I don't want an asshole for President

[lunatica]

It's that simple.

There's a difference between a scrapper and an asshole. Hillary is a scrapper. Bernie is a scrapper. And if Biden decides to run he's a scrapper. They fight, but they fight FOR us. They're not perfect but I don't cringe in embarrassed anticipation of what they might say when in office the way I did with Reagan and George W Bush. They fight for all Americans and at this historical moment, regardless of any past views, they don't decide that there is a particular group who should be shunned and insulted and marginalized. They fight for human rights for all. And they do it with maturity and respect. They don't demonize unions. They don't care what religion you have or what the color of your skin is or what the size of your income is except to make it better for all Americans, even when they are bought by corporations. I am for Bernie, but will be glad to vote for whoever the nominee will be. I'm a Democrat for those reasons and I'm also a Progressive so I naturally love Bernie. But I also love Al Gore because if nothing else the issue of Climate Change would have been dealt with as soon as he became President. By now we would have been 15 years into dealing with Climate Change. If Reagan hadn't taken the solar panels off the White House we would be 40 years into dealing with climate change and just maybe the planet's temperature wouldn't be 2% hotter.

Democrats are good for the planet, and they're good for living things, and they care about it on an international level, not just on a jingoistic national level.

Trump is an in-your-face thin skinned asshole and a total liar. So is Chris Christie who screams at people to shut up and sit down. They would be an embarrassment in international issues and relations, which just happens to be the number 1 job and the reason our Founding Fathers elected to have a President. The other two branches of government are strictly for domestic issues, other than Congress voting for or against going to war, but that's only another check on the balance of government and not the main thrust of their job.

I don't want someone who hates and insults and lashes out as my President. I don't want infantile, arrested development people who never grew up past High School maturation. I don't want a bible-thumper trying to force feed the Christian version of Sharia Law on Americans or anyone else in the world.

It's time to live our lives on a planetary level, because if we don't we're going to kill the planet. Then it won't matter for any of us.

[katmondoo]

1. Great post

Thank you

[Laura PourMeADrink]

2. That would be a great slogan: "Democrats are good for the Planet" !

thanks L

[SCantiGOP]

10. Ties into my theory of politics

Poor Republicans vote out of fear or racism, while rich Republicans vote for whatever they think will benefit them the most. Democrats, both rich and poor, vote for what they think is best for our society.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. why doesn't everyone see that?

[IcyPeas]

3. you mean I don't want an asshole for president AGAIN?

[ejbr]

4. +1 n/t

[City Lights]

6. Exactly what I was thinking! nt

[lunatica]

7. I did mention St. Ronnie and Dubya

I was trying to be Democratically mature about it. Was I too subtle?

[840high]

8. yep

[kairos12]

5. Any Rethug President would spend much dodging thrown shoes.

[hfojvt]

9. "they fight for us"

Sorry, but I do not believe that is true for Clinton, nor for Biden.

Of course, it depends on what the definition of 'us' is.

I remember when Obama was running for re-election and sent me a letter (or maybe the letter was from Michelle (supposedly)) It said something like "I am fighting for you all the time."

I got so mad at the nerve of that B.S. that I tore the letter into little pieces and mailed it back in the postage paid envelope.

Made a donation to the US Postal service anyway.

You know, it is not that I wanted Romney to be elected, but if we naively accept and promote the idea that "they fight for all of us" then we are basically giving them a pass for what they have done. And what they have done, it is very clear at least to me, is NOT to fight for all of us. I think they should have their feet held to the fire until they do.

Here is a very clear, and obvious example, for Hillary which I keep posting because I think it makes the point very well, and when Obama did this at the debate, it was like he was reading right out of my journal, I had posted something very similar perhaps two weeks earlier. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2618869

[Le Taz Hot]

11. Right here.

[lunatica]

12. You don't see the difference between Democrats and Republicans?

It's pretty obvious to me. Did I say they were perfect? If I expected perfection then I'd be thinking only my opinion is the right one wouldn't I?

[Andy823]

15. I like what you said

"If I expected perfection then I'd be thinking only my opinion is the right one wouldn't I?"

How true. Sadly it seem like some here on DU "do" feel that their opinion is the only right one, and their candidate is the only right one. I would like to see O'Malley win, but I will vote for the nominee whoever they are.

[swilton]

16. I don't consider the TPP or the Trans-XL Pipeline or drilling in the Arctic

good for the planet. What am I missing?

[lunatica]

21. Neither do I

Did you get the gist of my message? Unlike others, I don't expect perfection. If I did I'd run myself since I would be the only one who was perfect.

[Scootaloo]

27. You seem to be asking for people to turn a blind eye to glaring flaws

For no reason other than "party loyalty."

What's up with that?

I don't expect perfection. What I DO expect are standards. And simply slouching along saying "meh, better than a Republican, I guess" is not an acceptable standard to me.

[lunatica]

28. Actually it is to me

Since not voting is tantamount to voting for a Republican, then I must vote for a Democrat.

The worst Democrat is better than the best Republican in my view.

[Scootaloo]

29. You misunderstand me

I want policy and positions that are good on their own merits. I do not want to merely "settle," on the logic of something being however marginally better than a republican alternative. I do not think that effectively letting republicans determine Democratic policy is a great idea. Because that is EXACTLY what you are talking about.

I think we should hold ourselves to a stable, principled standard. Instead our party is dedicated to "marginally better than the republicans" - which means that the worse and worse Republicans get, the further our own line goes. I find that unacceptable.

