You got this right. Obama came close to the center but he had a broad coalition and could manage the political fallout. Trump has promised protectionism for a country that has been about free-trade. He has pandered to the rust belt using largely a blanket anti-obama rhetoric. These aren't the type of voters that will sit lightly if he doesn't repeal or re-look the trade deals, if he doesn't build the wall, if he doesn't give them free healthcare, repeal the defense sequester and take defense spending to Bush levels, doesn't build the infrastructure up etc etc.Austin wrote:That would be stupid to think Trump would be pro-Russian or Hillary anti-Russian , This is all election rhetoric depending on which works.
In the end both Trump and Hillary would work for US interest.
The only thing I see is with Trump , US economy will have a better candidate to deal with coming crash and recession and Peace in Sryia, IRaq , Libya , Ukraine would have better chance to suceed
He took the most expensive elements from a progressive platform (such as massive infra investment and healthcare) and combined it with the most expensive elements of the conservative platform ( such as repealing the budget control act and increasing defense spending by 10-20%) and if that wasn't enough rolled it with the most extreme agenda of the fiscal-conservatives like the freedom caucus who are willing to cut spending across the board irrespective of economic or social consequences - Classic populist message ! But now he must deliver. With a Republican senate, and a republican house that is now more cuckoo than before, he is going to have to deliver. He has 2 years to do so!
Manish, this thread is full of folks calling previous president's stupid despite of them winning massive majorities against fairly substantial odds so I still think there is a case to be made that Trump is an idiot. Reagan, Clinton, GW Bush or even Obama have all behaved like idiots or taken idiotic decisions and I don't think many folks will argue that Trump hasn't behaved like an absolute jackass over the last year and a half. One of my friends at a party tonight called him a honest-liar compared to dishonest-liars that are full of the GOP and democratic parties.
In the long term unless he turns it around the democrats will again pay attention to their blue collar roots and turn to the left of where they are at the moment. This isn't really good for the US for now there will be no GOP candidate for another 8 years. Going simply by senate majority, the democrats need to pull something like what Trump has done to win the control of the senate in 2018..the odds are stacked against them. I fear this will take them way to the left as they cling on to an even more populist agenda while holding trump accountable for some of the ridiculous things he has promised.
The house will continue to get more and more extreme in terms of its conservative agenda as congressional races become more and more expensive. More gridlock is in store. This could have all changed had Clinton been booted out 4 years from now by a more acceptable candidate but the democrats are likely to field something like a Warren, 4 years from now to win back the Obama states and this will all be a mess again 4 years from now.
Time to buy some real estate in New Jersey or New York if you can afford it .