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Why We Need Trump
I voted for Ted Cruz in the Indiana primary in 2016. He lost because he could not break through the media bubble and Trump used free media to reach voters with a simple message. Border security, protectionism, and no foreign wars were the messages that won him the race.
I had trouble voting for Trump and had to get away from politics for a time be able to make that decision. In the end, it came down to Donald Trump’s pro-life position that made me see that 16 years of Democratic presidential control would set back the cause dramatically. Trump opponents are either pro-choice or don’t understand that a left Supreme Court is incredibly damaging. Handing power to the corrupt Hillary Clinton either through voting for her or not stopping her was a mistake.
In retrospect, Ted Cruz or any other Republican could not have won. Every other Republican would have been labeled crazy on social issues and never would have been able to break through with an economic message that flipped the Midwest to red. Donald Trump was rarely ever asked about social issues and that allowed him to break through with rural voters.
Since Trump has been elected he has dealt with more negative coverage than any previous president. In order to keep Hillary voters outraged the Obama administration created a phony Russia collusion story. I don’t know how long this fantasy can go on, but it seems to be the driving force behind Trump’s low approval ratings.
Trump has been great on regulatory issues and I believe that has helped produced 3 percent economic growth in two quarters this year for the first time in a decade. With tax reform on the way and relative peace abroad, Donald Trump has been very successful. More Supreme Court picks could change things for the better.
When it comes to Donald Trump and his character I see good and bad traits. His loose grasp of facts can be a problem. The lack of discipline is also a trait can undermine his communications strategy. On the other side of the ledger, he has kept his political commitments and exceeded any hopes for conservative reform. This suggests he is sincere when he makes promises.
Since we are in this as citizens together, let’s get past not accepting Trump as president. Be happy things are going great.
Published in Politics
I was a kid for the Ford/Carter rumble, but I think that was largely due to the Nixon pardon. George H.W. was 100% to do with Ross Perot.
On Carter, that one might ring more true, I think Kennedy really did hurt him quite a bit. But the Iranian hostage thing also wounded him deeply.
Let the record reflect that on November 8, 2017 I did not go outside and scream at the sky in anger.
(Of note, on Election Day 2000, I did go outside and scream “Yes” after the networks took Florida from Gore.)
Those were also factors.
Let me know if I’m misunderstanding here, but it sounds like you’re agreeing with me that you’re more concerned about the party’s future than that of the nation. Could you clarify?
Taking the long view, a two-term Trump would be out of office by the end of that Democratic president’s 4-year term, anyway. For good or ill, whatever “Trumpism” may be, it will either be a force that wins elections for the GOP, or a force that stays home, because the GOP turned against its own president.
Also, what will a jilted Trump do, from the sidelines? He’s shown that he can very effectively savage those who’ve betrayed him, via Twitter, or whatever medium is available to him. Could a replacement candidate withstand this? Like it or not, the GOP may be hostage to Trump, until old age finally takes its course. [Edit: Or until Kathy Griffin gets to him.]
Primary challenges aside, it seems obvious the wisest course for anti-Trumpers would be to use Trump’s appeal to the voters to push through as many legislative goals as possible. That would help both the country, and the party. It’s a pity that’s not happening.
Moderator Note:
Primarily, off-topic.Gary Robbins:
“But I would frankly give the credit to Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell who have sent those policies to Trump.”
Well gag me with a spoon Gary! You’ve really gone and done it now!
Such an incredible misrepresentation of the truth is why [redacted] like you Gary, are getting such a bad name. Ryan and McConnell are Deep State toadies through and through , who have consistently dragged their collective feet in the fight to cut back the overwhelming burden of the unconstitutional, and incredibly destructive regulation that is killing our economy. For example, when the fight to overturn Obamacare began this term, what did Paul Ryan do? He ran right away to the Big Pharma and Health Insurance lobbyists to write the bill and would not listen to nearly anyone else. He could give a damn about the effect on the economy and the people of the United States. Both he and McConnell, and their large cadre of bought and paid for allies in Congress are thoroughly in the pockets of our crony capitalist Corporate sector and do their bidding before anything else. None of those people want our destructive regulatory policies to go away.
[Redacted.]
Moderator Note:
False accusation redacted.thats not the way I remember it. Everybody was shocked when LBJ said he wouldn’t run again.
Again–Reagan weakened Ford? You must be kidding. No Republican coulda won in 1976–because of Nixon and Watergate.
You think that’s why Carter was a one-term president? Not stagflation? The “malaise” speech (and vibe!) ?the Iran hostage crisis and failed attempt at rescue? His sanctimonious attitude about the spurious “oil crisis”? O GOD , by 1980 people could not wait to see the back of the peanut prez.
Now if you’d said Perot, I’d have to agree…but Buchanan? I don’t remember anyone taking him seriously. He never got any farther than–say, who was the third candidate on stage for the first couple Dem debates last election?
Hahahahaha! The idea that Trump could be “beatened” whatever that means, or weakened by Sasse, Flake, Corker or –oh stop!!!–Kasich…..a laffriot! Hello, they all had their chances. And blew’ em.
[Redacted.]
Being beatened is like being beaten, but with more covfefe.
Ditto to both Kay and RA .
Not true in my Miami area suburbs.
They are not, and Virginia is hardly a bellwether of all American women, and I find your implication that women in “rural areas” are too unsophisticated to know what they’re doing to be insulting. Maybe you weren’t aware that @kayofmt knew Howard Hughes personally. She’s hardly an unsophisticated rube, sorry to burst your bubble.
Thanks a lot for makin’ me spray coffee on my keyboard @thesockmonkey
It was also due to Chevy Chase on SNL constantly portraying Ford with his foot in a wastebaset, bumping into walls, and falling down steps.
