This should be interesting
Published January 20, 2017
by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, January 19, 2017.
There’s a lot to talk about as Trump takes office.
An “illegitimate” President?
Congressman/civil rights hero John Lewis touched a nerve here. Trump & Co. went nuclear. But the Russian hacking stories will persist. As will the golden-showers stain.
Trump supporters say, “Get over it. He won. He’s President. Show him some respect.”
Really?
This from the people who questioned Obama’s legitimacy for eight years? Who insisted he was born in Kenya? Who said ACORN stole the 2008 and 2012 elections? Who said the 2016 election was “rigged” (at least, they did before the election)?
The same Republicans who got together after Obama’s inauguration to make sure he failed? Who scuttled any pretense of bipartisanship? Who yelled “You lie” when he addressed Congress?
Now you want respect and deference for the new President?
We elect opposites
The contrast between the incoming and outgoing Presidents is breath-taking. But we always elect a President who is the opposite of the incumbent.
Ike was old, JFK was young. Nixon was a crook, Carter was honest. Carter was weak, Reagan was strong. Reagan was a hard-liner, Bush was kinder and gentler. Bush was out of touch, Clinton felt your pain. Clinton dallied with Monica, W wouldn’t. W was clueless, Obama was smart. Obama was smart, black, cerebral, measured, eloquent. Trump…well, he’s not.
(Also, by the way, Obama’s approval rating is 60 percent. Trump’s is 40.)
The next President, it’s safe to predict, will be Trump’s opposite. Unless it’s Pence.
Will Trump give up Twitter?
Why would he? It’s how he got elected.
Another rule about electing Presidents is that we always elect the one who masters the new, dominant form of communication.
Think FDR and radio, JFK and TV, Nixon and staged TV (by Roger Ailes), Reagan and stagecraft, Bush and negative ads, Clinton and late-night TV, Obama and social media/digital data.
Trump mastered the era of reality-TV, the smart-phone and Twitter. He has something like 46 million followers. He knows how to keep his message simple and punchy. Why stop?
Democrats should stop whining about it and start mastering what’s next. Because there’s always something next.
Is Trump Nixon Redux?
In 1968, Robert Kennedy said, “Richard Nixon represents the dark side of the American spirit.”
What would he say about Trump?
Trump has a lot of Nixon about him. He’s thin-skinned. He’s obsessed with his enemies. He hates the press. He’s on the side of the Silent Majority against the Establishment. He has testy relations with African-Americans and other minorities. He meddled in foreign affairs before he took office. He has a distant and even hostile relationship with his own Republican Party.
Nixon gave us six more years of war in Vietnam, an economic recession AND inflation, gas lines, an Enemies List, Watergate, impeachment and a constitutional crisis.
He also nearly wrecked the Republican Party in the 1974 mid-term elections. In North Carolina, there was one Republican left in the 50-member Senate. Democrats got a new lease on life. Jimmy Carter squandered his opportunity, but Jim Hunt, Bill Clinton and a whole new generation of Democrats across the country made the most of it.
This should be interesting.
January 20, 2017 at 7:46 pm
Norm Kelly says:
Really?'
Yes, really!!!!
Just like you told us twice when the socialist was elected. He won. The election is over. He's your president now. Get over it. Why is it that when the shoe is on the other foot, you arch left-wing zealots can't accept the same words back at you. He won. He's President. Yes, show SOME respect. And GET OVER IT.
Knowing that this arch left-wing sore loser zealot is going to spew forth with reasons why the words of libs don't apply to libs, I know the rest of the blatherings ain't worth reading. But I will endeavor to try to get through it. This will be painful. Whine. Whine. Whine some more. Please, God, tell me this guy did NOT go to Washington to join in the protests! At some point it would be nice to see something other than whining from lefties. But, again, I won't hold my breath!
'Who scuttled any pretense of bipartisanship?' Let's see. Which Congress people skipped today's festivities? Was it Congress people from ALL parties/sides of the aisle? Or was it just demons who skipped it? Yup, that's right. Just DEMONS! Talk about starting out on a good bi-partisanship note! But, then again, we out here who are not in la-la land, remember that the prior President told Republicans on more than one occasion 'I won. Elections have consequences. I don't need to talk to you about anything'. It was definitely the prior occupant who refused bipartisanship. It was demon Congress people who refused to even allow Republicans to debate certain issues, and prevented Republican bills or amendments from even getting to the floor for a vote. And it was demon congress people who changed the rules when it came to simple majority vs super majority votes. This is NOT demonstrating bi-partisanship. So, now the shoe MAY be on the other foot, and you libs are STILL whining about the past 8 years. Talk about needing to get over it! What whiners!
'Obama was smart, black, cerebral, measured, eloquent.' That one was also a terrible liar. He lied often, he was just bad at it. Bill was good at it, you felt sorry for him, expected he was TRYING to tell the truth, and that there MIGHT be some truth in his story. But ultimately you knew he was lying. You just felt sorry for him. With the guy who just left, there was none of that. Straight out of his mouth you knew he was lying, you knew he knew he was lying, and didn't care that you knew he was lying, and laughed about people simply passing on the lies. Especially media allies. He laughed constantly about these b0ne-heads carrying water for him, knowing all along he was telling a whopper of a lie. The glad-he's-gone was also a socialist who chose not to follow the rule of law; actually flaunted the law at every turn. And surrounded himself with people who justified his willful disrespect for law. He is also a radical racist. Deep down inside he HATES white people (and it's not really that deep). He doesn't care that it was his white grandparents who took him in and helped raise him. His radical college years solidified his hatred of whites. And he demonstrated his racism on a regular basis; but allies let it go. Since when is being black something to be celebrated. It's a fact, nothing else. So what? What did it do for the nation? What did his blackness do for race relations? What did his blackness do for unemployed blacks? What did his blackness do for under-educated blacks across the nation? Eloquent? When he was on prompter, yes. Otherwise, he stuttered and mixed up his words; off-prompter he sounded foolish. We were told Hildaliar was smart also. The smartest woman on the planet, I believe left-wing zealots told us. But it still didn't make her honest. Or caring. Or warm and friendly. It just made her unapproachable. So, smart doesn't seem to have helped the nation much.
