and caused strife within a community that otherwise might never have loudly voiced contentions. Why can't we just go back to yesterday, when everyone agreed the Playstation is better than the Xbox, and women have always been represented respectfully in electronic media, and game reviews are universally acknowledged as a pillar of ethical journalism.

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  4. Thank you, thank you, thanks you for taking time to post this. My faith in humanity has been greatly shaken by the "rise" of Trump, but your words have reminded me that there are still good people out there who recognize how sick and twisted Donald Trump is. That he is anywhere near the White House is a wake up call to Americans, both Democrats and ESPECIALLY Republicans, that we need to retake our political system.

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  5. Hear, hear. Thank you for using your platform to share this message.

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  6. No. This country has over 300 million people in it and the last thing I need in my life time is another Clinton or another Bush. The last thing I need is another criminal warmonger pushing more corporate favors, stirring up more military action, and bombing more brown people and weddings with drones.

    Frankly, it is gross that you'd prefer a corporate-ass-kissing warmongering criminal over... pretty much anyone. Not that I think I could stand a Trump one any better, particularly, but if I have to take a proven warmongering crook or someone who *hasn't* yet bombed a bunch of brown people, committed massive real estate fraud, or pushed for a bunch of wars, or have an anti-gay record... I'll pick the one that hasn't proven to be either of those things yet.

    Or even better, I'll vote another candidate entirely.

    Also, you're gross and should feel ashamed to shove politics or religion into polite company. Didn't you learn anything from your mother?

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    1. I'm sorry...you're arguing that TRUMP hasn't committed real estate fraud, pushed for wars, or shown an anti-gay record?....I don't even know what to say to that. How did HILLARY CLINTON bomb anyone? She was a Senator and Secretary of State, not Commander in Chief, not Secretary of Defense.


      I'm sure the candidate endorsed by the KKK will have a spotless record when it comes to "brown people."

      Jesus Christ. These are the kinds of things Trump supporters actually argue.

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    2. Agreed. Trump has a much more positive message, his rallies are full of hopeful people who believe we can do better. I am definitely voting Trump. Clinton is too corrupt, too divisive. Trump wants to uplift everyone. Can't wait to vote on Tuesday!

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    3. Trump's message is that bigotry, racism, and sexism are positive. So if you see those things as positive, then you are racist bigot also.

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    4. It is too easy to dismiss you opponents as racist or irrational. Trump has put more focus on helping inner cities and African Americans than any candidate in recent history. Just because a person believes in distinguishing between legal and illegal immigration it does not make them racist.

      There is just so much anger, violence, and unearned moral superiority from the left it is sad.

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  7. Don't forget senate and congressional elections too! I will be voting for Hillary. Vote for the Wicked Witch of the East, not the orangutan. It is important.

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  8. Hoo boy. You really opened up a can of anonymous worms with this. :)

    While I'd prefer if Clinton won, I'm glad it'll be soon over, one way or another. I'm frankly sick of reading about those two everywhere.

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  9. The fact that this election devolved to Hillary vs. Trump seems absurd to me, and a clear sign of a failing political system. If Hillary was replaced with any other Democrat, literally any other person in the party, they'd be winning by a landslide on the virtue of not being Trump. The same would happen if any other Republican was in Trump's place, whoever they are, they'd win just by not being Hillary. How in the world did the most unlikable candidates on both sides end up facing each other? Is it Opposite Year? Did both parties secretly agree to try to lose on purpose this time?

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  10. Thank you. I think you did the right thing with this post.

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  11. Thank you for having the guts to post this. And I also like your "if you stop reading, I didn't want you anyway" attitude. Quite honestly, it's the kind of "go f' yourself" mentality that too many Democrats lack.

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  12. Thank you for posting this. I know it has nothing to do w/ your blog but it's in everyone's interest who takes the reigns as the most powerful person in the world and Trump would be an unmitigated disaster. Those "do you miss me yet" GWB posters would finally come true under a Trump administration. It's a brave and necessary stand and a nice hint that the person who authors a blog I greatly enjoy is a decent human being beyond the curtain as well.

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  13. Hahahahahaha!

    Seriously, Chet. I'm a long-time reader. I will continue to read your blog. I already figured that when it comes to politics and culture you were a hopeless northeastern liberal. So nothing has really changed.

    Well, nothing except that I'll only enjoy Trump's landslide victory EVEN MORE on November 9th.

    And frankly, if you can take your blue-tinted glasses off, I think you might enjoy it, too, a few years from now.

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  14. Kind of frightening watching this election from afar, knowing that it could negatively affect my future, and not being able to do a damn thing about it. I guess that's true of any US election, but this one in particular has exposed what a corrupt circus the whole thing is. (Not that Australian politics is much better.)

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    1. I am embarrassed that so many Americans would even consider voting for Trump. He is not even a Republican, he's basically an egomaniacal bigot with money.

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  15. As a one time republican, now reluctant democrat, do not vote for Trump. He is a Mein Kampf admiring con artist who has no business directing public policy in this country. His efforts to delegitimze the electoral process is disgusting and dangerous. He is a spineless bully who will kowtow to dictators like Putin and who cares for no one but himself. He is someone who cannot even handle the tame satire of SNL without whining and whimpering like a baby. Do not vote for this piece of garbage.

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  16. Mondain/Minax 2016

    Make Sosaria Great Again!

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  17. Finally a place on the Internet to talk about American politics!

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  18. Brave...at first I thought it was also foolish. But you have worked hard and this is your website. So you have a right. You wouldn't post this and run the risk of alienating half your audience if you didn't feel a strong affinity for the common good. Also...get a real job you slob! :)

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  19. Quite the unexpected post. I applaud your decision to put yourself out there and stand by your convictions. I'm not american, so I can't vote obviously. But whatever you think of Clinton, it has to be the primary goal to keep Trump, a frankly kinda deranged, hateful lunatic out of the white house.

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  20. Thanks for posting this. Always risk alienating folks by posting such opinions.. though as a personal blog guess you don't really have much to lose. Still appreciate the post and fully agree with you. Also it's nice to know people I read and respect opinions from have a solid head on their shoulders.

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  21. As Negativeland once famously said, "Is there any escape from noise?"

    I'll keep reading anyway, but this election is everywhere and I need somewhere to hide! Sad part is, they are all set to start the next one one November 9th. As long as keep living, breathing, thinking this crap, day in day out, they have surely won. I don't think it makes any difference whatsoever who wins. WE have lost.

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  22. Not voting for Trump shouldn't even be a partisan political issue, it should be a no-brainer for any sane human being. Trump's alignment flips between chaotic evil and chaotic neutral. If he had a character class it would be Grifter Con Artist. He has an intelligence score of around 5 and a wisdom score of like 1. He's left nothing but a trail of destroyed businesses, broken promises, swindled contractors and laborers, and sexually assaulted victims in his wake. People think that he's going to do anything different to the nation if they make him president??? Get a clue, people!

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  23. "This election cycle has broken all boundaries, snapped all taboos." And isn't it time to wonder... why?

    A vote for Trump is certainly a protest vote; nobody can deny that Trump is flawed in ways that, under normal circumstances, would disqualify him from consideration.

    But the house is already on fire, and the Establishment themselves have only been able to put up a ludicrously inappropriate candidate in the shape of Hilary Clinton. Even then they had to cheat to get her there.

    Wnen you think the coup has already happened, you're not interested in who will put up the more 'presidential' facade for a technocratic regime that cares nothing for voters' choices.

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    1. "And isn't it time to wonder... why?"

      I suspect the "boundaries" referenced above were things like "civility," "not calling people silly names" and "being willing to respect the result of an election."

      Voting for Trump is not a protest vote. Voting for a third party candidate is a protest vote. Writing in "Gerald Ford" is a protest vote. Not voting is a protest vote, assuming you'd otherwise vote for Trump.

      A vote for Trump is a vote for an anthropomorphized loudspeaker with a bad wig, an addiction to Viagra, poor impulse control, fascist tendencies and more money than sense.

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    2. I agree that a Trump vote is a protest vote, but much like the Brexit protest vote, there's no anti-establishment result. The market will probably take a dive due to uncertainty but the economic system won't change. The haves will still have and the nots will still not.

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    3. A person I knew compared using Brexit as a "protest-vote" with getting HIV and then blaming your Ex "to teach her a lesson".

      While I found that comparison too harsh, it feels about right when it comes to "Protest-voting" Trump.

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  24. Well said, sir.

    Where I'm from, we had an election that was... similar some years ago. Back then, We had a bumper stickers that said, "Vote for the crook, it's important."

    As you said, Hillary Clinton isn't perfect, but she's not an existential threat to the nation. Which, I think, should be a bumper sticker.

