This is painful, and it will be for a long time'
Conceding defeat, Clinton urges giving Trump ‘a chance to lead’
Addressing crestfallen staff and voters at a New York City hotel, Clinton calls for president-elect to be approached with ‘an open mind’
By Lisa Lerer and Ken Thomas November 9, 2016, 7:48 pm



NEW YORK (AP) — Gone was the ballroom with a soaring glass ceiling, the confetti and the celebrity guest stars. Instead, Hillary Clinton looked out to a group of grief-stricken aides and tearful supporters, as she acknowledged her stunning loss of the presidency to Donald Trump.

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Clinton’s voice crackled with emotion as she said: “This is painful, and it will be for a long time.” But she told her faithful to accept Trump and the election results, urging them to give him “an open mind and a chance to lead.”

Before Clinton took the stage at a New York City hotel, top aides filed in, eyes red and shoulders slumped, as they tried to process the celebrity businessman’s shocking win after a campaign that appeared poised until Election Day to make Clinton the first woman elected U.S. president.

Clinton, who twice sought the presidency, told women that nothing had made her “prouder to be your champion,” adding, “I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling. But someday, someone will and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.” Her remarks brought to mind her 2008 concession speech after the Democratic primaries in which she spoke of putting “18 million cracks” in the glass ceiling.
Former president Bill Clinton applauds as his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Clinton conceded the presidency to Donald Trump in a phone call early Wednesday morning. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Former president Bill Clinton applauds as his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Clinton conceded the presidency to Donald Trump in a phone call early Wednesday morning. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

“To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams,” she said.

Projecting an image of unity, Clinton wore a purple blouse and a dark blazer with a purple lapel while her husband, former President Bill Clinton, stood wistfully by her side, applauding during her remarks.

It may have been the final public act for the enduring political partnership of the Clintons, who appeared on the verge of returning to power after 16 years. If Clinton had won the election, it would have marked the first time a former first lady was elected U.S. president.

Clinton’s campaign was trying to make sense of a dramatic election night in which Trump captured battleground states like Florida, North Carolina and Ohio and demolished a longstanding “blue wall” of states in the Upper Midwest that had backed every Democratic presidential candidate since Clinton’s husband won the presidency in 1992.

As Democrats were left wondering how they had misread their country so completely, mournful Clinton backers gathered outside the hotel Wednesday.

“I was devastated. Shocked. Still am,” said Shirley Ritenour, 64, a musician from Brooklyn. “When I came in on the subway this morning there were a lot of people crying. A lot of people are very upset.
Hillary Clinton, holding hands with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, arrives at a New York hotel to speak to her staff and supporters after losing the race for the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Earlier in the day she conceded the race to Republican president-elect Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Hillary Clinton, holding hands with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, arrives at a New York hotel to speak to her staff and supporters after losing the race for the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Earlier in the day she conceded the race to Republican President-elect Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Flanked by her husband, daughter Chelsea Clinton and running mate Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Clinton said she had offered to work with Trump on behalf of a country that she acknowledged was “more deeply divided than we thought.”

The results were startling to Clinton and her aides, who had ended their campaign with a whirlwind tour of battleground states and had projected optimism that she would maintain the diverse coalition assembled by President Barack Obama in the past two elections.

On the final day of the campaign, Clinton literally followed Obama to stand behind a podium with a presidential seal at a massive rally outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia. As she walked up to the lectern, the president bent down to pull out a small stool so the shorter Clinton could address the tens of thousands gathered on the mall. Before leaving the stage, Obama leaned over to whisper a message in Clinton’s ear: “We’ll have to make this permanent.”
Former President Bill Clinton listens as his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Clinton conceded the presidency to Donald Trump in a phone call earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Former President Bill Clinton listens as his wife, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2016. Clinton conceded the presidency to Donald Trump in a phone call earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

The devastating loss for the party, which will no longer hold the White House and will be in the minority of both chambers of Congress, was certain to open painful soul-searching among Democrats, who had endured a lengthy primary between Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The so-called democratic socialist drew strong support among liberals amid an electorate calling for change but had joined with other liberal stalwarts such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in backing Clinton’s general election bid.

