In this new series watch as President-elect Trump marches a never-ending series of Republican, conservative politicians and talking heads into the famous Trump Tower set of the “Apprentice” to vie and compete for a small number of White House and U.S. Cabinet positions to run our government. Starting Sunday November 27th, watch as camera’s go live in the Trump boardroom where potential nominees can be seen arguing policy and pulling out all of the stops to castrate their opponents and destroy the opposition.
Emceed by the soon-to-be former governor of Indiana, watch our prospective leaders be grilled by none other than Ivanka and Eric, of the Trump family. Sparks will fly, feelings will be hurt – but the viewing public will be tantalized by this “show of shows”. We’ll also see continuous coverage by the major network and cable media – posting a never-ending “candidate-watch” outside the front doors of the majestic “Big Apple White House”.
Where to watch: All of your favorite TV and cable networks, online news sources and bogs.
When to watch: Coverage will be continuous with never-ending post-interview coverage on all of the major entertainment news networks.
Who will the Democrats run against in 2020?
Michael Moore recently said he believes that Trump will not last through his first term in office.
American University professor Allan Lichtman, an individual with whom I have great respect (and predicted a Trump win), has also stated that Congress will remove Trump before his first term is over. Lichtman, author of the “13 keys” system of Presidential predictions, has correctly predicted every winning President since 1984.
Since Congress will be unable to control the Donald, and since the constitution does not indicate that an impeachable offense must take place while a President is in office, and given the fact that Trump is facing numerous court actions in regards to his business(es) – do you think Trump will last through his first term, or will the Democrats be running against President Pence in 2020?
Author dvitale300Posted on November 18, 2016 November 18, 2016 63 Comments on Who will the Democrats run against in 2020?
Shall we discuss the debate question?
I’ve seen lots of posts and comments about whether or not Clinton should debate Trump. Now, the common wisdom is that if a candidate is really ahead – they should avoid / diminish the number of debates. After all, if you are going to win – there’s no upside to debating – only a downside – let’s say you curse at your opponent, or compare yourself to Kennedy, or perhaps misspeak about what territory Russia is controlling!
Fearless leader says Clinton should not debate Trump. I’m leaning in that direction. I thoroughly believe that the media (whatever that means) is not interested in a debate, a discussion of contrasting ideas on how to solve such major issues like immigration reform, crime in cities, overpopulated prisons, foreign trade agreements, etc. . . Instead, a media faced with the possibility of an electorate bored with a foregone conclusion, is focused on instigating a cage fight between two septuagenarians. We won’t see questions about how the United States should handle Syrian refugees, but rather we will see questions about who is the biggest bigot.
Do not ever engage Trump directly in verbal exchange, do not respond directly to his provocations. A debate is not a dialog. A shouting match of zingers and putdowns will only depress the turnout.
Keep nonverbal reactions to Trump very subtle and mild. Don’t roll your eyes, just raise your eyebrows. Don’t laugh out loud, just smile wryly. Respond to Trump’s style with a deconstruction of his demagoguery, directed at the audience in terms that show Trump is disrespecting the audience.
Respond to Trump’s misstatements with simple, informative corrections that not only set the record straight, they educate the audience without being condescending. Use down to earth metaphors, analogies, and stories about real people.
Always speak to the audience, not to the moderators, who are mostly interested in provoking spectacle. Everything uttered should be couched as values that serve people. Everything should be a positive assertion of faith in the best of human nature.
So what say ye Trail Mixers? Should Clinton debate or not – and what should the strategy be if she decides to?
Author dvitale300Posted on August 29, 2016 August 28, 2016 94 Comments on Shall we discuss the debate question?
Methinks the Roses still smell the same!
We all need to take a deep breath about the Trump campaign. The average Trump voter tis not going to change their mind – even if there’s video of Trump shooting someone in Times Square.
What matters is not the 30% on the left (which I would surmise for many of us; a category we fall within), nor the 30% on the right; right-wing bible thumping hate mongering confederate flag waiving mysogonistic homophobes — but rather the 40% in the middle. These are the people that vote according to their pocketbooks, the possibility of a promotion, the status of their health care, whether or not they’re about to go in foreclosure — you know, the current conditions on the ground – the personality, tone and tenor of the candidate, etc.
They are just waking up from their caves — knocking the boulders from the entrance. Walking into the sunlight after 3 1/2 years, taking a deep breath – licking a finger and thrusting their digit firmly into the wind.
When Trump tells African Americans that if they elect him, 95% of them will support him in the future; skippity dippity do bop! Nonsense. No one from the African American coalition will jump up screaming “Eureka”! The press wants us to think so – they get paid according to how many people watch their blabbering.
Fodder from the far right will continue to drip, like a sickly bacteria infested honey, into the gears of this election. The Hindenburg will land successfully when Trump’s “I’m a goooooood boy now” routine falls with positive adorations on anyone who is seriously considering switching their vote.
Trump is merely trying to get back some of the Republicans who have defected from his feeble attempt to be a statesman. But more importantly, he’s trying to give them an excuse to support him. That’s why he showed up uninvited in Louisiana, to spend a minute passing out toys to the flooded even when asked not to make the trip. He’ll get some of them back — but not merely enough to win this election.
Author dvitale300Posted on August 22, 2016 August 21, 2016 107 Comments on Methinks the Roses still smell the same!
Let’s talk about something other than the Presidential race!
There is a big misconception about the Senatorial race this year. That misconception is that Trump is the one making it possible for the Democrats to take back the Senate. Although he may have an impact – I heard the other day that only 6% of voters will vote for one party’s candidate for President and another party’s for Senate.
The real impact is geography and timing. This year there are 24 Republican Senate seats up for re-election, and only 10 Democratic seats in contest. This, combined with the fact that quite a few of the Republican seats in contest are those that swung Republican after the backlash election of 2010, which was Obama’s first mid-term election. Right out of the gate it was predestined that the Democrats would/could take the Senate back. Trump is only icing on the electoral cake.
It is the press that wants everyone to think that this is a ‘to the wire’ thing re: the Senate going Democratic with Trump as the key player. They get viewers, ratings and increased advertising revenue for fostering this misconception.
The real story here lies in two areas. First we have the House of Representatives, which has a 247 Republican to 188 Democratic margin; that’s a difference of 59 seats. While the Republicans at the state level have been gerrymandering the hell out of districts, should the Democrats take back 30 of those slots it will send shutters through the halls of D.C. politics.
The second story here is the gubernatorial races in which currently, Republicans hold 31 seats, the most since 1999. This year there are 12 governor races in contest, eight of which are currently held by Democrats. Seven of these races have an incumbent that cannot run due to term limits. Then there is Mike Pence from Indiana, who withdrew from the race. As a side note is North Carolina: Republican Pat McCrory is running for re-election — in a state that is now showing in the Clinton column.
Should the Democrats manage to knock off a few of the Republican Governors this will affect the make-up of congressional districts (for the 2020 census) and possibly change/level the playing field.
If you live in one of these states, what do you see happening regarding your gubernatorial race?
Author dvitale300Posted on August 16, 2016 August 15, 2016 78 Comments on Let’s talk about something other than the Presidential race!