I couldn't help but bang my head against the wall, albeit gently, at the analysis this weekend of the CNN poll showing that more and more people are "nostalgic" for the DJT presidency. Leaving aside the notion that nostalgia is something usually expressed looking back decades more than just a few years ... what the hell is there to be no…
I couldn't help but bang my head against the wall, albeit gently, at the analysis this weekend of the CNN poll showing that more and more people are "nostalgic" for the DJT presidency. Leaving aside the notion that nostalgia is something usually expressed looking back decades more than just a few years ... what the hell is there to be nostalgic about?
Lies, more lies, and nothing but lies at every turn?
Encouraging and even empowering sympathetic thugs and racists to malevolent behavior toward anyone who opposes what they want and believe?
The daily grind of waking up and wondering what he already had said and done to piss people off around the world?
The barrage of personal insults and abusive behavior that would get any of the rest of us fired and friendless in no time?
The utter unwillingness to do actual work yet take credit for everything?
The complete lack of accountability that comes with power and responsibility, in both personal and professional settings?
Watching other world leaders openly mock and make fun of him, and by extension America?
And, above all, that romantic pandemic that he did nothing of consequences to prevent ravaging our nation (including dismantling the infrastructure already in place to prepare and minimize the impact) and had us wearing masks everywhere, uprooting our lives wholesale, hoarding toilet paper and other needed resources, trying horse medicines and gargling for a cure, destroying the morale and psyches of our health care professionals, and losing hundreds of thousands of loved ones who never will come back from the dead?
And so much more. Please tell me what on Earth there is to look back fondly on about those four-plus confrontational, antagonistic years -- assuming that self-serving, debt-inducing tax breaks for the fellow rich and multiple ill-gotten gains on the Supreme Court aren't your kind of thing. From where I sit there is no nostalgia to be felt. Instead it remains: how can we miss him if he won't go away?
Deutschmeister, I wonder why you appear to be hijacking Morning Shots so often these days by not engaging at all with the content. William Kristol is spot-on today with his examination of the inside of trump's skull. There's plenty of insight in it that is worthy of comment. You have your own newsletter for lengthy discussion of issues that are top-of-mind for you.
"Hijacking"? A strong accusation. I do not appreciate it. Is there some rule book I'm not aware of that our comments always must be limited to what the hosts choose to say, even when they omit important stories of the day that warrant our attention and interaction on the bigger-picture topics in play? If so, please share. No one at The Bulwark has called such a requirement to my attention.
I also do not have the ability to "hijack" anything here. I'm just one of many subscribers, posting my thoughts, with no power or control over others, what they choose to say, or what they should or must read.
If you've seen my comments over time, at least enough to characterize them, then you should be familiar with how often I directly quote material from the column as a lead-in to sharing my thoughts. Evidently you've missed that.
If others think I'm hogging the forum or feel that my thoughts are unwelcome or inappropriate, I'm open to their input and will take it into account. I certainly am willing to respect that. Or you can simply scroll past what you do not wish to read and let each of us have our say when stated in a mature, responsible manner.
Thank you, Maggie. I appreciate the kind words. One thing that often is on my mind here is that our esteemed hosts are on a pitch count, so to speak -- they have only limited space per column to say what they want to say and cover the relevant issues as they arise. Some topics may be too important to get lost in the shuffle a day or two or a week later. Thus it sometimes falls to us to fill in some of the gaps as informed observers and generate substantive (and hopefully interesting) discussion of them. My two cents' worth anyway, while acknowledging that individual mileage may vary on the topic.
I agree with your every word. How an people look back on all that with fondness? I don’t look back at the months I spent in the hospital, ICU, and cardiac rehab, and wish I could go back to that magical time. They’re not just ignoring COVID, and Trump has not grown in wisdom with his years.
It’s bizarre to hear people fantasize that Trump can come back and stop these protests when the BLM protests occurred under his auspices. He and Fox used footage of Portland in ads warning about Biden’s America. Footage from his own presidency. It was literally Trump’s America.
I guess colleges and universities are a potential staging ground for this election’s panic over chaos and destruction. Speaker Johnson was happy to throw matches at Columbia. Reminds me of Reagan trashing U.C. Berkeley when I was young.
