Clinton, Obama pledge to unite behind Trump presidency

If this election teaches us anything of value, it will be to rely on ourselves to live healthy, productive lives and build healthy, productive families -- not to rely on politicians of any stripe, because they spend the vast majority of their time making promises they can't possibly keep.

The folks who elected Trump will get exactly what they deserve. Unfortunately, I'll get what they deserve too.

I now understand why so many Americans expressed support for Brexit in my neck of the woods. It's very exciting to see something radical and transformational happening in somone else's neighbourhood, but only in so far as the flames don't directly threaten your own home. As an outsider, I have to admit feeling a bit of excitment about what a Trump presidency might bring (sorry). Even if the American political system burns to the ground, whatever replaces it can't be much worse than what you have at the moment, right?

I think there are some important consequences to the Trump victory that may not be immediately obvious yet. First, the two party system may have just come to an end. For all practical purposes, Trump is really the first third party candidate in modern times to win the presidency (even though he is a nominal republican). He showed that you can defeat the most well funded and organised campaign in American history with only your mouth, albeit a big one. Secondly, he won without the support of the religious right. It's been common wisdom that you couldn't win an election without pandering to this group but Trump has shown that this isn't the case. Thirdly, the established media was largely behind Clinton and this still wasn't enough to convince the voters who are getting their information from other sources these days.

All of these factors combined might mean that we will start seeing some higher quality third party candidates deciding to run in the future if they know that just being themselves is enough for the voters.

Excellent post, M3M3M3.

He was judged the loser of all three presidential debates with Clinton.

Funny that Reuters still stands by that highly dubious statement. Clearly if he had lost all three debates, Clinton would have been the one giving her victory speeches today. It's OK to be wrong, but I am amazed at how many pundits have simply failed to reflect for even a moment on why they were wrong. They just continue as if they were still credible and nothing has changed.

@1glenn

This Electoral College result is unambiguous and the election will not be disputed.

Motivated by prejudice, many in the media threw aside even the pretense of fairness and balance. That didn’t prevent a Trump presidency and ironically, might even have helped bring it about. It has certainly illuminated the media’s crisis of credibility.

There may be as many as 3 SCOTUS nominations to be made in the next 4 years. Trump's tenure may last only 4 years, but the rulings of the Supreme Court can affect the next 40. That issue alone motivated me to vote Trump. That must put me in the less-educated percentile. Just saying.

It's kind of funny how Americans always say 'I'm moving to Canada', without realizing that it's really not easy to just move to Canada.

All of these factors combined might mean that we will start seeing some higher quality third party candidates deciding to run in the future if they know that just being themselves is enough for the voters.

A very well written observation. America really, really needs more than two political parties, both the Dems and Repubs have moved so far away from center that they are unpalatable to Moderates. Trump has warts, but they are honest warts and not covered up by a lot of PC verbiage, PR spin and outright lies. America will have a woman president eventually, one with integrity, class and a true desire to serve the people, not the power monger we were offered this time.

Anybody know what the Clinton Foundation refund policy is?

I don't know if Trump thought in terms of defeating the left or not, and I don't care. He was standing up against what has been happening. He was standing up against liberalism just as the crowds at Trump's rallies were real and have been since July 2015 if anyone cared to understand what the numbers meant in terms of the influence they could wield. They were based on issues. It is crystal clear what happened and why it happened.

Secondly, he won without the support of the religious right

The media coverage you mention is a mixed bag, in my opinion it both helped as well as hurt Clinton. But from what I have seen of the exit surveys, the white evangelical community was one of his strongest support bases. The only groups that broke for Trump in larger numbers were Republicans (men and women) and conservatives.

Clinton clearly got the most votes, but the Electoral College will give the election to the other candidate.

America is a republic with power divided between the state and the federal governments. This balances regional interests in a large country. That was the idea anyway.

I actually believed that the opposite of what occurred would happen. I thought for sure that Hillary would get the most electoral college votes but Trump would win the populate vote. Hillary is unlikable and corrupt. Trump is a jerk but entertaining. That said, I am still astonished that he won because I thought the Democrat political machine would turn out the vote for her. That occurred in California and New York but not in the battleground states.

Check out his analysis from Michael Moore around the time of the conventions. He was right.

http://michaelmoore.com/trumpwillwin/

I am not a fan of his but highly recommend his movie Canadian Bacon. Seriously funny.

The rioters clearly are ignorant of what democracy means. The electoral college system is one of the best checks and balances against the tyranny of the simple majority.

