back to article 'He must be stopped': Missouri candidate's children tell voters he's basically an asshat

There's no question that fatherhood brings immense responsibility. From the moment they come into the world, children think you are immortal, an aeons-old genius – nay, a god. However, two of US Republican Steve West's kids didn't get the memo – maybe they've grown up? – having explicitly told the Missouri electorate not to …

  1. holmegm

    Hmm

    Er ... and the IT angle is?

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: Hmm

      The media

    2. Dabooka

      Re: Hmm

      I know. It's almost as if by now they'd have a section for odds and sods like this, and an icon we could use on our posts to emphasize the lack of said IT angle.

      We live in hope my friend, we live in hope....

      1. Ken Hagan Gold badge
        Facepalm

        Re: Hmm

        Talking of icons, Dabooka, I think we need a "Whoosh!" icon for your down-voter.

        1. Dabooka
          Thumb Up

          Re: Hmm

          We've been crying out for an icon refresh, let's get that one added to the list!

          1. Benchops

            Re: Hmm

            Excellent -- can we add icons to votes now? Cool.

  2. jake Silver badge

    You can't save all of 'em ...

    ... but thankfully, a few can save themselves. Maybe there is hope for good old homo sap after all.

    1. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: You can't save all of 'em ...

      Indeed, good to see his children have seen through his shit and are brave enough to say so in public.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: You can't save all of 'em ...

        Indeed, good to see his children have seen through his shit and are brave enough to say so in public.

        Apples don't fall far from the tree, as they say. It won't surprise me a bit that this grandstanding by his children is just the distraction so we don't notice how one asshat reproduced and created several more asshats (even if their asshattery appears different than their sire's).

        1. Prst. V.Jeltz Silver badge

          Re: You can't save all of 'em ...

          Do you think its a publicity stunt?

          A way to mobilise other asshats to vote for the guy?

          what you might call "The Trump Effect"

  3. jake Silver badge

    holmegm, may I introduce you to Bootnotes? Bootnotes covers all journalistic sins. Remember, ElReg is a RedTop, they have to publish this kind of thing once in a while or they get kicked out of the guild. Besides, all work and no play makes a dull vulture.

    1. holmegm

      Thanks for the intro jake, lol

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    From the mouths of babes.

    Other racists support people like him because people like him validate how they feel and give them implicit approval even to act out on their feelings.

    Jeezus, I once thought we had moved beyond this crap. But his kids are right, and kudos to them for speaking up.

    Beam me up Scotty, this place sucks.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Plot twist: The kids' statements are planned because the homophobic, anti-Semitic Missourian is exactly the demographic that's gonna get him elected.

    1. Fungus Bob

      Don't be so sure. Missouri is the state where John Ashcroft lost to a dead guy.

  6. The New Turtle

    Worth noting that Philip Larkin doted on his mother: sometimes you need to recognise that BS sells stuff.

    1. Jemma

      So did Guy Burgess..

    2. phuzz Silver badge
      Devil

      So did Norman Bates.

  7. ITS Retired

    There are some people that the

    (R) behind the name, is enough for them to support anybody, no matter how vile the candidate is. That (D) stands for "evil socialism" and most of us know how destructive "evil socialism" is, because... Taxes! Never mind that those type of (R) people have no clue of how those taxes benefit them... Til they don't., then hear them scream.

    1. Alan W. Rateliff, II

      Re: There are some people that the

      people have no clue of how those taxes benefit them

      Some people have no idea nor memory of when we did just fine without many taxes. Nor how only 10% of taxes collected actually provide any kind of benefit -- not a very good return on investment.

      Til they don't., then hear them scream.

      They scream, anyway. So let them.

      1. Rich 11

        Re: There are some people that the

        Some people have no idea nor memory of when we did just fine without many taxes

        By 'just fine' you mean 'didn't have many roads'.

        1. Florida1920

          Re: There are some people that the

          By 'just fine' you mean 'didn't have many roads'.
          Only the plebs need roads. Smart people work from home.

          1. Rich 11

            Re: There are some people that the

            Smart people work from home.

            If you've got enough good land for a productive smallholding then, yes, maybe. But if you're talking about working over the Internet then you'd better pray that some telecoms company somewhere sees you as worth connecting up, because your teeny weeny ickle wickle tax-starved government sure as fuck isn't going to make them connect you up as part of a move for the common weal.

            1. jake Silver badge

              Re: There are some people that the

              "a move for the common weal"

              Are you saying the beatings will continue until morale improves?

      2. Killing Time

        Re: There are some people that the

        'Nor how only 10% of taxes collected actually provide any kind of benefit -- not a very good return on investment'

        Do sane people really believe this kind of rhetoric? Is the intention to hook those too lazy to question this kind of ludicrous statement? Or is it just mindless repetition of soundbites that fit baseless beliefs?

        What complete and utter nonsense.

      3. LucreLout

        Re: There are some people that the

        Some people have no idea nor memory of when we did just fine without many taxes. Nor how only 10% of taxes collected actually provide any kind of benefit -- not a very good return on investment.

        Indeed. The tax base is near all time highs and the upper limit of what is possible to extract from the economy (commonly understood to be 40%).

        The sad reality is that Labours Liam Byrne was right in his note "Sorry, there's no money left". It's already spent and there is simply no more money left for the public sector to consume. Given the weaponised nature of the NHS, the government are right not to touch it - leave it for the next labour government to enforce reforms upon, for reforms will have to be enforced.

