November 6, 2016

Did Cher threaten suicide?

"Cher hosted a Hillary Clinton fund-raiser at the Park on Thursday, starting things off by saying if Donald Trump wins the White House, 'I’m gonna have to leave the planet.'"

That's unwholesome. Some people take the idea of unwillingness to go on living seriously, and I consider Cher one of the great survivors.

But quite apart from the terrible example of threatening suicide — especially when you're a popular, attractive celebrity with a nice, comfortable life — making the election about you personally is politically wrong. If you really believe a particular President would be devastatingly harmful to the country, your leaving the country doesn't change that reality. Presumably, you are trying to say you care about your fellow citizens, not yourself. The country will be in the same predicament, whether you're here to experience it or not.

Much as I hate the implication of suicide, I've got to give Cher credit for seeing that leaving the planet is the necessary relocation if she wants to avoid witnessing the horror of a disastrous U.S. presidency.

Barbra Streisand said she'd move to Australia if Donald Trump is elected. What sense does that make? The news of what's going on in America will reach you in Australia just as it reaches you in your posh enclave in Malibu. If you don't want to have to know what's happening to the people of America, you'll have to shut off the news flow — turn off the TV, don't go on the internet. That's as true in Australia as it is in Malibu.

To my mind, those who talk about moving somewhere else are revealing that they're thinking of themselves, not the American people. And maybe that is exactly what they mean to say: If Donald Trump wins, then I don't respect the American people, and I don't want to live anywhere near them.

But you're already up on a cliff in Malibu. What difference does it make if you go farther away? The difference seems to be: I want to engage in conspicuously snubbing these awful people, the Americans. Yes, I've already isolated myself from them, and I'm perched on the edge of the left coast. But I need to do something more to make news of my snub for you people I've never wanted anywhere near me.

121 comments:

David said...

Cher is part Vulcan. She can leave any time she wants.

wendybar said...

Crazy liberals....They will NEVER be happy, until America is no more....

tim maguire said...

Presumably, you are trying to say you care about your fellow citizens, not yourself.

Actually, it's making the exact opposite statement. Things are terrible, but Cher and Babs will run away and hide. They will use their wealth to save themselves and you can go to hell for all they care.

If they really left, the country would be stronger for their absence. But they won't even do that. It's not just cowardly and selfish, it's also a lie. They're not going anywhere.

Curious George said...

"especially when you're a popular, attractive celebrity"

Said no one about Cher in 30 years.

Dude1394 said...

Divas all.

Wilbur said...

Buh bye. Write if you get work.

Bill R said...

Oh? What planet is she leaving?

Karen of Texas said...

And Althouse knocks it out of the park.

And yes, the deplorables know how deplorable they are because they dare, how dare they!!, to vote for the one who has absolutely no business being this close to being President. He has absolutely no experience, don't you know. How on earth is he qualified?!?!

When have Americans done that before?

Expat(ish) said...

I've lived in Australia, and while they would be happy to have Cher or Babs, it's a country with (generally) muted fan worship.

Which would not make Cher/Babs happy, in my estimation.

-XC

Tank said...

This is just locker room talk.

MaxedOutMama said...

Compared to anything Donald Trump has suggested (much less anything a Trump Executive could actually legally DO), the Australian immigration/refugee policy is draconian.

But then, the Mexican immigration/refugee policy is draconian compared to what Trump is advocating.

Maybe it's worry over nuclear war?? WTH, these people aren't the brightest or best informed, and they rarely make sense anyway, so who cares. I don't.

PB said...

Cher leaving the planet? Just what planet is she on?

Sydney said...

There is a point, though, when a nation goes bad enough that it is in your best interest to leave and build a life elsewhere. A branch of my family left Switzerland for the United States in the early 1800's because the Napoleonic wars and the taxes to support the wars made it impossible to survive on their farms. The armies took their stuff and the government took their money. Our country is made up of people who had to leave their homeland because things were very bad for them. This does not apply to wealthy celebrities who kowtow to the Democrats (the party in power, by the way) at this moment, unless they think a President Trump is going to purge them somehow.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Wealthy ivory tower progressive fascist liberal democrat corruptocrats are only happy when they remain rich, their political gods remain rich, and the rest of us suffer.

It's Hunger Games.

Humperdink said...

Let me suggest none, as in zero, of these prima donnas will leave the US.

If they really want to make a point, let them move to Gay Paree and live among the immigrant set. You know, solidarity or sumthin'. That'll show Les' Deplorables..

Derek Kite said...

Well now. I suspect there are vast numbers of people who would oblige these paragons of silliness. I just hope that all the Hollywood political wisdom leaves the US if/when Trump wins. The country will be better for it.

