This regime's incompetence and corruption

[RockyRoadTravel]

For the fall elections, I think the winning message is speaking to the incompetency and corruption of this current regime in Washington DC.  

The economy, this is the second time The Incompetent has been handed a growing economy and then completely fucked it up. The first time with the disastrous response to COVID, the second time with the tariffs and attacking our allies.  He's been an economic incompetent.

Foreign policy, The Incompetent likes dropping bombs.  He likes causing chaos in other countries, he likes causing chaos at home.  A negotiated peace?  He's incapable of that, it's win or lose with him and a negotiated peace deal is beyond his abilities.  His incompetence is going to lead us into another forever war.  The spin off of insider trading amongst his buddies with the Friday afternoon peace pronouncements before TACO Tuesday brings us back to reality - that's just a bonus for The Incompetent.

Incompetency and corruption - the twin pillars of his triumphal archway.   

[stevenkesslar]

4 hours ago, RockyRoadTravel said:

The economy, this is the second time The Incompetent has been handed a growing economy and then completely fucked it up. The first time with the disastrous response to COVID, the second time with the tariffs and attacking our allies.  He's been an economic incompetent.

Spoiler alert:  rant incoming.

I don't disagree that Trump botched COVID.  There were many nails in his coffin in 2020.  And that was for sure one of them.  

But one of the reasons he won again in 2024 is people remember that "the Trump economy" from 2017 to 2020, pre-COVID, seemed to be pretty good. 

I'm not making a statement about whether that is objectively true.  I am making a statement that polling showed that is how people remembered it.  I'm pretty sure a lot of that feeling was that the inflation that happened under Biden - and to the whole world thanks to COVID - just was not a reality during Trump 1.0.  Susie Wiles was sure able to help capitalize on that in campaign messaging, when Trump listened to her.

I've had a nice but weird series of discussions with one of my brothers about this, who I refer to as a McCain Republican.  He's really mostly apolitical.  But he loved John McCain as a fellow Navy guy.  So this brother voted for Trump in 2016.  When I asked him why, he said, "Whatever he does, it's going to be interesting."  I said, "Yes.  Nuclear war is interesting.  It doesn't mean it's good."  That zinger of mine still might prove prescient.  I think being an infrequent voter who like most people isn't a fan of  government my brother just liked the "break the glass" quality about Trump.

That changed bigly by 2020.  By then this brother was raging way more than me, the real lefty in the family, about how Trump was a "megalomaniac."  He now despises Trump.  He of course voted for Biden in 2020, and Harris in 2024.  But when I asked him who he would have voted for in 2020 if he had only voted on the economy, he immediately said, "Trump."  When I asked him why, he said, "my retirement account was worth a lot more."  Stock market did pretty well under Trump.  And Biden, too, of course.

I'm sure this was a huge part of why young Zoomers who had no real recollections of Trump 1.0 when they were in high school were willing to give him a chance.  The economy, stupid.  They for sure didn't like high rent and mortgage rates under Biden.  Even my left-of-center nieces and nephews who were paying high rent or high mortgage rates were not happy with Biden at all.

Final point, which was an interesting poll outlier.  In every election since 2004 CNN asks if you are better or worse off than four years ago.  No surprise, people who say they are better off vote overwhelmingly like 2 to 1 or more for the incumbent party.  People who say they are worse off vote overwhelmingly against the incumbent party, also 2 to 1 or more.  People who say they are the same as four years ago usually split their vote 50/50 or so 

But 2020 was different.  So this is the third question down in that exit poll.   No surprise, people who felt better off financially under Trump 1.0 voted like 3 to 1 for Trump.  And people who felt worse off voted 3 to 1 for Biden.  Note that even in Nov. 2020 after months of COVID 40 % said they felt better off and only 20 % said they felt worse off financially after four years of Trump.  Had this been like 2004, 2008, 2012, or 2016, Trump would have won.  In all those other years the people who said they were about the same financially split their votes 50/50.  But for some reason in 2020 people who said "about the same" voted overwhelmingly for Biden, 65 to 34.

I think it was Trump's craziness that nailed his coffin shut in 2020.  That was for sure true in the family example I gave above. 

