2016 Presidential Horse Race

[Irish YJ]

If the first item requires me to vote for Trump now, does the second item require me to vote against Trump now?

Did anybody ever pay attention to Digger anyway? Schtlick with Lou.

 

[NorthDakota]

I've made the mistake of becoming politically active on Facebook. If I say I won't vote for Trump, I'm instantly an illegal and a "wetback". Seriously - a wetback. It's insane. I'd say it's happened well over 10 times. And not just from anonymous people - even friends of friends will openly say it to me. All from Trump supporters, never from Cruz supporters. So his supporters can all say he isn't racist, but his words certainly don't paint him in a good light, and the actions of his supporters make it even worse. He could have stopped this a LONG time ago, but instead he has doubled down, and trying to take America down with him. That's why I will #nevertrump, even as a registered Republican.

Big mistake in bold. I was like that during the 2010 midterms and a little bit of 2012. Big mistake. Wayyyy too many notifications. I block those people from my newsfeed now or unfriend them completely.

 

[Emcee77]

Let me put it to you this way - I'm Hispanic. Mom and dad both came here legally, and I was born here. 41 years old. Took full advantage of the opportunities this great country gave me. NEVER have faced blatant racism before Trump came to power. A few months ago I was at Wal-Mart (don't ask why lol - it was out of necessity), with my about-to-be 2 year-old son. A Trump supporter asks for my support for Trump, and I told her I would never ever support that man. So...in front of my son, she says I must be illegal and to go back to Mexico if I'm not ready to help make America White again, I mean, Great again. Keep in mind, my mom is Dominican and my dad is Spaniard, but hey, I'm brown so I'm an illegal from Mexico! Ladies and gentleman, Trump supporters! The lady was trash (sorry to go Donald on you, but anyone as blatantly racist as she was is trash), but in the interest of civility, I turned the other cheek and walked away. Alright I'm lying - I told her to **** off and then turned the other cheek!

Thanks for sharing. That's fucking terrible. It's a scary moment for this country because we are reminded that there are SO MANY people out there like that.

I've made the mistake of becoming politically active on Facebook. If I say I won't vote for Trump, I'm instantly an illegal and a "wetback". Seriously - a wetback. It's insane. I'd say it's happened well over 10 times. And not just from anonymous people - even friends of friends will openly say it to me. All from Trump supporters, never from Cruz supporters. So his supporters can all say he isn't racist, but his words certainly don't paint him in a good light, and the actions of his supporters make it even worse. He could have stopped this a LONG time ago, but instead he has doubled down, and trying to take America down with him. That's why I will #nevertrump, even as a registered Republican.

At times like these I'm grateful for people like you, Hollywood, who won't take this shit lying down. Fighting with these freaks won't solve anything or change anyone's mind--in fact, I think it's exactly what the sadder, poorer Trump supporters want--but there's still something satisfying about seeing someone give as good as they're getting from these people. Like, why should they get all the "air time" at the Wal-Mart checkout or on Facebook. Maybe that's juvenile, I don't know, but whatever. Good on you, I say.

 

[EddytoNow]

Trump is now suggesting that Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of JFK. Is there anything this idiot won't say to get elected? I know people are angry, particularly about loss of jobs and stagnant wages, but how can anyone support this man? He's a loose cannon waiting to insult international leaders and further perpetuate the negative image of Americans.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Trump has hit a very interesting cord and it is resonating in a HUUUGE way. You don't hear the shop worn mantra of the establishment republicans --limited government , regulations , get government off your back and the private sector will solve the economic inertia and grave loss of upward mobility that has beset the country.

Trump offers a nationalistic message stressing economic populism. The government is not by definition bad , he insists its the politicians that sell the public down the river in exchange for cash and lobbying gratis. He insists "he can make the government win and that stupidity, incompetence and self serving greed is what has undermined America, NOT the government itself.

He is essentially a pro-government republican , that promises smart thinking unencumbered by political bribes and their follow on control, can change America in a positive way.

He has so much in common with Sanders its amusing---- the government is bought and paid for by corporate power that emasculates its ability to respond to the country's needs----sanders and trump agree----trade and trade deals since Nafta and through TPP have been pushed by both parties and have been a disaster for American towns and American manufacturing---sanders and trump agree----that foreign wars especially Iraq and Lybia were gigantic blunders , destabilizing the entire region , giving rise to Isis , & underpinning the mass migrations threatening to destabilize the order in europe....again Sanders and Trump agree.

Trade, the overwhelming influence of the oligarchy and their parochial interests , and the foolish and misguided adventurism in the middle east have brought us very little that's good.

As Trump says " they are all puppets , they do whatever they are told , I know these people and many of then are not nice people and none of them have the interest of the country topping their agenda."

Trump has his flaws no doubt , but all three of these critical issues that underpin both his and Bernie's message, are essentially TRUE and more significantly most of the electorate agrees that they are true even if they disagree on solutions.

Trump had ZERO shot against an array of contenders that were a who's who of republican politics----Bush the heir to the dynasty , walker the Koch brothers pet and the one everyone feared---Rubio the sharp young up and comer, Kasich the steady hand that delivers ohio, Cruz the religious zealot , Christie the guy everyone wanted last cycle etc etc etc....

Trump has buried them all with a powerful message that transcends the PUNDITOCRACY that daily ridicules the lack of substance. Now its likely Kasich will get out in two days , and Cruz after digesting the 35 point explosion for Trump in California soon after that.