The tumultuous presidential cycle bequeathed a series of political gifts for Clinton’s GOP rival: An FBI investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server, questions of pay-for-play involving her family’s charitable foundation, Sanders’ primary challenge and FBI Director James Comey’s late October announcement that investigators had uncovered emails potentially relevant to her email case.
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, right, and Republican nominee Donald Trump walk off the stage after the final presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19, 2016. (Robyn Beck/AFP)

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, right, and Republican nominee Donald Trump walk off the stage after the final presidential debate at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19, 2016. (Robyn Beck/AFP)

Yet her team spent the bulk of their time focused on attacking Trump, while failing to adequately address Clinton’s deep liabilities — or the wave of frustration roiling the nation.

Every time the race focused on Clinton, her numbers dropped, eventually making her one of the least-liked presidential nominees in history. And she offered an anxious electorate a message of breaking barriers and the strength of diversity — hardly a rallying cry — leaving her advisers debating the central point of her candidacy late into the primary race.

Clinton’s campaign was infuriated by a late October announcement by Comey that investigators had uncovered emails that may have been pertinent to the dormant investigation into Clinton’s use of private emails while secretary of state. On the Sunday before the election, Comey told lawmakers that the bureau had found no evidence in its hurried review of the newly discovered emails to warrant criminal charges against Clinton.

But the announcement may have damaged Clinton while her campaign tried to generate support in early voting in battleground states like Florida and North Carolina. In the nine days between Comey’s initial statement and his “all clear” announcement, nearly 24 million people cast early ballots. That was about 18 percent of the expected total votes for president.

Trump invites Netanyahu to White House in phone call
During ‘warm’ conversation, US president-elect says PM should come to Washington ‘at first opportunity’
By Times of Israel staff November 9, 2016, 83 pm 17


US President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone and invited the Israeli leader to Washington at the “first opportunity,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

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Trump and Netanyahu, “who have known each other for many years, had a warm, heartfelt conversation,” the statement said.

“President-elect Trump invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to a meeting in the United States at the first opportunity,” it said.

Netanyahu responded by saying that he and his wife Sara were looking forward to meeting the president-elect and his wife Melania.

Regional issues were also raised during the phone conversation, the statement said, without elaborating.

Earlier on Wednesday, Netanyahu congratulated Trump on his election victory, saying the Republican is “a true friend of the State of Israel.”

“We will work together to advance security, stability and peace in our region,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

“The bond between the US and Israel is based on shared values, shared interests and a shared future. I am sure that President-elect Trump and I will continue to strengthen the special alliance between Israel and the US and we will bring them to new heights,” he added.

Later Wednesday, Netanyahu released a video congratulating Trump.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meeting at the Trump Tower in New York, September 25, 2016. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meeting at the Trump Tower in New York, September 25, 2016. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Netanyahu met with both Trump and rival Hillary Clinton in New York in September, but refrained from expressing support for a particular candidate. Following the September meetings, the prime minister said “it doesn’t matter which of them will be elected, US support of Israel will remain strong, our pact will remain strong and will even get stronger in the coming years.”

The prime minister’s statement on Wednesday came on the heels of statements expressing a mix of optimism and wariness by Israeli politicians, many of whom joined Netanyahu in stressing the continued strengthening of the US-Israel ties.

President Reuven Rivlin congratulated Trump on his victory, which he said demonstrated that the US is the “greatest democracy.”

“There are many challenges that lie before you as president — at home and around the world. Israel, your greatest ally, stands by you as your friend and partner in turning those challenges into opportunities,” he said in a statement.

