If You're Not Happy With Any Party Right Now

[deanrd]

There used to be a popular bumper sticker, "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way"
In that scenario, I need to get out of the way. I'd happily be a follower, if there were someone I felt was worthy of following. Maybe there's a silver lining in every storm cloud. I wanted to share this with those of you who feel like me. Things may get better. Maybe some of us need to get involved in one way or other.
As bones says, stay strong.


Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

• Jul 18, 2017
  
• BANNER ELK, N.C. — Even the least popular presidents sometimes do great things.

What might Donald Trump’s great thing be? He has unified a divided nation.

He has brought Republicans and Democrats together as only just wars can. He’s brought women, scientists, minorities, teachers, journalists, professors — and no, they’re not all liberal — out of their favorite laptop seats and moved them to march, protest and, most important, run for public office.


The pink-capped Women’s March is familiar to all but the dead. On Earth Day in April, scientists around the world staged rallies to protest Trump’s apparent lack of interest in research-backed facts.

A few prominent conservatives — George Will and Joe Scarborough among them — have left the GOP, while Democrats have offered to take drastic action.

A majority say they would forswear drinking for life if it would mean Trump’s impeachment, according to a story in The Hill. This seems a tad excessive, though given the increased alcohol consumption (anecdotally) since Trump took office, a long-term wagon ride might be just what the doctor would order. Relatedly, if not causatively, Nevada ran out of marijuana products a few days after the state legalized recreational use.

When have so many Americans of so many stripes been so united in a shared mission? And, no, Woodstock doesn’t count.

Other gifts from the president include an increased national interest in politics, civic participation and electoral office. Trump seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, even among those who have never before expressed any interest in politics.

Chris Clark, an artist in this mountain village, echoed the sentiments one hears several times on any given day. “I’m obsessed with the news,” he told me during a recent visit to his gallery.

“All I do is watch TV now,” he laughed. “It’s like watching a train wreck, you can’t look away. It’s hard to go to work, really!”

Meanwhile, countless Republicans and Democrats and independents, the nonpolitical as well as scientists, teachers, and, sure, a freshly emboldened outlier class (Jay Z?) are considering running for public office, a goal previously not on the radar.

A newly formed Political Action Committee — 314 Action — is urging scientists to “Get Elected” and offers help with funding and logistics. Hundreds have signed up. Similarly, Silicon Valley tech magnate Sam Altman — president of Y Combinator, which invests in start-ups such as Dropbox and Airbnb — is offering to fund good candidates for statewide office to “create prosperity through technology, economic fairness and maintaining personal liberty.”

Nationally, a centrist movement is gaining traction under the self-explaining name of “No Labels,” and may yet prove to be a counterforce in the zero-sum sport of current politics. The group organized in 2010 and is co-chaired by former Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Democrat (later Independent) Joe Lieberman.

Today, more than 70 members of Congress from both parties have formed a bipartisan coalition called the “No Labels Problem Solvers,” pledging to work together on legislative initiatives. Earlier this month, the congressional group released its first bipartisan effort — a “Make Government Work!” legislative package aimed at reducing government waste and inefficiency. Coming up in September, No Labels will host an international Ideas Summit to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Thus, though our national political narrative is that we’re more divided than ever, a dispassionate second look suggests otherwise. We’re not so much divided as stuck. Running in mud. That’s not the swamp draining; it’s the muck of money, greed, self-interest and one-upmanship — Washington’s unique art of the deal.

We don’t have only Trump to thank. The ecosystem of media-generated conflict and America’s penchant for spectator sports has ensured a persistent game of warring factions — a perfect milieu for someone like Trump with his particular talents. He merely strolled to the lectern, called everybody else a loser, and plowed his way to the presidency on a whim and the most golden of promises — to make America great again.

We have work to do. There is hope. A trend seems to be taking shape if momentum can be nourished. What an irony if Trump’s presidency made America great again by inspiring people to get elected whose civilian lives have been circumscribed by the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth, which is not, in fact, relative.

Trump would go down as one of the greatest unifying presidents in history — the sooner the better.


Kathleen Parker’s email address is [email protected].
Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

Forget Hillary Clinton. It was the media that actually elected Trump.

Hillary had Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, the media, the Russians, the GOP and the FBI against her and she still won the popular vote by millions.
Market watch, in May, put the amount of free media for Donald Trump at 3 BILLION. By the end of the election, some estimates were 5 BILLION. Double all the GOP and all the Democratic candidates put together.

