Do you think Trump will run for a second term?

[Brian Peacock]

This is assuming that he isn't assassinated, and that there hasn't been a nuclear holocaust...

Who would assassinate him? All the haters and violent folks are in his camp, and his opposition would hardly stoop to "martial rhetoric" much less actual violence. I mean, his opposition finally has the opportunity to remove violence, hate and incivility from the world of politics and political discourse. Surely, they'd never miss that chance...

Indeed. We all know that the only people who assassinate sitting presidents is the deep, dark state.

[JimC]

There has to be a grassy knoll somewhere...

[pErvinalia]

Where are all the jobs he promised?

260,000 jobs added in October. Unemployment is at a 16-year low.

What's under-employment at?

If that's true, what's everyone upset about? Trump in office - not much changing - the left is outraged at the horror of it all.

There's heaps changing. Decimation of the EPA and climate change action. The US's reputation on the world stage sinking to new lows. White nationalists are emboldened and hate crimes are on the rise. Inching closer to war, possibly nuclear, with NK.

[pErvinalia]

This is assuming that he isn't assassinated, and that there hasn't been a nuclear holocaust...

Who would assassinate him? All the haters and violent folks are in his camp, and his opposition would hardly stoop to "martial rhetoric" much less actual violence. I mean, his opposition finally has the opportunity to remove violence, hate and incivility from the world of politics and political discourse. Surely, they'd never miss that chance...

The deep state and "the establishment", the ones who are making up the evidence for Russian interference in your election and collusion with the Trump campaign. The ones who you used to claim did what the president commanded, except now when they act non-partisan and you have to invent a new narrative that fits with your biased world view...

[Tero]

This is a big problem for the party. If they run Trump, they will lose most likely. There is a small chance people will vote exactly as they did last time.

But if they run anyone else, they will lose. Pence has no crowd appeal. Not even if he says Trump stuff. The Trump stuff only fits Trump.

[JimC]

There may be time before the next election for an old-style republican moderate to be revealed in all his wonder...

[Tero]

All sorts of possibilities. Merge these two and what do you get?
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OdH3xkUdpKc/hqdefault.jpg

[pErvinalia]

Won't Ryan run?

[Animavore]

The thought of Trump running. Panting. Wheezing....

Shudder.

[Forty Two]

This is assuming that he isn't assassinated, and that there hasn't been a nuclear holocaust...

Who would assassinate him? All the haters and violent folks are in his camp, and his opposition would hardly stoop to "martial rhetoric" much less actual violence. I mean, his opposition finally has the opportunity to remove violence, hate and incivility from the world of politics and political discourse. Surely, they'd never miss that chance...

Indeed. We all know that the only people who assassinate sitting presidents is the deep, dark state.

Halliburton! Carlyle Group! Diebold! Oh, yes, the tentacles have reach....

[Forty Two]

There may be time before the next election for an old-style republican moderate to be revealed in all his wonder...

The problem for the GOP in that scenario is that old-style Republican moderates do not play well in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The reason Trump won was he flipped states that had working class people voting Democrat for the last four election cycles. That's why the media couldn't see Trump winning, because the rust belt, midwest, working class, blue collar states had been solidly blue for so long, it was hard to imagine Trump turning them, but he did. The reason an old-style Republican moderate is not good for the GOP is that such a candidate was proven over 4 election cycles to not be able to take Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and Virginia - that diagonal line of states - at least not all of them together, like Trump was able to do.

Bush barely cobbled together electoral college wins, and had to win in 2000 with a lawsuit over recounts, down to a few hundred votes swinging the state of Florida.

The notion that the people who voted for Trump were voting for him holding their nose, while really hoping for an old-style Republican moderate, is not right. They voted for Trump with glee. Mostly secret glee. Large numbers wouldn't say it out loud, because of the rhetoric that was invariably fired their way if they disclosed it. But, they went to the voting booth and gave secret middle-finger to the establishment and to the loud, activist Left -- all those people who like to tell everyone what to do.

[Brian Peacock]

....
The notion that the people who voted for Trump were voting for him holding their nose, while really hoping for an old-style Republican moderate, is not right. They voted for Trump with glee. Mostly secret glee. Large numbers wouldn't say it out loud, because of the rhetoric that was invariably fired their way if they disclosed it. But, they went to the voting booth and gave secret middle-finger to the establishment and to the loud, activist Left -- all those people who like to tell everyone what to do.

The media and polls -- all wrong about Trump from July 2015 to November, 2016..... but now, approval ratings ought to be taken with all seriousness and considered right on target. I'm sure CNN is asking the the right questions in the right way in order to glean a fair approval rating, after all, they had done polling before the election which gave him about a 5% chance of winning because people did not approve of Trump as a candidate.... it's obvious that now that he is President, they'll be looking to correct what they'd done wrong in the lead up to the 2016 vote....

http://www.rationalia.com/forum/viewtop ... 4#p1737568

[Sean Hayden]

Oh, now they give the finger to the establishment. Now that the US is changing its attitudes for the better, these guys decide to give the majority the finger. --well, how else should I interpret it? You've got the evangelicals. You've got the racists. You've got the Reaganites. All the most recent changes in our attitudes are at odds with all of those. They gave the finger to gay rights, to concern for the environment, for the health and welfare of everyone, to new approaches to treating drug use and crime....

fucking heroes, you anti-establishment rebels

[Animavore]

[Forty Two]

Oh, now they give the finger to the establishment. Now that the US is changing its attitudes for the better, these guys decide to give the majority the finger. --well, how else should I interpret it? You've got the evangelicals. You've got the racists. You've got the Reaganites. All the most recent changes in our attitudes are at odds with all of those. They gave the finger to gay rights, to concern for the environment, for the health and welfare of everyone, to new approaches to treating drug use and crime....

fucking heroes, you anti-establishment rebels

That's the leftist line on it, but the reality was that what motivated the trump voter was economics, and their perception of job-related issues. They voted for Trump because they thought he would be out working to improve the US economy, business and industry so that more people can work and earn a living. It's the judgmental tone, too, that comes from the left that motivates people too - it's always an impugning of motives -- it's always a declaration -- just like Clinton said - that half of such-and-such are "racists...sexists... homophobic, transphobic...." etc. etc. etc. People get sick of that, and they say, "hey, being concerned about everyday issues -- being concerned about jobs, taxes, cost of living, illegal immigration, etc., that's not racist, sexist, and whatever phobic - fuck off with that neverending mantra..."