re: How do you think Trump is coming along with the swamp draining?

For me he's been a real disappointment, but it's not really a shock either. Huge roll of the dice but when casting my vote I thought what the hell, YOLO right?

Candidate Trump and President Trump are two entirely different people. He's dysfunctional but I knew that going in, what I'm disappointed in is the take no prisoners burn it all to the ground candidate is more concerned about his own insecurities than the disinfranchised working class whom propelled him into office.

Even more disappointing are his supporters. Leading up to the election it really seemed like the country was ready for real tangible change, that they were ready to start holding politicians responsible for a change. That's fallen apart and most seem content to make excuses for their "side" as usual. Being against McCain gives them the false impression that they aren't partisan because they're calling someone with an R in front of their name a cuck, but at the end of the day we're back to the same partisanship us vs them mentality that we've always had, hell maybe even moreso. On both sides everyone's positions on topics isn't based on anything other than what the other side thinks about it.

Is any of it surprising? No not really. But long gone is the election night euphoria of holy shite we really might do it, and now the US is as dysfunctional as ever. But hey, it's the libs fault right?

He hasn't drained shite.

I am disappoint.

There is a reason populism is widely considered the most powerful double-edged sword of a democracy. It's achilles heal, but also it's great elevator.

Why many historians consider its role crucial in leading Rome down a path toward ruin. But also helping build great nations.

Why many founders of this country looked for ways to curb and contain it.

People are emotional and often vote based on group identity instead of rational and calculated assessments.

If this weren't the case, we wouldn't naturally gravitate toward social groups and political parties the world over. Tend to vote in the best cult of personality. Constantly end up voting for people that say one thing but their policies and their sub-surface actions clearly indicated they intend to govern another.

The greatest downside to this is that people can come along and do and say all the things that elicit a particular strong group identity, but at their core they don't actually embody and pursue those underlying characteristics. They are frauds. Or worse.

The challenge in democracies has always been to keep society and the system in a place where they can best minimize giving power to the truly damaging hucksters in a system that encourages even the most noble politician to engage in it.

quote:

---

Sounds like you described EXACTLY the progressive left. Good stuff.

---

That was a pretty bi-partisan comment. And yet, you immediately grabbed for the group-identity spin.... I guess thanks? For proving my point

quote:

---

President Donald Trump has exempted his entire senior staff from provisions of his own ethics rules to allow them to work with political and advocacy groups that support the administration.

---

LINK

I'll add also another big disappointment in Trump voters in yelling Fake News at any news article/source they don't like and relying on these very partisan websites for their news. This has been a growing problem but lately has taken on a life of its own. This group that was once on the cusp really waking up to the shiteshow of the federal government and doing something about it has instead retreated back into the safety of their echo chambers and confirmation bias.

I am disappointed in what has happened so far. However, I am still happy he was elected and not Hillary.

quote:

---

Trump exempts senior staff from ethics rules

---

quote:

---

The White House on Wednesday evening released its list of waivers to the Trump administration ethics pledge, exempting at least a dozen White House officials from the rules.

The list includes ex-lobbyists who joined the administration to work on policy areas they had covered for their K Street clients. Two comprehensive waivers give whole swaths of White House employees a waiver from the ethics pledge.

Trump’s ethics pledge, contained in an executive order, came along with promises that he would “drain the swamp” of the Washington influence industry.

---

Drain must be clogged.

LINK

quote:

---

I am disappointed in what has happened so far. However, I am still happy he was elected and not Hillary.

---

It seems like we've had these grand plans for redoing Washington and this time was going to be different and that the people actually had a victory this time no matter how dysfunctional and bizarre it was.

Instead we've settled into nothing really matters since Hillary was defeated, and that's just a collective shrug of oh well. The realization that nothing happened and we are back at square one is what's driving these stupid threads celebrating election night when it's frickin June 2017. Clinging onto the hope of that evening when we know they were just an illusion.

quote:

---

Instead we've settled into nothing really matters since Hillary was defeated,

---

The further dumbing down of politics. Anyone with a brain should have realized Trump had no intentions of draining any swamp. Hell, he never even defined what the swamp was, and it has since become a fluid term.