The policy and politics of Trumpism

[Bamaro]

 

[TexasBama]

Trump lashes out at scientists whose findings contradict him

WASHINGTON (AP) — "A Trump enemy statement,” he said of one study. “A political hit job,” he said of another.

apnews.com

 

[NationalTitles18]

More dangerous rhetoric from the president.

Trump Escalates Attacks On Mail-In Voting, Tying Coronavirus To ‘Rigged Election’

"Trying to use Covid for this Scam!"

www.forbes.com

 

[TIDE-HSV]

More dangerous rhetoric from the president.

Trump Escalates Attacks On Mail-In Voting, Tying Coronavirus To ‘Rigged Election’

"Trying to use Covid for this Scam!"

www.forbes.com

If we escape this dangerous experiment with authoritarianism, it will be by the skin of our teeth...

 

[uafanataum]

More dangerous rhetoric from the president.

Trump Escalates Attacks On Mail-In Voting, Tying Coronavirus To ‘Rigged Election’

"Trying to use Covid for this Scam!"

www.forbes.com

I think he is more popular with the elderly than with young people. The elderly are the most likely to die from this virus if everyone has to vote in person instead of by mail. So it is like he is literally trying to kill some of his best supporters.

 

[TexasBama]

some more from the brave patriots

Beshear hanged in effigy as Second Amendment supporters rally at Capitol before Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend had two rallies in Frankfort. Saturday's was all about protesting the coronavirus shutdown.

www.courier-journal.com

 

[selmaborntidefan]

If you don't follow ex-Republican Tom Nichols (who endorsed Hillary early in 2016), you should. He hits it out of the park yet again. And I find people who endorse this idea of Trump as some big, tough "man" ludicrous.

It'll take a few minutes, but it's well worth it. A few snippets below.

Donald Trump, the Most Unmanly President

Why don’t the president’s supporters hold him to their own standard of masculinity?

www.theatlantic.com

But since his first day as a presidential candidate, I have been baffled by one mystery in particular: Why do working-class white men—the most reliable component of Donald Trump’s base—support someone who is, by their own standards, the least masculine man ever to hold the modern presidency? The question is not whether Trump fails to meet some archaic or idealized version of masculinity. The president’s inability to measure up to Marcus Aurelius or Omar Bradley is not the issue. Rather, the question is why so many of Trump’s working-class white male voters refuse to hold Trump to their own standards of masculinity—why they support a man who behaves more like a little boy.


I freely accept that I do not pass muster by the standards of most Trump supporters. Again, what intrigues me is that neither should Trump. As the writer Windsor Mann has noted, Trump behaves in ways that many working-class men would ridicule: “He wears bronzer, loves gold and gossip, is obsessed with his physical appearance, whines constantly, can't control his emotions, watches daytime television, enjoys parades and interior decorating, and used to sell perfume.”



But even if we excuse Trump for the occasional hyperbole, the fact of the matter is that Trump is an obvious coward. He has two particular phobias: powerful men and intelligent women.

Whenever he is in the company of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to take the most cringe-inducing example, he visibly cowers. His attempts to ingratiate himself with Putin are embarrassing, especially given how effortlessly Putin can bend Trump to his will. When the Russian leader got Trump alone at a summit in Helsinki, he scared him so badly that at the subsequent joint press conference, Putin smiled pleasantly while the president of the United States publicly took the word of a former KGB officer over his own intelligence agencies.

 

[MobtownK]

I think he is more popular with the elderly than with young people. The elderly are the most likely to die from this virus if everyone has to vote in person instead of by mail. So it is like he is literally trying to kill some of his best supporters.

She's not a trump supporter, but I am mailing my Nana an absentee ballot application tomorrow. She's in her 80's and would walk through fire to vote against him. I'm not sure if she qualifies for on in Alabama, because she's healthy, but it's worth a shot. She doesn't have internet access or know how to use it. I'd rather her be able to vote absentee than risk going to the polls in November.

 

[MobtownK]

If you don't follow ex-Republican Tom Nichols (who endorsed Hillary early in 2016), you should. He hits it out of the park yet again. And I find people who endorse this idea of Trump as some big, tough "man" ludicrous.

It'll take a few minutes, but it's well worth it. A few snippets below.

