The Trump Card...

[muttly]

What Turtle said three posts back.
Plus, the Republicans won the White House, the Senate, and the House, right? Just checking. SMH...Couldn't pass a bill to repeal Obamacare after 7 years, but allowed this phony Russian collusion investigation to metatistisize, and are now pushing a bill so Mueller can't be fired. Yep, slugs without a spine, most of them.

 

[ATeam]

The consuming, emotional anger towards Trump (and his supporters, by the way) by the left has waned very little since the election. It's gotten to the point where the emotion has become part of them, where it has usurped all logic, reason and critical thinking. There mere thought or mention of Trump will elicit an immediate, unthinking, emotional knee-jerk reaction as sure as if a doctor hit them with a rubber hammer.

The same response can be found in the Trump base only in reverse. That response, that way of being politically involved is a concern for me. Civics is not taught in school any more. We are not raising our children to appreciate and respect alternative points of view.

 

[ATeam]

The short answer... Members of the swamp fighting the drainage thereof notwithstanding, the Republicans are, by and large, spineless little slugs.

Maybe so, but I remain astounded at this lack of action. When you have the White House, one of your best supporters leading the Justice Department and the majority in the senate and house, how much courage does it take to initiate or revive a Hillary probe? In what way is backbone required at all? With the power and connections Trump himself, his people in the administration and the Republicans in congress have, it would be no trouble at all to write the letter, file the complaint, give the order, and/or pass the resolution that got things moving in this area.

No trouble at all, yet they don't do it! As I think this through, I remain perplexed. I can't imagine them having anything to fear from a revived Hillary probe. As the majority party with all the power, it's not like the minority party would exact a price to pay. I don't see a revived Hillary probe impacting how people may or may not vote in 2018 (just like the Russia thing is not a front-burner issue among voters on the ground now). With Hillary being yesterday's news and herself out of power, it's not like she has something new to say or something new to hold over Donald Trump. It's not a funding issue. A Hillary investigator can be funded just like the Mueller is. It's not like an active Hillary investigation would somehow interfere with Mueller's work. It's not like Trump and the Republicans developed a new sense of compassion and forgiveness toward Hillary.

This is simply bizarre. They (including Trump himself) have absolute power to initiate/revive a Hillary probe but they don't.

 

[ATeam]

They can't govern even when given the overwhelming mandated power to do so, they don't care about the big picture, the party or the platform, or the American people. They only care about themselves, getting reelected, and in getting their way despite being a small part of a large team.

If that is true, why do Americans continue to elect them in large numbers? What's up with the American voters that keep sending such sub-par Republicans to Washington in majority numbers?

 

[ATeam]

Why? Obama and Clinton favored Martha's Vineyard. Regan and Junior Bush favored their ranches. Bush Sr favored Kennebunkport.

There is a difference. By doing his working vacation at a for-profit country club Trump owns, he revives conflict of interest accusations. That does not help him. He opens himself up to the totally-avoidable criticism that he is using the powers of the presidency to bring positive advertising attention to a Trump-owned, for-profit property.

 

[ATeam]

What Turtle said three posts back.
Plus, the Republicans won the White House, the Senate, and the House, right? Just checking. SMH...Couldn't pass a bill to repeal Obamacare after 7 years, but allowed this phony Russian collusion investigation to metatistisize, and are now pushing a bill so Mueller can't be fired. Yep, slugs without a spine, most of them.

So, in the next 2018 House of Representatives election, are you going to vote Republican, Democrat, someone else or not at all?

 

[Turtle]

As I think this through, I remain perplexed. I can't imagine them having anything to fear from a revived Hillary probe. As the majority party with all the power, it's not like the minority party would exact a price to pay.

Traditionally, the former president, staff and candidates, once no longer a player, are left alone and are not prosecuted, because it is seen as persecution. Dictators jail their predecessors and competition, we don't do that. Also, Karma is a bitch.

 

[Turtle]

They can't govern even when given the overwhelming mandated power to do so, they don't care about the big picture, the party or the platform, or the American people. They only care about themselves, getting reelected, and in getting their way despite being a small part of a large team.

If that is true, why do Americans continue to elect them in large numbers? What's up with the American voters that keep sending such sub-par Republicans to Washington in majority numbers?

