Isn't Sanders the socialist who won 23 states and 43% in the Dem primaries with a comic store owner as a campaign manager? That should have been the first clue that Dems were in a bad place. Don't get me wrong, I liked him but he and Warren were absolutely unelectable and yet Clinton barely beat him. Even Dems were not inspired by her. I know I wasn't. At least he got Killer Mike to give him what was perhaps the greatest speech intro this cycle.
I don't think someone as far left as Sanders is electable in America as most moderates would see him as too far from the center and not vote for him.
The popular narrative in a lot of places is that Bernie could have beaten Trump. I don't necessarily agree with them, but it seems like a non-trivial amount of people think that it could have happened. Maybe if Trump's presidency causes a backlash we'll see Bernie on the 2020 ballot, but I'm not holding my breath.
OMFG I had forgotten about this. Holy fucking shit please god let this dumpster fire of a congress get to grapple with term limits. It'll be don't ask don't tell all over again. And fuck yes. The "buy one, kill two" regulation clause. "In my first 100 days I intend to completely remake the basic functionality of law and its enaction." Then withdraw from NAFTA, grenade our relationship with China and open the whole goddamn country to mining and drilling. Now would seem like a good time to recommend this device. The microwave stuff is super bad for you and when you take this, some fresh kernels and a little garlic salt you get a delicious, healthy, light snack that can be enjoyed over and over. Donald Trump may very well be the impetus our congress needs to start working together.
Will be interesting to see if Democrats reciprocate in weaponizing the filibuster. They've spent the last several years complaining about GOP doing it. Now is when we find out to what extent they're willing to replicate that model for the sake of protecting Obama's legacy. Of course GOP could change the rule (the so-called "nuclear option") or they could repeal the ACA with a budgetary vote, which only needs 51 votes; legislation passed by that method sunsets after 10 years, however (as with Bush tax cuts).
They will immediately begin filibustering. But it's a stopgap solution. Generally speaking I think it will work occasionally, enough that Trump's list is foreshortened but not defeated. From a practical standpoint, a lot will depend on which of his policies go through and which are stonewalled, because I like some and dislike others, but I can't count on anyone in Congress from either party to agree with my specific perspective.
Will be most interesting to see their position vis Supreme Court. Considering McCain's position that Clinton not be allowed to nominate a justice at all, Chuck Shumer might as well come out and say that we need to wait for the next president so that the people can have a say in the Court. It's an absurdist position, but not any more so than McConnell's. I'm not in favor of the government grinding to a halt, but I also don't expect for there to be no reciprocity from Shumer, given McConnell's behavior since 2010.
Justice nomination has always been a glaring problem in our system. There isn't a particularly fair way to do it, especially now that justices are contemplating early retirement in order to secure a like-minded successor. I don't know if anyone has put forward broad solutions to the perverse incentives we have now.
See FIFTH and SIXTH for why we'll need that money after giving carte blanche to dirty energy to destroy what's left of our crumbling environment. How the fuck does that even work? Good old fashioned segregation David Duke would be proud of. Let's give France our Statue of Liberty back. We don't need it anymore. Oh and let's put even more people in prison too. Hide yo dog, hide yo kids. The Gestapo are coming...SEVENTH, cancel billions in payments to U.N. climate change programs and use the money to fix America's water and environmental infrastructure
Middle Class Tax Relief And Simplification Act
School Choice And Education Opportunity Act
End Illegal Immigration Act
Restoring Community Safety Act
This is what jumped out to me. I'm not particularly opposed to various immigration policies -- it really depends -- but the practical effect of this will be putting a ton of non-citizens in jail, where they are costing the state probably about the same as if they had just gone to San Antonio and had a heart attack. Maybe more. He is putting a lot of faith in his ability to keep people out the first or second time. I am in the unusual position of hoping so right along with him, because the unintended consequence here is to have even more brutalist jails.Oh and let's put even more people in prison too.
I wonder if the coal lobbies knew he'd say clean coal. And I wonder what he means by "clean coal." Kemper is the closest thing to sort of cleanish coal, and it has not gone well.clean coal
He really wants to do a lot. Term limits on congress, getting rid of Obamacare, replacing it, find funding for the wall, appointing a Supreme Court Justice, get out of NAFTA or get a better deal for it, regulating lobbyists, get out of TPP, get rid of illegal immigrants and many many other things. He definitely has high expectations. I wonder how he will act when things don't go his way?