'Start mastering what's next'? Seriously, again? Demons haven't had a new idea in decades. They are all still stuck on raise taxes, raise spending, increase central planner control, tax the rich, pay 'the poor', yell 'racist' often, pit groups against each other. And whine. And whine. What part of ANY demon pols schemes are new? What part of demons adjusting to what's next has happened that gives ANYONE, even Gary, hope that this is widespread amongst demon pols anywhere in the nation? They even want to tax what you enjoy; think 'sugared' beverage tax, regulating drink sizes, etc. etc.
Glad I kept reading. Gary reminded me of something about the recently gone White House occupier. 'He also nearly wrecked the Republican Party in the 1974 mid-term elections.' Which guy is responsible for demons being major losers in the past 8 years? How many seats have been lost nationwide since he started forcing socialism and small-mindedness upon us? How long has it been since both Congress and the White House were held by Republicans? Can this be credited to the old guy? What part of recent demon schemes has propelled them to victory and popularity? Which scheme has garnered them major vote victories? Think about it. Most of the schemes demons have forced upon those who didn't want their schemes happened when some court agreed with demons and against the majority. So, not only was the gone-guy a socialist, he's also responsible for decimating the demon party. I guess there really is something to thank him for!
What should be most interesting is how long libs are gonna whine. How negative are libs gonna be? How much will libs become the party of 'no', as they CLAIMED Republicans had become? How many new ideas will libs attempt to prevent from being implemented? Again, libs are afraid to try ANYTHING new or different. So, what new idea will Trump and Republicans have that demons will demonize for no reason other than it's not their way, it's not their scheme, it doesn't grow central planner control? And which media ally will call out demons for their lack of bipartisanship? Which demon ally media-type will actually start doing their journalism job? Can't expect to see much from the N&D or it's editorial writers!
And, when will libs FINALLY STOP WHINING?! (trick question!)
January 21, 2017 at 5:57 am
KarenRoscoe says:
Looks as if NC Spin is spinning a new web of lies and disinformation by placing this article within its site.
Obama is disliked for many reasons, and not just because he is, as this author claims "illegitimate."
To make the claim that Trump is illegitimate is simply projection, an Alinsky tactic well known to most readers.
NorthCarolina Citizens voted for President Trump this election cycle. The nation voted for President Trump.
The erroneous meme that Hillary won "the popular vote" would not likely stand under full audit of New York City votes and California votes, especially after your hero Obama told illegal aliens to go ahead and vote in the US POTUS election.
Are you totally unaware that illegal aliens do not have any right to vote whatsoever in these United States? Did you also encourage illegal aliens within the state of NC to vote, following your hero Obama?
Trump won the electoral college vote by a huge margin: count the counties within the USA. See how many Hillary won vs how many President Trump won.
In no way is President Donald J.Trump illegitimate. He is our president. Stop your denigration, stop your whining. Stop clinging to your pundits and libels.
President Donald John Trump is the President of the United States of America!
We the People of the United States of America are back in charge. We won't go back to sleep, nor back to being sheep.
Democrats need to either kick out their communist branch and Alinsky moves and get back to being loyal citizens of our Republic, or move out of this great land, as so many have threatened to do. Restructure what is left of your party such that the majority of citizens have something in common with your leadership.
The United States of America, its citizenry and its President, is for coming together for the good of the USA and we will, more and more, come together. Leftist divisive tactics are not working anymore. We are known as the UNITED states now and will be more united as patriots loyal to our foundations in future.
God bless you as you begin to search your soul in the beginnings of your change from follower of lies to follower of Truth.
January 23, 2017 at 1:46 pm
Janice Sutton says:
The pendulum swings back and forth. Many people did not vote for Trump, but rather against the status quo in general and Hillary in particular. We were tired of the socialist bent and government oversight into the smallest details of or lives. Don't tell me I have to shower with a trannie at the gym or that my granddaughter has to shower with one at school. We're tired of having terrorists welcomed into the country and paying for their upkeep through all sorts of government programs that WE pay for, only to have them call us Satan and kill our citizens.
Trump has appointed some really good people to help in this administration and it's time for Dems and Reps alike to stop the games that DC plays every time we elect someone new. No, I don't support everything the Reps did to hinder Obama, and certainly not the declaration of refusing to even try to reach across the isle, but I did support many of the things they did to try to stop him from turning our country into a socialist nation.
We would garner much more respect around the world if everybody would just GROW UP! This whining and crying ON BOTH SIDES has gone on long enough. Imagine if you did this at your job? I doubt you'd have a job for long. Stop moaning and get to work changing things you don't like. By getting to work to change things, I don't mean protesting and rioting in the streets. Protests are legal, but they don't organize to change things. Get a strategy, a plan. Just do it legally and without dirty tricks and false media reports.
Give it a chance. Obama had 8 years. Let's try something else. If it doesn't work, put someone else in that better suits you.
