The next elections (2018/2020)

so what part of this is not a normal presidency?

 

Oh now, don't get personal, keep it clean.

Every little bit does not necessarily help. Some little bits are interpreted as what they are, useless whining, fit to be ignored. Your 401K was created for leverage, you're a pawn for having one. But so are most of us. Instead of demanding real pensions, we let the "Greatest Generation" lie about our future while guaranteeing their own.

Be cool or be cast out.

 

I agree with you fully.

The problem is that the damage and loss of jobs caused by free importation has taken 2 decades to trickle so much money out that the situation is near crisis point. Will people accept the fact that it will take at least a decade to rebuild and restructure the country before the real benefits are felt.

All the rubbish about cosying up with Russia prior to the election made the parties look like petulant children who had lost their sweets. To any right minded person, an amicable relationship with Russia is vital to allow Trump to concentrate on getting America back on the road to financial recovery.

 

Right - to save the people from electing a demagogue. What is the contemporary pulirse given we’re unwilling to use the EC as it was intended?

 

I would have much preferred Hillary, but Trump has brought out a special breed of left wing nutjobs as his haters.
I'm not talking about here, but in the media, and in politics

I'm not Trumps biggest fan, but some of the anti-Trumpers, oi vey

 

You know what. You bring up an excellent point. I am not a Trump fan. Didn't vote for him. But since he got it, you're right, the left have shown a new flavor of showing their character. They are gonna STROKE out by 2020. And I think that Trump if he is still there, will get more votes than ever.

 

The whole package. A difference in degree is a difference in kind. Yesterday, at the Pennsylvania rally, he praised authoritarian dictators, including Duterte's encouragement of vigilantes shooting drug dealers on sight without trial That's far out of the mainstream. The latest poll shows that an overwhelming percentage of Americans think Trump is the worst President since World War II. Trump's newest approval ratings show he's still loved in these U.S. states Historians rank him last in a survey of presidential greatness. His polls are still hovering around 40%. So what part of this is a normal presidency?

 

That's such a good question. I'd also ask what has been "normal" about the presidents we have had going back to Carter. And by what measure do we establish normalcy at all? Really, what qualifies a president as good or bad?

And I don't mean to be asking how well the president is "liked". I haven't actually "liked" any of the presidents, including the current one. But then, I don't expect the position to be based on popularity. I'd hope the REAL measure of a president would be based on accomplishments that make life better for Americans.

I would expect the same of any leader of any nation. If they can't make life better for their own people, what actual use are they?

 

This thread has me thinking Trump is going to win. I am wondering what he's up to with asking for laws on gun control from Congress. I doubt that's going to happen, but it definitely got my attention. It must have something to do with the vote this year. Maybe if with this stuff on the agenda for Congress people will think they've been heard and therefore don't need to go out and vote.

I think that's the most important thing anyone can do is vote.

 

and better.

I'd go back farther than that. By what measure do we establish normalcy? What qualifies a president as good or bad? I'd start with the basic functions of the office: effectiveness in getting legislation through Congress; pursing sound policies that serve that national interest; and pursuing an effective foreign policy; serving as the president of all of the people and having their welfare at heart, thereby furthering national unity. C-span (2017) identified 10 qualities of presidential leadership: vision/setting an agenda, economic management, effective international relations, crisis leadership, moral authority, administrative skills, relations with Congress, public persuasion skills, pursuit of equal justice for all, and performance within the context of his time.Methodology | C-SPAN Survey on Presidents 2017 That seems like a pretty good list of criteria. No president has been perfect in every area; some (G.W. Bush and Nixon come to mind) have been egregiously deficient. But even they are looking better and better by comparison to the incumbent.