Nearly every Trump speech was played from beginning to end. Most of the time any part of a Hillary speech was played, it was the part where she talked about Donald Trump.

Chuck Todd couldn't say her name without also saying "unlikable, untrustworthy and dishonest".

On the other hand, the same media was calling Trump "authentic" and a "master of media" right up until just before the election. They even gave his hotel and Scottish Golf Course free hour long infomercials.

Remember the media swarmed the Clinton Foundation but it was a single reporter who took down the criminal organization, the uncertified and unlicensed Trump Foundation. Thousands of media personnel studying the Clinton Foundation, only one looking into Trump's criminal organization. And that reporter won the Pulitzer Prize for his investigation. Did he win it because he was the ONLY one?

Not only do politicians need to be held accountable, the media also needs to be held accountable.

We know the only reason the GOP is against Obamacare is because it has the name Obama as part of it. People in Kentucky have said they should make a national Kynect (Kentucky's Obamacare) and get rid of Obamacare. How stupid is that?

Interesting take on the media's role in the Democrats losing the election. However, I never mentioned Hillary and she isn't the focus of either Op Ed. So I'm not sure how you want me to respond.

It's not about Hillary. It's about how the media treated her compared to how they treated Trump.

 

[OldLady]

There used to be a popular bumper sticker, "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way"
In that scenario, I need to get out of the way. I'd happily be a follower, if there were someone I felt was worthy of following. Maybe there's a silver lining in every storm cloud. I wanted to share this with those of you who feel like me. Things may get better. Maybe some of us need to get involved in one way or other.
As bones says, stay strong.


Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

• Jul 18, 2017
  
• BANNER ELK, N.C. — Even the least popular presidents sometimes do great things.

What might Donald Trump’s great thing be? He has unified a divided nation.

He has brought Republicans and Democrats together as only just wars can. He’s brought women, scientists, minorities, teachers, journalists, professors — and no, they’re not all liberal — out of their favorite laptop seats and moved them to march, protest and, most important, run for public office.


The pink-capped Women’s March is familiar to all but the dead. On Earth Day in April, scientists around the world staged rallies to protest Trump’s apparent lack of interest in research-backed facts.

A few prominent conservatives — George Will and Joe Scarborough among them — have left the GOP, while Democrats have offered to take drastic action.

A majority say they would forswear drinking for life if it would mean Trump’s impeachment, according to a story in The Hill. This seems a tad excessive, though given the increased alcohol consumption (anecdotally) since Trump took office, a long-term wagon ride might be just what the doctor would order. Relatedly, if not causatively, Nevada ran out of marijuana products a few days after the state legalized recreational use.

When have so many Americans of so many stripes been so united in a shared mission? And, no, Woodstock doesn’t count.

Other gifts from the president include an increased national interest in politics, civic participation and electoral office. Trump seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, even among those who have never before expressed any interest in politics.

Chris Clark, an artist in this mountain village, echoed the sentiments one hears several times on any given day. “I’m obsessed with the news,” he told me during a recent visit to his gallery.

“All I do is watch TV now,” he laughed. “It’s like watching a train wreck, you can’t look away. It’s hard to go to work, really!”

Meanwhile, countless Republicans and Democrats and independents, the nonpolitical as well as scientists, teachers, and, sure, a freshly emboldened outlier class (Jay Z?) are considering running for public office, a goal previously not on the radar.

A newly formed Political Action Committee — 314 Action — is urging scientists to “Get Elected” and offers help with funding and logistics. Hundreds have signed up. Similarly, Silicon Valley tech magnate Sam Altman — president of Y Combinator, which invests in start-ups such as Dropbox and Airbnb — is offering to fund good candidates for statewide office to “create prosperity through technology, economic fairness and maintaining personal liberty.”

Nationally, a centrist movement is gaining traction under the self-explaining name of “No Labels,” and may yet prove to be a counterforce in the zero-sum sport of current politics. The group organized in 2010 and is co-chaired by former Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Democrat (later Independent) Joe Lieberman.