Remember, to many MAGAs, anything "bad" that happened during Trump's administration was solely because Democrats / liberals and traitorous Republican squishes kept him from being able to govern properly.
As you point out, nostalgia usually kicks in for times decades in the rearview, and often through a pollyanna lens that remembers the good while ignoring or sweeping under the rug all of the bad. But there is often at least something there to long for, even if things weren't as perfect as we imagine. But for the Trump years, all I remember is bad, and a constant dread. It's an odd thing to get nostalgic over.
Without thinking about it, I remember only the constant chaos and grinding sense of daily confrontation and antagonism, and increasing sense of polarization, constantly sapping my mental energy and will/desire to interact with other people for fear of irrational reactions and the unwillingness to have give-and-take discussions. That isn't political so much as it is the toxic personality of the man, magnified by the millions who were/are quite willing to go along for the ride as long as there is something in it for them.
I know people found some of his policies appealing, but even granting that, it's hard to separate that from the chaos and confrontation you mention. It's like someone chain smoking because they really like it, but ignoring their emphysema. Whatever good you may think the man did, it's very much overwhelmed for me by that other stuff, like a thousand to one.
We all have the capacity to self harm. I have a friend annually monitoring spots on his lungs who smokes early and often. He's quit before, but his partner finds it too hard to quit so he continues to puff away with her because he's in love. Trump pushes the right buttons for the people who are Trump curious, so over the cliff they go.
It is nostalgia for a pre-COVID world - that is what I take away from polls like that. It has nothing to do with Trump and everything to do with COVID.
Notably, that same poll shows Trump up big with young voters. That can only be happening if a substantial portion of left-of-center voters are voting for Trump or third parties.
A maddening prospect—but, for Dems, it clarifies what’s going on.
The polls also clearly indicate that substantial portions of the electorate may be blaming Biden for the end of abortion rights, solely because Dobbs came down while he was president. And, by association, being nostalgic for the relative freedom of, of all things, Trump’s presidency. For what that’s worth.
I have not seen the weekend poll that brought you to the brink of a self-induced unconsciousness, but could it be that it was a KNN troll poll masquerading as a CNN one, you know, "K" as in gremlin without the "g"?
Thank you for the citations. It still sounds like a Putinesque (=small man) Gremlin to me. Maybe I am just jaded from all the horror polls which seems designed to cause people to be resigned to the inevitable and just quit.
When was the last time you were asked to be in a poll? I wonder how many Bulwarkians have been asked, in person so they could see to whom they were speaking, by a reputable pollster (if that is not a contradiction in terms), to provide answers to questions without knowing if those answers were recorded at all, let alone accurately.
Why is it that the human mind gives more credence to what an unknown entity says unknown people say they think about an event that is to happen in the future, enough more to take it to the bank than what their friends and acquaintances say? Could it be that that that has occurred to the degree that it is taken as gospel since the advent of the internet and telephone polling?
I've said it before and indubitably will need to again, but the only poll that counts is the one where I cast a vote on election day (or make use of a mail-in ballot before hand).
I agree with you on this. Honestly I can't say when the last time was that I participated in a phone poll, as I usually do not answer anymore if I do not have a good idea of who is calling. Like you, I soothe my conscience on that by making sure to participate in the polls that actually matter -- elections, be they local, state, or national.
As I noted in another thread, to the extent that many of them remember anything bad about the COVID times, they blame excessive / oppressive Democrats and liberals, reinforced by their MAGA media silos.
And the price went back up after we started driving again. The darned supply and demand thingy again. I fond of keep the cruise ships at sea so my numbers don't go up.
Which is to say: they are vote whores more than people of actual principles. We simply try to determine the price they are willing to pay, and what it will cost the rest of us.
I couldn't help but bang my head against the wall, albeit gently, at the analysis this weekend of the CNN poll showing that more and more people are "nostalgic" for the DJT presidency. Leaving aside the notion that nostalgia is something usually expressed looking back decades more than just a few years ... what the hell is there to be nostalgic about?
Lies, more lies, and nothing but lies at every turn?
Encouraging and even empowering sympathetic thugs and racists to malevolent behavior toward anyone who opposes what they want and believe?
