Did a Queens Podiatrist Help Donald Trump Avoid Vietnam? - The New York Times

[Perotista]

Our forefathers chose a representative republic/democracy over a parliamentary system. Apparently, our system makes it much easier for monopoly parties.

I doubt that they were able to foresee this, otherwise I'm inclined to believe they would have chose a parliamentary system. But, with states in a union, they decided on our system, not realizing the ease with which one party can monopolize a one side of the spectrum, and another party monopolizing the other. who knows.


the GOP, with Trump, is no longer a big tent party. In my view, only the DNC is, with progressives on the far left, normal dems in the middle, and moderates ( blue dogs , etc ) towards the center. With the GOP, moderates are leaving, either claiming "independent" or joining dems ( Comey, Scarborough, Schmidt, etc )

I wouldn't classify the Republican Party as ever being a big tent party. At least since FDR. They probably were from the civil war until the Great Depression. Then they lost that mantle, big tent party to the Democrats. I'm not all that partisan, although I do have my issues. I think the numbers I shown that Democrats thinking they're still the big tent party is completely wrong. They're not. There is a reason for the Democratic Party's fall from around 45% down to 30, big tent era to today. Please note the Republican Party didn't pick up any of those who left, percentage wise anyhow. What has rose is independents. Those who feel and think they no longer have a political home in our two party monopoly. If the Democratic Party was still big tent, it wouldn't have first lost its yeller dog Democrats and then its blue dog's.

As for the framers and founding fathers, they despised political parties. They called them factions and basically political parties as we know them didn't exist until Andrew Jackson founded the democratic party. At least as we would know as modern political parties. Until Jackson, most folks ran on their own with the backing of political clubs of like ideology. Sure, Historians classify the president by party. but they were more like clubs and social circles until Jackson. Nothing nationally.

Like most republicans are blind to Trump and his antics, it seems to me Democrats are blind as to their loss of moderates, those in the center, center right and center left. Of course both major parties can afford to be blind. They hold all the cards. there is no other realistic choice. Vote either far right or far left. I'm sure if one is a member of or loyal to their party, they are looking at the situation through either deep red or blue colored glasses. I don't think it bothers those in charge of the Democratic Party at all to have lost a third of once was their party faithful. 45 down to 30% as a percentage of the total electorate.

There's a golden opportunity here, stop moving further left and move back towards the center. Reclaim those who departed. Become the most dominate party for the next 30-40 years. Either that or see independents vote Democratic one election, republican the next, then back to democratic or whichever party they are most angry at. Not voting for whom they want to win or govern, just voting to get those whom they are angry at out of office. That happened in house elections of 2006, 2010 and 2018. That's what beautiful with independents, swing voters, our numbers are growing and we can swing back and forth. Yet we get ignored. Bush ignored us in 2006, Obama in 2010 and Trump in 2018. Will it happen again in 2020?, 2022? 2024? time will tell.

 

[SLC]

His terminal bone spurs were not so bad as to stop him playing college basketball, just facing an enemy.

Actually sport is a risk factor for heel spurs.

 

[SLC]

Although I do not believe his bone spur excuse for a second...many people of that era evaded or dodged the draft, Those of means had more ways out than others.

So avoiding service does not bother me to my core - especially in a war where we were not under attack.

What my issue is his more current behavior. Disrespecting POWs is just disgusting. His treatment of a Gold Star family - atrocious..

So pardon me if I think he only supports the troops when it suits him....not because it is the right thing to do.

I didn't like John McCain's politics for the most part and McCain did attack Trump but I didn't like Trump attack McCain's service. I respected McCain's service and felt he had given his blood for this country.

The Gold Star family had placed itself on the political stage and made itself a target. If the father had stayed out of politics Trump would have never said anything. I don't remember Trump ever disrespecting their sacrifice just the fact that the Dad attacked Trump on the political stage. In my opinion if you don't want to be criticized then don't criticize.

The military likes Trump.

 

[SLC]

Yeah, buddy When has trump ever mislead America about anything? :roll:

You are deflecting. :lol:

 

[lurchadams]

You are deflecting. :lol:

According to you and thats.......................................

OK

 

[The Mark]

I was 1A during the draft years and I got lucky when they created a lottery system that, by sheer luck my lottery number was higher than the numbers they drafted up to. But later I join the Navy anyway and was honorably discharged.

I'm appalled to hear that our president who is in Chief of the Armed Forces was a draft Dodger illegally. If he avoided the draft legally I wouldn't fault him for that, not many kids wanted to go to Vietnam, it was not a popular war and personally I was against it myself. But I didn't cheat to get out nor did I flee to Canada.

Excuse me if I view this president with contempt.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/26/us/politics/trump-vietnam-draft-exemption.html

Yes, of course one did, we knew that this entire time, we just didn't know the specifics.

Bone spur my ass.