Today, more than 70 members of Congress from both parties have formed a bipartisan coalition called the “No Labels Problem Solvers,” pledging to work together on legislative initiatives. Earlier this month, the congressional group released its first bipartisan effort — a “Make Government Work!” legislative package aimed at reducing government waste and inefficiency. Coming up in September, No Labels will host an international Ideas Summit to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Thus, though our national political narrative is that we’re more divided than ever, a dispassionate second look suggests otherwise. We’re not so much divided as stuck. Running in mud. That’s not the swamp draining; it’s the muck of money, greed, self-interest and one-upmanship — Washington’s unique art of the deal.

We don’t have only Trump to thank. The ecosystem of media-generated conflict and America’s penchant for spectator sports has ensured a persistent game of warring factions — a perfect milieu for someone like Trump with his particular talents. He merely strolled to the lectern, called everybody else a loser, and plowed his way to the presidency on a whim and the most golden of promises — to make America great again.

We have work to do. There is hope. A trend seems to be taking shape if momentum can be nourished. What an irony if Trump’s presidency made America great again by inspiring people to get elected whose civilian lives have been circumscribed by the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth, which is not, in fact, relative.

Trump would go down as one of the greatest unifying presidents in history — the sooner the better.


Kathleen Parker’s email address is [email protected].
Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

I was going to offer a comprehensive analysis of what Parker is doing, or trying to do.

But really, I think it boils down to this: She's trying to put lipstick on a pig.
.

I like the No Labels concept. That's a worthless concept in your eyes?

Oh, I love the concept, but I haven't seen evidence that it can work in practice. There's another couple of groups that have tried this, and the problem is that a nebulous group of people with disparate opinions is doomed to fail, in my opinion. I think a better approach would be specific parties with specific platforms for people to sink their teeth into. One or two more.

Frankly, I don't see either approach working any time soon...
.

a nebulous group of people with disparate opinions is doomed to fail,
Like the Republicans?

Frankly, I don't see either approach working any time soon...
I think the main point of both articles is that what we have is not working and trying to elect one or the other of these groups to "fix" the problem has only resulted in worse. So we have an opportunity to step into virgin territory, break new ground with people who have real ideas, not just a wish for power. I think it's worth a shot.

 

[deanrd]

This is why i hate the duopoly. They are SO full of shit. But the population just buys their horseshit..
You have to be a COMPLETE MORON to think they give a fuck about you.

Another editorial in my op ed section this morning was saying the duopoly is about to end. That they are destroying themselves/each other and are about to fracture into groups with real ideas, not bumper sticker logos and billions of dollars to get a shiny new Ken doll elected every four years.

So we'll have 4 or 5 parties?

Outlaw political parties entirely. They are merely criminal enterprises.

Every asshole politician must stand alone before the people.

Oh yea, that makes sense. We need a Vladimir Putin or a Saddam. That will fix everything.

 

[mudwhistle]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

 

[mudwhistle]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

What does the GOP stand for?
Whatever the Democrats say they're against.

 

[deanrd]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

So sick of you guys going on about the Democratic base. Tell us who that is? Don't leave anyone out.

 

[gipper]

This is why i hate the duopoly. They are SO full of shit. But the population just buys their horseshit..
You have to be a COMPLETE MORON to think they give a fuck about you.

Another editorial in my op ed section this morning was saying the duopoly is about to end. That they are destroying themselves/each other and are about to fracture into groups with real ideas, not bumper sticker logos and billions of dollars to get a shiny new Ken doll elected every four years.

So we'll have 4 or 5 parties?

Outlaw political parties entirely. They are merely criminal enterprises.

Every asshole politician must stand alone before the people.

Oh yea, that makes sense. We need a Vladimir Putin or a Saddam. That will fix everything.

Well...only totalitarian socialists prefer tyrants as leaders. Those of us demanding limited government and maximum individual liberty would see right through those tyrannical pols. My guess is you would prefer the tyrant because he/she would promise you the world and you would believe it.

 

[gipper]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

So sick of you guys going on about the Democratic base. Tell us who that is? Don't leave anyone out.

Dumb people and really dumb people.

 

[deanrd]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

What does the GOP stand for?
Whatever the Democrats say they're against.

Equal pay for equal work
Affordable healthcare
Affordable education
clean air and clean water
voting rights
credit card reform
school lunches for poor children
and on
and on
and on
.........................


What the F*CK are Republicans for??????????????????????????????????

 

[deanrd]

This is why i hate the duopoly. They are SO full of shit. But the population just buys their horseshit..
You have to be a COMPLETE MORON to think they give a fuck about you.

