Current or modern politics in the United States

[tsunamiSD]

Although the title of this article is The political scientist Donald Trump should read, Most of it talks about the two books written by Frances Lee and how what they say applies in Trump's case.

The implication is that if Trump truly wanted his wall — which was always going to be difficult with a Democratic House that opposes it on both ideological and electoral grounds — he should’ve gone about it quietly, trying to work out a deal behind closed doors that both sides could present as a win.
That’s the crucial thing: Presidents who want to get big legislation done amid divided government have to do everything in their power to avoid making that outcome a win for them, and a loss for the other side. It’s an emotionally unsatisfying form of leadership, but if you care more about the policy than the winning, it’s your best bet.
But Trump cares about the winning. So he’s escalated and escalated, focusing the entire country’s attention on the issue, staking his reputation on winning the shutdown fight and the funding for the project. There’s literally no strategy he could’ve chosen that would’ve made Democratic support for the wall less likely.
Of course, if you believe, as I do, that Trump never really wanted the wall — that he just wants a fight that will fire up his base — his strategy has always made perfect sense. But if he does want the wall, or anything else during the next two years of his presidency, he may want to brush up on Lee’s work and change his strategy. If I might suggest a place to begin, my podcast conversation with Lee is a good introduction to her ideas.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by tsunamiSD

Although the title of this article is The political scientist Donald Trump should read, Most of it talks about the two books written by Frances Lee and how what they say applies in Trump's case.

The implication is that if Trump truly wanted his wall — which was always going to be difficult with a Democratic House that opposes it on both ideological and electoral grounds — he should’ve gone about it quietly,

"Gone about it quietly?"

Is that a joke?

Do you think that there is a single fiber in Trump's bundle of flab which responds to anything by "going about it quietly"?

This is a man who's made his hay by making noise. Non-stop.

When Trump looks at the cards he has

* I'm a billionaire, really
* Kick'em in the balls before they kick you in the balls
* There's nothing wrong with my . . . er . . . "hands"
* I know you are, but what am I
* I have a very good -- what do you call it?- oh yes, brain
* People want to fuck my wife
* Brown people are rapists
* But "they let you do it" if you're a reality TV "star"
* Vladimir Putin thinks I'm terrific
* I have no connection to Russia

Those are his plays.

That's it.

"Get something done quietly" ain't one of them. Its almost comical that someone would suggest it. Its about as likely as Harvey Weinstein chaperoning your daughter's high school dance . . .

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by DTravel

Don't you mean "which side will shut the government down while they have hissy fits more"?

Given that I wrote the above in 2013 and recent events in the US, I'm wondering if I should put "Prophet" on my business cards.

[Devius]

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has denied he was in a racist photo that appeared in his 1984 student yearbook page after initially apologising for it.

Mr Northam, a Democrat, said he recognised that people would find this "hard to believe".

He also admitted blackening his face to impersonate singer Michael Jackson at an event in the same year.

Top US Democrats have called on him to resign. But he says he will stay on.

The picture showed a man in blackface and another man in Ku Klux Klan robes.



Details
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47102614

[Arturo2nd]

Originally Posted by Devius

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has denied he was in a racist photo that appeared in his 1984 student yearbook page after initially apologising for it.

Mr Northam, a Democrat, said he recognised that people would find this "hard to believe".

He also admitted blackening his face to impersonate singer Michael Jackson at an event in the same year.

Top US Democrats have called on him to resign. But he says he will stay on.

Maybe because I'm old I agree with him. Times, standards, and expectations were much different in 1984. Also, some idiot thing a person did in his college days 35 years ago ought not automatically disqualify him today. Most of us learn and grow over the years. His actions were well short of criminal.

I had a black friend who once offered to sell me "100 feet of pre-stretched n*gg*r hanging rope" back in the 1970s. PC folks would do well to lighten up.
Michael Jackson was well on his way in the bleaching process in the mid-1980s and the stories about little boys were just starting to gain currency.
We had a lot of jokes and racists were the butt of many of them.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

Maybe because I'm old I agree with him. Times, standards, and expectations were much different in 1984. Also, some idiot thing a person did in his college days 35 years ago ought not automatically disqualify him today. Most of us learn and grow over the years. His actions were well short of criminal.

Not everything I did or said when I was in my teens or early twenties would reflect at all well on me today if it were to be regurgitated on social media. I do agree that people have to be allowed to grow up and learn from their mistakes. Of course, you need to try to be honest about your past as well and admit to your mistakes; but if you are, then the attempts of your enemies to use your honesty against you are dirty pool and will very likely boomerang back on themselves.

[LadyLuck]

Originally Posted by Brian249x

I am slowly working my way through The Federalist Papers. It is rather humbling to realize that our government is working the way the drafters intended. The interests of small states are balanced with those of the large. House members are churned when the voters are upset with their performance. The Senate acts as a damper, brake, and control on rash House legislation. The president acts like a king in many ways, but finds his powers inferior to those of Congress..The courts are appointed by the president with the vetting by the Senate and structure and funding for them enacted by Congress. The courts remain the interpreter of the law.

I had many of the same revelations some years ago when I went down the same rabbit hole. When we look outside the black and white print of the Constitution to explore the mindset of the framers we get more insight into their intentions. Separation of church and state is a good example. That phrase does not exist in the Constitution but if you read further you realize that true separation of church and state was exactly what Jefferson and others intended. Having left it out explicitly has created problems for two hundred years.

I feel that the vague nature in which parts of the Constitution are written is wise so that the document can remain somewhat flexible in changing times. Still, I suspect that if the founding fathers came back and saw what has transpired they might like to redraft a few sections to be more direct.

[LadyLuck]

On rare occasions I agree with Michael Moore. More often than not I disagree with him. This time he is truly batshit crazy:


https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mic...mocratic-party

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore declared U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the new leader of the Democratic Party, while urging political moderates to take a position because there “is no middle ground anymore.”

“She is the leader. Everybody knows it. Everybody feels it,” Moore said of the freshman congresswoman from New York during a Friday interview on MSNBC.

Moore said the age requirement to run for president - 35 - should be constitutionally amended so that Ocasio-Cortez could make a play for the White House.

I'd vote for Pelosi before I would ever vote for that crazy bitch AOC.

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by LadyLuck

On rare occasions I agree with Michael Moore. More often than not I disagree with him. This time he is truly batshit crazy:


https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mic...mocratic-party

Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore declared U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the new leader of the Democratic Party, while urging political moderates to take a position because there “is no middle ground anymore.”

“She is the leader. Everybody knows it. Everybody feels it,” Moore said of the freshman congresswoman from New York during a Friday interview on MSNBC.

Moore said the age requirement to run for president - 35 - should be constitutionally amended so that Ocasio-Cortez could make a play for the White House.

I'd vote for Pelosi before I would ever vote for that crazy bitch AOC.

I'd vote for Mickey Mouse before either of them.

[bowlinggreen]

Do VEF members think that the current dem trend of really taxing the super-rich is a good idea?

Moore's latest love is solidly behind that.