One of the way's Trump got elected was by stressing infrastructure. Apparently Cambridge Analytica had identified this as a winning campaign promise in the Midwest. Sigh...it's like Mussolini promising to make the trains run on time, except that Trump hasn't done shit for the infrastructure, and even if he does, he won't figure out a way to pay for it. Of course he also promised to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it, and that didn't happen either. Luckily for him, the rubes in the GOP don't seem to notice.
Our biggest problem with "single payer health care" in the past is that none of the numbnuts knew what it was. We have a problem with messaging. If we'd called it Medicare Plus or Medicare for All, we would have had a lot more success selling it. It's funny that we're trying to sell a GOOD idea to people who are such idiots, they don't want it because of "SOCHULISM!!!"
I think that Medicare for All would be highly appealing. I wish Dems would get behind it. It references an already popular program and would be easier to implement and lower in cost than any alternative I can think of.
If they begin to see that Trump is costing them money then that will help.
We do have minority rule in this country. Part of that problem is written in the Constitution, which gives states with small populations comparatively more electoral power.
That makes it even more important that Dems, liberals, progressives, etc., get out and vote in a way that wins elections.
It will be interesting to see if more liberal positions actually do better in elections that we might think. In Alabama a transexual woman beat a long-time Wingnut rep by focusing on fixing roads.
Being demonized by Trump is a high compliment, much like being on Nixon's Enemies List.
I don't want to demonize Comey. I will always admire his behavior when Ashcroft was in the hospital and Bush minions tried to pull a fast one.http://www.latimes.com/poli...
But several top pollsters say that Comey's Clinton letter likely gave Trump the election. He said he did it for high moral reasons, but that in itself seems more self-righteous than true. He could have waited till after the election, as per FBI policy.
Mueller is a better example of professional behavior, Neither he nor his team leaks. Comey seemed to enjoy leaking when it gave him a chance to grandstand. He is a good man, but he has made serious mistakes, seemingly from hubris.
If he helps fight Trump now, that's a degree of atonement.
“additionally, centrism increases your credibility with whatever group you interact with.” True, if “whatever group you interact with” is somewhere on the spectrum between center-left and center-right,
Theory: this slice of the electorate is shrinking.
Theory: playing to this decreasing slice of the electorate is a losing proposition, because a) that portion between center and center-right ( let’s call it the “Susan Collins slice”) is going to tsk tsk and then vote Republucan and b) tempering your message to avoid turning off that slice (which you’re not going to get anyway) will lower the enthusiasm of the larger slice that runs from center through center-left and all the way out to the left field foul line.
Tl;dr: I can think of “groups you interact with” where centrism doesn’t “increase your credibility,” can’t you?
Good point. Of course it's impossible to know his real motivation. He may not fully understand it himself.
I do remember that he not only sent his Clinton letter at just about the worst possible point for Clinton. He's been in Washington long enough to know that what he was doing was risky, especially since it was against FBI policy and he was cautioned not to do it.
He could have leaked something about Trump in the interests of the public, but did not do so.
And his book is entitled "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership." That's claiming a pretty lofty moral reason for doing something that interfered with a Presidential election and very likely gave us the Trump presidency.
Comey has an excellent reputation, but there have been signs that he really, really likes the spotlight. Remember that earlier, when he first announced the Clinton investigation was over, he nevertheless scolded her for her action. That was also against FBI policy. They are supposed to announce whether or not there will be an indictment, not to play pundit to the media.
Republicans are going really far off the rails, as they have been for years. They're getting crazy enough that they're scaring off moderates. We need to be "middle-ish" in 2020 in order to pick up people who don't want to vote for a treasonous asshole. People like my mother who has been a lifelong Republican, but is kind of disgusted with them. I'm also hoping John Kasich or Ben Sasse runs against Trump as an independent so at least the GOP vote may be split enough that we can win. Shorter version: I just fucking want to win.
