Why Is the Republican Base Upset?

 

I think there are many reasons why the Republican base is upset, and it is correct to be upset. I am not a Donald Trump supporter, and I am not sure at this point whether Mr. Trump will continue his candidacy until there is a nominee for the presidency or will discontinue his campaign before that. Donald Trump himself may not be sure what he will do at this point. However, any Republican politician who does not understand why Trump appeals to some voters in their constituency will regret it in the results of the 2016 elections.

I think I understand why The Donald appeals to many in the Republican base, but I’m not sure what to do about it in order to keep Hillary Clinton from being elected. Certainly, criticizing your base or potential voters is not a winning strategy for Trump’s opponents when those voters have reached a tipping point. Individual voters may have different tipping points, but without ranking them in importance here are my candidates for why people are saying “we have had enough.” Which significant ones have I overlooked?

–  Immigration. The massive influx of illegal children immigrants into the US in 2014 and 2015, their social and medical impact and the drain on local resources, the illegal executive orders of President Obama, and the killing of Kate Steinle in the sanctuary city of San Francisco and the social and financial cost of the crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

–  Elite political class. The creation in a classless America of a political elite who disdain the half of the country that they never come in contact with and are totally unfamiliar with the lives these non-elites lead, but insist on making policy for them in order “to improve their lives.”

–  Increased bureaucracy. Elected legislators transfer their accountability by crafting legislation that grows the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy then imposes rules and regulations on citizens who do not have recourse through the ballot box to reject these oppressive and unnecessary measures, and the bureaucrats cannot be disciplined or fired.

–  Republicans don’t seem to fight back. Obama’s daily, unearned, denigration of Republicans and the media’s amplification of his criticisms have emasculated Republican Congressional members and affected the Republican base. Obama’s politics — based on race and Saul Alinsky — have convinced those Republicans who want to govern responsibly that they cannot do so without a Republican president.

–  An extremely politicized Department of Justice. Eric Holder may be gone, but his legacy lingers on in a department that has removed the blindfold from Lady Justice and substituted an obsession with “justice for all” with an obsession for “justice only for those minorities deemed important.” Loretta Lynch, like Holder, is simply another affirmative action appointee who is a racial activist and who should have been rejected by a Republican Senate.

–  The “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (or Acela) Effect. Some in the base don’t understand that the battles described in this Jimmy Stewart movie about an idealistic small town senator who goes to Washington and tries to pass necessary legislation has been happening since the creation of the United States as a country. You may not like it, but it is reality. Politics is not ping pong.  George Washington, de Tocqueville and many others have warned against the loss of citizen governance.

–  The recent gay marriage and Obamacare Supreme Court decisions. The majority opinions that were written have little legal reasoning, and in the case of gay marriage, raise significant religious liberty issues. It is not clear how we can successfully defend those religious liberty issues.

–  The refusal to acknowledge and address radical Islam and push back against Russia and China. The administration’s strategy of retreating from the world stage and failing to create a viable strategy to destroy ISIS and its related groups has emboldened radical Islam and resulted in almost two dozen attacks within the US in the last three years. The president’s foreign policy has resulted in complete chaos in the Middle East.

–  Crony capitalism. Why hasn’t the Republican Party agreed to reject this like they did earmarks? Who believes that the Export-Import Bank has any positive effect on American trade or its economy?

–  The Obama economy.  From a one-trillion dollar stimulus to 99-week unemployment insurance, every policy implemented by this administration has resulted in an economy that is merely limping along, and is not creating the jobs and income growth that America needs and deserves.

–  The presidential election loss in 2012. A good, talented man ran a terrible campaign against a candidate who should have been beaten based on the record of his first term. Blame the press, blame the consultants, but the candidate is ultimately responsible. Only Bob Dole’s campaign in 1996 comes close to this one for ineptness.

–  A lawless executive.  President Obama is a lawless president who has repeatedly violated the Constitution and significantly reduced the capability of America to defend herself and protect its citizens. No previous president has shown such a disdain for this country, its history, its accomplishments, and its positive impact on the world. There is no precedent for dealing with a president who so brazenly disregards the Constitution. The only recourse for this behavior is impeachment, but because of the president’s race, this option cannot be implemented.

