[Newfie]

This is not a pure Democrat versus Republican discussion. This is a Marxist ideology that has poisoned the Democrat party and threatens to destroy the USA as we know it. Do not think you are going to hold some neutral position in between as you are fond of doing. You are either for American exceptionalism or you want to destroy it. Have the balls to pick a position.

I have no clue what "American Exceptionalism" means to you Cog. And I can't get the bloody internet working well enough to find a good description.

My GUT reaction is its a myth. Like the Easter Bunny, Imaculate Conception, and God. Just another way of trying to self define yourself as a netter than thow person.

But....more to the point....USA social culture will collapse eventually. I'm just arguing for a more humane transnational, a slow crash rather than some Thma and Louise ending.

[Newfie]

From Wiki.

Which definition below do you ascribe to?

American exceptionalism is one of three related ideas.

The first is that the history of the United States is inherently different from other nations.[2] In this view, American exceptionalism stems from its emergence from the American Revolution, thereby becoming what political scientist Seymour Martin Lipset called "the first new nation"[3] and developing a uniquely American ideology, "Americanism", based on liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, republicanism, democracy and laissez-faire economics. This ideology itself is often referred to as "American exceptionalism."[4]

Second is the idea that the US has a unique mission to transform the world. As Abraham Lincoln stated in the Gettysburg address (1863), Americans have a duty to ensure, "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Third is the sense that the United States' history and mission give it a superiority over other nations.

[Newfie]

Towards the end of the above WIKI piece I found this.

In a speech on the Syria crisis on September 10, 2013, Obama said: "however, when, with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death, and thereby make our kids safer over the long run, I believe we should act... That is what makes America different. That is what makes us exceptional."[105] In a direct response the next day, Russian President Vladimir Putin published an op-ed in The New York Times, articulating that "It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation... We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord's blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal."[106] Putin’s views were soon endorsed by future president Donald Trump who declared the op-ed “a masterpiece” to British television personality Piers Morgan: “You think of the term as being beautiful, but all of sudden you say, what if you’re in Germany or Japan or any one of 100 different countries? You are not going to like that term,” Trump said. “It is very insulting, and Putin put it to him about that.”[107] Some left-wing American commentators agree with Trump’s stance; one example is Sherle Schwenninger, a co-founder of the New America Foundation, who in a 2016 Nation magazine symposium remarked that “Trump would redefine American exceptionalism by bringing an end to the neoliberal/neoconservative globalist project that Hillary Clinton and many Republicans support”.[108]

[Plantagenet]

Some folks in the intel community have got it out for Trump.

And the MSM media have it out for Trump.

And the Ds have it out for Trump---some of them are already talking impeachment.

Trump has only been in office for a month, but it feels like years.

Who else in the Trump administration were the FBI and intel community tracking? What other phone calls were tapped and recorded?

This mess could just be getting started

[vtsnowedin]

Perhaps this will serve as a wake up call to all the White House staff, present and future. Every communication on every devise is being recorded by the USA spooks and other countries both friend and foe. There is no such thing as a secure line. If you need to keep a secret shut your mouth and hold your fingers far away from any keyboard.
And when you must communicate it would be useful to only speak and write the truth. It stands the test of time and is much easier to remember then a varying pack of lies.

[dinopello]

Dino,
Anything in particular strike you or just the general tone?

The attitude of the Republican offices in the Senate. At this time it amounts just to some level of investigation. Depends on what they find.

[vtsnowedin]

vt, truth? Truth is what the highest bidder pays.

High paid "Truth" can often hold out long enough for an election or two to pass but eventually the real truth usually comes to light making fools of those that parroted the high paid falsehood marketed as the truth.
Understand that people dealing in the truth on either side of the political spectrum are a rare breed but those are the people I look for for leadership in these challenging times.

[asg70]

I don't think Trump thought being president would be anything but an ego boost. I think once it's not fun enough for him anymore he will resign. He'll resign and claim martyrdom as he passes the torch to Pence.

[vtsnowedin]

I don't think Trump thought being president would be anything but an ego boost. I think once it's not fun enough for him anymore he will resign. He'll resign and claim martyrdom as he passes the torch to Pence.

Considering how bizarre his campaign and first month in office have been I would not bet against that. It is just absurd enough to come true.

