'A Crime Against the American People'

[tallguy]

As I went from link to link and site to site, I eventually ran across this.  It's an interview with a political writer and a presidential historian.  The introduction goes like this:

Donald Trump is president of the United States by title and law. He is not president of all Americans. Trump cares only about his voters and the most enthusiastic part of his "base." He is a political cult leader. Nothing seems to matter to him but the adoration and power that comes from his followers.

Public opinion polls and other research has shown that Trump's supporters are driven by racism, sexism, Christian nationalism and nativism. They hold authoritarian values, and hold America's democratic norms in contempt. All that matters is winning: Democracy be damned.

Donald Trump is also enabled by the Republican Party and a right-wing media machine that has enabled this assault. Political scientists, historians and others have already begun to assess Trump's presidency. The consensus: At this early point in his tenure Trump already ranks among the worst presidents in United States history. As I have already suggested, perhaps there should be an asterisk next to his name in future accounts of this political moment, a gesture of shame and apology to the world and the American future.

How will history remember those Republicans and other conservatives who voted Trump into office and continue to back him? How has Trump defiled the presidency? Is it possible for Trump to pivot back to the normal standards of the office? Is there still a place for moderation and incrementalism in American politics during a time of crisis and extreme polarization?
In an effort to answer these questions I recently spoke with historian....

Presidential Historian: Trump Has Committed a 'Crime Against the American People'


The interview follows.  It's a long read, but there is a lot of truth in it.  And no, it is not simply an anti-Trump diatribe.  He does credit Trump for some things, criticizes Clinton for others.  He also includes a few things about Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and others.

[Virgil Showlion]

An old acquaintance once said, "I wish we could get past the 'those guys are evil and intent on destroying the world and we have to kill them all' style of politics and try to find some boring, collaborative, 'what's in the best interest of the country?' style of politics. I'm not singling out the GOP right wing, the Democratic left wing is equally guilty of blaming the opposition."

I notice this piece supports AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP's "Second American Civil War" hypothesis from a few months ago, however. Perhaps you two should collaborate, hash out the details, and co-author a paper.

[NastyWoman]

Apr 9, 2018 19:37:06 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

An old acquaintance once said, "I wish we could get past the 'those guys are evil and intent on destroying the world and we have to kill them all' style of politics and try to find some boring, collaborative, 'what's in the best interest of the country?' style of politics. I'm not singling out the GOP right wing, the Democratic left wing is equally guilty of blaming the opposition."

I notice this piece supports AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP 's "Second American Civil War" hypothesis from a few months ago, however. Perhaps you two should collaborate, hash out the details, and co-author a paper.

While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads, uhmmmm let's rephrase that --- someone seems to have visions of dt dancing in his head. As in dt's comments to the "The Unite the Right rally, also known as the Charlottesville rally..."

[tallguy]

Apr 9, 2018 19:37:06 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

An old acquaintance once said, "I wish we could get past the 'those guys are evil and intent on destroying the world and we have to kill them all' style of politics and try to find some boring, collaborative, 'what's in the best interest of the country?' style of politics. I'm not singling out the GOP right wing, the Democratic left wing is equally guilty of blaming the opposition."

I notice this piece supports AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP 's "Second American Civil War" hypothesis from a few months ago, however. Perhaps you two should collaborate, hash out the details, and co-author a paper.

Did you read the actual interview and the words of the presidential historian, or just the writer's introduction to the piece?

[djAdvocate]

Apr 9, 2018 18:29:52 GMT -5 tallguy said:

As I went from link to link and site to site, I eventually ran across this.  It's an interview with a political writer and a presidential historian.  The introduction goes like this:

Donald Trump is president of the United States by title and law. He is not president of all Americans. Trump cares only about his voters and the most enthusiastic part of his "base." He is a political cult leader. Nothing seems to matter to him but the adoration and power that comes from his followers.

