I know that many Trump/Bannon Republicans are looking at Tuesday as a bad day. Just as Clinton Democrats looked at election day in 2016, the blame game has started and the retrenching of many in the Republican Party has begun. For many Americans, however, December 12, 2017 was a watershed day in American history. A number of things, both positive and negative have occurred that historians will look upon as major events in the first quarter of the 21st century.
Discussion of the day must begin with the largest "elephant" in the room...... the defeat of Judge Roy Moore in Alabama. No one, on the left, the right, or in the center would argue that he was a deeply flawed candidate. He was and is a man with a long history of defiance of federal law. His views on race relations, religious tolerance, and basic items such as a woman's right to vote belonged more in the antebellum south than in the 21st century. But even with his flaws, he would have been an odds on favorite to win the special election for the Senate until three things happened. First, the man had at least nine credible accusations of improper behavior with teenage girls when he was a thirty something year old assistant district attorney. Second, his opponent Mr. Jones ran a credible and well designed campaign that would pay dividends on election day. Third, and perhaps equally important, two of Moore's biggest supporters were Donald Trump and Steve Bannon. These two men did something that was deemed to be almost impossible by most sane democratic strategists. They succeeded in getting a Republican candidate for the Senate to lose an election. That is an earthshattering event of historical proportions. It is one of those clear indicators that we are on the cusp of a wave election in 2018. Any other interpretation would be delusional.
The second event of the day was the "war" that President Trump decided to begin with Senator Kristen Gillibrand of New York. His thinly disguised sexually loaded tweet did two things that were totally unforeseen by the Trump White House. First, it elevated Senator Gillibrand toward the top of the pack in the potential race for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. While a rising star in the Democratic Party, Senator Gillibrand's name recognition was instantly doubled and her bona fides with the "Me Too" movement were cemented. Trump did not need to have a leader emerge in the movement who might actually challenge him in 2020. Not only has Senator Gillibrand assumed that role, but she was the clear winner in the first skirmish, appearing much more Presidential and civil than the President of the United States. The second unexpected consequence was the vitriol that the Presidential response brought forth in the media. The USA Today editorial, a newspaper that is not known for a liberal slant, delivered perhaps the most scathing criticism of President Trump since he entered office. This is probably the newspaper that reaches more of his core constituency than any other paper in the country.
The third event of the day was the ill advised decision by the Republican Party to "fast track" the most unpopular tax bill in the history of this nation. During a period of time when their President's approval rating has dropped to 32% according to the most recent Monmouth poll and the Republican approval rating is at an all time low, the Congress and the President have determined that this is the perfect time to pass a tax bill that fiscally rapes the lower and middle classes and gives unprecedented tax cuts to the most wealthy Americans and large corporations. They even eliminate an inheritance tax that only comes into play in approximately 500 cases a year and benefits only the wealthiest of Americans such as the Trump and Koch families. The Republican party, rather than learning that the American people can't be lied to all the time and believe those lies, have doubled down and decided that they will continue the "Big Lie" and lay the bet that the American people are too ignorant to see through that lie. They even refuse to wait until Alabama's newest Senator is seated; a clear indication that they are actually worried about the passage this tax monstrosity. It appears that the Republicans are truly frightened that their huge donors would bolt if they don't get this handout that will be bourn on the backs of 97% of Americans.
What December 12, 2017 will be remembered as is the day the tide of democracy turned. It was the day that the new alliance of the American center and center-left came together. It was the day that people of color, the college educated white voter, the woman with children, moderate, liberal, and even conservative voters with a conscience, and the Evangelical voter who truly believes in the goodness of man came together to change the direction of the country. It was the day that America woke up and screamed "No More, No Moore.......No More Lies, No More Trump........No Give Away To The Rich, Tax Fairness For All.". Now we will all see if the Republicans see the political quagmire they are in and change, or march blindly into the quicksand and become petrified. Only time will tell.
President Trump decided to begin with Senator Kristen Gillibrand of New York.
She cimes iyt and sats things about him. Says he should be investigated and removed from office and you think he started it ? Wow !