–  Obamacare has not been repealed. Such a bill could have been passed in the House and did many times, but it needs 60 votes in the Senate to reach the floor for an up or down vote. I don’t think any Democrat in the Senate would vote to allow such a vote. Obamacare is a wealth redistribution system that has not improved American health care or lowered its costs.

–  The continual emphasis by the president and members of his administration on global warming as our highest priority. It is given a high priority with no justification, and billions are poured into renewable energy projects which produce no renewable energy and simply enrich many of his supporters. Obama’s refusal to approve the Keystone pipeline and his refusal to issue permits to drill on federal land has denied thousands of Americans high-paying jobs.

–  Fiscal irresponsibility. The Republican Congress has allowed President Obama’s profligacy to continue without putting a stop to it. I’m not sure how much fiscal authority Congressional Republicans really had until the 2014 elections that returned the Senate to Republican control. There have been no federal budgets approved since Obama’s first election. Republicans have their first chance at the 2016 budget. Congressional Republicans have not had the power to pass appropriations based on a budget to severely restrict Obama, but discretionary spending has decreased.

–  We don’t like the sausage. We understand that making sausage (legislating) can be off-putting, and that sometimes disdainful compromises need to be reached for a greater good.  Given that, the sausage coming out of the factory still has to taste good. We don’t like the taste of the sausage coming out of the factory since the 2014 elections.

I am sure there are more reasons why the base is upset than the ones I have enumerated. Which important ones didn’t I list?  When the senators and representatives come home in August for their “outreach” in town halls and other venues, let them know what you think and why you are upset. We know that many legislators may be missing a spine, but as a group they are very good weather vanes. Influence them in these meetings and they will respond. The reaction the Tea Party caused in 2010 is testament to that.

The Republican base has many reasons for dissatisfaction, and the Republican candidates for president and other federal offices need to address this dissatisfaction. The voters in each state’s Republican primary will decide the fate of Donald Trump. Please don’t let your disappointment, frustration, and a feeling of “what planet do the people who govern this country live on?” prevent you from working very hard to prevent Hillary Clinton from becoming the next president. Four or eight more years of governance by the Democrat left is too depressing to contemplate and may be fatal to this experiment in republican governance.

Published in Elections, General
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  1. Mr. Dart Inactive
    Mr. Dart
    @MrDart

    The way that Thad Cochran retained his Senate seat is a great example of why I don’t trust Ruling Class Republicans.

    That doesn’t mean I would ever vote for Trump, however. (No matter what I might tell a pollster just to induce heartburn in certain DC salons.)

    But by the SC Primary in early 2016 the Republicans better have a better argument than just voting against HillaryBernieBidenWarren.

    • #31
  2. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    Mr. Dart: The way that Thad Cochran retained his Senate seat is a great example of why I don’t trust Ruling Class Republicans.

    Oh yes, “Never Forget Mississippi 2014” should be the starting point of any discussion about disgruntled republicans…in “the base” or otherwise.

    • #32
  3. Al Kennedy Inactive
    Al Kennedy
    @AlKennedy

    Carey J.:

    Al Kennedy:

    Kay of MT:I received an interesting email from a cousin, by

    http://www.rootforamerica.com/webroot/blog/2015/07/07/why-obama-and-hillary-must-stop-donald-trump-at-all-costs/

    Kay, thanks very much for the link. I read the article and he just didn’t convince me to support Donald Trump. The fact that Trump has many influential enemies does not necessary make him the best Republican candidate to be the next president of the United States.

    Perhaps not, but a man’s enemies are often a better indication of his character than his allies are. The US allied with Stalin to defeat Hitler.

    Casey, please elucidate.  I understand how one’s allies may not reflect one’s geopolitical  convictions, but how does this relate to one’s character?  I’m not convinced that America’s alliance with Stalin indicated America’s character.

