The Good that Men do - Donald Trump?

Reducing tax for lower paid workers sounds good on paper. In would, however, question his motivation for doing so. Not because he cared about them but because he realised it would get them on side. Which probably is why I see so many negative (raptor put it mildly) comments on Facebook about the Democrats. He did criticise the WHO at the start of the pandemic: can’t remember what he criticised them for. Did he stop/withhold funding for them? They did deserve criticism for their initial response to the pandemic. Again, given his subsequent record regarding combatting the virus, I’d question his motives. Everything Trump did was for Trump and his and plans to create a dynasty. He may not have started any wars outside of America but he has caused rifts within America that will take a long time to heal.

I agree with everything you post about him. I’m not blinkered.

I loved listening to Barack Obama. What an orator! I bought Michelle Obama’s book two years ago (hardback - very unusual for me to spend £20+ on a book I can tell you!) when it first came out, because I admire her.

But my point is, I don’t live in America. I don’t know what it’s really like (only went to Florida once & loved Key West I could live there!). However for all the Obama caring and sharing, the people didn’t want another Democrat. Hell, they didn’t even really want another politician! Smooth talkers, delivering not enough. Blue collar workers especially felt disenfranchised. THEY wanted to drain the swamp. THEY were sick of being neglected. They weren’t on welfare, they were working but not making ends meet. If a washing machine broke they’d have to go into debt to repair it. So much for the Land of the Free.

They yearned for change. Yes, even after 8 lovely years of listening to soothing orations by Obama. They wanted ACTION not words.

They started to listen intently to Trump. Sure he was an embarrassment but heck, he wasn’t a politician. He wants to Make America Great Again. It resonated with millions. They decided to take a punt on him. They trusted him. Even more than saintly Obama. They WANTED to be behind Trump and see him drain that swamp.

Sadly, it seems he too has feet of clay and it turned to shit. But I can still understand why he won that election.

But it is ironic UG, that Trump's most fervent supporters (the ones that attacked the Capital) are FROM the swamp.

Well I know I’m ignorant but what did he mean by drain the swamp? Serious question

Good point GagaJo.
Do you think that could be because they see their Commander in Chief losing power?

Custer’s last stand and all that.

Corruption pretty much Lucca. People in power taking backhanders. Misappropriation of taxpayers dollars. Money collected that didn’t produce results.

Ironic

Urmstongran’s points are from here I believe if anyone’s interested:

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/the-things-trump-got-right/617424/

The tax stuff is a quote, anyway.

Thank you for all the responses on here its been very interesting. I really was just musing over breakfast with DH wondering why so many people voted for him. I'd go with narcissism theory I think rather than his being evil. The swapped Julius Caesar line came to me when we were talking about it - its a favourite of mine. Thanks all.

It’s one of the few speeches from childhood that I remember! Remember when we had to learn stuff like that off by heart! It always makes me wonder how Shakespearean actors learn whole plays! But I digress. It was a good question Bertha, the sort of thing I ponder upon. Especially when I see so many comments against the Democrats on social media: the very people that need medical care etc.

Lucca I started to write an explanation then I found this link and thought - it explains it better than I ever could!

metro.co.uk/2018/01/20/what-does-drain-the-swamp-mean-and-why-did-donald-trump-say-it-7245279/

Urmstongran, you say he “achieved some good things (which is why he garnered more votes this time around)” but I think this is not why they voted for him.

I believe he is a demi-god. He has a cult following. Ok, so it’s a big cult, but he is working the dark areas of the web to pull people in, this is well documented. He is also alternately patting and dog-whistling his supporters. He uses emotive language, implies unity and success, speaks in broad themes that it’s hard to pin down, links himself to the underdog, repeats loudly and firmly the untruths so that they are normalised. This is why he garners more votes.

He did not, however, garner as many more votes than his opponent did though. For that I think we should be truly grateful.

Quite right NotSpaghetti.

But as you point out, 70+ million dogs needs one helluva whistle!

Ok, so, I’m happy to agree with you Urmstongran that he has a big whistle (!).... but the point of the thread was what good has he done? and not how far into the dark corners of the web will his dirty fingers reach?

The things I thought of were:
1. Not preventing the banning of bump-stocks
2. He donated his salary to charity.

