Discussion: The GOP's Awkward Family Week Is About To Commence

This is the best analogy I’ve read that sums up the current political situation. Just. Exactly. Right.

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I agree Paul Ryan will be brown nosing Trump by the end of the week. Paul Ryan stands to lose his position as chair of the convention and a chance to get a national audience and free advertising for his Presidential campaign. There was no need to insult, demean or humiliate Trump while he was savoring his victory. Just a no comment or quiet would have been fine.

Just seems that Ryan does not have good judgement or any redeeming qualities other than being pretty, ripped and coy.

I think it means the media is more concerned with ad revenue than with journalism.
I’m not saying that TPM shouldn’t devote a lot of coverage to Trump. I just want them to cover both presumptive nominees. I really don’t think that is too much to expext from a news site.

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NeverTrump vs NeverHillary reminds me of the different worst case scenarios for a blind date

And yet Sen. McGrumpypants says this: "I have strong disagreements with Mr. Trump on a number of issues. I believe four years of Hillary Clinton will be an absolute disaster for this nation, as far as national security is concerned.

How delusional must you be to hold out President Clinton as a national security risk when the alternative is President Trump?

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I believe you all have strong and good points. I also believe if TPM were a larger organization, they’s very likely devote more person-power to just what you’re saying. It does seem that some days are ALL Trump or all Bernie bitching, etc., and not as much with what Hillary said at one of her campaign stops. That said, I believe since we are largely a progressive audience, TPM knows we mostly have a good grasp on Hillary’s positions and her background, whereas Trump is still pretty new to the scene in the presidential politics sense – and he has a larger-than-life caricature of a personality, so that adds to the interest (and, yes, click-baiting, which is still a necessity nowadays). Now, if TPM did all Trump every single day for weeks on end with little or no Hillary stuff, then I’d be concerned … but so far, that doesn’t seem to be the situation. I think we’ll see a LOT more Hillary stuff once she is officially the nominee and she is 100% free to go after That Donald and spell out her proposed policies and agenda.

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I would encourage the same for all media, I agree. My beef isn’t so much about covering Trump, as it is about the sound bite focus of much of the reporting.

So-and-so said something. Does that mean so-and-so really wants such-and-such?

Well, fine, except there’s no elaboration by mainstream media about what if it did. For example, Trump thinks global warming is a liberal conspiracy. Fine. So if he’s right, we’ve still got a problem with our cities flooding. What do we do about that? Cut taxes? End welfare? Some analysis, please.

Ugh, don’t get me started, but your point about ad revenue is a good one, and a real concern. Much of those millions being raised go right into media’s pockets. There is an unspoken conflict there.

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Whooosh.

Which is more likely to get media coverage? The Clinton campaign watching the train wreck with quiet satisfaction or the train wreck itself?

The Clinton campaign isn’t getting any coverage because it isn’t saying anything. They want all the coverage to be of the train wreck. It is the Clinton campaign that is staying out of the way of the train wreck, not the media.

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The convention in Cleveland (AKA: The Trumpalooza on the Cuyahoga) comes to a fitting end, and Ryan, Mittens and the Republican Cult’s ‘leadership’ stumble out of the ashes and try to come to grips with their new ‘Daddy Trump’ … who has just taught them all a lesson in crossing him:

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Two words, Sarah Palin. That delusional.

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Respectfully disagree. There are enough old-line establishment Republicans horrified by Trump that Ryan has a kind of institutional cushion around him. Add to this that he’s playing the long game and looking forward to 2020, an election cycle when the clown car is likely to be mostly empty. Most of the GOP has written off the 2016 cycle as a loss. They can coalesce around Ryan and try to maintain their majorities in Congress, biding their time for 2020. So I’m betting that Ryan maintains his opposition to Trump and his control of the convention. I don’t think Trump has the organization or patience to remove him as Chair. We may know more after Thursday’s scheduled meeting between Trump and Ryan.

Could be wrong, and this should in no way be read as a defense of Ryan, but that’s what it looks like to me.

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Wow. Awesome graphic, TPM.

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Anyone who thinks the Republican party cannot coalesce around Donald Trump is a fool. It will do exactly that. It has already started.

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I’m still a bit puzzled by Lyin’ Ryan’s hesitancy to embrace Trump??? The Donald’s shimmering “LookAtMe” skyscrapers built in his own honor; evidently a passion for marital dominance and rape; a fanatical fervor for radical self-interest and self-aggrandizement; the worldview of a testosterone-fueled stupid teenage boy; the undying faith in the transcendent power of shamelessness and acquisition.
??? You would think Ryan (AKA: “Ayn Ryan”) would feel he had met Rand’s Atlas and fall at Trump’s feet in devotion and worship!!!


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Of course. And he wants to be remembered post-debacle as the Free French guy, not the Vichy guy: De Gaulle, not Pétain. De Gaulle became President, Pétain went to jail for life.

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Get ready to hear all right wingers make the usual excuse for their nominee: it’s okay if he’s an idiot because he will have great advisors. So nothing to worry about.

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Mr. Trump said, “With billions of people coming into the party, obviously I’m saying the right thing.”

Guess that means he’s including the “illegals” and all those Klan followers, huh?
LMAO

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On health care, Trump has said he wants to repeal Obamacare, but some of the options he’s looking to replace it resemble universal health care, an even more abhorrent option for conservatives.

This is the kind of thing that drives me crazy. This one sentence is an example of the cluelessnes, ridiculousness, and absurdity of the modern Republican Party and Tea Party/Trump movement.

Obamacare is the Republican plan. When you ask about pre-existing conditions, or keeping your kids on your insurance, they want to keep all of that. And when they describe other components of their plan, it sounds eerily like Obamacare, without calling it that. Remember, the Individual mandate was the brainchild of the Heritage Foundation to prevent “free riders”. Obamacare’s father is Romneycare.

The one thing that is different is they want to allow health insurance across state lines, which is a horrible idea.

Delaware is the poster child for why that is so. (And BTW, as much as I love Joe Biden, after reading the below article 14 years ago, I’ve learned to hate Delaware.)

Medicare for all, Public option, etc…those are the Democratic plans, and if the Republicans ever succeed in repealing Obamacare is what they will eventyually wind up with. The old system is gone, and it aint ever coming back.

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No, the campaign is saying and doing things. Those things just aren’t being reported on by TPM. I saw a piece on another site about the Clinton campaign’s efforts on the ground in the Rust Belt to counter any appeal Trump may have there with working class voters. Not only do I think that type of reporting isn’t detrimental to the Clinton campaign, I think it benefits the campaign by allaying the concerns of Democrats who fear she is taking the election for granted.

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Hopefully I wont see this posted on TPM after election day. :scream:

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So far this morning there are at least three articles not concerned with presidential politics.

8:05 re:N. Korea At 9:15 there were 7 views and 2 comments
8:15 Trial in Brussels 0 comments (doesn’t say views)
8:25 Muslim student 41 views, 6 comments

Seems that these days when TPM published articles not relating to pres politics it doesn’t get many views or comments.

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