        The national debt, even ignoring the trillions public sector workers feel they are due in pensions, has hit the stage where interest at generational low rates, is costing £50 Billion per year. So there's no more taxes to take and no more debt to accrue.

        The state, all of it, is going to have to find a way to function while consuming a lot less money than it does at present or we are all going to have to find a way to function without the state. There's no magic money tree, nothing left to tax, and nobody to borrow from.

        1. Killing Time

          Re: There are some people that the

          @Lucrelout

          Where you say 'indeed' I assume you agree with the quoted statement.

          The rest of your post touches on big numbers, political points and finally points out that the state needs to budget. I think most people know that.

          Vitally, what is missing is any indication of what constitutes a 'benefit'.

          I put forward a simple argument, I would say it is anything gained over and above the cost of accruing it and in this case the cost is certainly not 90 % of the total.

          Maybe a bit of a simple outlook because I failed to make a political point or take a dig at a section of society however I subscribe to the KISS principal, it's served me well over the years.

          1. LucreLout

            Re: There are some people that the

            @Killing Time

            Where you say 'indeed' I assume you agree with the quoted statement.

            Yeah, I should have been clearer - I agree we did just fine without many of the taxes we now have to endure. That most of it is wasted I also agree with. I don't agree that its of the order of 90% wasteage though - it's probably closer to 50-50 between things of use done badly and things not of use at all. Very little done by the state is done well and delivers real value - parts of the military, foreign bribes (they call it aid but lets have it right), but the rest if in dire need of reform.

            Maybe a bit of a simple outlook because I failed to make a political point or take a dig at a section of society however I subscribe to the KISS principal, it's served me well over the years.

            My intention wasn't to have a dig at public sector workers - badly designed systems, low skilled management etc are not their fault. What is their fault is the lack of drive, flexibility, and their utterly appalling union reps. These things underpin a lot of the problems.

            Most public secotr working practices date right out of the 1970s, and most of the union members actually think that is a good thing. Unfortunately, since public sector workers don't pay tax (they're paid from tax) they see little need to reform to deliver greater value to the tax payer. And that has led us where we are.

            1. Killing Time

              Re: There are some people that the

              @Lucrelout

              Firstly, I don’t work in the public sector though I have some experience of the sector as a contractor and I can’t comment on your level of ‘experience’ but I have been around quite a few years and with the exception of a few VAT increases, I don’t recall any significant changes in the general level of taxation in the UK. I would go further and posit that the vast majority of the population of a working age haven’t actually seen major changes either.

              Where headline taxes have been reduced, targeted taxes have been introduced or refined (CCL or vehicle excise tax, for example) to impose incumbent government policy. Despite my aversion to any loss of income, however distasteful, I can see that at least I have an element of control in the tax I pay.

              The stark reality is that whatever your political beliefs, the UK’s taxation level is unlikely to change over the longer term (several terms with opposing parties in power) as is the requirement for a public sector and the need to attract people of the required capability that it doesn’t grind to a halt. For every entrenched numpty in the public sector you will see their equivalent in the private sector, however they either move around a lot or are lucky enough to be ‘carried’. Whatever sector they are in, they don’t really contribute.

              You are going to be taxed and as a rule of thumb, more so on what you enjoy.

              As to where we are? We live in a first world democratic country with functioning national infrastructure, comparable with the the top tier of global nations and a health service which will give a citizen access to 95 % of treatments available without some form of payment.

              I can live with that and use my general nouse to work out the most tax efficient way to do so.

            2. trydk

              Re: There are some people that the

              @LucreLout

              The biggest problem — in my opinion, obviously — is the (mis)management problem in the public sector. The current government (and even some in Labour) has a mantra for the public sector: Privatise. Privatise! PRIVATISE!!!!

              Under ideal conditions (I'll come back to that later), the only real ways for a private company to be more efficient than a public service is by having a "secret sauce" that cannot be implemented by the public service, as the private company — all else equal — needs to pay its owners/investors/shareholders on top of the expenses for delivering the service. A private company should thus be less economical than a comparable public service. For pure services it is very hard to have a "secret sauce" as there is only so much you can do to be more efficient without somehow entering the realm of exploitation or fraud. When a doctor needs to see his patients and there are few ways of doing it more efficiently than it is currently done, whether it is a privately employed doctor or a publicly employed. You can obviously try to automatise some of the processes (remote visits by webcam, electronic records, automatising administration, ...) but those are not in the "secret sauce" realm as they are equally available to private companies and public services.

              So, when getting down to the basics, the main (only?) reason public services seem to lag behind private companies in efficiency seems to be a matter of proper leadership ... or rather a lack of it. My partner is a public employee and I have had a few, miserable years there too. Miserable exactly because of the poor management and the huge management pyramid (think about it, it starts with a minister, via civil servants, going on in maybe ten layers or more). Management in the public service is often farcical, even beyond the "Yes Minister" level. Unfortunately I know this first hand as I still work for public services, though now as a contractor, which has its benefits as long as I am not hit by IR35.