Another editorial in my op ed section this morning was saying the duopoly is about to end. That they are destroying themselves/each other and are about to fracture into groups with real ideas, not bumper sticker logos and billions of dollars to get a shiny new Ken doll elected every four years.

So we'll have 4 or 5 parties?

Outlaw political parties entirely. They are merely criminal enterprises.

Every asshole politician must stand alone before the people.

Oh yea, that makes sense. We need a Vladimir Putin or a Saddam. That will fix everything.

Well...only totalitarian socialists prefer tyrants as leaders. Those of us demanding limited government and maximum individual liberty would see right through those tyrannical pols. My guess is you would prefer the tyrant because he/she would promise you the world and you would believe it.

Yea right. Why are Republicans so in love with Vladimir Putin?

 

[deanrd]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

So sick of you guys going on about the Democratic base. Tell us who that is? Don't leave anyone out.

Dumb people and really dumb people.

Now I know you're an idiot. No, I take that back. I've known for a long time.

 

[gipper]

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

So sick of you guys going on about the Democratic base. Tell us who that is? Don't leave anyone out.

Dumb people and really dumb people.

Now I know you're an idiot. No, I take that back. I've known for a long time.

Anyone who supports a political party, is DUMB. ANYONE...including Republicans.

Now see? I am unlike you. I am not a dumb partisan.

 

[gipper]

Another editorial in my op ed section this morning was saying the duopoly is about to end. That they are destroying themselves/each other and are about to fracture into groups with real ideas, not bumper sticker logos and billions of dollars to get a shiny new Ken doll elected every four years.

So we'll have 4 or 5 parties?

Outlaw political parties entirely. They are merely criminal enterprises.

Every asshole politician must stand alone before the people.

Oh yea, that makes sense. We need a Vladimir Putin or a Saddam. That will fix everything.

Well...only totalitarian socialists prefer tyrants as leaders. Those of us demanding limited government and maximum individual liberty would see right through those tyrannical pols. My guess is you would prefer the tyrant because he/she would promise you the world and you would believe it.

Yea right. Why are Republicans so in love with Vladimir Putin?

See? You just proved yourself a dumb person, yet you call me dumb. Rs are not in love with Putin. I know this for certain, and I am not an R.

Stop consuming fake news. You will be instantly smarter.

 

[mudwhistle]

This is why i hate the duopoly. They are SO full of shit. But the population just buys their horseshit..
You have to be a COMPLETE MORON to think they give a fuck about you.

Another editorial in my op ed section this morning was saying the duopoly is about to end. That they are destroying themselves/each other and are about to fracture into groups with real ideas, not bumper sticker logos and billions of dollars to get a shiny new Ken doll elected every four years.

So we'll have 4 or 5 parties?

I don't know. France's system has a LOT and somehow they work it out. Not saying we replicate France, but just that it can be done.

France has 65 million people. The French economy also has neighbors that contribute to their economy. We have 350+ million with a boat anchor to the South in Mexico 123 million with 30% of their GDP coming from US cash, and then Canada with 35 million to the North. We don't have equal trade partners.

 

[mudwhistle]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

So sick of you guys going on about the Democratic base. Tell us who that is? Don't leave anyone out.

Blacks, Hispanics, Gays, tree_huggers, dead people, refugees, foreign interests, and Hollywood elitists.

 

[debbiedowner]

There used to be a popular bumper sticker, "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way"
In that scenario, I need to get out of the way. I'd happily be a follower, if there were someone I felt was worthy of following. Maybe there's a silver lining in every storm cloud. I wanted to share this with those of you who feel like me. Things may get better. Maybe some of us need to get involved in one way or other.
As bones says, stay strong.


Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

• Jul 18, 2017
  
• BANNER ELK, N.C. — Even the least popular presidents sometimes do great things.

What might Donald Trump’s great thing be? He has unified a divided nation.

He has brought Republicans and Democrats together as only just wars can. He’s brought women, scientists, minorities, teachers, journalists, professors — and no, they’re not all liberal — out of their favorite laptop seats and moved them to march, protest and, most important, run for public office.


The pink-capped Women’s March is familiar to all but the dead. On Earth Day in April, scientists around the world staged rallies to protest Trump’s apparent lack of interest in research-backed facts.

A few prominent conservatives — George Will and Joe Scarborough among them — have left the GOP, while Democrats have offered to take drastic action.

