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Comment by pmoriarty | Hacker News Reader

Trump has said that "torture works", and "I like waterboarding a lot", and that he would "bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding".

When asked about former CIA Director Michael Hayden’s recent comments that the military could defy unlawful orders to torture or kill civilians, Trump said, "They won’t refuse. They’re not going to refuse, believe me."

Thanks 50% of American voters. You're helping to make the world an even worse shithole than it already is.

Trump couldn't have done it without you.

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I share your condemnation of torture, but can we at least drop the partisanship and admit the alternative was hardly any better:

> So the problem for the US and the Europeans has been from the very beginning: What is it you -- who is it you are going to try to arm? [Hillary Clinton -- Goldman Sachs speeches]

In a world where the US acknowledges its role funneling weapons to extremists, the mainstream media doesn't raise an eyebrow at drone-bombings and the President is openly running an extrajudicial kill-list out of the White House, having a presidential candidate suggest that torture is a legitimate tool of war isn't even comparatively retrograde.

I think people voted for Trump because they agree with his stance. Is that such a ridiculous idea?

Trump is a reflection of American society.

Or not?

No presidential candidate got ≥50% of the vote. Clinton got the most votes, but still less than half. And that's just out of votes cast. Clinton got the backing of barely 27% of eligible voters and Trump got even less.

Comment said "of American voters".

If you don't vote, you lose it, so why mention this?

To me "voters" seems as likely to mean "those eligible to vote" as not. I agree that the proportion of votes cast is more relevant.

Even if you include only votes cast, both Clinton and Trump got < 50% of votes.

Oh, then if Trump only got 47% of the vote, the OP's point is irrelevant? Phew.

Well, Hillary received more votes than Trump either way.

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