Trump's First Two Months
You'll have to forgive me for writing this so early, since the tradition is to give a new president 100 days before such an evaluation, but these are not normal times. It's only been two months since Trump took office, but it certainly feels like a lot longer than that. Trump's pace has been pretty frantic during this period, which is the main reason why I decided to take a quick look at how Trump's presidency measures up to his campaign rhetoric.
On some issues, Trump has tried to act but been rebuffed by the simple fact that being president doesn't mean being C.E.O. of a corporation. There are other branches of government which just don't exist in corporate boardrooms, and they occasionally push back against the White House. On other issues, Trump has been figuring out that the real world is a lot more complicated than promising a crowd of adoring fans: "I know how to fix it, believe me!" And on some issues, Trump has already punted the ball far down the road.
Let's take a look at the checklist of Trump main campaign themes, to see how well he's doing in making good on his promises. I've tried to be objective as possible here, and make the attempt at seeing Trump's presidency through the eyes of his own supporters. There's a reason I'm taking this slant on things, which I'll explain in the conclusion.
Build the wall, make Mexico pay for it!
President Trump hasn't built any of his promised border wall yet, but then again it's only been two months. One fact that was almost never remarked upon during the campaign is that there are already roughly 600 miles of border fence on the 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico. So at some point, Trump could claim "almost one-third of border is fenced!" and he'd technically be correct (although any attempt to claim credit for a barrier that was already there when he took office would be laughable).
But Trump will likely get at least some of his promised wall built. It's the easiest thing the Republicans in Congress can toss Trump's way to sweeten any budget they come up with, after all. They'll figure: "Add in a few billion to get a few miles of Trump's wall built quickly, and everybody's happy." So look for Trump to be at least partially successful in building his "big, beautiful wall."
What he will not be successful at, however, is "making Mexico pay for it." That part just isn't going to fly with the Mexican government. The Trump administration already floated an alternative plan -- a border tax on all Mexican imports -- which would not actually tax "Mexico," but rather American consumers. So we'd all be paying for the wall ourselves, in the form of higher prices for Mexican goods (like auto parts, for instance). The question is whether Trump supporters will see higher prices at the store as a win for Trump's wall promise or not.
Rebuild America's infrastructure
This was a huge part of Trump's campaign. It's a key part of Trump's "make America great again," in fact. But apparently rebuilding airports and roads and bridges and all the rest of it wasn't all that important to Trump in the first place. The White House has already announced they're essentially punting on this entire plan until next year. Trump's promise can now be read as: "Make America great again... next year... or whenever I get around to it."
In the budget plan Trump just released, there is one item that might even hit Trump supporters hard in this area. Trump is proposing to slash the subsidies that keep small airports in rural areas open. Routes from smaller cities just aren't profitable enough to sustain minor airports, so this subsidy keeps open the option of being able to fly (without making a multi-hour car journey first) for millions of rural America. Now, it's doubtful if this provision will survive the budgeting process in Congress (each one of those small cities is in a congressional district, after all), but it is telling that Trump's promise to modernize America's airports might instead change to "shutting a whole bunch of them down" -- in areas that heavily supported him. That might be a shock to Trump voters who live there, in other words.
Total ban on Muslims entering the country
This is one where Trump has swung and (so far) missed. Twice. Still, Trump supporters will give him full credit for the attempt. Trump's first Muslim Ban was quickly rejected by the federal courts, and his second one hasn't been fairing any better so far. The first one was so hastily written and so short on details that it briefly caused chaos in the airports (and sparked a huge public protest). After being legally rebuffed, the White House took a little more time (and consulted a few more actual lawyers) in rolling out Muslim Ban 2.0. It has been temporarily halted by federal judges in at least two states, but who knows how the appeals courts will rule?
The thing is, eventually the Muslim Ban will reach the Supreme Court. If the Senate has confirmed a new justice, Trump could eventually win this legal battle. Even if he doesn't, however, this one still has to be seen as a solid win by his supporters. Trump tried his best, in their eyes, and those darn liberal judges interfered with Trump's plans. That's not Trump's fault, they'll tell themselves. At least he tried to follow through on his promise.
If Trump is smart, he'll eventually announce that his "extreme vetting" is now in place, and the entire question of the "temporary ban" will cease to be important, both to him and his supporters. So even if he loses in the courts, he could ultimately wind up scoring a win with the people who voted for him on this one.
