There was a time when Republicans talked a lot about being fiscally responsible. They even convinced people particularly Republicans that it was a very important issue. I think a minority in the party actually believed it. What if they had actually held to those principles? What if when the economy was rising and doing well they had followed the conservative idea of not giving tax breaks and putting money away or reducing the debt? What if instead of starting and losing a trade war with China, and then taking our tax money and using government funds to subsidize big corporation farming and ranching? What if they hadn't used government funds from tax payers to alter the economy? What if they hadn't given billions in tax breaks to the wealthiest individuals while convincing the modest wage earners that their bread crumb bonuses somehow made it all worthwhile? If they hadn't pulled all of those levers when there was no need, they could have pulled them now. With seasons of sports and March Madness cancelled in addition to all of the music, the film festivals, the Broadway shows, amusement parks, schools, colleges, all being shut down, that leaves thousands of hourly wage workers without income. The people who directed traffic, took tickets, sold concessions, swept refuse, directed parking lot traffic, at all of these events loose their wages. If the money hadn't been squandered Trump could have used the money he wasted on providing relief for these folks. It would have won him the reelection. It would have been something the GOP could have hung their hats on how they served the average American and weren't just the party for the wealthy. They could have stolen thousands from Democratic voter side, possibly for generations. The Republicans who try to pry the support of African Americans from Democrats by asking what have Democrats done for people in those communities,could have championed what they did for voters in that community. It would have splintered the Democratic base. Yet, Trump wasted that opportunity. It is possible that Republicans could still spend even more money we don't have and help their party. But they won't. That's too bad, not just for Republicans but for the economy
I hate to be too optimistic, but I think Biden wins in a landslide. I know I’ll be turning out voters harder than ever before.
Optimism is a nice emotion. I can’t quite figure out if Biden is a closer parallel to John McCain or Mitt Romney, but while he is flawed, at least he isn’t loathed by a large portion of the electorate like Hillary was. I suspect he may have the same issues the aforementioned Republican candidates had - no one liked them enough to come out and vote for them. The only votes Republicans got in those elections were people voting against Obama. On the flip side you have Trump. He generates a lot of hate like Hillary did, and certainly gets a lot of criticism in the media. However, he is wildly popular among his base (95-99% approval rating by Republicans) and only has been growing more popular. Low unemployment numbers and increased workforce participation rates are helping his appeal. The only wild card is COVID-19 and the potential impact on the economy. He is very likely to generate a high voter turnout amongst his base - they freaking love the guy. So...where do you see the Biden landslide coming from?
I agree that republicans are pretty united behind his presidency at the moment. I think you flip a few percent during campaign season when they see the stark contrast between him and Biden in ads, debates, etc. Anti-trump sentiment will be at historic levels among democrats, conversely. I’ve always been a registered Democrat and the few times I’ve gotten to vote on a president it’s been for Obama or Hillary. However I loved 2012 because I thought Romney was a very wise, practical person. We have a republican governor in Arkansas whom I respect greatly. In short, I don’t see all GOP politicians as scum. I try to find good in people, even when I wholeheartedly disagree with their views. Some conservatives are otherwise kind people but harbor ridiculous policy proposals.....I find no such comfort in Donald Trump. He has absolutely zero positive attributes for a presidential candidate. Extremely petty, stubborn, ignorant, and divisive. The way Biden wins is because Independents or semi-Independents such as myself cannot in good conscience vote for such a guy. Trump may be a loving father to his children, but he’s a total nightmare as president.
We have to seize the opportunity and rewrite the rules to protect democracy. Not compromise. Protect democracy so that we can compromise again. As for right now, you can't compromise with evil, stupid and unfit.
I don't know. It is possible. We gave to see what happens in the general election campaign. But Trump and Republicans could have locked it up and helped the GOP and hurt the Dems for generations had they just helped out those that need it most in this time of hardship. It would have also shown leadership that would have brought about all kinds of independents. They just blew it.
Rewrite what rules? What are you willing to do to win? Would you support non-citizens voting? Anything else? If you are talking about supporting democracy, I think the most important things are term limits and removing large money from politics. This last term has exposed a lot of corruption on both sides and it is very concerning. I’d also like to see an end to all foreign aid until we balance the budget, as it helps us fiscally and also helps to minimize corruption, but maybe that’s my inner Canadian coming out? (Non-interventionism)
There was always going to be a demographic shift that would pick up around 2000 and be fully apparent right now in 2020. The other thing was the talk of boomers retiring at the start of 2k. These political changes weren’t expected but it wasn’t surprising either. I think raiding government funding and our future solvency has been a criminal saga for the two parties, except the One party claiming “fiscal responsibility” with their holier than thou high horse has been mostly horseshit with the smear of corruption. No cred. No effort. We deserve as much as we elect or pay attention. It’s not upon our leaders, but the people who put them in power, and the people who choose to stay home or ignore events for whatever reason. If everyone voted, that would truly be “majority rule”. Instead, some people get two to three times the voting power while lazy idiots call the vote “rigged”. If only there was an ironic meme for that...
