Trump cheats at golf - the ONE and ONLY politics thread

Having succeeded with passing tax cuts, the Republicans—despite constantly bashing the Democrats as big spenders and deficit whores—never bothered to discuss how to pay for massive increases in military spending. Or Medicare spending. Or any other sort of outlay that ballooned under Bush and the Republican Congress. ...

On his way out the door (and after a last-ditch $100 million stimulus plan that is largely forgotten to all but the nation's debtors), George W. Bush actually said, "I've abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system."

 

The GOPe can't talk about how Trump isn't a real conservative because they abandoned fiscal conservatism long ago. They made their bed.

 

The dilemma for the Republicans is that voters approve of lower government spending in principle, but disapprove of it when it's practiced. So it helps them win elections, and makes governing difficult to impossible, at least at the federal level. The problem's exacerbated by the emergence of older voters (who get the most benefits) as a vital Republican bloc.

 

Rubio fans resist calls to vote for Kasich

I got this exact call this morning.

 

The robocall messaging is absurd. The script says Rubio people should vote for Kasich because he's a good governor. That's not why Rubio is encouraging this maneuver. He's behind this strategy because he wants to stop Trump. Just say it. (Sam Kinison reference.)

 

Good stuff here about the absolute ignorance Trump displayed in this week's debate.

A ‘Nice’ Debate Leaves a Nasty Aftertaste

 

I would add that the Republicans, and in particular the Tea Party, promises their voters that once they get into office they will change all of this. They'll cut taxes, increase defense spending, stop sending US aid overseas, make people on welfare get jobs, etc. Then they get into office and they find out that they can say that all they want to, actually accomplishing it is another thing entirely. Their voters wait out a term or two and conclude that they've been lied to and get angrier and angrier. Eventually you wind up with Trump, promising to come in as a strong man and force changes... and make the trains run on time.

It's all bullshit, of course, if elected he's going to cut deals with all kinds of monied interests, many of whom do not at all want what the Republicans have been promising and running on. You think they're pissed off now, wait about two to three years into a Trump administration.

He's going to need those Brownshirts.

 

Fascinating. I loved the comment from the despondent dad just sick about having to explain this "chess game" to his first-time-voter daughter.

So SFIND-- What are you gonna do ???

 

People want a smaller government as long as they get the same services and benefits.

I'm not sure the "smaller government" argument helps win elections unless candidates specifically link it cutting taxes or fucking government workers out of their retirement benefits, which is just another way to suggest to voters that they will pay less in taxes.

For example, I doubt it helped Rubio during the debate the other night when he was explaining to all of the 30- and 40- and 50-year-old viewers that he plans to cut their social security benefits.

 

"Kill Him! Kick his ass! Kill Him!"

 

Dumb whites are Trump's biggest market:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/13/upshot/the-geography-of-trumpism.html?_r=0