Moderator Note:
There are other ways to disagree peaceably with members.Perhaps you watched the compelling Today show interview of Leigh Corfman on Monday.
When you and others talk about the “Deep State” you lose almost all credibility with me.Detailed and riddled with holes by several posters. Until you counter those arguments, I would suggest that you refrain from references to your demonstrably weak arguments in post #3.
Just asking, are you freaking serious?
Do you honestly think there isn’t a deep state and that they really really don’t like Donald Trump as POTUS?
Moderator Note:
Vulgarity.re: a) How do you figure that Ryan and McConnell deserve credit for deregulations? I thought that Trump was the one who instituted a policy that two regulations must be dropped for every new one (though in reality it has been closer to 10 to 1 than 2 to 1). I’d like to hear your explanation of how Ryan and McConnell accomplished this feat.
re: b) That is something I would agree on. McConnell deserves credit on that score. Plus I don’t fault him too much for the Senate dropping the ball on Obamacare either. That blame goes to the [redacted] called John McCain first and foremost.
Moderator Note:
Accusing another member of being a troll.You lost credibility with us long ago. I retired to MT from spending most of my life in metropolitan cities. I may be old but I am not ignorant nor senile. Most of my family members including distance cousins have a PhD. I could brag about the Judges, Attorneys, Ministers, Rabbis, military officers including a grand daughter, but you who know everything would not be impressed. I guess you have noticed that I rarely respond to you and will not respond again. [redacted]
I disagree- Ted Cruz, who was about the least appealing candidate in the race from a personality standpoint, lost because he was simply wrong about the results of the 2012 race, on top of that unappealing and not very likable persona. We lost in 2012 not because there were millions of conservatives who stayed home, but because hard-right, green-eyeshade, all about spending less money all the time is not where the vast majority of voters are.
And they still are not there. Trump won the reluctant support of most of the center-right as the “not-Hillary”, and appealed to the primal scream crowd, those who think that their views on immigration, media, affirmative action, and foreign aid have been ignored. They are about half right on the merits, and marginal on the presentation, which is OK for one fist-shaking-at-the-sky, but wears out quickly after that.
Moderator Note:
For the sake of all those Ricochet members and readers who are *not* the "somebody" you dropped dark hints about, please refrain from the kind of veiled gossip that merely alludes to "some very disturbing facts about somebody commenting on this thread", even if the allusion is very clear to you and yours. Other readers are not obligated to know who you mean, and on a site where many members cherish some form of anonymity, comments like this sound a bit doxxy.[Redacted.]
I’ll just drop this right here:
VDH on ‘deplorablism’ (and why it’s not just Trumpism).
I’ll do more and post a money quote (not that all of a VDH is not money quotes)
Well said.
I was told between Bush’s moderate tendencies and 4 years of Obama it would shock our country and the Republicans to the right. Then the Tea Party won and immediately were told who really ran Congress. 8 years later I have a country that can’t get government out of healthcare and America’s youth thinking if the smart set run the country, socialism will work.
I tend to think if Trump fails, we don’t see any whiff of conservatism for 20 years. If there’s a wave election there will be programs and expansion we can’t even imagine. Obama was nuanced about weaponizing the government against political opposition, the next person will have a mandate to act in such a way by a base ready for some “get back.”
It’s not like the press is going to have interest in telling you what’s real, happy days are here again.
Folks – Donning my Moderator hat here:
There is a lot of bad blood on this post, including mutual accusations of trollery, bad faith, denials of credibility, and so forth.
Keep it clean.
I believe that I have addressed their arguments. I note that American University professor Allan Lichtman predicted that Trump would win the Presidency. I believe that part of that is the 8 year itch by Americans to switch parties, with the exceptions of how well the economy is doing. I continue to assert that the other posters have not addressed the 8 year itch by voters to throw the bums out.
Moderator Note:
This is the 2nd time you've been noted for obliquely calling others paranoid here.I think that sane people have an antipathy to Trump,
but the talk of the “Deep State” and “The Swamp” strikes me as paranoid imaginations. Sorry.In boxing the referee will take away points. Most refs will take away three points for different fouls and after three fouls the
commenterfighter will be disqualified.The story of regulation reviews is a great example of Congress reasserting itself. The Congressional Review Act (CRA) is a law that was signed by Clinton on March 29, 1996. The law empowers Congress to review, by means of an expedited legislative process, new federal regulations issued by government agencies and, by passage of a joint resolution, to overrule a regulation. Once a rule is thus repealed, the CRA also prohibits the reissuing of the rule in substantially the same form or the issuing of a new rule that is substantially the same “unless the reissued or new rule is specifically authorized by a law enacted after the date of the joint resolution disapproving the original rule” (5 U.S. Code § 801(b)(2)). Congress has a window of time lasting 60 legislative days (i.e., days that Congress is actually in session, rather than simple calendar days) to disapprove of any given rule by simple majority vote; otherwise, the rule will go into effect at the end of this period.
Prior to 2017, the CRA had only been successfully invoked once to overturn a rule in 2001. In January 2017, however, Congress began passing a series of disapproval resolutions to overturn a variety of rules issued under the Obama Administration. Ultimately, fourteen of these resolutions were passed and signed into law; a fifteenth resolution was passed by the House but failed in the Senate. Because of the shortness of legislative sessions during the 114th Congress, the 115th Congress was able to target rules passed by the Obama administration as far back as May 2016.
This is great work by Congress, and Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell deserve our praise for undoing those 14 regulations.
Speaking for myself, my blood was up for sure. But I’ve taken a deep breath and feel much better now, honest!
Thank you for the reminder. I will do my best to adhere to your advice, and I apologize if I have crossed the line.
Respectfully,
Gary Robbins