Repeal and replace Obamacare
Trump has already proven that he was just flat-out lying on the campaign trail when it came to replacing Obamacare. He made many sweeping and grandiose statements about what his plan would be. He was going to announce it on "Day One," or soon thereafter. But he never did, and he likely never will. This is because he never had his own plan -- he just fooled all his supporters into believing he did.
Whether he's going to pay a political price for any of this remains to be seen. Instead of his own plan, which would "cover everybody," Trump has hitched his wagon to Paul Ryan's bill. The fate of this bill is currently up in the air, but may become clear tomorrow, when Ryan has scheduled a vote in the House.
Ryancare, however, is nowhere near as good as any of Trump's grand promises. It's not even close. Somehow, by passing Ryancare, America would wind up with fewer people insured than if Obamacare were to just be repealed with no replacement. Got that? If Obamacare had never even existed in the first place, then at least one million more people would still have insurance than under Ryancare. That right there shows how incredibly weak the Ryancare plan truly is.
The jury is still out on Trump's promises to repeal and replace Obamacare. If Ryancare fails in either the House or the Senate, Trump is going to immediately distance himself from the effort and blame Republicans in Congress for not following through. If it passes, however, Trump may face a different kind of backlash, since the very people Ryancare hurts the most are the groups that went for Trump in a big way (seniors and people in rural areas, just to name two). So when the reality of Ryancare becomes apparent, these Trump supporters are going to feel cheated, one would assume.
Lock her up!
Trump has mercifully decided not to follow through on this campaign chant. He's largely left Hillary Clinton alone after becoming president (other than his obsession with the outcome of the election), and has instead turned his wrath on Barack Obama instead. This hasn't been particularly effective either, but then Trump will never lack targets to scapegoat and taunt. I mean, there's always Rosie O'Donnell if Trump gets in a pinch, right? Trump supporters probably never really expected to see Hillary behind bars, though, so on this one Trump likely will get a pass.
Jobs, jobs, jobs
Trump painted a pretty bleak picture of the American economy while being sworn in. He spoke darkly of the state of the country in his inaugural address, but now that he's the one who gets to take credit for the monthly jobs numbers, he has proclaimed them accurate.
Trump's viewpoint isn't based in any sort of reality, though. Historically, President Obama turned over the American economy to Trump in better shape than most new presidents have ever seen. The stock market has been booming for years, we're in the middle of the longest uninterrupted job growth period in American history, and the difference between what Obama inherited (800,000 jobs lost per month) and what Trump inherited (200,000-plus jobs created per month) is a net positive difference of over a million jobs per month.
Trump is taking credit for the jobs numbers, even though he doesn't really deserve it. But then again, no president really "creates" or "loses" jobs -- there simply is no magic wand in the Oval Office that creates jobs. But all presidents are measured by the same yardstick, and so far it's been a good one for Trump.
Trump, however, hasn't done anything to create jobs in the future yet, except for his photo-op stunts with a few manufacturing companies (which, even believing Trump's estimates, have resulted in a tiny, tiny fraction of the monthly job growth over either of the past two months). There is also no "Trump jobs bill" moving through Congress. So the jury's really out on how he'll be seen on this front. If the economy continues to do well, he'll get the credit. If there's a downturn, he'll get the blame. It's too early to tell, though.
Cut better trade deals
This is another one that, to be fair, Trump just hasn't had enough time to address. Trade deals take a long time to negotiate. The Trump administration could very well be in such negotiations now, and the public might not even be aware of such negotiations. Whether such efforts are underway or not, nobody could reasonably expect any such deals to be agreed upon in such a short period of time. So the jury's out on this one for now.
Cut regulations
On this issue, Trump is actually following through even if it hasn't gotten much media attention. There's a reason for this -- most regulations are written by departments within the executive branch. So Trump's got more direct control over this than he does for many other of his agenda items. Trump has been trying his hardest to dismantle all things Obama which are under his direct control, and we should all expect this to continue unabated.
There may be court challenges to the more far-reaching rules changes, but even if Trump loses in court, as with the Muslim Ban, he'll likely get credit from his supporters for trying.
Cut taxes
This effort hasn't begun yet -- it is scheduled for later this year. Trump promised to have his own tax-cutting plan, but that may have been just as much smoke and mirrors as his promises to come up with his own healthcare plan. Trump will likely just let Paul Ryan draw up a tax reform bill and then jump on the Ryan bandwagon as it goes by. How successful this effort will be, and what will be contained in the details (beyond massive tax cuts for millionaires, which seems an almost-certainty) remains to be seen. How Trump supporters see such an effort also remains to be seen, especially if most of them get short-changed on the deal.