By the way, who are these people that their opinions matter in the least? Both were in their prime a generation ago.

Laslo Spatula said...

Curious about this statement of Althouse's:

"I consider Cher one of the great survivors."

What has she 'survived'? A series of divorces? An ex-husband dying? The occasional dips in her career?

Even if we promote these to 'surviving' what makes her a Great One, as opposed to the millions of people who have been through such events, without the backstop of money?

Is surviving Fame something that requires Greatness?

Not to go half-Godwin, but I consider someone making it through the Nazi Death Camps to be a survivor, for example. Someone who survived the Gulags.

Not someone who survived the Grammy Awards.

I am Laslo.






Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Hey Cher and Babs - Why not move to Haiti and actually help the Haitians? The Clinton Crime family wiped those people out.

tim in vermont said...

Little Stephie from ABC is purportedly heading to Sydney too, should the Trumpster win. But not to worry, his reporting on ABC news is strictly non partisan.

tim in vermont said...

She has survived making some awful movies. She did make that one good one though. Moonstruck. She played herself in "Stuck on You" and was pretty funny. And I have to admit, she wasn't terrible in the one about the boy with elephant man disease.

Paco Wové said...

Whenever these sorts of liberal drama queens threaten to leave, it's always for some Whitopia. What's up with that? Wouldn't the seriousness of their threats be underscored if they said they said they'd move to, say, Cambodia or Haiti?

Diogenes of Sinope said...

Our far left elite ruling class know they are far superior to the other 99%, the Hoi polloi.

Camille Paglia nailed it,

"Yes, something very ugly has surfaced in contemporary American liberalism, as evidenced by the irrational and sometimes infantile abuse directed toward anyone who strays from a strict party line. Liberalism, like second-wave feminism, seems to have become a new religion for those who profess contempt for religion. It has been reduced to an elitist set of rhetorical formulas, which posit the working class as passive, mindless victims in desperate need of salvation by the state. Individual rights and free expression, which used to be liberal values, are being gradually subsumed to worship of government power.

The problems on the American left were already manifest by the late 1960s, as college-educated liberals began to lose contact with the working class for whom they claimed to speak. (A superb 1990 documentary, "Berkeley in the Sixties," chronicles the arguments and misjudgments about tactics that alienated the national electorate and led to the election of Richard Nixon.) For the past 25 years, liberalism has gradually sunk into a soft, soggy, white upper-middle-class style that I often find preposterous and repellent. The nut cases on the right are on the uneducated fringe, but on the left they sport Ivy League degrees. I'm not kidding -- there are some real fruitcakes out there, and some of them are writing for major magazines. It's a comfortable, urban, messianic liberalism befogged by psychiatric pharmaceuticals. Conservatives these days are more geared to facts than emotions, and as individuals they seem to have a more ethical, perhaps sports-based sense of fair play."

gspencer said...

She probably meant Planet Hollywood; the one in NYC, at 1540 Broadway (it's one of the few franchises still hanging on, kinda like Cher herself).

Bob Boyd said...

There's a place for us
Somewhere a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us somewhere

Paco Wové said...

"I'm going to move to the jungles of Cambodia and eat tarantulas if Trump wins!"

Mary Beth said...

In September 2015, Jon Stewart said he would leave Earth if Trump wins. He beat Cher by a good year.

I would be more impressed by celebrities who vowed to move and also promised not to come back to the US to work.

Diogenes of Sinope said...

Cher is voting her self interests. Cher knows Clinton will best serve the interests of people like her.

Unknown said...

Donald Trump has suggested he would use nuclear weapons against ISIL.I favor our war against ISIL, but nukes are a barbaric, last-resort-or-die sort of weapon. If one were to believe Donald Trump on this, I think leaving the USA during a Trump presidency would be a sober and morally coherent decision.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

"What has she 'survived'? A series of divorces? An ex-husband dying? The occasional dips in her career?"

Many encounters with plastic surgeons' scalpels.

I remember on one of the MST3000 episodes, there was an operating room scene and Tom Servo quipped, "Just another Tuesday afternoon for Cher."

rhhardin said...

Women have feelings.

Manipulating them is easy.

Manipulating them back is easy too.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Mary Beth said...
In September 2015, Jon Stewart said he would leave Earth if Trump wins."

For some of us, this sort of talk from celebrities only gives us more reason to vote for Trump.

Curious George said...

"Unknown said...
Donald Trump has suggested he would use nuclear weapons against ISIL.I favor our war against ISIL, but nukes are a barbaric, last-resort-or-die sort of weapon. If one were to believe Donald Trump on this, I think leaving the USA during a Trump presidency would be a sober and morally coherent decision."

So you're leavin' right?

cacimbo said...

