Just Say No. - Nancy Reagan
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://theharshcouch.com/thc/2016-03-08/
The Harsh Couch - 2016.03.08 Just Say No
wibbly
#1
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at http://theharshcouch.com/thc/2016-03-08/
I’ve temporarily lost the ability to press my rewind button. What was the British series recommended by Harry and Wibbly?
automic
#3
OK I’m calling it - Drumpf WILL BE the next US President
I will even go as far as saying he will make a better president than Clinton, Rubio, definitely Cruz… even Sanders (though it’s worth pointing out he and Sanders say a lot of the same things, to pretty much the same people, despite being in opposing parties)
-which is not to say he will be a good president - maybe a Reagan… but not a Bush - not either of them
strip out all the bluster and theatrics and his message is simple: he’s the guy that’s going to cut through all the bullshit, because he doesn’t owe anybody any favours
that’s a powerful message to a massive, massive middle class who have watched their aspirations disappear down the toilet while their leadership do absolutely nothing about it, because they are beholden to wealthy donors and lobbyists who put them in power, in the first place
for all the jokes and looking down our noses at Drumpf supporters, the fact is his appeal actually cuts across a wide swathe of demographics, young and old, male and female, (notably Sanders also appeals to many of those females that everyone assumed Clinton would naturally attract), rich and poor, smart and stupid…
unlike, say, Cruz - a hard line Christian fundamentalist who was one of the most uncompromising of those Republican senators who refused to allow the government the funds it needed to govern - a man who even opposes abortions for rape victims - Drumpf sees himself as a dealmaker and he has a history of taking a liberal stance on many issues
he was even (like Reagan) once a registered Democrat
actually, I take it back: he will be a terrible president but he will be president, mark my words!
wibbly
#4
A great article Tholf sent me earlier this evening:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/07/donald-trump-why-americans-support
To which I said:
I’ve been contemplating the pendulum swinging the other way on the great trade liberalisation experiment.
As you know, it is a particular fascination of mine that jobs and capital have been able to cross borders in ways that people are mostly prevented from (except, according to US conservatives, the border with Mexico … a great irony of course, since they are crossing that border to get benefits that were falsely promised as part of NAFTA and were never delivered on the southern side … primarily due to the free-market corruption of their leaders.)
Anyway, it does feel a lot like we’re going to enter a period of trade agreement slowing/dismantling, whatever happens in the election for POTUS.
And down that path lies the interesting collision/collusion of the far-Left and Drumpf’s poor whites.
This article on Donald is not bad (nor is the host site, despite its clickbait-like headlines): http://www.cracked.com/blog/trump-will-be-nominee-5-inside-reasons-it-happened
Here in the belly of the capitalist beast in New York, I’ve got a fair few Republicans around me who are unhappy about where things are heading with Trump. They feel the “dumbasses” are going to give the party an unelectable candidate. Somewhat patronising, but elites of all political persuasion are good at being patronising.
On the delay in replacing the Supreme Court justice, an Australian colleague and I suggested that the Republican strategy of delaying selection could lead to this scenario:
- Hillary wins
- Hillary appoints Obama as Supreme Court justice (he was a constitutional law lecturer)
- Half of the US spontaneously combusts with rage