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What if instead of Trump, we actually required someone who was ethical, truly looking out for the interests of all Americans, rich and poor, no matter their skin color, religion, sexual persuasion or station in life? Someone who was well spoken and respectful instead of a mouth-breather and obsessive tweeter? A true statesman/woman instead of a flip-flopper showman? What if we actually required the sort of person with presidential qualities, leadership qualities rather than valuing how many dollars in their bank account, or in the bank accounts of those who bankroll them?
There are qualities we all hope will be evident in the politicians we elect to represent our interests, and applied, in the White House and Congress. Why instead do we end up with a POTUS like Trump who represents so much of the opposite? Or regardless how we feel about Trump, why can't we do better, far better in general? Even if we give Trump the benefit of the doubt, ignore the obvious criticisms (which I simply can't do), surely we can do better. Right?
Why is the bar getting lower and lower, and why can't we do better? More importantly, how do we do better?
These are the questions I keep asking myself as I read what is the news on a daily basis lately...
The new swamp...
"Here’s a look at some of the president’s inner circle who are working with prosecutors or facing significant prison time, and the risk they may pose to the president:"
It's Donald Trump because Donald Trump has something the Republicans want in return for protecting Donald Trump and that's passage of their agenda by Donald Trump.
Everything is a comparison of choices. If it were not for the affects and corruption of Obama and Clinton you would not have Trump as President.
These 2 have lead to the current situation. Many people did not vote for Trump, they voted against Hillary.
You can't complain about Trump if you supported someone even worse named Clinton.
I don’t support Clinton, but I did vote for her as Trump is by far the greater of the two evils.
With that said, you can’t justify Trump’s actions by claiming ‘Hillary/Obama would have been worse.’ That’s grade school logic.
I hear all that and must agree with your objective. But the unfortunate reality is that our system, which is based on democratic mechanisms like free elections only works if certain assumptions are met. For example, it assumes that the general populace is relatively well educated, has nominal critical thinking skills and adheres to civilized norms of human behavior.
These assumptions might have been valid in 1970 but they are no longer valid today. All you have to do is read through the posts and threads on this forum, or Reddit, or wander through the landscape of social media to realize that the USA may well be moving toward a time where we are incapable of governing ourselves.
In this intellectual vacuum, carrion feeders of opportunity will abound. Donald Trump is simply one of those - while he may be the most visible, in a way that makes him less dangerous because he makes no effort to hide his agenda. It's the quiet and continuous march toward total ownership of our lawmakers and courts by Corporate $$$ that is the real danger.
The times they are a'changin. As far as I can tell we are sliding faster and faster down that slippery slope. But hey, it was a good ride while it lasted, true?
I'm not sure what my objective may be other than to hope more people will expect better than Trump when it comes to our elected representatives/leaders...
Agree entirely on at least part of the reason our system is failing us, along with too much money in our political process. Maybe the less educated, non-critically thinking and politically ignorant populace is argument for the Electoral College, again if we could only get money from corrupting the process.
Getting money the **** out of politics would be a good start. Citizens United? Give me a break! We now have what is referred to as "a donor class".. please show me where the founders squeezed this into the founding documents...they DIDN'T!!!
Corporations elect our President and make our laws. Republicans have made it ever easier for that to happen with "Corporations are People" and now they have made it possible for big doners to keep their names private. So . . you won't know which sponsor has bought your candidate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GearHeadDave
I hear all that and must agree with your objective. But the unfortunate reality is that our system, which is based on democratic mechanisms like free elections only works if certain assumptions are met. For example, it assumes that the general populace is relatively well educated, has nominal critical thinking skills and adheres to civilized norms of human behavior.
These assumptions might have been valid in 1970 but they are no longer valid today. All you have to do is read through the posts and threads on this forum, or Reddit, or wander through the landscape of social media to realize that the USA may well be moving toward a time where we are incapable of governing ourselves.
In this intellectual vacuum, carrion feeders of opportunity will abound. Donald Trump is simply one of those - while he may be the most visible, in a way that makes him less dangerous because he makes no effort to hide his agenda. It's the quiet and continuous march toward total ownership of our lawmakers and courts by Corporate $$$ that is the real danger.
The times they are a'changin. As far as I can tell we are sliding faster and faster down that slippery slope. But hey, it was a good ride while it lasted, true?
That is so true. We should all watch Idiocracy again.
and you can keep pretending that running hillary wasn't a huge factor in getting trump elected but it still won't be true. someone said you can't get worse than trump? false - you tried with hillary and luckily she lost.
Whether Hillary would have been worse than Trump is a speculation at best and for the most part probably not true...
Either would have inherited a growing economy that would have likely continued regardless who was elected if normal economic factors, both domestic and international, are considered rather than partisan bias. Hillary was more a victim of marital impropriety while Trump is more like the poster boy for the likes. Hillary had a long well documented history of public service at the highest levels. Not a perfect record, but mostly respectable. Trump had no such history. Instead, a real estate/golf course developer, Trump University, The Apprentice and too many law suits filed against him to count. I could go on, but I'm wrong to start, since again, this thread is not about how bad Hillary MIGHT have been. It's about Trump, and how we should expect a POTUS far better!
On this we should all be able to agree without wasting another key stroke on how Hillary would have been worse. The question is how we can do better, not how to avoid worse.
Why do so many Trump supporters seem unable to think in those terms?
I suspect a bit too much ego and far too little fair objective reasoning!
The OP is dreaming, obama set the bar so low that nobody of any integrity will hold that office again !
Too bad we don't have any good objective quantifiable way to measure such things, but from an objective standpoint, I think most evaluations of Obama and/or Trump put Obama well above Trump in most respects. Maybe with more time, we can provide some of those comparisons that go beyond just Trump supporter opinion, or anti-Trump opinion. Right?
Unfortunately, no more time for me today. Or is that fortunately?
and you can keep pretending that running hillary wasn't a huge factor in getting trump elected but it still won't be true. someone said you can't get worse than trump? false - you tried with hillary and luckily she lost.
Actually she received 3 million more votes than the current dumpster fire and America lost.
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