Public opinion polls and other research has shown that Trump's supporters are driven by racism, sexism, Christian nationalism and nativism. They hold authoritarian values, and hold America's democratic norms in contempt. All that matters is winning: Democracy be damned.

Donald Trump is also enabled by the Republican Party and a right-wing media machine that has enabled this assault. Political scientists, historians and others have already begun to assess Trump's presidency. The consensus: At this early point in his tenure Trump already ranks among the worst presidents in United States history. As I have already suggested, perhaps there should be an asterisk next to his name in future accounts of this political moment, a gesture of shame and apology to the world and the American future.

How will history remember those Republicans and other conservatives who voted Trump into office and continue to back him? How has Trump defiled the presidency? Is it possible for Trump to pivot back to the normal standards of the office? Is there still a place for moderation and incrementalism in American politics during a time of crisis and extreme polarization?
In an effort to answer these questions I recently spoke with historian....

Presidential Historian: Trump Has Committed a 'Crime Against the American People'


The interview follows.  It's a long read, but there is a lot of truth in it.  And no, it is not simply an anti-Trump diatribe.  He does credit Trump for some things, criticizes Clinton for others.  He also includes a few things about Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and others.

he's the worst president in a century.  if he keeps up this pace, he may indeed be the worst president ever.  when i consider whether he is worse than Harding, i can't decide.  it really depends on how bad it gets.

[tallguy]

Apr 9, 2018 22:20:14 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 9, 2018 18:29:52 GMT -5 tallguy said:

As I went from link to link and site to site, I eventually ran across this.  It's an interview with a political writer and a presidential historian.  The introduction goes like this:
Presidential Historian: Trump Has Committed a 'Crime Against the American People'


The interview follows.  It's a long read, but there is a lot of truth in it.  And no, it is not simply an anti-Trump diatribe.  He does credit Trump for some things, criticizes Clinton for others.  He also includes a few things about Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and others.

he's the worst president in a century.  if he keeps up this pace, he may indeed be the worst president ever.  when i consider whether he is worse than Harding, i can't decide.  it really depends on how bad it gets.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Trump is or will soon be worse than Harding.  Let's compare the two:

Unrepentant womanizer -- check
Totally unprepared for the office -- check  (Advantage Harding, who at least realized he was not qualified.)
Surrounded himself with unqualified, corrupt, ethically-challenged, scandal-prone cronies -- check  (Advantage Harding, who by most accounts was not personally involved to any great degree as I recall.)
Generally considered to be racist -- check
Died in office -- Only Harding (so far) 

Anything you want to add? 

ETA:  It should be Advantage Harding on the womanizing too, since by all accounts I am aware of his were all consensual. 

[Virgil Showlion]

Apr 9, 2018 19:51:47 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Apr 9, 2018 19:37:06 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

An old acquaintance once said, "I wish we could get past the 'those guys are evil and intent on destroying the world and we have to kill them all' style of politics and try to find some boring, collaborative, 'what's in the best interest of the country?' style of politics. I'm not singling out the GOP right wing, the Democratic left wing is equally guilty of blaming the opposition."

I notice this piece supports AgeOfEnlightenmentSCP 's "Second American Civil War" hypothesis from a few months ago, however. Perhaps you two should collaborate, hash out the details, and co-author a paper.

Did you read the actual interview and the words of the presidential historian, or just the writer's introduction to the piece?

I read the whole thing earlier, and again just now to make sure I didn't miss anything.

It features a thesis on why Pres. Trump won, Ms. Clinton lost, and about the left's inappropriate tolerance of Pres. Clinton's dalliances. He offers a dubious compliment to Pres. Reagan, touts "moderate" politics without providing any specifics on what he considers "moderate", plugs his book, claims he "sounded the alarm bells" about the Trump presidency, claims he was one of the earliest critics of the left's tolerance of Pres. Clinton, talks about Trump as a living gimmick--divisive, narcissistic, lacking empathy or emotion, and seems to desire a return to undefined moderate-ism.

