Very strange.............Very very strange.
Perhaps I'm dumb or ignorant, but I can't figure out why there's so much protest, harsh words and violence from this election. The protest is something I'd expect elsewhere, such as from a 3rd world corrupt government. Heck, Obama himself can't help but take some shots. But even then I'd expect a cause for the effect, and I'm missing that completely.
The hardcore Left thought the long fight was over - that we were headed non-stop to a very politically correct, obedient Euro-social democracy - and that demographics would be the driving force that finished the job. All the people they hate so much were circling the drain and about to be marginalized forever. So it wasn't just a loss, it wasn't just a loss to a guy like Trump, it was a slap in the face.
I never thought I'd see stuff like people refusing to perform at a presidential inauguration, people telling others not to eat in their restaurant if they voted the other way, families broken up over this, the long list of simply ridiculous behaviors.
However, it's all on Trump and the GOP now. This isn't over for them, either.
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And I also agree with Mac. He about hit the nail on the head.
That being said I am not a Trump apologist, or blind supporter. I can certainly think of at least 8 or 9 of the other Republicans that were in the primary, as people I would rather see as the President elect. And yet, I am not sure that any of the rest could have beaten Hillary. What put Trump over the top was his pulling blue collar people in, I highly doubt blue collar people would have believed anybody running on the Republican side but him!
And then back to Mac--------->he is correct 100%, that is why they are so livid. If they had won, it would have been over. Once they got 1 or 2 more Supreme court justices in place, their agenda would not have stopped for 40 years. Open borders would be here to stay until there was enough poor people to get Democrats elected in every state, and we would have become a close carbon copy of Europe.
It is up to Trump and the GOP to change minds with outcomes, not words. They have less than 2 years to show real progress, or they will be punished in the midterms. If they aren't going to bold, they should not have run, because it is going to take bold action to move the needle enough for America to realize that this path, is far better than the far leftist one!
This whole thing - from the candidate himself to the results - was such a shock (and how often do we see shocks in a presidential election?) that it could end up being pretty binary: Trump & Co. have maybe 18 months to do whatever the hell they're gonna do, and there's a fork in the road after that.
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Agreed Mac, your time table is probably pretty close to accurate. That is why they are going to have to be bold, assertive, and run over the Democrats who will try delaying tactics. I mean the logic is really simple---------> Why have a Republican in office if things don't get any better, when you can have a Democrat in there, the economy will be the same, and everybody gets free stuff!
By the way.........I know many a lefty didn't like a few of your threads on how they reacted, being PC, etc. It really ended up proving a point to most of us on this board, that their is a difference between a Democrat, and the people who control their party......the radical far leftists, or alt left as it where. More and more people are becoming independent as their political party becomes goofier. I have a feeling that Trump won't be the last to make a push from the outside, and that both political party's, are going to adjust their processes to insure they have more control over who gets nominated. There is not doubt in my mind that tricky Mitch and Chucky-Shmucky, aren't going to want the nominating process out of their control, ever again!
Yeah, there really is a difference between (what I'd call) traditional liberals and these people. I have friends like this in the "real world" as well, and they are constantly an inch away from losing their shit and transforming into real crazies. I have to stay away from politics with them (which is perfectly fine in my book) because it's like trying to communicate with a wild-eyed teenage boy on the streets of Damascus.
And yeah, I say it multiple times a day. I make a point about them, and they literally can't help themselves - they have to jump in with both feet and illustrate it for me. I'd love to know the psychology behind that, seriously. They have to know, on some level, that they're doing that, but they convince themselves that it doesn't matter.
Here's the problem going forward as I see it: If Trump & Co comes out of the gate and **** this up, the Regressive Lefties will easily be able to jump right back into the party's driver's seat and right back on track. If he does not, it may be possible to somewhat marginalize the crazies so that some calm, decent adults can get control back.
That's a pretty big difference right there.
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I hope it all works out for both, I really do.
I am older, and never remember there being this large of a void between the policies of the two party's. The closest I can personally remember was Carter/Reagan, and Carter was about the status quo, so the difference wasn't as large as one would think. In fact, Carter lost because the country seen him as inept, not because they didn't like him.
Now personally Mac, I am of the opinion that many on the left are correct that the factory jobs that have disappeared, are gone for good. Automation has made sure of that. Some can be repatriated of course, but not enough to get blue collar people back to wages that they once enjoyed. No where near.
But, I do believe that Trump has the will, audacity, and the gonads to do something that will get them jobs for 20 years or so while our manufacturing adjusts, and that is open up the energy industry. There will be enough jobs in that sector, along with the conveyance and conversion of the material, to soak up many of those who are blue collar. For the economy of non-college educated workers, that is the promise of a Trump Presidency.
It is also the promise of lower deficits, if much of the energy is gotten from lands that the Feds own. They can put a premium on the energy extracted, and that is a whole lot of cash for the treasury, if both party's can be made not to spend it for new programs. The left is going to fight this tooth and nail, for 1. enviro, and 2. if it works, they may not get elected again for 20 years.
As you stated, the next 18 months will tell. Personally, I think his infrastructure project is NOT a slush fund. (I know, call me naïve) I believe he will actually use it to put people back to work temporarily, while he opens up the energy sector. This may actually allow him one term to get it together because the infrastructure bill would push up blue collar employment temporarily, but if and you know this, so do the Democrats; so I am sure they will hold it up long enough not to have an impact on employment to drastic for the midterms.
It is up to Trump and the GOP to make it happen instantly, or as close to instantly as humanly possible. Let us see if they can do it!
