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Dear Trump Voter
As you know, I voted for Hillary, but your guy won so congratulations. I would like to lay some ground rules down as a result. Dumb-Ass Donald will inherit a record stock market, rising wages and unemployment below 5%, but Obama gets the blame for that. As Dumb-Ass told us, the economy is in a shambles. So we expect results as promised- meaning lower unemployment, faster wage growth and good, high paying new jobs in the rust belt and coal country. And also, 3 years from now please remember that if you ever in my presence say “well there was no way anybody could know…” about Trump, I will literally strangle you. I will be happy to let you run your victory laps uncontested if and when Trump delivers. I’m rooting for you, but I wouldn’t put any bets on your prospects based on what I’ve seen so far.
-O
Still I can’t help but feel…
Something amazing is happening… just beneath the surface… you can only feel it really- like a long sleeping giant is starting to awaken. Maybe it’s nothing.
Reflecting on The Good Old Days
Remember when everyone in middle America was just up in arms about the Clintons peddling influence and enriching themselves after leaving office; so, rather than elect Hillary the first woman president they voted to make Dumb-ass Donald Trump the first trillionaire instead? Good Times!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Healthcare (Why Obama is smiling)
It seems like the GOP hasn’t quite wrapped their head around something yet. They have caught themselves between a rock and a hard place on healthcare. If they repeal Obamacare then 20 million people lose health insurance. Many of those people vote, and if they manage not to die, because many of them are also sick, then they will not vote for the people that took their healthcare away. And there is also the problem that many of the provisions in the ACA are very popular even with Republicans, like no refusal for preexisting conditions and keeping kids on insurance longer. So, they say repeal and replace….
But, if you replace with something that looks almost exactly like Obamacare- then have you really done anything? Now, of course they want to get rid of the mandate, but that means you have to have exclusions for preexisting conditions. If you don’t the healthcare costs spiral up and out of control. So, how do you deny Obama his legacy without losing the next election?
This dichotomy is nicely captured in Clay County, Kentucky. The Wash Po went there recently and interviewed a bunch of locals. Many of them are worried about losing their health insurance if the ACA is repealed. You see, before the ACA 30% of Clay County was on Medicare, now it’s 60%. So, if the GOP just repeals Obamacare, then 30% of Clay County loses their health insurance. And right now the Republican Governor is trying to destroy the state exchange (set up by the previous Democrat, and which seems to have been successul)- and was already threatening to pull back Medicare anyway. Ah yes it’s tougher when you make the calls isn’t it? So, what do you do- maybe you hedge- you repeal and replace with a replica that is functionally just a tweak on Obamacare- meaning play politics as usual. Or you say “Screw Them! This is what the American people voted for!” I think (and hope) they will go with the former, but one could hardly blame them for going with the latter since it does deny Obama his legacy on Healthcare reform. Then again, 87% of Clay County voted for Trump- so either way they will get what they voted for.
P.S. I mean can you imagine if Hillary Clinton had won. Then a year from now how would Donald Trump react if a bunch of people in San Francisco are whining that their Obamacare premium just doubled for the second year in a row?
Top 10 Reasons Why Obama is Still Smiling
10. In just over 2 months he will be chilling on the beach in Hawaii.
9. He just finished hiding sardine tins inside the air ducts in the residence.
8. He’s having the oval office repainted orange so nobody can see Trump.
7. He knows that in the first really top secret briefing they will give Trump it will be revealed that he really WAS born in Kenya, but now Trump has to keep it secret too.
6. He just met Dumb-ass Donald in person for the first time since the election and he can smell fear.
5. It’s the airport rule. He showed up on time like he’s supposed to and after that it was out of his hands. The voters are a bunch of fickle bitches and he ain’t gonna sweat it.
4. Let’s face it, he never liked Hillary anyway.
3. Health care reform is more like Virgins than Light-bulbs. You can unscrew a light-bulb.
2. Trump can unwind everything he did without crashing the economy? C’mon Man!
1. He sees the bigger picture.
I don’t just mean the quote above either. In 8 years the Obama administration accomplished more than any administration in living memory. Healthcare is only one thing. And it is hard to unwind- imagine if you suddenly repeal healthcare for 20 million people- you allow discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and you deny college students a spot on their parents coverage. But it is more than that, if you are really despondent about the election try this thought experiment. Answer me honestly: Would you go back to 2008 and switch your vote to McCain so that he gets elected if I could promise you Donald Trump would never get elected? How about Romney in 2012? Of course almost any of us would take a trade of McCain or Romney for Trump right now, but would you give up Obama to get rid of Trump? Honestly, I would choose Obama every time over them (and they are good people who I think are qualified to be president) even it means Trump is the result. Because it means that we are defending health care for 20 million rather than fighting for it. Because we have rising wages and <5% unemployment. Because the deficit is low. Because the economy is growing. Because the expectations have changed and we will not tolerate going backwards. Because now we are strong enough to survive even a President Dumb-ass Donald. Overall, it is unquestionable we are much better off right now, in almost every way, than we were 8 years ago when Obama had just been elected. Thanks Obama!
Now, if we could just fix the Congress and the President…
Was the DNC Overconfident?
Given that Nate Silver had Trump with a ~30% chance I cannot imagine anyone at the DNC with any brains was thinking this was a slam dunk- but then again, just got this thank you note after donating to the DNC on 11/14/2016, almost a week AFTER the election- and look at the highlighted section. Seriously!
An ERA for the 21st Century
No state, nor the United States shall make any law abridging or denying the rights given in this Constitution nor the certain unalienable rights not enumerated within to any natural born or naturalized citizen of the United States.
Congress shall make no law which when enacted has the effect to remove citizenship from any person duly recognized previously as a citizen of the United States without conviction for a high crime via trial by jury.
All citizens having reached the age of 18 years have the right to vote and no state, nor congress shall make any law abridging that right.
Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex, race, age, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation/preference.
It is hereby recognized that all people have a right to a reasonable expectation of privacy in their homes, around their person, and in their personal communications.
The World According to O 