President Donald Trump: The Thread

[Reddy]

Excuses in case the vote doesn't go how you want it?

I assume you deny the existence of gerrymandering as well, right?

[Con te Giolito]

I just hope people actually go out and vote and participate. Since I live in Illinois and I don't know that my vote really matters in my district, should I reach out to the Democratic Township to make calls to other states or do townships just do outreach locally? I'm an independent but there's no way I'm helping Mr. Trump.

Democrats are going to be too busy telling each other how great they are and taking selfies at protests to bother asking people in the rust belt for their votes. They're gonna get rolled again and ask themselves how on earth it could have happened. "Trump was so evil, didn't you see us on TV and social media telling you so?" There was a moment of clarity for about 48 hours after the result of the election dropped where everyone seemed to understand that the identity politics and political correctness of the left alienated the traditional bedrock of their party.

 

Now were back at it again, having a level 10 freakout over Trump resurrecting Obama's old policies. Protesting on the streets of cities like Seattle, the poster child for "I like people who aren't white to be on my TV, not in my neighborhood", accomplishes nothing. In a way it helps Trump, because nothing grinds the gears of the working poor more than bougie liberals LARPing as activists while ignoring issues that have been brooding in the belly of this country since the 70's.

[Soxbadger]

You know you done f***ed up if the Koch Brothers are against a policy set forth by a Republican president.

 

Our wealth is closer to Trump's than his wealth is to theirs. To them he is just a poor guy.

[Jenksismyhero]

Democrats are going to be too busy telling each other how great they are and taking selfies at protests to bother asking people in the rust belt for their votes. They're gonna get rolled again and ask themselves how on earth it could have happened. "Trump was so evil, didn't you see us on TV and social media telling you so?" There was a moment of clarity for about 48 hours after the result of the election dropped where everyone seemed to understand that the identity politics and political correctness of the left alienated the traditional bedrock of their party.

 

Now were back at it again, having a level 10 freakout over Trump resurrecting Obama's old policies. Protesting on the streets of cities like Seattle, the poster child for "I like people who aren't white to be on my TV, not in my neighborhood", accomplishes nothing. In a way it helps Trump, because nothing grinds the gears of the working poor more than bougie liberals LARPing as activists while ignoring issues that have been brooding in the belly of this country since the 70's.

 

 

Someone watched Bill Maher this weekend:

 

[StrangeSox]

Spicer tried to use the incident in Quebec of a white supremacist shooting up a mosque as justification for Trump's Muslim ban.

 

He also tried to defend their Holocaust statement that neglected to mention the Jews with "We love Israel!" and "by and large people loved our statement."

 

Also called being held in an interrogation room for hours and being denied legal counsel "a minor inconvenience"

Edited January 30, 2017 by StrangeSox

[Con te Giolito]

<!--quoteo(post=3478593:date=Jan 30, 2017 -> 01:19 PM:name=Con te Giolito)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Con te Giolito @ Jan 30, 2017 -> 01:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Democrats are going to be too busy telling each other how great they are and taking selfies at protests to bother asking people in the rust belt for their votes. They're gonna get rolled again and ask themselves how on earth it could have happened. "Trump was so evil, didn't you see us on TV and social media telling you so?" There was a moment of clarity for about 48 hours after the result of the election dropped where everyone seemed to understand that the identity politics and political correctness of the left alienated the traditional bedrock of their party.

 

Now were back at it again, having a level 10 freakout over Trump resurrecting Obama's old policies. Protesting on the streets of cities like Seattle, the poster child for "I like people who aren't white to be on my TV, not in my neighborhood", accomplishes nothing. In a way it helps Trump, because nothing grinds the gears of the working poor more than bougie liberals LARPing as activists while ignoring issues that have been brooding in the belly of this country since the 70's.

 

 

Someone watched Bill Maher this weekend:

 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JaC1-U8LIY0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I have zero interest in Bill Maher and even if I had HBO I wouldn't watch his show, but if he's saying the same thing I agree with him.