A majority say they would forswear drinking for life if it would mean Trump’s impeachment, according to a story in The Hill. This seems a tad excessive, though given the increased alcohol consumption (anecdotally) since Trump took office, a long-term wagon ride might be just what the doctor would order. Relatedly, if not causatively, Nevada ran out of marijuana products a few days after the state legalized recreational use.

When have so many Americans of so many stripes been so united in a shared mission? And, no, Woodstock doesn’t count.

Other gifts from the president include an increased national interest in politics, civic participation and electoral office. Trump seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, even among those who have never before expressed any interest in politics.

Chris Clark, an artist in this mountain village, echoed the sentiments one hears several times on any given day. “I’m obsessed with the news,” he told me during a recent visit to his gallery.

“All I do is watch TV now,” he laughed. “It’s like watching a train wreck, you can’t look away. It’s hard to go to work, really!”

Meanwhile, countless Republicans and Democrats and independents, the nonpolitical as well as scientists, teachers, and, sure, a freshly emboldened outlier class (Jay Z?) are considering running for public office, a goal previously not on the radar.

A newly formed Political Action Committee — 314 Action — is urging scientists to “Get Elected” and offers help with funding and logistics. Hundreds have signed up. Similarly, Silicon Valley tech magnate Sam Altman — president of Y Combinator, which invests in start-ups such as Dropbox and Airbnb — is offering to fund good candidates for statewide office to “create prosperity through technology, economic fairness and maintaining personal liberty.”

Nationally, a centrist movement is gaining traction under the self-explaining name of “No Labels,” and may yet prove to be a counterforce in the zero-sum sport of current politics. The group organized in 2010 and is co-chaired by former Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Democrat (later Independent) Joe Lieberman.

Today, more than 70 members of Congress from both parties have formed a bipartisan coalition called the “No Labels Problem Solvers,” pledging to work together on legislative initiatives. Earlier this month, the congressional group released its first bipartisan effort — a “Make Government Work!” legislative package aimed at reducing government waste and inefficiency. Coming up in September, No Labels will host an international Ideas Summit to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Thus, though our national political narrative is that we’re more divided than ever, a dispassionate second look suggests otherwise. We’re not so much divided as stuck. Running in mud. That’s not the swamp draining; it’s the muck of money, greed, self-interest and one-upmanship — Washington’s unique art of the deal.

We don’t have only Trump to thank. The ecosystem of media-generated conflict and America’s penchant for spectator sports has ensured a persistent game of warring factions — a perfect milieu for someone like Trump with his particular talents. He merely strolled to the lectern, called everybody else a loser, and plowed his way to the presidency on a whim and the most golden of promises — to make America great again.

We have work to do. There is hope. A trend seems to be taking shape if momentum can be nourished. What an irony if Trump’s presidency made America great again by inspiring people to get elected whose civilian lives have been circumscribed by the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth, which is not, in fact, relative.

Trump would go down as one of the greatest unifying presidents in history — the sooner the better.


Kathleen Parker’s email address is [email protected].
Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

Forget Hillary Clinton. It was the media that actually elected Trump.

Hillary had Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, the media, the Russians, the GOP and the FBI against her and she still won the popular vote by millions.
Market watch, in May, put the amount of free media for Donald Trump at 3 BILLION. By the end of the election, some estimates were 5 BILLION. Double all the GOP and all the Democratic candidates put together.

Nearly every Trump speech was played from beginning to end. Most of the time any part of a Hillary speech was played, it was the part where she talked about Donald Trump.

Chuck Todd couldn't say her name without also saying "unlikable, untrustworthy and dishonest".

On the other hand, the same media was calling Trump "authentic" and a "master of media" right up until just before the election. They even gave his hotel and Scottish Golf Course free hour long infomercials.

Remember the media swarmed the Clinton Foundation but it was a single reporter who took down the criminal organization, the uncertified and unlicensed Trump Foundation. Thousands of media personnel studying the Clinton Foundation, only one looking into Trump's criminal organization. And that reporter won the Pulitzer Prize for his investigation. Did he win it because he was the ONLY one?

Not only do politicians need to be held accountable, the media also needs to be held accountable.

We know the only reason the GOP is against Obamacare is because it has the name Obama as part of it. People in Kentucky have said they should make a national Kynect (Kentucky's Obamacare) and get rid of Obamacare. How stupid is that?

It was the media that actually elected Trump.

The media that spent months trashing Trump put him in office?