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  25. You lost a reader today.

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    1. "If I lose your readership because of these comments, I didn't want it in the first place. "

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    2. Especially an anonymous Trump supporter.

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    3. You guys are behaving badly.

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    4. Oh, come on, William.

      You know our stance against having commentators under the "Anonymous" pseudonym.

      I'd have cut him slack if he had a name, like you do.

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    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    6. Many readers I imagine. This is not the place. Having a different opinion is fine. Mixing politics and games is not.

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  26. First time poster, just letting you know that I appreciate and agree with your post and the urgency to get this message out to all who can hear it. I would take any readers you lose as a result of this as a badge of distinction. Trump is a scourge.

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  27. Thank you, sincerely, for this post.

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  28. Thank you. This rules. Love your blog. Now I love it even more. Long time reader, first time poster.

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  29. -1 (Hillary) and -100 (Trump) are both negative numbers. But Hillary is still 100 times better than Trump. The fact that we don't love either choose is irrelevant. One of the choices is much better so go vote in order to make sure we don't all get stuck with the one that is 100x worse.

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  30. I needed a good reason to stop wasting time reading your blog imagine a guy who wastes his time playing old crpgs talking politics! Go kill another baby you lunatic!

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    1. @Cherry Jones Craig
      Why is Chet a lunatic and when did he kill any babies?

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    2. By voting for anyone that believes in nine month abortions! But nobody cares about the babies. Abortion is murder!

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    3. Would abandoning the baby in the wild, untended for, be less evil and more humane than murder?

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    4. Everytime a man cums, he kills millions of potential babies1!1!1

      Seriously. A fetus witout develop cognitive abilities(brains) is just a bag of jello. Sorry, but that's how it is.

      A doctor

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    5. Well, don't waste your time reading about him playing old CRPGs? Seems like a decent outcome for all of us.

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  31. First presidential candidate to be actively investigated on criminal (and treasonous) charges by the FBI. Vote independent if you don't like Trump, but don't vote for a criminal. Her list of known crimes is far too long. You have indeed lost a very long-time reader. Not even worth me logging in... which is why this comes as anonymous... but my name is Rodney and you are lost.

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    1. An FBI led by a republican director. He should be in prison for these baseless allegations that influenced the election, something he's clearly prohibited to do.

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    2. Hi Mr Anonymous. What's the precedence for candidates defending civil suits for raping 13 year old girls?

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    3. Zardas even if your argument is legally correct (which I am admittedly not an expert) you are telling voters they don't have the right to know if their candidate is under investigation, which is ridiculous argument that you will never win.

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    4. Alan Twelve, any victim of sexual assault deserves to be heard. However it is also true that anyone can make a claim and file a civil lawsuit. This is not a criminal investigation, unlike Clinton's, and there are many issues with the handling of the accusers case. From the Daily Beast, not exactly a right-wing publication, lol:

      http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/21/trump-rape-accusers-turn-on-each-other.html

      I am sure in your mind he definitely did it, but there is also the possibility the accuser is lying. We will never really know, just like the Clinton accusers.

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    5. Exodus, Trump has a list of accusers of sexual assault as long as your arm, up to and including a number of accusations of rape. He's also been recorded bragging about his methods of sexually assaulting women. Does this not give you pause for thought?

      And with a civil case being the balance of probabilities rather than the accused having a presumption of innocence, are you not in the least concerned that you might be voting for a man who repeatedly raped a 13 year old girl?

      And we're not just talking statutory rape here - forced sexual intercourse. With a 13 year old. You don't feel that this is worse than some possible bullshit with some e-mails?

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    6. Alan, you're relying on accusations against the guy you don't like being true, and the accusations against the person you like being false. You're giving undue weight, regardless of probabilities of credibility, to your *preferred truth.*

      One the one side, you've got "mights" and "maybes" that don't look to be very solid, considering how little traction there is going forward with them, legally.

      On the other, the FBI is digging into the other issue *for the second time this year.* And this is for something the people already know is true, because everyone has access to sufficient evidence to know it for certain. And the only given defense is...Oh, the FBI is Russian spies? That's ludicrous. Nobody has even tried to contest the validity of wikileaks dumps. In fact, the Democratic top brass is a combination graveyard and revolving door as they keep getting caught in serious malfeasance. This has a lot more probability of being true than mere accusations that haven't had luck getting prosecuted.

      Insinuation vs. Observation.

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  32. On the one hand, I generally can't get enough politics.

    On the other hand, I enjoy computer games much more than politics, so it's disappointing to see political stuff when I could be seeing games stuff.

    On the third hand, I more or less agree with you.

    On the fourth hand, I already voted, so I didn't need to see any of this now, but I read the whole thing, hoping maybe there'd be game material in there somewhere. (Could you add a note up front it's all political, for those who aren't sure?)

    On the fifth hand, I voted third party anyway for president, because I was 100% sure of my state's vote, and I thought broadening the conversation was still an important second priority, and more useful than a "me too".

    And finally, on the sixth hand, six years ago when I needed an arrogant, self-absorbed, wealthy, casino-owning supervillain to be the secret end boss of, Twilight Heroes, the computer game I was running at the time, I put in several (subtle) nods to Donald Trump, because that's where I thought he fit best. I rarely mention it because I'm not out to antagonize, but it's been six years and almost nobody has picked up on it, and frankly I find it too funny not to mention it before I miss my window.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Not a US citizen here so I can't vote. Just so you guys (peeps in US of A) would know, most of the world (less China, N. Korea and less connected countries) are forced to witness a media circus.

    The changing of POTUS always send ripples throughout the globe and you have my sympathies for being located at ground-zero.

    It's like watching a "Saw" movie where you are forced to do something terrible or die. Hope you guys make the right choice.

    Then again, seeing how Obama (whose slogan was all about Change) could not implement more than 90% of his policy change due to Senate obstruction, I'm not sure if it will make much of a difference who the next President is.

    ReplyDelete
  34. You've lost another reader you allegedly didn't want in the first place.

    I have young children; I'm not about to facilitate what's happening in Merkel's Germany here in the U.S. I'm dreadfully sorry if that inconveniences your mid-day playtime.

    Thanks for the hours of entertainment I've previously had reading your blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Merkel's Germany" is the best! There are some people who are unhappy and protest in Germany, but they still have more wealth, security and health than about 99% of the world's population. We rational people even let them protest, because we take their fears seriously. Unfortunately, it's impossible to find work for everyone.
      We can easily afford to welcome a million of refugees and our crime rate is still FAR lower and education is still far higher than in the US and in most of the world (not sure about Scandinavia or Canada).

      Don't ever dare again to use Germany as a negative example of anything.

      Delete
    2. Given that "Merkel's Germany" is ranked #6 in the world according to the Inequality-adjusted HDI, and the US is ranked #27 it sounds like a place the USA could aspire to be like :p

      Delete
    3. Yup, you are about to have Hitler's Germany there. Congrats.

      Delete
    4. @sucinium:
      The reason we are ahead of the US is that they started mass immigration in 1965, just give it some time.

      Delete
    5. Germany had mass immigration as well, many Italians and Turks came as "Gastarbeiter" years (even generations) ago. Sure that brought some conflict and integration takes years, but that was also a great economic and social boost.

      There is nothing bad about immigration.

      Delete
    6. "The reason we are ahead of the US is that they started mass immigration in 1965, just give it some time."

      Um, Reaper, just where do you imagine all those non-Native American people actually came from?

      Delete
  35. I already loved your CRPG posts but this seals the deal. Early voted for Hillary, not because I adore her but because the alternative is just well, it's Trump.

    ReplyDelete
  36. This is the biggest, most myopic appeal to authority I've ever seen. It's basically a big sign that says "Liberal Democrats tell me what to think about stuff, and you should too."

    It's a culture/information/curation thing. The right answer seems obvious to you, because you've narrowed your inputs down to what appeals to you: The best flavor of anger. The best flavor of self-righteousness. The flavor that tells you your opinions make you a better person than those other jerks.

    You walk through a funhouse in which every mirror you've picked out by hand. I'm not surprised at your conclusions, but the lack of self-awareness in telling others to follow your lead is...misguided and disappointing.

    Dollars to donuts you've never actually gone to or even listened to an actual Trump rally. You've simply been *told* what's inside, relying on your cherry-picked voices to confirm your fears about the Bad Thing without risking your peace of mind by actually experiencing the Bad Thing yourself. Typical.

    This is pretty poor form, chum, but I'm going to chalk it up to election season madness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably the mortal enemy of a 'Conservative Republican'?