Donald Trump, the Most Unmanly President

Why don’t the president’s supporters hold him to their own standard of masculinity?

www.theatlantic.com

But since his first day as a presidential candidate, I have been baffled by one mystery in particular: Why do working-class white men—the most reliable component of Donald Trump’s base—support someone who is, by their own standards, the least masculine man ever to hold the modern presidency? The question is not whether Trump fails to meet some archaic or idealized version of masculinity. The president’s inability to measure up to Marcus Aurelius or Omar Bradley is not the issue. Rather, the question is why so many of Trump’s working-class white male voters refuse to hold Trump to their own standards of masculinity—why they support a man who behaves more like a little boy.


I freely accept that I do not pass muster by the standards of most Trump supporters. Again, what intrigues me is that neither should Trump. As the writer Windsor Mann has noted, Trump behaves in ways that many working-class men would ridicule: “He wears bronzer, loves gold and gossip, is obsessed with his physical appearance, whines constantly, can't control his emotions, watches daytime television, enjoys parades and interior decorating, and used to sell perfume.”



But even if we excuse Trump for the occasional hyperbole, the fact of the matter is that Trump is an obvious coward. He has two particular phobias: powerful men and intelligent women.

Whenever he is in the company of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to take the most cringe-inducing example, he visibly cowers. His attempts to ingratiate himself with Putin are embarrassing, especially given how effortlessly Putin can bend Trump to his will. When the Russian leader got Trump alone at a summit in Helsinki, he scared him so badly that at the subsequent joint press conference, Putin smiled pleasantly while the president of the United States publicly took the word of a former KGB officer over his own intelligence agencies.

"The best example of women giving him a pass was after the Access Hollywood tape came to light in the fall of 2016. Trump had been caught on audio bragging about being able to grope women because he was famous. Republican leaders panicked; surely this level of vulgarity, they reasoned, would kill Trump’s chances with female voters.
Instead, women showed up at rallies with shirts featuring arrows pointing right to where Trump could grab them.
Melania Trump, for her part, dutifully defended the boyishness of it all. “Sometimes I say I have two boys at home,” she said at the time. “I have my young son and I have my husband. But I know how some men talk, and that’s how I saw it.” Female Trump supporters were interviewed on national television and—in a tragic admission about the state of American families—seemed confused about why Trump would be considered any worse than the men around them."


If my husband ever acted that way, we wouldn't be married. I'm not opposed to dirty jokes, but Trump is actually talking about sexual assault, and has on many occasions. He's not joking. If my son's acted in such a manner, they'd get smacked into next week, and we'd have some serious intervention. That kind of nonsense isn't allowed here. And if my daughter ever dated someone like Trump, me & my husband would both run him off with a shotgun, regardless of her opinion on the matter.
The most manly men I know, of all political stripes, wouldn't lower themselves to such crass treatment of people, especially women, and would end up in jail if someone treated their wives or daughters that way.

I am sick of hearing people say that they wouldn't trust the president to meet their wives or daughters, but they trust him to run the country. It's a logical disconnect.

 

[Crimson1967]

She's not a trump supporter, but I am mailing my Nana an absentee ballot application tomorrow. She's in her 80's and would walk through fire to vote against him. I'm not sure if she qualifies for on in Alabama, because she's healthy, but it's worth a shot. She doesn't have internet access or know how to use it. I'd rather her be able to vote absentee than risk going to the polls in November.

I have seen TV commercials in Alabama promoting absentee voting. Technically, you need a reason to use it. The acceptable reasons are work, travel, health, etc. I have voted absentee a number of times and always checked the box about work. However, nobody has ever asked me to prove I can’t get to the polls on Election Day. I have also always done it in person rather than by mail.

I am sure she will be fine voting this way.

 

[MobtownK]

I have seen TV commercials in Alabama promoting absentee voting. Technically, you need a reason to use it. The acceptable reasons are work, travel, health, etc. I have voted absentee a number of times and always checked the box about work. However, nobody has ever asked me to prove I can’t get to the polls on Election Day. I have also always done it in person rather than by mail.

I am sure she will be fine voting this way.

Florida made it easy. And early voting was wonderful. Hopefully age alone can be considered.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Florida made it easy. And early voting was wonderful. Hopefully age alone can be considered.

With age and a pandemic, "health" should always be an excuse...

