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Let's not forget the Clinton impeachment debacle. I wonder if that was what kicked off a process that lead to the current hyper-polarization, inflammatory talk-radio programs, and so forth.
You should go back at least a little further, to the hyper-partisan SCOTUS hearings for Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.
You should go back at least a little further, to the hyper-partisan SCOTUS hearings for Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas.
There have always been such "cockfights" in history. But it's just a little different when a sitting POTUS is claimed by another sitting POTUS (Trump-Obama) to not even be legit....and, when this same narrative spreads to a majority of a political party.
Thomas has proven to be fairly clueless - maybe if he actually spoke once in a while we might gauge his intelligence or lack of.
IMHO, Trump is not putting on a populist act. His limited vocabulary and thinking is who he is. As to those who think one cannot be successful being so clueless, this is 100% wrong. Many cons and criminals were of fairly low in the "real brains" department, but used violence (bully, lawsuits) and other means to attain their goals. A guy like Trump who was born with a Silver Spoon never had to listen to anyone...so he became that bully who was never corrected. The more he got away with, the more he naturally assumed he COULD get away with.
In other words, I don't think he has the capability to "play" a civilized and balanced human being. Nothing points to him ever being so....and I speak as someone who lived near Atlantic City for all those years when he was turning the place to dust.
He goes with what he has - which is to be a liar, con and bully. It works...at least so far. Of course, this is not a good thing for the USA and the World, but no one could care less than Trump himself.
With due time, things will eventually get back to "normal" but it'll be a different normal than past periods. There are a lot of things wrong and many ideas of how to fix them and people right now just feel frustrated. After a while, even the elites will get sick of it and we'll shift back towards stability.
Going back in time, you had stability from 1870s to 1900s, then 1910s and 20s had social changes, 1930s and 40s had depression and war. The late 40s to 50s, were a time of stability, then calamity in the 60s into the 70s, followed by a more stable 80s and 90s. Around 2001, we started going down hill and it reached a low point in 2009 and things have been chaotic since then. The last few years have been like a Bizarro world. After 2025, things will start to wind down again.
Warm fuzzies abound but I beg to disagree:
What will reign in mass citizen surveillance? Few people have any idea right now.
Who will balance the budget?
How will the 21 trillion dollar debt be repaid? The Federal Reserve is neither federal nor does it have any reserves but printing presses spewing out unbacked debt.
The political divide? Yes...that could heal over time.
The never ending wars? We keep electing peace talking non-interventionists that go to Washington and transform into bloodthirsty tyrants fond of invasions, civilian drone strikes, torture, and breaking agreements. Trump's latest picks are literally the stuff of nightmares for the more civilized mind. Trump sounds like a monster all too often.
How will the out of control incarceration rate be bought into check?
The foxes aren't just in the hen house. They are ruling the hen house. They may now outnumber the hens.
We hardly have a far left in this country...maybe a couple thousand people or a couple 10's of thousands at most.
It's more a question of where you weigh "the center" to be. My reading of history teaches me that we are modeled after both the UK (basic rights of individual and property) and France (no Monarchs, Kings or Priests in government, power to the people).
Obviously you believe you are in the center. The fact that you believe there are only a relative few people to the left of you should indicate that you are way to the left of most people in the country. The difference between you and I is the fact that I will openly admit I am right of center. After Facebook admitted that they labelled people according to their leanings politically I checked and sure enough they had me pegged at "Very Conservative". I am proud of that designation. If you are on Facebook, you should check your own status. I'll bet you are "Very liberal".
I think a lot more people think they are in the center politically, but are not really. Charles Manson probably thought he was normal. We all judge others according to our own reference point. When you read your history, did you forget about the period of the inquisition? You know, when people had unorthodox ideas they took a quick trip to the guillotine. I don't think you would want to take credit for that period as being liberal, as I would not want to take credit for it being conservative.
Were the Southern Democrats Conservative or Liberal or just Democrats during the Jim Crow period? (You want to talk history?)
The political landscape has changed a lot from when a populist like a Jimmy Carter could win with comparatively limited funds and little in the way of name recognition.
I didn't start paying too much attention until Ronald Reagan. My memory is of a nation that largely adored and respected the man. Then we had Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, and now we have the Trumpster.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ColoGuy
I thought the term "Trumpster" was just a nickname, probably a positive one. Turns out I was mostly right:
"A Trumpster is a HUGE political advocate of President Donald J. Trump and his beautiful agenda." From the first source I found. Does it matter? All sources are attacked if they fail to meet the agenda of the attacker.