Cut the deficit/debt
This is perhaps the biggest broken promise yet, even if few have (so far) noticed. Trump loved to rant at campaign rallies about how America was $20 trillion in debt, and he promised he'd not only balance the budget but also solve the problem of the national debt.
To be blunt, he lied. His first budget attempt didn't even try to address the deficit in any way, shape, or form. Nada. Under his budget, the deficit would continue to grow at the same rate as it currently is. Trump provided zero solution to this problem. He didn't even try.
Now, Republicans are famous for hyperventilating about the deficit and the national debt when Democrats are in the White House, while conveniently forgetting the issue even exists when a Republican is in charge. So it remains to be seen whether Trump supporters will even care all that much about Trump's complete refusal to even pay lip service to his promise to balance the budget. Look to the Tea Partiers in Congress when budget time rolls around, though, because they may be the ones making a big stink over the issue -- which would tend to expose the fact that Trump isn't dealing with it at all.
Big-stick foreign policy
So far, Trump hasn't started any wars. That's a relief, but who knows what tomorrow may bring? Trump promised a big, bold foreign policy, with a U.S. military that was so fearsome that other countries wouldn't even attempt to challenge Trump's decrees on how the rest of the world should act at any given time. While it hasn't gotten an enormous amount of attention, some countries have already tested Trump's military resolve. Russia did a flyby of American warships in international waters, and Trump didn't react. North Korea is being as belligerent as they know how (and that goes a long way, with them), and so far the only reaction has been some tough talk (but no actual military action). But then again, it's only been two months. So how Trump will handle foreign policy adversaries still remains to be seen. Trump's doing a pretty good job of annoying longstanding American allies, but that might all be quickly forgotten in a crisis.
Boost military spending
Well, Trump will certainly get high marks on this one from his supporters. His military budget included $54 billion in additional Pentagon funding, so nobody can say Trump isn't trying to make good on his promise to build up the military. Whether he gets anything close to that out of the Republican Congress remains to be seen during budget season, but Trump certainly can't be faulted for failing to live up to this campaign promise.
However, the tradeoffs in Trump's budget are particularly brutal for rural America, since to pay for such a big military boost in spending, Trump has taken a meat axe to a lot of federal spending that actually winds up helping rural areas (such as Appalachia). Trump will likely be spared any political blowback from his supporters on this front, however, since the most drastic of these cuts will never make it through Congress (no matter how Republican it is). Still, for those paying attention, Trump's cuts to programs they benefit from may cause some degree of weakening of support in these areas.
Appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court
Another one where Trump has scored a big win -- and not just with his core group of supporters. Conservatives that have always been wary (or worse) towards Trump all breathed a sigh of relief when Trump's pick for the highest court lived up to their expectations from a Republican president. So Trump will quite likely score a clean victory on this one.
Being presidential
Trump has always promised that he knew how to be "presidential" and we'd all marvel at how wonderful his temperament could be as leader of the country. After two months, this is nothing short of a sad joke. Until and unless his aides ever pry his ability to send tweets from his tiny hands, Trump is going to continue to prove (on a weekly and sometimes even daily basis) that he will go down in history as the least presidential president we've ever had.
To be fair, his supporters seem to love his tweets, though, no matter how ridiculous they are to the rest of us.
To sum up, Donald Trump is so far seen by his supporters as being just as energetic as he promised. He's been doing a lot in the short time he's been in office, and that fact alone seems to gladden his base, at least for the time being.
Most of what he's been doing, however, has been largely symbolic. His budget isn't going to make it through Congress (although, to be fair, no president's budget emerges unscathed from this process, so this isn't just because of Trump). He's followed through on a number of his promises, or at least made an honest effort to do so. He has completely ignored others, or even embraced exactly the opposite of what he promised -- as he's now doing with Ryancare. And it's only been two months, so he's also got a lot of "incomplete" marks on his report card.
The big unanswered question is how Trump will deal with setbacks and outright failures. So far, the signs don't look particularly good, as shown by his reaction to federal judges smacking down his Muslim Ban. But that's going to pale in comparison to how Trump handles a big loss in Congress, for example. Or a foreign policy crisis where Trump just has no idea what to do.
Such failures are inevitable for any president, and especially so for Trump. His campaign was so breathtaking in the sheer amount of sweeping campaign promises made that he's sure to disappoint on a number of key issues. What those issues are is beginning to get clearer, but until Trump faces a real failure nobody really knows how he'll react. This may start to become apparent tomorrow, if Ryancare fails to pass the Republican House (even if the vote is just indefinitely postponed).