How much do you want to bet the group Mr. DeVega claims "hold authoritarian values, and hold America's democratic norms in contempt" are precisely the group Mr. Greenfield (of the 2ACW thread) calls "the true America, resting on the foundation of time-tested traditions and principles", and the group Mr. Greenfield calls "the false America populated by individuals with no nationalism, loyalty, respect for tradition, respect for the Constitution, or even regard for the system of elections" are precisely the people Mr. DeVega calls "us" (presumably the souls who manage to read past the introduction and desire "moderation")?

If you're not convinced, consider a sampling of Mr. DeVega's publication record going back to February:

Have Christian Nationalists Used Trump to Stage a 'Soft Coup'?
Is American Democracy Already Beyond Saving?
Donald Trump's Voters Are Just as Selfish as You'd Suspect
Do Trump's Voters Even Want to Live in a Democracy?
Trump and His Supporters: A Dangerous Cycle of 'Collective Narcissism'
Hillary Clinton Was Right About the States That Voted for Trump
Donald Trump Has More in Common with a Cult Leader Than You Might Think
Did White Privilege Protect the Florida High School Shooter?
Could Donald Trump Cancel the Midterm Elections?
Toxic White Masculinity: The Killer That Haunts American Life
Listen: Donald Trump's Mental Health Continues to Imperil the United States and the World
Donald Trump Is a Test of America's Character, and Republicans Are Failing Miserably

Click on his name for a complete list.

Do you seriously think anything this man calls "moderate" would be remotely acceptable to anyone right of center? To say nothing of the fact that his language is a carbon copy of Mr. Greenfield's, only with hero and villain reversed.

Put the two men in a room and one of them wouldn't come out alive. Which is ironic because they're fundamentally saying the same thing: that contemporary left and right are so far apart politically that the two sides can't possibly be reconciled.

That's why I say you and Paul should co-author a paper. You don't have to agree who's the moderate and who's the democracy-hating, cult-following fascist. It suffices that you agree "at least one side" fits the bill and follow this to its logical conclusion: war.

[tallguy]

I am not concerned at all about Mr. DeVega, so am puzzled why you so concern yourself with him?  He is not the focus. 

[OldCoyote]

Apr 9, 2018 22:42:22 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Apr 9, 2018 22:20:14 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

he's the worst president in a century.  if he keeps up this pace, he may indeed be the worst president ever.  when i consider whether he is worse than Harding, i can't decide.  it really depends on how bad it gets.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Trump is or will soon be worse than Harding.  Let's compare the two:

Unrepentant womanizer -- check
Totally unprepared for the office -- check  (Advantage Harding, who at least realized he was not qualified.)
Surrounded himself with unqualified, corrupt, ethically-challenged, scandal-prone cronies -- check  (Advantage Harding, who by most accounts was not personally involved to any great degree as I recall.)
Generally considered to be racist -- check
Died in office -- Only Harding (so far) 

Anything you want to add? 
 

Sure I can add a couple, As far as womanizing goes it is the same as Clinton.
Unprepared , not really, already made a Supreme court Judge!  reined in the out of control EPA! Turned a bunch of land back into public lands again,
Is the cause for many heads of the corrupt FBI to fired or resign or retire! starting to secure the border, Leveling the trade playing field,,
Andddd maybe best of all ,looks like Trump is going to get to change the face of the Ninth Circuit Court!!!!!!!
Only considered a racist by the racists that post here!
He has another term to go!! When he is re-elected!!

[tallguy]

Clueless.  Utterly f***ing clueless.  

[OldCoyote]

That's my man Trump, Making America Great Again!!

[tallguy]

Last Updated Feb 20, 2018 11:01 AM EST

President Trump came in last place in an expert ranking of "presidential greatness," according to the 2018 Presidents & Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey released by Boise State University Monday.

The survey was conducted among 170 current and recent members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, which is a group of scholars dedicated to studying the American presidency.