Another indicator of it in this same 2020 survey is that 49 % of voters said only Biden had the right temperament to be POTUS, and they all voted for Biden.  39 % of voters said only Trump had the temperament to be POTUS, and they all voted for Trump.  People who said either "both" or "neither" had the right temperament still voted heavily for Trump.  But the math problem both in 2020 and 2024 is about half of America is deeply convinced Trump is a lying dangerous asshole not fit to lead.  He is an idiot who bombs innocent girls and lies about it.  Why would any sane country want this piece of shit as their leader?  Other than America, of course!  🤔

So sorry for rambling.  But I hope Iran does not return the favor and assassinate this piece of shit.  I want to see him bleed out like the worthless piece of shit he is.  In 2020 I think the economy mostly did work in Trump's favor.  Even if it was just his good luck to inherit an economy that Team Obama, and/or time, healed.  But now the piece of shit has both a shitty economy in the eyes of a majority, and his own evil temperament.  So he is headed to a worse fate than 2020, I think.

Please Iran, do not assassinate Trump the worthless piece of shit.  Yes, he is warmonger who kills Iranian leaders and Iranian girls.  He is a weak pathological liar who can not even admit he kills children and lies about it. 

But don't you think he deserves to suffer the one thing he can't stand?  That the whole world increasingly views him as a failed worthless piece of shit? 

[Suckrates]

6 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

Please Iran, do not assassinate Trump the worthless piece of shit.  Yes, he is warmonger who kills Iranian leaders and Iranian girls.  He is a weak pathological liar who can not even admit he kills children and lies about it. 

But don't you think he deserves to suffer the one thing he can't stand?  That the whole world increasingly views him as a failed worthless piece of shit? 

Darling sis, If Trump hasn't realized THAT at this point, he is just INCAPABLE of that Realization.... Haven't WE all suffered enough?   Do we deserve to endure another 3 yrs of this "UNreality" show ?    Let Iran get their Justice with HIM.....PLEASE !   🙏

[Goober]

Perception matters more than reality.

[Suckrates]

1 hour ago, Goober said:

Perception matters more than reality.

Well, the perception really ISNT that good either, now is it ?  😏   Someone OR something NEEDS to knock Trump off his arrogant, racist, hateful, warmongering pedestal.   

[RockyRoadTravel]

1 hour ago, Goober said:

Perception matters more than reality.

This is largely my point.  The Incompetent was handed a growing economy by Obama. The economy that was doing well during the Incompetent's 1st term was handed to him, until he eventually fucked it up, like he always does, with his catastrophic mishandling of the COVID pandemic. The only success he had in his first term was taking credit for someone else's work on the economy - until he eventually fucked it up.  And, as you say, perceptions matter.  Lots of people have a notion that the Incompetent is responsible for any economic successes - not a fact based notion. 

Don't let him get away with this in his second term.  He was again handed a growing economy, drug prices coming down, gas prices coming down, inflation decreasing, job growth rapidly expanding, non-nuclear Iran (which John Kerry had already achieved through negotiations in 2016, but I digress), supports for new manufacturing in the USA, infrastructure investments (which Republicans voted against and now enjoy cutting ribbons for - but I again digress).  

I know this is an old story.  The GOP paints Obama and Biden presidencies as economic failures, when in both cases they were cleaning up GOP economic disasters (financial crisis of 2008 and pandemic crisis of 2020) and left the Incompetent-in-Chief growing economies marked particularly by job growth, which he is going to eventually fuck up again. 

With this term, the incompetency is blatantly obvious. The corruption is blatantly obvious.  I think these are the simple, concise messages that would be winners for the 2/3rds of Americans who are opposed to this regime that is for, by and about enriching billionaires.   

Also the megalomania and bat shit crazy of the Incompetent pairs nicely with the blatant corruption messaging.  

[Suckrates]

40 minutes ago, RockyRoadTravel said:

This is largely my point.  The Incompetent was handed a growing economy by Obama. The economy that was doing well during the Incompetent's 1st term was handed to him, until he eventually fucked it up, like he always does, with his catastrophic mishandling of the COVID pandemic. The only success he had in his first term was taking credit for someone else's work on the economy - until he eventually fucked it up.  And, as you say, perceptions matter.  Lots of people have a notion that the Incompetent is responsible for any economic successes - not a fact based notion. 

Don't let him get away with this in his second term.  He was again handed a growing economy, drug prices coming down, gas prices coming down, inflation decreasing, job growth rapidly expanding, non-nuclear Iran (which John Kerry had already achieved through negotiations in 2016, but I digress), supports for new manufacturing in the USA, infrastructure investments (which Republicans voted against and now enjoy cutting ribbons for - but I again digress).  

