I can tell you that neither Trump nor Vance will do what Trump promises. I can also say the same for Harris or Walz. An election stump stop is basically a pep rally to get your base out to vote. They tell us what we want to hear, get everyone jacked up for a great future. Then on January 20th you get the Dallas Cowboys.
Trump had no real interest in getting Hillary Trump has 2 modes. 1. He will say or do anything to be elected. Alot of it he doesn't give a rat's ass about. Locking up Hillary was one of them. Some of these are political footballs and carrots on the stick. Like Abortion. Democrats and Republicans used it for decades to mobilize their bases. Either of them could have solidify it's position in law at any time .. . . but they never did because it was too valuable a political coin to spend. Trump Spent it. Now they have to find something else. Demos dangling it after the new normal is not as powerful as they thought it would be and republicans have moved on. 2. Trump is petty A.F.! He *will* get his enemies. Honestly he has far more WINS than LOSSES during his time in public eye or office He has the courts. IMO - He has the will to make Project 2025 happen Not that he cares about any of it. . . but those who do will line his pockets richly to have it done and one thing we know about Trump is . .. HE LOVES MONEY!!!!! He also loves having his *ss kissed. So he will make all his enemies bend the knee or else. I seriously don't know why you doubt this man. He will talk the talk but behind closed doors he will be walking a different walk and eventually all will be revealed. Rocket River
I think this is a fair retort to that point; however, I don't think any of those who have quit or been fired have come out to say "Kamala Harris is unfit for president."
Biden picked Harris partially because he thought she was weak enough to not usurp power from him. Biden was wrong, but mostly because of his mental decline. Trump picked Vance partially because his kids like him, but doesn't consider him a threat. I think Trump is wrong there. I think Vance is savvy enough to take chair from Trump before the term is over, but there's too many factors that impacts when that happens. Trump is more power, reaction, and of course, ego. Vance has a much clearer picture of what he wants for America. Internationally, that means isolationism.
Alot to unpack here (except for your correct take on the Cowboys). The thing with Vance and the Trump relationship/dynamic is that Vance is basically a proxy for Elon Musk and Peter Theil. He is their guy there to represent their interests. So if there's a break with Vance (and there will be because Trump falls out with everyone except Stephen Miller), it'll be more likely to have to do with Elon Musk than JD. There isn't enough space in our universe for two egos the size of Elon and Trump. Much less the very cramped White House. Either way it'll be the United States of Elon or the United States of Trump because of the newfound dictatorial powers bestowed by the Supreme Court. So take your pick, but it cannot be the United States of Trump AND Elon. Those two are destined to have a falling out, and ALL OF US will be the victims. (My theory is that JD/Elon/ etc. all believe Trump will only be an active President for about a month then he'll retreat to Mar A Lago the rest of his life and the only thing they'll have to do is just interpret to the media his tweets). ... To your point about Walz and Harris, I think you gotta be careful there to equivocate. Yes... a Harris admin won't be able to do everything she is promising..... BUT that is because a Harris admin will be operating under the normal rules of a Democracy. Meaning she will have Republicans in Congress and jackasses like Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema who block everything to serve their own egos & extract power in the Senate. That is normal, and probably healthy for a Democracy to have a normal president who is ambitious, but can't get EVERYTHING through Congress because of the separation of powers. ... The United States of Elon Musk OR Trump situation is completely different. There will be no checks and balances. Even if there is a Democratic Congress, they have the Supreme Court in their pocket to legalize virtually anything they want to do. That is terrifying to me, and COMPLETELY different than the challenges a Harris/Walz admin will have to make due on their promises.
I don't think Thomas or Alito will be pushed out; they'll gleefully retire. Both of their political leanings are obvious and both have explicit affection for Trump that feels atypical. They'll be replaced by Federalist Society judges in their 40s and the Trump Court will dominate our lives for the next 20-30 years. He will have nominated at least 5 of the justices (and maybe 6 if Sotomayor dies). That's astonishing. Considering the degree of polarization in this country and the existence of the Senate filibuster there will be no clear legislative fix to undo whatever "originalist" rulings a Trump Court issues for a very long time perhaps even within our lifetimes. I don't understand why Harris hasn't made this more of a campaign issue. We'll recede from the global stage. Trump will pull out of NATO and remove US troops from South Korea. More dangerous proxies will fill the void (China, in particular) and American influence will mean a lot less around the world. The duality of Trumpism is they want everybody to see their, um, Arnold Palmer, but refuse to practice their "short game". They don't want to put in the work required to have everyone respect their big swingin' dick. Regarding Trump himself I think he'll die in office. He's incredibly old and looks increasingly unwell. I fear for our domestic peace with such an unstable man out for revenge. I won't make predictions because this is an unprecedented position.
If Trump wins... Borders are all closed (except they aren't they'll just gas light supporters into believing they are) All the pets are protected from being eaten by immigrants. The children are all protected (except those forced to attend catholic churches or be fondled by the rapist in chief (he likes them young like his buddy Epstein). The women are all protected. (except those who die because they can't get medical care needed, and those being grabbed by the p***y by the rapist in chief and his incel supporters) All foreign wars are stopped (except they won't be, just more gaslighting)
Two things that still keep me somewhat optimistic is that no President can withdraw from NATO without Senate approval. Second the court can always be expanded down the road and landmark decisions revisited.