These experts were asked to rank each president on a scale from zero (worst) to 100 (best) based on their overall performance in office. With this, Mr. Trump came in last place with an average score of 12.34.

Even among Republican respondents, Mr. Trump still ranked extremely low, earning the 40th spot for presidential greatness. These Republicans labeled James Buchanan -- whose presidency saw the secession of seven states before the Civil War -- as the all-time worst and George Washington as the best.

Trump ranks as worst president in poll of scholars

[mmhmm]

Apr 9, 2018 23:19:14 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

Apr 9, 2018 22:42:22 GMT -5 tallguy said:

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Trump is or will soon be worse than Harding.  Let's compare the two:

Unrepentant womanizer -- check
Totally unprepared for the office -- check  (Advantage Harding, who at least realized he was not qualified.)
Surrounded himself with unqualified, corrupt, ethically-challenged, scandal-prone cronies -- check  (Advantage Harding, who by most accounts was not personally involved to any great degree as I recall.)
Generally considered to be racist -- check
Died in office -- Only Harding (so far) 

Anything you want to add? 
 

Sure I can add a couple, As far as womanizing goes it is the same as Clinton.
Unprepared , not really, already made a Supreme court Judge!  reined in the out of control EPA! Turned a bunch of land back into public lands again,
Is the cause for many heads of the corrupt FBI to fired or resign or retire! starting to secure the border, Leveling the trade playing field,,
Andddd maybe best of all ,looks like Trump is going to get to change the face of the Ninth Circuit Court!!!!!!!
Only considered a racist by the racists that post here!
He has another term to go!! When he is re-elected!!

Okay, hold it! I'm not aware of any outright racists who post here. Keep insults like that one to yourself, OC. You're entitled to your opinions but you're not entitled to foist your insulting titles on other posters.

mmhmm, Politics Moderator

[Virgil Showlion]

Apr 9, 2018 23:17:02 GMT -5 tallguy said:

I am not concerned at all about Mr. DeVega, so am puzzled why you so concern yourself with him?  He is not the focus. 

What is the focus then?

You want me to raise my right hand and swear Pres. Trump is a deeply flawed leader, perhaps the most so in your nation's history? I do solemnly swear... . Done.

Are you swelling with contentment and satisfaction?

I boldly presumed your focus included Mr. DeVega's analysis of the US' present situation. The only thing he does aside from opine about Pres. Trump's success as a cult of personality and failure as a moral human being is advocate a return to a "moderate" presidency, which he doesn't define. Hence knowing what he considers to be "moderate" is of particular importance to the discussion, would you not agree?

He's not speaking to a rightist or centrist audience here. If he was, he'd be offering alternatives and specific examples of common ground. In looking at his past writings, I don't know what common ground anyone right of center could possibly share with the man.

This is an us vs. them piece thinly disguised as an appeal for unity. No different than Mr. Greenfield's polemic except in its pretenses.

If you don't think so, give us something more than "it is not simply an anti-Trump diatribe".

[happyhoix]

Apr 9, 2018 22:42:22 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Apr 9, 2018 22:20:14 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

he's the worst president in a century.  if he keeps up this pace, he may indeed be the worst president ever.  when i consider whether he is worse than Harding, i can't decide.  it really depends on how bad it gets.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Trump is or will soon be worse than Harding.  Let's compare the two:

Unrepentant womanizer -- check
Totally unprepared for the office -- check  (Advantage Harding, who at least realized he was not qualified.)
Surrounded himself with unqualified, corrupt, ethically-challenged, scandal-prone cronies -- check  (Advantage Harding, who by most accounts was not personally involved to any great degree as I recall.)
Generally considered to be racist -- check
Died in office -- Only Harding (so far) 

Anything you want to add? 

ETA:  It should be Advantage Harding on the womanizing too, since by all accounts I am aware of his were all consensual. 