I know this is an old story.  The GOP paints Obama and Biden presidencies as economic failures, when in both cases they were cleaning up GOP economic disasters (financial crisis of 2008 and pandemic crisis of 2020) and left the Incompetent-in-Chief growing economies marked particularly by job growth, which he is going to eventually fuck up again. 

With this term, the incompetency is blatantly obvious. The corruption is blatantly obvious.  I think these are the simple, concise messages that would be winners for the 2/3rds of Americans who are opposed to this regime that is for, by and about enriching billionaires.   

Also the megalomania and bat shit crazy of the Incompetent pairs nicely with the blatant corruption messaging.  

 

The problem here is that Everyone is "allowing" him to get away with EVERYTHING in his Trump 2.0 rampage.....   The GOP supports him, and the Dems keep telling us what is illegal about the things he does, yet there is never and accountability or consequences.....  The talk is tired and cheap from the Dems.....  We KNOW Trumps actions are corrupt and illegal.  We dont need their bullhorn or acknowledgement.  We see and FEEL what Trump is doing. At least those of us that source our news from places other than Fox and Newsmax do.   Until  someone actually stands up and DOES something, or unless Trump dies,  this will be a very long and torturous 3 more years of his Crazy !      Trump is not the only one "incompetent".....  Seems the GOP and the Dems are too ?   Its just one big circle-jerk and fuck-fest. 

[Stable Genius]

What happened to "we've already won!"?

[RockyRoadTravel]

7 hours ago, Suckrates said:

 

The problem here is that Everyone is "allowing" him to get away with EVERYTHING in his Trump 2.0 rampage.....   The GOP supports him, and the Dems keep telling us what is illegal about the things he does, yet there is never and accountability or consequences.....  The talk is tired and cheap from the Dems.....  We KNOW Trumps actions are corrupt and illegal.  We dont need their bullhorn or acknowledgement.  We see and FEEL what Trump is doing. At least those of us that source our news from places other than Fox and Newsmax do.   Until  someone actually stands up and DOES something, or unless Trump dies,  this will be a very long and torturous 3 more years of his Crazy !      Trump is not the only one "incompetent".....  Seems the GOP and the Dems are too ?   Its just one big circle-jerk and fuck-fest. 

Getting back to the point of perceptions matter.  You may be set in your opinion, a lot of Americans are not.  We do need their bullhorn and acknowledgement.  We do need them banging on about this regime of corruption, to the point where FOX and Newsmax can't only exist in some fantasy world purporting the nonsense that things are getting better and not down the toilet. 

[Suckrates]

17 hours ago, RockyRoadTravel said:

Getting back to the point of perceptions matter.  You may be set in your opinion, a lot of Americans are not.  We do need their bullhorn and acknowledgement.  We do need them banging on about this regime of corruption, to the point where FOX and Newsmax can't only exist in some fantasy world purporting the nonsense that things are getting better and not down the toilet. 

Do you see it changing anything or making ANYTHING better  ?     Its just HIGHLIGHTING how Trump is getting over and away with everything... and making fools of us ALL. 

[RockyRoadTravel]

1 hour ago, Suckrates said:

Do you see it changing anything or making ANYTHING better  ?     Its just HIGHLIGHTING how Trump is getting over and away with everything... and making fools of us ALL. 

And doom scrolling accomplished what?  Tell me. 

[Suckrates]

2 hours ago, RockyRoadTravel said:

And doom scrolling accomplished what?  Tell me. 

I must be getting Alzheimers because I cant remember ever uttering anything about "doom scrolling"...... ?   Or are you introducing a NEW topic to the conversation here  ?  

[stevenkesslar]

22 hours ago, RockyRoadTravel said:

Getting back to the point of perceptions matter.  You may be set in your opinion, a lot of Americans are not.  

 

Ya think?

 

 

It is a remarkable and well deserved turn in fortune against Trump.

I think it confirms what both of us are saying.

If we are talking reality, not perception, you are right that Trump is a worthless dangerous piece of shit.   Although I wouldn't put it that kindly.  😉

If we are talking perception, Trump moved 70 FUCKING POINTS with Independents.  Meaning Independents had a 10 % preference for Trump over Harris on inflation when he was running in 2024.  Now he has - 60 points net disapproval on inflation with Independents.