Trump may be an eccentric character , rude, vulgar , a bit of an egomaniac, a guy that lives in a golden penthouse and has a mild germ phobia.

But he has won the nomination against all odds , he will compete in blue states like Pennsylvania , Michigan and several others....he will win every state Romney did and the entire election will be fought in swing states and blue states.

After what Trump has done to the premiere varsity team of republican governors and senators---underestimate him at your own risk!

In the very beginning, I actually supported Trump. That was prior to his unloading of hateful rhetoric. In previous posts, I've listed topics where I actually agree with him. The crazy thing, had it not been for his racist, misogynistic, egotistical, blabbering speech/actions, I'd probably be voting for the guy. For as much as I support Bernie, I still have my reservations regarding some of his policies. I have this feeling that Trump is going to start moving toward the middle and his true colors will come out in that people will see that on some issues, he actually out-flanks HRC to the left. However, he's flip-flopped so much that how could anyone really know what to believe?

 

[Ndaccountant]

In the very beginning, I actually supported Trump. That was prior to his unloading of hateful rhetoric. In previous posts, I've listed topics where I actually agree with him. The crazy thing, had it not been for his racist, misogynistic, egotistical, blabbering speech/actions, I'd probably be voting for the guy. For as much as I support Bernie, I still have my reservations regarding some of his policies. I have this feeling that Trump is going to start moving toward the middle and his true colors will come out in that people will see that on some issues, he actually out-flanks HRC to the left. However, he's flip-flopped so much that how could anyone really know what to believe?

I think people take what Trump says way too seriously. We have to remember that this guy is all about selling himself in a way to meet his objective, whether that was buying a building or running for President. In the Presidential race for the GOP nomination, I think he calculated the only way to win the nomination was to go in a populist direction that was vastly different than what others were offering. He did that in a way to not only distinguish himself from others, but also in a way to excite emotion. It was calculated and it worked (even though many others said it wouldn't). As he transitions to HRC, he will again asses the landscape and adjust his message in way to meet his objective in winning. The real question is whether or not the comments towards certain groups will be shrugged off like Trump thinks they will.

For the record, I don't agree with this approach at all and it's dangerous to elect someone that isn't clear for what he/she stand for (though sometimes it really isn't clear for career politicians).

 

[Bubbles]

Trump is now suggesting that Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of JFK. Is there anything this idiot won't say to get elected? I know people are angry, particularly about loss of jobs and stagnant wages, but how can anyone support this man? He's a loose cannon waiting to insult international leaders and further perpetuate the negative image of Americans.

This is how I feel about ALL politicians. I actually find the Trump show hilarious for the very reason that it an an indictment of the entire political status quo in this country.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

I think people take what Trump says way too seriously. We have to remember that this guy is all about selling himself in a way to meet his objective, whether that was buying a building or running for President. In the Presidential race for the GOP nomination, I think he calculated the only way to win the nomination was to go in a populist direction that was vastly different than what others were offering. He did that in a way to not only distinguish himself from others, but also in a way to excite emotion. It was calculated and it worked (even though many others said it wouldn't). As he transitions to HRC, he will again asses the landscape and adjust his message in way to meet his objective in winning. The real question is whether or not the comments towards certain groups will be shrugged off like Trump thinks they will.

For the record, I don't agree with this approach at all and it's dangerous to elect someone that isn't clear for what he/she stand for (though sometimes it really isn't clear for career politicians).

It's a huge concern of mine, not knowing where Trump stands on issues. He's flip-flopped way too much. I don't see how anyone can take that seriously.

 

[dales5050]

Let me put it to you this way - I'm Hispanic. Mom and dad both came here legally, and I was born here. 41 years old. Took full advantage of the opportunities this great country gave me. NEVER have faced blatant racism before Trump came to power. A few months ago I was at Wal-Mart (don't ask why lol - it was out of necessity), with my about-to-be 2 year-old son. A Trump supporter asks for my support for Trump, and I told her I would never ever support that man. So...in front of my son, she says I must be illegal and to go back to Mexico if I'm not ready to help make America White again, I mean, Great again. Keep in mind, my mom is Dominican and my dad is Spaniard, but hey, I'm brown so I'm an illegal from Mexico! Ladies and gentleman, Trump supporters! The lady was trash (sorry to go Donald on you, but anyone as blatantly racist as she was is trash), but in the interest of civility, I turned the other cheek and walked away. Alright I'm lying - I told her to **** off and then turned the other cheek!

It's pretty comical that in the same paragraph you are complaining about being painted with a brush because of your skin color, while at the same time, painting all Trump supporters as racist. Comical and sad.

If you're 41 years old and 'brown' but have never faced racism before...that's outstanding. Sadly race relations are bad in the US. Maybe in your sheltered experience you have never attended a La Raza event. Those are amazing if you want to experience racism. You should give it a try on of these days. I went to multiple during my 15 years in San Diego.

But the thing about it is this...the same freedoms that allow for La Raza to do what they do provide for what this trashy lady did you and your son. Everyone gets to have a voice in the US..regardless of your view. It's just how it works.

I guess what I mostly want to say is if you think 'Trump coming to power' is some type of triggering event you're pretty damn naive. I despise the negative that is coming out from this election. I wish it did not exist. But I think what we're seeing now is a reaction to years of bullshit that has happened unchecked. We have lost our ability to have polite or productive discourse because for years the idea of even having a discourse at all has been shut down.

