Has U.S. Democracy Been Trumped?

[ggwhiz]

Sounds right.

 

Racism has been around forever, and it didn't go away during Obama's presidency. But something definitely seems to have changed since Trump took office -- it's become far more overt. All the 911 calls on black people just going about their normal lives, for instance. The above letter is more of the same.

 

I'm Canadian with close family in Maine. Last year KKK flyers appeared across their neighborhoods and their reaction was to become VERY active in the New Mainers Project helping immigrants and refugees settle in.................. and check out the want ads in New Brunswick.

 

Y'all are risking losing the best you got on Tuesday.

[Winstonm]

David Frum of the Atlantic explains the modern populist:

 

Illiberals and anti-liberals, on the other hand, appreciate the dark energy of human irrationality—not merely as a fact of our nature to be negotiated, but as a potent political resource. People do not think; they feel. They do not believe what is true; they regard as true that which they wish to believe. A lie that affirms us will gain more credence than a truth that challenges us. That’s the foundational insight on which Trump built his business career. It’s the insight on which Trump’s supporters built first their campaign for president and now their presidency itself.

[barmar]

David Frum of the Atlantic explains the modern populist:

It hardly seems like a coincidence that the same psychology also allows people to fall for con games. Everyone knows intellectually "if it seems too good to be true, it probably isn't", but feelings, hopes, and greed win out.

[Winstonm]

It hardly seems like a coincidence that the same psychology also allows people to fall for con games. Everyone knows intellectually "if it seems too good to be true, it probably isn't", but feelings, hopes, and greed win out.

 

I have read that the collapse of the populist demagogue is rapid, almost like sailing into a calm where the ardent supporters grow weary and turn away. Let's hope the time is nigh.

 

I also hope the Democrats can retake the House as it will be humorous to watch Dennison implode as he is faced with a legitimate arm of government that is not in his pocket that has the legal right to investigate him and his administration.

[Al_U_Card]

One of the more interesting elections in at least 2 years ;) Seems like it might be too close to call and end up going either way.

[Winstonm]

In selling you their trickle-down tax plan....

 

"This change, along with a lower business tax rate, would likely give the typical American household around a $4,000 pay raise," Trump David Dennison said in October.

 

Everybody got their raise, right?

 

At least the job market is great....

 

A new NPR/Marist poll finds that 1 in 5 jobs in America is held by a worker under contract. Within a decade, contractors and freelancers could make up half of the American workforce. Workers across all industries and at all professional levels will be touched by the movement toward independent work — one without the constraints, or benefits, of full-time employment.

[barmar]

Everybody got their raise, right?

 

At least the job market is great....

But wages have been stagnating for decades when adjusted for inflation.

 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/wages-arent-growing-when-adjusted-for-inflation-new-data-finds-2018-07-17

[johnu]

But wages have been stagnating for decades when adjusted for inflation.

 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/wages-arent-growing-when-adjusted-for-inflation-new-data-finds-2018-07-17

 

Fake news. Wages have been increasing like crazy.

 

.....

 

Oops, that's if you are a CEO of a major company.

 

CEOs make $15.6 million on average—here’s how much their pay has increased compared to yours over the year

 

It's a great thing that CEO's got a major tax giveaway in the last tax bill. They can barely get by on the pittance that they are receiving.

[Winstonm]

But wages have been stagnating for decades when adjusted for inflation.

 

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/wages-arent-growing-when-adjusted-for-inflation-new-data-finds-2018-07-17

 

But I'm pretty certain it was Dennison, echoed by Paul Ryan, who said that American households would get a raise of at least $4000.

 

[Winstonm]

Curious.

 

A Russian billionaire who purchased a mansion from President Trump in 2008 in a business deal that is now being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller was detained Tuesday in Monaco and questioned related to an ongoing corruption probe.

 

Dmitri Rybolovlev, president of AS Monaco, was detained voluntarily by authorities in Monaco on Tuesday and is under investigation for charges of corruption and influence peddling according to French news service Le Monde.

[Winstonm]

It is staggering to see how racist this country actually is.

 

Keep in mind that the Senate was never really in play this cycle; the big pick-ups will be seen in the House and in state legislatures.

 

Edit: Dennison's Nightmare Begins: 1-3-2019

[andrei]

It is staggering to see how racist this country actually is.

 

Are you talking about Michigan senate race?

[johnu]

Are you talking about Michigan senate race?

 

LOL, nice try Dennisonite.

 

Honestly,

 

"F"ing "put in name of any Republican running this election". That would suck!

 

was my sentiment before the election. It has nothing to do with racism.