So what were you posting? Were you trying slur Trump or his supporters?
In my opinion, Trump has some negative issues with his bloviating, and his use of Twitter to belittle people, however his successes are a big improvement over the recent policies of the last three or four presidents. I wish he could be a little less outrageous on Twitter, however, it is a very good way to get his message out, beyond what the liberal media chooses to pass on to the public.
1) We evolved into a major surveillance state with an incarceration rate seven times that of the 70's. That is well documented, a quick Google search provides ample sources. It is harder to love a leader who embraces widespread spying of citizens. Mass Surveillance
2) Never ending wars and occupations. We are still in Afghanistan for example. Iran is being cued up and will likely be far more "troublesome" than the weakened Iraq that was invaded in 2003. People are tired of war and there is no end in sight. Never ending wars
3) The debt is, well, unbelievable. 21 trillion and Trump just went all in. Cutting income, increasing spending, and pounding the expensive drums of war. Has not started the war but his picks certainly guarantee a very strong degree of military machismo. As shown by calling those who shy away from torture "p^^^^^s". Oh my. Bolton - one of the biggest war mongers in Eviltown DC. Haspel - the queen of torture. Quickly dismissing the only dove in the cabinet. The breathtaking growth of the debt
4) The rich get much richer while the numbers of newly poor have simply exploded into the tens of millions. California has close to a majority in poverty. People may say that we are wealthier than ever. If you plop a billionaire into a ghetto, the average income suddenly looks much better. The growing chasm between the haves and have nots.
5) The internet. It is more difficult to have secrets now. I wonder if the highly promiscuous Clinton could have survived the age of the internet. Trump may also feel the wrath in the future. The odds of that are good. The loss of privacy and growth of information due to the internet
6) The divide between "liberals" and "conservatives" is much worse than it has been in our lifetimes. It is simply vile. The growing and horrific political divide. As witnessed by many responses.
I sure hope you aren't trying to lay the blame for all the above on Trump's doorstep. Obama had quite a bit to account for during his administration. He had eight years
As far as #3 goes, don't mistake trying to achieve "peace through strength" with warmongering. That is a trap that most liberals fall into.
#6 I believe is going to be the norm for a while. We have to figure out a way to avoid picking the far left or far right candidates in the primaries. Maybe, instead of a primary, we have two elections where it is open and you can vote for all candidates from all parties. The first to determine the top two who will face off in the second, might serve to eliminate the extreme candidates.
T
(4) Here, while I do NOT support Donald Trump, all-in-all, as President of the United States, I do support the idea of a strong and tall border wall across our entire southern border, majorly-fortified border security, and serious vetting of all who come to enter our nation . . . even while I DO, at the same time, empathize with those who are coming to America to flee dire economic circumstances, domestic violence, violence and/or terrorism prevailing in their country-of-origin, and so on. Yet, while empathizing with those among them who are honorable in intent, we as a nation DO need to protect our nation’s security from all those elements who are dishonorable in intent.
When it comes to immigration, if the illegal immigration had been shut down twenty some odd years ago, we might not even have a President Trump right now. Had they done that back then, the numbers of immigrants we could be bringing in legally would have been much higher than they are now, thereby supplying employers with more people to choose from in hiring. Choosing who and where they are allowed to come from could include persecution in their current country.
I didn't start paying too much attention until Ronald Reagan. My memory is of a nation that largely adored and respected the man.
My understanding of history was that Eisenhower and Kennedy both enjoyed widespread popularity.
Well, time has tempered your opinion. Many people hated RR and feared him as a war-monger. Kennedy became much more popular after he died.
A little known fact is that Truman (Democrat) believed that he would not win re-election in 1948. He asked Eisenhower to run for POTUS as a Demcrat, and Truman would voluntarily accept the Vice Presidential nomination. Eisenhower was still undecided about running for POTUS as he still thought of himself as a general By 1952 Eisenhower ran as a Republican.
Decades ago Trump was also pursued by the Democratic party to run for President. But while Eisenhower seemed above partisan politics, Trump seems to have a complete disdain for it.
I'm afraid the stage is set for more and more vitriol.
Thomas has proven to be fairly clueless - maybe if he actually spoke once in a while we might gauge his intelligence or lack of.
Justice Thomas speaks through the opinions he writes. There is generally little to be learned from the oral arguments; they are a courtesy extended to the plaintiffs and defendants, giving them one last chance to make their case. No one on the left or right who is paying attention would accuse him of being "clueless."
Thomas is one of the few on the Court who really care what the Constitution says.
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