[Leonard Zelig]

1. Generally you do expect that people will pick up, although for some reason over the last week their staffs have been overwhelmed.

2. Do not ask to speak to the Senator or Congressperson unless you also are writing them a $2000 check.

3. Focusing on 1 or 2 issues per call is best.

4. Be polite. These are low paid staffers or volunteers who take down people's comments and record them in sort of a "pooling" fashion. Don't yell, don't be angry even with them.

5. If you get sent to voice mail, leave a message stating your name, your zip code, and express your opinion on that issue. Someone will get to that eventually.

6. If the lines are completely jammed and voice mail is full, call back another time and feel free to complain about that when you call back as that's a failure to meet the needs of your district.

7. There is debate over whether calling the local office or national office is preferable, some people strongly advocate for both. I think you're good either way.

 

 

Good rundown.

 

If you don't know how to start just go with "I'd like to know the senators stance on X" and then they may or may not yet have one, so tell them your stance and what you'd like to see.

 

 

You'll almost definitely get a staffer if you get through. For Senators, you'll probably get a voicemail box based on the volume of calls they're receiving right now. Start with the DC office, and then go down the line of local offices until you can get a person or at least a voicemail.

 

For Reps, you're more likely to get a staffer. There are lots of call scripts out there, but the big ones are to state that "my name is X and I am a constituent of Rep. blah blah" and then go into your concerns. If you have a specific question about their stances or how they plan to vote on something, feel free to ask. If you get the answer you want, great, say thanks, if not, urge them to reconsider. They log these things and keep track of how many people call in favor of/opposed to things.

 

edit: beaten by both balta and bmags, but don't forget to write either actual letters or emails. Not nearly as impactful as calling, but it's still something.

 

Thank you all for the info.

 

[StrangeSox]

Trump isn't "resurrecting Obama's old policies," that's nonsense spin that took them several days to try to come up with.

[Soxbadger]

Democrats are going to be too busy telling each other how great they are and taking selfies at protests to bother asking people in the rust belt for their votes. They're gonna get rolled again and ask themselves how on earth it could have happened. "Trump was so evil, didn't you see us on TV and social media telling you so?" There was a moment of clarity for about 48 hours after the result of the election dropped where everyone seemed to understand that the identity politics and political correctness of the left alienated the traditional bedrock of their party.

 

Now were back at it again, having a level 10 freakout over Trump resurrecting Obama's old policies. Protesting on the streets of cities like Seattle, the poster child for "I like people who aren't white to be on my TV, not in my neighborhood", accomplishes nothing. In a way it helps Trump, because nothing grinds the gears of the working poor more than bougie liberals LARPing as activists while ignoring issues that have been brooding in the belly of this country since the 70's.

 

Im not going to "ask" anyone to vote. I am simply going to watch as Trump's economic policies decimate the rust belt. If they want higher priced goods and less jobs, thats on them. There is simply nothing that can be done to convince certain people that "they took our jobs" is a myth.

 

I guess I could show them the South Park episode, but theyd probably just say "We're sorry, back in the pile."

 

Unless someone is inventing a time machine, the rust belt just cannot efficiently compete with overseas producers. And really, we have no one to blame but those damn Americans and their cheap labor. If not for those bastards undercutting England, England would still be the number 1 manufacturing country in the world.

 

AKA

 

WE TOOK THEIR JOBS.

 

 

[Reddy]

Two weeks in and it's vacation time for Trump! Pathetic.

 

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/transpor...WBGkSmGjC6GioJ/

[brett05]

I assume you deny the existence of gerrymandering as well, right?

Have you seen how the democrats keep control of cook?