 

[yankeehater]

Let me put it to you this way - I'm Hispanic. Mom and dad both came here legally, and I was born here. 41 years old. Took full advantage of the opportunities this great country gave me. NEVER have faced blatant racism before Trump came to power. A few months ago I was at Wal-Mart (don't ask why lol - it was out of necessity), with my about-to-be 2 year-old son. A Trump supporter asks for my support for Trump, and I told her I would never ever support that man. So...in front of my son, she says I must be illegal and to go back to Mexico if I'm not ready to help make America White again, I mean, Great again. Keep in mind, my mom is Dominican and my dad is Spaniard, but hey, I'm brown so I'm an illegal from Mexico! Ladies and gentleman, Trump supporters! The lady was trash (sorry to go Donald on you, but anyone as blatantly racist as she was is trash), but in the interest of civility, I turned the other cheek and walked away. Alright I'm lying - I told her to **** off and then turned the other cheek!

I've made the mistake of becoming politically active on Facebook. If I say I won't vote for Trump, I'm instantly an illegal and a "wetback". Seriously - a wetback. It's insane. I'd say it's happened well over 10 times. And not just from anonymous people - even friends of friends will openly say it to me. All from Trump supporters, never from Cruz supporters. So his supporters can all say he isn't racist, but his words certainly don't paint him in a good light, and the actions of his supporters make it even worse. He could have stopped this a LONG time ago, but instead he has doubled down, and trying to take America down with him. That's why I will #nevertrump, even as a registered Republican.



Normally, I'd agree with you. I hate politics and I hate politicians. But I can't sit by idly with Trump. It's not just politics on a hill - his supporters are literally trying to #makeAmericaWhiteagain, and he's dividing the country more than anyone I've ever witnessed. It's sickening, and if you aren't white, well, it does affect you. This should be a country that celebrates diversity. Instead, Trump is trying to divide it by color lines. It's not only pathetic, it's sad.

ND I am sorry you had to face that especially in front of your son. I am also surprised it took so long to have such an experience. Based on personal experience, I can also tell you the sh!t goes both ways and this has been occurring way before Trump ever came onto the scene.

While in my 30's (over a decade ago) I meet a girl while out and we started dating. She was Hispanic and I am white. This was one of the best connections, but it was never gonna work. Why???? Her family would not accept her dating a "white guy." She lived at home with her parents and I was never able to pick her up at the door because her family was not allow the relationship. She walked to the corner where I would pick her up. It was very sad. No she was not married and cheating, blah, blah. I did meet her siblings while out, but the parents were who we mainly had to hide from. Sad thing is I still wonder what could have been if not for the parents nonacceptance.

She also told me she liked to date white men because they treated her with respect.

 

[GoIrish41]

I think people take what Trump says way too seriously. We have to remember that this guy is all about selling himself in a way to meet his objective, whether that was buying a building or running for President. In the Presidential race for the GOP nomination, I think he calculated the only way to win the nomination was to go in a populist direction that was vastly different than what others were offering. He did that in a way to not only distinguish himself from others, but also in a way to excite emotion. It was calculated and it worked (even though many others said it wouldn't). As he transitions to HRC, he will again asses the landscape and adjust his message in way to meet his objective in winning. The real question is whether or not the comments towards certain groups will be shrugged off like Trump thinks they will.

For the record, I don't agree with this approach at all and it's dangerous to elect someone that isn't clear for what he/she stand for (though sometimes it really isn't clear for career politicians).

Adjust his message? Ha! He can't unsay the things he's said. And, you give the guy way more credit than he deserves ... he didn't calculate anything. He's an obnoxious, ignorant, bigoted fool who appeals to other obnoxious, ignorant and/or bigoted fools. I understand why his supporters are angry and feel left behind, but holy crap, man, he's the best they could throw their support behind? I hate to kick folks when they are down, but anyone who votes for Trump gets the government that they deserve. The GOP is way more fucked up than I thought it was -- and I thought it was pretty fucked up. The party should absolutely be ashamed that he is going to win their nomination. All the folks who hate Hillary so much better be praying that she saves them from themselves by winning the election.

 

[IrishLax]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rudy ... err, <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanAstin">@SeanAstin</a> ... is in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SouthBend?src=hash">#SouthBend</a> today stumping for Clinton. <a href="https://t.co/44UpLdfzKW">https://t.co/44UpLdfzKW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SBTribune">@SBTribune</a> <a href="https://t.co/SXcZzj4LFc">pic.twitter.com/SXcZzj4LFc</a></p>— Margaret Fosmoe (@MFosmoe) <a href="https://twitter.com/MFosmoe/status/727528748778582016">May 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Holtz for Trump, movie Rudy for HillDog...

 

[wizards8507]

Trump is now suggesting that Cruz's father was involved in the assassination of JFK. Is there anything this idiot won't say to get elected? I know people are angry, particularly about loss of jobs and stagnant wages, but how can anyone support this man? He's a loose cannon waiting to insult international leaders and further perpetuate the negative image of Americans.

This guy is fucking dangerous.