      Delete
    2. Really, the things that are most frightening about Trump are the things he himself says:

      1. Encouraging supporters to beat up other people at his rallies. Offering to pay their legal fees.
      2. Encouraging people to not accept the outcome of the election--attacking, without supporting evidence, the foundation of the republic.
      3. Barring Muslims from entering the country, building a massive wall across the south border, etc.. Xenophobia.

      These things might be fun and games to people who feel welcome inside Glorious Leader's Incredible Rallies ("They'll change your mind!"), but to the rest of us, they cause actual fear.

      Personally, I'm trying hard not to vote out of fear--I've voted almost straight 3rd-party for more than a decade--but I'm having a difficult time because my fear about Hillary is so abstract (Her policies would undoubtedly further inculcate the Neoliberal economic and social policies that are eating the world) and my fears about Trump are so dang material.

      Delete
    3. Distinguishing between legal and illegal immigration is not xenophobia.

      Did Al Gore accept the election results on election night? Didn't he take it all the way to supreme court over the course of several months after the election? Man people have short memories, there is no reason for Trump to accept the results if he has reason to protest the election.

      Similarly, if Clinton loses in a very close election you don't think she will try to appeal directly to the Electoral College to keep Trump out of the Oval Office?

      The very few, isolated incidences at his rallies pale in comparison to actual attacks on Trump supports with no condemnation from the President or Secretary Clinton.

      Delete
    4. Exodus, I find meaningful differences between the situations you cite and what I have heard Trump say.

      1. He said he'd bar Muslims from even visiting. This is xenophobia.

      2. Saying, "Hey, I think something isn't right, let's have a review of this very close race" is meaningfully different than saying "Politics are completely rigged, and they will steal this from you so go to 'certain neighborhoods' and watch the polling stations, my 2nd-Amendment champions."

      3. Not condemning every lunatic who shares a cause with you is very different than actively encouraging violence.

      I notice you are not actually defending what he's said; your arguments here are "Well, the other side's as bad!" Is this how you make it seem okay to you?

      Delete
    5. He later clarified that he would support a temporary ban from certain countries until we could figure out a better system.

      He never said #2 that is how the press chose to interpret it. There will be no shotgun toting Trumpers lurking around the polls. It is utterly ridiculous. Voter fraud is real and should be reported.

      The left actively encourages political violence.

      I do not believe the other side is just as bad, I think they are worse. The left is more racist, more interested in controlling and banning speech, and more likely to incite and tolerate violence.

      On one point you are correct, I am not defending things Trump has said. I am voting for him because I believe he will do the right things. The man lived the life of a billionaire playboy and was in the casino business and never pretended to be any better morally than he is. It is part of his appeal, he never pretended to be a saint, or role model.

      Regardless, as the recent PEW study shows, Trump voters are more tolerant of other views :-) You are certainly entitled to your opinion and to vote and I wish you all the best!

      Delete
    6. Well said William. Hear, hear.

      Delete
    7. I don't need to rely on the reporting of what is said at Trump rallies when I can listen directly to his words, which are the words of a narcissistic egomaniac who has no realistic policy proposals to solve the problems we are facing as a country.

      Perhaps there was more prevalent voter fraud back in the 1960's, but these days it's negligble. See https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/debunking-voter-fraud-myth.

      I really don't understand how you can claim that the left is more racist and encourages more violence than the right these days. The KKK endorsed Trump! Trump supporters are calling for Clinton to be hung or shot!

      There is no doubt that we as a country (and really as a world) are facing a lot of issues happening simultaneously with the rapid increase in automation and globalization which leading to increased destabilization of labor, especially for the less educated. Trump is tapping into the anger that a lot of people feel about the state of their lives and communities.

      However, he hasn't given us any answers to these problems and hasn't even shown any understanding of what the problems are other than slogans like "Make America Great Again". Of course, no one running has provided good answers for these problems because these problems are f'ing difficult and may not be resolved other than through time as demographic trends lead us to lower populations in the future. But at least Clinton appears to be grounded in reality.

      Delete
    8. The people actually agitating violence, rioting, and destroying property this election cycle have been on the left. You don't see Trumpkins out beating up homeless women who support Clinton. KKK is an independent group and Trump can't control who they endorse. If he were black they would be voting for Hilary, lol. The joke is on them anyway because he intends to help African Americans.

      Trump supporters are optimistic about change for the better. The rallies are full of hope. The angry mobs have been leftist protesters.

      Delete
    9. And this is the information problem, DD: None of those things you've mentioned is an accurate representation of reality. They're creative interpretations given by media people, to uncharitably describe someone they hate to an audience they know isn't going to go straight to the source to find the truth. The anti-anti-Trump vbloggers, their entire strategy, has been placing weird bits of inflammatory news back into its context. None of it, literally none of it (including "grab them by the pussy") is as heinous as those interpreting the news have made it out to be. This election cycle has been made possible by halo effect and confirmation bias. There's no other way of explaining phenomena such as Clinton supporters now believing James Comey is a Russian puppet. Just like Trump. Just like Julian Assange. Just like the whole FBI. Is every indicated of wrong-doing by the Clintons going to get hand-waved away by accusations of being a Russian spy?

      How could people possibly believe these ridiculous things? And don't worry, I'm including the new "Hillary's team are satanist child-traffickers" meme that's making the rounds.

      It's information bubbles all around. When you put together a little listicle of Trump's purported crimes against the public and against taste, you're not telling me your opinions. You're simply repeating what you've been told.

      Delete
    10. I would argue that Trump supporters are not optimistic about change for the better as much as fearful of things continuing as they have been (whether those things are grounded in data or not).

      And yes, there has been unseemly behavior on both sides, but I think it's a false equivalence to claim that the left is no better (or even worse than the right). The Hollywood Blvd video shows the woman falling down, she wasn't beaten up. There is video of a Trump supporter punching a protester being led out of rally. Outside of the Breitbart / Drudge report bubble it does seem that the Republican electorate is the side more filled with fear and anger this electoral cycle.

      PS - How exactly will Donald Trump help African-Americans? How will he help areas of the country struggling with heroin? How will he stem job losses due to automation, as the majority of these losses are not due to immigrants taking those jobs as much as those jobs are just no longer needed. How will he deal with ISIS in Syria? Are we just supposed to take his word on everything, when neutral fact-checkers show him lying more often than any other candidate?

      Delete
    11. William, I get what you're saying about information bubbles, but I don't get your arguments about the well-documented Trump positions I brought up:

      "And this is the information problem, DD: None of those things you've mentioned is an accurate representation of reality."
      The argument here is "It's not so."

      "They're creative interpretations given by media people, to uncharitably describe someone they hate to an audience they know isn't going to go straight to the source to find the truth."
      The argument here is, "They're lying."

      "The anti-anti-Trump vbloggers, their entire strategy, has been placing weird bits of inflammatory news back into its context."
      The argument here is, again, "They're lying," although the double-negative of "anti-anti-" is a little confusing.

      None of it, literally none of it (including "grab them by the pussy") is as heinous as those interpreting the news have made it out to be."
      The argument here is, "Even if they're not lying, it's not so bad."

      "This election cycle has been made possible by halo effect and confirmation bias."
      The argument here is broader; essentially, "What can we believe at all?"

      "There's no other way of explaining phenomena such as Clinton supporters now believing James Comey is a Russian puppet."
      The argument here is, "People on both sides believe ridiculous things."

      "Just like Trump. Just like Julian Assange. Just like the whole FBI."
      The argument here is something like "innocence by association."

      "Is every indicated of wrong-doing by the Clintons going to get hand-waved away by accusations of being a Russian spy?"
      The argument here is, "But the Clintons are probably really corrupt."

      I don't get how you can "wave away" the many clearly awful things Trump has been recorded saying with an argument that boils down to "You can't believe anything you read but if you had real opinions you'd see how bad the Clintons are." As I mentioned in an earlier post--I'm really on the fence about where my vote goes; my opinion of H.Clinton is probably about as negative as the median Republican (tho for different reasons). But your reassurances--that Trump's positions aren't really so bad because the media rejumbles the jumble of words that spill from his mouth--don't convince me. Where is the actual evidence that Donald Trump doesn't mean what he's said? What is the defense of him that's not, "Everybody's lying, and Hillary's worse"?

      Delete
    12. "It's information bubbles all around."

      Oh, it's true there's plenty of straw man arguments and so much rhetoric.

      Trump is not as bad they picture him, because they picture him way, way too powerful. Whereas he's just an harmless buffoon.

      I'm really surprised that so many people can take him seriously. Either for or against him.

      But the bottom line is that you just need to listen him speaking. His only principle is being selfish and egocentric.