    • #33
  4. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Al Kennedy:

    The Reticulator:

    Z in MT: You mistake me. I would never vote of Donald Trump. His stance on the Kelo decision disqualifies him for me. However, I support him remaining in the primary campaign for at least a while longer, if only to drive the other candidates (and the GOP in general) in the correct direction on certain issues (illegal immigration) – and more importantly to teach all these spineless Republicans how to run a real media and PR campaign.

    That’s a dangerous game. Unfortunately, things have gotten to a point where we can’t get by without courting danger.

    Reticulator, specifically what is the danger we are courting?

    Specifically?  I don’t know.  But pretending to want something that you don’t really want doesn’t always end well.  Sometimes you end up with what you pretended you wanted.  Generally it’s best to play things straight.  Work for the issues and candidates you want, and don’t assume it’ll work well to pick up the pieces when others fail (be it ObamaCare, or Islamists fighting Islamists).  Maybe somebody else will pick up the pieces that you thought would be yours.

    • #34
  5. Carey J. Inactive
    Carey J.
    @CareyJ

    Al Kennedy:

    Carey J.:

    Al Kennedy:

    Kay of MT:I received an interesting email from a cousin, by

    http://www.rootforamerica.com/webroot/blog/2015/07/07/why-obama-and-hillary-must-stop-donald-trump-at-all-costs/

    Kay, thanks very much for the link. I read the article and he just didn’t convince me to support Donald Trump. The fact that Trump has many influential enemies does not necessary make him the best Republican candidate to be the next president of the United States.

    Perhaps not, but a man’s enemies are often a better indication of his character than his allies are. The US allied with Stalin to defeat Hitler.

    Casey, please elucidate. I understand how one’s allies may not reflect one’s geopolitical convictions, but how does this relate to one’s character? I’m not convinced that America’s alliance with Stalin indicated America’s character.

    Which was my point. America’s enemy, Hitler, said more about America’s character than it’s alliance with Stalin did. It said that we believed Hitler was so vile that even an alliance with Stalin was justified to destroy him. The atomic bomb was developed with the intent of using it on Germany. While waiting for the atomic bomb to be developed, we did firebomb Dresden.

    Your enemies, and what you are willing to do to defeat them, often say more about you than your friends do.

    • #35
  6. Al Kennedy Inactive
    Al Kennedy
    @AlKennedy

    Mr. Dart:The way that Thad Cochran retained his Senate seat is a great example of why I don’t trust Ruling Class Republicans.

    That doesn’t mean I would ever vote for Trump, however. (No matter what I might tell a pollster just to induce heartburn in certain DC salons.)

    But by the SC Primary in early 2016 the Republicans better have a better argument than just voting against HillaryBernieBidenWarren.

    Mr. Dart, I could be wrong, but I think that Cochran was simply a Mississippi only event.  Thad Cochran was past his sell date.  Haley Barbour’s son wanted to reinforce his family’s dominance in Mississippi politics, and Cochran’s opponent had many defects as a candidate.  Who are the “Ruling Class Republicans in Mississippi who you do not trust?

    • #36
  7. Carey J. Inactive
    Carey J.
    @CareyJ

    If Obi-Wan Kenobi had ever been to Washington D.C., this is what he would have said about it.

    • #37
  8. Nick Stuart Inactive
    Nick Stuart
    @NickStuart

    Mr. Dart:The way that Thad Cochran retained his Senate seat is a great example of why I don’t trust Ruling Class Republicans.

    Excellent reminder, thanks for bringing that back to mind. I have a little mind game where I make up nicknames for politicians. Whenever I see “Thad Cochran” I think “That Cockroach.”

    But by the SC Primary in early 2016 the Republicans better have a better argument than just voting against HillaryBernieBidenWarren.

    Mark it down, you read it here (maybe) first. The basic Republican theme in 2016 will be “Vote For Us, We’re Not As Stinky As The Other Guys.” And they won’t get around to rolling it out until after Labor Day, 2016.

    • #38
  9. Freesmith Member
    Freesmith
    @

    An interesting list for why people are saying, “We’ve had enough,” but one which doesn’t contain either the disastrous Iraq War or the Financial Crisis of 2008, with its destruction of untold billions of middle class earnings and its resulting bailouts to the financial industry.