The daily grind of waking up and wondering what he already had said and done to piss people off around the world?
The barrage of personal insults and abusive behavior that would get any of the rest of us fired and friendless in no time?
The utter unwillingness to do actual work yet take credit for everything?
The complete lack of accountability that comes with power and responsibility, in both personal and professional settings?
Watching other world leaders openly mock and make fun of him, and by extension America?
And, above all, that romantic pandemic that he did nothing of consequences to prevent ravaging our nation (including dismantling the infrastructure already in place to prepare and minimize the impact) and had us wearing masks everywhere, uprooting our lives wholesale, hoarding toilet paper and other needed resources, trying horse medicines and gargling for a cure, destroying the morale and psyches of our health care professionals, and losing hundreds of thousands of loved ones who never will come back from the dead?
And so much more. Please tell me what on Earth there is to look back fondly on about those four-plus confrontational, antagonistic years -- assuming that self-serving, debt-inducing tax breaks for the fellow rich and multiple ill-gotten gains on the Supreme Court aren't your kind of thing. From where I sit there is no nostalgia to be felt. Instead it remains: how can we miss him if he won't go away?
Deutschmeister, I wonder why you appear to be hijacking Morning Shots so often these days by not engaging at all with the content. William Kristol is spot-on today with his examination of the inside of trump's skull. There's plenty of insight in it that is worthy of comment. You have your own newsletter for lengthy discussion of issues that are top-of-mind for you.
"Hijacking"? A strong accusation. I do not appreciate it. Is there some rule book I'm not aware of that our comments always must be limited to what the hosts choose to say, even when they omit important stories of the day that warrant our attention and interaction on the bigger-picture topics in play? If so, please share. No one at The Bulwark has called such a requirement to my attention.
I also do not have the ability to "hijack" anything here. I'm just one of many subscribers, posting my thoughts, with no power or control over others, what they choose to say, or what they should or must read.
If you've seen my comments over time, at least enough to characterize them, then you should be familiar with how often I directly quote material from the column as a lead-in to sharing my thoughts. Evidently you've missed that.
If others think I'm hogging the forum or feel that my thoughts are unwelcome or inappropriate, I'm open to their input and will take it into account. I certainly am willing to respect that. Or you can simply scroll past what you do not wish to read and let each of us have our say when stated in a mature, responsible manner.
Here's feedback, it's not your fault if your comments are more interesting than the piece itself :)
And they have been on occasion
Thank you, Maggie. I appreciate the kind words. One thing that often is on my mind here is that our esteemed hosts are on a pitch count, so to speak -- they have only limited space per column to say what they want to say and cover the relevant issues as they arise. Some topics may be too important to get lost in the shuffle a day or two or a week later. Thus it sometimes falls to us to fill in some of the gaps as informed observers and generate substantive (and hopefully interesting) discussion of them. My two cents' worth anyway, while acknowledging that individual mileage may vary on the topic.
Do I have nostalgia for my morning inbox with the predictable headlines leading with, “Trump lashes out . . . “? No, I do not.
I agree with your every word. How an people look back on all that with fondness? I don’t look back at the months I spent in the hospital, ICU, and cardiac rehab, and wish I could go back to that magical time. They’re not just ignoring COVID, and Trump has not grown in wisdom with his years.
Thanks for the Dan Hicks shoutout!🎶
It’s bizarre to hear people fantasize that Trump can come back and stop these protests when the BLM protests occurred under his auspices. He and Fox used footage of Portland in ads warning about Biden’s America. Footage from his own presidency. It was literally Trump’s America.
I guess colleges and universities are a potential staging ground for this election’s panic over chaos and destruction. Speaker Johnson was happy to throw matches at Columbia. Reminds me of Reagan trashing U.C. Berkeley when I was young.
Remember, to many MAGAs, anything "bad" that happened during Trump's administration was solely because Democrats / liberals and traitorous Republican squishes kept him from being able to govern properly.
As you point out, nostalgia usually kicks in for times decades in the rearview, and often through a pollyanna lens that remembers the good while ignoring or sweeping under the rug all of the bad. But there is often at least something there to long for, even if things weren't as perfect as we imagine. But for the Trump years, all I remember is bad, and a constant dread. It's an odd thing to get nostalgic over.
