Federal Government
USA Election Watch From Phu Quoc
November 8, 2016 
It is 1 p.m. On November 9 here in Vietnam where I am sitting with six Vietnamese/Americans at the Phu Quoc airport. They are locked onto the election results on their Smartphones and into heavy discussion about Trump and Hillary. They are all “boat people” who escaped to the USA whe3re they now live in California.
As I write this, Trump has 259 electoral votes. One of the guys said in heavily accented English, “Game over. Hillary is behind by three touch downs late in the fourth quarter. She needs a hail Mary to win.”
They are most concerned with the tumbling stock market. Australia is dropping fast and Dow futures are down 500 points and Asia market is down 2 per cent.
“There goes our retirement, thanks to Trump,” said one Vietnamese woman.
LATER IN SAIGON–
First, it was remarkable how fast the news traveled. Most everyone I met at a tourist restaurant/bar were fully aware and none was without a comment.
–A German from Berlin hadn’t heard the news. When I told him Trump had won, he came back with, “Oh SH..!”
–Brazilian woman from Sao Paulo smugly remarked, “I have my 10 year visa, so no worries.”
–Norwegian engineer, “It will be an interesting four years. I doubt if he builds a wall. Politicians change once they get elected.
–Two Brits were rejoicing over mugs of beer. “No one paid attention to the people. It’s just like Brixit. The people have spoken!”
–A young attractive woman well dressed woman (looked like recent college grad) from South Africa could only say, “I think it is very bad.”
–The Vietnamese hotel desk clerk gushed, “I am following on face book. It is exciting!”
Gotta say this has been a memorable experience to meet folks from around the globe who are uniformly surprised.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Nov 9, 2016, 8:52 am
You do realize that America’s place in the world is to pay the way for and provide military protection for all those other countries you mention.
When their GDP exceeds our states of Texas and California… then I will care what a bunch of also-rand countries think of us. The Europeans especially can lick my boots considering how many times we’ve had to straiten up that bunch of sissies.
Nov 9, 2016, 8:57 am
Dave, your observations help me to appreciate the impact our nation (and specifically our economy) has on the entire world! As America goes, so goes the world in many ways.
For better or worse, I expect it will largely be “business as usual,” at least in the short term. No matter the Skipper, the Ship of State is more like a huge ocean liner (“Titanic”?) than a jet-ski. It’s unlikely Trump will sign an executive order lowering the minimum wage – FOR WOMEN AND MINORITIES – or round up all the Mezcans (and the other minorities while he’s at it) and march them away.
I still believe a large majority of voters cast their ballot AGAINST the candidate they deemed to be the most repulsive of the two.
I hope and pray that Trump is a successful president, at least in the sense that our economy doesn’t tank and America remains great (or becomes great again, depending on your viewpoint).
Interesting times!
Nov 9, 2016, 9:50 am
No comments from any Russians?
Chinese communists?
Japanese worried about China’s military pressure?
Any Iranians?
Nov 9, 2016, 12:09 pm
Last night on NBC @ about 12:15am, one of the newsmen said “Now let’s see if Trump can keep the economy from totally collapsing” REALLY??? Up till now it was just one long recovery, but now out of thin air they turn doomer??
Then, another newsman says “Trump is not a Republican, he did this all on his own.”
Perfect setup for an economic collapse where the Dems and the Repubs get no blame and can continue their crime spree unhindered.
Of the two totally inappropriate choices, I’d rather have Trump. (I voted Stein)
Chomsky says it’s better to have a Republican president because Republicans don’t protest, and Democrats fall into a stupor of misplaced trust when their party is in power.
Democrats conveniently forgot how evil Obama (and Bill Clinton) has been (most never actually knew due to the corporate media), and that the Occupy movement arose in response to his massive giveaways to Wall Street, while the economy crushed the average American. Obama didn’t do any of the things he campaigned on, and Hillery would have in all likelihood done the same.
We do have a slim chance that Trump will actually do good, because he doesn’t owe his very existence to the criminal political machine. There would have been zero chance with Hillary
Nov 11, 2016, 12:01 am
I can’t help thinking our electoral process actually elected a newly minted Republican who may in the end turn out to be a Dixie Democrat.
It isn’t a great leap of faith to think that the Grand Oil Party was the only choice left after Trump recognized that he probably couldn’t beat Hillary in the primary election. (A timely conversation with Bill Clinton prior to choosing a party banner to run under may have had something to do with his decision.)
Regardless of how you may feel about Trump, he did successfully hijack the status quo Republican party and did it in spades.