    Maybe one more: The fact that for 40 years we’ve been lied to, day-in and day-out.

    • #39
  10. Carey J. Inactive
    Carey J.
    @CareyJ

    Al Kennedy:

    Mr. Dart:The way that Thad Cochran retained his Senate seat is a great example of why I don’t trust Ruling Class Republicans.

    That doesn’t mean I would ever vote for Trump, however. (No matter what I might tell a pollster just to induce heartburn in certain DC salons.)

    But by the SC Primary in early 2016 the Republicans better have a better argument than just voting against HillaryBernieBidenWarren.

    Mr. Dart, I could be wrong, but I think that Cochran was simply a Mississippi only event. Thad Cochran was past his sell date. Haley Barbour’s son wanted to reinforce his family’s dominance in Mississippi politics, and Cochran’s opponent had many defects as a candidate. Who are the “Ruling Class Republicans in Mississippi who you do not trust?

    Al, Cockroach Cochran’s runoff campaign is merely a particularly egregious example of the attitude that the GOP establishment views the Tea Party as a threat to their cozy little “arrangements”. They’d rather lose to the Democrats, who are a part of the system and know “the rules” of the game, than lose to the Tea Party, who would mess up their cozy little deals.

    • #40
  11. BastiatJunior Member
    BastiatJunior
    @BastiatJunior

    In 2002 conservatives finally got what they had dreaming about for decades.  A Republican Congress, a Republican White House and an occasionally conservative Supreme Court.  Finally!!  Now we can begin the slow dismantling of the Leviathan.

    Some of us expected that the pace of dismantling would be slow, even too slow, with many reversals and disappointments.  But we thought the dismantling would begin.  We were the optimists.

    Others thought that the government would still grow, though more slowly than under the Democrats.  They were optimists, too.

    As we all know, what actually happened was the biggest expansion of the federal government since the Great Society.  And there was a substantial dollar devaluation that helped tank the economy.

    Sometimes, the “base” asks for too much.  Not this time.  The base’s frustration with the establishment is entirely reasonable.

    • #41
  12. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    Al Kennedy: I think that Cochran was simply a Mississippi only event.  … and Cochran’s opponent had many defects as a candidate.

    Yes, that is exactly how Mr. McConnell and Mr. Priebus would want everyone to remember it.

    • #42
  13. Nick Stuart Inactive
    Nick Stuart
    @NickStuart

    Freesmith:An interesting list for why people are saying, “We’ve had enough,” but one which doesn’t contain either the disastrous Iraq War

    Disagree. I’m one of the “old school” guys who back in the 80s saw the gassing of the Kurds and said “One of these days we’re going to have to put paid to Saddam Hussein” Bush I should have done it  in the first Gulf War. There were over a dozen justifications for the 2nd Gulf War (and the one everyone focused on, WMD, turns out Saddam Hussein DID have them after all). No question it turned out to be a cluster-up of epic proportion until the surge. A pacified Iraq was handed over to Obama, who threw it away.

    or the Financial Crisis of 2008, with its destruction of untold billions of middle class earnings and its resulting bailouts to the financial industry.

    Can’t argue with you there.

    Maybe one more: The fact that for 40 years we’ve been lied to, day-in and day-out.

    Yep.

    • #43
  14. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    philo:

    Al Kennedy: I think that Cochran was simply a Mississippi only event. … and Cochran’s opponent had many defects as a candidate.

    Yes, that is exactly how Mr. McConnell and Mr. Priebus would want everyone to remember it.

    More…

    It appears one of the candidates put his wife in a nursing home and then “hired” his (apparently already wealthy) girlfriend as his Senate Executive Assistant (i.e. a paycheck and free travel with her main squeeze at our expense?) and rented a probably non-existent basement apartment from the same girlfriend (a rent check at our expense?).  That candidate was not Thad Cochran’s opponent…but it would be just fine for some already mentioned establishment-types if “we” just remembered that Thad Cochran’s opponent “had many defects as a candidate.”