      His whole argument about the economy is about renegotiating trade contracts so that they are advantageous to him/his country. How can you seriously think any other country will deal with that kind of bullying approach?

      He's just a grown up, simple minded child without an ounce of self awareness. There's no "information problem" because all this is so hilariously evident.

      Delete
  37. Thanks Chet! You will lose some readers, but you'll gain is greater.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I just wanted to send a thanks to Chet for this. Too many people (myself included) feel implored to remain neutral in such matters, fearing alienation, intimidation and even retribution. To see someone risk losing any of their readership by making a stand for a progressive cause is truly rare these days.

    Thank you.

    Ps. Play more rpgs I like those.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I’m not from USA however I’m observing your presidential campaign with great attention as well as political situation in Europe. In fact America and Europe suffer for the same illness: we are ruled by anti-democratic oligarchic “elites” which are realizing only their own business. Moreover most of those “elites” are strongly leftist; they are trying to change the nature of man in its deepest roots. And they are socialists from the economical point of view (vide- Clinton’s declarations about tax policy). In my humble opinion if we do not stop this trend it will cause a terrible disaster and a final end of the white man civilization (or Euro-American civilization if you prefer so).
    So it is no really important who will be elected. It is important to break a dominance of today's establishment. From that perspective I’m pretty sure that Trump is only hope for USA. Of course it would be better to have another choice, a person with more positive traits, maybe someone not so rich and not connected with a great business. But you have what you have. And must choose between absolute disaster and threat for your freedom (Clinton) and the chance to some normality (Trump).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's nice to feel so strongly about those 2.

      But digging deep into my knowledge of world history, I have come to a conclusion that:
      1) Only revolutionaries will make great changes
      2) Only non-constitutional monarchs and dictators have absolute say on state affairs
      3) Every politician in the world had never fulfilled all their promises

      So, Hilary revealing Area 51 secrets if she's president? Hah!

      And, Trump building the Great Wall of America? Double Hah!

      I think USA doesn't need to fear what the next President would do to the country. What they need to fear is how much respect the rest of the world would give to them based on their decisions.

      If the other stronger powers believe that USA is now led by a dimwit, who knows what they would do?

      Delete
    2. You are totally right. Hovered I’m not talking about persons but political trends. For me Clinton is just continuation of some tendency (political correction, interventionist economy, socialist state, reign of unofficial elites etc.) and Trump is a chance to brake this chain of social transformations (I wish to underline: a CHANCE). In my opinion it will be batter for US citizens to change the dynamic of current policy and to renew democracy in their county (the same is about European nations). Modern democracy is far from self-determination of nations (perhaps a few exceptions as Switzerland)- replacement of rulers is its only protection against oligarchy and (yes!) enslavement. USA have been ruled by Democrat’s president from 8 years. I think it is enough.

      Delete
    3. The republic will survive regardless of who is elected!

      And it is true, change is difficult. Every outsider runs on a promise of overturning the apple cart. Once they are elected and in the cart with all the other apples, suddenly things change :-)

      Delete
  40. As with many of the other commentators, I'm not American, but this vote has saturated my media so thoroughly that I feel like I am actually there. Of course, I am married to one, so she is very upset about it.

    I'm astounded that some people suddenly don't want to read this blog anymore just because its writer has a different political opinion to them. If you've been reading it for years and enjoyed every bit, then... the content is generally going to stay like that. You'll still like it! Stay!

    I haven't agreed with everything Chet has ever said, but I'm going to stay and keep reading because he is braver than I in playing this silly games and I welcome the effort. In fact, I welcome the opportunity to break out of the vast echo chamber that is the internet at large and experience differing thoughts in a respectful way.

    Why is discourse so hard?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Probably because the "discourse" starts with something like:
      "that nearly 50% of voters plan to cast their ballot for this immoral, ignorant, unfeeling horror of a candidate fills me with shame and despair for the future of this country."

      Delete
    2. Proper discourse is difficult because political views are very closely tied to our perception of reality. When others view reality differently either consciously or subconsciously presents an existential threat. Our programming tells us someone has to correct, or at least more correct.

      I like to illustrate it like this. Imagine one day you get on the bus and there is one guy on the bus talking into a banana like its a phone. You maybe feel sorry for him, or laugh at him depending on your temperament.

      The next day you get on the bus and three people are talking into bananas. You are weirded out, maybe think someone is pranking you.

      The third day you get on the bus and everyone is talking into their bananas. You are terrified because either they are all crazy or you are.

      The above example is exaggerated, but the same feelings are generated when 45% of the country believes Tax cuts stimulate growth, and the other 45% believe it would be better for the government to invest that money in shared interests.

      You literally see reality differently and you think you can have a rational conversation and convince the other side that they are wrong, but more often than not you cannot because it is literally altering their foundational view of reality. These views tend to change slowly over time, not in the course of an argument.

      The net result is that you end up talking at each other with escalating levels of tension.

      Now this is not to say we shouldn't try to have discourse. Even the shouting matches are useful because they remind people that not everyone shares their views. We tend to separate ourselves into groups that think alike and if we never got into an arguments with those outside our group we would be stuck in nothing more than a self congratulating circle jerk.

      The internet really makes the circle jerk really easy. If you only want your reality reinforced you can stick to Moveon and Slate.com or Brietbart and Gatewaypundit and never see the other 45% that view the world in a completely different way.

      Delete
    3. Exodus, good post. There is definitely a need to have more civil discourse.

      It is interesting that the internet, rather than making more varied information available to everyone, seems to reinforce everyone's beliefs by allowing people to self-select their own information.

      Delete
    4. Thank you. I understand why people could never vote for Trump. I mostly take offense to people making blanket statements about Trump supporters. He has said and done enough offensive things that would make him understandably unworthy of a vote for some. I wish others could understand that for some of us, in our view, HRC is worse. It is just a different reading of reality.

      Delete
  41. American citizens should NEVER again wonder how Hitler came in power. You've just shown to the rest of the world that you can be as dimwitted as people in the early 1900s. And you don't have the luxury of "we didn't know". You do know, you just don't care.

    Ffs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Hitler comparisons are just dumb. Trump's right-wing supporters believe in freedom and the constitution. If he starts oppressing speech, or trampling freedoms he would sooner be voted out or killed by his own supporters. Furthermore, he isn't even well supported by his own party, or by by industry. You need some level of collusion to enact racism. He wants to help all Americans, black, hispanic, doesn't matter who you are so long as you are here legally.

      Delete
  42. Hmmm...I'm rather disappointed that you would stoop to discussing politics on a blog like this. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Great post CRPG addict! As already mentioned, there is no alternative to Hillary...

    ReplyDelete
  44. It's baffling that there are so many people who do not see that Trump and Clinton are both utterly reprehensible people. If these two psychopaths don't make you realize that the republican vs democrats bullshit is a false dichotomy I don't know what will.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Why I'm voting for Trump and so should you...

    Ok first I got to say it's really bad form for you to bring politics to your blog. There are now more Trump supporters than Hillary supporters in the USA. Most polls now show either Trump ahead or a tie. So you just potentially alienating 1/2 of your audience.

    1. Political Dynasties, we already had two Bushs we don't need two Clintons! Not to mention the Bushs have endorsed the Clintons!

    2.Bill Clinton who is stumping for Hillary is twice the rapist of Trump, he's actually been taken to court and had to pay Paula Jones $850,000. Not to mention the numerous other sex candals. Huma Abedins husband sends dick picks to young girls. Clinton and her aides sure know how to pick them.

    3. Hillary is so establishment it hurts her is here is a list of supporters....The Media, Republican Elites, Democratic Elites, Big Business, Wall Street & Banks. Like Micheal Moore said the enemy of my enemy is my enemy.

    4. She was the deciding vote on the attack of Libya. This caused the migrant crisis & Isis. She is on video gleefully bragging about killing Gaddafi. "We came wee saw he died"

    5. All of there past scandals, TravelGate, Impeachment, Lewenski, WhiteWater, Vince Foster, Arkancide, Cattle Futures.

    6. They are on record for making 140 millon dollars since she was the secretary of state, for giving "Speeches" err I mean payoffs! Where she said she had a public & private position on issues, and “My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere.”

    7. She was against gay marriage to the point of calling marriage "A sacred right between a man and a woman" you don't change your sacred ideals unless they are not sacred.

    8. She lied for no reason about being under sniper fire in Bosnia.

    9. The DNC cheating Bernie!

    10. Her careless use of email while Secratary of State

    11. Her currently reopened investigation by the FBI for the use of her private email server. Lesser people have gone to jail for much less.

