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Author
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Topic: Trump’s hostile takeover
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handycat
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Member # 2323
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posted 10-28-2020 01:00 PM
Of the Republican Party. At least according to son-in-law Kushner in the Woodward book.
“Kushner was also dismissive of party politics, calling the Republican Party, "a collection of a bunch of tribes" and describing the GOP platform as "a document meant to, like, piss people off, basically." Kushner went on to tell Woodward that Trump did a "full hostile takeover" of the Republican Party when he became its presidential nominee.”
http://lite.cnn.com/en/article/h_865a94376b535202227248ecd8f64954
I know I’m in the minority, but I miss the old Republican Party.
Posts: 5407 | From: decatur ill. | Registered: Feb 2005
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Tiptree
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Member # 844
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posted 10-28-2020 01:59 PM
I agree that Trump hijacked a weak and divided Republican party, but he could only do it BECAUSE it was weak and divided.
Since Reagan, we have not offered up a compelling presidential candidate. Both Bushes were just "meh", and Romney and McCain were not very good competition for Obama, nor was Dole any challenge to Clinton. I mean, come on, anytime your prior candidate for president starts making commercials for Erectile Disfunction, something is very wrong.
The Democrats have significant party unity, and always select charismatic candidates. The Republicans correctly state that they are the party of ideas, but they need a convincing spokesperson for those ideas.
I miss the REALLY old Republican party -- the party of Eisenhower, Reagan, Nixon (*gasp*), Kissinger, and Gingrich. Since the Bush's took over the party, I have not been very impressed with my party. And, that is why it isn't surprising that Trump could use the party as the vehicle for his election, despite not being very Republican.
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Tiptree
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 13628 | From: Terre Haute, IN | Registered: Sep 2000
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clydeh
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Member # 7
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posted 10-28-2020 03:05 PM
Tip,
You mentioned Reagan. I was living in San Francisco when he was elected governor. I had no interest in politics until then. I really liked Reagan and his conservative political ideas. That changed my ideas about political concepts the rest of my life.
Posts: 845 | From: Cullman, AL, USA | Registered: Aug 1999
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handycat
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Member # 2323
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posted 10-28-2020 03:36 PM
Tip, I love you but am pretty sure you’ve lost your mind. Hillary Clinton and charismatic does not belong in the same thought.😊
Actually I do disagree with you on some of the Republican candidates and Presidents. Of course this is just my opinion.
The Bush men were far from perfect but were honorable men who were true conservatives.
I felt both McCain and Romney would have worked across the aisle to bring our country together given the chance, instead of trying to divide it for political purposes. I also believe they were actual conservatives.
I had and have no use for Gingrich or Nixon.
IMO, Reagan was by far the best president in my life time.
Too young to have much of an opinion on Eisenhower, Maybe Norm could enlighten us from personal experience about him and Lincoln.
[ 10-28-2020, 03:40 PM: Message edited by: handycat ]
Posts: 5407 | From: decatur ill. | Registered: Feb 2005
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Tiptree
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Member # 844
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posted 10-28-2020 03:50 PM
quote:
Hillary Clinton and charismatic does not belong in the same thought.😊
ACK! I should have been more specific. I was referring to Bill Clinton. You know, the one who actually won an election.
quote:
The Bush men were far from perfect but were honorable men who were true conservatives.
I felt both McCain and Romney would have worked across the aisle to bring our country together given the chance, instead of trying to divide it for political purposes. I also believe they were actual conservatives.
By my reckoning, NONE of them are conservative in key areas. Better than the opposition? Heck yeah. But Bush I raised taxes (even after I "read his lips"), Bush II saddled us with a huge, expensive expansion of Medicare and saddled us with an annoying and woefully ineffective TSA.
McCain and Romney would certainly have reached across the aisle, and maybe that would be a good thing, but imagine Romney trying to get Pelosi to agree to ANYTHING...