[NorthSideSox72]

Democrats are going to be too busy telling each other how great they are and taking selfies at protests to bother asking people in the rust belt for their votes. They're gonna get rolled again and ask themselves how on earth it could have happened. "Trump was so evil, didn't you see us on TV and social media telling you so?" There was a moment of clarity for about 48 hours after the result of the election dropped where everyone seemed to understand that the identity politics and political correctness of the left alienated the traditional bedrock of their party.

 

Now were back at it again, having a level 10 freakout over Trump resurrecting Obama's old policies. Protesting on the streets of cities like Seattle, the poster child for "I like people who aren't white to be on my TV, not in my neighborhood", accomplishes nothing. In a way it helps Trump, because nothing grinds the gears of the working poor more than bougie liberals LARPing as activists while ignoring issues that have been brooding in the belly of this country since the 70's.

Um...

 

1. Obama won handily across the Rust Belt - twice. It wasn't a Dem failure, it was a Hillary Clinton failure, combined with a very unusual GOP candidate. It's the definition of a non-repeating event.

 

2. Obama never enacted a policy even remotely like this. There is nothing based in fact about your claim. He issued a statement urging US citizens to not visiting a certain list of countries, while in the throes of the Arab Spring. That is nothing like banning people FROM those countries from coming to the US. Or, if you are referring to the Iraq order, that was one country (not seven), and made no reference to religion (which is a key issue here), and also did not apply to legal residents but instead NEW applications for entry.

 

[Con te Giolito]

Im not going to "ask" anyone to vote. I am simply going to watch as Trump's economic policies decimate the rust belt. If they want higher priced goods and less jobs, thats on them. There is simply nothing that can be done to convince certain people that "they took our jobs" is a myth.

 

I guess I could show them the South Park episode, but theyd probably just say "We're sorry, back in the pile."

 

Unless someone is inventing a time machine, the rust belt just cannot efficiently compete with overseas producers. And really, we have no one to blame but those damn Americans and their cheap labor. If not for those bastards undercutting England, England would still be the number 1 manufacturing country in the world.

 

AKA

 

WE TOOK THEIR JOBS.

This kind of contempt for people who have the audacity to disagree with you is assurance that they will never vote for your candidates. And if they never vote for your candidates electoral math basically guarantees that Donald Trump will win a 2nd term and maintain unprecedented control over congress for the next eight years. If that is what you want by all means, keep this up.

[Con te Giolito]

Um...

 

1. Obama won handily across the Rust Belt - twice. It wasn't a Dem failure, it was a Hillary Clinton failure, combined with a very unusual GOP candidate. It's the definition of a non-repeating event.

Its the traditional base of the Democrats. They've been winning those states for literally decades. Best case scenario they took those votes for granted, worst case scenario the coastal elites villanized them as part of the great virtue signalling fad of the last 4 or 5 years. Either way, they aren't part of the base anymore and will probably have to be won back. Not a hill the democrats should want to climb.

 

[Soxbadger]

This kind of contempt for people who have the audacity to disagree with you is assurance that they will never vote for your candidates. And if they never vote for your candidates electoral math basically guarantees that Donald Trump will win a 2nd term and maintain unprecedented control over congress for the next eight years. If that is what you want by all means, keep this up.

 

What contempt?

 

Everyone in America has the right to choose who they want to vote for, even if that vote will be against their self interest. I dont care if they agree, disagree, whatever. Its not my job to woo people, I am not a politician, I am not a representative for any party.

 

If someone doesnt want to recognize that the global economy has changed, and that you simply cant afford to pay laborers $20 per hour and compete with labor at $3 hour, there is no amount of "nicities" that are going to change their opinion.

 

The beginning of your statement was pretty insulting, and I responded in kind. Sorry that I didnt use my kid gloves with an offer of cake and pie, but those days are gone.

 

And its not the audacity to disagree with "me", its the audacity to disagree with the one area where Republican's historically had agreed with me. Republican's were for free trade. If they want to chase voters with mythical promises of "jobs" through tariffs and protectionism, thats their choice. Id rather be honest and not promise I will plant a money tree in your backyard.

