President Trump: The NEW one and only politics thread

It is odd that Republicans seem to be less abrasive and polarizing once they are out of office. Boehner in the WHCD video with Obama, the Bushes, Dole with the various ads.. and how many suddenly "see the light" once they have no platform to change things?
And Dems (except for Carter) are still hated by the right long after leaving office.

 

The problem with McCain '08 was how he tried to win that election, by swinging way right and getting in bed with some real morons — ok, one real supreme moron in particular. It made sense why he had to do that because, thanks to both his predecessor and his opponent, he was never going to win with a more moderate campaign that fit his actual brand.

 

See, I don't look at either Bush as being "abrasive." 41 wasn't even really polarizing that I can remember. 43 always seemed to have a sense of humor . . . just didn't seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer. It was the left that called him an idiot while simultaneously crediting him with engaging in these massively evil conspiracies.

But yes, the GOP does hold its animus for Dems pretty much until they die. It's not nice. But it is consistent.

 

McCain lost because of GW Bush and the onset of the global financial crisis during the stretch run of the campaign, an event it was clear he didn't understand or have an idea of how to deal with it. No shame in that, lots of great leaders (Churchill, for one) were poor at economics, but that was the hand he was dealt. The exit poll showed Bush had a 28 percent approval rating. Hard to blame the candidate for that.

 

GWB mainly seemed like an amiable doofus being manipulated by some real ratfuckers, i.e. Cheney and Rumsfeld, both apprentices of the evil and powerful Sith Lord Nixon.

 

I think with the Bushes, W has always been the same. Kind of cocky and goofy and - which is great - but projects differently when you're POTUS. You are right, HW was knocked for being "out of touch" (not abrasive enough by the right) - I have always liked and respected him. On the shortlist of greatest one-term Presidents.

 

Always fun to hear liberals GOPsplain.

 

And all your categorizations of what liberals are/do are what exactly? Cries of the oppressed?

 

I listen to enough conservative talk radio to understand that there has never been a Republican too conservative to be elected President, nor one who was conservative enough.

 

It's because being right of center politically isn't the problem. The Republican Party, as an organization, is fucked. Quite possibly beyond repair.

 

I never cared about Mitt's, or anyone's, religion. Didn't like his policies. I'm a democrat.

But I will freely admit the left, and me on many occasions, was too over-the-top in going after Mitt. It's all politics, and both sides were pretty nasty. I think republicans were worse, but I'm a democrat. At the time it was fighting fire with fire.

Count me among the masses who would gladly have a "normal" republican, knowing what we know now.

First step back to sanity is a wave election in 2018 if lazy Dems run good candidates and get off their asses and take back control of congress.

 

I've noticed it's been in a bit of a slump election-wise at all levels of government.