I'm not a Harding expert but my impression is he was kind of a simple minded dolt who fell prey to a lot of scammers who brought graft and corruption to a new high level in his administration, so I'd have to say Trump is worse than him, in that Trump himself is very intelligent, in a kind of greedy, cunning way, and he has selected political appointees he thinks will be 'nice' to him (which means will toady to him) and look away from any corruption Trump and his pals are doing behind the scenes (while they themselves are profiting nicely from their powerful positions).

So - I'd say Trump has the edge on worst ever, IMHO.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 9, 2018 23:19:14 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

Apr 9, 2018 22:42:22 GMT -5 tallguy said:

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Trump is or will soon be worse than Harding.  Let's compare the two:

Unrepentant womanizer -- check
Totally unprepared for the office -- check  (Advantage Harding, who at least realized he was not qualified.)
Surrounded himself with unqualified, corrupt, ethically-challenged, scandal-prone cronies -- check  (Advantage Harding, who by most accounts was not personally involved to any great degree as I recall.)
Generally considered to be racist -- check
Died in office -- Only Harding (so far) 

Anything you want to add? 
 

Sure I can add a couple, As far as womanizing goes it is the same as Clinton.
Unprepared , not really, already made a Supreme court Judge!  reined in the out of control EPA! Turned a bunch of land back into public lands again,
Is the cause for many heads of the corrupt FBI to fired or resign or retire! starting to secure the border, Leveling the trade playing field,,
Andddd maybe best of all ,looks like Trump is going to get to change the face of the Ninth Circuit Court!!!!!!!
Only considered a racist by the racists that post here!
He has another term to go!! When he is re-elected!!

we are not comparing Trump and Clinton.
and yes, he was woefully unprepared.
as far as the "corrupt" FBI, there is no evidence of corruption among those fired whatsoever.
as far as racism is concerned, TG is no racist, imo.  if you want to make a case for it, be my guest.
and i seriously doubt he will get re-elected, if he manages to stay in office through 2020.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 10, 2018 0:00:11 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Last Updated Feb 20, 2018 11:01 AM EST

President Trump came in last place in an expert ranking of "presidential greatness," according to the 2018 Presidents & Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey released by Boise State University Monday.

The survey was conducted among 170 current and recent members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, which is a group of scholars dedicated to studying the American presidency.

These experts were asked to rank each president on a scale from zero (worst) to 100 (best) based on their overall performance in office. With this, Mr. Trump came in last place with an average score of 12.34.

Even among Republican respondents, Mr. Trump still ranked extremely low, earning the 40th spot for presidential greatness. These Republicans labeled James Buchanan -- whose presidency saw the secession of seven states before the Civil War -- as the all-time worst and George Washington as the best.

Trump ranks as worst president in poll of scholars

good.  i am glad to see that i have some ammo for my position.  thanks for posting.

i will stick with what i said before.  i don't rank him last.....YET. 

there is still time for him to fail catastrophically- which i expect.

edit: that survey is utterly crushing.  he is rated in the bottom 10% by all surveyed other than Republicans (he was 5th worst according to them).  i think the standards by which presidents are judged are interesting, too.  it is good to keep this stuff in mind when throwing around claims of who is best and worst.  one of the standards is respect for the norms of the office.  he has none.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 9, 2018 23:45:02 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

That's my man Trump, Making America Great Again!!

when was America great?

i am not doubting that it once was- but when? 

[Virgil Showlion]

Apr 10, 2018 12:56:14 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 9, 2018 23:45:02 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

That's my man Trump, Making America Great Again!!

when was America great?

i am not doubting that it once was- but when? 

The US jumped the shark when Pres. Nixon completely took you off the gold standard, if you're looking for a singular milestone.

Generally speaking, however, it's been a long and gradual decline, and "greatness" is subjective.

[thyme4change]

Apr 10, 2018 12:56:14 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 9, 2018 23:45:02 GMT -5 OldCoyote said:

That's my man Trump, Making America Great Again!!

when was America great?

i am not doubting that it once was- but when? 