              And, coming back to a more direct response to your post, most Union Reps are doing a good job (disclaimer: I was a union steward for several years) ... within their abilities. Union Reps are mostly just elected from within the people working in the organisation, i.e. with not specific knowledge of all the intricate aspects of the law, apart from what training they receive, and they are mostly dealing with everyday problems like bullying, harassment, grievances, policy issues, ..., not how to actually improve the services. The people higher up in the organisation will partly deal with efficiency and management issues but their remit is really to improve the conditions for their members, which often boils down to a matter of getting them as much money as possible.

              So yes, there is a lot that could be improved and it is mostly by managing the public services better, which would reduce waste and thus cost. And the ideal conditions are therefore a public structure with few, efficient management levels and a public workforce that understands that they have to deliver the best possible service at the lowest possible cost without compromising their own income and well-being.

              Oh, and regarding the work ethics of public workers, I have met and impressive amount of people that go well beyond what could rightfully be expected of them, often helpful to a fault (especially within the health sector). I have also met people that were overzealous and went beyond the reasonable without any consideration of the people they are serving (Public Servants, remember!) — HMRC and DWP are you listening?

              Oh dear, that became a long rant.

        2. TomG

          Re: There are some people that the

          Just by changing a few words everything you said is applicable to the USA.

        3. Michael Habel

          Re: There are some people that the

          No magic Money Tree?! Paff.. Paff my good sir, you must have forgoten about the Federal Reserve. (Whom are as about as Federal, as Federal Express, and the European Central Bank). Both of whome are fully able to keep blowing though all that HP Ink to make sure there's more than enough Money to go 'round. So who cares if say the US Dollar has in fact lost something like over 90% of its value in the 105 Years of the Federal Reserves History.

          So how "English" is the Bank of England?

  8. Voland's right hand Silver badge

    by not slurping up their father's bullshit, like so many kids do

    Actually it is normal for kids to take the opposing view to their parents. Going as far back as the ancient Greeks (documented) and prior to that (undocumented).

    It is the grandkids one needs to worry about... Minus multiplied by minus results in a sign reversal.

  9. Keven E

    ... people have no clue of how those taxes benefit them...

    Education is not fungible.

  10. James O'Shea

    It's Missouri

    Famously Missouri elected a dead man rather than elect a Republican asshat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Missouri%2C_2000

    Asscroft was the _incumbent_ and _lost to a dead man_. Herr West might want to start looking for a nice deep fuhrerbunker.

    1. PaulVD

      Re: It's Missouri

      Sounds like a good precedent: maybe the Democrats could nominate a dead man (or woman!) as their next Presidential candidate.

      1. Mark 85

        Re: It's Missouri

        There's several dead presidents that never finished their first term thus they would be eligible for a two terms. Maybe that's not such a bad idea...

      2. LucreLout

        Re: It's Missouri

        Sounds like a good precedent: maybe the Democrats could nominate a dead man (or woman!) as their next Presidential candidate.

        As long as their candidate is not now nor ever has been a Clinton, they'd probably find they do rather better. The world is tired of the Clintons and Bushes playing Hatfields & McCoys over the Whitehouse.

        Cannot a constitutional amendment be scheduled to disallow candidacy from any Presedential relations? We could time limit it to say 250 years? I'd love to see the same thing over here - how many Kinnocks does politics need? Have we not earned a rest?!

      3. Michael Habel

        Re: It's Missouri

        You mean Hillary is ~still alive~?!

        1. James O'Shea

          Re: It's Missouri

          "You mean Hillary is ~still alive~?!"

          I thought that she was a zombie powered by the DNC (Feinstein and Pelosi definitely are...) until I saw Bill Nelson. If there's a personification of the walking dead, that's him. Skeletor Scott will win the Senate seat in Flori-duh, if only because he still has a pulse. (He stole it, of course.)

          I hate Skeletor Scott. He plead nolo contendere to his company's looting Medicare of billions and walked away with a multimillion dollar golden parachute. He loved the Mango Mussolini right up until being a Friend of the Don became a liability in parts of Flori-duh that he needs to win to win the election, and now he's putting distance between himself and He Who Bends Over for Shirtless Bronies. But unless Bill Nelson manages to claw himself out of the grave he's dug for himself, Skeletor is going to be a senator.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Hitler was right"

    er, he was actually right about a thing or two, you know...

    1. DavCrav

      Re: "Hitler was right"

      ""Hitler was right"

      er, he was actually right about a thing or two, you know..."

      Yes, but when people say "Hitler was right" they don't mean "Adi was right about how the background of this painting washes out the foreground colours, leaving it looking unstructured." Normally it's about the Jews.

      1. Agamemnon

        Re: "Hitler was right"

        You owe me a tablet, this one has rather suddenly become drown in coffee that had achieved a respectable fraction of Mach.

    2. 45RPM Silver badge

      Re: "Hitler was right"

      Only accidentally though. Mostly he was just far right and as wrong as everything that that entails.

      Just as the Republican Party appears to be now.

      1. Stork Silver badge

        Re: "Hitler was right"

        For example, in 1935 he said "in 10 years you will not recognise Germany". I think most of his contemporaries would have agreed in 1945.

    3. Fungus Bob

      Re: "Hitler was right"

      "er, he was actually right about a thing or two, you know..."

      About what? Putting your pants on one leg at a time?

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "Hitler was right"

      Yeah the Japanese and Chinese don't pull any punches when it comes to that.

      I don't think the US and Europe is ready to admit it though.

