Trump's America

[BigRedBuster]

I agree with Knapp. Another point is, at least in the national media, the Democrat in this race ran on...."let's make Trump angry".

 

Did he have actual policy ideas? Did he have stances on issues that related to the voters? Did he come off as someone who was going to try to unify Washington and calm the tensions in the country?

 

If a Democrat is going to go into a heavily Republican area and win, they have to do better than that.

[zoogs]

Ossoff actually ran a pretty bland campaign. Strategic, given the district. Now we wonder whether that was the right move. The narrative recriminations are already out in force.

 

Of course he had policy views. I don't understand this critique. For one, you can look them up. It's no mystery which wing of the Democratic Party he represented. You can also take it as a given that he would have been there to vote against Trump this term. As opposed to almost certain and consistent alignment ... which is what the voters wanted as well as what they got.

 

It's also a contestable district. It's not that heavily Republican.

[Danny Bateman]

He ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and he campaigned against the AHCA, which he should, because it is hot garbage. He also talked in the debate making the minimum wage a "living" wage, to which Handel replied she did not support a "livable" wage.

You can read more about his platform here. He focused on the economy and healthcare.

The mudslinging coming from the other side was rather disgusting:

 

Nonetheless, Handel’s television ads have tried to connect him to tie-dyed San Francisco liberals, Nancy Pelosi, Al Jazeera and Osama bin Laden, and even, in an ad from the conservative group Principled PAC—which Handel has since disavowed—“the unhinged leftists cheering last week’s shooting” at the Republican congressional baseball practice. (“I’ll tell you what: I think the shooting is going to win this election for us,” Brad Carver, the head of the G.O.P. in the neighboring Eleventh District, said on Saturday, after a Handel rally in Chamblee, Georgia.)

 

But that's politics. I don't think this is a death knell for the Democratic Party. But I would've preferred a shot across the bow on the GOP as a message since this election was so focused on healthcare and what they're doing with that is awful.

 

This certainly isn't going to make them think twice about it. They're still not facing consequences for how they're governing or Trump in general. Quite the opposite... I think this would put some wind in their sails as McConnell tries to advance their healthcare bill.

[BigRedBuster]

He ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and he campaigned against the AHCA, which he should, because it is hot garbage. He also talked in the debate making the minimum wage a "living" wage, to which Handel replied she did not support a "livable" wage.

 

You can read more about his platform here. He focused on the economy and healthcare.

 

The mudslinging coming from the other side was rather disgusting:

 

Nonetheless, Handel’s television ads have tried to connect him to tie-dyed San Francisco liberals, Nancy Pelosi, Al Jazeera and Osama bin Laden, and even, in an ad from the conservative group Principled PAC—which Handel has since disavowed—“the unhinged leftists cheering last week’s shooting” at the Republican congressional baseball practice. (“I’ll tell you what: I think the shooting is going to win this election for us,” Brad Carver, the head of the G.O.P. in the neighboring Eleventh District, said on Saturday, after a Handel rally in Chamblee, Georgia.)

 

But that's politics. I don't think this is a death knell for the Democratic Party. But I would've preferred a shot across the bow on the GOP as a message since this election was so focused on healthcare and what they're doing with that is awful.

 

This certainly isn't going to make them think twice about it. They're still not facing consequences for how they're governing or Trump in general. Quite the opposite... I think this would put some wind in their sails as McConnell tries to advance their healthcare bill.

 

 

To the bold. Ok...great....he said the AHCA is garbage....great...because it was. But, did he give any other ideas other than the ACA is great and everyone should love it?????

 

 

[commando]

He ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility and he campaigned against the AHCA, which he should, because it is hot garbage. He also talked in the debate making the minimum wage a "living" wage, to which Handel replied she did not support a "livable" wage.

 

You can read more about his platform here. He focused on the economy and healthcare.

 

The mudslinging coming from the other side was rather disgusting:

 

Nonetheless, Handel’s television ads have tried to connect him to tie-dyed San Francisco liberals, Nancy Pelosi, Al Jazeera and Osama bin Laden, and even, in an ad from the conservative group Principled PAC—which Handel has since disavowed—“the unhinged leftists cheering last week’s shooting” at the Republican congressional baseball practice. (“I’ll tell you what: I think the shooting is going to win this election for us,” Brad Carver, the head of the G.O.P. in the neighboring Eleventh District, said on Saturday, after a Handel rally in Chamblee, Georgia.)

 

But that's politics. I don't think this is a death knell for the Democratic Party. But I would've preferred a shot across the bow on the GOP as a message since this election was so focused on healthcare and what they're doing with that is awful.

 

This certainly isn't going to make them think twice about it. They're still not facing consequences for how they're governing or Trump in general. Quite the opposite... I think this would put some wind in their sails as McConnell tries to advance their healthcare bill.

mudslinging and fear mongering wins elections. platforms are boring and lose elections. the republicans understand this and the democrats are still learning.

[zoogs]

Ossoff is pretty *clearly* on the Obama/Clinton end of the ACA spectrum, isn't he? Move forward with tweaks, don't toss it all out and move on to single payer. There's a strong movement going on to the latter end...

 

But, all of this is an entirely moot point. This term he's running for goes from now through 2018. Our national healthcare conversation right now, it's not (once again, somehow?) the Democrats' turn at the wheel to introduce legislation. It's about defending the ACA or watching it get torn down.

 

So if healthcare was your issue and there wasn't a VERY CLEAR choice in this race, then I'd question whether healthcare really is your issue -- or whether criticizing and trying to bring about change within the Democratic Party is. Any number of Democrats are seizing upon this loss to try to do just that. I don't know if it'll be 'good' or 'bad' if they succeed.

[zoogs]

mudslinging and fear mongering wins elections. platforms are boring and lose elections. the republicans understand this and the democrats are still learning.

THIS this this, in a nutshell.

 

Democrats have too much policy. Not not enough. They "need" to pick one track and propagandize that into a neat little narrative, pretending it's the only way in the world to go. Or so the argument goes, if they want to win. Count me a skeptic as to whether bending to these "needs" is good for anyone.

[Danny Bateman]

It's sad, but it's true. I'd rather we live in a world where rational thought and good policy wins out, but we don't, not right now. Tribalism, mudslinging and appeals primarily to emotion work. I hate it, but it is what it is.

Yeah, he ran pretty clearly as the anti-AHCA voice in the race. Handel was the pro-AHCA candidate. That's quite the chasm. But who is claiming the ACA is great and everyone should love it? I don't even know Dems who believe that. If you asked them if the ACA needed fixing in it's current form anyone of them with a brain would say yes. But we're being given a binary choice right now. The GOP is not going to help fix the ACA and instead want to paint it (in a very intellectually dishonest way, I might add) that it is a complete failure, markets are destabilizing, etc etc. Of course, their actions are the reason market stability sucks, but I digress...

Democrats SHOULD stand up for the ACA. As a binary choice, it appears much, much better than this AHCA that's about to be rammed down our throats.

[BigRedBuster]

Sounds familiar.

 

[BigRedBuster]

So....in other words he's full is sh#t.

 

[StPaulHusker]

So....in other words he's full is sh#t.

 

 

The wording is interesting. He said "I" did not make and do not have the tapes.

 

But ultimately it shows he was trying to threaten Comey into silence.

[BigRedBuster]

 

So....in other words he's full is sh#t.

 

 

The wording is interesting. He said "I" did not make and do not have the tapes.

 

But ultimately it shows he was trying to threaten Comey into silence.

 

 

That is exactly what it was....and Comey called his bluff brilliantly.

 

I do find it interesting that this took so long for him to say.....and when he did, it was such a planned event that they even announced over the weekend that he will announce this week if there are tapes.

 

What a total BS production.

 

It took maybe 30 seconds to type the tweet and it took months and a big production to admit to the world you were full of sh#t.

[zoogs]

Trump trying to intimidate Comey with an outrageous fabrication is old news. It’s shocking in his willingness to dismantle rule of law in this country, but we should know this already about the man.

 

Don’t let the sideshow take away from the real news today: the GOP’s proud baby, GOPCare. Republican Senators would be happy to let Trump’s behavior take the limelight.

[RedDenver]

 

Trump trying to intimidate Comey with an outrageous fabrication is old news. It’s shocking in his willingness to dismantle rule of law in this country, but we should know this already about the man.

 

 

Don’t let the sideshow take away from the real news today: the GOP’s proud baby, GOPCare. Republican Senators would be happy to let Trump’s behavior take the limelight.

 

I'm trying to get Republicare to stick. Pass the word!

[Danny Bateman]

Wealthcare is also good.

 

zoogs raises a salient point, though. In the era of Trump, his party is more than happy to let his ridiculous antics steal all the attention if they are going to try and pass really, really unpopular policies. We cannot allow that to happen.