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IT’S OFFICIAL. DONALD Trump is the most powerful man in the world.
The Republican candidate pulled off a stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in order to take the White House overnight.
However, at 10pm last night it looked like we were gearing up for a second Clinton in the White House.
Early in the night, Clinton looked comfortable, outperforming Barack Obama in some precincts in Georgia and Florida. It seemed, as the polls had predicted, that she was on her way to being the first woman to become US President.
But as the night wore on, Trump built up leads on Florida, Ohio and Virginia, and the mood shifted to signal Trump was not just in the race: he could win.
For many, that feeling was crystallised when Clinton tweeted this around 2am:
The picture looked to be either a rallying cry or a concession, as Clinton’s path to victory had been boxed out by an unprecedented Trump surge.
It was a huge swing in both forecasting and general mood. Early in the evening, Trump’s campaign manager KellyAnne Conway had appeared on a number of television stations and looked deflated. She railed against the lack of support
However, within hours she was posing for photos with her candidate and telling journalists she “felt really good”.
Clinton supporters who had gathered at a glittering reception in New York expecting to hear a victory speech from the pioneering 69-year-old Democrat fell quiet and jabbed nervously at their phones.
“Not great,” retiree Joan Divenuti told AFP. She had come all the way from Massachusetts to cheer her heroine. “Florida was always a problem,” she added, as vote counts put Trump ahead.
Across town at the Trump election party, the 70-year-old property tycoon’s supporters were tense but buoyant.
“This is like a football game. I’m going to have a heart attack,” said 76-year-old Mike Garcia, a Republican from Pennsylvania.
The Republican nominee’s official “victory party” in a Manhattan hotel ballroom started slowly – initially quietly optimistic – but as Trump won state after state, increasingly pumped up and raucous.
The crowd swelled in number, flagging energy levels boosted by alcohol and the avalanche of results that some admitted were far better than they ever imagined with Hillary Clinton the strong favorite.
“It’s unbelievable. I didn’t know Trump was really going to pull it off,” said Glenn Ruti, a 54-year-old New Yorker who works in telecommunications.
States of play
When early counts came through, even leading in key states, it still looked like Trump was far from victory, the list of states looking too much to surmount.
And then came the declarations: Ohio, North Carolina, Florida. Even the “blue wall” of Michigan and Wisconsin was cracked.
In the end though, it was Pennsylvania – once staunchly Democratic – which put the billionaire businessman over the edge and on the road to the White House.
When it was declared shortly before 7am, Trump edged to 264 electoral college votes, six away from the 270 needed to win.
With that “blue wall” Democrats had built being chipped away, a hammer blow came in Wisconsin that would bring it down and send Trump to Washington DC.
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Trampolines are having a ball playing musical gardens too.
Isn’t it about time that power lines were buried ?
Why so they can pose more of a threat to farmers and construction workers?
Best kept in plain sight.
More killed by overhead cables Jennie.
Where did you hear that Mark?
Because almost all our medium to high voltage lines are overhead so naturally this poses more of a risk. But we have far more cable strikes from underground cables than from overhead cables. Irish water workers for example tend to have 300 to 400 cable strikes a month, all underground.
And just how many deaths came from those 300 to 400 cable strikes a month Keane? Thank you.
You missed the point Mark. The deaths will come if you star sticking the high voltage lines underground. Even the Dutch who pretty much have 100% low to medium voltage lines underground, will not put high voltage lines underground.
Great idea, only cost about a few billion, maybe we could levy the consumers.
It costs too much to put cables underground. Overhead are easier to maintain. The odd downed power line is a easier price to pay than ducting the whole country.
Did you consider the unbelievable cost of burying all such cables? C’mon!!
“Our whole wall fell down..” Well im not surprised since you effectively fixed a timber sail to it from what I can see in the photo.
Very windy in Donegal my house moved a yard last night!
My house took in the front lawn.
Was in meath yesterday and two enormous trees fell on the road in front of the car only missed us by a couple of feet. Scary
I don’t think were in Kansas anymore Toto.
And wheelie bins!
Our wheelie bins were like a couple of R2D2′s last night…being blown around aimlessly
Well batten down the hatches cause it aint over.
To the driver of the jeep on m9 dublin carlow yesterday for making shit of my car when your plastic material flew out including ratchet straps , my bumper grills spot lights and drivers light (€1600) also 2 other cars damaged, you pulled over down the motorway realised what you done jumped back in and sped off , shame on you, we could have been killed, and it’s me that has to somehow pay for this for your thickness
That is honestly disgusting that they didn’t take responsibility for their crap.
Turn on the washing machines
There’s great drying out !!
That’s because none are underground.
So obviously yes more are killed by overhead cables.
If they’re underground you’ll all be giving out that they’ll limit what you can do with your land too much. Ie building works etc.
And if something goes wrong it’ll be a much bigger job to fix. Digging up cable to try and find the break. Relaying the whole length. Etc
I think if you look, most cities and towns, and certainly all newer developments, have now buried the cables. This has led to far less disruption and far fewer deaths. It isn’t that difficult to map where power lines are buried.
As an aside, overhead cables are an unsightly blight on our landscape.
*to sorry
Also it’ll do a huge amount of damage to the landscape and the environment laying them underground in the first place….
Out of sight, Out of mind isn’t always the best policy
Everyone starts juicing and detoxing after new years: giant uptake in wind speeds. Coincidence? I think not.
Kevin Hunt really exposing some shoddy workmanship on that wall. It’s only a bit of wind.
Well I didn’t build the wall?! and the neighbors had the fence not us
And tell your neighbour it’s time to put the crimbo decorations away.
I didn’t say you, Kev. I said you exposed shoddy workmanship.
Oh sorry haha, Ye I guess so!
Snow in Fermangh. Not settling but great to look at
Bit of snow here in Cavan, just enough to lightly dust an annoyed cat.
Thankfully we escaped it in cork but was quite windy for a time but it blew itself out late last night
#JeSuisKevinHunt
There was a might wind in co Louth after that hot curry last night
“Mighty”
Our trampoline hasntlufted a finger yet! youd think it would have blown to the next county with these winds lol!
Go home snowman, you are drunk.
That’s the problem with Irish water not obeying safety legislation when digging holes in footpaths
It depends alot on the machine driver. I work with one who could stir your tea with a 13 Tonne machine. I’ve worked with other lads you wouldn’t trust digging a hole with a teaspoon.
Short hairy and fat. Perfectly adapted for this weather. Form an orderly que ladies.
If the night of the big wind happened in 1839 (6th Jan) then if it happened again with global warming, what would we do?
have your say