If, in such a situation, Trump begins to flail around and do nothing more than rant and rave and point the finger of blame outward at anyone other than himself, how will his supporters (and the public at large) see his reaction? Perhaps the first few times this happens Trump won't lose many core supporters, but by the third or fourth time even Trump voters may get tired of it. But that's just speculation -- this question will remain open for the time being.
One thing Trump hasn't done in his first two months is attempt any sort of outreach to Democrats. This has resulted in Democratic voters overwhelmingly disapproving of Trump. He's not doing much better with independent voters either. But the real measure of Trump's presidency is going to come from his own supporters. So far, his polling remains fairly high among this group, but even this has begun to slip in the past few weeks. Trump won't lose his political mojo in Washington until he begins losing the support of those who voted for him.
With disapproval of the job Trump's doing so high among people who didn't vote for him, and with Trump uninterested in doing anything to improve his marks with this majority of America, Trump started his term with the lowest overall job approval ratings since public polling began. Trump is solely focused on keeping his support strong among his own base, but several of his opening moves on his agenda are almost the exact opposite of what he promised them. And the battles in Congress -- even though controlled by Republicans -- haven't even really begun yet. Trump is not likely to win each and every one of these battles. The real trend to watch is whether his support begins to fade among his core supporters when they start to see Trump breaking (or failing to make good on) his promises. So far, this hasn't yet happened.
But it's only been two months, after all.
-- Chris Weigant
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
I think you left out Trump's budget attack on Meals on Wheels' that could end the program in many areas and result in a large number of Trump supporters going without!
That one shocked a lot of his elderly supporters!
The biggest problem with Trump's first two months is that he has lied so often and created discourse out of thin air for unknown reasons that now we can never be sure that if an actual threat to our nation occurs, we would believe him. That is the scariest thought.
CW-
Interesting report card...
My only real knock is that you didn't point out that unlike other presidents, Trump, can actually create jobs, with amplification.
If Trump and his family were actually to bring the manufacture of all of their products back to the US and practice his mantra of "buy American, hire American" he would probably create only three or four thousand jobs tops. The big payoff however would be in the other associated industries that go into his products. Jobs would be created in paper products for packaging, container manufacture for his hotel amenities, jobs in Graphic design, Photography, and printing, as well as the trucking and logistics jobs that support trucking, not to mention the jobs in US ports that would be supported as well. A majority of these jobs are the very type that he bemoaned the decline of and promised to bring back, in regions that would benefit his support base directly.
If he can go out and take credit for a few hundred jobs saved here and there, why isn't he going big and practicing what he preaches?
On another note, I find it somewhat ironic that Trump winery has applied for permission to use the H2A visas... Which requires you to certify that there is a shortage of "domestic workers" that want the jobs....
That seems like a fairly good and objective report card. As you say, many of his early moves may be unpopular with the liberals and the commentariat, but they look good to his base (Supreme Court, Muslim Ban, acting Unpresidential but very Trump).
I am not yet convinced that any downturns in his apparent success rate will turn his base away from him. To start with, we're already talking about maybe a 33% segment of the population, which is already pretty compact. If there's one thing he's an expert at, it's deflecting blame; if there's one truth about human nature, that will probably preserve his support among his voters as they begin to feel the sting of budget cuts, tax hikes, worse health care options, and ill-advised foreign adventures, it's that admitting one was wrong is the last thing one should do when confronted with cognitive dissonance.
I will be interested to see if his opportunistic supporters among more 'mainstream' Republicans will stand by him when the nuts begin to get cut. They are not his base; they came along for the ride in the general election, looking for a Republican-in-name-only-if-that's-all-we-can-get-and-gee-damn-Hillary-are-you-kidding-me president who would deliver on the Supreme Court, pass some decent upper bracket and corporate tax cuts, and retrieve the 'it's a fundamentally conservative country' myth. I suspect they hate all this unprofessional BS except that they hated Hillary more, and with Pence as back-up are prepared to bail on the president a lot quicker than his 'base' is.
President Trump hasn't built any of his promised border wall yet, but then again it's only been two months.
Like you said, it's only been 2 months..
Anyone who thinks that the wall could be in place and up in that time frame and blames President Trump because it's not is..
Well, I have been told that pointing out Party enslavement is offensive, but if there ever was bona fide proof of it, THAT would be it..