      The NPC culture is in high mode at the moment.

  12. Jason Hindle

    It’s all a conspiracy

    Perhaps it’s all a big conspiracy of the MSM or whatever. Probably fake news. SAD! Or perhaps his children are (shudder) SJWs. Or maybe snowflakes are virtue signalling* with their own dark Zionist agenda in league with the Deep State (and possibly aliens or lizard people**).

    * Yes, I jest. Besides, I prefer virtual signalling to twat signalling.

    ** An alien anal probing might explain Dad?

    1. Mike Moyle

      Re: It’s all a conspiracy

      ** I'm not sure a probe could get around his head.

  13. Martin Summers Silver badge

    The best thing about guaranteed freedom of speech, is that the nutters out themselves publicly without fear and you know who to stay well clear of and keep an eye on.

    1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      The best thing about guaranteed freedom of speech, is that the nutters out themselves publicly without fear and other nutters stand around agreeing. Not so good.

      1. Alan W. Rateliff, II

        other nutters stand around agreeing. Not so good.

        The nutters are going to agree with each other, whether standing around or not. At least if they're in a group they are more easily identifiable and easier to contain.

    2. 45RPM Silver badge

      @Martin Summers

      Which would be fine if critical thinking wasn’t such a rare commodity these days. As it is, many people seem unable to distinguish fact from fiction or right from wrong, so instead just parrot imbecilities like ‘FakeNews’, or ‘SnowFlake’ or ‘Brexit’. #sad. Oh shit! Now I’m doing it!

    3. Agamemnon

      Explaining this is difficult.

  14. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

    words or actions.

    "Steve West's shocking and vile comments do not reflect the position of the Missouri Republican Party or indeed of any decent individual. West's abhorrent rhetoric has absolutely no place in the Missouri Republican Party or anywhere. We wholeheartedly condemn his comments."

    ...and they kicked him out the party....when?

    1. bombastic bob Silver badge
      Meh

      Re: words or actions.

      you can't really be 'kicked out of the party'. unfortunately he won a primary. having the rest of the party denounce or condemn you is about as much as they can do.

      I wish wacky Demo[n,c][R,r]ats would get "similar coverage" with THEIR wackies. or maybe it's a testament to the Republican party, in general, that when some racist [etc.] claims to be Republican, and maybe even wins a primary, not only does the rest of the party denounce/condemn etc., it becomes "a news item" because it's so INFREQUENT.

      The press won't "cover" for a Republican. For a Demo[n,c][R,r]at, it seems they DO.

      I'm glad I'm not in that guy's district. Moral dillema: vote for a) racist Republican, b) Demo[n,c[[R,r]at...

      [it's bad enough I have to pick between 2 'D' senators, one being Feinstein, and in my opinion, she's the lesser of the two evils, and I'll have to hold my nose and choke back the bile on that choice, and maybe lose some sleep over it, because a NON-vote is half a vote for 'the other one']

      1. Alan W. Rateliff, II

        Re: words or actions.

        We had a similar situation with that schmuck Todd Aiken. Same state, no less. Irrespective of party, the state of Misery seems to not have any cream to shake to the top of the political pail.

      2. jake Silver badge

        Re: words or actions.

        Bob, I wouldn't vote for an R in this day and age, not even if they were the only option on the ballet. But if it's any consolation, I dislike voting for that freak-show Feinstein, too. Ain't it 'orrible, the options we have? Freak-shows and corporate whores, and sometimes a combination of the two. Where the fuck did we lose our way here in the US? Because something is badly broken ...

        1. Mark 85

          Re: words or actions.

          Where the fuck did we lose our way here in the US? Because something is badly broken ...

          Maybe it's time to revisit the Revolution and the Constitution? The opening "When in the course of human events...." is a good starting point.

          1. jake Silver badge

            Re: words or actions.

            I seriously doubt that a new Declaration of Independence is the answer, Mark. And while revolution is always an option (hopefully the politicians know it!), I personally hope that that option isn't a requirement on my watch.

            Voting is the only option we have. Unfortunately, cuts in education over the last half century have produced an electorate that is, for the most part, pig-ignorant and easily lead by sound-bites.

            1. Toni the terrible Bronze badge

              Re: words or actions.

              And that was the intent in education cuts - easier to lead ignorant proles by the nose

        2. Rich 11

          Where the fuck did we lose our way here in the US?

          You allowed your political system to result in just two parties of any consequence, both paid for by billionaires. You allowed gerrymandering and voter suppression. You politicised your judicial system. You have a significant percentage of your electorate wrapped in either the cross or the flag (but usually both), too readily manipulated by appeals to God and jingoism. You have developing-world levels of inequality and corruption, with even the most miserable attempt to decrease them denounced as full-throated socialism.

          Let's face it. You're fucked.

      3. 45RPM Silver badge

        Re: words or actions.

        And this is a perfect example of what I’m talking about when I complain that Critical Thinking is a rare commodity - so we’ll done, Bob, for illustrating it so clearly.

        Name calling, and particularly name calling by repeating what someone else has said, and entrenched partisanship.

        A lack of Critical Thinking leads to a My [Party|Country|Tribe] Right or Wrong mentality and, often, an inability to see that there is something wrong.

        Trump, for all his faults, has swung from Democrat to Republican - he isn’t entrenched - although, in his case, it was for entirely self-serving reasons.