The 50s, when brown people stayed in their lane, and if your woman acted up, you could bam-pow her right to the moon.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 11, 2018 8:52:28 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Apr 10, 2018 12:56:14 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

when was America great?

i am not doubting that it once was- but when? 

The 50s, when brown people stayed in their lane, and if your woman acted up, you could bam-pow her right to the moon.

precisely.  i meant the inquiry with absolute sincerity.  it seems to me that people who never LIVED through the 50's seem to think that Leave It To Beaver is reality TV.  the reality for minorities, women, and even most white folks was little to nothing like that.  and yet the 50's might actually have been the peak of our empire.  we prevailed in WW2, we helped form the UN and NATO, the economy was booming, and we were busy trying to fix major social ills. 

fast forward, and the GOP is trying to (or by accident) undo literally ALL of that.  how will that make us "great AGAIN"?

so, yeah, we have to rewind further than that.  pre-Civil War?

i am serious: WHEN?

[thyme4change]

Apr 12, 2018 11:44:39 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Apr 11, 2018 8:52:28 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

The 50s, when brown people stayed in their lane, and if your woman acted up, you could bam-pow her right to the moon.

precisely.  i meant the inquiry with absolute sincerity.  it seems to me that people who never LIVED through the 50's seem to think that Leave It To Beaver is reality TV.  the reality for minorities, women, and even most white folks was little to nothing like that.  and yet the 50's might actually have been the peak of our empire.  we prevailed in WW2, we helped form the UN and NATO, the economy was booming, and we were busy trying to fix major social ills. 

fast forward, and the GOP is trying to (or by accident) undo literally ALL of that.  how will that make us "great AGAIN"?

so, yeah, we have to rewind further than that.  pre-Civil War?

i am serious: WHEN?

The big reason we were so dominate economically is because Europe was a pile of rubble, and every person over there basically had PTSD. We can't recreate that by throwing all the Mexicans out.

[djAdvocate]

Apr 12, 2018 11:49:22 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Apr 12, 2018 11:44:39 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

precisely.  i meant the inquiry with absolute sincerity.  it seems to me that people who never LIVED through the 50's seem to think that Leave It To Beaver is reality TV.  the reality for minorities, women, and even most white folks was little to nothing like that.  and yet the 50's might actually have been the peak of our empire.  we prevailed in WW2, we helped form the UN and NATO, the economy was booming, and we were busy trying to fix major social ills. 

fast forward, and the GOP is trying to (or by accident) undo literally ALL of that.  how will that make us "great AGAIN"?

so, yeah, we have to rewind further than that.  pre-Civil War?

i am serious: WHEN?

The big reason we were so dominate economically is because Europe was a pile of rubble, and every person over there basically had PTSD. We can't recreate that by throwing all the Mexicans out.

we agree again.  there is a continuum to events that is impossible to duplicate.  we can't go back, even if we want to.  at issue is our collective memory of that time, at a minimum.  this idea is familiar to anyone who has lived through a failed relationship.  it wasn't always bad.  but your memory of when it was good doesn't make it any easier to become happy again.

[dondub]

WHEN: 1491

[Virgil Showlion]

So the question is: Why go back to the 1950's, when crime was a fraction of what it is today, people of all races and both genders reported greater general happiness (established fact; by all means look it up), the middle class was substantial and growing, the US dollar was stable and trusted worldwide, race relations were improving, federal deficits were slight, federal spending was sustainable, and entire races weren't being systematically wiped out via left-approved methodologies?

I can think of a few reasons why somebody might want to.

Those who prefer to stick with "better race relations" and "longer life expectancy" in 2018 can do so, although give it another decade and those'll be gone or well on their way too.