1000 upfists to you, my new friend. Liberal Democrats have a problem getting elected in about 40 out of 50 states. Unfortunately, liberals tend to congregate in cities, and even though we're the majority of the population, the minority is able to enforce its will on the rest of us, because they're spread out all over the South and Midwest. I'm hoping if things get shitty enough, some rubes might wake up to the fact of who keeps screwing them.
I think it's a stretch that he did it to massage his ego. He talked about his deep shame over the Clinton emails in congressional testimony and it took a while for congress getting around to testifying w him. Right now, maybe the ego is at play a litle more but hes on a book tour
Comey did many fine things in his life and his FBI career, but introducing controversy just a few days before the election was not one of them. He very likely changed the outcome of the election--he had no right to do that. It's shameful.
Note that he also broke FBI protocol. His excuse is that it was the "right" thing to do, which apparently is intended to massage his ego and excuse him from accountability.
I disagree that it gives him credibility to go after Trump, especially since he has waited so long. Comey has been thoroughly discredited with the Trump base and has no credibility with them. The rest of us already despise Trump and won't be affected by anything Comey says.
If the FBI is falling apart I suspect it's because of the ongoing attempts of the Trump camp to destroy it. Wray and Rosenstein both seem to be doing their jobs well under difficult circumstances.
Appealing to the middle has gotten the Dems some wins in Red areas--Doug Jones in Alabama, for example. He is moderate, but for Alabama he is a liberal. That's a good thing.
I agree that Dems need to step up their messaging and fight like junkyard dogs. Their current slogan is lame: "A Better Deal." Even "A Fair Deal" would be in improvement. I despise Trump, but "Make America Great Again" works as a slogan and fits well on a hat.
Or how about "Let's Get Some Real Work Done" since failure to do that is a huge problem with Congress.
So true. It is much easier for Repubs to attack "socialized medicine" than it is to attack Medicare.
Of course what they'll do is claim that Medicare for All will destroy original Medicare.
One of the way's Trump got elected was by stressing infrastructure. Apparently Cambridge Analytica had identified this as a winning campaign promise in the Midwest. Sigh...it's like Mussolini promising to make the trains run on time, except that Trump hasn't done shit for the infrastructure, and even if he does, he won't figure out a way to pay for it. Of course he also promised to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it, and that didn't happen either. Luckily for him, the rubes in the GOP don't seem to notice.
Our biggest problem with "single payer health care" in the past is that none of the numbnuts knew what it was. We have a problem with messaging. If we'd called it Medicare Plus or Medicare for All, we would have had a lot more success selling it. It's funny that we're trying to sell a GOOD idea to people who are such idiots, they don't want it because of "SOCHULISM!!!"
Healing a cancer usually involves removing it.
I think that Medicare for All would be highly appealing. I wish Dems would get behind it. It references an already popular program and would be easier to implement and lower in cost than any alternative I can think of.
If they begin to see that Trump is costing them money then that will help.
We do have minority rule in this country. Part of that problem is written in the Constitution, which gives states with small populations comparatively more electoral power.
That makes it even more important that Dems, liberals, progressives, etc., get out and vote in a way that wins elections.
It will be interesting to see if more liberal positions actually do better in elections that we might think. In Alabama a transexual woman beat a long-time Wingnut rep by focusing on fixing roads.
Being demonized by Trump is a high compliment, much like being on Nixon's Enemies List.
I don't want to demonize Comey. I will always admire his behavior when Ashcroft was in the hospital and Bush minions tried to pull a fast one.http://www.latimes.com/poli...
But several top pollsters say that Comey's Clinton letter likely gave Trump the election. He said he did it for high moral reasons, but that in itself seems more self-righteous than true. He could have waited till after the election, as per FBI policy.
Mueller is a better example of professional behavior, Neither he nor his team leaks. Comey seemed to enjoy leaking when it gave him a chance to grandstand. He is a good man, but he has made serious mistakes, seemingly from hubris.
If he helps fight Trump now, that's a degree of atonement.