I agree with the those who ask why do leftists never declare they will flee to a black or brown country. Also why the hate on Canada? That was where leftists threatened to go in the past. Now they have the leftist dream Trudeau in charge and leftists want to run to Australia which has a right wing Prime Minister.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Blogger Sydney said...
There is a point, though, when a nation goes bad enough that it is in your best interest to leave and build a life elsewhere.

Liberals believe hunter-killer gangs of cops (and even security guards!) hunt Black men on the streets, execute them in cold blood, and walk away free.
If I believed that was true, I would leave the United States.
Liberals believe that it is true and they stay. Hell, Black people believe it is true and they stay.

robother said...

The Reverend Jim Jones was a prophet before his time. Drink his Koolaid and it shall set ye free.

Bob Boyd said...

You can be a wealthy has-been anywhere. It's not a sacrifice for Barbara Streisand to move to Australia. Who cares where she lives anyway? I didn't even know where she lived.

Now if Aaron Rogers threatened to move to Australia...

Karen of Texas said...

Unknown and Trump's nuclear war... I've heard that so many times from the pearl clutching Democrats...

Really? Has it dawned on you that if ISIS believes he's crazy enough to do it... That part of the world responds to strong man tactics. The "I'll kill you before you kill me" mindset is something they believe in and practice. It would be a good thing if they thing Trump is "strong enough" to do that.

Mark said...

I seem to recall Rush Limbaugh was going to leave the country if the ACA passes.

Althouse used to be good at pointing out bipartisan stupidity, now she ignores half the examples as they might gore the wrong ox.

Clyde said...

Paging Marshall Applewhite!

Greg Hlatky said...

The problem with Trump winning is all the Farewell Tours we'll have to put up with.

dbp said...

I don't think Cher was contemplating suicide. I think she was looking for something more dramatic than Canada. Babs already took Australia, so you can only go further by moving off-planet.

rehajm said...

It's a threat. They are incentivizing not voting for Trump. I'm a valuable citizen- Do it and I'll leave. You can argue against the logic since most people inclined to vote for Trump would find it a sweetener and not a threat, but that's what it is.

Ann Althouse said...

"What has she 'survived'? A series of divorces? An ex-husband dying? The occasional dips in her career?"

I've been following her entire career, from when "I've Got You Babe" came out as a single. When I was 16 and I thought which famous person would I choose to be if I could, I said Cher.

She'd been extremely popular, especially with that TV show, then fell out of fashion but came back as an actress, and she was a great actress, getting an Oscar nomination for "Silkwood" and winning an Oscar for "Moonstruck." Then she appeared in these embarrassing infomercials. She had some health problems. From her Wikipedia page:

"Partially due to her experiences filming Mermaids, Cher turned down leading roles in such films as The War of the Roses and Thelma & Louise.[124] According to Berman, "After the success of Moonstruck, she was so worried about her next career move that she was overly cautious."[134] In the early 1990s, she contracted the Epstein–Barr virus[124] and developed chronic fatigue syndrome, which left her too exhausted to sustain her music and film careers.[135] Because she needed to earn money and was not healthy enough to work on other projects, she starred in infomercials launching health, beauty, and diet products,[136] which earned her close to $10 million in fees.[137] The skits were parodied on Saturday Night Live[138] and critics considered them a sellout,[137] many suggesting her film career was over.[139] She told Ladies' Home Journal, "Suddenly I became the Infomercial Queen and it didn't occur to me that people would focus on that and strip me of all my other things."[136]"

She's had many music comebacks.

She's messed up her face with plastic surgery but she's also kind of kept herself beautiful, with a distinctive style that let her wear ridiculous clothes in a way that no one else can.

She has 2 offspring and there are various reports of her struggles with them.

"Cher's oldest child, Chaz Bono (born Chastity Bono), first came out as a lesbian at age 17, which reportedly caused her mother to feel "guilt, fear and pain".[275] However, Cher soon came to accept Chaz's sexual orientation, and came to the conclusion that LGBT people "didn't have the same rights as everyone else, [and she] thought that was unfair".[276] She was the keynote speaker for the 1997 national Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) convention, and has since become one of the LGBT community's most vocal advocates.[276] In May 1998, she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award for having "made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for lesbians and gay men".[277] On June 11, 2009, Chaz came out as a transgender individual, and his transition from female to male was legally finalized on May 6, 2010.[46]"

There's plenty more that could be said here. The idea is: She's been around a long time and done a lot and keeps going. It's a life inconsistent with suicide and suicidal ideation. I don't want to hear that from Cher.

Anonymous said...

Should Trump win, God forbid, don't leave the country, stay here and join the underground. We'll need you.

Diogenes of Sinope said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Diogenes of Sinope said...