        The intelligent view is to vote for whichever party currently aligns with your own worldview most closely, and who will deliver the result you feel is best. For my part, I have at some point voted for all the main UK parties (and (get your downvotes ready) am currently aligning LibDemwards because, well, Remainer). To say that Republicans are always wrong or Democrats are evil is the height of blithering idiocy.

        1. jake Silver badge

          Re: words or actions.

          We really do need to instate a three part, 12 unit course in Critical Thinking and make passing it mandatory for high school graduation. Unfortunately, the politicians would never make it a law, because if they did every crooked one of them would be voted out of office within 8 years.

          1. DropBear
            Big Brother

            Re: words or actions.

            So when was the last time voting reversed a clearly disastrous course, and if any such case miraculously exists, why do you think it would still work or even be possible at all under modern circumstances? Voting will do nothing for you to make any of this better. Not sure what if anything can (people fond of revolutions tend to forget that beside possibly ratcheting into the next-in-line social system all those do is shuffle around the same rotten material in power - I'm watching it happening up-close for about three decades now thankyouverymuch).

            Who the vast, vast majority of the electorate votes for has NOTHING to do with who would objectively serve their interests better (fact) - which by the way none of the candidates has any interest whatsoever in doing, it happens more in an accidental fashion if at all (fact) - and that situation is not going to change significantly any time in the near future, such as your lifetime, even if you're an infant (fact). Now by all means, be my guest - go cast and waste your vote; at least it might make you feel cosy and smug, and that's exactly all the good it will do.

        2. Uffish

          Re: "Trump, for all his faults, has swung from Democrat to Republican"

          As you say Trump has associated himself with both the main US parties, but he belongs to neither. Trump is a dictator, pure and simple.

          ("dictator" in the technical sense of how he prefers to operate in politics).

          1. 45RPM Silver badge

            Re: "Trump, for all his faults, has swung from Democrat to Republican"

            @Uffish

            Oh. I thought that you meant in the sense of a

            dick who looks like a potater(sic)

      4. Kane

        Re: words or actions.

        "Demo[n,c][R,r]ats"

        I bet you just have that permanently added to your clipboard, don't you? So you can just copy 'n' paste to your heart's content whenever you want.

  15. Alan W. Rateliff, II

    Bootnote... on which site?

    When did El Reg have visiting journos from non-IT rags? What the flying pig shit does this article have anything remotely to do with technology? Other than the guy spewed some tripe to a radio show?

    1. Excellentsword (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Bootnote... on which site?

      I'm the sub-editor, not a "visiting journo". The Bootnotes section has existed for yonks and sometimes I am asked by my editor to write something that may or may not have anything to do with tech for readers to tut and/or titter at over their ham sandwich.

      1. Agamemnon

        Re: Bootnote... on which site?

        Here's a pint mate. Ignore the other lad, and later we'll discuss how to hide your editor's body for throwing you into the pit of hell with the likes of us.

        1. Alan W. Rateliff, II
          Pint

          Re: Bootnote... on which site?

          Here's a pint mate. Ignore the other lad, and later we'll discuss how to hide your editor's body for throwing you into the pit of hell with the likes of us.

          I am with you on this. The "visiting journo" was sarcastic and meant to imply what you articulated. While I apologize for nothing I would certainly pony up for a second pint for the poor bloke.

          One mistake, however: politics has not been a tittering matter for quite some time and is, in fact, killing comedy altogether.

      2. 45RPM Silver badge

        Re: Bootnote... on which site?

        @Excellentsword

        Excellent work! And besides, we don't live in a bubble. Politics intimately affects IT, and could determine whether we even have a job this time next year, let alone whether or not we can afford the next shiny gewgaw. Ditto the environment.

        We could probably ignore sport and celebritainment, but variety is the spice of life - and it makes good sandwich fodder.

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: Bootnote... on which site?

      Alan, you've been here nearly as long as I have ... and you've only just now noticed Bootnotes? Tsk.

  16. Rol

    There's hope yet

    That was such a heart warming article.

    Good, despite all attempts to nurture vile bigots, survived, and found their voices.

    Good on you kids.

    1. DropBear

      Re: There's hope yet

      ...and your Cassandra complex is completely free of charge. Sit back and enjoy Democracy At Work...!

      1. Uffish

        Re: Democracy At Work

        Seen "Democracy At Work" in the preparation of a Brexit Referendum, the implementing of the Brexit Referendum and the negotiations for Brexit. Hasn't been an edifying political process in my opinion.

  17. Milton

    It's just not that hard to figure it out

    "You see his signs everywhere. I don't understand how people can put out his signs knowing the comments that he's made."

    A large minority of Americans voted for Donald Trump, long after it had become obvious even to a dullard—perhaps especially to a dullard—that he was an ignorant, pathologically lying, sexist, racist, bigoted imbecile. This was man who'd boasted about being a serial sexual assaulter of women. This was the self-proclaimed "genius" who had managed to parlay the inheritance of vast wealth into no less than four bankruptcies; a man with eighth grade literacy, and not even a sophomoric comprehension of the world's biggest issues. Possibly the most stupid and dishonest human being ever to be even a candidate for president.

    You may ask: why did so many people vote for a lying, stupid racist?