[NorthSideSox72]

Its the traditional base of the Democrats. They've been winning those states for literally decades. Best case scenario they took those votes for granted, worst case scenario the coastal elites villanized them as part of the great virtue signalling fad of the last 4 or 5 years. Either way, they aren't part of the base anymore and will probably have to be won back. Not a hill the democrats should want to climb.

It's an area in some swing. It was swinging more blue for a decade, now more red. Shifts happen. As more of the blue collar population in the rust belt moves right, more of the mountain west and southwest states are swinging more blue. They are certainly both trends.

 

Trump's complete incompetence thus far already has him shedding support though, and that's a wild card that goes beyond the broader trends. That plus the history of Congressional elections after new Presidents are elected swinging opposite almost every time, means Trump is the one with the tough hill to climb in the short term. In the long term, the electoral map is shifting in a few different ways.

 

[CrimsonWeltall]

Its the traditional base of the Democrats. They've been winning those states for literally decades. Best case scenario they took those votes for granted, worst case scenario the coastal elites villanized them as part of the great virtue signalling fad of the last 4 or 5 years. Either way, they aren't part of the base anymore and will probably have to be won back. Not a hill the democrats should want to climb.

 

Best case is that those voters wanted Trump because they thought he'd magically bring back the low-skill-but-good-pay jobs from 50 years ago. Those people will realize they were conned.

Worst case is that those voters were just waiting for a candidate that openly s***s on the people they don't like: Mexicans, Muslims, blacks, immigrants, intellectuals, and "PC elites".

[NorthSideSox72]

Also of note for the 2018 Midterms - control of the US house, and control of the state houses, means control over districting (gerrymandering - which both parties do all the time) in 2020. That's a big deal, because the biggest reason the US house has remained so red in the last decade is the 2010 census and redistricting efforts.

 

[GoSox05]

Spicer tried to use the incident in Quebec of a white supremacist shooting up a mosque as justification for Trump's Muslim ban.

 

He also tried to defend their Holocaust statement that neglected to mention the Jews with "We love Israel!" and "by and large people loved our statement."

 

Also called being held in an interrogation room for hours and being denied legal counsel "a minor inconvenience"

 

 

@josheidelson

 

Spicer, asked about 5 yr-old: "To assume that just b/c of someone's age or gender or whatever that they don't pose a threat would be wrong"

 

 

He's also scared of a 5 year old. I could actually see a group of like 5 year olds beating up Spicer.

 

 

[brett05]

Also of note for the 2018 Midterms - control of the US house, and control of the state houses, means control over districting (gerrymandering - which both parties do all the time) in 2020. That's a big deal, because the biggest reason the US house has remained so red in the last decade is the 2010 census and redistricting efforts.

bottom line is gerrymandering is how moth sides stay in power. It's bad for America.

[NorthSideSox72]

bottom line is gerrymandering is how moth sides stay in power. It's bad for America.

Totally agree there. But it's going to be really hard to change.

 

[Soxbadger]

bottom line is gerrymandering is how moth sides stay in power. It's bad for America.

 

 

Yep, not sure what the best way to fix it is though.

[Quin]

Totally agree there. But it's going to be really hard to change.

 

Well, Obama's trying.

[NorthSideSox72]

Well, Obama's trying.

What is Obama doing to change how districting is done?

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Something else to consider on the redistricting topic...

 

Trump won the election and beat the polls by a few (key few) percentage points in support. It was broad-based. There was, as we all know, a silent group of Trump supporters who obviously avoided polling. It was apparently part of the mindset of that group to not do poll responses, possibly due to simple trust. They didn't trust the "system".

 

Now remember, the redistricting efforts are tied in part to the new census, that will occur in early 2020 I believe. What if the same thing plays out at census time? Will those same silent voters shoot themselves in the foot by ignoring or rejecting participation in the census? Something to think about.