Keep sending? It's not like Americans have had copious amounts of opportunity to send spineless Republicans to Washington since Obama left office. BO (Before Obama) Republicans had a spine.

 

[Turtle]

There is a difference. By doing his working vacation at a for-profit country club Trump owns, he revives conflict of interest accusations.

Nobody cares, because it's not important. It certainly doesn't rise to the level of colluding with Russia and/or being a Putin puppet. The people who elected Trump were fully aware that he had businesses, and they didn't care. The only people who care are the ones who want him out of office. If he starts rotating his trips away from the White House to a different Trump property each time, that's gonna raise some eyebrows of the base. But the golf courses in Florida and New Jersey are places he frequented before he became president. Ivanka and Jared were married at Bedminister. He literally dug his own grave there behind the first tee. It doesn't appear that he's using Bedminister as a getaway to enrich himself.

 

[davekc]

The problem with Mueller is he is Comey 's friend. Doesn't sit well with many. Add in many Hillary donors to help him, and it doesn't smell quite right.
Just my observation.

 

[Turtle]

The problem with Mueller is he is Comey 's friend. Doesn't sit well with many. Add in many Hillary donors to help him, and it doesn't smell quite right.
Just my observation.

What's that phrase people use all the time? Oh, yeah, conflict of interest.

 

[muttly]

What Turtle said three posts back.
Plus, the Republicans won the White House, the Senate, and the House, right? Just checking. SMH...Couldn't pass a bill to repeal Obamacare after 7 years, but allowed this phony Russian collusion investigation to metatistisize, and are now pushing a bill so Mueller can't be fired. Yep, slugs without a spine, most of them.

So, in the next 2018 House of Representatives election, are you going to vote Republican, Democrat, someone else or not at all?

Either a Republican, someone else or not at all. Depends on the candidate, and if he has a spine. Not a Democrat. That party is gone.
I guess we'll have to keep trying to add to the majority so that it's like double the amount. To offset the spineless ones.

 

[Turtle]

It took the MSM to discover this, probably when looking for hotel rooms to see it, only to find out there are no hotel rooms available, as they have all been booked for more than a year, but the best places to view the total eclipse on August 21 are places where people voted overwhelming for Trump. And isn't that funny.

 

[ATeam]

Nobody cares, because it's not important. It certainly doesn't rise to the level of colluding with Russia and/or being a Putin puppet. The people who elected Trump were fully aware that he had businesses, and they didn't care. The only people who care are the ones who want him out of office.

I care. At the very least it presents an appearance of impropriety that public officials should avoid. At worst, it may stand a full-blown conflict of interest that opens the door to an abuse of the power and office the American people vested in Trump, to serve them, not to serve himself.

Regarding the people who voted to elect Trump, more voted for Hillary. They too were aware of Trumps business interests and they voted against him, for that very reason, in many cases.

The people who have filed law suits about Trump's conflicts of interest also care. We'll hear more about these as they work their way through the system. I'm looking forward to seeing the legal points argued in court and to seeing how this will shake out once properly adjudicated.

 

[ATeam]

Not a Democrat. That party is gone.

It seems so. And worse for them still, they seem to be unable to draft a meaningful message or connect with a majority block in a meaningful way. They stand in opposition to one of the most polarizing and agitating presidents in history and they stand like a deer in the headlights. The street-level activism you see is not coming from the Democratic Party. It's spontaneous from the grass roots. With that much political energy in the air, the Democratic establishment cannot connect.

The Republican establishment has the same problem, which is how Trump got elected.

This inability of the establishment to connect with the majority is a serious problem for the future of our country and the democracy we hold dear. It encourages polarization, undermines civility and drives good people apart.

 

[Turtle]

I care.

Oh, I know.

At the very least it presents an appearance of impropriety that public officials should avoid.

Most public officials, probably. The president, not necessarily. There's a reason the president and vice-president are explicitly exempted from federal conflict of interest laws.

At worst, it may stand a full-blown conflict of interest that opens the door to an abuse of the power and office the American people vested in Trump, to serve them, not to serve himself.

And as soon as the American people see him beginning to abuse his power to serve himself instead of the American people, such as he begins doing things with his businesses that are not business as usual, even his base will let him know he's crossing a line.

