My view from abroad.
We arrived in France on 12 January. Passed through immigration without a problem and headed to our apartment here in Aix-en-Provence and tried to avoid the news and managed to do so for a couple of weeks. Difficult, because my addiction to watching the shit show that the US has become is pretty difficult to deal with.
I try and stay away from DU, Facebook, Twitter (except for We Rate Dogs, which is delightful), and TruthOut. It's tough but necessary unless I want to have my blood pressure shoot through the roof, my wine consumption to go up to 2 or 3 liters a day, and Winston's black dog following me everywhere I go. This stuff affects my marriage, my sleep, my health, my art - in whole, my entire life. And I just don't know how this nonsense is going to play out.
Our plan, thus far, is to apply for a long stay visa here in France (and please, there is no need to go on about French anti-Semitism, misogyny, and racism - we know all about it, but at least there is some effort to push back in a more effective way than is happening in the US), and possibly, if we can afford to do it, renounce our US citizenship, FATCA being part of the reason.
It also has to do with the fact that, having just celebrated/passed my 70th birthday, I'm just tired of this shit. In the late 60's I was a conscientious objector, I protested the war in Vietnam. In the 70's I watched appalled at the rise and fall of Nixon and the diminution of Jimmy Carter and the rise of Reagan. In the 80's we had Reagan and Bush I and all that that entailed. Then Clinton and Gingrich and the appearence of the gangster Republicans. GW was but a foretaste of what was to come. President Obama gave me a great deal of hope, but by then the gangsters had taken over too many state houses and had too big of a majority. The person - I refuse to say his name - presently illegitimately occupying the White House is taking the US down the road to a Blade Runner/Running Man society. Time to get out.
Yes, it's come to that. There appears to be no longer any advantage in holding a US passport or being an American. One is looked down on and laughed at by the citizens of the liberal democracies of the rest of the world because America has handed itself over to the forces of anti-intellectualism and tribalism. They can't understand how the thirty odd percent of people who elected Dolt45 could have turned the rest of us over to a clueless but evil carnival barker who daily craps on the Constitution.
Next step - sell up, get that long term visa, and hope.
As Gandalf said - 'Fly you fools!!'
= new reply since forum marked as read
reelected for fear of losing my sanity. I went to Amsterdam, Holland and to Nice, France. This was during the Freedom Fries BS too. I brought a paperback copy of Michael Moore's book "Dude, Where's My Country?" so no one would think I was pro-Bush. I didn't need it though. Everyone was so cool and relaxed. They had the advantage of history on their side and their perspective gave me hope. The Europeans I met had the attitude of "Governments come and governments go...things will change back again so don't fret". Go down to Nice in time for CARNIVAL next week! 
I only could afford to go for a year. I couldn't get a job teaching in Nice and the cost of living was too high so I had to come back. I am sooooooooo jealous of you guys. Now I am staying put due to a poor, costly and non curable health situation. I have great memories, especially since my little dog went there with me and they LOVE dogs in France. 
And TOTALLY know what you mean about the wine and Winston's black dog... a bit younger than you but with enough of the same memories, so no judgment, here. If I could afford it, I'd be in Ireland.
Slainte! 
our country respectable again.
I don't blame you, but we need to return our country to what our forefathers intended.
GOTV