The paperwork's been drawn up, bids are being placed and materials are being priced.. :D
Interesting to note. The ahem... "government" in California has gone on record that they will penalize any CA company that puts in a bid for the Border Security Barrier... :D
Good old fashioned extortion.. That's what makes California work.. :^/
What he will not be successful at, however, is "making Mexico pay for it." That part just isn't going to fly with the Mexican government.
And, if the Mexican government had a say in the matter, you would have a point... But they don't..
Like the G20, Mexico will dance to America's tune and will smile while they do it...
The Trump administration already floated an alternative plan -- a border tax on all Mexican imports -- which would not actually tax "Mexico," but rather American consumers.
I don't see how you get there from here...
Mexico pays the border tax, not the importers..
Total ban on Muslims entering the country
That was never in the cards and everyone here knows it...
Put another way... Trump had advocated a total "ban" on muslims like Hillary and Obama advocated a "ban" on same-sex marriage and the Democrat Party advocated a "ban" on black Americans...
Good for goose, good for gander...
Trump supporters probably never really expected to see Hillary behind bars, though, so on this one Trump likely will get a pass.
Exactly..
Cut better trade deals
This is another one that, to be fair, Trump just hasn't had enough time to address. Trade deals take a long time to negotiate.
Ahem... I assume you haven't read the reports from the G20 meeting, eh?? :D
To be fair, his supporters seem to love his tweets, though, no matter how ridiculous they are to the rest of us.
Exactly...
Until the Left Whinery can stop attacking patriotic Americans and start trying to understand patriotic Americans, they will never understand what President Trump is all about... :D
One thing Trump hasn't done in his first two months is attempt any sort of outreach to Democrats.
This is simply not factual..
The problem here is that Democrats are acting EXACTLY like Republicans were acting when Obama was first elected..
Ya'all didn't mind THEN that your guy was ignoring the opposition Party.. Matter o fact, ya'all encouraged that your guy "stick it to the Right"...
Even with the Democrat's attitude, President Trump has tried extending his hand to Democrat leadership..
And he pulled back a bloody stump for his troubles..
Democrats were talking impeachment even before President Trump was sworn in...
The Left gleefully watches and muses joyfully about President Trump being assassinated...
No, the Left has set the stage for how this administration will treat the enemy Party...
The Left Whinery has made their bed and President Trump is going to ensure they lie in it..
It's really THAT simple...
Listen,
I think you left out Trump's budget attack on Meals on Wheels' that could end the program in many areas and result in a large number of Trump supporters going without!
That one shocked a lot of his elderly supporters!
Cite??
The biggest problem with Trump's first two months is that he has lied so often
No more than anyone of the Left Whinery
and created discourse
You want to talk about creating discourse?? How about the Left Whinery talking about impeachment even before President Trump is sworn in??
You want to talk creating discourse?? How about talk of assassinating President Trump has become mainstream and acceptable amongst the Left Whinery??
Anyone here condemn that music video where President Trump was assassinated??
Nope... And why?? Because it's Trump so anything and everything is acceptable..
So WHO is creating the discourse???
that now we can never be sure that if an actual threat to our nation occurs, we would believe him.
Oh give me a break...
There's no unsure about it..
President Trump could tell you that ice is cold and water is wet and ya'all wouldn't believe him...
Not sure, my left arse cheek!!! :D
You want to talk creating discourse?? How about talk of assassinating President Trump has become mainstream and acceptable amongst the Left Whinery??
Anyone here condemn that music video where President Trump was assassinated??
Nope... And why?? Because it's Trump so anything and everything is acceptable..
So WHO is creating the discourse???
There's even a #AssassinateTrump hastag, for christ's sake!!!
And TRUMP is creating discourse!?? :^/
There was a very good RCP article I read where it explained how assassinating the President has now become acceptable discussion amongst the Left Whinery..
But damned if I can find it now..
When I try to GOOGLE it, GOOGLE sends me to blurbs about President Trump's press conferences....
Weird....
Woops...
My bust...
You wrote "discourse", but I read "discord"....
How embarrassing.... :D
Well, my point still stands..
Just replace "discourse" with "discord" if you would be so kind.. :D
Trump’s approval rating sucks — according to polls.
These are the same polls that said Hillary Clinton would be in the White House right now. Not only that, but they said Clinton would easily win the presidency.
Even if the polls were now showing Trump’s popularity booming, I’d say the same thing: To hell with the polls.
Pollsters must love these between-election polls because they can report anything and not be proved wrong. It’s when there is an election coming up that they really stick their necks out.
The media, of course, are complicit in the pollsters’ scam. Without the press, the polls would go unnoticed.