Regarding the people who voted to elect Trump, more voted for Hillary. They too were aware of Trumps business interests and they voted against him, for that very reason, in many cases.

It's really time to let that whole "But Hillary won the popular vote!" thing go. I mean, more people have watched Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" video than there are people in India and China combined, and both of those things have exactly the same relevance to the Electoral College. As for why people voted against Trump and for Hillary, Trump owning businesses didn't even make the Top 10. First on the list is "He's Not Hillary."

People who didn't vote for Trump did so because Trump is a misogynist, a bigot, a racist, a clown, antisemetic, a White Nationalist, called all women (Rosie) a fat pig, called all other women (Hillary) nasty, made fun of a handicapped reporter, is a serial kitten grabber, colluded with Russia, is a Putin puppet, discussed Megyn Kelly's menstrual cycle in mixed company, is anti immigrant, and is far too orange for most.

The people who have filed law suits about Trump's conflicts of interest also care.

Buttburt liberal social justice warriors, all. They don't really care about any conflicts of interest, all they care about is getting him out of office.

 

[ATeam]

It's really time to let that whole "But Hillary won the popular vote!" thing go.

No it's not. It is a clear fact that Hillary got more popular votes than Donald did and facts matter. It is also a clear fact that Trump won the electoral college vote and that is why he is in the White House and not Hillary.

I am not one of those who say Trump is not my president. The system is what it is. It functioned as it did. And the person who won under that system is our president.

 

[ATeam]

I came across an interesting question this morning that opened new thoughts for me in political debate. It's a fill-in-the-blank question which can be used for anything that comes to mind. I filled in the blank with "Donald Trump." When I did, new possibilities emerged in my political thinking. I invite you to experiment with this question. Entertain it for a few minutes and see what happens. The question is:

How would it help me if I was wrong about ______________?

 

[OntarioVanMan]

well If Congress doesn't get cracking on tax reform this so called economy bubble will burst...talk about fake news

traditionally over 1/2 million jobs are created every spring going into construction season...no matter whos President
By the numbers Ford hasn't really created job....they've done a shuffle a spin lets say for good press...they are investing in America to moderize thier lines with the goal to minimize human interaction...Humans are a liablity
Sure Ford is still here....looks good...But robotics will always win the day...
Stock market by some brokers is way over valued Like the Internet bubble when ring ding donuts were worth 5 billions dollars...
no less then 22 major retailers combined are closing multiple stores...approx 50-60,000's workers will be displaced...

Car sales are down and still dropping...looking at fall shutdowns to balance inventories...

 

[Turtle]

No it's not. It is a clear fact that Hillary got more popular votes than Donald did and facts matter.

Yes it is. So there. The fact of winning the popular vote and losing the Electoral College only matters in Trivial Pursuit. If the national popular vote had been a relevant metric in determining the presidency, both Trump and Clinton would have desgined their campaign plans of attack very differently. Hillary's relatively narrow pupular vote plurality, which was well short of a majority, signifies nothing of real value (except, again, as a piece of electoral trivia). While Clinton received about 2.9 million more votes nationwide, a margin of 2.1%, Trump won 30 states worth a total of 306 electors, or 57% of the 538 available.

The whole point behind our Electoral College framework is that it requires a successful presidential ticket to appeal to non-monolithic and non-regional blocs of voters residing all across the country, so that Democrats can't simply run up the score in giant liberal states like California, New York and Illinois and take a nap, or Republicans can't dominate Texas and the South and be done with it. To that end, Trump won 84% of all US counties. Hillary's wins were overwhelmingly limited to large urban, left-leaning populations. Trump, on the other hand, won a supermajority of states and an overwhelming majority of counties, from coast to coast. Those are the facts, and using those facts it's not very hard to argue that this makes him more representative of the country as a whole, compared to Hillary.

And everyone who voted for Trump in those 82% of the US counties did so knowing full well that he had many businesses, and as long as he didn't genuinely turn the Executive Office into a kleptocracy, and his businesses continued to run as usual with no clear changes to take advantage of his position, they were fine with it. On the other hand, if he pulls a Hillary and does the whole pay-for-play thing, his own base will drown him right there in the deepest part of the swamp.