(Boy, I bet THEIR faces are red)

Yes, they did at least helped. They were there reporting everytime he took a shit. I saw very little of other candidates ads on TV but I saw plenty of Trump.

and the majority of it was negative for him.

By keeping his name in the news, they accidently put him in office.

I seriously doubt that was their plan.

Not what I saw and every one of his rallys televised. Maybe they were regional ads. No there plan wasn't to put him in the whitehouse, but marketing was good, repetition.

 

[debbiedowner]

There used to be a popular bumper sticker, "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way"
In that scenario, I need to get out of the way. I'd happily be a follower, if there were someone I felt was worthy of following. Maybe there's a silver lining in every storm cloud. I wanted to share this with those of you who feel like me. Things may get better. Maybe some of us need to get involved in one way or other.
As bones says, stay strong.


Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

• Jul 18, 2017
  
• BANNER ELK, N.C. — Even the least popular presidents sometimes do great things.

What might Donald Trump’s great thing be? He has unified a divided nation.

He has brought Republicans and Democrats together as only just wars can. He’s brought women, scientists, minorities, teachers, journalists, professors — and no, they’re not all liberal — out of their favorite laptop seats and moved them to march, protest and, most important, run for public office.


The pink-capped Women’s March is familiar to all but the dead. On Earth Day in April, scientists around the world staged rallies to protest Trump’s apparent lack of interest in research-backed facts.

A few prominent conservatives — George Will and Joe Scarborough among them — have left the GOP, while Democrats have offered to take drastic action.

A majority say they would forswear drinking for life if it would mean Trump’s impeachment, according to a story in The Hill. This seems a tad excessive, though given the increased alcohol consumption (anecdotally) since Trump took office, a long-term wagon ride might be just what the doctor would order. Relatedly, if not causatively, Nevada ran out of marijuana products a few days after the state legalized recreational use.

When have so many Americans of so many stripes been so united in a shared mission? And, no, Woodstock doesn’t count.

Other gifts from the president include an increased national interest in politics, civic participation and electoral office. Trump seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, even among those who have never before expressed any interest in politics.

Chris Clark, an artist in this mountain village, echoed the sentiments one hears several times on any given day. “I’m obsessed with the news,” he told me during a recent visit to his gallery.

“All I do is watch TV now,” he laughed. “It’s like watching a train wreck, you can’t look away. It’s hard to go to work, really!”

Meanwhile, countless Republicans and Democrats and independents, the nonpolitical as well as scientists, teachers, and, sure, a freshly emboldened outlier class (Jay Z?) are considering running for public office, a goal previously not on the radar.

A newly formed Political Action Committee — 314 Action — is urging scientists to “Get Elected” and offers help with funding and logistics. Hundreds have signed up. Similarly, Silicon Valley tech magnate Sam Altman — president of Y Combinator, which invests in start-ups such as Dropbox and Airbnb — is offering to fund good candidates for statewide office to “create prosperity through technology, economic fairness and maintaining personal liberty.”

Nationally, a centrist movement is gaining traction under the self-explaining name of “No Labels,” and may yet prove to be a counterforce in the zero-sum sport of current politics. The group organized in 2010 and is co-chaired by former Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Democrat (later Independent) Joe Lieberman.

Today, more than 70 members of Congress from both parties have formed a bipartisan coalition called the “No Labels Problem Solvers,” pledging to work together on legislative initiatives. Earlier this month, the congressional group released its first bipartisan effort — a “Make Government Work!” legislative package aimed at reducing government waste and inefficiency. Coming up in September, No Labels will host an international Ideas Summit to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Thus, though our national political narrative is that we’re more divided than ever, a dispassionate second look suggests otherwise. We’re not so much divided as stuck. Running in mud. That’s not the swamp draining; it’s the muck of money, greed, self-interest and one-upmanship — Washington’s unique art of the deal.

We don’t have only Trump to thank. The ecosystem of media-generated conflict and America’s penchant for spectator sports has ensured a persistent game of warring factions — a perfect milieu for someone like Trump with his particular talents. He merely strolled to the lectern, called everybody else a loser, and plowed his way to the presidency on a whim and the most golden of promises — to make America great again.

We have work to do. There is hope. A trend seems to be taking shape if momentum can be nourished. What an irony if Trump’s presidency made America great again by inspiring people to get elected whose civilian lives have been circumscribed by the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth, which is not, in fact, relative.

