- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
My Party Is in Denial About Donald Trump by Jeff Flake
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:02 am
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:02 am
quote:
Who could blame the people who felt abandoned and ignored by the major parties for reaching in despair for a candidate who offered oversimplified answers to infinitely complex questions and managed to entertain them in the process? With hindsight, it is clear that we all but ensured the rise of Donald Trump.
I will let the liberals answer for their own sins in this regard. (There are many.) But we conservatives mocked Barack Obama’s failure to deliver on his pledge to change the tone in Washington even as we worked to assist with that failure. It was we conservatives who, upon Obama’s election, stated that our No. 1 priority was not advancing a conservative policy agenda but making Obama a one-term president—the corollary to this binary thinking being that his failure would be our success and the fortunes of the citizenry would presumably be sorted out in the meantime. It was we conservatives who were largely silent when the most egregious and sustained attacks on Obama’s legitimacy were leveled by marginal figures who would later be embraced and legitimized by far too many of us. It was we conservatives who rightly and robustly asserted our constitutional prerogatives as a co-equal branch of government when a Democrat was in the White House but who, despite solemn vows to do the same in the event of a Trump presidency, have maintained an unnerving silence as instability has ensued. To carry on in the spring of 2017 as if what was happening was anything approaching normalcy required a determined suspension of critical faculties. And tremendous powers of denial.
I’ve been sympathetic to this impulse to denial, as one doesn’t ever want to believe that the government of the United States has been made dysfunctional at the highest levels, especially by the actions of one’s own party. Michael Gerson, a conservative columnist and former senior adviser to President George W. Bush, wrote, four months into the new presidency, “The conservative mind, in some very visible cases, has become diseased,” and conservative institutions “with the blessings of a president … have abandoned the normal constraints of reason and compassion.”
For a conservative, that’s an awfully bitter pill to swallow. So as I layered in my defense mechanisms, I even found myself saying things like, “If I took the time to respond to every presidential tweet, there would be little time for anything else.” Given the volume and velocity of tweets from both the Trump campaign and then the White House, this was certainly true. But it was also a monumental dodge. It would be like Noah saying, “If I spent all my time obsessing about the coming flood, there would be little time for anything else.” At a certain point, if one is being honest, the flood becomes the thing that is most worthy of attention. At a certain point, it might be time to build an ark.
Under our Constitution, there simply are not that many people who are in a position to do something about an executive branch in chaos. As the first branch of government (Article I), the Congress was designed expressly to assert itself at just such moments. It is what we talk about when we talk about “checks and balances.” Too often, we observe the unfolding drama along with the rest of the country, passively, all but saying, “Someone should do something!” without seeming to realize that that someone is us. And so, that unnerving silence in the face of an erratic executive branch is an abdication, and those in positions of leadership bear particular responsibility.
There was a time when the leadership of the Congress from both parties felt an institutional loyalty that would frequently create bonds across party lines in defense of congressional prerogatives in a unified front against the White House, regardless of the president’s party. We do not have to go very far back to identify these exemplars—the Bob Doles and Howard Bakers and Richard Lugars of the Senate. Vigorous partisans, yes, but even more important, principled constitutional conservatives whose primary interest was in governing and making America truly great.
But then the period of collapse and dysfunction set in, amplified by the internet and our growing sense of alienation from each other, and we lost our way and began to rationalize away our principles in the process. But where does such capitulation take us? If by 2017 the conservative bargain was to go along for the very bumpy ride because with congressional hegemony and the White House we had the numbers to achieve some long-held policy goals—even as we put at risk our institutions and our values—then it was a very real question whether any such policy victories wouldn’t be Pyrrhic ones. If this was our Faustian bargain, then it was not worth it. If ultimately our principles were so malleable as to no longer be principles, then what was the point of political victories in the first place?
Interesting insight into the GOP leadership's mind. There's a lot more than what I just posted.
LINK
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:07 am to CCTider
The GOP needs a lot more Donald Trumps and a lot fewer Jeff Flakes. He is a special kind of prick.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:08 am to CCTider
No wonder he's got a strong primary coming up next year that he may not even survive.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:10 am to CCTider
"We"
F him
F him
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:13 am to CCTider
quote:Appropriately named.