I think what makes it worse for Trump is this is all clearly his own stupid judgment and broken promises.  Neither Biden nor Trump chose COVID, or the inflation it resulted in..  Trump chose to go to war with Iraq and spike oil  prices.  Although he claims he had no idea whatsoever that Iran might retaliate that way.  He may be telling the truth for once.  The piece of shit's ego clearly won't let him even consider the possibility that Iran is outsmarting him.

What a stupid worthless piece of shit.

Now what Independents need to do is put Democrats in power to restrain him for the last two miserable years of his sorry ass Presidency.

 

[RockyRoadTravel]

52 minutes ago, stevenkesslar said:

"he had no idea whatsoever"

 

That could be the MAGA bumper sticker and ball cap slogan going forward 

[stevenkesslar]

1 hour ago, stevenkesslar said:

Trump chose to go to war with Iraq and spike oil  prices.

And I guess I have no idea whatsoever how to spell.   I just noticed I named the wrong country, Iraq, when I of course meant Iran.  And I can't change that typo after an hour.

But the Republicans seem to have no idea whatsoever.  After Afghanistan and especially after Iraq, it is understandable that Trump was able to con people into voting for lower prices and no more more forever wars.   Oh well.

I don't think a lot of his voters ever really trusted him.  They simply gave him a chance, based on the words coming out of his lying conniving mouth.  Oops!  I think with that segment of voters, every one of which he and his party needs, they are fucked.

Now the question is whether Democrats can actually offer anything better than this.

[Pete1111]

2 hours ago, stevenkesslar said:

And I guess I have no idea whatsoever how to spell.   I just noticed I named the wrong country, Iraq, when I of course meant Iran.  And I can't change that typo after an hour.

But the Republicans seem to have no idea whatsoever.  After Afghanistan and especially after Iraq, it is understandable that Trump was able to con people into voting for lower prices and no more more forever wars.   Oh well.

I don't think a lot of his voters ever really trusted him.  They simply gave him a chance, based on the words coming out of his lying conniving mouth.  Oops!  I think with that segment of voters, every one of which he and his party needs, they are fucked.

Now the question is whether Democrats can actually offer anything better than this.

Voters trusted Trump more, that he was actually the "honest" candidate, willing to speak the truth.  At least that was my take, listening to voters interviewed by the NYT, before the election.

My sense is that even though some Trump voters are now in the "we're fucked" category, they still see Democrats as untrustworthy.  

This article below, from radical lefty Jacobin-dot-com, discusses how attacking Trump's corruption, as John Ossoff is doing, might be a best path to winning future cycles. 

That said, the piece claims how Democrats continually fail to deliver or execute on such campaign promises, which sounds like they will remain vulnerable in 2028.

https://jacobin.com/2025/10/corruption-democrats-trump-oligarchy-midterms

Skimming other articles on their site confirms their contempt for Democrats such as Buttigieg and Obama.  Knowing how the lefties tend not to lift a finger to prevent MAGA wins, if they are not happy with the Dem candidate, is worrisome to me, 45 and 47 cycles being the obvious examples.  I wish the radical lefties and Green Party would admit having Trump has not been the better choice, yet do they?

That said, if working class voters in battleground states shift back to the Democrats, that will be a factor in taking back the White House, according to Jacobin.

 

Here is Ossoff talking about Trump corruption.

 

 

[stevenkesslar]

17 hours ago, Pete1111 said:

My sense is that even though some Trump voters are now in the "we're fucked" category, they still see Democrats as untrustworthy.  

Bingo!

I strongly agree with one point, and strongly disagree with another.

I agree that Trump won because many Independents and people who don't tune into politics saw him as the more acceptable candidate.  To me it was less that he was somehow preferred or trusted.  He was the lesser evil.   I am really glad I watched Mark Halperin's podcasts with voters a lot in 2024.  I don't like his tone sucking up to Trump since Trump won.  But in 2024 I think Halperin did a great job just letting voters say what they thought.  There was a massive army of voters saying they were trying to figure out whether Trump or Harris were the lesser evil.

Biden looked like a wreck, inflation was real, Harris could not close the deal, and Trump played on all that.  It is a sign of his arrogance, or dementia, or both that he hasn't really even tried to deliver on his promise to lower prices and end forever wars.  So even if Independents and Zoomer men  had what could be called "trust" with Trump, I think Trump obliterated that.  And, unlike nukes in Iran, I doubt that "oblitereated" trust comes back six months later.  Hence Republicans freaking out about the midterms.