Trump would go down as one of the greatest unifying presidents in history — the sooner the better.


Kathleen Parker’s email address is [email protected].
Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

Forget Hillary Clinton. It was the media that actually elected Trump.

Hillary had Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, the media, the Russians, the GOP and the FBI against her and she still won the popular vote by millions.
Market watch, in May, put the amount of free media for Donald Trump at 3 BILLION. By the end of the election, some estimates were 5 BILLION. Double all the GOP and all the Democratic candidates put together.

Nearly every Trump speech was played from beginning to end. Most of the time any part of a Hillary speech was played, it was the part where she talked about Donald Trump.

Chuck Todd couldn't say her name without also saying "unlikable, untrustworthy and dishonest".

On the other hand, the same media was calling Trump "authentic" and a "master of media" right up until just before the election. They even gave his hotel and Scottish Golf Course free hour long infomercials.

Remember the media swarmed the Clinton Foundation but it was a single reporter who took down the criminal organization, the uncertified and unlicensed Trump Foundation. Thousands of media personnel studying the Clinton Foundation, only one looking into Trump's criminal organization. And that reporter won the Pulitzer Prize for his investigation. Did he win it because he was the ONLY one?

Not only do politicians need to be held accountable, the media also needs to be held accountable.

We know the only reason the GOP is against Obamacare is because it has the name Obama as part of it. People in Kentucky have said they should make a national Kynect (Kentucky's Obamacare) and get rid of Obamacare. How stupid is that?

It was the media that actually elected Trump.

The media that spent months trashing Trump put him in office?

(Boy, I bet THEIR faces are red)

Yes, they did at least helped. They were there reporting everytime he took a shit. I saw very little of other candidates ads on TV but I saw plenty of Trump.

and the majority of it was negative for him.

By keeping his name in the news, they accidently put him in office.

I seriously doubt that was there plan.

yea i didnt understand that either

Have you ever trained anyone? It is repetition over and over and over, that (even with the negative) is what they did. Maybe some of the ads were regional and I'm in a 99% republican area.

 

[Mac1958]

There used to be a popular bumper sticker, "Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way"
In that scenario, I need to get out of the way. I'd happily be a follower, if there were someone I felt was worthy of following. Maybe there's a silver lining in every storm cloud. I wanted to share this with those of you who feel like me. Things may get better. Maybe some of us need to get involved in one way or other.
As bones says, stay strong.


Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

• Jul 18, 2017
  
• BANNER ELK, N.C. — Even the least popular presidents sometimes do great things.

What might Donald Trump’s great thing be? He has unified a divided nation.

He has brought Republicans and Democrats together as only just wars can. He’s brought women, scientists, minorities, teachers, journalists, professors — and no, they’re not all liberal — out of their favorite laptop seats and moved them to march, protest and, most important, run for public office.


The pink-capped Women’s March is familiar to all but the dead. On Earth Day in April, scientists around the world staged rallies to protest Trump’s apparent lack of interest in research-backed facts.

A few prominent conservatives — George Will and Joe Scarborough among them — have left the GOP, while Democrats have offered to take drastic action.

A majority say they would forswear drinking for life if it would mean Trump’s impeachment, according to a story in The Hill. This seems a tad excessive, though given the increased alcohol consumption (anecdotally) since Trump took office, a long-term wagon ride might be just what the doctor would order. Relatedly, if not causatively, Nevada ran out of marijuana products a few days after the state legalized recreational use.

When have so many Americans of so many stripes been so united in a shared mission? And, no, Woodstock doesn’t count.

Other gifts from the president include an increased national interest in politics, civic participation and electoral office. Trump seems to be on the tip of everyone’s tongue, even among those who have never before expressed any interest in politics.

Chris Clark, an artist in this mountain village, echoed the sentiments one hears several times on any given day. “I’m obsessed with the news,” he told me during a recent visit to his gallery.

“All I do is watch TV now,” he laughed. “It’s like watching a train wreck, you can’t look away. It’s hard to go to work, really!”

Meanwhile, countless Republicans and Democrats and independents, the nonpolitical as well as scientists, teachers, and, sure, a freshly emboldened outlier class (Jay Z?) are considering running for public office, a goal previously not on the radar.