It would be nice to think there’s more than this...

He had access to every social media and used it well. That was his dog whistle. And the fact that people listened to the whistle is nothing new, history shows that. I am certainly not celebrating the fact that Twitter etc banned him when they enabled him all along. As I have said in other threads the last person I want to have the power to decide which day/month is the time to stop Trump whistling is the owner of Twitter.
There is an issue about the people who he 'spoke' to and how unrepresented they feel, but Trump was never interested in them anyway.

"No, it’s not the economy, stupid. Trump supporters fear a black and brown America."

www.miamiherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/leonard-pitts-jr/article211963789.html

Two points stand out about these Trump supporters -

Here, then, is “Robert” with a comparative analysis of the 44th and 45th presidents:

“President Trump has accomplished more positive things for this nation in less than two years than the last three have accomplished in twenty plus years. After the past eight years of a Muslim Marxist in the White House this nation could not survive another demwit in the White House. … Could you please list one thing the demwit party has done for the black people in America other than hand out government freeies for their continued votes?”

Does he really truly believe that Obama was either a Muslim or a Marxist, let alone both?

The writer concludes-

"I’m sure some of you think those emails were cherry-picked to highlight the intolerance of Trump voters. They weren’t. They are, in fact, a representative sampling from a single day in May, culled by my assistant, Judi.

It’s still an article of faith for many that the Trump phenomenon was born out of fiscal insecurity, the primal scream of working people left behind by a changing economy. But I don’t think I’ve ever, not once, seen an email from a Trump supporter who explained himself in terms of the factory or the coal mine shutting down.

I have, however, heard from hundreds like “Matthew,” who worries about “immigrants” and “Gerald,” who thinks people of color have an “alliance” against him. Such people validate the verdict of a growing body of scholarship that says, in the words of a new study by University of Kansas professors David N. Smith and Eric Hanley, “The decisive reason that white, male, older and less educated voters were disproportionately pro-Trump is that they shared his prejudices and wanted domineering, aggressive leaders …”

That made me laugh NSpag! I’ll have a think I’m off out for a walk with Himself now.

As you say it’s hard to think of any GOOD he may have actually done. ? Bringing troops home from the M.E. perhaps.

I suppose the main thing he brought was hope.

There is an issue about the people who he 'spoke' to and how unrepresented they feel, but Trump was never interested in them anyway.

So, who is Galaxy? These people are still there. Waiting.

Urmstongran

Corruption pretty much Lucca. People in power taking backhanders. Misappropriation of taxpayers dollars. Money collected that didn’t produce results.

I think that you are confusing it with the U.K.?

How on earth was Trump ever allowed to get away with not releasing his tax returns?

Urmstongran

“I suppose the main thing he brought was hope”

I think you have hit the nail on the head there. There will be a tremendous amount of anger when these people finally realise that they were lied to, there never was any hope and it is in the interests of people like Trump for there not to be any hope, for the majority to be kept suppressed, without prospects, so that the minority get richer, so that people like Trump can defacate in a gold toilet. Possibly it will begin to dawn on them that their desire to answer the call of who they perceived as their saviour on January 6th will cost them dearly. A father and son have been jailed for 10 years each, the father is the one who carried the confederate flag inside The Capitol, what are the prospects for their families? Off duty police who joined in will lose their jobs, pensions and possibly go to jail and veterans who joined in will lose their pensions and probably go to jail. The man who cost a police officer his life by hitting him on the head with a fire extinguisher will probably go to jail for the rest of his life. All that for a man who has no conscience and no loyalty to anybody except himself. Within a very short time he was referring to the people he professed to love as ‘low class’. Even if the verdict of the impeachment trial in the senate doesn't go against Trump I really hope there is some kind of federal or civil action which will hold him accountable. The lawyer acting for the Shaman QAnon person has said today that he there because he was answering the call given by President Trump, I’m sure many more will give the same response.

I'll be interested to see how Biden fares with the Middle East after he and Obama were both in agreeance to the attacks which took place in Iraq in 2003.

‘he was there’ in the penultimate line of my last post.

It seems that Trump wants a big send off party.

I suppose he’ll hold it on the 20th.

A question of mine’s bigger than yours

Sad little man.