So whether Trump’s approval rating is 39 percent or 93 percent, take the numbers with a pillar of salt.
http://nypost.com/2017/03/23/trumps-approval-rating-is-terrible-but-so-are-the-polls/
Exactly...
That's why polls are virtually meaningless..
US code title 18 P1, ch 115, 2381-”Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
US code title 18 P1, ch 115, 2381-”Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
Once again, you are describing perfectly the Democrat Party during the Bush years... :D
Remember how I said before that, if the Democrat Party had a single iota of common sense, they would keep their powder dry on Gorsuch and save their filibuster for a time when it actually might do some good???
And, for the most part, there was universal agreement here in Weigantia on that point...
Schumer says Dems will filibuster Gorsuch
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/23/schumer-says-dems-will-filibuster-gorsuch/
I knew the Democrats couldn't show an iota of common sense... :^/
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/3/23/1646420/-Former-Russian-Lawmaker-and-Putin-critic-shot-dead-in-Kyiv
March 23 (UPI) -- Police in Ukraine suspect a contract killer fatally shot former Russian parliament member Denis Voronenkov on Thursday in Kiev.
Putin is a murderer and Trump's favorite guy. GOP says "whatever works to get us our tax cuts".
History will remember who stood up for America and the American Way at this time of crisis, and who didn't. People will remember.
And Ukrainians will remember who sided with Putin against their freedom. And Lithuanians and Latvians and Estonians will remember -- there were Americans who wanted Putin to be able to take over free countries again. Americans who would kiss Putin's ass in order to be able to do damage to Obama's legacy. Americans who would condemn their fellow-Americans to returning to the old-bad-days before the ACA, just to score some kind of twisted points, to call themselves "winners'.
Scum.
And Ukrainians will remember who sided with Putin against their freedom. And Lithuanians and Latvians and Estonians will remember -- there were Americans who wanted Putin to be able to take over free countries again. Americans who would kiss Putin's ass in order to be able to do damage to Obama's legacy. Americans who would condemn their fellow-Americans to returning to the old-bad-days before the ACA, just to score some kind of twisted points, to call themselves "winners'.
Scum.
Yep.. No bigotry there whatsoever.. :D
History will remember who stood up for America and the American Way at this time of crisis, and who didn't. People will remember.
Yep..
And that guy was President Trump....
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a54078/reverend-barber-paul-ryan-healthcare/
"With all due respect, young lady," Barber said, gently. "We're ministers, and preachers, and rabbis, and we wrote him to meet with him. This is not a game for us. This is not an exercise in futility. People will die. We want to look him in the eye. We want to hold him accountable to the Scriptures. He claims to be a Christian. We know that the number one thing for Christians is healing, to care for others. This legislation is sin. It's immoral. My daughter could die. To think that, if she misses a payment, she could have to pay a penalty to a greedy and sick business society in order to keep her insurance, and she's been sick since she was a year-and-a-half, I need to see … him."
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a54078/reverend-barber-paul-ryan-healthcare/
"With all due respect, young lady," Barber said, gently. "We're ministers, and preachers, and rabbis, and we wrote him to meet with him. This is not a game for us. This is not an exercise in futility. People will die. We want to look him in the eye. We want to hold him accountable to the Scriptures. He claims to be a Christian. We know that the number one thing for Christians is healing, to care for others. This legislation is sin. It's immoral. My daughter could die. To think that, if she misses a payment, she could have to pay a penalty to a greedy and sick business society in order to keep her insurance, and she's been sick since she was a year-and-a-half, I need to see … him."
And for every horror-fear-monger story, there is a corresponding fact as to how bad CrapCare was..
Ya'all didn't care about those Americans who died when they lost their health insurance under CrapCare, right??
So, why care now??
Ahhhh that's right.. Because back then, it was a guy with a D after his name who was killing Americans...
Ya'all don't mind it then... :^/
Remember that time that Con Don said he was the closer and he knew how to make the best deals and people were going to get tired of winning? Well, that was just a load of bullshittery.
No health care vote today. He'll have to come back later and try to work his Art of the Deal magic and screw over the American people some other day... but not today. :)
Oh. My. God. Trump is right this moment talking about how close the health care vote is going to be. Did know one tell the doddering old fool they've postponed the vote?
Winning!
Tea Partiers holding out to get a repeal of the pre-existing condition plank in the ACA. Yessiree, your stinking Tea Party Rep wants insurance companies to be able to go back to charging more if you have a preexisting condition. Ah, the good 'ol days.
The Tea Party pricks may derail the vote, but then Trump will just give them what they want, fucking over the public so he can claim a "win".
