Current Politicians You Actually Like

[S'mon]

UK politicians - Frank Field, Kate Hooey, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Boris Johnson. Boris once wrote me a very nice rejection letter when he was Spectator editor.

[David Johansen]

Here in Canada I'm starting to like Maxime Bernier.  He first came to light when he left state secrets lying around the apartment he shared with his girlfriend who had connections to the Hells Angels so I have to admit he started out pretty low on my list of future prime ministers.  But he lost the race for the conservative leadership.  Still, he seemed to be hitting a low of issues where I stood on them.  But when the free trade talks stalled out and the Conservative party had some contentious debates on the matter of supply management, he left the party to form his own,  His platform is end supply management, end corporate welfare (in Canada we're require to sacrifice our first born to Bombardier) run the government like it served the people and not special interest groups.  And damn it, I don't like the Conservatives,  I don't like the Liberals (though Jean Cretien was the best primeminister we ever had), and I don't like the New Unionized Special Interest Death Squad Party.  Though if they officially change their name to that I promise to vote for them.  Gaak!  Really I only like politicians who leave their party or cross the floor when it comes right down to it.  If they never throw it all away to stand for their principles, how are you supposed to trust them?

[Delete_me]

Eric Holcomb and my local (not federal) Senator whose name escapes me right now.

[Spinachcat]

TRUMP!!!

I love the Trump Effect, akin to what moonsweeper discussed. I've been talking about Fake News for decades, especially since the early 2000s when media consolidation reached the point where the Hollywood propaganda machine became naked in its falsehoods, but Trump Derangement Syndrome has been truly amazing. Fake News isn't a Trump era thing, partisan news has a centuries long history.

I also enjoyed Obama Derangement Syndrome and from a Machiavellian perspective, I give Obama credit. It was kinda badass that he got a Noble Peace Prize simply for existing, and then promptly become the Drone Striker In Chief.

However, if Trump blinks in this gov't shutdown battle, he's toast. It would be better for him to keep the shutdown going to 2020 than blink.

[S'mon]

Of US pols, I like Tulsi Gabbard on the left, and Jim Webb (D Virginia) a bluedog Dem in the centre, but his Presidential run was disappointing. Of Republicans I can only think of Ron Paul. I respect Pat Buchanan but I am pretty socially liberal and can't say I truly "like" him.

[Delete_me]

However, if Trump blinks in this gov't shutdown battle, he's toast. It would be better for him to keep the shutdown going to 2020 than blink.

You're forgetting a 3rd (unlikely) scenario: the Congress decides to override him and pass the remainder of the budget over his veto.

[SP23]

I like AOC because she's triggering the fuck out of the snowflakes. So much raw hatred, the current Footloose/John Hughes scandal is the heights of stupidity.

[Tait Ransom]

So far, I'd say I like Cortez and Pelosi, as they'll do most of the heavy lifting to re-elect Pres. Trump.

Leo Berman was a bit out there even for my right of center tastes, but he came through for one of my students when they needed help in Austin.

[Chris24601]

You're forgetting a 3rd (unlikely) scenario: the Congress decides to override him and pass the remainder of the budget over his veto.

That will never happen. President Trump is generally credited by the Republicans with having saved the Senate from a Democrat takeover and even expanding the Republican lead in the Senate in 2018. It is further known that several anti-Trump Republicans (like Jeff Flake) were so deeply unpopular they had to retire or would have had their future prospects ended by a successful primary challenge.

To override a veto would take 20 Republicans voting against Trump and 22 Republican Senators are up for re-election in 2020. To go against Trump on his signature issue for a Republican Senator is signing your own political death warrant.

Trump has done a pretty good job of setting up the shutdown so only Dems are feeling the pain.

For example, unlike last time the National Parks are staying open, just not monitored... Yellowstone Park already has most of its structures operated by private businesses and is having local tourists companies picking up the trail grooming/trash pickup slack since with the government part shut down there's no limit on how many snowmobile tours they can take through the park... this shutdown might be the most prosperous season the tourism industry has had there in years.

Likewise, the last time when Trump signed the Omnibus he got full multi-year funding for the military as part of the deal so the military men and women aren't going to kneecapped by a lack of funding. He also signed off on the farm bill which not only gives subsidies to farmers (a key Trump constituency), but also funds the food stamps and similar food-related welfare so the Dems can't even claim the shutdown is starving the poor.

His foreign policy isn't impacted at all (I just saw news we've got a new deal going with Brazil, who will be paying the costs for the operation of a US military base there). Job numbers for the 4th quarter were ridiculously good. Real GDP Growth has broken 3% for the first time in a decade. The "recession" on the stock market is already over (jumped up over 800 points on the job report).