Trump accuses Cruz's father of helping JFK's assassin - POLITICO

 

[Ndaccountant]

Adjust his message? Ha! He can't unsay the things he's said. And, you give the guy way more credit than he deserves ... he didn't calculate anything. He's an obnoxious, ignorant, bigoted fool who appeals to other obnoxious, ignorant and/or bigoted fools. I understand why his supporters are angry and feel left behind, but holy crap, man, he's the best they could throw their support behind? I hate to kick folks when they are down, but anyone who votes for Trump gets the government that they deserve. The GOP is way more fucked up than I thought it was -- and I thought it was pretty fucked up. The party should absolutely be ashamed that he is going to win their nomination. All the folks who hate Hillary so much better be praying that she saves them from themselves by winning the election.

I think you underestimate him.

 

[connor_in]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hCFzYcLVNk0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[wizards8507]

I think you underestimate him.

HE JUST SAID RAPHAEL CRUZ CONSPIRED TO KILL JFK!

How can anyone with two brain cells to rub together support this man?

 

[NorthDakota]

HE JUST SAID RAPHAEL CRUZ CONSPIRED TO KILL JFK!

How can anyone with two brain cells to rub together support this man?

Dr Lou.

 

[Ndaccountant]

HE JUST SAID RAPHAEL CRUZ CONSPIRED TO KILL JFK!

How can anyone with two brain cells to rub together support this man?

Trust me. I don't agree with what he says nor what he is trying to do. But this isn't some happenstance.

 

[pumpdog20]

HE JUST SAID RAPHAEL CRUZ CONSPIRED TO KILL JFK!

How can anyone with two brain cells to rub together support this man?

Because Hillary is the other option.

 

[GoIrish41]

I think you underestimate him.

Think what you will. He's an idiot.

 

[wizards8507]

Because Hillary is the other option.

Sure, today she's the other option. But not too long ago Jeb Bush was an option. Marco Rubio was an option. Ted Cruz was an option. Trump's antics aren't new.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The NYT's David Brooks published an article yesterday titled, "If Not Trump, What?":

Donald Trump now looks set to be the Republican presidential nominee. So for those of us appalled by this prospect — what are we supposed to do?

Well, not what the leaders of the Republican Party are doing. They’re going down meekly and hoping for a quiet convention. They seem blithely unaware that this is a Joe McCarthy moment. People will be judged by where they stood at this time. Those who walked with Trump will be tainted forever after for the degradation of standards and the general election slaughter.

The better course for all of us — Republican, Democrat and independent — is to step back and take the long view, and to begin building for that. This election — not only the Trump phenomenon but the rise of Bernie Sanders, also — has reminded us how much pain there is in this country. According to a Pew Research poll, 75 percent of Trump voters say that life has gotten worse for people like them over the last half century.

This declinism intertwines with other horrible social statistics. The suicide rate has surged to a 30-year high — a sure sign of rampant social isolation. A record number of Americans believe the American dream is out of reach. And for millennials, social trust is at historic lows.

Trump’s success grew out of that pain, but he is not the right response to it. The job for the rest of us is to figure out the right response.

That means first it’s necessary to go out into the pain. I was surprised by Trump’s success because I’ve slipped into a bad pattern, spending large chunks of my life in the bourgeois strata — in professional circles with people with similar status and demographics to my own. It takes an act of will to rip yourself out of that and go where you feel least comfortable. But this column is going to try to do that over the next months and years. We all have some responsibility to do one activity that leaps across the chasms of segmentation that afflict this country.

We’ll probably need a new national story. Up until now, America’s story has been some version of the rags-to-riches story, the lone individual who rises from the bottom through pluck and work. But that story isn’t working for people anymore, especially for people who think the system is rigged.

I don’t know what the new national story will be, but maybe it will be less individualistic and more redemptive. Maybe it will be a story about communities that heal those who suffer from addiction, broken homes, trauma, prison and loss, a story of those who triumph over the isolation, social instability and dislocation so common today.

We’ll probably need a new definition of masculinity, too. There are many groups in society who have lost an empire but not yet found a role. Men are the largest of those groups. The traditional masculine ideal isn’t working anymore. It leads to high dropout rates, high incarceration rates, low labor force participation rates. This is an economy that rewards emotional connection and verbal expressiveness. Everywhere you see men imprisoned by the old reticent, stoical ideal.

We’ll also need to rebuild the sense that we’re all in this together. The author R. R. Reno has argued that what we’re really facing these days is a “crisis of solidarity.” Many people, as the writers David and Amber Lapp note, feel pervasively betrayed: by for-profit job-training outfits that left them awash in debt, by spouses and stepparents, by people who collect federal benefits but don’t work. They’ve stopped even expecting loyalty from their employers. The big flashing lights say: NO TRUST. That leads to an everyone-out-for-himself mentality and Trump’s politics of suspicion. We’ll need a communitarianism.

Maybe the task is to build a ladder of hope. People across America have been falling through the cracks. Their children are adrift. Trump, to his credit, made them visible. We can start at the personal level just by hearing them talk.

Then at the community level we can listen to those already helping. James Fallows had a story in The Atlantic recently noting that while we’re dysfunctional at the national level you see local renaissances dotted across the country. Fallows went around asking, “Who makes this town go?” and found local patriots creating radical schools, arts festivals, public-private partnerships that give, say, high school dropouts computer skills.

Then solidarity can be rekindled nationally. Over the course of American history, national projects like the railroad legislation, the W.P.A. and the NASA project have bound this diverse nation. Of course, such projects can happen again — maybe through a national service program, or something else.

Trump will have his gruesome moment. The time is best spent elsewhere, meeting the neighbors who have become strangers, and listening to what they have to say.

