Detlef K appreciation thread

[DemocratSinceBirth]

It's not the economy, stupid. "Drain the Swamp" has different meanings for liberals/conservatives:

http://www.salon.com/2016/12/21/drain-the-swamp-of-all-those-p-c-liberals-turns-out-trumpers-dont-care-about-lobbyists-or-plutocrats/

During the campaign, Donald Trump frequently promised that once in Washington he would “drain the swamp.” That phrase was generously interpreted by huge swaths of the news media to mean that Trump intended, in populist style, to reduce the influence of elite bankers and corporate lobbyists in politics. That, in turn, means that the president-elect has been accused of hypocrisy when he immediately turned around and started hiring a bunch of bankers and billionaires and other such swamp critters.

But there’s little evidence that Trump’s supporters ever thought he was talking about the influence of financial elites or big corporations when he swore to drain that swamp. On the contrary, they seem to be have understood it as reading it as an attack on liberalism and its defenders.

A new poll, conducted by the Glover Park Group and Morning Consult, was released on Tuesday that asked a series of far-ranging and in-depth questions of Trump supporters. What one finds, digging into the results, is that Trump’s base has no coherent ideology around economic issues like trade policy or financial regulation.

...

That’s why it’s important, especially for journalists, not to assume that the phrase “drain the swamp” is meant by Trump, or heard by his supporters, as describing the influence of special interests or lobbyists on Beltway politics. Yes, that’s what most politicians mean when they use that phrase, but there’s reason to believe that for Trump, it’s a vague phrase that allows his followers to define “the swamp” however they want. And what they really want to do is hate on liberals.

Trump himself admitted that the phrase is empty rhetoric he spews because it’s a good applause line. In a post-election rally in Iowa, Trump let this bit of truth slip out during one of his tedious ramblings:

"It’s funny how that term caught on. … I told everyone I hated it. Somebody said, “Drain the swamp.” I said, “Oh that’s so hokey, that is so terrible.” I said, “All right, I’ll try it.” So like a month ago I said, “Drain the swamp.” Place went crazy. Then I said it again. Then I started saying it like I meant it. And then I started loving it. And the place loved it. Let’s drain the swamp."

...

Most Trump supporters don’t go that far, but the conversation on Twitter shows that, by and large, “drain the swamp” is understood as a culture-war term referring to liberals, and not corrupt politicians.




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Can we pleeeeeeeeeeeeease stop with the bullshit now that the Trump-voters are economically hurting?

There is no way the Democrats can win these voters back with any promise, be it economy or otherwise, because these people don't care about anything Democrats have to say.

They hate your guts for no reason.

They just do.

Stop trying to please them, quit this abusive relationship and move on.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028386844

First of all "drain the swamp" originated with Mussolini, google it ! Those Deplorable who voted for Trump to "drain the swamp" weren't voting to reduce the influence of money in politics, They were voting to reduce the influence of African Americans, Hispanics, Muslims, our glbtq brothers and sisters, and liberals in politics. In essence people who aren't like them, and that is a charitable interpretation of their motives. The Deplorables want to do them harm.

Deplorabilism isn't something to be accommodated. It's something to be defeated, like the fascism that overtook Hitler's Germany, Mussolini's Italy, and Imperial Japan.

As Winston Churchill said about the fascists of his day you can fight them when they are weak and you are strong or you can wait to fight them when they are strong and you have no chance.

[shenmue]

1. Amen

[Justice]

2. Wow. Incredibly true. Remember the legislation names "Leave No Child Behind" and

"Clear Skies" how GOP used titles that sounded good but the content of the law was horrible?

They figured out how to do that with campaign slogans --

The media never asked what does Make America Great Again or what Drain the Swamp meant. They just accepted the slogan without inquiry and repeated over and over and over.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. I'll Chime In On Kudos for Detlef!

I always like when he finds and posts.

On Edit: Well except for that last OP which you've snipped here. I don't agree with the author on basic premise.

[DetlefK]

4. Wow. Thanks.

That was... unexpected.

[oberliner]

5. The phrase "drain the swap" definitely did not originate with Mussolini

I don't know where you got that from. "Google it" is not necessarily the most effective method of finding out accurate information, contrary to popular belief.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. A toast to DetlefK!