i'm pessimistic too. i let a little optimism shine in only because i didn't want to be giovanni-downer. but regardless of how racist and incompetent he is and how much he breaks the law, he'll still get 60 million + votes.
The only optimistic reading of that is a deep need for political change, borne of alienation and disenfranchisement, that leads to people saying "to hell with it" in the polling booth. I do have a problem with that analysis though; because it comes across as just the kind of patronising academic liberal attitude that the people who voted for Trump were voting against.
::applause:: Yep, yep -- as bad as he is, he won because the DNC insisted on running an equally unpopular candidate. I absolutely 100% believe and maintain that Trump won because people can't stand Hillary.
i don't think they're saying to hell with it. trump voters that is. he speaks to them. this isn't a new fight in america. white and conservative resentment has been going on for a long time. you could say since the end of the civil war, but definitely this current fight is since the end of ww2. he's just adding the additional twist of being crazy and saying whatever is on his mind. there's nothing new or different about the policies he's pursuing.
I can't see how hillary is worse then trump though, honestly one is slightly pro war, with a few fake conspiracy theories about her that only the insane and the terminal stupid would believe, and the other is an unstable child with a fragile ego, who has stuffed the white house full of family and otherwise unsuitable people, Whilst being backed by Russia. At best it was a protest vote (like brexit), at worst slightly less then half your voters are either evil or stupid (or stupidly evil.)
FACT CHECK: 'Muslim Migrant' Beats Up a Dutch Boy on Crutches? Also it looks like the video wasn't a of a Muslim immigrent either.
When you think about what made Trump a really notable candidate it was his explicit appeals to racism and authoritarianism. I think there's a strong tendency in the states right now to make excuses for his voters, as if they held their nose and voted for him out of desperation, but these seem more like features than flaws. I think there's a substantial bloc of voters who really is looking for a strong man - Trump's approval rating is 38.2% still. There's folks out there who just can't wait for him to start arresting his political opponents, reining in the free press, stacking the judiciary, etc., etc. and then there's a substantial group that doesn't have a problem with him doing it, but wish he would stop tweeting. There would be people cheering if he implemented Duterte's policies regarding drug dealers. I was talking with Ero about this recently, but I think for at least the next 50 years or so the Republicans will have a solid lock on the political process, and we're transitioning to a more or less single party system. Stacking the judiciary, gerrymandering the states, engaging in media consolidation and corporatization, well... interesting times ahead. Regardless of whether I'm right or wrong on this count though, the Overton window now means that neo-nazis have a seat at the American political table. They've got a constituency. As bumbling as Trump is, whether he's voted out in three years or not, I wonder how long it will be before someone more canny and competent takes advantage of that.
...and yet they will still talk as if they are the valiant underdogs in a system run by a corrupt liberal intelligentsia. I was watching a Rick Roderick lecture the other day, in which he was saying that the most effective resistance to a system that merely pays lip service to democracy is to pretend you are for everything the government does. The worst statement you can make about a democracy is to be unanimous: Slightly OT, but an interesting idea...
On balance I agree that Hillary is not worse than Trump, but his outsider status counted heavily, so for Trump to win the protest votes they just had to be approximately equally distasteful. And I do think most Trump votes were protest votes, as distinct from, "Well, golly, I really believe he's the best person for the job!" affirmative votes. That is why I believe that Trump can turn his term around in the 3rd year, and win again, if the DNC runs a Hillary clone against him.
I seem to remember that you initially thought he was a good candidate because any change to the system would be welcome. In principle (though not in practice when it comes to voting for Trump) I can sympathise with that.
Trump won nearly as many votes in the 2016 Republican primaries as Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and Marco Rubio put together. Their policies did not significantly differ from his; end the Affordable Care Act, repeal environmental regulations, cut the corporate tax rate, etc. Painting this as simply a lesser of two evils neglects a very real problem with American politics.
Do trump voters in the states not see how much of a poor job he's doing? If not, why is this? What do you think it will take?
My guess is that most of the voters who will turn against Trump have turned against Trump. Like you're asking: what would it take? The biggest push backs I've seen on right wing web sites have come after Trump agreed to talk with Schumer and Pelosi about compromise on immigration.
LOL, well, I'm glad you can sympathize with that! Color me "willful blindness," but I want to believe that every single adult wishes he would stop tweeting, and stop speaking off the cuff. Because objectively -- he looks like a buffoon every time. It's true. I'm usually pretty good at taking the opposite point of view regardless of the subject matter, but, no, I can't do it here. So I have to believe that everyone else sees it, too. I just have to. But but but -- putting aside all that, he's visiting countries that other Presidents didn't. He's talking to other world leaders just like he should. In that arena, we have to give him a nod. He's doing well. And we have to admit that he's genuinely trying to keep his campaign promises about Obamacare, tax reform, and the "wall." And who is shutting him down there? A-ha, it's the evil "Establishment" !!!! I've lost track of how many times the insider, career politician, Establishment Republicans have torpedoed Trump's efforts with respect to Obamacare and tax reform. Seriously now, how can that not play to Trump's fan base? "Down 8, up 9," to borrow a martial arts quote -- Trump keeps getting up and trying again. Just like he promised on the campaign. ::shrug:: We can disagree with the wisdom of these bills, but we have to acknowledge that he's trying to do exactly what people elected him to do. So in that respect, as to foreign policy and Obamacare and tax reform and his wall, he's not doing a poor job. Rather, he's doing an excellent job -- in that respect. So to answer your question, it all depends on what you choose to focus on, or weigh more heavily. ::shrug::
Do you think that his health care reforms, and his tax changes will be good for the average trump voter? Trump is a Republician president, if he can't get laws passed, whilst in control of both houses, that's down to him.
As to the first -- I don't know that enough details have be released for us to judge. (??) I'm not saying that I follow this stuff like a hawk, but what I've heard thus far on the radio hasn't been enough. So I can't answer. As to the second -- half of me agrees with you, but half of me says it's petty revenge for him being an outsider who soundly beat them all at their own game in the primary election to "steal" the Presidency. And yes, that's an insult to the Republican Party as a unit. ::woo::
Do you only get your news from talk radio? The bits I've seen look like it's a terrible deal for low to mid earners and will pretty much stop all PhD students completing their course. (course fees being paid in exchange for teaching will be counted as income) (that's the first semi decent analysis on Google, but it's widely reported Trump's tax plan just got its first brutal review showing how it would benefit rich Americans but almost no one else And the health plan would also be terrible (official analysis) Analysis of Donald Trump's Health Care Plan
Very right wing views are on the rise. Nazis are openly expressing their views and marching in the streets. North Korea is being threatened with nuclear war. Americans are being gunned down daily and yet no change will be made to the gun laws. There's open season on immigrants. Trumps would seem to be doing a great job if you're that way inclined. They'll say "more please!" and vote for him all over again with a big grin on their faces