To those of you who voted Trump because you're sick of the established self serving elite, just sit back and watch how much richer Trump gets while the average Joe gets poorer.

To many who didn't want Trump in office. The answer is very simple if you'd just see how much power the actual citizen actually has. Is Trump going into the white house? Yes, it's a fact. But it's also a fact that he is in a public office that WE THE PEOPLE can a) hold him accountable , b) scrutinize as much as we want c) doesn't hold all the power in his own hands.

Don't forget this is still America, and there are still laws, rules, and procedures that he must abide by or the public can eat him alive.

At the very least I expect him to stick to "unaffiliated" roots. Trump's about to get a life lesson ... sadly it takes risking a country to do it.

I've been a very active citizen for over 18 years when I came to the realization that just turning in a vote isn't enough. Politician's don't listen because citizens don't talk. You can't hear anything if people say nothing...

While I'm not happy nor optimistic about a Trump presidency, I know what options are available to me and every other citizen in this country. Wise up people, and make sure if you have something to say, say it and let them know. Don't stay silent and feel like you're suffering and there is nothing you can do. There is always something you can do.

pukey2 - you were right. i heard from the news last night "uneducated white 72% go for trump", and repeated several times on tv. uneducated is not bad, worst part is combine with no common sense and poor judgement.

Now that the shoe is on the other foot, the onus is on the former leadership to encourage and promote peace and tranquility.

"After Trump's stunning upset of the heavily favored Clinton, ..." ... .. ... ... So the article says. Where did the conclusion "heavily favored" come from? Pollsters. Nearly all of them got it wrong yet we still see the word in Japan Today. Jim Geraghty in the National Review this morning wrote: "There has been a real Cult of Data built in the world of political campaigns, and I've genuflected a time or two to the idea that everything can be quantified, measured and calculated. Maybe gut feelings matter." Remember that these polls were used to justify bashing those whom the liberal press tagged "supporters" of Trump and those tens of millions of citizens Hillary Clinton termed "deplorables".

By one measure, the popular vote, Trump lost. Echoes of Bush 2000. Trump needs to straighten up his addled noggin fast if he hopes to lead the country. A very big if.

@M3M3M3 You make some interesting observations but I am not convinced that the current shift in American partisan affinity means that the traditional two party system is nearing its end. The party's will do as they have always done, adapt and reform themselves to meet the needs of the times. Trump is indeed an outsider with respect to his party. But the number of titular outsiders within the party has been growing since Obama forced through the his health program. The Tea Party was not so much interested in social issues as it was in reforming government. The religious right is in large part no longer a cohesive movement. Their are traditional values voters on issues like abortion that cut across religious ideology. You are absolutely right about the media. He ran and won based in large part on pointing out the bias in media and the collusion between the media and main stream media corporations like CNN.

Clinton clearly got the most votes, but the Electoral College will give the election to the other candidate. A crazy system. It is the second time in the last 5 elections that the one with the fewer votes was given the presidency. Last time, in 2000,it was Bush over Gore, and we all know how that worked out.

Secondly, he won without the support of the religious right

CORRECTION:

he won without the overt support of the religious right

...who feared headlines like this:

How the religious right embraced Trump and lost its moral authority

https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/10/14/how-religious-right-embraced-donald-trump-and-lost-its-moral-authority/zmnffYc0elZ5cdGHbLrBVL/story.html

Trump's choosing Mike Religious Freedom Restoration Act Pence - a born again Yin to Trump's locker room Yang - was no coincidence.

Instead of whining and pointing fingers, the Democrats need to figure out why they have lost the support of working class voters, which is their traditional constituency. They have ironically become a party of urban elites and the overeducated youth. They need to be honest about the loss, much the way the GOP was after the defeat of Romney in 2012. Don't keep blaming the voters for "not getting the message". Change the message!

Trump wins and guess what....there is rioting in California because he won, what a joke. Exactly who is deplorable now?

Well, the keys to the country are in Republican hands. I'm interested in seeing their healthcare plan, immigration plan, and budget.

Here is what Michael Moore had to say today. Couldn`t agree more. Any Democratic member of Congress who didn't wake up this morning ready to fight, resist and obstruct in the way Republicans did against President Obama every day for eight full years must step out of the way and let those of us who know the score lead the way in stopping the meanness and the madness that's about to begin.

Mrs. Bill Clinton's second biggest political blunder (behind calling nearly half of the American voters "deplorables") was bringing out Obama to campaign for her. . . .

