POLL: Who is going to win the presidential election?

He lives on in the musical Annie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cImUslD4uAE

 

“When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Hi Dr. Bear. Entitlements would never have been implemented under Herbert Hoover. Do you agree with that? Can you please provide a little bit of analysis on who you think should be president -- and why? Conversely, can you please provide a little bit of analysis on who you think should NOT be president -- and why? Any insight offered is appreciated.

On a different note: I am a former atheist and I speculate that you may currently be an atheist. Nonetheless, your first first book about how to get a non-traditional degree was instrumental in sending me down that path. It was an excellent read.

 

This begins to sound a bit like those people who make predictions that the world will come to an end on a specific date. That day comes and goes and the world remains, much as it was the day before. If there is any Republic that is in danger of ending it is the Republic(an) Party. They have torn themselves into pieces and it will be interesting to see how they patch themselves together after the election.

 

Oh you're so right: the Republican Party fractured when the "will of the people" chose Donald Trump, while Republican elites and corporate demigods rejected him, thus causing a glaring divide between the people and the ruling elites. What will happen to the GOP? Trump will do some corralling to bring many elite/corporate Republicans in-line with the will of the people. Trump also wants to institute term limits in Congress and the Senate. That's going to stir up an elite corporate hornets nest! He also wants to implement rules on lobbying (aka "consulting") by former Congressmen and Senators. That would cause a major corporate shake-up.

 

I don't think that Trump's candidacy caused it. His candidacy just illustrated a divide that was already there. I think that a very similar divide exists in the Democratic party. Similar divides exist in most European countries as well.

What are the Democratic and the Republican parties? Do the parties consist of the voters that vote for party candidates, or do the parties consist of elites that believe that they are somehow entitled to select the party's candidates and issues?

I think that when it came to Trump's two big issues of trade policy and reclaiming control of the nation's borders, the Bush dynasty, Marco Rubio and the Republican establishment discovered that it was dramatically out-of-tune with the largest segment of Republican voters, America's middle class. I think that the Bernie Sanders phenomenon reflected a similar dynamic on the left, expressed in their own anti-capitalist idiom, but less successful since the country's ruling elites have a much stronger grip in the Democratic party than in the Republican.

Hopefully leaders will realize that they have to listen to the people and at least appear to be working in the American people's interest. If they don't, they won't be leaders for very long. I suspect that even if Trump isn't elected (I'd give that a less than 50% chance of happening) the Republicans are going to take a more nationalist direction and become much more populist. They will just find more presentable candidates to express what are essentially Trumpian positions. When that happens, I suspect that much of the old traditional white working-class vote might defect from the Democrats to the Republicans and we might see a major realignment of American politics.

In my opinion the old 19th century left-right division is almost dead and something new is evolving to take its place, both here and in Europe, a dichotomy between the people and the self-satisfied oligarchical elites (most of whom are lefties these days) who presume to rule them. People see that the old "evil" capitalist elites that the left hated so passionately have become indistinguishable from the government, media and academic elites of the left. And people are coming to realize that these elites are thoroughy self-serving and do not have the people's interests at heart. (In fact they tend to despise the average person as dismissively as any 18th century European aristocrat did... Children who need to be protected from themselves.)

I think that's the context of many current events like Brexit and many of the stresses currently tearing at the EU. It isn't just the United States, it's global.

 

John Bear: Where is Herbert Hoover when we need him!
Ted Heiks: Ask the good people from All on the Family.

 

Donald Trump isn't a politician by nature, which is a huge part of his appeal. The entrenched Washington politicians (of both parties) are a big reason why this country is circling the bowl.

 

Entrenched politicians are, I believe, part of the problem but doomsday rhetoric like "our country is circling the bowl" is alarmist and simply untrue.

 

Ok, it's time for a little levity. Watching a floating turd (that refuses to be flushed) circling a toilet bowl in an old rundown gas station is a Bona Fide emergency.

Ok, it's time to return to reality:
1. Donald Trump won the 2016 election.
2. Trump is reelected in four years.
3. And Pence is elected eight years from now.

