# Will Trump pull an LBJ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 29, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700 "2020-06-29T21:07:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/101 "2020-07-06T00:44:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > You ( **Theodore-Striker** ) said something pretty interesting there that popped a thought into my head. > > Enough Rs are riding on Trump’s coat tails that maybe, just maybe, he’s about to blackmail the R party. > > Here’s his top secret pitch: “If you don’t pay me $X and promise to route all DOD procurement for the next Y years through a Trump shell company I’ll resign at a time chosen to screw you all so bad you won’t be able to hold dog catcher in wacko-R central Idaho, much less anywhere sensible. Pay up or die in Nov.” Trump’s deals take the form “I get what I want now, and promise you something to come later”, and this doesn’t really fit that mold. If there was some way for Trump to get paid now for a tank, or a boxcar full of potatoes, due to be delivered next year, then he’d probably go for it. Always remember that Trump gets the cash up front. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/102 "2020-07-06T16:01:46Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > The problem Republicans have is that the party orthodoxy has always been highly tolerant of economic inequality in general. In fact the ideology espouses policies that encourage it. That’s not to say that Republicans are evil, but going back to the late 1800s, they’ve been a party of big business. This is a great post (all of it, not just the part I snipped down to because _crippling_ 3500-character limit). But I think you have a internalized something counter-productive and it shows when you say things like “Biden will have to fight for progressive values, and more than that, he’ll have to score some big wins”. This is a symptom of “big man saves us” syndrome and it helps sustain authoritarians. (I don’t fault you for this; most Americans do the same thing. We’ve been promoting the imperial presidency for a long time.) We need to get over expecting leaders be responsible for everything, both good and ill. We need to build our political movements from the ground up and the movements have to hold officials to the standards the movements expect. We’ve seen how effective the right is at doing this. The center and the left must do the same. And I think the current presidency is making that happen. But the other side of movement-first politics is that the official serves the movement, not the other way. Trump is going to severely weaken the right because allowed his presidency to be all about him. The greatest problem with Bernie is he seems to place himself as more important than the movement and too many of the left are too accepting of that. Please let’s not do that with Biden. He is our servant; do not expect him to lead, expect him to follow the movement. In practice that means we will have to pressure him and our Congress to do what we want. Waiting for the president and Congress to do anything means we will get nothing. Bottom line: we have to be our own saviors. ---
**Author:** ![Flopnoodle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@Flopnoodle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flopnoodle)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/103 "2020-07-06T20:00:49Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Please let’s not do that with Biden. He is our servant; do not expect him to lead, expect him to follow the movement. In practice that means we will have to pressure him and our Congress to do what we want. Waiting for the president and Congress to do anything means we will get nothing. I agree with the sentiment - Biden and Congress aren’t going to solve problems for us. But I disagree in that we need leadership that enables solutions. Leadership is not doing things by fiat, it’s enabling an organization to attain goals. So we need leadership that allows progress to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/104 "2020-07-06T20:43:09Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Trump’s deals take the form “I get what I want now, and promise you something to come later” I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/105 "2020-07-06T21:55:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > > Trump’s deals take the form “I get what I want now, and promise you something to come later” > > I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today Hamberder. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/106 "2020-07-06T23:18:03Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > This is a symptom of “big man saves us” syndrome and it helps sustain authoritarians. (I don’t fault you for this; most Americans do the same thing. We’ve been promoting the imperial presidency for a long time.) > > We need to get over expecting leaders be responsible for everything, both good and ill. We need to build our political movements from the ground up and the movements have to hold officials to the standards the movements expect. We’ve seen how effective the right is at doing this. On a very practical level the right has been prioritizing the winning of local and state elections for a long time, while the left has been dreaming of the Progressive Revolution and the President who will Get Us There. So, yes. State legislatures matter—a LOT. Governors matter. Even county government matters. And the left needs to stop looking for a Savior and start filing the paperwork to run for statehouse seats, etc. (Am I, personally, running for my state legislature? No, my life circumstances don’t allow for that. But I am certainly willing to put forth the effort to remind people of how important it is, instead of losing myself in fantasies of the Patriarch who will Save Us–as alluded to earlier, there’s too much of that in the Bernie “movement”. It’s not necessarily the case that Biden will be the center of any such cult, but even so—we need to think locally.) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/107 "2020-07-06T23:25:17Z")
I’m never going to vote for a Republican for the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/108 "2020-07-06T23:34:22Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’m never going to vote for a Republican… They may very well have to change the party name. As it stands, their numbers are dwindling, and serious-minded people don’t want to be associated with them. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/109 "2020-07-07T00:07:22Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > They may very well have to change the party name. As it stands, their numbers are dwindling, and serious-minded people don’t want to be associated with them. There are some serious-minded crooks, cheats and liars out there. Plenty of racist morons too. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/110 "2020-07-07T02:37:02Z")