    Perhaps beyond all the complex (and partially justified) speculation about inequality, economic despair and lack of opportunity there is the deepest and ugliest truth of all, answered in this one question:

    Given America's unspeakable history of slavery and civil war, given its crumbling education system and utterly corrupted politics—why do you suppose millions of white people would vote for someone who is an undisguised racist sack of crap?

    1. jake Silver badge

      Re: It's just not that hard to figure it out

      Actually, Milton, most of the people who voted for the IdiotInChief voted for him because he was the republican candidate. They would have voted for ANYBODY who was the republican candidate.

      Straight-ticket voters are the biggest problem in American politics today.

      1. Rich 11
        Devil

        They would have voted for ANYBODY who was the republican candidate.

        Please allow me to introduce myself

        I'm a man of wealth and taste.

      2. NerryTutkins

        Re: It's just not that hard to figure it out

        I am not sure that is true.

        I think the hard right people who were previously on the fringe but are now the mainstream have realized, just like fascists have through the ages, that the key to power is convincing the poor, angry people at the bottom that their problems aren't because of the rich billionaires trousering massive tax cuts and pork barrel money, but are instead because of those poor immigrants who're competing with them for crumbs thrown from the billionaires' tables.

        I would bet that a significant number of Trump voters were not traditional republicans, but were exactly the kind of working class people with a lower educational level with some anger that can be channelled very easily and effectively by some simplistic promises to dish out some punishment to gays, blacks, jews, leftists, atheists, immigrants, etc.

        What will be the interesting factor is how many traditional Republican voters (probably such as this guy's children) are intelligent and educated enough to be repulsed not just by the rhetoric from Trump and co, but the threats to the constitution (will Trump really attempt to abolish constitutional rights to citizenship by presidential decree, put god back into the classroom and mandate the US as a christian country, etc.?).

        My bet is sadly that the far right with all their expensive analytics bought with Putin cash have crunched the numbers and know there are far more angry poorly educated bible thumping gun nuts than well educated, qualified professionals who believe in the American dream, the constitution and the rule of law.

      3. TomG

        Re: It's just not that hard to figure it out

        The biggest problem in America (USA) is the Democratic Party.

    2. TomG

      Re: It's just not that hard to figure it out

      Trump got elected because the other choice was much worse. BTW, the civil war ended slavery.

  18. Potemkine! Silver badge

    "We wholeheartedly condemn his comments."

    To make such a comment, it would suppose having a heart first.

    The Republican Party has become a hotbed for racists, white supremacists and similar scum. The "moderate republican" is becoming an urban legend.

  19. NerryTutkins

    A bit of honesty

    Mrs Nutkins is Brazilian, and I've observed the same fact-free fascist fanaticism among some of her friends and family on Facebook over their recent election of Bolsonaro.

    The thing that puzzles me is why we haven't yet reached the point at which these people can come right out and just embrace swastikas and nazis and fascism, and instead still insist it's the other side that are the fascists?

    I mean, they dance all the way around the subject - gays and jews are bad, embrace christian/traditional values, force kids into it and push it through the schools, defend the torturers and dictators of the past, but when you're asked flat out if you're a racist or a fascist, deny it.

    If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, why can they not make the final step and just admit and embrace the fact they're ducks?

    1. Geoffrey W

      Re: A bit of honesty

      I think I'd rather vote for a duck than any of the current global crop of cognitive dissonants (sic - I made up that last noun)

  20. Jtom

    Ok, the guy is an opinionated, egoistic, coarse, buffoon, but please tell me specifically how Trump has worsen the lives of Americans. Unemployment is at historic lows. Minority employment is at all-time highs. Wage growth exceeds inflation rates. Stock markets have soared. GDP growth higher than the past decade. Crime rates are down. Global threats are down (despite trade skirmish with a China), relations are frosty with Russia, but should be, considering what they have done, air and water are still clean, and non-governmental factors have been allowed to reduce CO2 levels more than any other country. The rich may be getting richer, but the pie has grown so much, every working stiff is getting richer.

    The US is less tolerant of illegal immigration, but as we have seen in other countries, uncontrolled immigration has created massive problems and toppled governments.

    So just how is Joe Blow materially worse under Trump? A lot of basic needs must be met before you can waste time and energy on what someone says to or about someone else.

    Finally, let me point out this historic fact: the more moral the President, the worse his presidency was. The most moral President in my lifetime was Carter - complete disaster. Next were Bush the younger and Obama. Americans suffered economically under both, and neither had a decent foreign policy. Then there was Bush the elder - fairly decent guy, took us into a recession. At the other end of the spectrum was Clinton, a serial sexual predator and corrupt. The country did great.

    Perhaps it takes an arse to run this country.

    1. Mooseman Silver badge

      Well, other than Obama inheriting an economic mess from Bush and turning it around of course. Which is what the orange muppet has inherited and claimed as a "great victory"

    2. E_Nigma

      I can't remember which one of the rules of the Internet I'm just confirming, but all that, provided that it's all true, sounds a lot like a certain European nation during the 1930s.

    3. 45RPM Silver badge

      @Jtom

      Where to begin unpicking this? Perhaps I'll start by saying that just because Donald Trump, the Whitehouse Press Office and Alex Jones, Info Wars, Fox News or Sinclair Broadcast Group say that it's fact doesn't actually make it fact. Quite the opposite in fact.