A newly formed Political Action Committee — 314 Action — is urging scientists to “Get Elected” and offers help with funding and logistics. Hundreds have signed up. Similarly, Silicon Valley tech magnate Sam Altman — president of Y Combinator, which invests in start-ups such as Dropbox and Airbnb — is offering to fund good candidates for statewide office to “create prosperity through technology, economic fairness and maintaining personal liberty.”

Nationally, a centrist movement is gaining traction under the self-explaining name of “No Labels,” and may yet prove to be a counterforce in the zero-sum sport of current politics. The group organized in 2010 and is co-chaired by former Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Democrat (later Independent) Joe Lieberman.

Today, more than 70 members of Congress from both parties have formed a bipartisan coalition called the “No Labels Problem Solvers,” pledging to work together on legislative initiatives. Earlier this month, the congressional group released its first bipartisan effort — a “Make Government Work!” legislative package aimed at reducing government waste and inefficiency. Coming up in September, No Labels will host an international Ideas Summit to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly session in New York.

Thus, though our national political narrative is that we’re more divided than ever, a dispassionate second look suggests otherwise. We’re not so much divided as stuck. Running in mud. That’s not the swamp draining; it’s the muck of money, greed, self-interest and one-upmanship — Washington’s unique art of the deal.

We don’t have only Trump to thank. The ecosystem of media-generated conflict and America’s penchant for spectator sports has ensured a persistent game of warring factions — a perfect milieu for someone like Trump with his particular talents. He merely strolled to the lectern, called everybody else a loser, and plowed his way to the presidency on a whim and the most golden of promises — to make America great again.

We have work to do. There is hope. A trend seems to be taking shape if momentum can be nourished. What an irony if Trump’s presidency made America great again by inspiring people to get elected whose civilian lives have been circumscribed by the pursuit of knowledge, wisdom and truth, which is not, in fact, relative.

Trump would go down as one of the greatest unifying presidents in history — the sooner the better.


Kathleen Parker’s email address is [email protected].
Kathleen Parker: Trump's unique gift to America

I was going to offer a comprehensive analysis of what Parker is doing, or trying to do.

But really, I think it boils down to this: She's trying to put lipstick on a pig.
.

I like the No Labels concept. That's a worthless concept in your eyes?

Oh, I love the concept, but I haven't seen evidence that it can work in practice. There's another couple of groups that have tried this, and the problem is that a nebulous group of people with disparate opinions is doomed to fail, in my opinion. I think a better approach would be specific parties with specific platforms for people to sink their teeth into. One or two more.

Frankly, I don't see either approach working any time soon...
.

a nebulous group of people with disparate opinions is doomed to fail,
Like the Republicans?

Frankly, I don't see either approach working any time soon...
I think the main point of both articles is that what we have is not working and trying to elect one or the other of these groups to "fix" the problem has only resulted in worse. So we have an opportunity to step into virgin territory, break new ground with people who have real ideas, not just a wish for power. I think it's worth a shot.

Yes, like the Republicans.

I'll take any movement in the direction of ending this insane duopoly. I'm just a few steps beyond cynical at this point.
.

 

[deanrd]

For all their flaws, the Democratic Party still represents my interests better than the GOP.

But they screwed over Bernie, and that definitely lost them some of my loyalty.

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

So sick of you guys going on about the Democratic base. Tell us who that is? Don't leave anyone out.

Blacks, Hispanics, Gays, tree_huggers, dead people, refugees, foreign interests, and Hollywood elitists.

Dead people?

Refugees?

Yep. You're an idiot.

At least you don't deny the racist GOP base is, well, you know, racist.

 

[mudwhistle]

Analysis | A majority says the Democratic Party stands for nothing — except the only thing that matters in 2018

What are your interests? How do keep you satisfied?

What does the GOP stand for? I know they used to stand for something but nothing I can see in the past several years.

It's not a black and white issue. Both parties have corrupt politicians. The difference is Democrats have a base that doesn't care and doesn't have to be fooled. The GOP has several assholes that can be counted on to trip up the process. Democrats are all pretty much on the same team...rooting against whatever works for America.

So sick of you guys going on about the Democratic base. Tell us who that is? Don't leave anyone out.

Blacks, Hispanics, Gays, tree_huggers, dead people, refugees, foreign interests, and Hollywood elitists.

Dead people?

Refugees?

Yep. You're an idiot.

At least you don't deny the racist GOP base is, well, you know, racist.

So you think that Blacks, Hispanics, refugees, Gays, and Rich White Elitists can't be racists?