They are scared of "the machine". They have little to gain from saying that. People who got fired by Trump know that the other side will reward them for vilifying Trump, and they know there is no way back with Trump. I'm not saying Trump is a great boss or anything (I don't know...but yeah, he is a malignant narcissist and quick to fire people, so, probably not super pleasant), but if you think about who has to gain or lose something from turning against the former boss, it makes sense. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/jul/29/kamala-harris-employees-flee-in-droves-ex-staff-ci/ Ms. Harris hired 49 staffers and retained only four three years later. SEE ALSO: N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper declines to be considered as Harris’ running mate Past employees described a toxic and dysfunctional environment in the vice president’s office that seemed to worsen as Ms. Harris’ approval ratings sank. Office management troubles go back even further in her career. In a Nov. 5, 2019, article, Nevada County (California) Planning Commissioner Terry McAteer said Ms. Harris treated his son and other staffers poorly when he served as her intern while she was the state’s attorney general. “Senator Harris vocally throws around ‘F-bombs’ and other profanity constantly in her berating of staff and others. The staff is in complete fear of her and she uses her profanity throughout the day,” Mr. McAteer wrote. “As Attorney General, Senator Harris instructed her entire staff to stand every morning as she entered the office and say, ‘Good Morning General.’” He said Ms. Harris never once introduced herself to his son, who was instructed “to never address Harris or look her in the eye as that privilege was only allowed to senior staff members.” Mr. McAteer’s son could not be reached for comment and did not respond to an inquiry through social media. The exodus of the vice president’s top aides triggered multiple rounds of news reports questioning whether Ms. Harris could hold a qualified office team together. Some former top staffers have remained silent about her sudden political leap and have not even posted about it on social media. Former spokeswoman Symone Sanders-Townsend fully endorsed Ms. Harris for president but hinted at the difficulties of working for her. She said on MSNBC last week that Ms. Harris is known for “the grilling,” which she said could be an advantage in a race against former President Donald Trump. “Former staff like to refer to it as putting someone on the witness stand,” Ms. Sanders-Townsend said. “She knows how to do that quite well.” Ms. Sanders-Townsend said she once told the vice president, who was often the subject of criticism over her performance, “Ma’am, you might be the last woman I work for because it’s a lot that we got to deal with over in here.” She said outside criticism of Ms. Harris “did not deter her.” Mr. Andrzejewski said Ms. Harris’ vice presidential office is concealing the full roster of employees and their salaries, breaking with past vice presidents and presidents who disclose staff and salaries, all of which are funded by taxpayers. Although Open the Books obtained at least a partial list through congressional records, the Harris vice presidential office has claimed to be exempt and rejected public information requests to provide all the information. Open the Books, in conjunction with another watchdog organization, is preparing to sue for the information. “Kamala Harris is the least transparent elected official in the entire country. We don’t know anyone else that gets to shield their spending,” Mr. Andrzejewski said. Harris staffers, who did not respond.
I actually added Harris and Walz because the house is going republican by most accounts. Tough to get anything passed. Hell, Trump couldn't get bills passed when he had both the house and senate. This country is in ideological gridlock, and no one profits from that. PS F the Cowboys.
The Court can't be expanded without an act of Congress. Republicans, who increasingly represent a minority of the US population but a majority of physical states, will never vote in favor of changing their most powerful and lasting branch of government. The math simply doesn't work to make changes to the court. I fear what will happen if a majority of Americans increasingly has no political influence because a minority party in power has no reason to moderate its positions due to structural inefficiencies within the government itself. I wouldn't be shocked at a NATO withdrawal because to GOP is beholden to Trump and hating NATO is one of his pet issues.
Trump has been the only POTUS to have a net loss (< 2 million) in job creation. when he was fired by the American voters, inflation was higher than when he was hired
the pandemic that Trump ignored/misinformed the public, causing unnecessary delay in the contain the spread it underscores his inconpetence
I can’t wait till next week when King Trump wins and the “end of democracy” and the mental breakdown by the wokes on parade
Getting rid of the filibuster requires the majority party be willing to open that can of worms. The GOP will never do that because it's the greatest tool to prevent popular legislation from passing through the chamber and the Democrats, rightfully fearful of GOP retaliation, are reluctant to pull the trigger. Never forget that the GOP, determined to make Barack Obama a one-term president, began filibustering his executive and judicial nominees at an unprecedented rate. Harry Reid invoked the "nuclear option" of removing the 2/3 requirement to fill these vacancies because of Republican opposition. The GOP, in kind, removed the 2/3 threshold for Supreme Court nominees once they controlled the chamber. The filibuster isn't a law, it's a "gentleman's agreement" that only "works" (if it ever "worked" at all) when both parties are good-faith actors. For as much as I hate the filibuster, I am also reluctant to remove it entirely because today's 51-votes-to-enshrine-abortion-access becomes tomorrow's 51-votes-to-outlaw-gay-marriage. What I do support is filibuster reform, specifically two changes: Return to the "talking filibuster". All senators have to do today is hint they want to filibuster and that's enough to derail any legislation. They literally just send an email saying "I will filibuster this bill" and that's enough. Everyone imagines a "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" filibuster when, in reality, a filibustering senator doesn't have to do anything. At a minimum, they should be forced to stand, talk, and defend their views in front of the Senate. Require 60 votes to sustain a filibuster instead of 60 votes to break one. Right now the email filibuster + 60 votes to break one has created deliberate paralysis in the Senate. If the GOP has 49 Senate votes they will gladly sustain a "filibuster" forever knowing that it can't be broken. Instead, the senator should have to talk indefinitely and senators in favor of perpetuating a filibuster should have 60 votes to keep it going. The Founders did envision the Senate as a chamber of perpetual gridlock, but that's what it is today because of how the filibuster custom has evolved. I really recommend the book "Kill Switch" if you're interested in this.
All of MAGA's political legitimacy depends on Trump being in power and alive. They'll trot him out there like a late-stage Soviet dictator for as long as they have to.