[Tanada]

You don't think being the only thing the mainstream media has reported on for the last three months is stroking President Trumps ego? I dunno what world you are living on, but in this world President trump is the most talked about subject on every news channel and he gets a lot of the entertainment press as well because the Hollywood crowd thinks average people care about their political views and they all keep talking about him as well.

If President Donald Trump is the narcissist the political elites and leftists keep saying he is then this is the best of all possible world for him. He won by appealing to Joe6P despite every accusation the Democrat Party and Media threw at him for the entire 18 months from his declaration of his candidacy right up to election night.

Somehow the MSM still has this magical thinking that they can convince the Joe6P voters to hate President Trump even though he is carrying out his campaign promises to his voters. If he had followed a typical path and thrown the campaign promises under the bus once he was sworn into office the MSM might have a shot of convincing people he is all the things they claim he is. So far they haven't managed to convince much of anyone who wasn't already in the never Trump echo chamber.

[Cog]

I got exactly what I voted for up to and including the following:

1. Pulled out of the TPP
2. Extreme vetting
3. Neil Gorsuch
4. Building The Wall
5. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
6. Coal deregulation
7. Calling out the dishonest left wing media
8. NATO told to ante up or else
9. Replacing ObamaCare
10) Lowering the corporate and personal tax rate

[Outcast_Searcher]

Somehow the MSM still has this magical thinking that they can convince the Joe6P voters to hate President Trump even though he is carrying out his campaign promises to his voters. If he had followed a typical path and thrown the campaign promises under the bus once he was sworn into office the MSM might have a shot of convincing people he is all the things they claim he is. So far they haven't managed to convince much of anyone who wasn't already in the never Trump echo chamber.

Agreed. Which says a lot about the sorry state of modern politicians, IMO.

I foolishly hoped that part of Obama being a "different" kind of president meant that he'd really try to keep the vast majority of his campaign promises. Silly me. I'm still wearing a virtual dunce cap for that one...

(Joe Sixpack will be mad at Trump when math rears its ugly head and they learn that he can't magically bring back low skilled jobs in large numbers no matter how hard he tries -- when technology continues to replace jobs in companies that are profitable. Now, it might take a couple/few years for this to become apparent, especially if he manages to get a big infrastructure build/repair program going to help around the edges.)

[Cog]

J6P does not expect miracles. He does expect the president to try everything he can do to protect his interests. This president is doing precisely what he said he would do.

[Outcast_Searcher]

I got exactly what I voted for up to and including the following:

1. Pulled out of the TPP
2. Extreme vetting
3. Neil Gorsuch
4. Building The Wall
5. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
6. Coal deregulation
7. Calling out the dishonest left wing media
8. NATO told to ante up or else
9. Replacing ObamaCare
10) Lowering the corporate and personal tax rate

Glad you're happy. But don't we have declarations of intent on most of this stuff rather than action? For example, the tax code. We hear there is something major coming in "weeks" re taxes, but we don't know what it is, and we don't know if ANY of it will become law.

So how do we know that personal and corporate tax rates will be cut?

...

It seems to me that so far we have lots of rhetoric. (I'm not saying this is Trump's fault - I'm saying that these things take time, and given the nature of the political process, I don't believe in counting chickens just because some politician(s) announce promises about chickens.

[Outcast_Searcher]

J6P does not expect miracles. He does expect the president to try everything he can do to protect his interests. This president is doing precisely what he said he would do.

It remains to be seen whether J6P is smart enough not to expect miracles. After all, they did vote for Trump, massive warts and all.

[Cog]

I forgot #11. Not Hillary Clinton

Clinton would not have proposed any of the things on my top ten list much less try to get them passed.

[Shaved Monkey]

I got exactly what I voted for up to and including the following:

1. Pulled out of the TPP
2. Extreme vetting
3. Neil Gorsuch
4. Building The Wall
5. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
6. Coal deregulation
7. Calling out the dishonest left wing media
8. NATO told to ante up or else
9. Replacing ObamaCare
10) Lowering the corporate and personal tax rate

Love to have a brief description of how each of those makes America great again in your mind
Anything that includes a solution to peak oil or too many people not enough resources would be great too

[Cog]

The basic function of any government is to insure the safety of its citizens while protecting individual liberty and their economic freedom to make choices.