    Here is one link (but I sure none of this is too hard to find): http://www.redstate.com/2014/05/22/thad-cochran-unfaithful-husband-untrustworthy-politician/

    Also, you probably won’t find many non-Mississippi fingerprints on the run-off…but if you really expect to then nothing I say is going to make a difference.

    • #44
  15. user_385039 Inactive
    user_385039
    @donaldtodd

    A segment of Republicanism sees someone (Trump) as standing up and being counted while watching the Republican House and Senate leadership being pilloried for lying to their respective caucuses and covering the well-to-do while seemingly selling out the average voter.  (I don’t know if the Treasury gets any interest money from running the Export/Import Bank and guaranteeing the business enacted by the big corporations.  That might be an interesting fact or factoid to know.)

    Anyone who peruses Trump’s politics and positions will find someone who hasn’t been very Republican and is not at all a conservative riding the wave of a single issue to new heights.

    If we of the conservative persuasion are going to be impressed, it should be with someone who actually does something more than running off at the mouth.  Owning, buying, and selling real estate is a good thing but no real indicator of executive competence.

    • #45
  16. Mr. Dart Inactive
    Mr. Dart
    @MrDart

    Al Kennedy:

    Mr. Dart:The way that Thad Cochran retained his Senate seat is a great example of why I don’t trust Ruling Class Republicans.

    Mr. Dart, I could be wrong, but I think that Cochran was simply a Mississippi only event. Thad Cochran was past his sell date. Haley Barbour’s son wanted to reinforce his family’s dominance in Mississippi politics, and Cochran’s opponent had many defects as a candidate. Who are the “Ruling Class Republicans in Mississippi who you do not trust?

    Al, I’m using Ruling Class in the sense that Angelo Codevilla defined it in his 2010 book: The Ruling Class: How They Corrupted America and What We Can Do About It.   The Barbour family surely fits snugly into the Codevilla definition.

    The idea that Chris McDaniel, who garnered more votes than Cochran in the Republican primary, had “defects” is interesting.  More “defects” than Thad Cochran or fewer?

    I don’t think the Ruling Class Republicans were concerned about McDaniels’ supposed “defects” by the way.  Chris would have easily kept the seat in the Republican column in the general election.  About what do you imagine Haley Barbour and friends were so worried?

    • #46
  17. Steve C. Member
    Steve C.
    @user_531302

    If I were a mucky muck in a political party where the dialogue was being dominated by an insurgent, my first order of business would be to find out why the dogs were eating THAT dog food. I might even seek counsel from Don Draper. Granted, Don hasn’t worked a Republican campaign since Nixon, he’s still one of the brightest minds in the business. Just ask the folks at Coke.

    Don would tell the Republican Party to quit making promises its leaders know they can’t keep. Don would say, “over promise and under deliver much?”, at some point the voters lose faith. Don would tell the party that the insurgent has provided them with a road map for 2016. That now is the time to craft a platform that appeals to the party. Most importantly the party’s leaders need to let their backers know that this is the election where the pandering has to be directed at the voters who are disaffected. You can win an election without money. You can’t win an election without votes.

    • #47
  18. user_477123 Inactive
    user_477123
    @Wolverine

    I think one of Trump’s appeals, which is similar to Gingrich, is that he is strong, self-confident, and not afraid of the press or what the press thinks of him. Look at how quickly Republicans caved on the Confederate flag down South. Some racist nut job kills a bunch of black parishioners, and within a week Nikki Haley is taking the Confederate flag down. Believe me, I know there are arguments for taking it down, but the flag means different things to different people. What astounded me was how quickly she caved in the reddest of states due to media pressure.

    • #48
  19. Freesmith Member
    Freesmith
    @

    I’ll give you another reason why the Republican base is upset in addition to the three I added above (the Iraq War, the Financial Crisis and being misled for 40 years):

    We’re upset because not a single responsible, experienced conservative politician has stood up for our values and condemned the assumptions, policies and motives of the left since Reagan.

    We’re upset because doing so was so obviously the right thing to do that even a media clown like Donald Trump, whom no one commenting on this thread seriously considered a candidate for President six flipping months ago, realized the electoral potential of making that case.

