"the inevitable disaster that will be the Trump Administration"

[Wabash]

Well, then who do you support? If you aren't a Trump supporter, what is your issue with my obvious historical comparisons.

[MDDad]

My issue with your "obvious" historical comparisons is that they suck. Whom I support is irrelevant.

[Wabash]

My historical comparisons are accurate. You've yet to prove otherwise other than the opinion you just offered about one forming a partial vacuum.

[MDDad]

Yes, your comparisons are accurate. It's the conclusions and predictions you draw from them that are inane.

[Bick]

MDD - I believe you've exposed one of the key reasons it's impossible to have a meaningful discussion with some liberals. They are not willing to take an unambiguous position for which they can be held accountable. It's the epitome of cowardice.

I think that was the real driving force behind Trump getting elected. Except on the west coast, it seems the country was pretty much done with the brand of accountability avoidance. I didn't vote for Trump, but I'm liking the strength he appears to be leading with, and what I hope will be an administration that will be accountable without excuses.

[Fordama]

The correlations that Wabash brought up are just that--correlations. The predictions may or may not bear out.

I don't think that the prediction that this administration will be a disaster isn't far fetched--but those previous incidents may not be why. Those two other Presidents were both staid in their beliefs--Trump has no real beliefs past those that will make his family more wealthy. Other issues will simply be bothersome ones that he will dispatch in the easiest method possible.

Brick, Trump didn't win because of anything "the country" believed. He received the votes of one in five eligible voters--a remarkable minority of people elected this President. Had he been running against a better candidate, his campaign would have simply remained the punchline that it was.

Fordama

[MDDad]

The correlations that Wabash brought up are just that--correlations.

Thank you. That was my point all along. William Howard Taft and both Presidents Bush went to Yale, and they were mediocre to lame presidents. However, I would never be foolish enough to insist that since Hillary Clinton also went to Yale, history predicts she would also have been a lousy president. Mindless ideology is no excuse for crappy logic.

[John Q. Public]

I didn't vote for Trump, but I'm liking the strength he appears to be leading with, and what I hope will be an administration that will be accountable without excuses.

Curious what you think of this morning's one-man Twitter storm. I'm getting used to him and I'm pretty appalled by this kind of stuff.

Donald J. Trump ‏@realDonaldTrump 6 hours ago
Julian Assange said "a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta" - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info!

"@FoxNews: Julian Assange on U.S. media coverage: “It’s very dishonest.” #Hannity " More dishonest than anyone knows

Thank you to Ford for scrapping a new plant in Mexico and creating 700 new jobs in the U.S. This is just the beginning - much more to follow

Somebody hacked the DNC but why did they not have "hacking defense" like the RNC has and why have they not responded to the terrible......

things they did and said (like giving the questions to the debate to H). A total double standard! Media, as usual, gave them a pass.

Republicans must be careful in that the Dems own the failed Obamacare disaster, with its poor coverage and massive premium increases......

like the 116% hike in Arizona. Also, deductibles are so high that it is practically useless. Don't let the Schumer clowns out of this web...

massive increases of Obamacare will take place this year and Dems are to blame for the mess. It will fall of its own weight - be careful!

[Wabash]

The only way his presidency isn't a disaster is if the he and the GOP majority in congress start spending a la Reagan and Bush 43. Which I predict will occur.

We'll know soon enough. The debt limit will be reached sometime in March or April.

That of course exposes a whole other set of hypocrisies.

[Bick]

JQP - truly not a Trump apologist here. I don't know what to make of this Twitter stuff he engages in.

One thing that IS clear is the media has chosen sides, and will give biased representations of what is said - be that coming from Fox or CNN. I'd rather read directly what he says, and then evaluate whether or not I agree with it and why.

Ford - we'll agree to disagree why he beat HRC. I'm curious about your 1 in 5 math though. Table below shows Voting Age Population / Turnout / %. I also thought him running was a joke BTW. From that paradigm, it should only serve to exacerbate the reasons behind him winning as evidence of how much the country wanted a change from the status quo...ANY change.

Yr******VAP*********Turnout******%
1980 163,945 86,497 52.8%
1984 173,995 92,655 53.3%
1988 181,956 91,587 50.3%
1992 189,493 104,600 55.2%
1996 196,789 96,390 49.0%
2000 209,787 105,594 50.3%
2004 219,553 122,349 55.7%
2008 229,945 131,407 57.1%
2012 235,248 129,235 54.9%
2016 251,107 ~136,962[9]‡ ~54.5%‡

[ocfootballfan]

I don't think his math is that far off......he got roughly 1/2 of the turnout so maybe 1 in 4

[Bick]

Is this the popular vote argument again? Obama won 51.1% of the popular vote in the last election, so 28.1% v Trump that got 25.4% this election.

Now that there's some context, what's the point Ford?

[MDDad]

The term "Voting Age Population" is a little ambiguous, since it's unclear whether or not it includes illegal aliens and other non-citizens over the age of 18. Regardless, it seems that 25.1% of the VAP voted for Trump and 26.2% for Clinton. Those numbers say more about our voter apathy than anything about either candidate.

[Wabash]

From that paradigm, it should only serve to exacerbate the reasons behind him winning as evidence of how much the country wanted a change from the status quo...ANY change.

Given his cabinet picks. What great changes are you expecting?

[Playthegame]

The reality is that the Obama administration was so incompetent at everything that even a guy with "no experience" will accomplish far more than then his predecessor.

My Predictions for Trumps term(s)

1.) Higher GDP
2.) Better health, longer lives, higher survivorship
3.) Increased real wages
4.) Lower welfare rate
5.) Greater home ownership
6.) Big increase in labor participation rate
7.) More full time jobs
8.) Crippling of terrorist regimes
9.) Better relations with China and Russia
10.) Improved performance of US students
11.) Better healthcare for Veterans
12.) Higher savings rates for US households
13.) Improved trade deals causing a sharp rise in Cap Ex and GDP at the 6% by the end of 2019
14.) Large increase in US wealth and productivity by the end of 2019.

You heard it hear first...

[Wabash]

You left out Diet Pepsi in all the drinking fountains.

Btw, it's "here" not "hear."

[Parrotpaul]

I like the Diet Pepsi drinking fountains.

[broman]

Curious what you think of this morning's one-man Twitter storm. I'm getting used to him and I'm pretty appalled by this kind of stuff.

What about this one

The "Intelligence" briefing on so-called "Russian hacking" was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange!
5:14 PM - 3 Jan 2017


However, a senior U.S. intelligence official with direct knowledge of the situation told NBC News Tuesday night that the heads of the NSA, CIA, FBI and the director of national intelligence were always scheduled to meet with Trump on Friday.
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tru ... ng-n702906

Legitimate miscommunication between intelligence and the Trump team?
Intelligence trying to make Trump look bad after he said he would reveal his secret info Tuesday or Wednesday?
Or just maybe, we elected a person who will lie about anything.

[John Q. Public]

That tweet was so unbelievably wrong I just can't believe it - so wrong it makes me talk like a teenage girl or Yogi Berra, take your pick. A guy with no experience in the field publicly claiming he knows more than people with careers' worth of experience isn't a good way to start a relationship. It wouldn't surprise me if they did go out of their way to make him look bad or to be a little less than cooperative with him. It's human nature.

[broman]

Not a subscriber to the WSJ so cant get the whole article, but Trump has some big plans for the intelligence community.

President-elect Donald Trump, a harsh critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, is working with top advisers on a plan that would restructure and pare back the nation’s top spy agency, people familiar with the planning said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-o ... -148355445