UN: Counting on Trump to help combat climate change
Ban Ki-moon congratulates president-elect, says international body expects Washington to advance human rights
By AFP November 9, 2016, 118 pm


The United Nations will count on Donald Trump’s new US administration to help combat climate change and advance human rights worldwide, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.

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Ban congratulated the US president-elect on his victory and said people everywhere look to the United States to work for the common good.

Trump has made no secret of his disregard for the United Nations, which he has described as ineffective and a waste of taxpayer money, and has pledged to withdraw from the Paris climate deal.

Describing the United States as an “essential actor across the international agenda,” Ban made a plea for continued US engagement in the world.

“The United Nations will count on the new administration to strengthen the bonds of international cooperation as we strive together to uphold shared ideals, combat climate change, advance human rights,” Ban told reporters at UN headquarters.

“People everywhere look to the United States to use its remarkable power to help lift humanity up and to work for the common good.”

Ban championed the climate deal on fighting global warming that went into force this month after the United States, China and other big polluters joined the international agreement.
Republican presidential elect Donald Trump gives a speech during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York, November 9, 2016. (AFP/MANDEL NGAN)

President-elect Donald Trump gives a speech during election night at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York, November 9, 2016. (AFP/Mandel Ngan)

“Today’s global challenges demand concerted global action and joint solutions,” he said.

Trump, who has no experience in government, has expressed his distrust of international organizations like the United Nations and NATO.

“Where do you ever see the United Nations?” Trump told the New York Times in an interview in April.

“Do they ever settle anything? It’s just like a political game. The United Nations — I mean the money we spend on the United Nations.”

The United States is the biggest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, providing some 29 percent of the nearly $8 billion budget for UN missions worldwide.

The UN chief also expressed his “deep appreciation” to defeated candidate Hillary Clinton, saying she was a “powerful global symbol of women’s empowerment.”

He praised her “lifetime commitment to peace, the advancement of women and the well-being of children.”

Trump adviser: New president won’t force Israeli-Palestinian peace
Next US administration will seek warm ties with Israelis and will only prioritize conflict if they want it, says Jason Dov Greenblatt
By Eric Cortellessa November 9, 2016, 11:26 pm


Jason Dov Greenblatt, Donald Trump’s top real estate lawyer and an Orthodox Jew, is one of three members on the Republican nominee’s Israel Advisory Committee. (Uriel Heilman)
Jason Dov Greenblatt, Donald Trump’s top real estate lawyer and an Orthodox Jew, is one of three members on the Republican nominee’s Israel Advisory Committee. (JTA/Uriel Heilman)
Writers
Eric Cortellessa
Eric Cortellessa Eric Cortellessa covers American politics for The Times of Israel.


NEW YORK — One of President-elect Donald Trump’s top advisers says the new administration will try to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but without pushing an agreement on either side.

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“I think he’s going to support Israel in a way it hasn’t been supported in the Obama administration,” Jason Dov Greenblatt told The Times of Israel Wednesday, as the dust settled from Trump’s shock victory hours earlier.

“I think he’s going to try to help the Israelis achieve peace with the Palestinians. He’ll be there to guide them and not force peace upon them,” he said.

Over the course of the campaign, Trump has said he would seek to broker the elusive final status agreement to the conflict but has not explicitly endorsed a two-state solution.

Greenblatt said Trump would prioritize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but would only seek any initiative if the two sides indicated they were willing to reach an accommodation.

“He will make it a priority if the Israelis and Palestinians want to make it a priority,” he said. “He’s not going to force peace upon them, it will have to come from them.”

Greenblatt was responding to advice doled out recently by Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, that the next president should not make the conflict central to US policy in the region.
President-elect Donald Trump walks off the stage after delivering his victory speech on Election Night (Eric Cortellessa/Times of Israel)

President-elect Donald Trump walks off the stage after delivering his victory speech on Election Night (Eric Cortellessa/Times of Israel)

Last week, Trump’s other adviser on matters relating to the Jewish state told The Times of Israel the business mogul is willing to explore avenues outside the two-state framework. “A two-state solution is not a priority,” said David Friedman. “I don’t think he is wed to any particular outcome. A two-state solution is a way, but it’s not the only way.”

