Topic: Sound The TRUMPets! A Thread for Presidential Pondering 2016-2020(?)

[kishnevi]

Now that we have achieved extinction, time for a thread to chronicle the ups and downs of President Trump.  So while Todd remains away, I have taken up his burden.

I was going to title this thread Trump Trauma but wanted something not so obviously biased.

[Andante]

Is he worse than Hillary ?? 

[The new erato]

Is he worse than Hillary ??

Hillary is not president, so that is not what this thread is for.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Ha! The Trump Tracker®.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.

[Florestan]

Quote from: H.L. Mencken

    Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.

Is it always valid or just in some cases? 

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

[(poco) Sforzando]

Is it always valid or just in some cases? 

Not if we retain an Electoral College system where the person who wins the most votes actually loses.

[Florestan]

Not if we retain an Electoral College system where the person who wins the most votes actually loses.

I agree 100% but in your estimation what are the chances that USA get rid of this anomaly any time soon?

[Brian]

I agree 100% but in your estimation what are the chances that USA get rid of this anomaly any time soon?

In hindsight, Obama should have tried to in 2009, but oops.

The USA needs a number of very big reforms to the democratic process, including:
- new, more restrictive financing system
- nonpartisan drawing of congressional districts based on data but not based on which party benefits
- primary elections which function as run-offs, with the top two candidates from any party advancing to the general election (very important for creating more moderation and centrism in Congress)
- abolition of Electoral College
- civil/criminal court judges are not elected by political party
- statehood for Puerto Rico and District of Columbia

But I doubt we will see any of those happen for 20-25 years.

[Gurn Blanston]

In hindsight, Obama should have tried to in 2009, but oops.

The USA needs a number of very big reforms to the democratic process, including:
- new, more restrictive financing system
- nonpartisan drawing of congressional districts based on data but not based on which party benefits
- primary elections which function as run-offs, with the top two candidates from any party advancing to the general election (very important for creating more moderation and centrism in Congress)
- abolition of Electoral College
- civil/criminal court judges are not elected by political party
- statehood for Puerto Rico and District of Columbia

But I doubt we will see any of those happen for 20-25 years.

Amen to all of these. To which I would add term limits for congress; 3 terms for the House, 2 terms for Senate. Then it's back to the farm or practice or whatever in hell it is that you did before.

Agree with your last too, sadly...

[Florestan]

- primary elections which function as run-offs, with the top two candidates from any party advancing to the general election (very important for creating more moderation and centrism in Congress)

Why not allowing anyone, party member or independent, who meets the elligibility criteria and wants to run, to do so, with the additional condition of being supported by the signatures of a certain number of citizens? For instance, in Romania one only needs to obtain 200,000 signatures to run (total population less than 20,000,000). Such a system would have allowed Bernie Sanders to run on his own.

- civil/criminal court judges are not elected by political party

Wait a minute! Do you mean that civil/criminal judges are nominated by political parties?   

[Ghost Sonata]

What is your best guess, guys?  Trump is self-serving by nature - he believes this to be "smart" - and I think it will be difficult for him to resist taking business advantage of his position in any way he can, though much of this will be under the radar.  Until it comes out...

[Ghost Sonata]

Amen to all of these. To which I would add term limits for congress; 3 terms for the House, 2 terms for Senate. Then it's back to the farm or practice or whatever in hell it is that you did before.

Agree with your last too, sadly...

Term limits = good.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

In hindsight, Obama should have tried to in 2009, but oops.

Aye, that would have been the one Obama initiative that the Congress would have been behind, a hunnert percent 

[Ghost Sonata]

Yup:

[North Star]

If only you knew, Calvin...

[Brian]

Where is the Democratic leadership?  Why are they silent?  These protests are being fueled by social media and becoming violent.

The Democratic leadership that spent yesterday making concession speeches, asking supporters for unity, and in Obama's case even saying he hopes Trump is successful? Your willful blind spot didn't go away when your guy won.

[Brian]

In hindsight, Obama should have tried to in 2009, but oops.

The USA needs a number of very big reforms to the democratic process, including:
- new, more restrictive financing system
- nonpartisan drawing of congressional districts based on data but not based on which party benefits
- primary elections which function as run-offs, with the top two candidates from any party advancing to the general election (very important for creating more moderation and centrism in Congress)
- abolition of Electoral College
- civil/criminal court judges are not elected by political party
- statehood for Puerto Rico and District of Columbia

But I doubt we will see any of those happen for 20-25 years.

Thought of a few more!

- all political donations, to campaigns or to politically active organizations, must be publicly ID'd
- all federal candidates must release tax returns for at least 5 previous years
- Election Day is a national holiday

Wait a minute! Do you mean that civil/criminal judges are nominated by political parties?   

Yes! This is one of the worst things about the country. And judges run in elections, which has encouraged harsher sentencing for small crimes as judges race to see who can be "the toughest".

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Let's consider the possibility of a progressive Trump. No, I'm not joking. I posted this on the other thread, but I think it is worth re-posting here, now that the election is over:

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2016/10/im-bernie-sanders-voter-heres-ill-vote-trump.html

My major objection to this is that it is too trusting of Trump's own statements. He could change his mind about any of these things tomorrow (and then maybe change it back again). But it is good to have all these facts in one place.