Donald Trump: Come Kiss the Ring

Here's the hed: LOSER WINS.

 

Two points Trump understands but few others do

The author seems to think not having a specific plan of some sort is no big deal.
I don't agree.
I also don't agree that being a successful businessman means you know how to run a country more than a Senator or Congressman would. The government doesn't and shouldn't work like a business.
As I've stated before, I also don't think Trump is as good a businessman as many people think he is.

 

This is really Christie at his best. If only he wasn't a douchebag the other 95 percent of the time.

 

The Christie thing is also interesting in this respect. These things happened to his friend. Empathy is easy when something happens to someone you care about (see: Dick Cheney on gay rights), but not so easy for politicians when they aren't personally involved.

 

He was also tremendous with this 4 years ago.

 

No, the government shouldn't work as a business, but the days of LBJ cajoling votes is long gone. It's a zero-sum game now.

 

It's interesting, I've been reading some stuff that says today's political dynamics (what some might call dysfunction) trace back to many reforms (e.g., bans on earmarks, campaign finance laws, etc.) that have been put in place over the years. The essence of the argument is that with horse-trading off the table that means things become more ideologically polarized and therefore less tractable through traditional legislative means.

 

We ain't getting pork no more so let's make 'em squeal the hard way.

 

While glib, political scientist David Mayhugh, argued members of Congress are only concerned about being re-elected. If you can't bring the pork, the only thing you have are hollow ideological victories.

 

I've heard the earmark theory quite a bit, too, and tend to agree with it.

 

That isn't an argument. It's a fact. And it has been forever.