    While our pansy, pandering politicians have surrendered California and have allowed our country to be fundamentally transformed through massive legal immigration, the Republican base which elected Nixon and Reagan has continued to pray for somebody – anybody – to take up our cause.

    That’s why we cheered Pat Buchanan at the 1992 Convention. That’s why we screamed with pride for Sarah Palin at the 2008 Convention (and rabidly supported her for years). And that’s why we shook our fists at the press gallery when Newt Gingrich talked back to the Democratic-operatives-with-bylines in 2012.

    You want to know why we’re upset? Because our best lack all conviction. Because good men are scared and do nothing.

    We’re upset because we are besieged and our leaders are already conniving to open the gates to our enemies.

    That’s why.

    • #49
  20. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    donald todd:A segment of Republicanism sees someone (Trump) as standing up and being counted while watching the Republican House and Senate leadership being pilloried for lying to their respective caucuses and covering the well-to-do while seemingly selling out the average voter. (I don’t know if the Treasury gets any interest money from running the Export/Import Bank and guaranteeing the business enacted by the big corporations. That might be an interesting fact or factoid to know.)

    Anyone who peruses Trump’s politics and positions will find someone who hasn’t been very Republican and is not at all a conservative riding the wave of a single issue to new heights.

    If we of the conservative persuasion are going to be impressed, it should be with someone who actually does something more than running off at the mouth. Owning, buying, and selling real estate is a good thing but no real indicator of executive competence.

    Good points, but it prompts me to this:

    We don’t think it should be that difficult. People who have to put in a days work in this modern business environment have to produce. And we all have to produce regardless of pay grade. Part of being productive and managing outcomes is to articulate your goal clearly. Just because you don’t have some elaborate blueprint doesn’t mean you can’t start with a stated goal. Our politicians are full of platitudes and excuses. That doesn’t fly in our world.

    • #50
  21. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Mr. Dart: I don’t think the Ruling Class Republicans were concerned about McDaniels’ supposed “defects” by the way.  Chris would have easily kept the seat in the Republican column in the general election.  About what do you imagine Haley Barbour and friends were so worried?

    I’m not forgetting Mississippi either.

    Open and shut case of cronyism coming from the entrenched parasites on taxpayers.

    They have no alliances to any cause , just feeding at the government teat.

    • #51
  22. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    McCain 2008.

    That was unforgivable. The establishment lined up behind this psychologically troubled blowhard with a history of promoting himself at the expense of his more conservative party members. They went for his “war hero” resume, they thought he would be treated fairly by the media because he was a “maverick” (self-loathing Republican much?)

    He WANTED to have socialist (but war hawk) Joe Lieberman as his running mate, but decided at some point that wouldn’t work well.

    The more I remember this election, like a whodunit story, I see all the clues that I missed in real time.

    I knew he would lose the moment he was nominated.

    Now I wonder if McCain has some kind of self-sabotoge psychological problem.  And he spreads the sabotage around.

    I didn’t vote in 2008.

    But back to dunderheaded campaigns… he suspended his campaign!

    A man who jokes about a young ladies appearance (the chelsea clinton joke) …makes me kinda sick. The bomb, bomb bomb, Iran” clip was devastating. Those who call themselves “public servants” need to serve us by avoiding embarrassing displays.

    McCain lost the election because he had no core belief system that he could articulate or cared to articulate. The man isn’t especially bright. I believe he is as flawed as Trump on the ego-meter. But Trump gets the nod here since he is working in a much more demanding field. Commerce. Government is not a very demanding field by comparison.

    • #52
  23. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Promoting a Marxist cult holiday as a reach out?

    WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus and RNC Co-Chairman Sharon Day released the following statement commemorating Kwanzaa: “I want to extend my best wishes to all who are celebrating Kwanzaa,” said Chairman Priebus. “For families coming together to mark the occasion, I hope it is a joyous time of celebration with loved ones–and a time of meaningful reflection ahead of the New Year.” “From December 26 through January 1, many families will take time to celebrate African culture and history. Kwanzaa is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to honor the importance of family and community, and it reminds us of the great diversity in America. Happy Kwanzaa!” said Co-Chairman Day.