And the NYT's Ross Douthat published an article titled "Give Us A King!":

EVERY era gets the heroic founding father it deserves, and thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s celebrated musical, ours has Alexander Hamilton — the immigrant striver, the political genius, and of course, the closet monarchist.

Now “monarchist” is a little unfair. Hamilton floated the idea of a presidency-for-life during the fraught debates over the Constitution, and favored a powerful executive throughout his tumultuous career. But he was probably only a true royalist in the propaganda of his enemies.

Nonetheless, the Hamiltonian influence on our constitutional order — his vision of a highly centralized government with an energetic executive in the saddle — has contributed mightily to the rise of our imperial presidency, the gradual return of what the historian F. H. Buckley calls “crown government” in the land of the free.

And that legacy is at work in the current political moment. Executive-branch Caesarism has been raised to new heights by the last two presidents, and important parts of the country have responded by upping the ante, and — like ancient Israelites in the Book of Samuel — basically clamoring for a king.

That clamor is loudest from the Trumpistas and their dear leader. Donald Trump is clearly running to be an American caudillo, not the president of a constitutional republic, and his entire campaign is a cult of personality in the style of (the pro-Trump) Vladimir Putin.

But the response to Trump is equally telling. The alleged wise men of the center keep imagining that the problem with Trumpism is just its vulgarity and race-baiting, and that a benevolent technocrat could step in and lead the country out of gridlock and polarization, into the broad, sunlit uplands of reform.

Michael Bloomberg sensibly recused himself from this role. But the dream lives on, most recently in the former Politico executive editor Jim VandeHei’s Wall Street Journal op-ed urging the formation of an “Innovation Party,” to be led by our Facebook-Google overlords and our best military minds.

VandeHei’s piece was deservedly mocked on political Twitter, but his impatience with the two-party system as we know it is shared across the country’s upper class, from Silicon Valley to the (ahem, Hamiltonian) world of finance.

Meanwhile, his enthusiasm for military expertise is shared by a portion (the richer portion, in particular) of the #neverTrump movement, which in casting about for a political savior fastened on the retired Marine Corps general James Mattis. Sure, Mattis has neither political experience nor stated positions on any issues, but if you’re going to have a caudillo, why not one with an actual uniform? (Sensibly Mattis recused himself as well.)

Tellingly, none of these Trump-era enthusiasms involve a reinvigoration of congressional prerogatives or a renewed push for federalism and states’ rights.

Quite the reverse: They all imagine that the solution to our problems lies with a more effective and still-more-empowered president, free from antique constitutional limits and graced with a mandate that transcends partisanship.

And equally tellingly, they are enthusiasms of the center-left and center-right rather than the ideological extremes. This is obviously true of the people pining for a Bloomberg era, a Silicon Valley-led administration, or a Mattis man-on-horseback presidency. But it’s true of Trump’s constituency as well: While the G.O.P.’s staunch ideologues are mostly voting for Ted Cruz, Trump is winning with Northeastern moderates and blue-collar populists, with voters who may be xenophobic but on many issues are closer to the political middle than to the poles.

It’s not that our ideologues are averse to an imperial presidency when their side is in charge. (The theory of Bernie Sanders’ campaign assumed a rather … remarkable level of presidential influence.) But the cult of the presidency is clearly strongest in the American center. This means that political polarization probably isn’t pushing us toward a Weimar moment, in which the only question is whether the far right or far left consolidates a dangerous level of power. Instead it’s encouraging a kind of moderate-middle enthusiasm for crown government, as a means of escape from congressional dysfunction and endless right-left war.

The good news for the republic is that this center is itself complex and divided, over specific issues like trade and immigration and then along lines of class and culture. The Bloombergist upper-class moderates fear the Trumpist working-class moderates, and Trump’s middle-American populists loathe the globalist elite right back. As long as that’s the case it’s hard to imagine them finding a centrist Caesar to actually unite behind. (Though they are united in their admiration for the military ...)

But even if the risk of a true post-constitutional power grab is low, the arc of our history still bends toward a Trumpian conception of the presidency, which means the limits on its power will probably continue to erode — justified in the name of pragmatism, of Hamiltonian energy, of the need to “get things done.”

“You’ll be back, time will tell, you’ll remember that I served you well,” George III sings to his rebellious subjects in “Hamilton.”

We still might prove him right.

 

[NDinL.A.]

It's pretty comical that in the same paragraph you are complaining about being painted with a brush because of your skin color, while at the same time, painting all Trump supporters as racist. Comical and sad.

If you're 41 years old and 'brown' but have never faced racism before...that's outstanding. Sadly race relations are bad in the US. Maybe in your sheltered experience you have never attended a La Raza event. Those are amazing if you want to experience racism. You should give it a try on of these days. I went to multiple during my 15 years in San Diego.

But the thing about it is this...the same freedoms that allow for La Raza to do what they do provide for what this trashy lady did you and your son. Everyone gets to have a voice in the US..regardless of your view. It's just how it works.

I guess what I mostly want to say is if you think 'Trump coming to power' is some type of triggering event you're pretty damn naive. I despise the negative that is coming out from this election. I wish it did not exist. But I think what we're seeing now is a reaction to years of bullshit that has happened unchecked. We have lost our ability to have polite or productive discourse because for years the idea of even having a discourse at all has been shut down.

Dude, you're making shit up out of thin air? Where did I say that ALL Trump supporters are racist? (Hint: I never said that.)