I get the feeling he might be having second thoughts about saying he would end NAFTA and start a trade war with China, they would cause unimaginable economic devastation

To those of you who voted Trump because you're sick of the established self serving elite, just sit back and watch how much richer Trump gets

Not that we'll ever know. We don't even know how rich he is (or isn't) now, to be able to compare with the number that he won't tell us in the future either.

My Facebook is on fire. All of my liberal friends are coming unglued.

Mine too. As much as I'm disappointed, it's not the end of the world. At least, not for those of us outside the US.

@HonestDictator,

The citizens should always hold their leaders accountable. They should have done so in the past. They don`t though, too busy watching reality TV.

I didnt support trump. I was just opposed to hillary. But today Im thinking that just possibly trump could be one of the great presidents. The US is long overdue for another revolution to discard its tired and corrupt political status quo. If trump is genuine in his desire to do this hes going to have his work cut out for him because the vested interests in keeping the corrupt status quo - and thats democrats and republicans - are going to try to dabotage him. The people should get behind trump and be vigilant against both parties trying to prevent him doing what needs to be done. Instead we have "educated" people protesting in the street because their corrupt status quo millionaire ( where did all that money come from again?） goldengirl lost fair and square.

very strong women wish success for her in her next opportunities...

Some state polls turned out wrong, notably Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. But some state polls were in the margin of error like Florida, or turned out right like Ohio.

But there was a notable poll that wasn't wrong - the national poll. The national poll predicted that Hillary would have the most votes - and she did (she just didn't have the most electoral votes).

"Iran urged Trump to stay committed to the nuclear accord between Tehran and world powers."

Ain't gonna happen.

"He was judged the loser of all three presidential debates with Clinton."

According to Clinton supporters.

Hey, Trump and Obama got off to a good start:

Trump, Obama Meet at The White House: Full Press Conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYkxVbYxy-c

More gracious in defeat that Pres. Elect Trump would've been, I wager.

They should not support Trump and the Republicans at all. The GOP did nothing but obstruct democracy while Obama was in power. Could be classified as treason really. Should denounce them every chance they get. Scary thing is, Gingrich and Juliani are probably worse than Trump. Now there is one of the most ignorant, evil triumvirates in history.

That's going to be hard to do when half of their supporters are fleeing to Canada - and in Cher's case outer space.

Is Miley going as well?

I hope the democrats will have a major reflection after this.

I agree with that point as well. The GOP needs to equally take a hard look and reinvent themselves as a party.

As many have said, it's the hubris in pushing Hillary over Sanders that ended up with this loss.

They thought no one would find out and I'm sure they learned a very valuable lesson, hopefully.

While I still think she was unfairly smeared, it doesn't change the fact that her image was so bad that it ended up in a democrat loss, and the person with the better image should have been chosen.

The only person Hillary can and should blame is herself. She didn't have to lie the way she did, Bill and her and the Democrats felt entitled and felt they were above all criticism and have the right to dictate and do as they feel and in the end that is what got Hillary killed in this election. This was her Romney moment. That deplorable comment didn't help her at all and the people remember that as we have seen last night. As I have been saying, this was 1980 all over again.

Contrast this attitude to what the GOP and Trump supporters said they would do in the event of a Clinton victory -- from just shutting every piece of legislature down in the House to literally storming the White House and killing or locking up Hillary. Hell, even posters on here today, with the Democrats saying the will back and cooperate with trump are saying they should "shut up and leave!" Unbelievable the attitude.

Laguna at Nov. 10, 2016 - 12:54PM JST (Bill Murphy:) I always check the Internet for correct spelling, dates, etc.

(Laguna:) Yeah - especially with the Trump/Giuliani crowd, it's also useful to check the Internet for marital status. The two guys have six wives between them.

... ... ... Well, the number of failed marriages might say something about people, but Hillary's been married only once. That certainly hasn't made her a better person. Now, if Trump and Rudy had shared the same six wives, THAT would be very telling!

If Trump had his 2016 state-by-state totals versus Obama's 2012 state-by-state totals in 2012, he would have won the 2012 election against Obama, by the electoral vote:

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/442059/dont-blame-clinton-trump-2016-wouldve-beaten-obama-2012

I guess the question I would have for the 'never Trump' people is this: Assuming that Hillary was a toxic and flawed candidate from the start and was destined to lose against any Republican challenger, which Republican would you have liked to see take the oath of office this coming inauguration day instead of Trump?