Quick name one famous Lefty who left the country either time Bush won.

Of course Cher is full of shit. As are all the other celebrities declaring they're going to immediately leave the USA if ........... We all know they're all full of shit.

John Christopher said...

I've asked this before and you haven't answered.

Suicide is the subject that you're more passionate about than any other.

Why?

I ask because I don't feel strongly on the issue. I see little difference between, for example, Robin Williams and the Falling Man from the towers on 9/11.

gearweasle said...

Ann said:
But you're already up on a cliff in Malibu. What difference does it make if you go farther away?

You're complaining about Cher's suicide-drama-wanna[say it out loud, it's fun], and you write these two sentences? I'm hoping it's some lawyerly bait for testing whether your readers pick up on it.

Cher used suicide-drama-wanna in her hit [and auto-tune history making] ballad "Do You Believe In Life After Love?" Cher really loves the ballad format in her songs, and musings on suicide has always been a good driver of the dramatic interest (see the writer of "To be or not to be, that is the question")

Yeah, "Do You Believe In Life After Love?" is her masterpiece, but it could have been a goddamn ROCK ANTHEM, if she had just changed it to "Do You Believe In Love After Love?",
and written it as a song challenging you live up to your beliefs. I mean, the way she sings her vowels, it already sounds like "Do You Believe In Love After Love?"

--gearweasle

David Begley said...

Maybe Cher said it just to generate controversy and attention.

robother said...

Or maybe Cher could cut an infomercial for Hillary, with a literal gun to her head, saying "if you don't vote for Hillary, I'll do it, I swear I will!"

What is it about show business careers from the Boomers on? They seem to freeze people in adolescence. You don't see many Bob Hope-types, who matured into adults despite their on-screen shtick.

dustbunny said...

Has Althouse weighed in on the other Hollywood diva, Susan Sarandon, and her refusal to support Hillary?

traditionalguy said...

Cher is a great entertainer, but unfortunately we must now consider her membership card in the Deplorables revoked, since she deplores living around us so much.

I suspect she is only worried about Trump's wall will hinder her supply of cheap illegal drugs.

Anonymous said...

Celebrities/artists are high emotion-to-rationality temperaments, with big egos, and equally outsized fashion/herd mentalities. So in the realm of politics, that means self-regarding loud-mouths with really stupid opinions.

That means the rest of us should appreciate and respect their talent (if it exists), while turning away tactfully and changing the subject when they make asses of themselves expressing their idiotic political views.

fivewheels said...

Geez, did no one here watch Futurama? This became a very popular meme.

"I don't want to live on this planet anymore."

It's what hipsters post in a comment thread when they're sure they're so very much smarter than everyone else yet can't think of an actual comment.

glenn said...

Promises, Promises.

Fernandinande said...

If Trump wins I'm moving into Streisand's modest bungalow.

Wilbur said...

"That means the rest of us should appreciate and respect their talent (if it exists), while turning away tactfully and changing the subject when they make asses of themselves expressing their idiotic political views."

Excuse me, but she's the one who "changed the subject", from the fluff of entertainment to the deadly serious business of the real world. Her platform to the public depends on their continued good will towards her. It's arrogance which permits her to think that people must necessarily care about her political views because ... I'M CHER, DAMMIT, AND YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!

To hell with her.

mockturtle said...

I'm looking forward to all these self-important celebrities leaving the country when Trump wins. We can always get more celebrities. We can't get our country back once it's been destroyed.

Achilles said...

Before I got out of the army the whole institution started going insane about suicide prevention. There were several times when the word was even mentioned and insane "investigation" started and people were shoved into reeducation/sensitivity classes.

Suicide is always about attention. Cher just wants some.

Mark said...

those who talk about moving somewhere else are revealing that they're thinking of themselves

For today's exhibitionist celebrities, it's all about them, them, them -- hey, look at me, care about me! This despite most people simply do not give a FF what celebrities think. Except that once exposed, once they have imposed themselves on our consciousness, it does have the effect of indelibly associating the ideology with the person. Some of these celebrities, some that I once really liked, I can bear to watch/listen to for only as long as I can with Obama or Hillary, which is less time than it takes to read this sentence. I listen to far less Springsteen than I used to.

Mary Beth said...

Last year she tweeted that she was moving to Jupiter - https://twitter.com/cher/status/610956742545911809 - so this isn't new, just more vague. Maybe she forgot the names of the planets.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

exiledonmainstreet,

For some of us, this sort of talk from celebrities only gives us more reason to vote for Trump.

Indeed! We could transport Hollywood almost entire to Sydney, though with the risk of people getting stranded in a camp in Nauru (which frankly makes the whole thing funnier). If everyone who threatened to emigrate after an averse election actually did so, we'd be happily rid of a lot of shrill scolds. I urge them to follow through.