“additionally, centrism increases your credibility with whatever group you interact with.” True, if “whatever group you interact with” is somewhere on the spectrum between center-left and center-right,
Theory: this slice of the electorate is shrinking.
Theory: playing to this decreasing slice of the electorate is a losing proposition, because a) that portion between center and center-right ( let’s call it the “Susan Collins slice”) is going to tsk tsk and then vote Republucan and b) tempering your message to avoid turning off that slice (which you’re not going to get anyway) will lower the enthusiasm of the larger slice that runs from center through center-left and all the way out to the left field foul line.
Tl;dr: I can think of “groups you interact with” where centrism doesn’t “increase your credibility,” can’t you?
https://i.makeagif.com/medi...
This is a good conversation. I appreciate it. I dont think he deserves the demonization the Trump administration is giving him.
I think if hes being demonized on both sides, that means hes doing something right.
I also have 2 cousins who work in different divisions of the FBI and they both vouch for how good of a leader he is
Good point. Of course it's impossible to know his real motivation. He may not fully understand it himself.
I do remember that he not only sent his Clinton letter at just about the worst possible point for Clinton. He's been in Washington long enough to know that what he was doing was risky, especially since it was against FBI policy and he was cautioned not to do it.
He could have leaked something about Trump in the interests of the public, but did not do so.
And his book is entitled "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership." That's claiming a pretty lofty moral reason for doing something that interfered with a Presidential election and very likely gave us the Trump presidency.
Comey has an excellent reputation, but there have been signs that he really, really likes the spotlight. Remember that earlier, when he first announced the Clinton investigation was over, he nevertheless scolded her for her action. That was also against FBI policy. They are supposed to announce whether or not there will be an indictment, not to play pundit to the media.
Republicans are going really far off the rails, as they have been for years. They're getting crazy enough that they're scaring off moderates. We need to be "middle-ish" in 2020 in order to pick up people who don't want to vote for a treasonous asshole. People like my mother who has been a lifelong Republican, but is kind of disgusted with them. I'm also hoping John Kasich or Ben Sasse runs against Trump as an independent so at least the GOP vote may be split enough that we can win. Shorter version: I just fucking want to win.
1000 upfists to you, my new friend. Liberal Democrats have a problem getting elected in about 40 out of 50 states. Unfortunately, liberals tend to congregate in cities, and even though we're the majority of the population, the minority is able to enforce its will on the rest of us, because they're spread out all over the South and Midwest. I'm hoping if things get shitty enough, some rubes might wake up to the fact of who keeps screwing them.
I think it's a stretch that he did it to massage his ego. He talked about his deep shame over the Clinton emails in congressional testimony and it took a while for congress getting around to testifying w him. Right now, maybe the ego is at play a litle more but hes on a book tour
Comey did many fine things in his life and his FBI career, but introducing controversy just a few days before the election was not one of them. He very likely changed the outcome of the election--he had no right to do that. It's shameful.
Note that he also broke FBI protocol. His excuse is that it was the "right" thing to do, which apparently is intended to massage his ego and excuse him from accountability.
I disagree that it gives him credibility to go after Trump, especially since he has waited so long. Comey has been thoroughly discredited with the Trump base and has no credibility with them. The rest of us already despise Trump and won't be affected by anything Comey says.
If the FBI is falling apart I suspect it's because of the ongoing attempts of the Trump camp to destroy it. Wray and Rosenstein both seem to be doing their jobs well under difficult circumstances.
Appealing to the middle has gotten the Dems some wins in Red areas--Doug Jones in Alabama, for example. He is moderate, but for Alabama he is a liberal. That's a good thing.
I agree that Dems need to step up their messaging and fight like junkyard dogs. Their current slogan is lame: "A Better Deal." Even "A Fair Deal" would be in improvement. I despise Trump, but "Make America Great Again" works as a slogan and fits well on a hat.
Or how about "Let's Get Some Real Work Done" since failure to do that is a huge problem with Congress.