The Trump Presidency

[Runnin]

Why Trump Has a Lock on the Nomination - CNN

[thethe]

Only way trump isn't the nominee is that he decides 4 years was enough. Hopefully that's not the case.

[Oklahomahawk]

It's a tough decision to make. I typically begin each election cycle with the assumption that I will vote, and then decide who gets that vote primarily on policy. I would rather vote for a guy might further my agenda than either not vote or vote for someone who will damage my agenda. I understand the decision to hold the politicians accountable, I just don't think it is something we can afford to do in a general election. I save that for the primaries.

OK, but doesn't that pretty much always work out like the John Oliver video you just posted. We, the American voters operate in good faith, little or no actual brain activity, but good faith, and vote for someone, or some party, thinking they'll do what they promise, hoping they'll do what they promised, then they don't and next time we get the chance to vote them out, because they didn't do what they promised, we face this same conundrum, and after much soul searching we decide AGAIN to vote for them, partially because we still hold out hope they'll do what they promised and partially because we fall for the same old scare tactics of "well you know what that other party will do if we elect them" and we go back out and make the same mistakes again and again and again in the voting booth?

[Jaw]

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/...lection-244644

Trump voters: We'd do it again
One year after the 2016 presidential election, the vast majority of Donald Trump voters have no regrets.

According to a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted on the eve of the first anniversary of Trump's historic election, 82 percent of those who say they supported Trump last year would vote for him again if they had to do it over. That's slightly more than those who say they would vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton again — 78 percent — if they had the chance.

Only 7 percent of Trump voters and 8 percent of Clinton voters say they would vote for a different candidate if they could complete their 2016 ballot again.

Trump’s supporters have largely rallied around the president, despite his poor overall approval ratings, the chaos of his first year in office and the ongoing investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

[nsacpi]

OK, but doesn't that pretty much always work out like the John Oliver video you just posted. We, the American voters operate in good faith, little or no actual brain activity, but good faith, and vote for someone, or some party, thinking they'll do what they promise, hoping they'll do what they promised, then they don't and next time we get the chance to vote them out, because they didn't do what they promised, we face this same conundrum, and after much soul searching we decide AGAIN to vote for them, partially because we still hold out hope they'll do what they promised and partially because we fall for the same old scare tactics of "well you know what that other party will do if we elect them" and we go back out and make the same mistakes again and again and again in the voting booth?

In general politicians over-promise. That's the nature of the beast. The more interesting part to me is that a lot of voters seem to find it disappointing when they don't deliver on those promises, especially the ones that never had any realistic hope of being delivered. In general, people expect too much from the political system. Swamp is a good metaphor for it and it will NEVER be drained. And the politicians who promise to drain it are often the swampiest to coin a phrase.

[Jaw]

OK, but doesn't that pretty much always work out like the John Oliver video you just posted. We, the American voters operate in good faith, little or no actual brain activity, but good faith, and vote for someone, or some party, thinking they'll do what they promise, hoping they'll do what they promised, then they don't and next time we get the chance to vote them out, because they didn't do what they promised, we face this same conundrum, and after much soul searching we decide AGAIN to vote for them, partially because we still hold out hope they'll do what they promised and partially because we fall for the same old scare tactics of "well you know what that other party will do if we elect them" and we go back out and make the same mistakes again and again and again in the voting booth?

Well that's why each party should be doing a lot of work in the primaries, and we've actually seen that happening lately. The much maligned polarization of both sides is a direct result of frustrated partisans who are tired of partisan campaign promises turning into bipartisan compromises. Hopefully that continued polarization will result in a third party, although I question if it will be centrist as so many have long predicted. I would expect some type of anti-libertarian party that makes Sturg's head explode while Cajun's floats high in the sky.

For me it's very simple. I don't want any more Jeff Flake/John McCain/Susan Collins type Rs. Ever. But I prefer even them over the Elizabeth Warren/Cory Booker/John Kerry types. So I vote for the things I want in the primary, and usually against the things I don't want in the general elections.

[Julio3000]

Well that's why each party should be doing a lot of work in the primaries, and we've actually seen that happening lately. The much maligned polarization of both sides is a direct result of frustrated partisans who are tired of partisan campaign promises turning into bipartisan compromises. Hopefully that continued polarization will result in a third party, although I question if it will be centrist as so many have long predicted. I would expect some type of anti-libertarian party that makes Sturg's head explode while Cajun's floats high in the sky.

For me it's very simple. I don't want any more Jeff Flake/John McCain/Susan Collins type Rs. Ever. But I prefer even them over the Elizabeth Warren/Cory Booker/John Kerry types. So I vote for the things I want in the primary, and usually against the things I don't want in the general elections.