 

[NationalTitles18]

The republican party is challenging CA in court to prevent mail-in ballots being sent to all voters as ordered by Gov Newsom. I hope the courts tell them to shove it.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I have seen TV commercials in Alabama promoting absentee voting. Technically, you need a reason to use it. The acceptable reasons are work, travel, health, etc. I have voted absentee a number of times and always checked the box about work. However, nobody has ever asked me to prove I can’t get to the polls on Election Day. I have also always done it in person rather than by mail.

I am sure she will be fine voting this way.

I've been absolutely disgusted with the fact that the loudest people on my Facebook ranting about this mail-in vote thing are veterans (or wives of veterans).

Gee, I'm old enough to remember when the GOP wanted to count mailed in absentee ballots even with the post-election postmark date (Florida 2000 for those who don't know what I'm talking about).

I pointed this out and got hit from seven different directions - all from Republicans - insisting this makes fraud easier. Uh, they've been voting by mail in Oregon for something like 30 years. And unlike 1988, we now have "early voting" starting in September some places - so again, I don't get the whole thing.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I've been absolutely disgusted with the fact that the loudest people on my Facebook ranting about this mail-in vote thing are veterans (or wives of veterans).

Gee, I'm old enough to remember when the GOP wanted to count mailed in absentee ballots even with the post-election postmark date (Florida 2000 for those who don't know what I'm talking about).

I pointed this out and got hit from seven different directions - all from Republicans - insisting this makes fraud easier. Uh, they've been voting by mail in Oregon for something like 30 years. And unlike 1988, we now have "early voting" starting in September some places - so again, I don't get the whole thing.

It's all about suppressing the votes of those who would vote for democrats. Democrats are more likely to take the pandemic seriously and less likely to want to vote in person.

 

[Jon]

I've been absolutely disgusted with the fact that the loudest people on my Facebook ranting about this mail-in vote thing are veterans (or wives of veterans).

Gee, I'm old enough to remember when the GOP wanted to count mailed in absentee ballots even with the post-election postmark date (Florida 2000 for those who don't know what I'm talking about).

I pointed this out and got hit from seven different directions - all from Republicans - insisting this makes fraud easier. Uh, they've been voting by mail in Oregon for something like 30 years. And unlike 1988, we now have "early voting" starting in September some places - so again, I don't get the whole thing.

it is super easy to understand, the higher the turn out the worse Republicans do so they are looking for any excuse to keep people from voting

 

[jthomas666]

I have seen TV commercials in Alabama promoting absentee voting. Technically, you need a reason to use it. The acceptable reasons are work, travel, health, etc. I have voted absentee a number of times and always checked the box about work. However, nobody has ever asked me to prove I can’t get to the polls on Election Day. I have also always done it in person rather than by mail.

John Merrill must be thinking that it's been too long since the state wasted a bunch of money on a stupid lawsuit.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

it is super easy to understand, the higher the turn out the worse Republicans do so they are looking for any excuse to keep people from voting

Oh I know the REAL reason.

Hell, we all know the REAL reason to a lot of things if we're honest.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

It's all about suppressing the votes of those who would vote for democrats. Democrats are more likely to take the pandemic seriously and less likely to want to vote in person.

Yes and no.

But the CENTRAL POINT is this........these same people are "for" voting by mail when it's military absentee ballots that favor the GOP. It's suddenly patriotic.

I've pretty much given up trying to get people to simply admit their lousiness.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I am sick of hearing people say that they wouldn't trust the president to meet their wives or daughters, but they trust him to run the country. It's a logical disconnect.

True, but when I said the same thing about Bill Clinton, I was told some line of bull about "as long as it doesn't affect your job." I hold to the idea that if your wife can't trust you, I have no reason to do so. (Yes, I know we can list a bunch of philanderers from long ago, but they didn't have television or the Internet OR nuclear weapons, so everyone spare me the "FDR/Harding/Whoever had a mistress" defense).

You mention the "Access Hollywood" tape. I gotta tell ya - if there was ever a time in my life when I thought I heard the sound of the gallows being constructed for a candidacy, it was when I heard Trump saying what he grabbed. Rarely am I left with my jaw dropped in disbelief but that was one time I said, "Yep, he's dead and gone now."

One of the funniest things was the SNL the next night, when Kate McKinnon was dancing around with Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" playing as though the election was over.