[Winstonm]

I agree with this WaPo opinion writer(Ronald Klain) - Dems, do these 5 things before initiating any investigations:

 

Specifically, the new Democratic House majority should devote its first 100 days to passing five pieces of legislation, then dare the Senate and the Trump White House to follow suit or be called out for their refusal to act.

 

First, a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 and restore Trump-repealed rules protecting overtime pay. Democrats should show their support for hard-working people who are doing everything right and still not earning enough to live on. During the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to support a minimum-wage increase; on the eve of the 2018 election, his chief economic adviser proposed abolishing the law altogether. Democrats should find out where the president and the Trump-dominated Senate really stand.

 

 

Second, legislation to strengthen the Affordable Care Act, expand its coverage and patch up the gaps that the Trump administration has punched in it. Put aside the big debate over comprehensively changing the system for later; deliver on the core promise of most Democratic campaigns in 2018.

 

Third, a bill to restore the Voting Rights Act and reverse Republican voter-suppression efforts. The cause of democracy should not be carried by Democrats alone, but that is what it has come to. The greatest democracy in the world should not be the one where it is hardest to participate in the democratic process.

 

Fourth, a simple, non-porked-up infrastructure bill, with funding for bridges and roads, airports and mass transit, clean-energy projects and new schools. Avoid the complexity and exotica that — while good policy — ultimately made the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act bad politics. If it doesn’t employ workers in hard hats, it isn’t “infrastructure” for this purpose.

 

And finally, a clean bill, free of extraneous issues, that grants legal status to the immigrant children known as “dreamers.” Trump has promised to sign such a bill; it’s time to end the uncertainty of these young people, who have so much to contribute.

 

Yes, this leaves much still undone. Child care. Job training. College assistance. Criminal-justice reform. Campaign finance reform. And so much more. These are important, too. But Democrats need a focused agenda of quickly actionable items for the first 100 days. After that, they will have at least another 630 days in control of the House — and plenty of time for investigations.

 

It is important for the Democratic party to show they can govern in order to retain these seats in 2020. Restoring balance to the U.S. political system is a long-term proposition that requires patience for incremental change.

[barmar]

I agree with this WaPo opinion writer(Ronald Klain) - Dems, do these 5 things before initiating any investigations:

 

It is important for the Democratic party to show they can govern in order to retain these seats in 2020. Restoring balance to the U.S. political system is a long-term proposition that requires patience for incremental change.

Can they really do any of this when they only control one house? Which of these initiatives would the Senate go along with?

[Winstonm]

Can they really do any of this when they only control one house? Which of these initiatives would the Senate go along with?

 

Irrelevant. By proposing solutions to real problems, the Democrats force Dennison and the GOP to take a stand, either with or against. Either way, the Democrats win.

 

The reality is that nothing much will get accomplished after 1-3-2019 other than oversight.

 

It is just as important - maybe more so - for the Democrats to keep their own base motivated. Seeing good governance repeatedly shot down by selfish GOP action would go a long way toward that goal.

[Winstonm]

For any progressive-leaning person disappointed with the results of the election, bear me out. There really is a red wall to overcome, and that red wall is comprised of these people:

 

Evangelicals" is an umbrella term that encompasses numerous Protestant denominations that share core tenets of Christianity. This includes the Bible as the ultimate moral and historical authority, the desire to evangelise and spread the faith and the need for a religious conversion known as being "born again".

 

The U.S. population is roughly 300 million, of which 75% self-identify as "Christian", or 225 million.

 

More than a quarter (25.4 percent) of US Christians identify as evangelical, according to the latest Pew data. Of that number a vast majority, 76 percent, are white

 

So, 57.15 million self-identify as "evangelical Christian", and 43.43 million of those are white.

 

"Across all racial groups, those who define themselves as evangelical tend to be much more conservative than those who do not define themselves with that label," said Janelle Wong, a professor of American studies at the University of Mary and the author of, Immigrants, Evangelicals, and Politics in an Era of Demographic Change.

 

There, then, is the red wall. 57.15 million who are "much more conservative than other conservatives" of which 43.43 are also white. And it is now apparent after two election cycles that this group also shows up at the polls to vote. When you have someone cynical enough to make a pretense of believing as they do, throwing some crumbs at them, and making them "believe" you can see why it is a formidable task to turn them away from demagoguery that appeals to emotions rather than intellect.

[PassedOut]

There, then, is the red wall. 57.15 million who are "much more conservative than other conservatives" of which 43.43 are also white. And it is now apparent after two election cycles that this group also shows up at the polls to vote. When you have someone cynical enough to make a pretense of believing as they do, throwing some crumbs at them, and making them "believe" you can see why it is a formidable task to turn them away from demagoguery that appeals to emotions rather than intellect.

