"There's not a dime's worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats," - George Wallace
"Donald Trump, I think, will have a lot of trouble moving things through Congress. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, won’t… Hillary has the potential to do a whole lot more damage, get us into more wars, faster to pass her fracking disastrous climate program, much more easily than Donald Trump could do his." - Jill Stein channels George Wallace and explains how Republicans in Congress will restrain Donald Trump.Next year, when the United States enters the Trump Presidency and total control of all 3 branches of Government by the Republicans its' imperative the Democratic Party offers up no support. That is Democrats should vote against every proposal the Republicans push forward for the next 4 years.
The Republicans have a 51-49 margin in the Senate and a comfortable 45 vote control in the House, but it's time the Democratic Party eliminate one of the greatest weapons the Media, holier-than-thou Leftists in the Greens, and Libertarians offer up at election time; i.e. That Both Parties are the Same.
When Republicans propose their Swindling of Social Security by funnelling it into Wall Street where it will vanish as so many life savings and pensions did in the 2007 Republican Recession, vote No as a solid party. While white 65 year olds who voted for Trump will be angry, they've already shown themselves to be fuck you I got mine assholes so don't worry about them. But, show those 55 and younger whom Republicans are going to swindle out of Social Security who is solely responsible.
When Republicans repeal Obamacare on Day one and have nothing to replace it with, don't throw them a lifeline, offering them Medicare for All. Because Paul Ryan and the REpublicans already have a scheme to dismantle Medicare as well. Whatever half-assed remedy the Republicans propose don't vote for it. Run on the platform of the Republican Party passed legislation without a single Democratic Vote. Admittedly this will be the hardest sell. Democrats in Government want to help people and will probably support a healthcare law because it will help someone. Whereas Republicans know not only will they suffer no blowback from conservatives even when Republican policies hurt them and, in fact, conservatives will more vociferously back Republicans the more harmful the GOP is towards them the Democrats will get no support from anyone when they block legislative efforts the way Republicans do.
When Republicans propose to Concentrate illegal immigrants into Camps awaiting deportation make speeches on the House and Senate go on every Sunday talk show and vote No.
When Republicans lead by Senators Tom Cotton and Jon McCain void the Iran Nuclear Deal and vote to impose military sanctions and go to War in the Middle East again, Vote No. Even though the Media led by Faux News will castigate the Democratic Party as traitors, don't let a future generation of conservatives lay the entire blame for an Iran War on the Democratic Party as Trump and the Right-Wing laid the entire blame for the Iraq War Debacle on to HRC and her one vote as Senator.
Senator Tom Cotton one of the 47 Republican traitors who sent a letter to Iran declaring that when President Obama was out of office, the U.S. Would not honor treaties has proposed restarting water-boarding. Proclaim loudly Waterboarding is Torture. Bring up Sean Hannity's decade old boast he would be water-boarded and vote no.
Senator Tom Cotton one of the 47 Republican traitors who sent a letter to Iran declaring that when President Obama was out of office, the U.S. Would not honor treaties has proposed restarting water-boarding. Proclaim loudly Waterboarding is Torture. Bring up Sean Hannity's decade old boast he would be water-boarded and vote no.
When the FBI is tasked with assassinating and incarcerating everyone remotely associated with #BlackLivesMatter don't lend them cover. Again angry resentful white people are going to back the efforts against blacks 100% but, they've already shown they always support Republicans.
When the Republicans retask Drone Warfare onto the U.S.-Mexico Border to "capture" illegals don't support the protecting the borders spin and don't help the Republicans.
When Trump fires all the Generals who disagree with him about the ease of eliminating ISIS don't vote for his hand-picked yes, man for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Democratic Party has to accept that the Media will savagely slander them for the next 4 years as Anti-American, as Traitors, as Sore Losers, for their unprecedented intransigence but, the Media has clearly shown they loved the last 14 months of Trump and didn't care about the Democratic Party proposals.
Additionally, moving forward Democratic Presidents and Congresses need to stop accepting the responsibility of cleaning up Republican messes. This will be the hardest of all because Democratic administrations believe in governance.
Bill Clinton cleaned up the bombast and explosive debt of Ronnie Raygun and Bush the Lesser and President Obama cleaned up the messes of Dick Cheney, George the Worst, and the Republican Congress. Stop doing that. Let the wounds inflicted by Republicans fester and rot away the WWC.
Now, most difficult of all will be Donald Trump's Impeachment. Do. Not. Help. With. This.
President-Elect Trump is facing the trial for Trump University and will soon be suing the dozen women who have accused him of criminal sexual assault so it would seem tempting to remove Trump but, this will play right into the hands of the Republicans.
Republicans would love to get rid of Trump and have Pence as President. It would allow them the veneer of respectability and reasonableness in the Executive Branch, while they pursue the same strategies they would have with Trump in charge. But, it would also let the Republican play the victim to the bigoted WWC voters. Republicans would bemoan those dastardly Democrats treacherously depriving the WWC of their True Champion Donald Trump while the media could comfortably slip back into their preferred narrative of Both Sides Do It.