(Note that these people are invariably Democrats. Has a single Trump [or Romney, or McCain, or GWB] supporter ever made this sort of histrionic statement? I thought not.)

Michael said...

I don't think that was a reference to suicide - It was just hyperbole. Lots of people say "I'm going to leave the country." Cher was just one-upping them, saying she'd go to Mars or something.

Fernandinande said...

"She came from Planet Claire
I knew she came from there
She drove a Plymouth Satellite
Faster than the speed of light

Planet Claire has pink air
All the trees are red
No one ever dies there
No one has a head

Some say she's from Mars
Or one of the seven stars
That shine after 3:30 in the morning
WELL SHE ISN'T

She came from Planet Claire"

cubanbob said...

The only reply to Cher, Babs and the like is thankyou, goodbye and goodluck and don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

chickelit said...

Althouse wrote: There's plenty more that could be said here. The idea is: She's been around a long time and done a lot and keeps going. It's a life inconsistent with suicide and suicidal ideation. I don't want to hear that from Cher.

I don't want Cher to die. But I do want her leave if Trump wins. I want her to have the decency to live up to her threats and promises.

Anonymous said...

Wilbur: Excuse me, but she's the one who "changed the subject", from the fluff of entertainment to the deadly serious business of the real world.

Chill, Wilbur. When I counsel ignoring celebrity jackasses, what I really mean is, we should ignore celebrity jackasses. I guess I was too subtle.

David said...

This does seem like an odd Althouse post. Like Michael at 9:42, I read it as comic hyperbole: Trump is so bad that I can't just leave the country, can't just leave the hemisphere, I need to leave the planet.

Since one of the things that Althouse likes about Trump is his use of vivid language and hyperbole to make his point, I'm surprised how she's reacted to this statement.

Michael K said...

I think leaving the USA during a Trump presidency would be a sober and morally coherent decision.

Do you need any help with airfare, Inga ?

Let me know.

I wonder of Cher ever figured out that the Earth revolves around the Sun ? She didn't when asked a few years ago and it might be hazardous for her to leave the planet not knowing that.

Big Mike said...

Much as I hate the implication of suicide, I've got to give Cher credit for seeing that leaving the planet is the necessary relocation if she wants to avoid witnessing the horror of a disastrous U.S. presidency.

We've already had a disastrous U.S. presidency. Almost eight years of it, in fact. If Trump wins, and if the Republicans in the Senate and House support him in the implementation of his economic policies then I expect that his presidency will be anything but disastrous. Conversely, if Hillary wins, I expect that her policies will be at least as disastrous as Obama's, perhaps even worse. How do I know this? Because if Hillary's policies were any good then papers like the Times and the Post would be pushing them instead of merely attacking Trump. And, conversely, if Trump's policies were bad for the economy then those papers would be attacking his policies at least as much as they attack Trump as an individual. As we mathematicians are fond of writing, Q. E. D.

Why am I an atheist? Because if there was a just God then a California earthquake would have dropped Streisand's obscenely huge mansion into the sea. While Sarah Sliverman was visiting.

Skeptical Voter said...

Time for Ralph Kramden to rise from the dead and say, "To the moon!" . Cher would appreciate the ride.

tcrosse said...

Takes me back to the 60's: 'America. Love it or Leave it'.

FullMoon said...

The reason celebs threaten to leave is to punish their fans. It is a "Do what I want, or you will be sorry" childish threat.

A huge concern for the left is that Trump wins and things actually improve for minorities. Imagine that blacks ans latinos actually do have more jobs. That black majority begins to push back against rioters and disruptions.

The wall is built, but citizenship is streamlined for qualified immigrants. Majority of America actually likes Trump in spite of the bad press he gets. Average low information voter, who does not watch or read news, realizes the mainstream media has been, and is, lying about Trump.

Maybe Trump leads USA and the world in humiliating radical Islam enough to make them seem like a bunch of losers, a gang nobody wants to join.

William said...

Her CV reveals quite a long series of bad life and career decisions. She may have survived but not because of wisdom and sagacity. The same mental processes that led her to do infomercials for feminine care products and undergo repeated plastic surgery now leads her to vote for Hillary. Wherever she goes, there she will find Cher staring back at her in the mirror.......If there's an afterlife, she will be Cher for all eternity. That should give her pause, if she's truly contemplating suicide.

buwaya said...

I am perfectly fine with retiring abroad, to one of my native countries for preference, and to move assets as well, which is not all that easy to do unless one is truly wealthy (yet another oppression of the bureaucratic state targeting the middle class). This is the usual prudence of the perpetual expat, as our clan has been for centuries. I feel the need to go in my bones.