I wonder how many evangelicals actually suppose that Trump believes as they do, considering that Trump's life and actions diverge wildly from the life and teachings of Jesus. My guess is that many of them rationalize their by supposing that a deity is using an unbeliever to accomplish desired ends.

 

That leaves open, of course, how evangelicals could possibly square Trump's policies with the life and teachings of Jesus.

;)

[awm]

I agree with this WaPo opinion writer(Ronald Klain) - Dems, do these 5 things before initiating any investigations:

 

It is important for the Democratic party to show they can govern in order to retain these seats in 2020. Restoring balance to the U.S. political system is a long-term proposition that requires patience for incremental change.

 

I predict:

1. Democrats will pass these.

2. Mitch McConnell will not let a single one reach the Senate floor.

3. Outside of left-leaning outlets like MSNBC or Vox, the media will not cover these bills at all.

4. If Dems try to do some media appearances to publicize the bills, the Senate will come up with similar bills that ALSO do something noxious to Dems like pay for infrastructure by cutting Medicaid or combine Obamacare fixes with a blanket abortion ban. Then Republicans will challenge Dems on TV with “you don’t really support this since you didn’t vote for the Senate version” and the press will make it into a “he said, she said” without any fact checking, leaving confused voters to retreat to their partisan camps.

[Winstonm]

I wonder how many evangelicals actually suppose that Trump believes as they do, considering that Trump's life and actions diverge wildly from the life and teachings of Jesus. My guess is that many of them rationalize their by supposing that a deity is using an unbeliever to accomplish desired ends.

 

That leaves open, of course, how evangelicals could possibly square Trump's policies with the life and teachings of Jesus.

;)

 

All I know for sure is that Fox News is the bible-on-tape for many of these voters.

 

Good news is that independent voters repudiated Dennison:

 

Key in all these races is that independents broke toward congressional Democrats for the first time since Barack Obama led the ticket in 2008. Exit polls show that the 3 in 10 voters who didn’t identify with either party supported Democratic candidates by a 13-point margin, 54 percent to 41 percent.

 

Wow. 13 point margin is a real slap in the face to fear-mongering and hate.

[PassedOut]

Fox News legal analyst says Trump violated the law by appointing Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general

 

Trump announced that in replacement of Sessions, Matt Whitaker would become the new acting attorney general.

 

However, Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano explained to Fox News host Dana Perino how Trump could be breaking the law with his new appointee.

 

Napolitano explained that Whitaker was not confirmed by the Senate and therefore violates the law.

 

“Under the law, the person running the Department of Justice must have been approved by the United States Senate for some previous position. Even on an interim post,” Napolitano said.

 

Napolitano continued saying that next in line for the position is Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

 

“[Whitaker] was not confirmed by the United States Senate for a leadership position at the Justice Department. The White House will have to work this out. Who has been confirmed and who’s next in line? Deputy attorney general Rosenstein,” he said.

Fake news?

[Winstonm]

Fox News legal analyst says Trump violated the law by appointing Matt Whitaker as acting attorney general

 

 

Fake news?

 

Interesting as CNN and MSNBC are talking about the new interim AG.

[y66]

Did anyone find a source of election night coverage that they liked? I watched PBS. I had a hard time getting a feel for how Dems were doing compared to expectations as the results were coming in. Presumably it's not too hard to aggregate precinct results as they come in and compare to corresponding aggregate precinct projections to give a sense of how many races are playing out as expected. Maybe they did that and I missed it as I was not paying full attention. I enjoyed some of the commentary but most of it was pretty blah.

[Winstonm]

Finally someone has the integrity to be honest:

 

America's Problem Isn't Tribalism—It's Racism

Only one of America’s major political parties relies on stoking hatred and fear against those outside its coalition.

 

Adam Serwer

Staff writer at The Atlantic

 

In the Trump era, America finds itself with two political parties: one that’s growing more reliant on the nation’s diversity, and one that sees its path to power in stoking fear and rage toward those who are different. America doesn’t have a “tribalism” problem. It has a racism problem. And the parties are not equally responsible.

[Winstonm]

Are you talking about Michigan senate race?

 

No, this:

 

But this acceptable midterm outcome disguised disturbing trends — like a patient who is entirely healthy except for a touch of leukemia. Trump’s final political appeal — literally warning that brown people were invading the country and promising they could be shot — was both Trumpism and racism unadulterated. His base of support — millions of people, skewing white and male — found this message compelling.