Biden's purpose is to save the furniture, ie control of the party for the people who currently control the party, if he wins the election, it would be a pleasant but completely unexpected surprise. As people said, no one really hates Biden, sure he has dementia and whoever his VP either ends up president or he becomes more hidden than FDR, but there's also no chance of down ballot issues caused by Biden at all. The republican party though, its "establishment" got crushed by the anti-establishment, because its establishment were completely disconnected from its voters, throwing them the odd wedge issue they never pursued when they got power, whilst they pulled an under the table swifty on stuff that matters, and it's not as though the 2nd placed guy, Cruz wasn't establishment, he's just not an unapologetic bombastic ******* like Trump, the party establishment hated him more than anyone else before Trump came along. I'm a US citizen by birthright, though my mother is the only family member born in the US, my grandfather was a refugee because he committed the crime of working for what would become the CIA during WW2 as he came from an eastern bloc country, i've lived in the US at various times, i was there between 1998 and 2005, after iraq a i made a promise to never vote for that party again while the establishment ran the show, so while i voted for bush in 2000, i didn't for anyone in 2004, and voted for obama in 2012 (i wasn't in the US from 2005-2011, and have been back and forth the last few years) because i despise the establishment cretin that is Romney and what they did to ron paul, i'd rather them hyperventilate about obama for another 4 years. I liked ron paul in trhe same way i like tulsi, not because they'd ever win but because they're actually principled and it's truly sadistic how washington turns people's principles into a vice, to the point that you can only ever get to the pinnacle by being either completely compromised to the point you're owned (see Romney, Mitt, Clinton, both, Bush Snr or Biden, Joe), if your quest for power allows you to compromise to the point you're basically controlled (see Obama, Barack, Bush Jnr) or you're just such an egotistical prick that you don't care if they all hate you and you actually believe you can take them on and win (see Trump, Donald or Sanders, Bernie) And it's not as though Trump's general policies are rocket science, tax and regulation that is pro business, immigration and trade that is pro labor, and both sides have benefited, they didn't do it because they couldn't or because they didn't think it would work, they didn't do it because they all want their seat at the upper class tables and helping regular people gets you disinvited, pretty much every never trumper republican at this point is a DC stooge, that isn't some coincidence either. So when i see people suggest "what the republican party could have been" and refer back to stuff like 2012, i can't help but think that they want is a perpetual opposition party, that runs contrary to their own voters, while they get to sit in power turning america into the shithole that california already is.
Good topic and I've got quite a bit to say on this especially since these days frankly I feel more at home ideologically with never Trump Republicans than I do with many Democrats. I'll try to get back to this later. I've said before a major turning point of the GOP was John McCain's concession speech in 2008. The first 7 minutes of that speech was something that historians should study as a Republican rejecting bigotry and bias while expressing hope in his opponent. Standing next to McCain was Sarah Palin and right there was the transition from the conservative but genteel party to the angry xenophobic Tea Party that has dominated Republicans since.
I'm not sure where you live. But I live in California and don't find it to be a shithole at all. It has problems as do other states, but it has many advantages, and a solid e economy.
No compromise. The republican party, as is, needs to be destroyed. There is nothing there worth saving.
This whole thing is proving to some folks that you can't just have a TROLL President because you are mad at Washington, you need to have a group that is there that is capable of managing difficult situations regardless of party affiliation. DD
I've never been more disappointed in a national politician than in GWB. His whole selling point to me was his ability as Governor to work with both sides and make pragmatic decisions. Then he got elected and I guess let a few other people tell him what to do. It sickens me that I was so wrong.
Well I was against him but when he got elected, I thought at least it was amusing to think of foreign leaders pat him on the head pateonizingly while he pretended to be a cowboy. I thought that was funny and funny and took solace in the idea. I was entertained. Then, I saw how those around him could influence him and how tragic it was. My thoughts that his election was insignificant disappeared in a cloud of dismay.
He was a very good Governor. That's about all you can say about him. Or, as my Granny said in the mid '00s: "Bless his heart, I think he meant well."
The problem is, I don’t think he meant well. He was in the tank with all the bad actors - The banks, the government (massive debt resumed, spying on citizens skyrocketed, abuse of executive orders continued), military supplier companies, the war on drugs profiteers, and globalists.