Then it will be back to the "moderate" Republicans to be beaten down -- to be convinced to completely screw over their constituents to make Trump look like a "winner".
A combination of utter incompetence, complete ignorance, greed, and sadism: Trump and his GOP.
History will remember. People will remember.
If "moderate" Repubs hold out, good for them. But right now it looks like the hold up isn't the supposed "moderates" it's the sadistic Tea Partiers. They haven't gotten enough flesh yet -- they can't cause enough suffering yet. We'll see.
No health care vote today. He'll have to come back later and try to work his Art of the Deal magic and screw over the American people some other day... but not today. :)
Look how many tries it to Obama and the Democrats to get CrapCare so it would inflict maximum harm to the American people...
Give the GOP some time. They'll get it right.. :D
Give the GOP some time. They'll get it right.. :D
I didn't set their timeline, and the only thing I'd "give the GOP" is the middle finger for what they're planning to do to 24+ millions of Americans in order to give more tax cuts for people who are already well off. It's sickening.
Who knows, maybe they'll actually put together a health care plan like the one Trump talked about when he was going from city to city and sitting up in his ivory tower on his gold throne and lying like a damn rug?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPJfKdp3bDs
I didn't set their timeline, and the only thing I'd "give the GOP" is the middle finger for what they're planning to do to 24+ millions of Americans in order to give more tax cuts for people who are already well off. It's sickening.
And yet, you remained silent when Obama blatantly, unabashedly and continually lied to millions and millions of Americans, just to pass CrapCare..
Your ideological bigotry is showing.. :D
Who knows, maybe they'll actually put together a health care plan like the one Trump talked about
And maybe Obama would have closed Gitmo like he talked about ad nasuem..
You didn't complain about that?
Once again... Ideological bigotry at work...
when he was going from city to city and sitting up in his ivory tower on his gold throne and lying like a damn rug
Sorry, Victoria.. You have absolutely no moral foundation to castigate President Trump for his lying..
When you do so, you are wallowing in hypocrisy...
And STILL nothing about the London terrorist attack???
I tell ya, we should BAN cars!!!
Or, at the VERY least, we should make sure car owners are licensed and forced to carry insurance and that all cars are registered in a central database.. THAT will surely prevent car violence!!!!
Oh... wait.... :^/
Next time ya'all want to denigrate and castigate cops??
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/matias-ferreira-double-amputee-to-join-suffolk-county-police-1.13307522
Think about that.....
michale [25]
And yet, you remained silent when Obama blatantly, unabashedly and continually lied to millions and millions of Americans, just to pass CrapCare..
Your ideological bigotry is showing.. :D
**TRANSLATION: Now's the point in the political discussion where Michale has little else so he deflects to discussion regarding the poster and makes up some BS he couldn't possibly know and then resorts to name calling for doing something he just made up. If a poster responds to Michale's post and calls him on his utter nonsensical BS, he simply responds saying that the poster didn't disagree with someone else and thereby their silence means they agree. This utter nonsensical bullshit is what Michale considers to be political debate. :)
And maybe Obama would have closed Gitmo like he talked about ad nasuem..
You didn't complain about that?
Once again... Ideological bigotry at work...
See **TRANSLATION above.
Sorry, Victoria.. You have absolutely no moral foundation to castigate President Trump for his lying..
When you do so, you are wallowing in hypocrisy...
Sorry, M-i-c-h-a-e-l, but my moral foundation is absolutely great, and how is your moral high horse? <--- rhetorical question requiring no answer whatsoever
I'll continue to castigate PT or any other politician for their lying (or whatever else) on this political forum whenever I desire because they are actually political figures, and discussing politicians and political events is the reason for the very existence of political chat boards. Although my childhood babysitter did go on to become the Governor of Texas, that is as close to holding political office as I myself have ever come... so any discussion about political persons or political events that is deflected by you into a discussion of me personally, bigotry, hypocrisy, and/or moral foundation does NOT exactly qualify as actual political discussion.
Have you ever noticed how you deflect/devolve almost every discussion about politics, political figures, or current political events into simply monotonous utter nonsensical name calling of other posters' ad nauseam? When you do so, you are wallowing in bullshittery. :)
**TRANSLATION: Now's the point in the political discussion where Michale has little else so he deflects to discussion regarding the poster and makes up some BS he couldn't possibly know and then resorts to name calling for doing something he just made up. If a poster responds to Michale's post and calls him on his utter nonsensical BS, he simply responds saying that the poster didn't disagree with someone else and thereby their silence means they agree. This utter nonsensical bullshit is what Michale considers to be political debate. :)
TRANSLATION: I have no logical response to your comments so I am just going to go on a personal attack binge and hope such deflection will cover the fact that I am a Party slave.. :D
Ya'all simply CAN'T answer the hypocrisy so ya'all simply resort to attacks..