    12. The year long investigation into the Clinton Foundation Pay to Play scandal. Comey was forced by a mutinous rank and file to pursue this. Why are the Saudis and Moroccans donating millions to the Clintons to the tune of 2 BILLION dollars?

    13. Project Veritas Scandals, 1) Paid provocateurs to incite violence at Trump ralies. 2) Bragging about rigging elections 3) Hillary personally getting Donald Duck to show up at Trump rallies. 4) Calling Black Republicans Sonderkommandos.

    14) She wants to put a no fly zone over Syria, our Generals are on record saying that would mean WAR WITH RUSSIA!!!!

    15) 6 DNC officals have had to step down since WikiLeaks

    16) Donna Brazile and CNN cheating for Hillary leaking her debate questions.

    17) Obamacare going up 25% in just one year in all states, others as much as 75%

    18)Friends in the FBI like Peter Kadzik giving the Clintons warnings about the investgations.

    19) She was aware that the Saudis were arming ISIS all while taking in contirubtions from them for the Clinton Foundation.

    20) Everyday a new WikiLeak drops with new Scandals.

    21) Flip flopping on TPP and being instramental for passing Nafta

    22) Voting for the Iraq war

    23) Her war on Coal

    24) Uranium deal with Russia

    25) Bill clinton overturned glass steagall

    Chet! Are you serious bro? Thing is I could make this list goto 100 easily.

    It SO pains me that my favorite blogger is shilling for Hillary...

    SMH!




    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meanwhile, Trump:

      - Multiple sexual assault investigations ongoing
      - Multiple beauty pageant scandals, grabbings and the like, caused investigations
      - Racial home discrimination investigations
      - Mafia ties investigations
      - Trump University scam investigations
      - Tenant Intimidation investigation
      - Four bankrupsies. Trump is basically broke, but acting like he is a millionair. He is billions in debt. He will never pay his debt.
      - Undocumented Polish workers investigation
      - Alleged marital rape investigation
      - Breaking casino rules investication
      - Antitrust violation
      - Suing journalist tim O’Brien for libel
      - Refusing to pay workers and contractors investication
      - Plagiarized materials investications in Trump university
      - Using donor money to buy his own books
      - Using donor money in Trump organization, making false donations
      - Bypassing th ecuban embargo investication


      So yeah, Trump is a dirty criminal too. But he is also a stupid, people hating narcisst.

      Delete
    2. Chet's audience is not 100% American, so no, I don't think he'll lose half his readers.

      Delete
    3. Be honest; the point that you really care about is point 9. The rest is just you justifying to yourself why you're voting against Hillary for someone Bernie himself has said to vote against.

      Delete
    4. For me the core of Trump's platform is deporting 11+ million Americans, banning Muslims from entering the US, and encouraging violence and virulent racism and sexism in American politics.

      I'm not a Clinton supporter, but your list conveniently ignores the core of what Trump is and represents.

      Delete
  46. Considering that this circus started off with the 3 strongest candidates being Bernie the oldie, Tramp the Clown and Wicked Witch of the west I'm not surprised that there are only 2 of the worst left standing since US elections have always been about who can put up the best show and not who is the most capable.

    ReplyDelete
  47. As a guy living in Europe, i really cant understand what you did in US. You have 2 really, really terrible candidates and now you have to choose the lesser evil. Well, good job. Trump is a new Hitler and Clinton is basically Angela Merkel - a woman who is leading Europe to doom with her actions. I would still vote for Hillary because of what Addict said "You can suck up 4 years of a Clinton presidency to avoid the end of American civilization as we know it, can't you?". Vote for her, have 4 terrible years and then try again to choose some good candidate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You don't understand Merkel either. Even from a far right/non-humanist perspective, you have to be aware that Africa and the Far East are very poor, unstable and unsafe and that it's natural for them to try to get to Europe. It will never be possible to keep everybody out, the influx will never stop.
      Merkel ist doing the only reasonable thing to avoid a bigger conflict.

      Delete
    2. If Clinton was Merkel, I'd vote for her in a heartbeat. Sure, Merkel might be a bit too sleek, a bit too rational, but her political decisions have always been in line with both moral and legal obligations, despite what the extreme political wings claim.
      She's been our chancellor for eleven years now, which clearly shows the good job she is doing.

      Delete
    3. @sucinum:
      Ridiculous false dichotomy, not being able to keep everyone out in no way means you have to let everyone in.
      Merkel's decision was a failure of historic proportions, overshadowing even the Wiedervereinigung and the Euro.
      Every time a bunch of politicians want their names in the history books, the German people pay.

      Delete
    4. Merkel didn't leave everybody in, not even 1/3. That was the bare minimum.
      Alone in Turkey there are more than one million of refugees stashed away in camps. Erdogan makes us pay for this "service" as well, in cash and also in making us "tolerate" his reign. Just these days he blocked social media in Turkey without too much of an outcry in Europe.

      Even ignoring every bit of humanity*, taking refugees is better than not.


      *Honestly, I have a huge problem with people who do that. As if we couldn't share a bit of our really huge wealth...

      Delete
    5. @Unknown:

      A bit too rational? I'm having trouble even parsing that sentence. I want my leaders to be as rational as possible.

      Delete
  48. If nothing else does it, the fact that Russian state media is heavily promoting Trump, and that the russian government are most likely behind several attempts to sabotage the Clinton campaign, should be a wake up call to any republicans who don't care about the myriad of ethical reasons not to vote for Trump.

    Russia is more dangerous and more hostile now than it's ever been since the early eighties. Since the worst of the cold war. They're an enemy of western society, and an enemy of America.

    And they want Trump to win.

    This is NOT the time to give them that victory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In fact, they don't just WANT Trump to win, they are interfering in the process to help him win.

      And if you think I'm excaggerating about them being an enemy of western society; look up on their war on Ukraine. They've gone to war to prevent a sovereign country from aligning themselves with the west.

      I'm so very, very afraid of what will happen if their candidate wins the US election.

      Delete
    2. Why "oh dear..."? That they are an enemy of the west is part of their own rhetoric.

      Delete
    3. Clinton is far likelier to get us into a war with Russia with her proposed no fly zone over Syria and her steadfast commitment to Middle East proxy wars. Even Jill Stein agrees.

      Delete
    4. Also most people have forgotten that Russia signed in -96 a treaty that confirmed Ukrainian borders including KRIM in exchange for Ukraine to dismantle their cold war -era nuclear arsenal.

      That's how much Russia respects the international treaties it has signed.

      Delete
  49. I feel that having to anticipate losing readers for voicing your political opinion demonstrates rather well how broken the entire system is to begin with. Freedom of speech shouldn't simply mean being able to voice your beliefs, it should also imply a societal guarantee that you won't be persecuted or harmed for those beliefs, but in this day and age, it sadly does not.

    I saw your post and assumed the title was a joke about something that occurred in Fates, but I do applaud you for making this post. If you feel this strongly about the election you absolutely should feel free to speak out about it via whatever channels you wish to.

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    Replies
    1. On the contrary, freedom of speech isn't and shouldn't be a blanket protection from criticism/persecution. You are free to tell people that the source of all life in the universe is a magical teapot that floats in space on the far side of the sun so we can't see it, and the rest of us are equally free to tell you that you're an idiot for believing that.

      Delete
  50. Hell, I already voted for Hillary. Early voting meant I could vote on a Saturday with no lines.

    Thanks for this post.

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  51. Whether or not you agree with the content of this post, or whether it should have been made, its predictably-voluminous comments have made it impossible to find new comments on other posts. That's irritating.

    (Unless there's another way to do so besides the recents-comments thingy in the sidebar, or going to each old post and checking manually, that I'm not aware of?)

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    Replies
    1. Yeah sometimes I feel that there should be a forum-style shell that you can out on top of blogger that allows navigating recent comments easier. I think it'd help crpgaddict.blogspot become more of a community.

      Delete
  52. Heh. I thought that, as a fan of fantasy scenarios, you would favor Trump. You could play Fallout in real live. The country would be governed by a mad Overlord. Plus weapons for everyone!
    ...
    Too bad you let this opportunity slide.

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  53. I've been reading this goddamn blog for years, and this is the first time that I've been motivated to comment. So, great job there. Now I'm probably a reader for life and maybe you'll make a regular commenter out of me.

    I'm not going to make fun of the "you've lost a reader" folks though. Being totally honest, if this post had been a calm defense of Trump I probably would have quietly unsubscribed from the RSS feed and found something else to read.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. If Chet did come out in support for Trump, I'd actually probably need to give Trump a second look. I mean, the look wouldn't last very long, but I'd at least have to ask myself if I'm missing something. As it stands, though, good lord I've seen more than enough.

      Delete
  54. Long-time reader, first time poster.
    Thanks for this.

