What's different about the Trump presidency.

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We have had several presidents in my lifetime I didn't like in terms of policy or politics. I respected Bush Sr. in spite of the fact I disagreed with many of his policies. I questioned Bush Jrs. intelligence, but he ran tolerable administration most of the time (I disagreed with the war, but I supported his efforts to unite the country after 9/11).

Trump is something different... and I think this is a big part of this.

Every presidential administration has a base that wants to push them to the extreme. It is part of the role of a president to push back on their own base. Obama resisted fervent calls for the "public option" in the healthcare debate and kept a war going to the dismay of much of his base. Bush Sr. raised taxes. Clinton was tough on crime. Bush Jr. defended Muslim Americans after 9/11.

This balancing act; saying "no" to your base while keeping their support, is part of the job. It is a political skill that every president must have and it is necessary for running the country.

Trump is ignoring everything but his base. Every decision he makes excites his fans, and dismays the rest of the country. There is no balance, no considering other options or their consequences, no questioning the ideology. If the base wants it, he does it.

This makes the adoring Trump supporters estatic. But it isn't leadership. A leader has the ability to stand up to his base, to say "no" when the facts call for it and to make difficult decisions. Trump has never been able to say "no" to this most radical base.

It is the lack of real leadership that threatens the country.

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@maxdancona,

Well stated. And this is why the whining Trump supporters are so pathetic — they wanted someone who would govern like a bull in a china shop. And then they act all hurt because other people complain about the resulting mess in the aisles.

The needless tax cuts are a perfect example. Yes, the tax laws were in need of reform. Corporate tax rates could have been lowered in a revenue-neutral manner. But Trump used his majority to not only enhance the tax position of the wealthiest Americans, he also penalized residents of high-tax (blue) states by capping the deductions for state and local taxes at ten thousand dollars. Meanwhile the national debt goes through the roof.

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@maxdancona,

Want to know what is really different?

Trump has actually kept his campaign promises where other Presidents, once elected, always seem to forget those.

I don't think you guys have been able to grasp that.

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@McGentrix,

You are basically saying the same thing I am saying (although not literally since Trump has not kept all of his campaign promises).

His inability to lead, rather than pander to his base, has consequences for his presidency and for the country at large. That's my point.

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@maxdancona,

I get what you are saying, but are you sure his keeping promises is the same as pandering to his base?

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@roger,

It is not just "keeping promises"; that was a term used by McGentrix. At every point he is going along with the loudest, angriest parts of his base. He isn't ever standing up to them. He isn't ever teaching the base. He isn't ever urging restraint.

Other presidents have led, rather than follow the base.

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@maxdancona,

Just an opinion, but I don't think he's deliberately pandering to his base. More like he's following his own base instincts which just happen to coincide with the loudest and angriest of his base.

In other words, I'm not as charitable as you.

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@McGentrix,

Quote:

Trump has actually kept his campaign promises where other Presidents, once elected, always seem to forget those.

I didn't agree with his prospective policies when they were just promises. Why should I be expected to agree with them now? I thought he promised healthcare that was cheaper and better than the ACA — where is it? He only acts on the promises which are easily accomplished by the stroke of a pen. Color me unimpressed.

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Hmmm . . . build a wall along the Mexican border? Make Mexico pay for it? Nope. Pull out of NATO? Of course not, presidents have no unilateral power over treaties. Hightor has pointed out his ACA follies.

Can you say moron?

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@Setanta,

Setanta wrote:

Hmmm . . . build a wall along the Mexican border? Make Mexico pay for it? Nope. Pull out of NATO? Of course not, presidents have no unilateral power over treaties. Hightor has pointed out his ACA follies.

Can you say moron?

I didn't suggest he kept every promise, nor is his term over. Do you have a list of politicians that have kept all their campaign promises in their first year in office?

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@hightor,

hightor wrote:

Quote:
Trump has actually kept his campaign promises where other Presidents, once elected, always seem to forget those.

I didn't agree with his prospective policies when they were just promises. Why should I be expected to agree with them now? I thought he promised healthcare that was cheaper and better than the ACA — where is it? He only acts on the promises which are easily accomplished by the stroke of a pen. Color me unimpressed.

Your agreement is immaterial. You don't like him or any Republican policy, we get it. That has no bearing on this discussion.

Look to Congress for healthcare. They campaigned for 6 years on repeal and replace. Trump teed it up for them and they blew it. He isn't a ******* dictator and can't just make everything miraculously happen. Whoopee-*******-doo if you are impressed or not.

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@McGentrix,

McGentrix,

Your opinion is perhaps the most important to me in this discussion (I hope you don't get sidetracked with useless partisan bickering).