Until such time as you can reconcile the denigration of President Trump for the EXACT same things ya'all gave Obama a pass on?? Ya'all will NEVER have any moral foundation..
It's really that simple...
Have you ever noticed how you deflect/devolve almost every discussion about politics, political figures, or current political events into simply monotonous utter nonsensical name calling of other posters' ad nauseam? When you do so, you are wallowing in bullshittery. :)
I wonder if you could fathom how EXACTLY you are describing yourself and your "debate" tactics.. :D
Thereby, once again, making everything about me, personally.. :D
Ya'all wonder why I stick around??
Where else can I find unremitting and undying attention and adulation? :D
michale [29]
TRANSLATION: I have no logical response to your comments so I am just going to go on a personal attack binge and hope such deflection will cover the fact that I am a Party slave.. :D
That is some really insightful projection spewing forth. You should hold that up to the mirror and see how that reflects right back at you. I was discussing your Orange Crush when you deflected to a conversation about me personally. I cannot fathom why you think that doubling down on your personal insults towards me does anything except prove my point.
Ya'all simply CAN'T answer the hypocrisy so ya'all simply resort to attacks..
I was discussing our president when you decided to attack me personally.
Until such time as you can reconcile the denigration of President Trump for the EXACT same things ya'all gave Obama a pass on?? Ya'all will NEVER have any moral foundation..
Do you honestly think that posters have to equally denigrate presidents in order to post an opinion? I'm afraid you're living in a fantasy world of your own making if you think it's your job to police the board and decide who is worthy to post based on whether or not you deem they have "reconciled the denigration."
No poster has to answer to any other poster for anything, least of all you on your moral high horse standing in judgment of everyone else and deeming them worthy or unworthy. This is a political chat board, and no one needs your approval or your pronouncement of worthiness in order to discuss political issues, politicians, or to denigrate your Orange Crush. All anyone needs is a keyboard and an opinion. :)
I wonder if you could fathom how EXACTLY you are describing yourself and your "debate" tactics.. :D
Posters want to express their opinions about our president and his con artistry, finger pointing, lying, conniving, tweeting, and receiving a beating, while you want to deflect that political discussion into a personal conversation about those posters. Now I ask you, if you insist on turning the conversation into one that's frequently personal, why in the world would it surprise you in the least that the conversation turned personal? <---- rhetorical question not requiring an answer
michale [30]
Thereby, once again, making everything about me, personally.. :D
I see people trying to discuss Trump while you police the board and deem them worthy or unworthy to do so. You are the one that devolves the conversation into personal discussion.
Ya'all wonder why I stick around??
Not at all. Your self-delusion is self-limited.
Where else can I find unremitting and undying attention and adulation? :D
1. In your dreams
2. In your delusion
3. In your reflection
4. In your mirror
I see people trying to discuss Trump while you police the board and deem them worthy or unworthy to do so. You are the one that devolves the conversation into personal discussion.
Of course, that's what YOU "see"..
But your view is colored by ur Party slavery, so..... :D
Where else can I find unremitting and undying attention and adulation? :D
1. In your dreams
2. In your delusion
3. In your reflection
4. In your mirror
And in Weigantia...
As your continued comments prove.. :D
michale [33]
Of course, that's what YOU "see"..
But your view is colored by ur Party slavery, so..... :D
Of course that's what you're going to type. It's your pathetic argument that you think qualifies as political debate. I got news for you: Calling a poster a party bigot and a slave over and over and over is not political debate. It more resembles trolling than anything else. Is that how you get your jollies? Hanging out on a political chat board and calling anyone who disagrees with you a party bigot and slave and pretending like that is debating political issues?
And in Weigantia...
As your continued comments prove.. :D
So you think someone answering your post on a chat board is adulation? That explains a lot. Perhaps you've simply forgotten who you're talking to? I've got nothing but pity for you, and this too has been covered. But if you respond to me, I'll respond to you. That's generally how chat boards work, eh? Ignoring people isn't my style... not saying that it might not become my style in the future if you insist on turning posts about political issues into personal arguments about bigotry and hypocrisy. Discussing the issues and not the posters actually does qualify as political debate. You should try it more often. :)