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Tiptree
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 13628 | From: Terre Haute, IN | Registered: Sep 2000
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handycat
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Member # 2323
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posted 10-28-2020 04:17 PM
quote:
By my reckoning, NONE of them are conservative in key areas.
Not being a smart ass here, I am truly curious. Do you consider the present POTUS a true conservative? He sure likes to spend our money and I’m talking pre Covid.
Posts: 5407 | From: decatur ill. | Registered: Feb 2005
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handycat
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Member # 2323
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posted 10-28-2020 05:06 PM
I think you know this but I do not consider Trump to be a conservative.
Prior to his decision to run for president, I don’t see how anyone could characterize his personal agenda to be socially conservative. Too many examples to start listing here. Heck, he’s changed his party affiliation 5 times in the past 20 years. He has done nothing but increase our debt in spite of his campaign promise to eliminate it in 8 years. I’ve posted this before, national debt increased 36% prior to the pandemic in his 1st 3 years.
To his conservative side, he has not increased taxes. Many would argue he has unfairly given larger tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy. Whatever, he has not increased my taxes. To give him credit, he appears to have adopted the social policies of the party he finally decided to adopt. As I said above, since becoming president, his social agenda has been primarily conservative.
I honestly have no idea what his true political leanings are, they change too much.
Reagan changed from Democrat to Republican one time. Trump has bounced back and forth like a rubber ball.
[ 10-28-2020, 05:31 PM: Message edited by: handycat ]
Posts: 5407 | From: decatur ill. | Registered: Feb 2005
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Tiptree
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Member # 844
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posted 10-28-2020 06:46 PM
No, I don't consider him to be a conservative, but his policies have been remarkably conservative.
Fiscally, he spending priorities more or less align with conservative priorities (i.e., strong military, border security, etc.). Socially, he is the first president to appoint an openly gay man to a high government post, and he is the first president to support gay marriage. But, given the influx of gays into the Republican party, I suppose this is a tit-for-tat move.
I am less enthused about his economic policies. I support his tax cuts, and I understand that something needed to be done to arrest the flow of manufacturing jobs out of this country. But tariffs and protectionism are band-aids, not solutions.
His budgets have been a disaster. However, I also understand that the house of representatives is the decider of the budget; the president proposes, the house disposes. So, not sure I can hold his feet to the fire about his spending in the current political environment.
Anyway, I DO think Trump is trying to do what he thinks is right for America. I sure wish he was more articulate and refined, but that ship has sailed. He is Trump.
BTW, I voted today. They opened up a polling place just a mile or so from my house for the last week of the election. I drove there and entered at 12:45pm and I was the only person there. I was out of there by 12:50pm. I was SORELY tempted to do something I have never done before: Vote the straight party ticket just to show my total and complete opposition to the democratic party. But I am not 100% in favor of Republicans either. So I voted, mainly for Republicans, a few democrats in the local elections, and as always, I voted for the libertarian candidate for governor.
I actually align more closely with Libertarians than Republicans, except in foreign policy. So, a Libertarian would make a great governor, but a terrible president.
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Tiptree
“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 13628 | From: Terre Haute, IN | Registered: Sep 2000
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Old Norm
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Member # 1482
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posted 10-28-2020 07:18 PM
Here's what I think; Had Trump NOT won the republican nomination in 2016, We would now have our first female POTUS. Notice: I said "female" and the word "lady" never entered my mind. Bear in mind what that would have done to the SCOTUS. That alone is worth not having a "gentleman" for POTUS.
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Pray For Our Country!
Posts: 36271 | From: Western KY | Registered: Aug 2001
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handycat
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Member # 2323
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posted 10-28-2020 07:20 PM
I too could be a Libertarian if not for their foreign policy and their stance on military presence overseas. Or lack of it I should say. Plus it would be like my strategy of 2016, not vote.
Posts: 5407 | From: decatur ill. | Registered: Feb 2005
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