    Great job Reince! Maybe someday they might, you know, vote for us. But I would rather we get real about the differences between collectivist top-down Mommy and Daddy State – and  American concept of individual freedom.  It would be really nice if you guys didn’t sell that idea down the river. We think that would actually help people understand what the argument/debate is about.

    But they do it endlessly.

    • #53
  24. Ricochet Inactive
    Ricochet
    @JohnPaul

    The Senate voted to re-authorize Ex-Im. Crony capitalism/corporatism reigns in the Senate.

    • #54
  25. Douglas Inactive
    Douglas
    @Douglas

    Al Kennedy:Gunforhire, I think they forget who they work for. They work for us.

    But they don’t work for us. That should be bloody obvious by now. They work for Boeing, Goldman Sachs, and the federal bureaucracy. They need us, but that’s different than working for us. And it’s our fault for not walking away from them come election time. As long as they know “But who else will you vote for?” works, they’ll never change.

    • #55
  26. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Douglas:

    Al Kennedy:Gunforhire, I think they forget who they work for. They work for us.

    But they don’t work for us. That should be bloody obvious by now. They work for Boeing, Goldman Sachs, and the federal bureaucracy. They need us, but that’s different than working for us. And it’s our fault for not walking away from them come election time. As long as they know “But who else will you vote for?” works, they’ll never change.

    They keep with this boogeyman tactic and it’s not working as well anymore. But they still believe it does. So the mantra is Hillary! Scary. Yes she scares me but JEB! scares me too and this incestuous election is equally absurd. A Trump reality-show candidacy os in a strange way more honest.

    • #56
  27. Howellis Inactive
    Howellis
    @ManWiththeAxe

    I can agree, or at least understand, virtually all of the complaints leveled at the Republican establishment. Most of the vitriol was fairly earned over the many years of failing to live up to conservative precepts and failing to deliver on a multitude of promises.

    But Donald Trump?

    Here’s a thought experiment: Mitt Romney wins in 2012. Today we are celebrating that his treaty with Iran, constitutionally ratified by 2/3 of the senate, compels them to destroy all their centrifuges and dispose of all enriched uranium, in exchange for which we don’t invade their homeland with the standing army we still have in Iraq. We are still wondering if the replacement for Obamacare will work as promised. We are complaining that Romney promised to reduce the national debt but instead he added $1 trillion to it (instead of Obama’s $3 trillion since 2013). The fence along the southern border is 2/3 completed, and most of the 11 million illegals have self-deported anyway. The OPM has the world’s most sophisticated anti-hacking defenses. Crimea is still a Ukrainian province. And talk show hosts are able to insult the president instead of grovel at his feet.

    Nah. Would have been better to refuse to vote because Romney was a flawed candidate, and hand the election to Obama.

    In the same way it’s better to support the jackass Donald Trump and throw the election to Hillary Clinton. We’ll show those establishment Republican bastards.

    • #57
  28. Retail Lawyer Member
    Retail Lawyer
    @RetailLawyer

    More reasons “we have had enough”:

    General disparagement of business and profit motive.

    Breathtaking Federal incompetence.

    Corrupted Federal civil service.

    Trivialization and politicization of higher education.

    Frightening foreign policy.

    Deteriorating racial comity.

    • #58
  29. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    John Paul: John Paul The Senate voted to re-authorize Ex-Im. Crony capitalism/corporatism reigns in the Senate.

    Part of the Republicans’ seek-and-destroy mission.  Seek out any reasons people would have to vote Republican. Destroy them all.

    • #59
  30. Ricochet Member
    Ricochet
    @carcat74

    Here’s another:  Putting the welfare of fish, turtles, prairie chickens, etc., ahead of the lives, jobs, and homes of American ranchers, farmers, and citizens.

    Giving Social Security, food stamps, health care, housing, education, and jobs to those who did NOTHING to EARN it, except enter our country by breaking the law.  Especially SS, which is supposed to paid into by the worker during his lifetime (I hope I have that right.), against the time the worker retires, and receives monthly payments.  Why do illegal invaders get money WE paid in?

    • #60
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