I get what you're saying, but it seems like there are some massive policy questions that aren't going to be meaningfully addressed without bipartisan compromises . . . and yes, I say this having just hoped out loud that the D party moves to the left. But my modest hope--because I think it's about the only realistic choice--is to try to pull the (policy) center, where compromise occurs, back toward the left. One thing that is crucial to this conversation is that neither one of us, even standing as we are on opposite sides of the spectrum, are well-served by the current rules of the game. There are a couple of huge structural issues--campaign finance being foremost--that make certain kinds of major policy shifts, in either direction, less likely.

[Julio3000]

Bob Goodlatte (VA-6), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, announces that he will not be seeking reelection.

[Jaw]

One thing that is crucial to this conversation is that neither one of us, even standing as we are on opposite sides of the spectrum, are well-served by the current rules of the game. There are a couple of huge structural issues--campaign finance being foremost--that make certain kinds of major policy shifts, in either direction, less likely.

Completely agree.

[Jaw]

Why Trump Has a Lock on the Nomination - CNN

I often disagree with Steve Schmidt, but I agree with him here:

He described a culture of timidity and fear, where some Republican leaders are acting like “prey animals” who are “constantly skittish, looking nervously over their shoulders for the predator who is about to get them.”

[Jaw]

http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/20...-trumpism.html

Trumpism Without Trump? No. Trumpism-Light Without Hillary
2. Ralph Northam is a good politician who offered an opportunity for the (D) to get a 1 in the “Win” column with style. He was always the favorite to win, and by shifting towards the right to even center-right in the general, he broadened his spread.

3. The pummeling the VA GOP got was well deserved and should be of no surprise. So much of it comes from the general confusion in the GOP establishment that is directly responsible for Trump being elected.

Exhibit A is Reince Priebus. He exercised even less control of the 2016 primary process than he did in his shambolic and abbreviated tour as Trump’s Chief of Staff. He allowed a huge clown car of Republicans to run and suck the oxygen out of the room, divide blocks, and created an opening for a neglected and scorned part of the GOP coalition to cleave almost in whole away from the rest the pack to Trump.

While Trump cultivated the part of the Republican Party that the establishment constantly took for granted – those who each election played Charlie Brown to the GOPe Lucy – those told to shut up and vote for the nominee given to them – the rest fed on each other.
...
As I mentioned as far back as 2015, Trump’s personality is exactly what he is; a New York City real estate developer. It isn’t a show, it just is. As the established coalition partners in the Republican Party were having slap fights over who was more entitled to what – Trump consolidated the neglected and scorned portions of the Republican Party together, welding them to him by constantly reassuring them he would not leave them.

How could a life-long Democrat, Clinton supporting, abrasive, womanizing, gun control supporting, single payer healthcare, crass Yankee get Evangelicals, gun owners, honor bound Southerners, nice Midwesterners and others to support him?

One person; Hillary Rodham Clinton. More and more people began to see that only one thing kept HRC away from the levers of power she lusted after. Sadly, that became DJT. Reince did not have the balls of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to do what needed to be done – so Trump hijacked the Republican Party.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The Republicans, on paper, have never been stronger – but there is a problem. That problem is Trump. He is toxic.

Yes, he as strong support, but 1/3 does not give you 50.1%. There are a lot of people who did not vote for DJT, but against HRC. That bolt is shot.
...
The Republicans need to regain the respect of the parts of their coalition that is loyal to Trump. They don’t need to be Trump – they just need to do show some respect for all parts of their Party. They also need to realize that they need to absolutely avoid the most toxic parts of Trumpism as it will kill them.

[Julio3000]

Roy Moore is about to have a bad weekend.

[The Chosen One]

Roy Moore is about to have a bad weekend.

When Bannon said Moore was a Trump Guy I didn’t think he meant it to be like this.

The sad sad part is Moore will probably still get elected since it’s Alabama.

[57Brave]

[The Chosen One]

Now we know why Rand was assaulted by his neighbor.

[57Brave]

In fairness to Rand and Mike Lee, they were most likely unaware of these allegations.
What they did know was

Moore thought Keith Ellison ought not be legally allowed to serve in Congress

They were/are ok with that
#taxcuts

[Jaw]

In fairness to Rand and Mike Lee, they were most likely unaware of these allegations.
What they did know was

Moore thought Keith Ellison ought not be legally allowed to serve in Congress

They were/are ok with that

When will you start pulling quotes of Democrat leaders praising Robert Byrd the klansman?

[Julio3000]

They did know that he was on record saying that homosexuality should be criminalized, that there should be a religious test for Congress, and that it's ok for an elected official to violate a federal court order if he feels like it.

[Julio3000]

There are plenty of pervs in politics, of every political affiliation, I'm sure.

These are felony sex crimes that are being alleged.

[57Brave]

When will you start pulling quotes of Democrat leaders praising Robert Byrd the klansman?

i don't know. Byrd has been dead for what 10 years - 20 years ?
He was in the klan what -50 yesrs ago ?
How's bout Anthony Weiner -- that would be a more apt comparison -
memory tells me he was Democratically (capital D) shunned as soon as allegations surfaced
right ?

When do y'all quit using this lame comeback ?