I can remember quite a few electoral, political leader changes (here and abroad) that were hyped as the end of the world.  While some had worse outcomes than others - none were anywhere near as tragic as projected.  We do have a system of checks and balances.  If Hillary wins - we probably will have more gridlock.  If Trump wins - he won't be able to do a lot of the things he has mentioned but there will probably be a strong conservative shift (because if he wins - the Republicans will likely have the house (unlikely to change regardless of who is elected President), the senate (will probably go to the party of the President but might stay Republican if Hillary wins), and the ability to shift the Supreme court back to a conservative court).  Neither result will end the world.  Generally speaking, I think the worst part will be economic.  The tax policy and proposed legislative changes that Trump could make have been projected by conservative foundations to ramp up the deficit by an order of magnitude more than Hillary's without helping the poor or middle class.  I prefer Hillary's detailed vision of investing in education and infrastructure because I think it is more realistic.  But I don't think a Trump presidency is going to ruin the U.S. or the world.

I think the liberal media is a bit of an overstatement.  There is quite a large conservative/republican media here too - unfortunately the media is pretty polarized, reflecting America's polarization (a lot of people only want to read the stories that align with their beliefs).  I try to read both sides and as much neutral media as possible.  What is amazing to me about this election is that so many conservative writers have disowned Trump (they have not necessarily owned Hillary - many are not voting for president (although I am sure they will be voting in down-ballot races), are looking at write-in candidates, or third parties).  You actually have people who were actively engaged in looking for legal issues with Whitewater, Benghazi... who were #NeverHillary - stepping up and supporting her.  There are four newspapers that have rarely endorsed a candidate or never endorsed a democrat who are endorsing her.  I think this speaks less to Hillary's team than the wide gulf between the two candidates. 
  This year with average republican and democratic candidates, the underlying fundamentals favor the republic candidate - this is talked about in several sites including fivethirtyeight.  Hillary has had a pretty low favorability rating.  An average republican candidate should be way ahead.  Donald Trump is not your average candidate.
  To be fair to him (although it seems like it was his choice), Donald Trump's campaign is also hampered by their minimal ground game and unusual organization.  I do think that Kellyanne Conway has improved his public relations and spin but it is a tough job.  Honestly, I think anyone who is shocked by the statements by Donald Trump that were released on Friday has not paid any attention to the information that has always been out there about Trump.  I think it is more likely that Republican candidates are taking the opportunity to distance their campaigns (or some of them REALLY liked Pence in the debates). 
  For Hillary, the quotes from her speeches would have been a much stronger attack in any other campaign.  In this campaign - all her party needs to do is lay low relatively speaking.  Again, I think that is due more to her opponent than to her campaign's skills...

Quote from: Redtunnel on August 12, 2016, 18:06:08

Swedish (and European media, I presume) never portray Trump in a positive light. Is this also true for American media?

Most of the media in America is liberal - so yes, the media most definitely usually portrays Trump in a negative sense. When it comes to TV news media, the only station that is conservatively biased is Fox News, which says very little negatively about him while bashing Hillary as much as possible. I think that the fact that the media is liberal does have something to do with the negativity, but in my own opinion, it really shouldn't matter. When you take into account things that he's said, how he's said them, things he's done, and positions he's taken, you shouldn't NEED to be liberal to criticize him. He's an abomination to our political system and utterly scares me with the fact that he could represent my country. Again though, that's just my opinion.

Hillary is known for being very calculative and seen as the candidate who says anything necessary to get elected. She's the typical politician. Nothing "new" about her campaign, which is why this election is such a huge deal - we have a non-traditional, never elected businessman vs. the traditional elected politician. While yes I do believe Hillary's campaign has her image under control much better, I don't think that's the issue with Trump. Trump just ignores what's being told to him by his campaign.

If you look up interview of American politicians who are Republicans, in his own party, and even ones that have supported him, it's a crapshoot to watch. It's easily seen that they're just supporting him for the party even though they know that he's a disaster. One major Republican and former presidential candidate Rick Santorum was visiting an extremely liberal TV show and watching him stutter and try to defend Trump was horrific. He at one point even said that because Trump behaved himself today, he should pat himself on the back. Even as a joke, having to say that about your party's candidate running for president is a disgrace.

By the way, I read a relatively positive story about Trump recently - http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/michael-che-colin-jost-snl-229037.  I am probably biased because I grew up in the NY/NJ area and saw a lot of the stories of people not being paid or businesses going under with the Atlantic City deals and such.  I don't think there is much to admire in people who make money by taking advantage of others.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/10/2016-russia-clinton-trump-oppo-research-214334 = maybe I was wrong - maybe they are that good at spin...

Whats the turn out for voting in America?

"Voter turnout in the United States fluctuates in national elections. In recent elections, about 60% of the voting eligible population votes during presidential election years, and about 40% votes during midterm elections. Turnout is lower for odd year, primary and local elections." fairvote.org
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/11/1580971/-Holy-shit-North-Carolina-Republican-voting-is-down-by-HALF-compared-to-2012 - This election might be different than ones in the past (or not...)

I wish i cared more about the elections because I know it affects my future as being an American...but for one with my little political knowledge and seeing both the runners, it REALLY makes me want it done and over with so we can see what actually happens.

Our system of checks and balances is such that even if you don't love who is in office, what damage they can do is limited.  This also tends to reduce what good they can do - things happen at an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary pace.  Don't feel like you need to get a PhD in Poli Sci to get involved though.  There are a lot of nonpartisan sites that give quick briefings and, over time, you will learn a lot!