# Has there ever been a Democratic/Liberal political mirror to Trump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 5, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116 "2020-06-05T19:21:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/21 "2020-06-08T18:51:23Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Huey Long, the Governor, then Senator, of Louisiana from 1928 to 1935. > > The mud eaters loved him because he stuck it to Standard Oil, which was pretty much running the state, and spent funds lavishly on hospitals, schools, and decent roads. Although he seems to be a jerk racist typical of his period, he also did lots of good things for the Black population, so they loved him too. > > Like Trump he was self-aggrandizing, preening, and obsessed with lining his own pockets. He was quite a bit smarter, though, which had Fed level pols scared he would challenge FDR in 1936 with his “Every Man a King!” rhetoric. Fortunately, he was shot dead in Baton Rouge by a disgruntled young physician in 1935. The bullet holes can still be seen in the walls by the elevator at the capitol. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/22 "2020-06-08T19:04:10Z")
[Marrion Barry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Barry) is my go to politician when I start thinking that I would always vote for a Dem. Corrupt, and flashy, and sleezy with a devoted following who would keep electing him, even after being convicted of perjury and drug possession, and serving 6 months in prison. Still nowhere near as incompetent as Trump. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/23 "2020-06-08T22:18:08Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > In terms of being a corrupt, self serving, arrogant, self aggrandizing and myopic pathological liar, has there ever been a poltician who displayed such a rare combination of negative traits? > > I am attempting to find someone from the other side of the aisle that is as vile of a human being as Trump. > > Hated? - likely Hillary (I believe if ANYONE on Earth not named Clinton ran in 2016, we would have the clown we have now in office). > > Lies? - I guess Clinton and even Kennedy might get close but they had great charisma and fall far short of vile in my opinion (Carter was likely the most honest and we see how that went in office). > > Self serving/Myopic - Maxine Waters comes to mind but she falls far short in other facets of vile/Trump. > > Maybe Rod Blagojevich? Definitely corrupt but not sure if he is as vile a human as our Commander in Chief. > > Lots of general scumbags in folks like Larry Craig, Robert Packwood and Dennis Hastert but they are all republican :dubious: > > So… I am falling short here, someone enlighten me. I would suggest that you don’t have to use the “\_\_\_\_ lives matter” format in every instance where a person dies and that you recently started a thread about how you having trouble with push back to the use of “all lives matter” that maybe you’re not as conflicted as you claim. [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=897399](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=897399) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/24 "2020-06-09T00:55:31Z")
None of these people come anywhere near Trump in sheer incompetence. In fact, that’s his only saving grace; he has hardly accomplished anything. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/25 "2020-06-09T08:26:04Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > None of these people come anywhere near Trump in sheer incompetence. In fact, that’s his only saving grace; he has hardly accomplished anything. Incompetence was his saving grace until this year. This year we needed some competent leadership and we didn’t get it from the Oval Office. Trump’s incompetence killed around fifty thousand Americans this year. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/26 "2020-06-09T11:06:02Z")
he appointed 300 judges and 2 Supreme court judges. They will be around a long time, some of them will be on the bench after he is 6 feet under. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/27 "2020-06-09T11:27:36Z")
Normally the sorting hat puts you into Slytherin if you swing that way. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/28 "2020-06-09T14:54:09Z")
There is no liberal version of Trump because anyone nearly as mirror image awful as him is nowhere near the Oval office. He or she is raving on a street corner somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/29 "2020-06-09T16:59:45Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > In terms of being a corrupt, self serving, arrogant, self aggrandizing and myopic pathological liar, has there ever been a poltician who displayed such a rare combination of negative traits? The question may be flawed, because Trump arguably isn’t really, and never was, a politician (except in the sense that anyone who holds a political office is a politician. But that makes him a politician in the same sense that, if I strapped you down and tried to cut out your appendix, it’d make me a surgeon). In that sense, someone like Lyndon Johnson is the polar opposite of Trump. If we think of outsiders, non-politicans who entered politics, Jesse Ventura reminds me a little of Trump—but he’s far from a perfect parallel. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/30 "2020-06-09T17:57:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Remember, Hillary wasnt hated until the GOP and Kremlin lie machine turned on her… I disagree. The disdain wasn’t shouted from the rooftops until she won the primary but it was there all the time. Agree with the poster who mentioned Weiner. Total slimeball. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/31 "2020-06-09T18:22:32Z")
> [@Dark\_Sponge](#): > > Agree with the poster who mentioned Weiner. Total slimeball. Not to mention that it was the existence of emails on Weiner’s laptop that prompted Comey to reopen the investigation into Hillary 11 days before the election, so one slimeball indirectly helped elect the slimeballiest president ever. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/32 "2020-06-09T19:20:18Z")
That reminded me of the time when Weiner was a joke. Then I wondered if children saw his images (they did). Then his contribution to the email scandal. Fortunately he never held that much power. To answer the OP, I can think of no American left-wing politician that bad. Hugo Chavez comes to mind thinking about any left-wing elected politician that bad. (Chavez actually won an election. I’m not counting Fidel Castro as I don’t believe Castro ever ran for office.) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/33 "2020-06-09T19:38:51Z")