Greenblatt’s comments came as a number of right-wing Israeli politicians seized on Trump’s victory by calling on him to make good on his promises to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.

The move would break with decades of precedent and put Washington at odds with nearly all UN member states, illustrating concerns over the foreign policy consequences of Trump’s presidency.

On Wednesday, Education Minister Naftali Bennett said that Trump’s election meant the idea of a Palestinian state was finished.

“Trump’s victory is an opportunity for Israel to immediately retract the notion of a Palestinian state in the center of the country, which would hurt our security and just cause,” Bennett said in an apparent reference to the West Bank. “This is the position of the president-elect … The era of a Palestinian state is over.”

Greenblatt said he was unsurprised by Trump’s win, which shook up the political establishment. “I have known Donald for 20 years,” he said. “When he sets his heart and mind to something, he wins.”

AFP contributed to this report

US voters face machine problems, long lines in some states
Trump’s claims of widespread fraud and voter intimidation unproven; areas with computer malfunctions switch to paper ballots
By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY November 8, 2016, 11:30 pm 1


A voter puts his ballot into a ballot scanner as he casts his vote in a polling place on election day November 8, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia. Americans across the nation make their choice for the next president of the United States today. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)
A voter puts his ballot into a ballot scanner as he casts his vote in a polling place on election day November 8, 2016 in Arlington, Virginia. Americans across the nation make their choice for the next president of the United States today. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/AFP)
Newsroom


WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite Donald Trump’s continued skepticism that the election was on the up and up, few voters who went to the polls Tuesday encountered problems — and even then, most issues involved the usual machine breakdowns and long lines.

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The run-up to the vote was fraught, with unsupported claims by the Republican presidential candidate of a rigged election and fears that hackers might attack voting systems. He reiterated his claims on Election Day, after his campaign announced it was seeking an investigation in the battleground state of Nevada over reports that some early voting locations had allowed people to join lines to vote after polls were scheduled to close.

Asked on Fox News if he would accept Tuesday’s results, Trump continued to demur.

“We’re going to see how things play out,” Trump said. “I want to see everything honest.”

Concerns of voter intimidation and fraud led to a flurry of lawsuits in the run-up to Election Day, and new voter regulations in more than a dozen states also held the potential to sow confusion at polling places.

But at least in the early going, most of the problems were routine — the kinds of snags that come every four years, like the lines, machines not working properly, and issues with ballots or voter rolls. One New Jersey voter reported waiting three hours because there were too few voting machines at her polling place in Jersey City.

In Texas, a computer used by election clerks malfunctioned at a polling place inside a high school in suburban Houston, forcing officials to briefly divert voters to another polling place more than two miles away. Fort Bend County Elections Administrator John Oldham said the malfunctioning console was later replaced with a backup and voting resumed.

Andrea Patience, a 50-year-old pharmacy technician, was among those standing in line when the computer malfunctioned. She said she waited an hour for it to be fixed. Patience said as many as 100 people were standing in line at the time, and about half of them left.

“There were a lot of upset people,” Patience said. “I don’t know if they will come back later or decide not to vote.”
Voters wait in line to vote early Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Voters wait in line to vote early Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Election officials in Utah said voting machine problems in the southern part of the state forced poll workers early in the day to use paper ballots. A computer problem in Durham County, North Carolina — a Democratic stronghold in a state that has been a key battleground in the presidential race — triggered long lines when election officials had to rely on a paper check-in process.

There were also sporadic reports of people in North Carolina who said they were not put on the voter rolls despite registering to vote through the Division of Motor Vehicles.

The question this year was whether problems would be widespread and indicate a pattern of fraud or voter intimidation.