But of course my American wife will kill me shortly after.

David said...

rhhardin said...
Women have feelings.

Manipulating them is easy.


One out of two is not bad, Hardin.

buwaya said...

Cher did a terrible job raising their daughter.

Bruce Hayden said...

If you believe in AGW (AGCC, etc.), you have to believe that the planet would be better off without these celebrities, esp. the has-beens like Cher and Babs. Think of their carbon footprint, as compared to most of ours. Never did much like either of their acting abilities (no matter how well they were thought of in Hollywood). Nor their signing, after Cher dumped Sonny for Gregg Allman in 1975.

That said, up until last year, I would have been happy with Babs moving to Australia, Jupiter (or was that Cher?), etc. But one of our favorite comedies these days is Life in Pieces that stars, among others, Streisand's husband, James Brolin. Brolin and Dianne Wiest are the nutty grandparents in the show, and are about as disfunctional as can be, often stealing the show, as does the youngest named member, Giselle Eisenberg, one of their grandchildren. Part of what I like here is that Brolin is actually playing someone about his own real age, instead of pretending that they are still middle aged (which is what Cher and Babs seem to continue to do). Heck Steisand is now 74 (Cher is 70). Neither is really even a Baby Boomer (Cher having been conceived right around VJ Day, and Babs having been born during the war).

T said...

" I want to engage in conspicuously snubbing these awful people, the Americans. Yes, I've already isolated myself from them, . . . " [Althouse].

This is just an extension of what the Acela corridor ruling elite already does. They look down on those irredeemable "basket of deplorables" and they have already isolated themselves with their Ivy League degrees from those lesser schools.

Cher leaving the countr? Amy Schumer leaving the country? The Stephanopolouses leaving the country? These people seem to think that we revere them so much that keeping them here is electoral motivation. What more incentive could they give me to vote for Trump?

Sebastian said...

"I consider Cher one of the great survivors" OMFG. Eli Wiesel was unavailable for comment.

"quite apart from the terrible example of threatening suicide" Why? It serves the prog cause, so its all good.

"especially when you're a popular, attractive celebrity with a nice, comfortable life" Popular with whom? Attractive to whom?

"making the election about you personally is politically wrong." Sounding so moralistic again. What time do you think this is, the 50s? You think there are norms, and they should apply to Dems? And what else are elections about to Dems but the personal? The personal is political, don't you know?

Amadeus 48 said...

I don't think the Leavers would like the countries they would end up in any better than they would like the US in a Trump presidency, but they would have several helpful suggestions about changing things to make the locals behave more properly--things that of course not affect the Leavers in any way. The Leavers may well find themselves unwelcome in their new lands after a while, and some of them ultimately may be beheaded or cooked and eaten by the locals.

T said...

"A huge concern for the left is that Trump wins and things actually improve for minorities. Imagine that blacks ans latinos actually do have more jobs. That black majority begins to push back against rioters and disruptions. [Full Moon @ 10:06]

Absolutely. God forbid! We can't allow anyone to initiate a preference cascade now, can we?

Gahrie said...

it does have the effect of indelibly associating the ideology with the person.

I was once a huge Dixie Chicks fan. I bought their first three cds. The they had to open their mouths and attack an American president in time of war while overseas.

I literally can't bear to listen to them now. I change the channel or walk out of the room if one of their songs comes on.

jaydub said...

If Hilary wins I'm moving to Spain. Oh, wait. I already live there. Nevermind.

buwaya said...

I want to retire in Spain.
Somewhere without crowds of British retirees.
That rules out Malaga, sadly, or most places with nice weather by the water, with a bullring. But who knows.

My Grandpa retired in Spain, to his hometown, where we lived for a time.

Spanish property is still quite a bargain, lots of nice city flats. And there is an excellent rail network that is also a bargain, and connects directly to the whole European network. Its easy to be a perpetual tourist.
I spend too much time scanning Spanish property ads.
But my wife would kill me.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"Should Trump win, God forbid, don't leave the country, stay here and join the underground. We'll need you."

The day after Bush won in 2004, I'm sitting in a dentist's waiting room in Olympia, listening to two overweight, middle-aged state office workers tell each other how they're ready to gun up and join the insurgency. All Lefties seem to be absurdly melodramatic and emotionally incontinent. It certainly does support the idea that liberalism is a mental illness.

James Pawlak said...

If Trump wins and appoints a "proactive" Attorney General, the following nations are recommended for Mz. Clinton's immediate travel plans (As well as that of her co-actors).
These countries currently have no extradition treaty with the United States:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Central
African Republic, Chad, Mainland China, Comoros, Congo (Kinshasa), Congo (Brazzaville), Djibouti, Equatorial
Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan,
Kosovo, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands,
Mauritania, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,
Niger, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé & Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,
Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu,
Vatican, Vietnam and Yemen.

