Comments on: Donald Trump If Fired, Mike Pence Is Next.

By: Douglas Loss

Douglas Loss — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:43:55 +0000

Eric, I see that you’re doing exactly what Octavian was doing. I didn’t say anything about Mike Pence, but you’re trying to vilify others you disagree with rather than actually trying to talk to them and reach some compromise. You wrote to Pence as your “unrepresenting Representative” as you term it? Then you weren’t actually trying to have any kind of dialog, you were just shouting at him. And you wonder that he didn’t listen to you? You say America should listen to James Clingman’s description of Pence. Why? Since you don’t seem interested in listening to America, why should it return the favor? Listening goes both ways.

By: Eric C. Rodenberg

Eric C. Rodenberg — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 15:28:33 +0000

Doug (at-a) Loss: Same old divide and conquer, eh Doug? Once again the right fringe lunatics begin the trope: “Leftists are responsible for racial divides and extremism.” Pure absolute hogwash.
I, initially, wanted to commend James Clingman on his astute article on Pence before reading such aforementioned tripe.
I have lived in Pence’s Indiana congressional district for his 12 unremarkable years. He is the “hungry and lean” Cassius, compared to Trump’s Lear. (I know, two different plays, but character-wise). He is a greedy opportunist who cares nothing about people. He is a Christian, he says (almost like a parrot); but, his Jesus is a different spirit. His Jesus doesn’t help the poor, he makes it more difficult for them to find food and shelter. His Jesus also has a strange view of his mate. She doesn’t merit proper health care, especially if she is poor. Pence’s Jesus, I guess, also doesn’t believe in abortion – I don’t remember having this issue foremost in mind. But, I know he didn’t mention abortions at his Sermon on the Mount. I know he talked about murder, and that doesn’t seem to bother Pence. I know that my Rep. Pence never saw a war he didn’t like.
I repeatedly wrote Pence (letters to my ‘unrepresenting Representative’, I used to title them). Look at his voting record. And as Indiana’s shiny new Guv, our wonder boy managed to piss off the gays, created his own “half ass” Obamacare program (only his HIP program put stricter demands on these “entitlements” – yes, another euphenism for racial disparity; and yes, of course he wanted to establish his own Governor press corps (stupid idea, the media killed it at the starting gate).
So in all, it’s business as usual in Indiana, whereas anywhere else you might be looking at 5-10 years.
I don’t know James Clingman. But, James Clingman knows Mike Pence. And America should listen.
Eric C. Rodenberg

By: Douglas Loss

Douglas Loss — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 13:58:03 +0000

You know Octavian, from what I can see the focus on racial divides and extremism is coming in great part from the left. If you try reaching out to those you disagree with you might find that there are many areas in which you can agree or come to some compromise that everyone can accept. But if you insist on making everything “us versus them” the only thing you will do is ensure that the conflict will intensify. It doesn’t have to, but you need to put aside your antipathy toward others and try to see them as individuals with different ideas and experiences from yours rather than as some evil mass of mindless drones. That’s never been true (of either side), but if you insist on punishing anyone who deviates even a bit from your side’s dogma you will never have peace.

Oh, and the “lasting turnaround in American political thinking” you talk about won’t occur, at least not as you imagine. The left isn’t winning any new hearts and minds with their continuous violence and shrieking; if anything ordinary people are backing away from such things in disgust.

By: Octavian

Octavian — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 21:57:24 +0000

Trump is a man who, unlike his more refined Republican supporters in Congress, has been eating out of the trash bin that is the right-wing media and asking for seconds. He is one with his base, there is very little dressing up of any of the tongue-in-cheek implications found on Fox News.
What’s great about him though is his tragic flaw, namely that he is not refined enough to dress up his racism, misogyny and ignorance and lays bare the hypocrisy of the Republican party for all to see.
The longer he stays the deeper he will drag down his party and the conservative ideology which might finally bring about a lasting turnaround in American political thinking.
Democrats, centrists, white and blacks must play their cards right and not let this opportunity slip by focusing on racial divides and extremism. Unity of purpose and action must supersede all other considerations. The war is never won; battles continue until a new enemy arises and the war itself is redefined.