Trump had suggested that Philadelphia was among those places ripe for voter fraud. The city’s district attorney, Seth Williams, said in mid-afternoon that his office had investigated 68 complaints about voter intimidation, broken machines or other problems, a number consistent with the past three presidential elections. He said all had proven unfounded.
A dog waits outside of a polling place for its owner to vote in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 8, 2016. (Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images/AFP)

A dog waits outside of a polling place for its owner to vote in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 8, 2016. (Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images/AFP)

In the last week alone, Democrats went to court in seven states seeking to halt what they claim were efforts by Republicans and the Trump campaign to deploy a network of poll watchers hunting for voter fraud. Republicans have disputed claims they are planning to intimidate voters, and judges largely found no evidence of efforts to suppress voters.

While there were concerns that the heated rhetoric of the campaign would lead to confrontations at the polls, only a few minor skirmishes were reported. In southeastern Michigan, authorities said an argument outside a polling place between a woman supporting presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and another backing Trump led a man to shove one of the women and spurred others to join in. No arrests were made.

This is the first presidential election in which a key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act was not in place. A 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision struck down a portion of the law that had required certain states and jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to receive pre-approval from the U.S. Department of Justice for any election law change. This allowed a number of states, most led by Republican legislatures and governors, to enact strict voter ID laws and reduce early voting.

Legal challenges to some of those voter ID laws have led to a multitude of court rulings in recent months that blocked or struck down some provisions while upholding or reinstating others. That triggered concerns of misinformation among voters, election officials and poll workers.

The Supreme Court ruling also prompted the Justice Department to send fewer trained election observers to polling places around the country than in previous years, with the reduction likely to diminish the department’s ability to detect voter intimidation and other potential problems.

Meanwhile, state election officials were guarding against any attempt to breach their systems. Previously, some 33 states accepted an offer from the federal government to check their voter databases and reporting systems for vulnerabilities after hackers attempted to access systems in two states over the summer.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press

Senate outcome could make Schumer first Jewish majority leader
Brooklyn native can make history if the Democrats regain control of the chamber; polls have parties neck and neck
By Gabe Friedman November 8, 2016, 11:50 pm



JTA — It’s pretty safe to say that Chuck Schumer is going to be reelected to his New York Senate seat on Tuesday. He’s leading his Republican opponent Wendy Long by an average of 39 points in all of the major polls.

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But polls don’t reveal the history that Schumer may soon make: If the Democrats regain control of the Senate, the Brooklyn native is set to become the first Jewish Senate majority leader in US history.

The races for Senate seats in several states (such as Missouri and Indiana) remain very close as of Tuesday afternoon.

If Democrats can’t pull out a victory, Schumer will succeed outgoing Sen. Harry Reid as Senate minority leader. (Reid picked Schumer to succeed him when he announced his retirement in March.)

Liberal commentator Lawrence O’Donnell pointed out the Jewish history to be made on his MSNBC show “The Last Word” on Monday night.

“That no one has seemed to notice that we are about to elect the first Jewish leader of the Senate is proof of how much ground has been won in the centuries of the American war against anti-Semitism,” O’Donnell says in a segment contrasting Schumer’s upbringing to that of fellow New Yorker Donald Trump.

“The once unimaginable is now unremarkable. That’s what progress feels like. That’s what the 21st century is supposed to feel like,” O’Donnell added.

In speaking about the Schumer and Trump families, O’Donnell explained that Donald’s father Fred was once arrested at a Ku Klux Klan rally. Schumer’s Jewish family would have been a target of the KKK while Chuck was growing up in Brooklyn, O’Donnell noted.

Schumer’s brash public persona — Politico calls him an “expert schmoozer” — stands in sharp contrast to Reid’s buttoned-down manner, and observers are already noting the contrast.

“Sen. Schumer has much more interest in trying to massage a message and drive a story than Sen. Reid ever cared about, [Reid] was always a backroom mechanics kind of guy who never claimed to want to be a spokesman for the party,” Jim Manley, a former senior adviser to Reid, told The Daily News of New york.