Boss Tweed [William M. Tweed - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed) Gentleman Jimmy Walker [Jimmy Walker - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Walker) Michael J. Matthews [Michael J. Matthews - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Matthews) Frank Gilliam [https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/atlantic-city-mayor-frank-gilliam-guilty-plea-federal-court/219729/](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/atlantic-city-mayor-frank-gilliam-guilty-plea-federal-court/219729/) ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/34 "2020-06-09T19:45:06Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > You’d have to go way back to find a major figure in the Democratic Party who approaches Trump’s level and unique blend of scumbaggery and buffoonery. How about Wayne Hays [Wayne Hays - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Hays) > [@](#): > > In May 1976, the Washington Post broke the story quoting Elizabeth Ray, Hays’s former secretary, saying that Hays hired her on his staff, and later gave her a raise as staff of the House Administration Committee for two years, to serve as his mistress. Hays had divorced his wife of 38 years just months prior, and married his veteran Ohio office secretary, Patricia Peak, five weeks before the scandal broke.[4] Ostensibly a secretary, Ray admitted: “I can’t type. I can’t file. I can’t even answer the phone.” She even “let a reporter listen in as the Ohio congressman told her on the phone that his recent marriage (to another former secretary) would not affect their arrangement.”[6] > > Time Magazine reported, “Liz chose to tell her story after Hays decided to marry Pat Peak and did not invite her. ‘I was good enough to be his mistress for two years but not good enough to be invited to his wedding,’ she pouted.” Three days later, Hays admitted to most of the allegations on the House floor, denying only “that Miss Ray’s federal salary was awarded solely for sexual services. She was not, insisted Hays, ‘hired to be my mistress.’”[5] He resigned as chairman of the Committee on House Administration on June 18, 1976, and then resigned from Congress on September 1, 1976.[2] Wilbur Mills [Wilbur Mills - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Mills) > [@](#): > > Mills was involved in a traffic incident in Washington, DC at 2 a.m. on October 9, 1974.[7] U.S. Park Police stopped his car late at night because he had not activated the vehicle’s headlights. Mills was intoxicated, and his face was injured following a scuffle with Annabelle Battistella, better known as Fanne Foxe, a stripper from Argentina. When police approached the car, Foxe leapt from the vehicle and jumped into the nearby Tidal Basin in an attempt to escape.[7][8][9] She was taken to St. Elizabeths Mental Hospital for treatment. > > Despite the scandal, Mills was re-elected to Congress in November 1974 in a heavily Democratic year with nearly 60% of the vote, defeating Republican Judy Petty. On November 30, 1974, Mills, seemingly drunk, was accompanied by Fanne Foxe’s husband onstage at The Pilgrim Theatre in Boston, a burlesque house where Foxe was performing. He held a press conference from Foxe’s dressing room.[7] Soon after this second public incident, Mills stepped down from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee, acknowledged his alcoholism, joined Alcoholics Anonymous, and checked himself into the Palm Beach Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida.[10] ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/35 "2020-06-09T22:17:34Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > he appointed 300 judges and 2 Supreme court judges. They will be around a long time, some of them will be on the bench after he is 6 feet under. Unfortunately true. But this isn’t attributable to Trump’s acumen in picking jurists; in this regard, he’s a Gov. LePetomane, just signing what McConnell and the Federalist Society put in front of him. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/36 "2020-06-11T14:31:15Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Huey Long, the Governor, then Senator, of Louisiana from 1928 to 1935. > > The mud eaters loved him because he stuck it to Standard Oil, which was pretty much running the state, and spent funds lavishly on hospitals, schools, and decent roads. Although he seems to be a jerk racist typical of his period, he also did lots of good things for the Black population, so they loved him too. > > Like Trump he was self-aggrandizing, preening, and obsessed with lining his own pockets. He was quite a bit smarter, though, which had Fed level pols scared he would challenge FDR in 1936 with his “Every Man a King!” rhetoric. Fortunately, he was shot dead in Baton Rouge by a disgruntled young physician in 1935. Don’t forget his younger brother Earl Long. Corrupt, petty, eccentric and had a thing for strippers. In his last term as governor, he was confined to a psychiatric hospital for mental illness. Rather than resign, he had the head of the state hospital system fired and appointed a supporter as a replacement who then ordered Long to be released. Also, another vote for Marion Barry to be on the list. “Some governments are corrupt but are known for their competency in running the city,” Sen. John C. Danforth (R-Mo.) told Mr. Barry at a 1989 hearing on the D.C. budget. “Others are incompetent but considered clean. [Washington’s] government is scandalously corrupt and hopelessly incompetent.” And that was before the “Bitch set me up!” sex and drugs scandal and imprisonment. > **[Marion Barry dies at 78; 4-term D.C. mayor was the most powerful local...](https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/marion-barry-dies-4-term-dc-mayor-the-most-powerful-local-politician-of-his-generation/2014/11/23/331ad222-c5da-11df-94e1-c5afa35a9e59_story.html)** > > The most powerful local politician of his generation, he was a national symbol of self-governance and home rule for urban blacks, even as his personal and public life was fraught with the high drama of a drug arrest and jail sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116/37 "2020-06-11T21:24:51Z")
Tom Pendergast? > **[Tom Pendergast](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Pendergast)** > > Thomas Joseph Pendergast (July 22, 1872 – January 26, 1945), also known as T. J. Pendergast, was an American political boss who controlled Kansas City and Jackson County, Missouri, from 1925 to 1939. > Pendergast only briefly held elected office, as an alderman, but his capacity as chairman of the Jackson County Democratic Party allowed him to use his large network of Irish family and friends to help the election of politicians, in some cases by voter fraud, and to hand out government contracts an... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-democratic-liberal-political-mirror-to-trump/855116.md?page=1)