The Trump Presidency V: New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies

this is becoming truly awesome

Per @EliStokols, Omarosa was “physically dragged and escorted off the campus" last night. https://t.co/2dfrpJ1mja

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) December 13, 2017

 

First, it took me to the start of the 4th paragraph to understand that this article was written by a man:

Franken’s offenses seem, at the very least, of a different kind than Harvey Weinstein’s, and the proper censure is far from clear.​

Incorrect. The acts were different, but they both treated women as objects for their amusement, but this point seems to be different then the rest of the article...unless he is saying that Franken AND Moore should be in the Senate.

But I want to pull the camera back and highlight another feature of the debate, which Goldberg captured skillfully in her latest column, “Franken is leaving and Trump is still here,” and Dahlia Lithwick echoed in a piece in Slate called “The uneven playing field.”​

I don't disagree with this, yet look at what we are seeing. There is a really a new wave of feminism at foot here. Sure, there is resistance by the status quo, and the old line of women not being believed, but over the past two or three years we have seen women come out against Cosbey, O' Rielly, Alies, and a re-examination of how we mishandled B Clinton, and a change from being skeptical of the stories by women to acceptance of the stories by women. There will always be doubt when popular, charismatic people like 45, or even Franken, have charges leveled against them - we, as a society, want to believe those people because of the positive belief we have in them (positive from our perspective) and, in general, we like to believe in people we feel we like. But what I have seen is that the group of people who tends to support women's issues more, and thus respects women's voices more, are the ones taking a greater stand when the events of sexual harassment (or worse) arise. The cleaning of house is necessary when this fight of ideology really gets going. The left, the supporters of women's voices, don't want somebody on their side to be "compromised" in the battle, and cause a distraction.

So now the left struggles with the dilemma of how to behave honorably under a set of rules and norms that their opponents do not acknowledge or accept.​

I disagree. This is a case where the left is now setting the new norms, and the right is trying to fight against this change...and is losing. Yes, the Moore defeat was narrow in terms of numbers, but not when we look back at the recent Senatorial elections in Alabama, the Rep wins by a wide margin (Sessions ran uncontested in 2014, Shelby won 65/35 in 2010 and 65/28 in 2016). The norm is that have a males who disrespect women, and preys on them for their own pleasure, are not acceptable.

As far as the rest of the article, this reminds me a bit of the time of the early 1950s and the second Red Scare. There were lots of changes in the 1940s post WWII, but it happened to much, too fast for many, and there was a serious pull back and a ham handed attempt to stop those changes. To me, this is what is currently going on with the Reps, and ultimately they will fail. Unfortunately, we will suffer in the current situation, but what always wins in the end (politically) is the positive outcome.

That said, if the dems create a message of being better, it will be easier to attack interest groups. As far as gerrymander, that is more complicated and effected by demographic shifts.

 

Her honorable highness!

 

Corker has called for a tax plan that balances the budget. Intellectually (academically), if he votes for this, it is knowing that there will be a deficit so his intellectual claims will be void.

The Reps who should be against this are:
Corker (no deficit)
Collins (individual mandate)
Murkowski (cuts to medicare/medicate/health care)
Ron Johnson (small business taxes)

 

There ya go, ABW!

 

If the economy goes into recession I could see Trump's floor fall out from under him and see him free fall. Until then 36-38% is likely his floor, and with the way this is going, likely his ceiling so long as he continues to screw up and embarrass himself. And who knows? If a lot of people see their taxes go up as a result of this tax cut bill passing, his numbers could take another hit. Realistically, the 36% floor is probably made up of a mix of "soft Trump" supporters who see themselves as aligned with Trump, are critical of the media criticizing Trump, and don't follow politics that much, just kind of shrug when Trump does something bad or something they disagree with, and "hard Trump" supporters who basically worship the guy and absorb aĺl the bullcrap excuses and conspiracy theories he offers in self-justification wholeheartedly. Soft Trump supporters probably won't budge unless there's something that directly and powerfully affects them that can be directly traced back to Trump. Hard Trump supporters are probably just beyond hope.

For as much crap as Trump does for those of us who follow politics intensely, life for most Trump supporters probably just goes on as normal day-to-day and they don't get what all the hooplah is about and why "the media" runs all this stuff on him and makes him look bad. Trump's ineffectualness has in a way been almost a blessing as it prevents his crapness from seeping into the everyday life of many of his supporters in a meaningful way. I'll be interested to see what happens when the tax bill becomes law and how it could maybe cause him to fall even below his current floor.

Just a personal theory I've been sitting on, no data to support it.