Big Mike said...

@Bruce Hayden, much as I respect what you write when you comment, anyone born in 1946 (as I was) is a Baby Boomer. We might not be proud of that fact, given that Bill and Hillary Clinton are Boomers, Barack Obama qualifies by most standards, and most of what's gone wrong with this country since losing the Vietnam War can be traced to Baby Boomers, but there it is.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Don't anybody mansplain hyperbole--it's a traaaap!

I have to agree, though, that the motivation is a desire to hold yourself apart from and above this smelly people who support that loathsome person.
Me, I feel some of that about the whole damn county lately, and it is not a happy realization/way to feel. I dont want to consider my views superior but the country seems determined to go the wrong way and justify my cynicism. The fact that majorities of the people want big government, want the State to run their lives, want socialism instead of market capitalism... well it is a bitter pill but my feelings don't change reality.

Also pop culture is filth.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

The saying down here is "Delta's ready when you are."

tim maguire said...

Sydney, when you are the subject a king, you like it or leave it. When you are the citizen of a democracy, you work to change it.

Anyone who says they are leaving if everyone doesn't vote the way they want is stating that they lack the moral and civic maturity to live in a democracy. My condolences to the counteies they travel to. Except they won't. They're liars.

mockturtle said...

Do you need any help with airfare, Inga ?

Let me know.


I'm sure many of us would gladly chip in IF she promised never, ever to return.

Michael K said...

I've been anticipating a Hillary win by planning to move to Arizona. The houses we've looked at, and we will be back there next weekend if we can through the roadblocks by Hillary supporters, all have enough property to install a propane powered generator for after the EMP knocks out the electrical utilities.

No matter who wins, cities may become less desirable places.

Amadeus 48 said...

Michael K-- I hope you will have at least six months of rations and a clean water supply, and enough arms and ammunition to defend your patch from your neighbors, who will descend to Morlock status after about two weeks without power, food or water. In any case, enjoy your retirement home!

jaydub said...

buwaya puti said..."I want to retire in Spain. Somewhere without crowds of British retirees."

Look in Cadiz Provence, anywhere from Cadiz south along the Costa de la Luz to Tarifa. There are bull rings in El Puerto De Santa Maria, Jerez de la Frontera and Chiclana de la Frontera and maybe other towns, and very reasonably priced houses to be had very near the beaches (unless they think you are a "rich" American, in which case the price doubles.) A little windy in the winter, but not a lot of English spoken, hence, very few Brits. Wonderful people, great family-oriented communities and completely safe at all hours of the day or night. The whole coast is dripping with history - Cadiz was established by the Phoenicians in 1500 BC, then subsequently conquered by the Carthagenians, then the Greeks, then the Romans, then the Visigoths, then the Moors, then the Christian kings. Columbus sailed from El Puerto on his second and third voyages to the Americas, and Nelson defeated the Spanish Armada just down the coast at Cape Trafalgar after the armada put to sea from Cadiz. There is even a Roman fishing village called Baelo Claudia undergoing archaeological restoration. If Spain interests you, it's worth checking out.

mockturtle said...

Ah, the distinct advantage of living in a solar-powered RV! :-)

BJM said...

Ha! Wait until Barbra gets a squiz at an Ocker.

Why does Ms. Hoity-Toidy think Australians are much different culturally than Americans? Aussies stopped identifying with their English forebears in the 1970s (See Gough Whitlam), and have developed their own unique identity with lashings of American popular culture. They tend to be libertarian, in the true sense of the word, leaning conservative on national issues such as immigration.

I don't think Streisand is going to approve of their mandatory enrollment and compulsory voting either. It keeps the voter rolls current and disallows anyone who is under age, not a citizen or legal resident from voting and/or voting more than once.

Australia also uses preferential voting. Under this system, voters number the candidates on the ballot in the order of their preference. The preferential system was introduced in response to the rise of the Country Party, a party representing small farmers to prevent the densely populated coastal states from riding roughshod over the sparsely populated states and Northern Territory...or to Streisand those icky flyover folks.

Aussies also have a wicked sense of humor and enjoy taking the mickey out of those who think they are better and/or cutting down tall poppies.

No, I don't think Oz & Babs are compatible.

buwaya said...

Thanks jaydub.

I have indeed been looking at Cadiz, the city, and I have been there.

Its one of those cheaper places actually. There are many very nice flats for sale there right in the old city.

mockturtle said...