The only people getting hurt by this are government workers and contractors who normally enjoy roughly twice the pay and benefits as their private sector equivalents... i.e. the Dems core voting block.

The biggest danger for the Dems in letting the shutdown run is that if people aren't feeling the pain from the shutdown they'll be sympathetic to Trump pushing the permanent end of some of those non-essential programs in the name of balancing the budget as part of his State of the Union address at the end of the month.

The other danger is that if they start pushing for impeachment like they already are without even trying to get the government funded, they're going to look even more ridiculous than the Republicans did in 1994 when they impeached Clinton; ignoring the important business of government to engage in petty political vendettas.

In other words the shutdown is very low-risk to the President (his core supporters favor keeping the government shut down as long as it takes and his approval rating is strong enough to prevent the Republicans from abandoning him like they did with Nixon), but very high-risk for the Dems (whose core constituencies will EAT them if they fail to deliver them their government-funded goodies and the removal of Trump).

That's why the Dems are almost certain to blink first. They need the gravy train back on and a clear legislative plate to start pushing Congressional investigations of Trump without it completely blowing up in their face (if they're smart, they'd just run endless investigations rather than actual impeachment... endless investigations with no clear end wear people out; a tangible impeachment would rally Trump's base to take a more active role in defending their guy against a specific threat).

[SP23]

So far, I'd say I like Cortez and Pelosi, as they'll do most of the heavy lifting to re-elect Pres. Trump.

Leo Berman was a bit out there even for my right of center tastes, but he came through for one of my students when they needed help in Austin.

Proving that the GOP is primarily motivated by misogyny and racism.

[Ratman_tf]

I like AOC because she's triggering the fuck out of the snowflakes. So much raw hatred, the current Footloose/John Hughes scandal is the heights of stupidity.

I saw this start up on twitter. It looks like some twitter troll called anonymousq started it, and now everyone is pointing and calling each other stupid over it.
It's like watching monkeys fight over a grape.

[Tait Ransom]

Proving that the GOP is primarily motivated by misogyny and racism.

Right ... can't have anything to do with them being gaffe machines who aren't great interviewees and who are pushing unpopular policies.  Must be racism and misogyny.  

PLEASE keep on thinking that!

[Delete_me]

That will never happen. President Trump is generally credited by the Republicans with having saved the Senate from a Democrat takeover and even expanding the Republican lead in the Senate in 2018. It is further known that several anti-Trump Republicans (like Jeff Flake) were so deeply unpopular they had to retire or would have had their future prospects ended by a successful primary challenge.

This is... not even close to reality. The Senate was never in danger of flipping. Flake was going to lose not because he was anti-Trump but because a Republican was not going to win Arizona BECAUSE Trump ran as a Republican. (Hence why Krysten Sinema won.)

The map of the Senate was likely to expand Republican with or without Trump. It just was. That's the way the map played out. Several Senators who are anti-Trump won their re-election bids. Same for the House. (Almost 30 members of the House, including 2 who endorsed Hillary. At least 2 who were up in the Senate, probably more, but I can't think of them right now.) One new Senator won Utah BECAUSE he was anti-Trump.

Last Hamilton County GOP Breakfast Club meeting we had the Indiana Chairwoman for the RNC come to talk. (Anne Hathaway... not that one.) The actual numbers from the 2018 Midterms were... not good. And the overwhelming response received was, "It's your messenger," which was as close as anyone got to naming the President.

To override a veto would take 20 Republicans voting against Trump and 22 Republican Senators are up for re-election in 2020. To go against Trump on his signature issue for a Republican Senator is signing your own political death warrant.

Maybe. We'll see. As shutdowns drag on, things tend to get... funny.

Trump has done a pretty good job of setting up the shutdown so only Dems are feeling the pain.

For example, unlike last time the National Parks are staying open, just not monitored... Yellowstone Park already has most of its structures operated by private businesses and is having local tourists companies picking up the trail grooming/trash pickup slack since with the government part shut down there's no limit on how many snowmobile tours they can take through the park... this shutdown might be the most prosperous season the tourism industry has had there in years.

Except they're having a problem of sewage and the local tourist companies can't keep up with the demand. It's not been prosperous, it's been shitty (literally, rivers of it, creating a health hazard in large parts of Yellowstone).

Likewise, the last time when Trump signed the Omnibus he got full multi-year funding for the military as part of the deal so the military men and women aren't going to kneecapped by a lack of funding. He also signed off on the farm bill which not only gives subsidies to farmers (a key Trump constituency), but also funds the food stamps and similar food-related welfare so the Dems can't even claim the shutdown is starving the poor.

That's why I knew this shutdown would happen, because the Department I'm a contractor for wouldn't be affected in the slightest.