Where I disagree is that Democrats ranting about Trump is enough.  I know this will shock everyone, since it is pretty much unknown.  But Trump was impeached.  He was indicted.  He was convicted as a felon.  He was called Hitler -  by his own Veep.  Even The Divine Miss Graham talked unkindly about him before she got down and obediently licked the shit off his ass.  This is not to mention all the corruption and rape and sex and money scandals before 2016 when he was first elected.  So, while it is quite unknown, I do think attacking Trump as the piece of shit he is has been tried.  And it failed.

Actually, it did work once.  In 2020.  For the reason @RockyRoadTravel said.  The economy, stupid.  Trump fucked up the economy, thanks in large part to COVID, and he got thrown out of office due to that and his temperament.  Now he is doing the same shit again.

I want Democrats to focus on the economy.

My theory is that one thing could have gotten Harris elected:  fighting like hell for those expired child tax credits. 

My argument is weak, because polling showed clearly that those tax credits never really were wildly popular with the general voting public.  But polling also showed they were very popular - and helpful - with the tens of millions of Moms and Dads who got them.  And a lot of those working class Moms and Dads voted for Trump in 2024, as far as I can tell.  Democrats could not even produce a small monthly subsidy that did help offset rising prices for tens of millions of Hispanic, White, Black, and Asian working class families.  Again, many of whom voted for Trump because of rising prices. 

I don't think Kamala Harris talking about democracy with Liz Cheney and Trump's corruption, all while prices rose and Democrats failed to win what they said they were fighting for, was enough to close the deal.  The tax credits cut child poverty in half  for one year, and then were allowed to expire when Manchin and Sinema refused to support extending them.  Biden even in his best moments could not change that.  But my theory is that if Democrats consistently fought like hell for good ideas people care about, eventually they would not need Joe Manchin or Kristen Sinema.  They could get Sherrod Browns in Ohio and Heidi Heitkamp in North Dakota and Claire McCaskill in Missouri, who did and would support economic help for the working class.  If we could again elect Democrats in those working class "red" states.

The proof of theory as I see it is Mexico.  This is what AMLO and Sheinbaum did consistently for years.  They literally put money in the hands of the poor and seniors.  They fought for and raised wages for the Mexican working class.  It was and is wildly popular.  They are populists.  And a lot of college educated people in Mexico don't like them.  But they win because, like in the US, the majority is not college educated people who are affluent and care about democracy.  They care about the economy, stupid.

Democrats should be doing what Mexico is doing.  All it takes is one leader who fights, like AMLO or Sheinbaum.  Because AMLO fought like hell for decades Sheinbaum actually does not have to fight as hard.  The wind is at her back.  At least for now.  Maybe we will find such a leader by 2028.  If not, I don't think talking about democracy and why Trump sucks is enough.

Carney to me is arguably a distant Canadian version of the same.  Definitely not an AMLO.  More like opposite, as a technocrat.  But his secret sauce now is that he is telling Canadians loud and clear that he will fight like hell for Canada.  Including by calling out Trump for the weak stupid pussy Trump is.  

Trump did argue successfully enough in 2024 that I will fight for you, while Kamala fights for us/them.  It was a great line.  But now he has lost that fight.  The question is whether any Democrat can now win it.

 

[stevenkesslar]

On 4/19/2026 at 5:29 AM, Suckrates said:

Darling sis, If Trump hasn't realized THAT at this point, he is just INCAPABLE of that Realization.... Haven't WE all suffered enough?   Do we deserve to endure another 3 yrs of this "UNreality" show ?    Let Iran get their Justice with HIM.....PLEASE !   🙏

 

Difficult moral question, My Beloved Sister In Cock.   I consulted with the nuns about it.

 

 

How do you solve a problem like a maniac?

Should Trump be killed for wanting genocide?

He said he'd end a whole civilization.

That's genocide, too

And The Genocide Jew

Has tried.

 

Many a times Iran may try to kill him.

Maybe just once they even will succeed.

I'm tired off all his screeds.

Who gives a fuck if he bleeds?

No one thinks this is what we really need.

 

Oh how do you solve a problem like a maniac?

Should Trump be killed for wanting genocide?

 

 

 

And just remember, Sis.  We could get JD Vance instead.

I consulted with Christopher Plummer

He came up with a simple tune.

 

 

JD Vance

JD Vance

Every morning you greet me

Sycophant

Yes man brand

I don't want you to lead me.

Hillbilly lies told so he can rise

He thinks he's so clever.

JD Vance

JD Vance

Hope you will lead me never.