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  55. Every 4 years I read about how the candidate on the other side is truly terrifying. Mitt Romney is a psychopath. Obama secretly hates America. McCain is some kind of wierd Manchurian candidate. Clinton is a criminal with no respect for the law. And every four years partisans on both sides work themselves up into a self-righteous lather because really, how could their fellow citizens even think about supporting the other guy! But I think, Chet, that it says a whole lot more about you and the hate that you yourself have internalized when you say that you don't even want the readership of about 45% of your fellow citizens because they may share different values and see the world in a different way then you do and this makes them morally or intellectually deficient in some way. Values that really had nothing to do with what brought people together in this place anyway: their love and nostalgia for these old games and the excellent insight and masterful writing you bring to the subject. This is of course your space and you can do with it whatever you want. The unfortunateness of this is that it is a place that was pretty fun and escapist that now has a shot of venom injected into it. Anyway, thank you for all the excellent commentary up to this point. I am eager to continue this journey once this current election season stops making normally good and decent people rather spiteful. Please take care! - Josh D

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  56. You're not going to lose my readership over this (although your 'fine I didn't want you anyway!' comment is a bit childish), but I really wish you hadn't brought politics to your site. I've been trying so hard to stay away from all the negativity surrounding this election, but it seems that once again it's being thrust in my face.

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  57. Chet, this was very brave. Thank you for your voice.

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  58. Always happy to see an intelligent individual speaking up for a qualified candidate in a sensible and measured way. In a blog about video games, no less! Thank you, Chet.

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  59. I'd ask, "How could a reasonably intelligent person support a Clinton candidacy?" and your post answered that question for me: by deifying the opinions of the Establishment media, which is little more than a mouthpiece for the current unholy neoliberal-neoconservative union that passes for US policy.

    I guess if you serve as the uncritical receptacle of a particular sort of propaganda, you can write something like this and believe it:

    "You can suck up 4 years of a Clinton presidency to avoid the end of American civilization as we know it, can't you?"

    That said, I enjoy your work very much. I'm sorry if a Trump presidency presents the possibility of economic hardship for you, which seems to be what's really driving this post. Maybe your readers--and it looks like there are a lot of us--can help make up the difference.

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    1. There are reasonably intelligent people on both sides of the debate. More than that, you can have two very similar people, one voting one way, one voting the other.

      Neither winner would be apocalyptic, and I don't necessarily believe that the difference between candidates is that much more than it was between Gore and Bush.

      You will likely see racial intolerance rise statistically under a Trump presidency - you've already seen it with Brexit. Whether or not the campaigns feature explicit racism is less important than the general message they send. Whether they present the nation as one under threat by people of colour of other faiths.

      Delete
    2. The biggest threat, by far, to American - and all western liberal - civilisation is the man-made global warming that Trump denies.

      Delete
    3. It's even more of a threat to those nations with less resources to adapt - and furthermore, it's not a problem of their doing.

      But I agree, and that was arguably the most significant difference between Gore and Bush.

      Delete
    4. Certainly it's a more *immediate* threat to other nations, but when our coastal cities have to be abandoned because of rising sea levels, and there are massive marine extinctions, and most of the rest of the world is at war because of resource shortages - resources like food and drinkable water - and we're suffering droughts and crop failures and more and more extreme weather events, it will be the end for us too.

      The worst of it is still avoidable, of course, but only if we try to do something about it, and Trump will act to prevent that action. If nothing else convinces you that you shouldn't vote for the man, that should.

      Delete
  60. I will not be voting for either one. The system, in my opinion, has a responsibility to nominate qualified candidates. It failed and I resist the argument that I must chose a lesser evil.

    If Trump wins he will be an ineffective (few in the two houses will sign up for his hair-brained schemes), one-term
    president. His only likely effect will be to lessen the power of the white house--not a bad result in my book. Clinton, on the other hand, will just continue the trend of politics
    as self-aggrandizement. She would be in a position to do long term injury to the country. So I say reboot. Support neither and challenge the establishment to do better in four years.

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  61. Chet, thanks for this post. I agree that given the huge disparity between the candidates that it can be and should be discussed anywhere. I agree that Trump is perhaps the most unqualified candidate to ever run for president (although my knowledge of candidates in the 1800s is pretty slim) for a variety of reasons to long to list here. That's not to say that Clinton is an amazing candidate, but at least she has some put some thought into realistic policy proposals.

    For all the readers who plan on not reading the blog anymore, all I can ask is why? Can we not disagree on some things while simultaneously sharing in our enjoyment of other things like classic RPGs? At some point the demonization of the "other", whether liberal/conservative, establishment / non-establishment (whatever that even means!), etc. needs to end.

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    Replies
    1. It's not a simple "disagreement on some things" when you say that the people who are in disagreement with you are stupid, ignorant nazis motivated by hate and fear. This is what the Clinton campaign has disseminated. That's why it's not "brave" to come out in support of Clinton at the expense of people who may support Trump. The bulk of the Clinton campaign has been attacking Trump's *supporters*, to the point where you risk social censure by identifying yourself as preferring him.

      You can't have dialogue without charity--without a ground-rule assumption that all parties are acting in good faith. That can't happen when you set the parameters as being "Okay, we can talk. But everything you say comes from a place of hate and fear, you have to agree to that first."

      Delete
    2. And Trump supporters have not attacked Clinton supporters for being greedy elitist globalists? The whole Trump campaign is based on us vs. them where the "us" is the economically marginalized (with subtle nods to white supremacy) and the "them" are the "establishment" (with nods to an Illuminati-esque conspiracy).

      The bulk of the Clinton campaign has been attacking Donald Trump's character, comments and beliefs as being unfit for the President of the United States. In that they are correct. Hillary's judgment may not always be perfect, but she's still miles ahead of him on those qualities in addition to having at least some viable policy proposals.

      Also, I don't think there's any room for debate that Trump has cornered the bigoted, racist, anti-Semitic portion of the population. Clearly that's not all of Trump's support... but for those of his supporters that are, yes, they deserve all of the ridicule they get. That's not political correctness, that's just calling a spade a spade. Or a racist a racist as the case may be.

      Delete
    3. PS - I forgot to include mysogynists in the list of deplorables that Trump has cornered... my bad!

      Again, I'm not calling all of his supporters bad people. But I'm not afraid to call out those that are for being what they are.

      Delete

  62. I just want to point out that at least some of your readers are not American citizens (or even permanent residents) so:

    1) We do not care.
    2) We cannot vote even if we did care.
    3) We really enjoy reading about CRPGs...

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    Replies
    1. Well, since US of A IS a world power, we should be a little interested with their new evil overlord, be it Hilarous Klingon or Doomwald Triumph. But of course inability to do nothing about it is a major limiting factor when it comes to being frightened/excited.

      Delete
  63. Jesus H. Christ, I wish there were that many comments on usual posts about cRPGs.

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  64. Thanks for posting this. Normally it is nice to have a place away from politics, but this isn't a normal election.

    I have lots of issues with Trump, but the one that should really resonate across party lines and political ideologies for very practical reasons is his complete temperamental unsuitability for the job. The head of the military needs to have self-control. The head of our foreign diplomacy needs to be able to control his mouth.

    Lots of Republican see that. The statements are out there. This is the reason you should vote against your party and other political beliefs -- as hard as that must be. There just aren't enough checks to give this responsibility to someone who hasn't mastered themselves yet.

    I had deep policy disagreements with Romney, W. Bush, and so on. But they had the sufficient maturity needed for the job. I would never have worried about Romney calling a foreign head of state a fat pig or using the military because he was mad about something.

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  65. Former Trump supporter here. Not gonna lie, as a father of two beautiful daughters, I enjoy watching that sexist bigot to crash and burn.

    Hillary isn't that bad guys. At least she won't start a nuclear war like that maniac Trump

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    1. Funny, there's a person in my social network who absolutely insists that Hilary IS going to start a nuclear war with Russia, going so far as to post a map showing the likely locations the nukes will fall. :/

      Delete
  66. Not gonna lie, former Trump voter here. This is fucking hilarious watching Trump crash and burn. But in all seriousness we can't let this guy get the nuclear codes.

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  67. I could have replied to nearly half the posts in this thread, but I decided to reply to yours. Not because there was anything special about it but because you so simply said what all the Trump supporters believe.
    Let me now explain why it will now happen.
    Those of us who are #NeverTrump know in our heart that Trump is the end of our country. It is that simple.
    His winning redefines conservatism as nationalistic, authoritarian, populism that seeks to solve problems the same way the world tried in the 1930s with catistrophic results.
    We are students of history, we consider, think and discuss ideas. For a 100 reasons we cannot ... no WILL NOT vote for Trump.
    In the years to come, the questions will come up, where were you? Did no one see it coming? Now you know... yes we did.