Watching the establishment GOP wrestle with delayed endorsements, overt non-endorsements and now flip flopped bended knee to kiss-the-ring of the winner endorsements is truly sad. The collective schizophrenia has been truly sad to watch.
Again, this time the party mantra was change. Only this time is isn’t moving forward, it is a retrograde retrenchment to an America which was once great? Who says our current
America isn’t great? Republican’s have struggled to find their identity as of late and the best they could come up with was to recycle a 36 year old economic plan which so far hasn’t consistently worked for the anyone except perhaps the rich or uber rich.
Reganomics reappeared in this election cycle and the lessons learned by those who patiently waited for results was clearly NOT transferred or taught to the newest generation of voters.
Once again a majority of voters painted themselves into the picture of economic prosperity based in trickledown economics and lined up to support it.
I would sum up the promised change like this:
“If your baby has a wet diaper, putting yesterday’s used diaper back on the baby may constitute change but not a good one.”
The status quo rich are laughing all the way to the bank!
With control of both house of Congress and the White House, there should be no reason not to bring prosperity back to the middle class. Right??
If the GOP fails this time and allows the continued stratification and concentration of wealth to the top few percent of Americans, they would be wise not to tell the huddled masses to simply “Eat Cake”.
The last time a country was promised this kind of return to greatness during a time of great social unrest was the 1930’s in Germany.
The parallels are truly frightening.
Nov 11, 2016, 1:24 pm
Trump ran as a Republican, has a Republican Senate and a Republican House. They will do what Republicans do: lower taxes on the rich, raise taxes on the rest of us, and leave a bigger deficit for the next Democrat to deal with.
Trump was right: the election was rigged, but in his favor, due to Republican voter suppression efforts.
Nov 11, 2016, 8:52 pm
Rod,
Was your vote suppressed or denied? Or anyone you know? If so, how? The left often cries “suppression” but I have never understood how it is carried out.
Nov 12, 2016, 12:12 pm
Psssst: Ada county, and therefore Idaho, nearly elected Hillary. The most disgusting thing I saw the entire election was the media pulling so hard for Hillary they did not even try to hide it. Hillary had all possible advantages including knowing debate questions in advance and having most of the entrenched republican leadership pulling for her too. (Simpson and Crappo have got to go!) Today the NYT said it will make efforts to be more honest.
My God Rod! You are living proof that liberalism is a mental disease.
Nov 13, 2016, 6:48 am
Lick.. liberalism isn’t a mental disease. Nor is conservatism. Nor libertarianism. Or any other ism. I don’t see any point accusing people with whom we might disagree of being crazy. People talk a lot about inclusion and diversity. I don’t see a lot of either on any side, politically.
Nov 13, 2016, 2:07 pm
Voter supression in MI and NC. Look it up.
Lowering taxes on the wealthy is in Republican DNA. You guys are living proof that facts don’t matter.
Nov 14, 2016, 9:08 am
Rod,
Trump ran against republicans and liberals alike. GOP rotting with RINOs.
Estimated 7,000,000 fraudulent votes for Hillary. Look it up. She lost by large margin considering dead and illegal trespasser votes.
Liberalism might be from the lead paint in those old houses they like so much? Whatever the cause it is socioeconomic mass suicide. Look at all the perfect dental work in all those snotty white protesters in Portland… Not paid for by socialized healthcare that’s for sure.
RINOs are flunky lawyers who ran for office and got rich from the ease of incumbency retention within the District of Criminals. A town so dirty only the innocent get prosecuted.
The swamp must be drained.
EDITOR NOTE–See Bikeboy comment. It’s over folks! No do over, no 2 out of 3,
it’s over. Please don’t troll here with claims of voter fraud unless there is a good source and it is proven. We can’t see anything close to your claims.
Nov 14, 2016, 9:31 am
I’m glad the Guardian makes an effort to limit the amount of partisan bickering! It’s out of control on any news site that is un-moderated. (In the immortal words of Simon N. Garfunkel, “A man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest.”)
Dave, I hope that poor woman who was worried about the Trump Effect on her retirement is feeling a little better. (Short term, at least, we seem to have weathered the storm.)
Nov 15, 2016, 1:42 pm
Voter fraud starts when the electorate is presented with candidates who are all loyal to the Elite, not the country or our people.
The corporate media then avoids issues that matter to the people, instead focusing on personalities and the excitement of the horse race.
The whole election system is fraudulent, not just some marginally altered outcome.
Oligarchy 2016!
Nov 16, 2016, 7:01 am
On a somewhat related note: BoiseDev.com reports that CCDC spent $70000 on a new “brand” for parking garages. “Branding” is on the list of terms I could do without ever hearing again.