That will put the United States back on the right course for many years to come.

That would be nice, but either way, Trump won.

 

What exactly has Trump won? By all accounts, he certainly won't win this election. And his brand has already taken a hit, and will only get worst with time. See below:


http://www.degreeinfo.com/political-discussions/53789-brands-come-go-but-damage-trump%92s-reputation-will-last.html

Trump will be a distant memory very soon. That memory will be that of a buffoon in the eyes of many.

 

I don't think he's going to win but he's not going away either.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/27/business/trump-tv-media-empire.html

 

Some pundits are thinking he is going to try and capitalize on the movement he has created. One idea has been another Trump type TV show. You are right, a guy like that needs constant attention.

 

Me Again has been on these forums for many years, but has only begun to sound like one of Rush Limbaugh's "ditto heads" in the past few months. Perhaps he has had some kind of religious and/or political awakening (from the wrong side of the bed).

We can only hope that once his head stops spinning, his eyes will be facing front. (I wish I could remember the source of that great line, but at the least I should admit that it's not an original.)

 

I wouldn't disagree, of course that's the state of anyone in any kind of show business and especially politics since a big part of their gains come from public attention.

 

I mentioned this earlier but didn't know that someone had given it a name . . . the "Bradley effect" or the "shy Trump effect" is, I believe, a real factor here. People will vote for Trump but don't want to admit it to pollsters. Mt prediction is that Trump will lose but will out-perform the polls.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/donald-trump-shy-voters-polls-gop-insiders-230411

 

It's been confirmed that DNC operatives paid thugs to violently disrupt Trump rallies throughout the United States with the goal of making it look like Trump supporters are violent racists. That explains why agitators:
- Punched Trump supporters (nationwide)
- Damaged police vehicles (overturning them, cracking windows, spray-painting, etc.)
- Blocked highways to impede motorists from driving to Trump rallies

All of the above "violent demonstrations" were coordinated via DNC operatives. It's a disgrace and an impediment to the guaranteed United States Constitution's electoral process. Newt Gingrich says that the coordinated DNC violence is a violation of federal law because it interferes with the election process. In the beginning, nobody could figure out why violence was erupting at Trump rallies nationwide, but now we know why. The corporate/elite media was quick to publicize the violence and to blame it on Trump's supporters, until it was recently discovered and disclosed that the DNC was responsible for the protests. This is a very strange election cycle.

 

Wow! Just WOW! Newt Gingrich has about as much credibility as Rudy Juliani! I don't want to be mean and rub in the fact the your boy is going to lose, but he is, and Trumpers have to accept that. All the conspiracy theories in the world won't change things. The fact is that Trump made his own bed, and now he is going to lose. He said whatever he wanted to say and showed his true self, and it came back to bite him. Just like i said all along.

I have to agree with Dr. Levicoff's earlier post about you. You have been listening to Rush Limbaugh too much! Now those that did not back away from Trump are going to pay the price. Dudes like lil Marco. He is in danger of losing his seat, and he isn't the only one.

 

LOL -- Abner, you are cordially invited to return to this thread to provide your post-election opinions and insight. However, Trump has already won the election. It's prognosticatively in the bag. During the post-election debate, it will become abundantly clear [why] to everyone.

Our esteemed colleague, Dr. Levicoff, is cordially invited to return to this thread, after the election, to share his post-election wisdom and insight. He is always insightful. Always! And he knows it!!!

This writer has never been a frequent listener of Rush Limbaugh. Additionally, Limbaugh's arrest for prescription fraud was disenchanting. Nonetheless, Limbaugh has a lot of political insight and wisdom, which nobody can deny.

Donald Trump and his administration will put the United States back on the right track financially, legislatively, legally and morally. The nation has a lot of hurdles that need "business savvy and competency" to overcome. It's not to suggest that the nation will not suffer a depression after the election (the nation is currently in a recession), but Trump is the right man to be at the helm during these horrible economic conditions.

God bless America!

Make America Great Again!