Since there has never been a Jewish Speaker of the House, Schumer will on paper become the most powerful Jewish politician in American history.

It’s another milestone in what has been a banner year for American Jews — who saw Bernie Sanders become the first Jewish politician to win a major party presidential primary.

Israel warns of ‘credible threat’ of IS attack at soccer game in Albania
Official travel alert issued hours after Balkan country arrests 4 terror suspects, relocates Saturday’s World Cup match over security fears
By Times of Israel staff November 9, 2016, 12:46 am





Hours after Albania arrested four terror suspects accused of plotting bomb attacks at an upcoming soccer game against Israel’s national team, Jerusalem on Tuesday issued an official travel warning to the Balkan state citing “credible threats” of attacks by the Islamic State jihadist group.

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The Counter Terrorism Bureau, a branch of the Prime Minister’s Office, urged Israelis not to attend Saturday’s World Cup 2018 qualifying game in Albania.

“In recent days, individuals identifying with the Islamic State group have been arrested in the Balkans. Those suspects and their associates planned to carry out several terror attacks on a range of targets in the Balkans… including the Israel-Albania game on November 12,” the statement said.

“The assessment of the situation indicates a credible threat of attacks… and accordingly have issued a travel warning to Albania over the concrete threat level, and urge Israelis not attend the game,” the Bureau said.

Earlier Tuesday, Albanian officials relocated the game from a stadium in the city of Shkoder to a venue in the city of Elbasan, citing unspecified terror threats.

Local security forces said they could guarantee the security of the Israeli team in Shkoder, prompting the relocation.

Sports and Culture Minister Miri Regev said she was monitoring the situation in Albania, and the safety of the Israeli athletes was the most important consideration in making security arrangements for the team, Channel 10 reported.

“I wish the team great success in the game against Albania,” she said.

Israel’s national team on Tuesday held talks with their security detail and were given strict instructions restricting their movements during their trip.

The security team protecting the Israelis is reportedly three times the usual size for such events.

Israel won its previous qualifying game, with a 2-1 result against Liechtenstein in a match at the Kollek stadium in Jerusalem last month.

Stuart Winer contributed to this report.

Inside Trump Tower, supporters sing election serenade
Musical duo denies anti-Semitism among candidate’s backers, sings song about protecting and supporting Israel
By Eric Cortellessa November 9, 2016, 12:50 am



NEW YORK — Inside Trump Tower on Tuesday morning, things were relatively subdued, with a few supporters — and perhaps others merely curious to sample the mood there on Election Day — wandering throughout the 5th Avenue skyscraper.

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But inside the bar at Trump Grill was an unusual pair who were each donning a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, an American flag-designed robe and white underwear.

And they had guitars. Guitars ornamented with “Trump Pence” bumperstickers. They describe themselves as representing the movement that Trump has unleashed since beginning his improbable bid for the White House in June 2015.

As the hours were dwindling down before the polls close across a nation soon to choose its next leader amidst the most divisive election in modern history, this duo entertained a small crowd with their Election Day serenade.

Robert Burck, 45, who also goes by the moniker Naked Cowboy, and Robert Coffman, 51, set up by the bar, explained to this reporter not only why they support Trump but why they also think he is likely to “win in a landslide, including in the states of New Jersey and New York” before singing their routine songs that ticks off a litany of Trump policy priorities, including support for Israel.

“We’re gonna protect Israel and the Iron Dome / we don’t want those nukes flying home / that sounds like a good idea to me,” the lyrics say.

On Trump’s appeal to them, and why they think he’s appealed to so many like them, Burck said, “He’s an American exceptionalist, he’s not an apologist like Obama,” before ticking off grievances he holds with the current president and his perception of his political agenda.

