Obama’s race was likely a contributing factor. But I also remember a third of the country also going insane when Bill Clinton got elected (twice).
I’m not exactly sure why it started at that point - I guess the it was the first time we had anything like a countercultural liberal as president… but the right has worked itself into such a fever dream of hysteria bout liberals being in charge that I guess this is the new normal now.
Well, Clinton was the first baby-boomer president and the first president going back to WW2 with no military service of any kind. Obama has no military experience, either, and I wonder, besides the obvious factor of his race, how much this fueled some of the resentment. Can’t have non-miltary-serving libruls running the country.
Oh, wait.
The irony is that Trump was basically a draft dodger during Vietnam with mysterious bone spurs he can’t remember on which foot they were.
I wonder how much demographics have to do with it. I’ve heard for years about the aging U.S. population. The baby boomers were a driving cultural force in the 1960s, '70s, '80s; as they age it will put extra strain on the health care system; the ratio of workers to those on Social Security will affect federal budgeting; etc. I’ve also heard for years that older people tend to vote conservative/Republican.
But I think there’s even more going on; resistance to change, preyed upon by advertisers, losing their collective influence. They have much to fear (or at lest they think they do) and are susceptible to those who stoke those fears.
I’ve been wondering when the U.S. will reach peak average age, how quickly that number will start to come down, and whether that will bring about a shift in American politics.
Hair’s one thing, but no matter how ridiculous the outfit Louis XIV fucking rocked those tights. It’s a rare man who can wear that many ribbons and red high heels yet still make you feel like the bitch. But having seen that painting IRL, it does somehow make you feel small. And judged.
OTOH I simply refuse to imagine Trump in thigh-high silk tights.
To me, another reason the right wing went apeshit over Clinton is that he upset their applecart. After eight years of Reagan and four of GHWB they probably felt pretty secure that given another four years and a few electoral tweaks, they could remain in power indefinitely — then this hillbilly came out of (seemingly) nowhere and ruined everything. The conservative reaction to Clinton’s election reminded me of nothing more than a spoiled child who’d suddenly had his toys taken away.
And Obama, who had the temerity to seek the Presidency while black, was even worse.
GHW Bush also successfully kicked Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait and was riding pretty high after that and seemed a shoo-in for re-election before his “Read my lips” promise came back to bite him in the ass.
The 89% approval rating made me wonder what was the highest and the answer is in the next example:
Let’s hope Trump himself doesn’t get any ideas and he seems at present to be publically walking back military action against Iran, although I’m sure Bolton (Wormtongue the Lesser) and Miller (Wormtongue the Greater) would see an approval ratings boost as an added bonus to Bolton’s wet dream of regime change.
At the time, conservatives were still pretending like traditional American values existed and that they owned them entirely. We’re well past that now.
It does occur to me that the “2 for 1” deal was likely a contributor, the implication that we were going to have a First Lady who would do some actual presidenting and who was painted as an anti-military liberal commie. Personally I disliked the “2 for 1” trope as well, I think it’s wrong for someone to author major policy initiatives just because of who they’re married to.
I tolerated it because conservatives are always worse, but upon reflection I think Hillary is what drove a third of the country insane in 1992, and she never really went away. (Voted for her 3 times, don’t attack me).
The president turns to his digital strategy director for validation of his policies on everything from immigration to troop levels in Syria.
TL;DR
Trump’s Twitter guru used to be his 16-year-old caddy, the crazy punctuation, spelling, and grammar are Trump, and Trump still obsesses about his Twitter “crowd size” and is jealous and insecure about Obama. SAD!
Thump seems to believe that the number of Twitter followers is a direct indication of his popularity. But plenty of people who DESPISE him also follow him on Twitter so they can read his tweets, comment on them, reply to him, and write op-eds about them. He really doesn’t have one single clue. :smack:
