The Downside of Impeachment

[Yonadav]

Unfortunately, people vote for charisma all the time. In 2000, my girlfriend refused to vote for Al Gore because she thought that he was boring. I couldn't change her mind about it. People really do vote as if they are electing someone to be the star of a television show, so it is really not too surprising that a reality television show personality became president.

By 're-elected' I think that she meant that Pence was elected to become president if something happened to Trump.

It is possible to have ethics and charisma, Obama and JFK had that. Most of our other presidents really simply either did a good job or not, but none of them, have acted in the bat shit insane way 45 has. He is not politics as normal.

You keep giving good examples of how overly valuing charisma makes you dumb. You hate Reagan for cutting taxes on the wealthy. But Reagan was a student of JFK's economic policies. Trickle down economics were JFK's brainchild. Not Reagan's. JFK's trickle down economics are routinely referred to when Republicans advocate for the idea that tax cuts boost the economy. Lionizing and villainizing are ways of selectively processing reality.

[Alan V]

Every day the political tea leafs are telling me that no one has confidence in the Democratic Party, and that everyone thinks that the party is extremely weak. Everyone is terrified that someone slightly more competent than Trump is going to rise to the leadership of the Republican Party, and then the Democratic Party is going to be in extreme peril. The problem with the Democratic Party is the Democrats. The base is a bunch of weak, feeble, victims who absolutely believe that they will be utterly crushed by the slightest bit of Republican competence.

Such nonsense.  

I don't know who you are talking to besides yourself here.  The Democrats are just fine, with or without your support.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Just throwing sand into the gears here - impeaching Trump does NOT mean Pence gets to be president.

Boru

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

The problem with the Democratic Party is the Democrats. The base is a bunch of weak, feeble, victims who absolutely believe that they will be utterly crushed by the slightest bit of Republican competence.

Whether that has been the case (and it is certainly debatable), it may not be so much longer, what with Trump getting his arse handed to him twice in one week. Victory spurs confidence.

Boru

[Brian37]

The problem with the Democratic Party is the Democrats. The base is a bunch of weak, feeble, victims who absolutely believe that they will be utterly crushed by the slightest bit of Republican competence.

Whether that has been the case (and it is certainly debatable), it may not be so much longer, what with Trump getting his arse handed to him twice in one week. Victory spurs confidence.
Boru

What "Competence" has the GOP had in decades? Reagan was really the last GOP president who did some things right, but also at the same time set in motion our current economic cycle that simply lets the rich gamble, keep the winnings when they win, then dump the losses on the tax payers when they lose.

Reagan was right in taking down the USSR. But that is about it.

Today's GOP wants to go back to the no rules, let the rich do whatever they want, policies that ended up in the Great Depression. America since Reagan has only been hanging on by a thread, but still lead to Bush Jr's housing/bank/car crash.

[onlinebiker]

Just throwing sand into the gears here - impeaching Trump does NOT mean Pence gets to be president.

Boru

It does if Trump is removed from office.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Just throwing sand into the gears here - impeaching Trump does NOT mean Pence gets to be president.

Boru

It does if Trump is removed from office.

Yes, but impeachment doesn't necessitate removal.  In fact, the only two presidents you've ever had impeached both failed of conviction.

Boru

[bennyboy]

Pence has ZERO charisma.  There's no way he gets reelected.  Seriously, he talks like this:

Make.  America.  Great.  Again.  It.  Is.  What.  Donald.  Trump.  Would.  Have.  Wanted.

Re- elected???


Uh..... 


He hasn't been elected President yet - so strictly speaking he can only be elected president.....


....

And when was the last time the ( R )s ever voted for charisma?

Nixon? Ford? Bush I or II?


It seems they LIKE vanilla....



Heh

I dunno, dude.  I'd say that both Reagan and Bush Jr. had a kind of charisma.  Hillary, Gore-- not so much. I guess it's subjective.

Now to be straight, I'm a democrat by far. But even I wouldn't vote for a suit-pants-wearing lizard.

[Rev. Rye]

Pence fucking sucks, we can all agree on that. That said, given that the choice is more or less between someone who is considered to be the second coming of Hitler by A) his opposition, B) historians who've devoted their lives to studying the topic, and C) a shockingly large part of his voter base, and the second coming of Dubya except a lot more boring, it's clear who's the lesser evil. We could hope that somehow Nancy Pelosi ends up in the top spot, but that would require taking Pence down with him before he could invoke the 25th Amendment.

[outtathereligioncloset]

I was floored when Al Gore didn't win. The man is frickin brilliant. That was the first time I started fantasizing about leaving the US permanently.

Here's one for ya' HE was #45. 45th VP, that is.