Would it be born again bible thumper, President Rafael Edward 'Ted' Cruz? Or someone doing their best impression of what a smart person might sound like, President Benjamin Solomon Carson? Or professional fraudster and serial adulterer, President Newton Leroy Gingrich? Remember, these people were all ahead in the primary polls at one time or another. Trump is certainly not the best president America could have hoped for, but isn't there an argument to be made that he might actually be the best of the worst rather than the worst of the worst?

@Wolfpack- Very true, you're right. But I hope America sees some serious third party contenders in 2020. Alot was made of Citizens United and unlimited money, but I think we've also seen that, in the age of alternative media and entertainment, money does seem to have a slightly more limited reach than when everyone used to sit down to watch cable TV.

@Bill Murphy- Thanks!

The election is over but America will be as divided as ever......

whoa, hillary looks absolutely stunned in that pic.

no next opportunities for her. she'll be lucky if the democratic party doesnt tear her to pieces.

hillary lost. no arguement. not a peep out of the DNC on this . Just trash rioting in the streets.

Mark Twain said “If voting made any difference they wouldn't let us do it.” Today i have to agree. ut de chaos is in the mail!

Some state polls turned out wrong, notably Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan

The last polls in those states were essentially tied so what they didn't do obviously was weight correctly for the 2.5 million more California vote differential. My boss is Mexican American, though, and she is in a major funk so just hoping this transition period passes without major incident.

that is an insult for them to pledge to unite with trump, i guess no choice. i felt their pain. woke up at 5 am and felt the pain by realizing so many ignorant people in this nation. let's see the outcome of his promise to build a wall, dispose obama care, and to make america strong. i do not mind to suffer for 4 years, may be even earlier if impeachment occurs. i do hope my saying is wrong that he will do a great job and make america great again. even though the chance is quite slim.

Brexit then this...........

I blame TV. People expect their lives to be excitement filled like the stuff they watch on Netflix, but reality is different. But voting for Brexit and Trump have definitely livened up a lot of people's lives for a while at least.

I noticed that in the statistics, less-educated people were much more likely to vote for Trump. Just saying.

M3M3M3 at Nov. 10, 2016 - 08:09AM JST

Well said, M! I look forward to reading more of your posts.

that is an insult for them to pledge to unite with trump

No, it's the right thing to do. An opposition party is supposed to provide a counter-balance, not be obstructionist. It goes back to Michelle's comment, 'when they go low, we go high'. They were the obstructionists for 8 years, and look how much that hurt. The country can't handle another 8 years of obstructionism without tearing itself apart.

I hope the democrats will have a major reflection after this. As many have said, it's the hubris in pushing Hillary over Sanders that ended up with this loss. While I still think she was unfairly smeared, it doesn't change the fact that her image was so bad that it ended up in a democrat loss, and the person with the better image should have been chosen.

I also hope Trump will do what he has been pledging insofar as tearing down the establishment and rebuilding it back up for the people. I'm also supremely skeptical that he will - the establishment has done nothing but benefit him for his entire life.

Typical politicians. America is facing dangerous challenges ahead left behind by failing policies of narcissistic divider in chief. A new direction will take place in America and throughout the world, like it or not. Trump's victory revamp the Republican establishment to focus on common people, jobs, and security as a new Populist Republican Party. The Dems is facing a serious correction in searching for new leadership, and hopefully moving away from the concept of ruling by the 1% of liberal globalist elites that ignore the basket of deplorable. Bernie Sander and Pocahontas are not the solution either, and it is time to clean up the Dems' corrupted swamp, in order to move on. Deplorable 3 Vs. liberal globalist elites 0.

Onniyama wrote: " Scary thing is, Gingrich and Juliani are probably worse than Trump. Now there is one of the most ignorant, evil triumvirates in history." ... ... ... Make that "Giuliani" or just "Rudy". I always check the Internet for correct spelling, dates, etc. By spending the time to do so, I sometimes decide to not post comments that I might not have thought through well enough or just express the ire of the moment (End of virtue statement). But, "Scary"? "Evil?" I don't think so.

Yeah, Spanki - it will likely resolve the inheritance tax problem his kids would have had to deal with.

if i can afford, rather move to japan than canada. japan has good food, beautiful scenery, nice people.

@Onniyama: They should not support Trump and the Republicans at all. The GOP did nothing but obstruct democracy Obama was in power.

I couldn't agree more. And when Congress is unable to compromise on any legislation to move America forward President Trump should collude with only other members of his own party and jam it through Congress without a single vote from the opposing party. Then he should pick up his phone and pen do whatever he wants via executive fiat. Then when the opposition in the Democrat party and the media start to whine and complain he can point to Obama's governing style and tell them to shove it.