      Unemployment Rates: They were as low during the Clinton presidency, and rose during the W presidency. In the second term of the W presidency they were falling again, but they never reached Clinton lows. Unemployment rose steeply at the beginning of the Obama presidency, but started the fall that takes us to today in his second year - so it could be argued that the fall Donald boasts of was largely engineered during the Obama presidency. Looking further abroad, the spike in unemployment during 2009 appears to be global and more down to the global downturn than the actions of a single president or political party. Sources: Wolfram Alpha.

      Minority Employment: This is a difficult one - typically, minority groups have very poor quality jobs - part time and zero hours contracts, they live hand to mouth and, whilst the figures make unemployment look lower than it actually is, they should properly be considered amongst the ranks of the unemployed.

      Stock Market growth: Yes, it continued to rise - but have you noticed? It's faltering now, and a crash seems likely. It could be argued that the Obama booster is running out now - and the true effects of Trumpism are about to be felt. Duck and cover. Source: Personal opinion.

      Wage growth is a weaselly issue. Certainly, for the highest earners, it has soared. Unfortunately, the disparity between rich and poor in the US is so great that it masks the real-terms fall in earnings for those in full-time employment in the middle and lower income bracket. And, let's face it, this is where it really counts - the rich have more than enough money to care for themselves and their families, so an increase here is irrelevant. It's whether income has increased for the very poorest that matters (and it hasn't) Sources: Wolfram Alpha, Business Insider.

      GDP. Yes, it's still going up (although whether that is, in itself, healthy is another matter). In fact it isn't going up any faster than it has at any time in the past 10 years. Barring a slight hiccough during the global downturn, the rate of growth over the last 20 years has been broadly static. Source: Wolfram Alpha.

      Crime: Oh please. Trump isn't claiming the credit for this is he? Crime has been falling steadily since about 1990. This has nothing to do with the current administration. Source: Wolfram Alpha.

      As for global threats and the environment, any claim that the situation here is stable or even improving is fatuous in the extreme. Trump is tearing up environmental regulation, protections against global warming (even as weak as they were) and scrapping arms treaties. You'd have to be walking around with your eyes shut and your ears covered to think that the situation is healthy.

      As for the claim that claim that immigration has toppled governments… where? I mean, recently. I'm not talking about European immigration toppling the status quo of the indigenous people of north and south America, or of Africa or Australia. I mean, recent examples? It hasn't happened, except in one of Steve Bannon's or Nigel Farage's fever dreams (both from immigrant families themselves, you'll notice).

      I'm astonished - genuinely - that you claim Bush the Younger was moral. This was the chap who took America into war on false pretences, remember. Moral compared with Trump, perhaps. But nothing more than that. You provide no evidence that Clinton was more corrupt than any other president - I suspect that he probably wasn't. He certainly found it difficult to keep his fly zipped up but, frankly, that's none of your business provided that his business was consensual. Your historic facts are hogwash.

      1. Geoffrey W

        @RPM

        By "Governments Toppling" he probably means the failure of more moderate parties and the rise and election of more extreme parties - single example Italy. Many more to chose from.

        Clinton wan't busted for opening his zipper; he was busted for his instinctive denial of such activity - ie for lying about it. Trump will probably fall for similar reasons. It will be his taxes that get him, like Capone, or his denial of something that is factually supported. They will ask him a question they already know the answer to and when he lies he will go down in flames. And then we shall live in the Pence World...Beelzebub help us.

        These are just minor nit picks and I upvoted you.

        1. Killing Time

          'Trump will probably fall for similar reasons. ............ or his denial of something that is factually supported. They will ask him a question they already know the answer to and when he lies he will go down in flames.'

          @ Geoffrey W

          Where the hell have you been the last few years?

          1. Geoffrey W

            RE: "Where the hell have you been the last few years?"

            Trump hasn't lied under oath yet.

    4. TomG

      I don't agree with everything you said, but I agree with enough that I will give you an upvote.

      1. philebbeer
        Mushroom

        ....but then you haven't given an upvote (there are non there). That means you haven't kept your word.....you sir are a cad & a bounder

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      :So just how is Joe Blow materially worse under Trump? A lot of basic needs must be met before you can waste time and energy on what someone says to or about someone else."

      I live in the Midwest US, amidst corn and soybean fields, with small factory sites scattered about that make assorted bits and bobs, mostly from steel or aluminum. Agent Orange's mucking about with trade and tariffs have killed off the agricultural export business, and the factories are curtailing production because they cannot make things that have already been contracted for, because the price of the metals to make them have gone crazy, or the specific metal is just unavailable. The vegetable and fruit farmers have had to let crop rot in the fields because the migrant labor to harvest did not enter the US this year, or was arrested and held/deported (even with a green card, it can take weeks of detention before you have a hearing). My partner, in remission from cancer and requiring monthly chemo to remain in remission, may now have insurance cancelled due to this pre-existing condition. which stopped being a grinding worry once the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, went into effect. (Thanks, Obama, no, really, thanks!)

      Well, you asked.

    6. Solo Owl
      Unhappy

      "Ok, the guy is an opinionated, egoistic, coarse, buffoon, but please tell me specifically how Trump has worsen the lives of Americans."

      Well, let's begin with the fact that the House of Worship in my block now has to hire 5 to 10 armed guards every day to provide for the safety of the congregation. This was not necessary before Trump.