And no this loss is nithing like the loss the democrats suffered in 2016. First of all evertone was sure the Hag was going to be a shoe in to win. And she lost big time. (And don't bother to bring up the popular vote it is irrelavent)
Second, I don't see anyone iut rioting in the streets because moore lost. No one is screeaming and crying and wailing. Not onw person is sating the election was rigged. Moore is not out blaming everyone but himself for his loss
And you actually believe what you say here? Yes, Hillary lost.....a lousy candidate, but a national mistake electing an even worse candidate.....but Trump won.....no argument here. Everything this year, Virginia, New Jersey, Alabama, the closeness of every "safe" republican race, the pullbacks in Oklahoma and Kansas all talk to the upcoming wave election. Heads in the sand won't change that.
As a Senator, it is part of Senator Gillibrand's role to do things like call for Senate investigations, where appropriate. She also led the charge against Al Franken. Her record on defending women who have legitimate claims of abuse is well documented. The President had many ways of responding. He chose to respond with no class at all, and insinuated that the Senator offered to engage in oral sex with him for a contribution. USA Today was right. This man is a pig.
No one is saying any election is rigged. I'm just saying that the Republicans are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It is something that democrats had done for decades. It seems that Trump and Bannon are masters of the art.
I'm sorry, but none of these things are momentous.
Scott Brown win in Massachusetts, which was actually an upset win based on policy, had no long term implications. Moore's won't either. Jones will do Schumer's bidding for three years and become a lobbyist. Weird things happen in special elections. So it was, so it will ever be.
The Gillibrand thing is even more ephemeral. Senator Warren called her a slut, Harry Reid said she's known for being the hottest Senator. Trump's statement that she will do anything for money hardly compares even to those soon to be forgotten things.
The overwhelming majority of Americans who benefit from the tax cut will be just fine with it.
It was the day that people of color, the college educated white voter
We do agree that the Democratic coalition founded on race based identity politics and pandering has abandoned the white working class though.
A few things...... Scott Brown's victory was a harbinger of what was going to happen in the midterms. It was almost an exact replica of yesterday's election. That was a long term implication. The Gillibrand "thing" elevates an already rising star into the national spotlight. If you think that it is something that Trump hoped for, you're wrong. Warren's comment was that Trump was "slut-shaming"........The other thing is that if you think that the overwhelming majority of Americans will be fine with this tax scam, you're swallowing too much republican Kool-Aid. This "tax-cut" is less popular than any tax increase in history,.
I know that many Trump/Bannon Republicans are looking at Tuesday as a bad day. Just as Clinton Democrats looked at election day in 2016, the blame game has started and the retrenching of many in the Republican Party has begun. For many Americans, however, December 12, 2017 was a watershed day in American history. A number of things, both positive and negative have occurred that historians will look upon as major events in the first quarter of the 21st century.
Discussion of the day must begin with the largest "elephant" in the room...... the defeat of Judge Roy Moore in Alabama. No one, on the left, the right, or in the center would argue that he was a deeply flawed candidate. He was and is a man with a long history of defiance of federal law. His views on race relations, religious tolerance, and basic items such as a woman's right to vote belonged more in the antebellum south than in the 21st century. But even with his flaws, he would have been an odds on favorite to win the special election for the Senate until three things happened. First, the man had at least nine credible accusations of improper behavior with teenage girls when he was a thirty something year old assistant district attorney. Second, his opponent Mr. Jones ran a credible and well designed campaign that would pay dividends on election day. Third, and perhaps equally important, two of Moore's biggest supporters were Donald Trump and Steve Bannon. These two men did something that was deemed to be almost impossible by most sane democratic strategists. They succeeded in getting a Republican candidate for the Senate to lose an election. That is an earthshattering event of historical proportions. It is one of those clear indicators that we are on the cusp of a wave election in 2018. Any other interpretation would be delusional.
The second event of the day was the "war" that President Trump decided to begin with Senator Kristen Gillibrand of New York. His thinly disguised sexually loaded tweet did two things that were totally unforeseen by the Trump White House. First, it elevated Senator Gillibrand toward the top of the pack in the potential race for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination. While a rising star in the Democratic Party, Senator Gillibrand's name recognition was instantly doubled and her bona fides with the "Me Too" movement were cemented. Trump did not need to have a leader emerge in the movement who might actually challenge him in 2020. Not only has Senator Gillibrand assumed that role, but she was the clear winner in the first skirmish, appearing much more Presidential and civil than the President of the United States. The second unexpected consequence was the vitriol that the Presidential response brought forth in the media. The USA Today editorial, a newspaper that is not known for a liberal slant, delivered perhaps the most scathing criticism of President Trump since he entered office. This is probably the newspaper that reaches more of his core constituency than any other paper in the country.
