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For your President's Day reading, it's official: Trump sucks
- Thread starter RavenSky
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Jimmy Higgins
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And this is before the resignation.
Artemus
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Why the hell did Dubya go up?
Ford
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I was living in Texas when W got elected governor. We were all like "wait...what...the dumb one? How the hell did that happen?"
Then when he ran for President I figured that there was no way he'd win. Somebody on the national stage would read Molly Ivins and realize he was nowhere near qualified to do the job his dad did.
Now I struggle with an urge to look fondly on Dubya's Presidency. Yeah, I know. Iraq. The financial crisis. The Dixie Chicks. Throwing a CIA agent under the bus. I get that. All of it.
Yet I think that for all of his faults - and they're legion - George W. Bush approached the job of President as a public service. He really did think that all the stuff he did was in service of the country. He was spectacularly wrong, but his intention was - as much as it could be - pure. His father served the country and he tried to follow in that tradition. And I think that on some level he realizes that he screwed the pooch.
Trump is only in it for himself.
RavenSky
The Doctor's Wife
^^^ that...
though it doesn't explain why he went up 5 points. In spite of his KFC habit, Trump only took one slot... at the very very very bottom
Oh the bitch in me is absolutely loving this news.
It made me so happy I even shared it with Trump directly!
Wasn't that nice of me?
I agree. I'm almost wistful for the W days.
Trump is a whole different animal, never before seen in the US presidency. He even makes Nixon look good.
bilby
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I agree. I'm almost wistful for the W days.
On which note, how did Nixon get out of the bottom 10?
Is it just name recognition - with 9 of the bottom 10 all being rather nondescript presidents from before the survey respondents were born?
barbos
Contributor
He did not go up by 5 points. He went up by 5 positions. It could be because 5 guys before him lost points.though it doesn't explain why he went up 5 points. In spite of his KFC habit, Trump only took one slot... at the very very very bottom
Arctish
Centimillionaire
Nixon got us out of Viet Nam and into diplomatic relations with China. He negotiated arms reduction treaties with Russia and created the Environmental Protection Agency.
He wasn't bad on most things but he was deeply paranoid and willing to engage in the dirtiest of dirty tricks against his perceived enemies.
He wasn't bad on most things but he was deeply paranoid and willing to engage in the dirtiest of dirty tricks against his perceived enemies.
barbos
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Yes, he meddled in US presidential elections.
Jimmy Higgins
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W at least had a heart, but up to this point, W did a lot more damage to America both domestically and abroad than Trump has... so far. All that shit about Clinton disgracing the White House? Trump will forever be a stain on our history... but he isn't yet responsible for the death or maiming of 10,000 US troops, the deaths of over 100,000 Iraqis and the permanent displacement of over 1,000,000 Iraqis. Among other things, like all that deficit spending. Granted, Trump is making the Katrina response seem appropriate with his efforts in Puerto Rico.
There are just so many other things that happened under W that were awful... as it really was the true start of the GOP entering their 'Democrats hate America' phase, as in the Senators, Representatives, and White House saying it. Ari Fleischer and the Bill Maher firing. Oi!
But W at least had a heart. The VP didn't, but W did... and people are starting to forget the fuckery.
ideologyhunter
Contributor
Obviously they counted the votes of illegal historians. Those people should be ashamed of themselves, and more.
I think that's the point. I don't remember in February of 2002 thinking to myself, "As a planet, we are fucked". And BushoCo's administration didn't have annual protest marches against them straight off the bat. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I don't remember Bush being so unpopular with both the world and his constituents his second year in. Most of the damage of the Bush administration was done in the back end of the first term, so I guess we have that to look forward to with regards to Trump.
Jimmy Higgins
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You don’t remember it well. W had gotten us out of the ABM Treaty, fucked up the embryonic stem cell deal, lost goodwill with our allies. And this is all before 9/11. After 9/11, Bill Maher loses his show and Ari Fleischer is telling Americans to watch what they say.
Fair point. It just feels a little different from the outside looking in. I certainly don't remember John Howard mocking Bush the way Malcolm Turnball mocked Trump. And it felt as if public opinion only really turned when Bush tried to use 9/11 to justify invading Iraq. And if I remember correctly, Freedom Fries and Old Europe comments didn't start until the middle of Bushs' second year. You are right though, I forgot about the ABM treaty and the fuck you to stem research. I'd compare what Ari Fleischer said to be equivalent to Trumps' "not applauding is treason" remarks, however.
Ya, it is weird that you can look back on Dubya and be somewhat nostalgic.