  21. E_Nigma

    Go non-IT Articles, Go Reg

    Since we're discussing the presence of non-IT articles on El Reg, generally speaking, I have always appreciated that, from time to time, Reg covers topics and angles related to society (civil rights, policy changes...) that the mainstream media outlets often mishandle, or miss altogether (but researched and written much better than how the vast majority of "non-mainstream" sources handle stuff, which are mostly junk).

    Those articles may not be an obvious fit for an IT site, but they have always been quite a welcome bonus for me.

    1. Geoffrey W

      Re: Go non-IT Articles, Go Reg

      Riddle me this Mr Nigma...Whats the difference between a flying pig and a politician?

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      .

      The letter F.

      1. Francis Boyle Silver badge

        Nice joke but

        it's that sort of easy cynicism that got us into this mess.

        1. Geoffrey W

          Re: Nice joke but

          Actually I do agree with you and generally try to avoid it. I suffered a lapse. Cynicism has it's place but sometimes it needs to be shoved in it's hole.

  22. Joe Harrison

    Can't believe this

    The kids do <naughty thing> as kids do, father gets mad and yells "you're grounded and no pocket money", so kids hatch revenge plot with fake comments to rubbish off his election chances. Charming. How do we know this didn't happen?

    Or maybe it didn't and maybe the guy actually is evil, still can't believe people are publicly calling for his head just on his kids say-so. Either way they can watch their inheritance going to the cats home.

    1. Alister

      Re: Can't believe this

      so kids hatch revenge plot with fake comments to rubbish off his election chances

      You seem to have missed the fact that the Republican party have disowned him because of his views - or perhaps you think he tried grounding them as well?

    2. Geoffrey W

      Re: Can't believe this

      You don't need to just take his kids word for it; he publicly confirms their statement himself on his radio show for all the world to hear.

  23. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    FAIL

    "his comments had been taken out of context"

    Buddy, there is no possible where saying "Hitler was right" can possibly be acceptable by anyone who is even halfway human.

    1. deive

      Re: "his comments had been taken out of context"

      Indeed, even if you are extolling the virtues of vegetarianism, you still would not say that hitler was right. There is NO context where anyone should say it.

    2. Bernard M. Orwell
      Joke

      Re: "his comments had been taken out of context"

      Hitler was right... ...wing.

      Hitler was right... handed.

    3. TomG

      Re: "his comments had been taken out of context"

      Hitler was a monster, a truly evil person. I have heard that he made the trains run on time. So, I guess, to the people that wanted the trains to run on time, he was right.

      1. jake Silver badge

        Re: "his comments had been taken out of context"

        "I have heard that he made the trains run on time."

        That was Mussolini. And it was bullshit. Following WWI, the Italian train system was, to put it mildly, a piece of shit. Broken shit. During the post-war half decade, things improved as Italy went about rebuilding. By the time Il Duece came into power in 1922, most of the hard work had been done, his crowd had nothing to do with it. But they took the credit for it anyway. Sound familiar?

        And as a point of fact, folks that actually lived in Italy during that time frame reported that the trains never ran on time, on the rare occasion that they ran at all.

  24. disgruntled yank

    Suggestion

    I've made this before: create a new section, The Domestic Manners of the Americans, and leave Bootnotes for stuff that will not inevitably produce long comments about the deplorability of Americans in general or those of the R and D variety.

  25. Sixtysix
    Unhappy

    Godwin's Law

    It's not often that Godwin's Law shows up so obviously and repeatedly amongst comentards... but dear goodness! Today must be "special".

    Can we stop? Please?

    1. Alister

      Re: Godwin's Law

      It's not often that Godwin's Law shows up so obviously and repeatedly amongst comentards... but dear goodness! Today must be "special".

      Did you actually read the article?

      Given that Mr West (the subject of the article) is alleged to have said that "Hitler was right" I think it's a bit difficult to avoid, don't you?

    2. jake Silver badge

      Re: Godwin's Law

      Do you even know what Godwin's Law is? For your education, here it is in it's entirety: "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1". That's it.

      Godwin himself further wrote "its purpose has always been rhetorical and pedagogical: I wanted folks who glibly compared someone else to Hitler to think a bit harder about the Holocaust."

      Nowhere does it suggest never mentioning Hitler. On the contrary, in fact. All it suggests is that you think before posting. Windmill jousting, I know, but it's long been a hope.

  26. deive

    Modern take on that poem

    At 17 Shannon is pregnant

    As young as her mom when she had her

    Her kid is never gonna have a dad

    The same old way that Shannon never had

    What comes around well it goes around

    Nothing changes cause it's all the same

    The world you get's the one you give away

    It all just happens again

    Way down the line

    And all the things you learn when you're a kid

    You'll fuck up just like your parents did

    It all just happens again

    Way down the line

    -- The Offspring

    ...and where is my coat??

    1. TomG

      Re: Modern take on that poem

      Frequently right, but not inevitable.

  27. boidsonly

    Nice hit piece. And the tech angle is?....

    1. jake Silver badge

      Hard of reading, boidsonly?

  28. Michael Habel
    Mushroom

    IIT

    Salty remoaners being salty

    1. Mooseman Silver badge

      Re: IIT

      Idiot comment of the day. Well done.

  29. Glenturret Single Malt

    Steve West post script

    Did not get elected. His opponent got about twice as many votes as he did.

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