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  68. He's already advocated spreading nuclear weapons to more countries, murdering civilians and committing war crimes, punishing any woman who gets an abortion, toss out the Geneva convention and torture people, withdraw from NATO, and ban an entire religion from the country, and create a database of muslims.
    He said he would deport US citizens and thinks global warming is a hoax created by the chinese, thinks the US should default on its debt, defends the interment of Japanese Americans in WW2.
    He thinks Obama is a muslim and accused him of not being american and accused him of being an ISIS sympathizer, insulted war heros because they got captured, racially insulted a sitting Senator. He bragged about his dick size in a GOP debate and has suggested he might quit if he's actually elected.
    He consistently thinks women are only valuable for how they look, with at least a dozen high-profile misogynistic comments.
    He's called nuking the middle east a plausible option. He has a suspicious number of ties to Putin, and has a history of business deals with organized crime. He's called mexicans rapists and criminals, been successfully sued multiple times for racist rental practices, and said he wants no blacks only jews counting his money.
    He semi-threatened the pope, mocked disabled people in front of a crowd of thousands, outright threatened violence towards the media and protesters, made sexual comments about his daughters MULTIPLE TIMES, praised Kim Jong Un and Putin and Saddam Hussein, praised the Tianenmen Square massacre.
    He's flirted with white supremacy - retweeting them, reposting their images with anti-semitic symbols, playing coy about David Duke's endorsement. He's a verified lunatic conspiracy theorist - he thinks the Clintons murdered one of their aides, Obama is a sleeper agent and Ted Cruz's dad helped kill JFK.
    He could get caught diddling kids and funding ISIS himself and his supporters would eat it up. Either way, Ladies and Gentlemen, your Republican party nominee.

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  69. Trump is far less likely to get us into a war than Clinton, who is an active proponent of war and has already destroyed our relationship with Russia and left the middle east in a shambles. Trump, despite his bombast, is the candidate of peace this election. Go figure?

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  70. I consider myself an intelligent, educated "scholars of history" and I support Trump. You really shouldn't make blanket statements about the opposition like that.

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  71. Thank you for the brave post. Probably ultimately futile, but I highly appreciate trying everything. I'm afraid a lot of the damage has already been done wether he wins or looses. As a non-US reader I just can' t understand how it could ever get that far... Keeping my fingers crossed that the majority comes to reason and finds another, less destructive way to voice their protest and unhappiness with the status quo.

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  72. Yesterday, Donald Trump made a last minute choice to marshall his hateful, racist, neo-fascist forces en mass in Warwick Rhode Island. Inspired by those I am honored to call my friends in the organizing community here in Rhode Island–at Brown and especially out in the community–and few of other students and I spent the day yesterday working with a the White Noise Collective and with a number of other groups to mobilize folks to fight against Donald Trump and his supporters' rampant, grotesque, nauseating hatred. We showed up in large numbers, bearing the messages of inclusion, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-hate–powered by radical love. Four groups of us chose to enter the rally itself, posing as Trump supporters. Following the lead of one group of veteran organizers, we (Rudy, Aida, Brian, and myself) decided we ought to represent our community, and show these protesters that we are people. We would represent our Latinx heritage in the face of hate. After waiting in line for hours, posing as Trump-fans amidst the throng of radical Trump supporters, we entered into a tent. It seemed like almost no time had passed, even with pounding heart and straining eyes, until Donal Trump stood before us–exhalted like a conquering soldier, to the cries of all there. After a brave interruption by the White Noise organizers, our turn came. During a moment of rare calm, I shouted "Donald Trump, why do you hate our people?" after which all of my cohort and I, while looking into the eyes of Donald Trump and his sea of supporters, shouted "No Human Is Illegal" and "No More Deportations." The shocked crowd attempted to silence our voices with chants of "TRUMP," paired with slurs and other excoriating and hate-filled rhetoric, as we were jostled and shoved out of the tent. We joined the dozens and dozens of fearless counter-protesters outside, holding signs, chanting, and attempting to challenge the large pro-Trump crowd outside. Tensions were high, especially at the fault line dividing our two groups. I lost my voice numerous times, adding my voice to the vigorous cries of "Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here," "No more hate in our state," and various other stirring rallying cries. I feel blessed beyond measure to have stood with such brave souls today, and heard and been supported by so many more. I'm exhausted, drained, and working on my own recovery. Last night was plagued with little sleep, anxiety, and bad dreams. Today, however, looks toward something more hopeful, inspired and encouraged greatly by a wonderful, nurturing, and totally bad-ass community. To all involved: Thank you so much for making today a success. Let me know if there is anything I can do to support any of you in any way. Much love. La lucha sigue. Yours in solidarity.

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  73. I'm still not going to engage specific comments, but please see the addenda attached to my post above.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. That's an interesting point on values versus facts that I haven't heard verbalized before. I'm going to have to reflect on that.

      With that said, I do believe that a sizable portion of Trump support do not have the facts on what the likely outcomes are of his vague policy suggestions. Regardless of values, I think the implications of some of his suggestions are just terrible for the US and for the world.

      Delete
    2. That is an astonishing precission in which you describe such a complicated matter. Really good.

      Delete
  74. "If you honestly support Donald Trump, then your values are so different from mine that I would disconnect from you on LinkedIn, I wouldn't be inclined to lend you $50, and I don't want you to benefit from the effort that I put into this blog."

    True intolerance on display. Would you disconnect someone from your LinkedIn because they are in a country that actually does kill gays, or not allow women to drive? Would you denounce Sharia law? It is diametrically opposed to your views more than the average Trump supporter is. Of course not, you would consider that discrimination or intolerance. Yet you have no issue with spewing hate at your fellow Americans who share more of your basic values, particularly of freedom. I feel very sorry for a heart filled with such hate as yours.

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    1. Feel sorry for you too Alan. Sad.

      Delete
    2. That gets down to the 'paradox of tolerance' - I'm ok with intolerance of intolerance myself. I believe it is how society shifts to more tolerant positions overall.

      To what degree or in what fashion a society should be intolerant of intolerance is definitely an open question :)

      I'm sure Chet is unimpressed by anti-gay legislation wherever it crops up, and I'm confident he'd take a pretty dim view of someone who supported Duterte, or Erdogan, or Mugabe or Putin or Museveni.

      Delete
    3. Again, shut up, you patronising, concern-trolling, anonymous bore.

      Delete
    4. No, I know you love to bully people with differing opinions. We will never shut up. Try a little more love and less righteous indignation.

      Delete
    5. Here Here! Sometimes all this freedom of speech is so annoying! Does anyone ever hope for a world in which outcomes bring self-censorship of the more annoying pablum?

      Delete
  75. Sorry Chet, I suspect most of us in Trumpland will continue to enjoy your blog for years to come! Carry on the good work!

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  76. "I'm still not so far on the side of the continuum that I'll go to war over Trump's election, but if you support him, you're cut out of my life."

    Strong words addict. But, to be honest, it feels a little hollow. It's easy to make a statement about cutting people out of your life when none of those people are important to you.

    But for me, well my mother, father, grandparents on both sides, siblings, uncles, cousins, the whole family pretty much supports Trump. I don't like Trump, but I love my family. They always have my back, and have really helped me out a lot in my life. They weren't evil terrible people before the election, and they won't be evil terrible people once Hillary wins either. I wish they supported someone else, but I've tried and failed to change their minds. I'm not going to cut them out of my life because of it, they mean too much to me.

    Do you actually know anyone who supports Trump who you have cut out of your life? If you found out your mother, sibling, best friend, or some other loved one supported Trump, would you really cut them out of your life? Not just some stranger on the internet, but a person you really love and care about?

    I wonder.

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  77. Your post was obnoxious. The addendum is indefensible. You're not smarter than me, you're not better educated than me, you're not more moral or ethical or a better person than me, you're not better informed than me. That leaves the primary, observable difference between us that I'm willing to entertain the idea that I'm wrong, that I've possibly been awash in bad information or have through bias of cognition come to the wrong conclusions. Your world-view doesn't permit this, and it's given you leave, no, moral *authority* to declare yourself good by declaring other people bad.

    A decent person by default just treats people well, and when it comes to ideas, is willing to test their ideas competitively against others. An indecent person declares themselves intrinsically correct and condemns anyone not in lockstep agreement. I started this election cycle not wanting to get involved, until this very behavior from Hillary supporters demanded that I seek the truth. I don't know that I've found it, but I'm pretty damned sure that the person whose flag you're carrying, at the expense of others and at the expense of courtesy and civility, is an objectively shady person. The person you revile, if not great or possibly even good, is not a fraction as bad as you say. I guess we'll see, pending the outcome of the election and the next dozen rounds of FBI investigations.