[thyme4change]

Apr 12, 2018 20:33:00 GMT -5 Virgil Showlion said:

So the question is: Why go back to the 1950's, when crime was a fraction of what it is today, people of all races and both genders reported greater general happiness (established fact; by all means look it up), the middle class was substantial and growing, the US dollar was stable and trusted worldwide, race relations were improving, federal deficits were slight, federal spending was sustainable, and entire races weren't being systematically wiped out via left-approved methodologies?

I can think of a few reasons why somebody might want to.

Those who prefer to stick with "better race relations" and "longer life expectancy" in 2018 can do so, although give it another decade and those'll be gone or well on their way too.

I don't want to be a housewife.

[midjd]

Race relations “improving” in the 50s, more than a decade before anti-miscegenation laws were declared unconstitutional, is a pretty low bar.

[dezii]

Apr 9, 2018 18:29:52 GMT -5 tallguy said:

As I went from link to link and site to site, I eventually ran across this.  It's an interview with a political writer and a presidential historian.  The introduction goes like this:

Donald Trump is president of the United States by title and law. He is not president of all Americans. Trump cares only about his voters and the most enthusiastic part of his "base." He is a political cult leader. Nothing seems to matter to him but the adoration and power that comes from his followers.

Public opinion polls and other research has shown that Trump's supporters are driven by racism, sexism, Christian nationalism and nativism. They hold authoritarian values, and hold America's democratic norms in contempt. All that matters is winning: Democracy be damned.

Donald Trump is also enabled by the Republican Party and a right-wing media machine that has enabled this assault. Political scientists, historians and others have already begun to assess Trump's presidency. The consensus: At this early point in his tenure Trump already ranks among the worst presidents in United States history. As I have already suggested, perhaps there should be an asterisk next to his name in future accounts of this political moment, a gesture of shame and apology to the world and the American future.

How will history remember those Republicans and other conservatives who voted Trump into office and continue to back him? How has Trump defiled the presidency? Is it possible for Trump to pivot back to the normal standards of the office? Is there still a place for moderation and incrementalism in American politics during a time of crisis and extreme polarization?
In an effort to answer these questions I recently spoke with historian....

Presidential Historian: Trump Has Committed a 'Crime Against the American People'


The interview follows.  It's a long read, but there is a lot of truth in it.  And no, it is not simply an anti-Trump diatribe.  He does credit Trump for some things, criticizes Clinton for others.  He also includes a few things about Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and others.

"

How will history remember those Republicans and other conservatives who voted Trump into office and continue to back him?"

For me the crime and despair is NOT  those who voted for him...that is understandable...promises, new voice, unhappy with status quo, their place in the society and so much more....BUT  after a year and a quarter and no let up, in fact more and more of even greater paranoia , the attack on the countries liberties and psyche....they continue to back him...that is the crime and is becoming unforgivable and the blame will rest mostly on the majority party as they hold the power..GOP... I wonder how long it will take them to recover from this night mare...

It is now 12:09...time to call it a day...I am wondering what will be playing out tomorrow in the soap opera.." How the Donald turns ".... ...........  

[weltschmerz]

Yes, the 50s were truly idyllic.....when women couldn't buy a house, get a line of credit, get an Ivy League education,  serve on juries, buy her own car, report sexual harassment at work, get a legal abortion, easily get a divorce,  get pregnant and keep her job, arrest her husband for domestic violence, refuse having sex with her husband....it was truly a magical time.

The 50s were only good for white males. No wonder you yearn for it,Virgil.

[thyme4change]

Apr 12, 2018 23:31:18 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Yes, the 50s were truly idyllic.....when women couldn't buy a house, get a line of credit, get an Ivy League education,  serve on juries, buy her own car, report sexual harassment at work, get a legal abortion, easily get a divorce,  get pregnant and keep her job, arrest her husband for domestic violence, refuse having sex with her husband....it was truly a magical time.

The 50s were only good for white males. No wonder you yearn for it,Virgil.

I don't think "all races" were so happy either, given the whole civil rights movement that was a-brewin.