I actually hope he will not run his presidency that way but if he does I sure hope no one on the Left will say they didn't see it coming after staying silent while Obama was doing the same thing over the last eight years.

Well, the keys to the country are in Republican hands. I'm interested in seeing their healthcare plan, immigration plan, and budget.

I'll broad-stroke it.

repeal Obamacare ... so my healthcare costs drop by 58%. Happy to show the increases in monthly bills - $154 --> $365 under Obamacare

Put up fences - mostly electronic in the rural locations. Deportations will increase, but not to the level promised. 12+M people to be deported is hard/impossible. I'd like to see a guest worker program for low-skilled jobs.

Budgets will slowly be reduced, but not nearly as much as possible. I'd like to see defense spending drop and a constitutional amendment to limit that based on GDP. I'd also like the NSA budget slashed - for violating privacy rights world-wide. I'd like Mr. Snowden pardoned for the service he did to our country. I don't believe the current budgets reflect what Americans would choose. Would we really choose to spend so much on social security and defense, yet so little on health research, education, and energy research?

Lastly, I want Ms. Clinton and anyone who sent her classified information tried for those actions and sentenced appropriately, if found guilty.

The shoe is on the other foot. Deal with it, as the right had to deal with 8 long years of the Socialist in the White House.

"After Trump's stunning upset of the heavily favored Clinton, ..." ... .. ... ... So the article says. Where did the conclusion "heavily favored" come from? Pollsters.

I've been saying for months that the polls don't matter. At least something I said turned out right this time!

Clearly if he had lost all three debates, Clinton would have been the one giving her victory speeches today.

I don't think so. She was the better debater, that just wasn't enough to win.

Where did the conclusion "heavily favored" come from?

Well, Bill, Hillary has so far managed to eke out a narrow win in the popular vote, currently 59,814,018 to 59,611,678, so it was not exactly a blowout for Trump. More interesting is that she won the 25 and under vote in almost every state. This is the last stand of reactive white America.

Of more importance is future events. Now that the GOP (?) is in control, what exactly will they do? They've been in the backseat for so long, actually proposing and implementing policy has become foreign to them. For example, the "replace" part of "revoke and replace the ACA" - I doubt even the most in-tune GOPer has any idea what that would be.

For example, the "replace" part of "revoke and replace the ACA" - I doubt even the most in-tune GOPer has any idea what that would be.

I'm pretty sure they mean 'replace it with every (wo)man for (her/)himself. They've been bitter about paying for the health care of citizens who are too poor to afford it.

The electoral college system is one of the best checks and balances against the tyranny of the simple majority

checks and balances against the tyranny of

democracy?

Condoleezza Rice would make a good president in my opinion. More acceptable than Trump?

He was judged the loser of all three presidential debates with Clinton.

Yes, yes Hillary Clinton is certainly a master debater.

Contrast this attitude to what the GOP and Trump supporters said they would do in the event of a Clinton victory -- from just shutting every piece of legislature down in the House to literally storming the White House and killing or locking up Hillary.

And now the left are beside themselves in wanting to do the same thing to Trump. My Facebook is on fire. All of my liberal friends are coming unglued. Again, this was a clear FU to Obama, Hillary and the progressive liberal, we don't care about you approach.

Hell, even posters on here today, with the Democrats saying the will back and cooperate with trump are saying they should "shut up and leave!" Unbelievable the attitude.

How so?

Yeah - especially with the Trump/Giuliani crowd, it's also useful to check the Internet for marital status. The two guys have six wives between them.

And still couldn't come close to Bill and his indiscretions.

"Clinton, Obama pledge to unite behind Trump presidency"

Big lie right there. They will be working to undermine Trumps anti-globalist agenda non-stop. Just as the anti-Brexit forces in the UK have intention to give up, even after a clear referendum.

This is an ongoing struggle. The corrupt globalist elite will not just slink back into their holes.

WilliB, correct!

Big lie right there. They will be working to undermine Trumps anti-globalist agenda non-stop. Just as the anti-Brexit forces in the UK have intention to give up, even after a clear referendum.

This is an ongoing struggle. The corrupt globalist elite will not just slink back into their holes.

Definitely!

Clinton, Obama pledge to unite behind Trump presidency

That's going to be hard to do when half of their supporters are fleeing to Canada - and in Cher's case outer space.

Clinton in particular, and to some extent Obama, should just shut up, exit stage left and hang their heads in shame as recluses for the rest of their days. They have conspired to create perhaps the most stupid times in living memory.