Jeff Flake
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:23 am to CCTider
Good Lord. What a pompous a-hole.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:42 am to CCTider
Arizona has to be some kind of special fricked up to send those two asshats of Senators to DC.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 4:56 am to CCTider
F*ck that RINO scumbag.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 5:27 am to CCTider
That was painful to read. His assessment of the criticism of the Obama administration is both delusional and lacking substance. I could hardly continue reading when he said,
The whole diatribe is lacking any substance. His complaint seems to be that he doesn't like Trump's style. He doesn't like that Trump tweets so much. Well, most people don't.
But Flake still doesn't understand that the people who voted for Trump are willing deal with his unpolished and aggressive manner of communicating, and even his crudeness. They see those characteristics and feel it's more honest than the slick messaging style and disingenuousness of "traditional" political rhetoric.
The Obama example he gave fits this argument precisely. Obama may have uttered the words that he wanted to "change the tone in Washington", but his other words and actions showed that he was anything but serious about that. He came into power to attempt to radically change fedgov to a much more progressive agenda, and he would do anything and say anything to get that done. He had to hide his agenda as much as possible because he thought he knew better than the voters and Congress.
I still say that while I don't like the style of Donald Trump and I am growing impatient with his clown show administration, I have been pleased with his actual policy decisions thus far which have been very close to what he campaigned on. That makes him 10x'a more honest than Obama and most of the Washington establishment and certainly more than the MSM.
quote:
But we conservatives mocked Barack Obama's failure to deliver on his pledge to change the tone in Washington."
The whole diatribe is lacking any substance. His complaint seems to be that he doesn't like Trump's style. He doesn't like that Trump tweets so much. Well, most people don't.
But Flake still doesn't understand that the people who voted for Trump are willing deal with his unpolished and aggressive manner of communicating, and even his crudeness. They see those characteristics and feel it's more honest than the slick messaging style and disingenuousness of "traditional" political rhetoric.
The Obama example he gave fits this argument precisely. Obama may have uttered the words that he wanted to "change the tone in Washington", but his other words and actions showed that he was anything but serious about that. He came into power to attempt to radically change fedgov to a much more progressive agenda, and he would do anything and say anything to get that done. He had to hide his agenda as much as possible because he thought he knew better than the voters and Congress.
I still say that while I don't like the style of Donald Trump and I am growing impatient with his clown show administration, I have been pleased with his actual policy decisions thus far which have been very close to what he campaigned on. That makes him 10x'a more honest than Obama and most of the Washington establishment and certainly more than the MSM.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 5:41 am to CCTider
frick Jeff Flake - we support our God Emperor and hero Donald J. Trump
Posted on 8/1/17 at 6:04 am to CCTider
quote:Hyperbole much?...
infinitely complex questions
Posted on 8/1/17 at 6:04 am to CCTider
Who do these shithead gope assholes think their base of support is? They mistake being the better of 2 bad options as a mandate.
We need viable competitive primaries more than anything
We need viable competitive primaries more than anything
Posted on 8/1/17 at 6:11 am to CCTider
These worthless fricks in Congress can't even pass a bill because they are so fricking scared.
They aren't conservatives.
And people need to call them out on their BS when they pretend to be.
They aren't conservatives.
And people need to call them out on their BS when they pretend to be.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 6:21 am to CCTider
Flake is part of the problem not part of the solution.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 6:46 am to CCTider
Holy shite. Its desreved, but I didnt think they'd turn on him this fast.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 6:57 am to CCTider
quote:
Interesting insight into the GOP leadership's mind.
When the GOP and DNC both turn on you, you might be on to something.
As a conservative, I hope the GOP implodes.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 7:08 am to CCTider
Why does he keep saying "we conservatives"? He is no conservstive! Just because he's the 2nd biggest cuck Senator from his state it doesn't give him a pass to preach douchebagery as conservatism!
Posted on 8/1/17 at 7:15 am to CCTider
He's confused.
Posted on 8/1/17 at 7:29 am to CCTider
quote:
Interesting insight into the GOP leadership's mind. There's a lot more than what I just posted. LINK
I'm sure there is. Plenty more of the Republican high-minded sanctimony and 'principled' stands and 'talk' while the Progressives ignore Rule of Law and turn this Nation into a Third World Banana Republic.
Any Republican that is not willing to get down in the mud and fight the Dems blow for blow needs to get the hell out of DC. Any Constitutional loving Republican that is not part of this mud fight 'solution', is part of the problem.
Trump should throw the kitchen sink at McCain and Flake.
Popular
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News