Democrats should stand on their own ideas and principles, NOT on halfassed and lazy opposition to whatever the republicans are doing this week.

[lunatica]

30. I agree of course, which is why I'm backing Bernie

We need to make a major lurch to the Left or everyone will just be Republican or Republican light.

I didn't want to start a fight. These campaign fights just drive me away from DU. But I wanted to make a point about assholes.

[Scootaloo]

31. Sorry, I didn't want to come off like taking a swing

But it's a REALLY big peeve of mine, the notion that we should just settle for "better than republican" in all things, rather than setting our own standards. 'Cause like I said, the republicans get worse every election cycle, which results in the Democrats' standard bottom dropping out.

Take the Kentucky race for instance. I am not a Kentuckian, first off, but when I see two people, both campaigning on their right-wing virtues, bashing Obama, and vowing to oppose the Affordable Care Act, my first thought isn't that the democrat is better, it's that they're both terrible.

[BreakfastClub]

36. Agree. Perfect is the enemy of good. nt

[hfojvt]

17. I see that Republicans are worse

but what you said is

"They fight, but they fight FOR us."

The problem is NOT their lack of 'perfection'. The problem is that they simply do not fight FOR us.

What I have slowly come to see is that, at least at the national level, the Republican Party represents the top 5%. The Democratic Party represents the top 20%. NEITHER of them represent the bottom 80%, but BOTH of them claim that they do.

Don't give me trickle down lite, and pretend I should be happy that it's raining.

Never was that more clear than when Obama (and others) were talking about the Bush tax cuts. The choices were

Obama's proposal - keep 78% of the Bush tax cuts (Proposal B)
Republican proposal - keep 100% of the Bush tax cuts. (Proposal R)

Given only a choice of two proposals, Proposal B is clearly better than Proposal R.

The real trouble is - NEITHER proposal was very good. BOTH proposals gave most of their benefits - by far - to the top.

Here are the FACTS (not my opinion, but actual numbers) on that http://www.ctj.org/pdf/taxcompromise2010.pdf

Go ahead. Compare the percentage that goes to the top 5%, compare that to the bottom 40%.

On second thought, since even I am often too lazy to click on links, here are those comparisons

Plan B
top 5% - 26.5%
bottom 40% - 13.9%

Does that, or does that not, heavily favor the top over the bottom?

It's not that the Democrats attempt to fight for a good plan was not perfect, it was that they did NOT even have a good plan to start with.

And then. And then, after 85% of the Bush tax cuts were made permanent, Obama declared that a victory. Permanent tax cuts for the rich - a victory. He lies right in our faces after he screws us over. AND WE LET HIM.

[swilton]

14. I'll Second That

[Different Drummer]

13. +1 n/t

[fbc]

18. It's going to get awkward around here if Trump runs to the left of Clinton

If they are the nominees, and Trump runs to the left of Clinton on important issues like income inequality, it may not matter if he's an asshole.

[lunatica]

20. If he runs to the left of Clinton who gets to be his base?

Because I doubt his followers would jump off that cliff with him.

[fbc]

22. his followers aren't Koch brothers disciples

read this: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/07/opinion/paul-krugman-trump-is-right-on-economics.html

And here’s what’s interesting: all indications are that Mr. Bush’s attacks on Mr. Trump are falling flat, because the Republican base doesn’t actually share the Republican establishment’s economic delusions.

But Mr. Trump, who is self-financing, didn’t need to genuflect to the big money, and it turns out that the base doesn’t mind his heresies. This is a real revelation, which may have a lasting impact on our politics.

His base doesn't seem to care that he's not following Koch brothers talking points.

He's already jumped off that cliff and they are already following him.

[lunatica]

23. His base is ignorant and stupid so maybe they would follow him to the left of Hillary

You can't predict what crazy will do. And you can't fix stupid.

[fbc]

24. You might want to reconsider that point

You are calling them ignorant and stupid because they don't see the perpetuation of the economic status quo as a good thing?

If Trump supports higher taxes on hedge fund managers and Hillary doesn't, the stupid ones are the ones that agree with Trump?

[lunatica]

25. Trump is simply saying what they want to hear

Do you think he's actually serious? Do you think he really plans to round up millions of illegal aliens? Are you convinced he truly cherishes women? Do you think Mexico is going to pay for building the Trump Wall?

[gregcrawford]

19. I've got more that twice as much life behind me as I have in front of me...

... but if I could find a way that would keep me fed and clothed, I would devote what's left of my time on Earth to educating even brain-dead dittoheads until they understand the existential imperative of living responsibly. Talk about pissin' into the wind...

[Kath1]

26. Nice post. Heard him described that way around 10:00 AM this morning.

I was getting my nails done today and when I was was done I was smoking cigarettes with one of the young Korean girls who works there. She was looking at a news site on her smart phone, shaking her head and laughing. She said to me, "You don't like Trump do you?" I said hell no. She said, "What an asshole!"

[lovemydog]

33. Vote for democrats, they are not assholes!

P.S. Martin O'Malley is great too. He's not an asshole.

[Lil Missy]

34. co-presidents bush and cheney were enough asshole for my lifetime. n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Well, one small piece of good news is, Chris Christie isn't going to be President of anything, any time soon.

[Adrahil]

37. Well said. Assholery is the basic trait most GOP voters eem to want. nt

[yuiyoshida]

38. Totally agree