Sheltered life? Child please. You know nothing about me, where I've been, where I've lived, or where I've worked. I've dealt with racism before, but I explicitly said I have never dealt with the BLATANT (in all caps because I knew someone like you would try and get it twisted - but you still missed it) racism like I am dealing with today.

And I never said that Trump coming to power all of sudden triggered racism. C'mon, do better. I have maintained from the beginning that Trump coming to power has made it perfectly acceptable in many of his supporters' views to be openly racist - online, in your face, wherever, and that is fucked up.

And I know how racist ALL types of people can be. It's sad. But not since the 50's and 60's has it been so acceptable to be overtly racist. We should be better than that.

 

[GoIrish41]

Dude, you're making shit up out of thin air? Where did I say that ALL Trump supporters are racist? (Hint: I never said that.)

Sheltered life? Child please. You know nothing about me, where I've been, where I've lived, or where I've worked. I've dealt with racism before, but I explicitly said I have never dealt with the BLATANT (in all caps because I knew someone like you would try and get it twisted - but you still missed it) racism like I am dealing with today.

And I never said that Trump coming to power all of sudden triggered racism. C'mon, do better. I have maintained from the beginning that Trump coming to power has made it perfectly acceptable in many of his supporters' views to be openly racist - online, in your face, wherever, and that is fucked up.

And I know how racist ALL types of people can be. It's sad. But not since the 50's and 60's has it been so acceptable to be overtly racist. We should be better than that.

Make America Great Again

 

[NDinL.A.]

ND I am sorry you had to face that especially in front of your son. I am also surprised it took so long to have such an experience. Based on personal experience, I can also tell you the sh!t goes both ways and this has been occurring way before Trump ever came onto the scene.

While in my 30's (over a decade ago) I meet a girl while out and we started dating. She was Hispanic and I am white. This was one of the best connections, but it was never gonna work. Why???? Her family would not accept her dating a "white guy." She lived at home with her parents and I was never able to pick her up at the door because her family was not allow the relationship. She walked to the corner where I would pick her up. It was very sad. No she was not married and cheating, blah, blah. I did meet her siblings while out, but the parents were who we mainly had to hide from. Sad thing is I still wonder what could have been if not for the parents nonacceptance.

She also told me she liked to date white men because they treated her with respect.

Dude, we can be just as bad, believe me. So I feel you. It's more the parents to be honest. Old school parents. An Asian girl in HS had to go around her parents to date me. I once took this white girl out - but she wanted to drive; I didn't find out until later that her parents wouldn't have approved lol. And I know Latino parents can be just as bad.

The newer generation of kids growing up aren't like that IMHO. They've been around all different kinds of people, so race isn't as big a deal to younger people (generally speaking, of course). 22 years of being in around young people in education, from kids to college - that's my experience anyway. Hopefully it's true.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

The Week's Michael Brendan Dougherty just published an article titled "Why I'll Miss Obama":

When President Obama dropped the mic at his last White House Correspondents Dinner, it was the first time I realized how much I would miss him. "The end of the republic has never looked better," he joked that night. At least he knows the republic should be mourned, I thought. That's something.

There's more to it, of course. On the issues I care most about, Obama kept things from becoming truly terrible.

When Obama passed his somewhat shambolic health care reform, it was an amazing feat. It took every greased palm and kickback. And it cost the Democrats their congressional majority. But somehow, Obama was able to save the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance from single-payer or market-oriented reform. It didn't matter that this relic of a deduction is over 80 years old, or that it was conceived as a loophole to FDR's wage and price controls, or that it makes any rational reform of America's health care politically or fiscally impossible. Obama saved it. I suppose by doing so he saved the last link to market-provided health-care. The worst link possible, but still.

Or how about the culture wars? Supreme Court arguments revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services instituted ObamaCare's contraception mandate precisely to highlight how unpopular my own religion's tenets on birth control are and to prod Republican politicians into talking awkwardly about IUDs and rape. It was a mean-spirited thing to threaten nuns and religious schools with crushing fines to get a little advantage over the GOP. And yet, it could have been worse.

And likely, soon it will be. The Clintons had a way of dealing with religious conservatives whose politics they didn't like; they portrayed them as a violent criminal conspiracy and used anti-mafia RICO laws to bankrupt them. The Obama era will be remembered as a relatively peaceful time in the nation's culture wars.

Obama's foreign policy has been a disaster end to end. He has expanded the dubiously legal, certainly immoral drone war. He put more troops in Afghanistan, and it's hard to say what they accomplished. He keeps returning American forces to Iraq, reopening the very disgraceful chapter of American life that he was elected to close. Even though Obama touts his decision not to intervene in the Syrian civil war as his bravest decision in office, the truth is that Obama's CIA and Pentagon have each been arming different factions in the Syrian civil war, and sometimes they fight each other. At least that's creative.

Obama also knocked over Libya's government, ultimately making that space safer for ISIS. He has implicated America's honor and power in the slow starvation and destruction of Yemen, at the behest of our Saudi allies. Basically, Obama's foreign policy has empowered the most evil men in the Middle East, further sullied our nation's name in history, and generally been the sort of unjust enterprise that would normally call down divine chastisement on our country. In other words: very presidential.

Clearly Obama is ashamed about this, to some degree. He leaks out his "frustrations" with Saudi allies to sympathetic outlets. He gives a long interview in which he charmingly pretends to have implemented the wisdom of the foreign policy he campaigned on. I'm sort of thrilled that this level of misrule is accompanied by even a tiny bit of self-awareness.