    You've said go. Fine. You want an echo-chamber so badly, you got it. See you on the flipside.

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  78. Chester, whatever your vote, thanks a lot for making the old CRPG great again !

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  79. How do you reach your forties and still get unhinged over hyperbolic election hysteria--especially when your candidate is ahead!

    You can rest assured that the neoliberal-neoconservative consensus controls the GOP establishment to the same degree that it does the Democrats. In other words, aside from enforcing existing border legislation and not instituting a Syrian no-fly zone, I don't expect Trump to accomplish much in his one (and presumably only) term.

    As my vote is largely to keep even one American service member from dying while fighting Assad on behalf of ISIS, I'll consider the above to have been an acceptable Trump presidency.

    And when he shuffles off the stage in 2020, we can both vote for Tulsi Gabbard.

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  80. Bravo, Chet. You should never be afraid to speak your mind, especially in your own forum, regardless of whether your readers consider them politically correct or not. I can guarantee you that the people who are castigating you right now have absolutely no qualms about sharing their own opinions just about everywhere else.

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  81. Hillary sucks. Trump Sucks.

    So with that I decided to write in my vote for President.... I am writing in my blender! Yep, that is right.. my blender. It is a Hamilton Beach 58850, and let me tell ya brother it is a beauty! I hope many of you will follow suite and write in my blender as well. It blends, mixes, chops, dices... what more can you ask for in such troubled times. Vote in my blender..

    Thank you for your support.

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  82. I fail to understand how anyone can vote for vote for that monster Hillary Clinton. I agree she's marginally better than Trump on a few issues like climate change or sexual minorities but the difference isn't big enougth to warrant voting for her. She's probably further to the right than most republican presidents.
    - Clinton supports the death penalty
    - she's extremly hawkish on foreign policy. She supports a no-fly zone over Syria even though she knows according to wikileaks that it would kill a lot of civilians.
    - she supports the dakota access pipeline
    - she voted for the iraq war that killed at least 100'000 civilians, destabilized the entire middle east and lead to the rise of ISIS
    - she cheated in the primaries against Bernie
    - she voted for the patriot act which ripped apart the 4th amendment. No more protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, no more protection from cruel and unusual punishment
    - she was in favour of NAFTA and lobbied for TPP 45 times before Bernie forced her to oppose it. The Wikileaks-emails and Terry McAuliffe confirmed that she still is in favour of TPP.
    - Her husband repealed the Glass-Steagall Act
    How can anyone seriously believe that Clinton is more liberal than Jill Stein?

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    1. First, she did not cheat Bernie Sanders in the primaries. There is no proof in the emails or anywhere else. Bernie was just not as good of a candidate.

      He, much like Jill Stein, while having their heart in the right place, are completely unrealistic in what they view as achievable and (I believe) are naive in the implications of their proposals.

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    2. You need to do your research. Donna Brazile (current DNC chair) fed the Clinton camp debate questions ahead of time, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (former DNC chair) rigged the debate schedule to favor Clinton. Both are 100% confirmed in both the DNC leaks and the Podesta leaks. Utterly irresponsible of you to claim otherwise.

      Delete
  83. I don't know if it matters, but I'm from Poland and here we have quite a problem with politicians - namely they never act after election as they did during campaign. So for me what Trump and Hilary do is nothing more than theater. Hilary is an experienced politician and I can't believe a word she says, on the other hand Trump is a billionaire hell-bent on winning, so I suppose that he had statisticians crunch some numbers and voila, to win he must be X, Y and Z - so he is. It's all about winning. I can't believe him to be stupid - he is at least shrewd, cunning, nifty, canny and sneaky, which means that if he wins the worst that will happen is four stagnant years for US. As for Clinton I can't really say what her agenda is so from my point of view she is more dangerous. All in all I wouldn't vote neither Clinton nor Trump, that's how indecisive I am - and it shows in cRPGs :)

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    1. Trump and PiS might not be that different anyway.

      Delete
    2. Trump's enthusiasm for Putin is definitely not a winning issue here for him at home... it seems genuine and unfeigned. He has also shown a decided lack of enthusiasm for honoring contracts, such as NATO, when he doesn't see any personal benefit from them. An America under Trump is not going to be as strong an ally to Poland as America has historically been, under both GOP and Democratic presidents.

      Delete
  84. I comment to this and to an Ultima post or two. In response to your wondering where I've been. In aggregate all of my comments then are responses of agreement with what I take to be your cogent sense of the virtuous and good.

    If you saved Don Trump'a America he'd throw a party and not invite you.

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  85. While I might be from the UK, there's been plenty of coverage of the US election over here.

    I would say I was amazed at the vitriol on both sides, but this seems to have been growing for years (a side effect of the increasing influence of social media?). Of course it's no different this side of the pond.

    The divide seems very similar (but for somewhat different reasons) as the divide between those of us in the UK over "Brexit". People voting in anger, or protest, on the basis of falsehood or pie-in-the-sky promises never ends well.

    I wish you all the best for the election, I shall be watching and waiting for the result, and while my opinion on the matter counts for nothing, I do hope Hillary is elected.

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  86. Thanks for this, Chet. Seems to have prospered some divisive commentary, but it was worth saying. Hard to feel bad about anyone who decides to stop reading the blog because you support the "wrong" candidate.

    Europe's on tenterhooks about this election. We're not doing a great job ourselves of holding back an ugly, racist regressive streak, the UK especially, and a Trump Presidency will no doubt bolster it. As long as we only backpedal as far as the 1980s and not the 1930s, I think I can tolerate it. Heck, it might mean more Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors or Ulysses31.

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    1. Backpedaling to the 80s might be ok if you're a straight, white guy. I'm worried for the friends of mine who don't fit that category though.

      Delete
  87. Thanks for posting this, Chet. For some reason, I had you pegged as a strong conservative (ROTC and military background, partially). I think that shows you've done a good job about keeping the blog about games, not about you.

    While I happen to agree that Hillary Clinton is light years ahead of Donald Trump in her qualifications to be President, I most enjoyed your addendum as to the nature of debate. That also surprised me, but in a less positive way - I expected that you would not want "people who quit reading the blog because of the political message", as opposed to "people who support Trump". The latter is misguided; the former is intolerant.

    I expect I have many conservative backers of Hero-U, and even at least one team member. I accept them happily as having differences of opinion with me. What I don't accept are people who go after me or my games because their politics differ from mine. I have some of those, too, and I would be very happy to not have them as followers. But if they're voting for Trump, and I voted for Clinton, well that's ok. They just have a different filter on their opinions than I have.

    This came up today with a professional doing work for my Mom. He's anti-Clinton because he's convinced she (with the help of a Democrat-controlled Congress) will raise his taxes. I can't argue with that - they might. But I can argue with people who say that deficits and taxes are both too high; lowering one requires raising the other.

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    1. I phrased "The latter is misguided; the former is intolerant." poorly. I mean that people can vote for someone you dislike without being bad people. But if they quit because of that disagreement, they are intolerant and acting inappropriately. Those people we can do without. :-) Just because someone is voting for Trump... well, I'd rather discuss it with them than shut them out of my life.

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    2. You can lower both by also cutting spending.

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    3. Posidonius - Most U.S. government spending is locked-in. The country *must* make interest payments on the national debt. Social Security and Medicare have their own funds, and payments are mandatory. There is relatively little discretionary spending available to cut, and most of it is part of the "social safety net", so cutting it hurts the most vulnerable Americans. The other major area that could be trimmed is military spending, but that is a sacred cow to Republicans. Also, cutting the military will increase unemployment, particularly among minorities and poorer Americans.

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    4. Social Security and Medicare are creatures of statute. They can be repealed like any other law. There is no property right to them (cf. Flemming v. Nestor). Whether or not that is politically viable is another question. If I had my druthers, they would both be abolished.

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  88. I love all this anti-Trump stuff. People say such mean things about him, like no holds bar stuff, like they'd never say those things about anyone else but it's okay cause it's Trump.

    Not that I mind. It's just so rare that so many in the media can be against someone so much. There is almost a unity amongst those who hate Trump. It's just too bad that Hilary has to be the alternative. There is more anti-Trump than there is Pro-Hilary.

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  89. Wow... Haven't even begun to dig into the insanity that these comments will be, but just wanted to say... Chet's a patriot, who knew?? :)

    Come to this blog to be intellectually stimulated, didn't expect to be moved emotionally. Good work.

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