Without thinking about it, I remember only the constant chaos and grinding sense of daily confrontation and antagonism, and increasing sense of polarization, constantly sapping my mental energy and will/desire to interact with other people for fear of irrational reactions and the unwillingness to have give-and-take discussions. That isn't political so much as it is the toxic personality of the man, magnified by the millions who were/are quite willing to go along for the ride as long as there is something in it for them.
I remember being so scared we were going to start a war with Iran, NK and Mexico at the same time.
I remember getting very familiar with 3 am, night after night. Slapped into awake realizing for the millionth time who the president was.
My sleep has really gone downhill. I literally cannot sleep through the night without melatonin.
The Trump years turned me into a prepper.
I know people found some of his policies appealing, but even granting that, it's hard to separate that from the chaos and confrontation you mention. It's like someone chain smoking because they really like it, but ignoring their emphysema. Whatever good you may think the man did, it's very much overwhelmed for me by that other stuff, like a thousand to one.
We all have the capacity to self harm. I have a friend annually monitoring spots on his lungs who smokes early and often. He's quit before, but his partner finds it too hard to quit so he continues to puff away with her because he's in love. Trump pushes the right buttons for the people who are Trump curious, so over the cliff they go.
It is nostalgia for a pre-COVID world - that is what I take away from polls like that. It has nothing to do with Trump and everything to do with COVID.
Notably, that same poll shows Trump up big with young voters. That can only be happening if a substantial portion of left-of-center voters are voting for Trump or third parties.
A maddening prospect—but, for Dems, it clarifies what’s going on.
The polls also clearly indicate that substantial portions of the electorate may be blaming Biden for the end of abortion rights, solely because Dobbs came down while he was president. And, by association, being nostalgic for the relative freedom of, of all things, Trump’s presidency. For what that’s worth.
I have not seen the weekend poll that brought you to the brink of a self-induced unconsciousness, but could it be that it was a KNN troll poll masquerading as a CNN one, you know, "K" as in gremlin without the "g"?
It was highlighted on their programming yesterday and a feature on their website, specifically using the word "nostalgia" as part of the analysis.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/28/politics/biden-trump-nostalgia/index.html
Thank you for the citations. It still sounds like a Putinesque (=small man) Gremlin to me. Maybe I am just jaded from all the horror polls which seems designed to cause people to be resigned to the inevitable and just quit.
When was the last time you were asked to be in a poll? I wonder how many Bulwarkians have been asked, in person so they could see to whom they were speaking, by a reputable pollster (if that is not a contradiction in terms), to provide answers to questions without knowing if those answers were recorded at all, let alone accurately.
Why is it that the human mind gives more credence to what an unknown entity says unknown people say they think about an event that is to happen in the future, enough more to take it to the bank than what their friends and acquaintances say? Could it be that that that has occurred to the degree that it is taken as gospel since the advent of the internet and telephone polling?
I've said it before and indubitably will need to again, but the only poll that counts is the one where I cast a vote on election day (or make use of a mail-in ballot before hand).
I agree with you on this. Honestly I can't say when the last time was that I participated in a phone poll, as I usually do not answer anymore if I do not have a good idea of who is calling. Like you, I soothe my conscience on that by making sure to participate in the polls that actually matter -- elections, be they local, state, or national.
🥂
They just want to forget everything about COVID.
That’s exactly right, Trump gets the benefit of riding a good economy but not of riding it into the ground.
There was Covid denial ("Like the flu...); there was vaccine skepticism (unneeded, nefarious and dangerous) and nothing much has changed.
In fact it is a badge that they wear with pride. That defiance is part of the agreement to be a member of the cult in good standing.
As I noted in another thread, to the extent that many of them remember anything bad about the COVID times, they blame excessive / oppressive Democrats and liberals, reinforced by their MAGA media silos.
"Gas was cheap!" Forgetting that was only during the early days of the pandemic.
And the price went back up after we started driving again. The darned supply and demand thingy again. I fond of keep the cruise ships at sea so my numbers don't go up.
Which is to say: they are vote whores more than people of actual principles. We simply try to determine the price they are willing to pay, and what it will cost the rest of us.