And yet, I can't help but think that if Obama were not president, American foreign policy would be even worse. Given his rhetoric over the past eight years, it seems clear his 2008 Republican rival John McCain might have sent 20,000 ground troops back to Iraq to fight ISIS, and then another 25,000 ground troops to fight as ISIS allies in Syria. Although, there's a chance we would have been relieved of that particular shame by now, since President McCain might have gotten America vaporized in a thermonuclear exchange over the integrity of Ukraine's border. When you put it that way, I guess we should be glad at the relatively middling trail of human dead and the overall manageability of the geostrategic disasters Obama bequeaths to us.

But we have to close the book on this era of meh-feelings. We have to contemplate America after Obama. An America where a debauched liar's foreign policy includes dipping bullets in pig blood and sending octogenarian billionaires to renegotiate trade with China. Or where a desiccated liar's domestic policy is dictated by the speaking fees it will generate her family's globalist grifting scheme, with the aim of making herself an octogenarian billionaire.

Obama, don't leave me. I'm going to miss the America of beer summits and Joe Wilson shouting "You lie." They weren't the best of times, but they weren't the worst of them either.

 

[Emcee77]

The NYT's David Brooks published an article yesterday titled, "If Not Trump, What?":



And the NYT's Ross Douthat published an article titled "Give Us A King!":

Tons of great stuff in both pieces. This was my favorite part, from the Brooks column:

That means first it’s necessary to go out into the pain. I was surprised by Trump’s success because I’ve slipped into a bad pattern, spending large chunks of my life in the bourgeois strata — in professional circles with people with similar status and demographics to my own. It takes an act of will to rip yourself out of that and go where you feel least comfortable. But this column is going to try to do that over the next months and years. We all have some responsibility to do one activity that leaps across the chasms of segmentation that afflict this country.

If I've learned anything from the rise of Trump, it's that the bourgeoisie has just generally lost touch with all the many millions of people who don't travel in the same social and professional circles. It's not just the 1% ... there was a NYT article last week about how the top 20% of the income distribution is separating from the rest of the country educationally and geographically as well as by income. The old political coalitions just don't work anymore, and our political and media elites were totally blindsided. Why? Because too few people in those political or media elites (not to mention business and economic elites) actually know anyone who isn't college-educated (2/3 of this country isn't) and from a similar socioeconomic background. We don't have friends or even neighbors who are different from us any more.

I don't know how to fix that, but if we all made an effort to take "some responsibility to do one activity that leaps across the chasms of segmentation that afflict this country," it might be a start.

 

[Emcee77]

The Week's Michael Brendan Dougherty just published an article titled "Why I'll Miss Obama":

Right, another good piece. Reminds me of David Brooks's column from a few months ago (apologies if it is already in the thread):

As this primary season has gone along, a strange sensation has come over me: I miss Barack Obama. Now, obviously I disagree with a lot of Obama’s policy decisions. I’ve been disappointed by aspects of his presidency. I hope the next presidency is a philosophic departure.

But over the course of this campaign it feels as if there’s been a decline in behavioral standards across the board. Many of the traits of character and leadership that Obama possesses, and that maybe we have taken too much for granted, have suddenly gone missing or are in short supply.

The first and most important of these is basic integrity. The Obama administration has been remarkably scandal-free. Think of the way Iran-contra or the Lewinsky scandals swallowed years from Reagan and Clinton.

We’ve had very little of that from Obama. He and his staff have generally behaved with basic rectitude. Hillary Clinton is constantly having to hold these defensive press conferences when she’s trying to explain away some vaguely shady shortcut she’s taken, or decision she has made, but Obama has not had to do that.

He and his wife have not only displayed superior integrity themselves, they have mostly attracted and hired people with high personal standards. There are all sorts of unsightly characters floating around politics, including in the Clinton camp and in Gov. Chris Christie’s administration. This sort has been blocked from team Obama.

Second, a sense of basic humanity. Donald Trump has spent much of this campaign vowing to block Muslim immigration. You can only say that if you treat Muslim Americans as an abstraction. President Obama, meanwhile, went to a mosque, looked into people’s eyes and gave a wonderful speech reasserting their place as Americans.

He’s exuded this basic care and respect for the dignity of others time and time again. Let’s put it this way: Imagine if Barack and Michelle Obama joined the board of a charity you’re involved in. You’d be happy to have such people in your community. Could you say that comfortably about Ted Cruz? The quality of a president’s humanity flows out in the unexpected but important moments.

Third, a soundness in his decision-making process. Over the years I have spoken to many members of this administration who were disappointed that the president didn’t take their advice. But those disappointed staffers almost always felt that their views had been considered in depth.

Obama’s basic approach is to promote his values as much as he can within the limits of the situation. Bernie Sanders, by contrast, has been so blinded by his values that the reality of the situation does not seem to penetrate his mind.

Take health care. Passing Obamacare was a mighty lift that led to two gigantic midterm election defeats. As Megan McArdle pointed out in her Bloomberg View column, Obamacare took coverage away from only a small minority of Americans. Sanderscare would take employer coverage away from tens of millions of satisfied customers, destroy the health insurance business and levy massive new tax hikes. This is epic social disruption.