His foreign policy isn't impacted at all (I just saw news we've got a new deal going with Brazil, who will be paying the costs for the operation of a US military base there). Job numbers for the 4th quarter were ridiculously good. Real GDP Growth has broken 3% for the first time in a decade. The "recession" on the stock market is already over (jumped up over 800 points on the job report).

It then lost 9% on the Apple report. The market is just volatile right now. A sneeze makes it move. But the market is also not the economy and only fools mistake the two.

As for Brazil, 4th Fleet has been in Sao Paulo for decades and Brazil pays for base operations through the Local Nationals, which we then reimburse a part of through our Bileteral Local National & Status of Forces Agreement. Nothing much has changed there, and certainly not in response to the current administration. That goes back many, many years.

The only people getting hurt by this are government workers and contractors who normally enjoy roughly twice the pay and benefits as their private sector equivalents... i.e. the Dems core voting block.

As I was one of those workers, I can assure you I did not get paid roughly twice the pay and benefits of my private sector counterpart. I received roughly 1/3 of their pay. (And I never voted Democrat.)

The biggest danger for the Dems in letting the shutdown run is that if people aren't feeling the pain from the shutdown they'll be sympathetic to Trump pushing the permanent end of some of those non-essential programs in the name of balancing the budget as part of his State of the Union address at the end of the month.

Agreed.

The other danger is that if they start pushing for impeachment like they already are without even trying to get the government funded, they're going to look even more ridiculous than the Republicans did in 1994 when they impeached Clinton; ignoring the important business of government to engage in petty political vendettas.

Agreed.

In other words the shutdown is very low-risk to the President (his core supporters favor keeping the government shut down as long as it takes and his approval rating is strong enough to prevent the Republicans from abandoning him like they did with Nixon), but very high-risk for the Dems (whose core constituencies will EAT them if they fail to deliver them their government-funded goodies and the removal of Trump).

Trump's core supporters can't carry an election though. Trumps core supporters + Hillary Clinton carried the election for Trump. By a razor thin margin.

That's why the Dems are almost certain to blink first.

Well, since most of your assumptions were wrong, I don't think this conclusion necessarily holds up. HOWEVER, as I said, I think it's an outside chance that the Senate will override a veto. It depends on how long it keeps going.

They need the gravy train back on and a clear legislative plate to start pushing Congressional investigations of Trump without it completely blowing up in their face (if they're smart, they'd just run endless investigations rather than actual impeachment... endless investigations with no clear end wear people out; a tangible impeachment would rally Trump's base to take a more active role in defending their guy against a specific threat).

You're also forgetting that SBA loans and FHA loans are currently frozen due to the shutdown. Both of which are very popular among Trump's core constituents and are having a measurable impact on Indiana's economy, and other Red states.

Don't take such a simplistic look at a complex matter.

[Doom]

TRUMP!!!

I love the Trump Effect, akin to what moonsweeper discussed. I've been talking about Fake News for decades, especially since the early 2000s when media consolidation reached the point where the Hollywood propaganda machine became naked in its falsehoods, but Trump Derangement Syndrome has been truly amazing. Fake News isn't a Trump era thing, partisan news has a centuries long history.

I also enjoyed Obama Derangement Syndrome and from a Machiavellian perspective, I give Obama credit. It was kinda badass that he got a Noble Peace Prize simply for existing, and then promptly become the Drone Striker In Chief.

However, if Trump blinks in this gov't shutdown battle, he's toast. It would be better for him to keep the shutdown going to 2020 than blink.

Indeed. You'd have to be completely deranged to consider Trump, with a top TV show for years and the ability to utterly dominate politics to the point that he can overcome massive disadvantages and win a presidential election....untalented.


I don't see him backing down on the wall thing, it's was key to his platform, and knowing the Dems would rather endanger the country than risk spending less than 0.1% of the budget on an item that at least 40% of the citizens of the country want means all he has to do is nothing but keep it all shut down to win 2020, if he wants to. Or he gets the wall...in which case he'll very likely win the 2020 election if he wants to. An effortless win/win on his part.


Untalented, indeed. Hah.

[Toadmaster]

Our County Sheriff seems a decent guy, pro-mental health care, pro-2nd amendment rights (a rare thing in California, but the county is pretty pro gun).

I liked Bernie, don't know if he would have made a good president, but better than the other options and seems like an honestly decent guy (a rare trait for a multi-term politician). I still think Trump was the better of two evils in 2016.


Other than that my opinion of most politicians falls somewhere between con artists that scam the elderly and pedophiles. It has become a profession filled with terrible, terrible people.

I voted Giant Meteor in 2016, it was the only sane choice.