Presidents have been ranked by several surveys of historians and political scientist of all political and ideological persuasions using these and similar criteria. C-Span Presidential Rankings (2107); Total Scores/Overall Rankings | C-SPAN Survey on Presidents 2017 Ridings, Ranking the Presidents (2000); Maranell, "The Evaluation of Presidents", J. American History, 57 (June, 1970), pp. 104-113; https://sps.boisestate.edu/politicalscience/files/2018/02/Greatness.pdf.
There seems to be considerable consensus on the tops: Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson,Theodore Roosevelt,Dwight Eisenhower,and Harry Truman. Also general agreement that the worst would include James Buchannan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, Warren Harding, and John Tyler. In the C-Span survey, of the "presidents going back to Carter": Carter # 26; Reagan #9; George H.W. Bush #20; G.W. Bush #33, Obama # 12. We could throw in Ford #25, LBJ # 10; (I'd rank him much lower) and Nixon # 28. The C-Span Survey did not rank Trump, but Trump was included in a 2018 survey by Rottinghaus and Vaughn of 170 political science experts on the presidency.https://sps.boisestate.edu/politicalscience/files/2018/02/Greatness.pdf We have: LBJ #10 (way high, in my opinion, but he did give us the Civil Rights Act and certainly knew his way around Congress); Nixon #33; Ford #25; ; Carter #26; Reagan #9; G. H. W. Bush #17; G.W. Bush #30; Obama #8; and Trump #44--dead last, beating out Buchanan for the worst of the worst. Republican and Conservative political scientists gave Trump a slightly more favorable rank of #40)--just above impeached President Andrew Johnson. Trump has done nothing to lead me to think he'll "make life better for American--even his own base. Of all our Presidents, Trump seems to be President mainly of his base--some 35%-40% of adult Americans. And that's not normal.

 

Mustn't forget Clinton, although I'd like to. He ranked 15 in the C-Span historians rankings and 13 in the Rottinhaus and Vaugn poitical scientist ratings.

 

Doesn't really matter who wins that seat in Pennsylvania, they do it again in November. It's really about bragging rights.

If I ever run for public office, remind not to ask for trump's support. What an idiot. He spent the whole time talking about himself.

 

Staci Dash is running for Congress
I like her so far

 

Trump has soured me on celebrities running for office, but for now I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt.

 

She's a total betty but someone needs to tell her this is California, not Kentucky! Ugh, as if!

 

She has nice stems.

 

I was arguing for it a lot, but didn't actually thought it would happen then. In fact, hardly any american on here would agree with me about voting third party but Meli. But I am really pleased to see a lot more are coming around already! and yes, also suprised, because there really were almost none who saw the use of voting that way earlier.
A lot would even state to see more use in not voting at all (to give a signal to the government they're not falling for politics lol)

But most would just vote for the turd sandwich or giant douchebag, or better said: against the other one. Quite hopeless. Especially because there actually are third party options that may suit someone's principles far better.

You know what they say (and often rings true) : when you hit rock bottom the only way is up. You're finally near rock bottom (this is actually ment to sound positive)

 

It is unlikely at this point how much the US economy will benefit from this. China and its often cheap produce was not the only nation subject to these tarrifs. EU steel industry for example as well, which as i understand has the superior quality. But what's far worse for the US economy is that EU will not just take these tarrifs and accept it. They will return the favor on american export to here. US may hope to break even on this decision in the end. This is essentially basic stuff where it comes to international economies and Trump was informed by it by one of his advisors. Who left after his decision, because yeah, she learned the hard way its pointless advising such an ignorant and stubborn dumb fuck. Ah well, on the positive side: experience is the best teacher and now americans can learn it the hard way as well.

Anybody knows, how weird it may still seem, that Kim Jong Un deserves the most credit for that.

The only reason i see him getting another term is that a big amount of his voter base merely vote against the other big party again (and of course when a lot of people who voted Democrat, in order to vote against him and the Republicans, would follow their principles instead of going for a win (didn't happen last time, hope they learn) or better said going for a maintaining of the status quo). I'm sure he could still attract a lot of votes though, if a significant amount of americans will again not vote, and another big part remains unaware of how useful voting third party could be (esp. if a big majority of displeased voters would actually do so!). I understand a lot want their vote to 'win' though, and therefor keep voting on one of the big 2 parties, even if they shit on both of them themselves too. Voting 'the lesser evil' when there's a third option... its not just politics that are guilty of the status quo that way.

 

Doesn’t the Netherlands have several major political parties?