To think you could pass Sanderscare through a polarized Washington and in a country deeply suspicious of government is to live in intellectual fairyland. President Obama may have been too cautious, especially in the Middle East, but at least he’s able to grasp the reality of the situation.

Fourth, grace under pressure. I happen to find it charming that Marco Rubio gets nervous on the big occasions — that he grabs for the bottle of water, breaks out in a sweat and went robotic in the last debate. It shows Rubio is a normal person. And I happen to think overconfidence is one of Obama’s great flaws. But a president has to maintain equipoise under enormous pressure. Obama has done that, especially amid the financial crisis. After Saturday night, this is now an open question about Rubio.

Fifth, a resilient sense of optimism. To hear Sanders or Trump, Cruz and Ben Carson campaign is to wallow in the pornography of pessimism, to conclude that this country is on the verge of complete collapse. That’s simply not true. We have problems, but they are less serious than those faced by just about any other nation on earth.

People are motivated to make wise choices more by hope and opportunity than by fear, cynicism, hatred and despair. Unlike many current candidates, Obama has not appealed to those passions.

No, Obama has not been temperamentally perfect. Too often he’s been disdainful, aloof, resentful and insular. But there is a tone of ugliness creeping across the world, as democracies retreat, as tribalism mounts, as suspiciousness and authoritarianism take center stage.

Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance that I’m beginning to miss, and that I suspect we will all miss a bit, regardless of who replaces him.

It is a little ridiculous to praise a president for having these qualities; this should be lowest-common-denominator stuff. But it appears from the current presidential race that that's not the case.

 

[dales5050]

Dude, you're making shit up out of thin air? Where did I say that ALL Trump supporters are racist? (Hint: I never said that.)

Words matter. They both state facts and make implications.

Did you not tell a story and say - NEVER have faced blatant racism before Trump came to power. and then close with Ladies and gentleman, Trump supporters! ?

(Hint: You did.)

You then go on to say - All from Trump supporters, never from Cruz supporters - which again is painting a picture.

Which is why I said painting all Trump supporters as racist. You are obviously trying to paint a picture that Trump supporters = racist.

Sheltered life? Child please. You know nothing about me, where I've been, where I've lived, or where I've worked. I've dealt with racism before, but I explicitly said I have never dealt with the BLATANT (in all caps because I knew someone like you would try and get it twisted - but you still missed it) racism like I am dealing with today.

And I never said that Trump coming to power all of sudden triggered racism. C'mon, do better. I have maintained from the beginning that Trump coming to power has made it perfectly acceptable in many of his supporters' views to be openly racist - online, in your face, wherever, and that is fucked up.

And I know how racist ALL types of people can be. It's sad. But not since the 50's and 60's has it been so acceptable to be overtly racist. We should be better than that.

First off it's never acceptable to be racist, let alone, overtly racist.

What has changed is the uptick of racism against white people. In the last 5 years or so it has become more and more acceptable for Mexicans and Blacks to be openly racist.

You have groups like La Raza and Black Lives Matter who are extreme and vocal about their hatred for 'white people'. The reaction to this is three fold:

- The people who were already overtly racist are the same. Maybe that shitbag of a woman was in this group.

- The people who were already racist but kept their opinions to themselves have possibly evolved to this shitbag of a woman who said those things to you and your kid.

- The people who were not racists and were mostly indifferent are now finding themselves having a growing resentment against Mexicans and Blacks.

It's the 3rd group that has been growing for years. Frankly, the growth here is 100% understandable. Trump is not responsible for these feelings and opinions. Trump running for office, however, has helped bring a spotlight to these reactions.

 

[wizards8507]

Tons of great stuff in both pieces. This was my favorite part, from the Brooks column:

If I've learned anything from the rise of Trump, it's that the bourgeoisie has just generally lost touch with all the many millions of people who don't travel in the same social and professional circles. It's not just the 1% ... there was a NYT article last week about how the top 20% of the income distribution is separating from the rest of the country educationally and geographically as well as by income. The old political coalitions just don't work anymore, and our political and media elites were totally blindsided. Why? Because too few people in those political or media elites (not to mention business and economic elites) actually know anyone who isn't college-educated (2/3 of this country isn't) and from a similar socioeconomic background. We don't have friends or even neighbors who are different from us any more.

I don't know how to fix that, but if we all made an effort to take "some responsibility to do one activity that leaps across the chasms of segmentation that afflict this country," it might be a start.

It's an interesting premise... a type of national gentrification. But I want to push back on the implication that it's somehow the fault of the 1% or the 20% or whatever percentile you want to draw the line at. People who succeed don't succeed to get away from the people who don't. They (dare I say "we") succeed by making good decisions because they're the right decisions to make. Most of us don't succeed by greed, we succeed by accident. The thing I really can't figure out is that it's remarkably easy to be successful, which doesn't seem like it should be the case. Common sense would dictate that routine, ordinary decision-making should put you somewhere around the 50% range, but routine, ordinary decision-making will actually put you well into the upper-middle socioeconomic classes. My father is a factory worker with no college education and my mother is an administrative worker with a degree she earned in her 40s and they're well into the 25th percentile of household income. Two schoolteachers making $43,000 each are also in the 30th percentile. What the hell are the other 70% of people doing when two schoolteachers outearn them?

ETA: Obviously, that's a rhetorical question. What the other 70% of people are doing is getting divorced, getting pregnant at 16, dropping out of school, gambling, drinking, burying themselves in debt, and refusing to work hard.