Update:
Vacant eyed granny-starving Paul Ryan has floated the Republican trial balloon of eliminating Medicare. As reported by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo,
Additionally, moving forward Democratic Presidents and Congresses need to stop accepting the responsibility of cleaning up Republican messes. This will be the hardest of all because Democratic administrations believe in governance.
Bill Clinton cleaned up the bombast and explosive debt of Ronnie Raygun and Bush the Lesser and President Obama cleaned up the messes of Dick Cheney, George the Worst, and the Republican Congress. Stop doing that. Let the wounds inflicted by Republicans fester and rot away the WWC.
Now, most difficult of all will be Donald Trump's Impeachment. Do. Not. Help. With. This.
President-Elect Trump is facing the trial for Trump University and will soon be suing the dozen women who have accused him of criminal sexual assault so it would seem tempting to remove Trump but, this will play right into the hands of the Republicans.
Republicans would love to get rid of Trump and have Pence as President. It would allow them the veneer of respectability and reasonableness in the Executive Branch, while they pursue the same strategies they would have with Trump in charge. But, it would also let the Republican play the victim to the bigoted WWC voters. Republicans would bemoan those dastardly Democrats treacherously depriving the WWC of their True Champion Donald Trump while the media could comfortably slip back into their preferred narrative of Both Sides Do It.
Update:
Vacant eyed granny-starving Paul Ryan has floated the Republican trial balloon of eliminating Medicare. As reported by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo,
Paul Ryan just announced that as part of repealing Obamacare he plans to phase out Medicare and replace it with private insurance for retirees.
This sounds like a good plan of action. The unfortunate part, of course, is that you're relying on the very same Democratic politicians who stood by and enabled and excused all of these same things for the past 16 years. Leopards and spots and all that.
ReplyDeleteTrump will never be impeached by his own party. They did not care about Trump University or his assaults on women before the election; they certainly do not care now. Those in the party who were privately disgusted by his rise but who were unwilling to say so in either the primary or the general election, similarly, will certainly not do so now that he is President.
It seems to me that the advantage and disadvantage of Trump is that he is incompetent and inexperienced; he has a movement, but no serious political agenda. Even now, the establishment he claims to detest will be clamoring for positions in his administration, will probably get them, and will then set an agenda that has a veneer of xenophobia, sexism, and populism to appeal to his base while maintaining the key political and economic foundations of the current order unchanged. This is my guess, at least. That's the consequence of seizing power without having any plan for what to do with it. Call it the domestication of Trump.
There is an alternative possibility, but I can't tell whether I'm dismissing it out of rationality, cynicism, or despair.
Sadly Dave you're right. I don't doubt the Democratic Party or enough Democrats are going to work with the Republicans thus providing them the cover of bipartisanship when the Republican Controlled Government dismantles the New Deal and Civil Rights. So, the WWC and next generation blame Teh Gubbermint for their lack of healthcare insurance, no SSI, cry capitalism, and no jobs.
ReplyDeleteI'm under no illusions.
Congressional Republicans decided to obstruct ALL legislation put forward by Democrats, even bipartisan legislation that had something in it for both sides. Absolutely no compromise was their strategy for denying Obama a second term. It didn't work. It did work in denying Obama a 3rd term, however. Which is what Hillary Clinton ran as, basically. A 3rd Obama term. Their obstruction paid off with the election of Donald Trump. Now that they control all branches of government, they can do as they please.
ReplyDeleteI've heard talk of the Dems obstructing a Trump nominee to the Supreme Court. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley was on MSNBC last night and said the nomination was stolen from Obama. I agree. I hope they do put up a fight and don't fold. Unless the nominee is Merrick Garland, the Democrats should refuse to confirm. That is certainly one thing on which they could say no.
I have heard, however, that the Republicans might blow up the filibuster. If that were to happen, the strategy you laid out would be DOA. Whatever happens, I fear greatly the damage Republicans will do in the next 4 years. Or the next 2 years, if we are able to pick up some seats in the midterm (the election fewer Democratic voters participate in). Frankly, I think we're f*cked.
I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/us/politics/democrats-house-senate.html
Trump can't even figure out how to run a transition team yet, and Democrats are already deciding to be best frenemies with him.
"It's okay, we can control him," as the Germans said in the 1930s.
Dave,
ReplyDeleteYes the modern Democratic Party is playing their role of wimpy punching bags and with 60 minutes and other news organizations rushing to genuflect in front of Donald the lurch rightward to outright fascism continues.
Only retiring Senator Harry Reid has had the gumption to call Donald Trump what he is and Kellyanne Conway (not even a member of government yet) let him know right away the Trump Bundists would seek him out and impose consequences.