The third event of the day was the ill advised decision by the Republican Party to "fast track" the most unpopular tax bill in the history of this nation. During a period of time when their President's approval rating has dropped to 32% according to the most recent Monmouth poll and the Republican approval rating is at an all time low, the Congress and the President have determined that this is the perfect time to pass a tax bill that fiscally rapes the lower and middle classes and gives unprecedented tax cuts to the most wealthy Americans and large corporations. They even eliminate an inheritance tax that only comes into play in approximately 500 cases a year and benefits only the wealthiest of Americans such as the Trump and Koch families. The Republican party, rather than learning that the American people can't be lied to all the time and believe those lies, have doubled down and decided that they will continue the "Big Lie" and lay the bet that the American people are too ignorant to see through that lie. They even refuse to wait until Alabama's newest Senator is seated; a clear indication that they are actually worried about the passage this tax monstrosity. It appears that the Republicans are truly frightened that their huge donors would bolt if they don't get this handout that will be bourn on the backs of 97% of Americans.
What December 12, 2017 will be remembered as is the day the tide of democracy turned. It was the day that the new alliance of the American center and center-left came together. It was the day that people of color, the college educated white voter, the woman with children, moderate, liberal, and even conservative voters with a conscience, and the Evangelical voter who truly believes in the goodness of man came together to change the direction of the country. It was the day that America woke up and screamed "No More, No Moore.......No More Lies, No More Trump........No Give Away To The Rich, Tax Fairness For All.". Now we will all see if the Republicans see the political quagmire they are in and change, or march blindly into the quicksand and become petrified. Only time will tell.
She cimes iyt and sats things about him. Says he should be investigated and removed from office and you think he started it ? Wow !
And no this loss is nithing like the loss the democrats suffered in 2016. First of all evertone was sure the Hag was going to be a shoe in to win. And she lost big time. (And don't bother to bring up the popular vote it is irrelavent)
Second, I don't see anyone iut rioting in the streets because moore lost. No one is screeaming and crying and wailing. Not onw person is sating the election was rigged. Moore is not out blaming everyone but himself for his loss
And you actually believe what you say here? Yes, Hillary lost.....a lousy candidate, but a national mistake electing an even worse candidate.....but Trump won.....no argument here. Everything this year, Virginia, New Jersey, Alabama, the closeness of every "safe" republican race, the pullbacks in Oklahoma and Kansas all talk to the upcoming wave election. Heads in the sand won't change that.
As a Senator, it is part of Senator Gillibrand's role to do things like call for Senate investigations, where appropriate. She also led the charge against Al Franken. Her record on defending women who have legitimate claims of abuse is well documented. The President had many ways of responding. He chose to respond with no class at all, and insinuated that the Senator offered to engage in oral sex with him for a contribution. USA Today was right. This man is a pig.
No one is saying any election is rigged. I'm just saying that the Republicans are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. It is something that democrats had done for decades. It seems that Trump and Bannon are masters of the art.
Do you do typos intentionally? Just wondering.
Big fingers on a little keypad
Site wgere he said that.
BTW that is probably a true statement about 87% of polititians regardless if party.
Good article. Not much in there to disagree with at all.
I'm sorry, but none of these things are momentous.
Scott Brown win in Massachusetts, which was actually an upset win based on policy, had no long term implications. Moore's won't either. Jones will do Schumer's bidding for three years and become a lobbyist. Weird things happen in special elections. So it was, so it will ever be.
The Gillibrand thing is even more ephemeral. Senator Warren called her a slut, Harry Reid said she's known for being the hottest Senator. Trump's statement that she will do anything for money hardly compares even to those soon to be forgotten things.
The overwhelming majority of Americans who benefit from the tax cut will be just fine with it.
It was the day that people of color, the college educated white voter
We do agree that the Democratic coalition founded on race based identity politics and pandering has abandoned the white working class though.
A few things...... Scott Brown's victory was a harbinger of what was going to happen in the midterms. It was almost an exact replica of yesterday's election. That was a long term implication. The Gillibrand "thing" elevates an already rising star into the national spotlight. If you think that it is something that Trump hoped for, you're wrong. Warren's comment was that Trump was "slut-shaming"........The other thing is that if you think that the overwhelming majority of Americans will be fine with this tax scam, you're swallowing too much republican Kool-Aid. This "tax-cut" is less popular than any tax increase in history,.