Pretty much this. I didn't buy into the whole "boogieman" argument from the Liberal Media. Instead, I did my research (when I felt like it), and listened objectively to what he was saying, vs what the media was saying he said. And I concluded probably 90% of the media's talking points are full of bullshit.
A lot of what the "liberal media" did was just play tapes of him talking. It seems to me that a lot of defense of him is "he didn't mean what you said he meant!" The people saying that are literally hearing different things from him than what I'm hearing. What I gather is that he's a colossal narcissist who gets into stupid spats with people clearly trying to yank his chain (see "Fuckface Von Clownstick"). What was the research that you did? Maybe it'll help me.
So he didn't say much that turned me off from wanting him to be president. I don't personally agree that he was the best choice for a Republican America, but I've warmed up to him in the weeks since; especially seeing as how much hate and chaos the Left is causing right now.
So you like him more because people who don't like him are rioting? Am I getting that right?
I also didn't agree with how he ran his campaign at times (even though it worked).
Do you think it worked because of the things you don't like? So, for example, we're seeing a wave of racist and Nazi graffiti with slogans like "Heil Trump!" I live in Michigan, and in the same Royal Oak (a fairly affluent, pretty white suburb of Detroit) Middle School that had the "Build the wall!" chant a day or so after the election, just today it's been reported they found a noose in the boy's bathroom. Also, in Albion, another small, white town, there were swastikas drawn on buildings downtown. This is totally new. Do you mean that he was deliberately appealing to people who were disengaged from people like Romney, and that's what you disapproved of?
I'm also realistic on much of what he says: I don't personally believe that he seriously believes half of what he says.
I assume you think this is true of most politicians, but do you think it's especially true of him? Politifact rated him as astronomically more dishonest than anyone else. Would you say that's just another example of the liberal media distorting things?
So maybe having a bombastic asshole is going to be good for this country. A "slap in the face" if you will, towards all of the PC Safe Space Triggered "let me lecture you about your white privilege" elitist crowd. A sign that they need to change. And that will DEFINITELY be good for America.
I have several things to say about that.
1. Do you really think that the "PC Safe Space"... etc. were the most serious problem facing America? Have you had a major problem or your freedom seriously affected by this crowd? I've got to say, again, I think they may be ... kind of a myth. I work in a university, and I had a retired (Liberal to the core) colleague send me articles on "triggering" in universities and saying "Jesus, are you getting this?" (Note: he's liberal. I would say the majority of liberals are like Bill Maher or before him George Carlin, or before him Lenny Bruce - it's the actual harms we do to people, not the things we say about it.) And honestly, I'm not. The only thing I've ever heard discussed is that we have a lot of vets on campus with PTSD and we should accommodate their service dogs. And OF COURSE you do that - what asshole wouldn't?
2. I'll tell you what worries me MOST OF ALL about Trump is Global Warming. Shit's getting real. I'm sure your research will show you that the Arctic is currently a ridiculous THIRTY FIVE DEGREES WARMER than usual. If enough of the polar icecaps warm, it will accelerate warming even more. If the permafrost melts, it will release astronomical amounts of methane into the atmosphere, and that maybe the most dangerous warming gas of all. Seriously, we are FUCKED. But Trump literally picked a famous climate change denier (who claims that the science is "silly" - and doesn't hold a science degree) as head of the EPA. Do you honestly think that the threat from the PC police is worse than this?
3. Mike Pence got booed by the audience at a Broadway play and Trump has taken to twitter to say this:
HE LITERALLY USES THE PHRASE "SAFE SPACE"!!! Is this the guy who's going to toughen us up?
4. Even ignoring 1-3: do you honestly believe that Trump is going to make this PC crowd of whom you speak say "Geez, I should really reconsider my priorities! Maybe I've been over sensitive!"
Let me tell you that EXACTLY THE REVERSE is happening. Because of the outbreak of racist graffiti and the fact that we have a fairly large number of POC and Muslims on campus (and because we have a fair number of foreign students, whom we rely on more and more (because Republicans keep cutting funding for education and at the same time threatening us with even more cuts if we raise tuition, but we can charge foreign students a lot more) and who are already said to be favoring Canadian Universities) college presidents the country over are sending out messages saying that Campuses are inclusive communities and safe spaces for all. Signs are going up all over, as fast as the swastikas on the bathroom walls.
The Republican Party, as well as Conservative Politics in general, are both changing drastically. It's time for the Left to do the same.
How should the left change? To focus on the needs of the white working class in an attempt to undercut Trump's base?
In as far as "what would piss me off that he would do"? Hmmm....if he fails on half of his talking points because of laziness, or because he just doesn't give a shit, I'll be angry about that. Bring back jobs (or make it possible to start them up here by eliminating regulations in DC),
An awful lot is to do with state government. If what you said was an effective method, then Kansas should have become an economic powerhouse under Sam Brownback. (It hasn't. All that's happened is that they have to cut weeks of the school semester because they ran out of money to pay the teachers.)
open up the pipelines here in the US
You mean LITERAL pipelines? Like Oil pipelines? Have you been following the price of oil?
so that the midwest can have good paying jobs,
Do you think the President has that power? Do you think Obama was holding back the economy? Do you think that Trump can actually make it cheaper for car companies to build cars here?
Let's look at coal: One of the things Trump promises (especially when he was in PA and WV) is to revive coal. But natural gas is not only cleaner than coal, it's cheaper. Coal power stations are being phased out even in Republican states - solar panels and wind are also cheaper - because of GOOD OLD FASHIONED CAPITALISM. Is Trump going to prop up coal in an anti-competitive way? Would you like him to?
Um, technically we ARE at peace with Russia. Do you mean "stop complaining that they invaded Crimea"? What kind of precedent does that set? That's not going to make all the Baltic states very happy. Or Germany. Why does Russia matter more than all the countries, who are ACTUAL DEMOCRACIES, who are opposed to Russia?
kill ISIS entirely (and without giving quarter to the enemy)
Seriously?
(a) do you think Obama, Mr Drone President, was just being too soft? You think it's easy? We just "drop a nuke"? You don't think that won't make things 100 times worse? Isis hides in the civilian population - you're prepared to kill innocents by the thousand? You don't think that might have a TEENY radicalizing effect?
(b) why are we obsessing about Isis? On a scale of global threats, they're tiny. They're certainly nothing compared with Global Warming. And Russia is fighting them anyway, aren't they? If Trump wants to save money, why not let Russia do it, and that way Isis will be targeting them more than us with the few terrorist attacks they manage. Isis has killed fewer Americans than American toddlers. I just made that up, but I'm willing to bet it's true.
reaffirm ties with our allies,
Isn't that the REVERSE of what Trump has promised? He wants to leave NATO! And cozying up to Russia is the last way to "reaffirm ties".
stop giving our money to countries that hate us,
So they hate us more? And there's nobody IN those countries who is working for us?
tear up the Iran agreement,
That will make the hard-liners in Iran very happy, and completely undercut their moderate government. Also give them carte blanche to kick out the inspectors. Win win win!
fix the inner cities (or at least put things in place that will help start the process), and continue to reach out a hand to Democrats and Liberals around the country.
Hey, we agree! Any idea where the massive amounts of money to rebuild infrastructure (and fight Isis) will come from given that Trump's tax plan will cut Trillions from the amount coming into the US treasury (while actually raising taxes on single-parent households? Or was the tax plan one of the things he didn't mean?
If he accomplishes even half of that in the next 4 years, I'll be ecstatic.
And what if he doesn't?