I am trying to understand how Trump is different from other presidents. You apparently don't see him as running a failing administration (I do), but that doesn't prevent us from discussing whether Trump is unique... and how he is different.

Do you agree that he is much more likely to go along with what his base wants than other presidents? Maybe you could argue this is a good thing... I think it a real difference from his predecessors.

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@Setanta,

Quote:

Can you say moron?

I sure can.

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@McGentrix,

He has been in office for more than a year and a half, and the Republicans control the Congress. He has not replaced or repealed the ACA, he hasn't built his Mexican wall, and Peña Nieto has laughed at the notion of Mexico paying for it, and, of course, he cannot withdraw from NATO without the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. What does Plump do? He whines about the Democrats, as though Republican control of Congress wouldn't ordinarily give him a free ride to his agenda.

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@Setanta,

He did quite a bit to make his base happy. He was tough on Muslims. He was tough on "illegals". He attacked Black NFL players. He attacked Nato. He appointed Kavanaugh. He cut taxes. He withdrew from the Paris Accord.

Many of these things are symbolic. But that is what the base wants.

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@maxdancona,

Quote:

But that is what the base wants.

And that's pretty much the crux of it. He can be pretty much assured of support from 35-45% of the voters and he's not looking anywhere else. He can always count on a certain amount of self-defeating fratricide within the Democratic Party and the possibility of strong third party candidacies would also provide a measure of buoyancy should a rather improbable "blue wave" actually wash over the country. Thing is, it's a risky strategy. The guy's suggested more than he can deliver so he does these halfway measures and claims that he's fulfilled a campaign promise. And the crowd goes wild.

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@McGentrix,

McGentrix wrote:

Setanta wrote:

Hmmm . . . build a wall along the Mexican border? Make Mexico pay for it? Nope. Pull out of NATO? Of course not, presidents have no unilateral power over treaties. Hightor has pointed out his ACA follies.

Can you say moron?

I didn't suggest he kept every promise, nor is his term over. Do you have a list of politicians that have kept all their campaign promises in their first year in office?

I think just about every presidential candidate turned president can say that they've kept many campaign promises. I think probably even to a greater degree than Trump has (though this is subjective). Especially when most of Trump's promises are tied up in court.

But if you were pushed to say what are the greatest campaign promises that Trump has made I'd argue they were 1) build the wall, 2) drain the swamp, 3) repeal the ACA....he's done none of that and on items like the wall and the ACA he's actively damaged attempts to get these promises kept because it's a horrible horrible negotiator and doesn't understand anything about how to govern.

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@McGentrix,

Quote:

Your agreement is immaterial.

On a message board like this it's no more immaterial than your support. Fact is, policies actually matter. Previous presidents have recognized this, for the most part, and usually jettison some of their campaign promises, cognizant of conflicting demands and expectations of key interest groups and supporters. As I pointed out, a lot of Trump's "accomplishments" have yet to be completed and if/when completed will take years to demonstrate any effectiveness. And the tax cuts will never pay for themselves.

By the way, I thought you'd get a kick out of THIS. I guess delivering on your promises isn't really that big a thing. Every one of these "accomplishments" is targeted to a satisfy the demands of some "special interest". It's downright dastardly.

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

Do you agree that he is much more likely to go along with what his base wants than other presidents? Maybe you could argue this is a good thing... I think it a real difference from his predecessors.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Has there ever been a President that doesn't go along with the ones who voted them in?

The problem you have here is that you don't particularly care for trump's base. What were they called, undesireables? no, crap, gotta look it up. Deplorables. That was what cost Hillary her chance as President. It's as though part of America thinks they are "better" than another part of America when in fact they are all a bunch of assholes when you boil it all down.

That's what a lot of people on A2K do, they believe that they, and only they, hold some kind of "truth" that needs to be explained to the yearning masses of uneducated dolts that also happen to use A2K.

Maybe you and Setanta remember these gems from our last President?
"As president, I will close the detention facility at Guantanamo."

"I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year."

"Will set a hard cap on all carbon emissions at a level that scientists say is necessary to curb global warming"

"a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens."

I seem to recall Obama having a Democratic Congress to get all of his promises through. Much like Trump does. But, like Setanata says, Obama was an utter and complete failure because he didn't get these done. Isn't that right Set? A complete and ******* failure Obama was. Rolling Eyes

1 Reply

@maxdancona,

maxdancona wrote:

He did quite a bit to make his base happy. He was tough on Muslims. He was tough on "illegals". He attacked Black NFL players. He attacked Nato. He appointed Kavanaugh. He cut taxes. He withdrew from the Paris Accord.

Many of these things are symbolic. But that is what the base wants.

So? I'm still not sure what you are on about. Is Trump supposed to forget his base and make his opponents happy?

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