Agreed and I’ve said as much before. Indeed, be our own saviors. At the same time, leaders can’t be afraid to lead in a time when leadership is required. I’m cautiously optimistic that Biden can be that guy. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/111 "2020-07-07T02:38:26Z")
I say that, and yet, there are Republicans like Larry Hogan (Maryland’s governor) who’ve been refreshingly good governors. I’m far more likely to at least entertain a Republican at the state or local level. It’s at the national level where they’ve seemingly flushed their brains down the toilet. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/112 "2020-07-08T00:43:59Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I’m far more likely to at least entertain a Republican at the state or local level. It’s at the national level where they’ve seemingly flushed their brains down the toilet. Yeah. I’m always willing to look at the person’s record; the only times I’ve voted for a Republican have been for local offices, when they were the best choice available (in my view, of course). But it’s tough to defend any Republican in Congress, with the possible exception of Mitt Romney. Not in love with him, either–but he’s been closer to “patriot” than any of the rest of them. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/113 "2020-07-08T00:53:49Z")
Local government plays to the strengths of republican politicians. States and municipalities can’t print their own money. Funds are limited. Communities are competing with each other and need a salesman, which again often plays to someone with a business background. As long as they’re not a right wing douchebag, I’ll at least give a Republican a fair look at running a smaller government. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/114 "2020-07-08T01:01:30Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > As long as they’re not a right wing douchebag, I’ll at least give a Republican a fair look at running a smaller government. I agree. (Which is NOT to say that either of us is advocating for leaving local races to Republicans—as mentioned earlier, Dems need to _get in there_, particularly into state legislatures.) ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/115 "2020-07-08T01:03:40Z")
In an ideal world, there would be balance. The sad part about the republicans hard lurch to the right is that the country’s politics lacks a competition of ideas between two or more parties. I vote for democrats not simply because I am progressive but to stop Republicans from their madness. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/116 "2020-07-08T13:44:20Z")
But non-charismatic presidents do not do well ie Taft, Carter. I believe Biden will successfully manage the Trump reconstruction, but to move on from there we need an intelligent, charismatic leader - a Huey Long! ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/117 "2020-07-08T14:06:11Z")
Back to the OP - obviously Trump is not inclined to resign, for all the reasons presented above. However it is in the best interests of the GOP for him to do so. The solution is for the party to create a desirable path for him. A golden bridge over which to retreat. Make him a senior statesman and maybe set up MAGA TV or radio. He could do radio from his golden toilet. But, then they need a substitute candidate - Tucker Carlson fills the bill. Carlson is educated, intelligent and, like Reagan, a professional performer. He’s already got name recognition. Carlson could actually win. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/118 "2020-07-12T14:09:00Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > There are some serious-minded crooks, cheats and liars out there. I’m taking this out of context, but I’ve only had one cuppa joe. In _The Italian Job_ (1969), Mr. Bridger was a serious-minded crook. But he was also a patriot. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/119 "2020-07-12T15:37:05Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > But, then they need a substitute candidate - Tucker Carlson fills the bill. Carlson is educated, intelligent and, like Reagan, a professional performer. He’s already got name recognition. Carlson could actually win. It’ll soon be too late to get Carlson on the ballot in some states, and he doesn’t have time to convince the die hard Trumpists. The religious obsession Trump gets from his true devotees wouldn’t just transfer to Carlson. Many millions of his voters would see this as a massive betrayal. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700/120 "2020-07-12T22:11:02Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It’ll soon be too late to get Carlson on the ballot in some states, and he doesn’t have time to convince the die hard Trumpists. The religious obsession Trump gets from his true devotees wouldn’t just transfer to Carlson. Many millions of his voters would see this as a massive betrayal. There are a few Trump family members, who have Dear Leader ambitions of their own, who would encourage outrage at any attempt by Tucker Carlson to take the throne. Tucker might find himself getting the treatment Anthony Fauci is now receiving: > [@](#): > > …The attacks on Fauci come as coronavirus surges nationwide, which Trump has repeatedly downplayed as a result of increased testing rather than increased infections. [Florida on Sunday reported] over 15,000 new cases, the most any state has reported in a single day since the pandemic began. The U.S. on Friday also [surpassed 70,000 new coronavirus cases] nationwide for the first time ever. > > The list circulated by the White House bears striking resemblance to the opposition research that political candidates often circulate to the media about their opponents. … > **[White House seeks to discredit Fauci as coronavirus surges](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/12/white-house-seeks-to-discredit-dr-anthony-fauci-as-coronavirus-surges.html)** > > Many of the statements the White House criticizes Fauci for were based on the best available data at the time and were widely echoed by Trump and other officials. The Trump family will go down kicking and screaming and smearing anyone they see as an “opponent.” Tucker Carlson may not be prepared for what he’d face if he challenges them–I’d be surprised if he doesn’t just wait until they’re all jailed, THEN make his move to become the new flag-bearer of the white-supremacist right. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-pull-an-lbj/913700.md?page=7)