Per BJM: The preferential system was introduced in response to the rise of the Country Party, a party representing small farmers to prevent the densely populated coastal states from riding roughshod over the sparsely populated states and Northern Territory.

I think we need to somehow balance out the unfair political advantage to our densely populated coastal states, too. Or even the dense urban areas that hold geographically disproportionate political power in each state.

2012 Election by County

Sam L. said...

I will continue to ignore Cher, no matter what.

Bilwick said...

Whether by suicide or getting on a spaceship (and you know Darth Soros could finance such a project), or simply leaving the country, it would be a dream come true for those of us who still love liberty (and that seems to leave out a lot of the Trumpkins I've encountered online) would just disappear. I think they should go to one of those socialist countries they're always saying the US should be more like. They'd finally have the serfdom they seem to long for, and--this is the beauty part--THEY'D LEAVE THE REST OF US THE HELL ALONE!

Bilwick said...

Whether by suicide or getting on a spaceship (and you know Darth Soros could finance such a project), or simply leaving the country, it would be a dream come true for those of us who still love liberty (and that seems to leave out a lot of the Trumpkins I've encountered online), if the "liberal" Hive would just disappear. I think they should go to one of those socialist countries they're always saying the US should be more like. They'd finally have the serfdom they seem to long for, and--this is the beauty part--THEY'D LEAVE THE REST OF US THE HELL ALONE!

Paco Wové said...

"Also pop culture is filth."

Ran across a pithy nugget on the Internets a few days ago:

"Real culture is about memory. Pop culture is about amnesia."

mockturtle said...

"Real culture is about memory. Pop culture is about amnesia."

I remember real culture. With fondness and nostalgia.

Michael said...

Do these poorly educated, deeply dumb, entertainers believe you can just ring up a moving van and hie off to Vancouver or Toronto? Just drop in and buy a house and reside in a foreign country? Do you think Cher knows within ten percentage points the amount of her income that would become Canada's should she actually get in and live there?

Michael said...

buwaya puti

Check out the tax situation in Spain before you head off there. They take a bite of capital. Not just income. Capital.

mockturtle said...

Whoever suggested they all move to Haiti had the right idea. It's a win-win solution. Haiti would benefit from those millions in revenue and these bleeding heart progs would get to help a struggling nation. It would be great fun to see yearly updates on 60 Minutes.

Michael K said...

" I hope you will have at least six months of rations and a clean water supply, and enough arms and ammunition to defend your patch from your neighbors, "

I just got another thousand rounds. My wife is saying "You have enough ammunition !" Which means a little more to be safe.

We will require a pool in the new house and have looked seriously only at those with them. Rations will be considered. Back in the 70s, I went through a similar period and we had a couple of months of dried food that I had saved from backup stores on my sailboat, I also had the sailboat in those days and I had sailed it to Hawaii so it was pretty sturdy as an option. It also had big water tanks and a solar still. We raced with the tanks mostly empty but they were there for cruising.

Unknown said...

Curious George,

regarding leaving the USA. Frankly, I am too poor to leave. If you could lend me a half a million or so, I would seriously consider it.

Unknown

mockturtle said...

Unknown, it doesn't cost all that much to live in Haiti. And just think of all the good you could do there.

buwaya said...

If you are planning to live on a pension or a trust fund or something like that, I recommend the Philippines. But do not expect to earn a local income, in such places there are no jobs and the laws wouldnt let a foreigner have one anyway.

Somewhere rural, in the provinces, would be a very nice and cheap place to retire. For cheapness, charm and liveability, I hear good things these days about Bohol island. It is possible to live extremely well on a modest US pension.

It does mean a very rustic lifestyle, and it isn't very convenient to get to a big city. They do have Internet though.

Michael K said...

" it isn't very convenient to get to a big city."

I think big cities are going to be toxic for a while no matter who wins. I'm not in one now but we are still too close to LA.

the gold digger said...

It's arrogance which permits her to think that people must necessarily care about her political views because ... I'M CHER, DAMMIT, AND YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME!

To hell with her.


Preach. Since when have the political opinions of entertainers mattered?

damikesc said...

Since Hillary is going to win, I ROOT for nuclear war. Odds are, they'll hit our population centers and plenty of progressives will be killed.

Darrell said...

Bye-bye.

Mick said...

Please be true.

JAORE said...

Talk is cheap.

Cher is dumb.


Lingering teen star struck feelings don't change the facts, Ann.

MacMacConnell said...

Cher is a lefty, she's a liar.

Rick said...

Christ that might be enough to get me to vote Trump.

Rick said...

tim in vermont said...
She has survived making some awful movies. She did make that one good one though. Moonstruck.


Coincidentally she also had one good song: Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves. The rest of her music sucks.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Rick, try it and see.