“Redistribution of wealth. It’s for pussies,” he said. “America, it’s built on the concept of self-reliance. Do it your damn self. Don’t pander to the women. If women want to have a baby, have a baby, pay for it. You want childcare, pay for it. You’re black and you don’t have a job. Well, work harder and get the money. Now, I believe in tolerance and compassion, but not hyper-tolerance and so much compassion.”

On the subject of controversies that have engulfed Trump’s candidacy, Burck insisted there was nothing there. “I grab my wife by the **** every chance I can,” he said, a reference to the controversial 2005 tape that emerged last month in which Trump is heard boasting about making unwanted advances, including kissing and grabbing women.

“I mean, let’s be a man here,” Burck said.

Burck, who has apparently ran for New York City mayor and president in the past, also dismissed accusations that the Trump campaign was fostering anti-Semitism in this country.

“When people constantly tell you they’re being discriminated against, it almost makes you feel like, they end up being discriminated against because they constantly talk about being discriminated against,” he told The Times of Israel.

“It’s not just Jewish people,” he added. “I would say someone like Trump is merit-based. He’s really puts forth his own efforts every day. Don’t tell me you need something because you’re a woman or you’re black, or because you’re a latino, or because you’re an LGBT and you need a special bathroom.”
Trump Tower in Manhattan (Eric Cortellessa/Times of Israel)

Trump Tower in Manhattan (Eric Cortellessa/Times of Israel)

While they both predict a Trump victory — and blame the media for not accurately reflecting voter turnout and polling outcomes — Burck and Coffman said they were willing to accept the legitimacy of a Clinton victory, but they won’t walk away from the movement Trump has made them feel a part of.

“We don’t have a choice,” Coffman said about the election results. “But I will continue to support the philosophy of Trumpism. But if we are lucky, in just a few hours we will live in the country we have been waiting to live in our whole lives.”

I Campaigned For Kanu’s Arrest, Is Time To Release Kanu If You Release Killers Of Igbo Woman In Kano
November 8, 2016 Biafra
nnamdi-kanu

The coordinator of the Every Nigerian Do Something project and political observer, Dr. Peregrino Brimah, has broken silent on the recent release of the killers of Igbo trader in Kano, says as killers of Mrs Bridget Agbahime was released, Nnamdi Kanu must be release as well.

Brimah said, when Buhari borrowed the words of Charles De Gaulle, “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody,” it raised a lot of hope in skeptical Nigerians. Worse than murder is oppression, the Muslim Quran says in chapter 2 verse 191. Injustice and oppression are the root causes of terror and the gasoline that keeps it burning.

I was one who campaigned for the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu of radio Biafra. I had heard him promote violence against northerners and Muslims in the East. That is bad and should not go unpunished.

But today, I campaign for his release. There is nothing more important in a society that equality and justice. If you lock up a thief of a pen, you must lock up a Senator when he uses his pen to steal. If not, then free the petty thief. Open up the jails.

If the Kano Attorney general Haruna Falali brazenly obstructs justice and frees suspected killers of Bridget Agbahime in Kano, then free all suspected killers of Nigerians across the country and by all means, free Nnamdi Kanu who has not yet been directly connected to a death.

If intolerant extremist terrorists will walk freely and be aided by the law in perpetration of their carnage in the north, then let the same be obtained in the south.

Donald Trump's Acceptance Speech

Thank you. Thank you very much, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business, complicated. Thank you very much.
I've just received a call from secretary Clinton. She congratulated us. It’s about us. On our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign.
I mean she fought very hard. Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.
I mean that very sincerely. Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, have to get together, to all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.
It is time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans, and this is so important to me. For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country. As I've said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign but rather an incredible and great movement, made up of millions of hard-working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their family.
It is a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will.
Working together we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream. I've spent my entire life in business, looking at the untapped potential in projects and in people all over the world.
That is now what I want to do for our country. Tremendous potential. I've gotten to know our country so well. Tremendous potential. It is going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential.