Obama Did Not Create Trump.

[MrT]

The GOP Opposition to Obama is what's to blame.

Ross Douthat says Obama created Trump. That’s nuts.

Everything that’s wrong with America is Barack Obama’s fault. That’s what Republican politicians have told themselves and the public for eight years. It began before Obama took office, when Republicans blamed him for a recession that started on their watch. Now they’re blaming Obama for the rise of their own presidential front-runner, Donald Trump.

If Obama had been a leftist, the GOP’s policy of negating him on every issue might have positioned Republicans in the mainstream. Instead, because Obama was a moderate, the GOP’s negation strategy pushed it toward the fringe. Obama was for fiscal responsibility and compromise, so Republicans were for absolutism and drama, risking a federal shutdown and a credit default.

In Trump, Republican voters have found their anti-Obama. Trump spurns not just political correctness, but correctness of any kind. He lies about Muslims and 9/11, insults women and people with disabilities, accuses a judge of bias for being Hispanic, and hurls profanities. Trump validates the maxim that in presidential primaries, the opposition party tends to choose a candidate who differs temperamentally from the incumbent. Obama is an adult. Therefore, Republicans are nominating a child.

This article is really well written and the premise makes a lot of sense. The Republicans were so dead set against all things Obama even when Obama offered to compromise and start from a center-left position. As such, the Republicans had to take such extreme positions and effectively forced some of their political candidates to act as far from Obama's policies and even his demeanor.

So where Obama often comes across as professorial, Trump has gone out of his way to appear childish and base.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

For MONTHS the Republicans and conservatives have blamed the Dems and/or the 'liberal' media for Trump. It's to be expected of the modern Republicans though, they blame everyone but themselves. The so call party of 'self responsibility' doesn't take responsibility for anything it does anymore.

 

[OrphanSlug]

I do not think Ross Douthat or Will Saletan is right. Close on a couple of points, but both missed the bigger picture.

Personally I think people are getting fed up with division oriented politics, and we seem to have real empirical data to back up the assumption that people are no longer interested in anything that looks like insider power in government. Obama did not create Trump, that is true. Establishment politics and division oriented politics gave us Bush 43, gave us Obama, might give us Trump but it is more likely will give us Hillary. Sure, all of their styles of campaigning and discourse are different but they are all based on the same premise... the other guy being at fault for something, or being party to a group at fault for something.

Congress is no better, the political pendulum going back and forth well back to Reagan's time in office shifting with the same intentions. We still end up with career politicians and very high reelection rates despite low approval rates. Key seats change hands every now and then allowing for party control shift, but overall we get people in Congress for 20, 30, 40 years or more. Giving us people in charge of Congress like Boehner, Pelosi and Reid, Hastert and Stevens, Gingrich and Thurmond, etc. People who make speech after speech about who is to blame for whatever condition or subject.

Two party politics still reigns us in election after election, organizing us into sheep thinking one choice is better than the other while they work hard to diminish 3rd parties by excluding them whenever possible.

That anger and distrust of government and power is what makes these people possible, Trump simply has been the most vocal and most demeaning in using the same mentality to obtain his support. Somewhat turning the tables on Establishment Republicans but really what he is doing is identifying with a segment of the nation that believes "Obama, liberals, minorities, Muslims," and whoever else we can vilify took the nation away from them. "Make America Great Again" inherently tells us the idea is we are not so great now, and present company in power including Obama is responsible for the decline. So they all gave us Trump, all doing something to make his campaign possible.

There is merit to the idea that because Obama was more or less center left, then Republicans blocking all his efforts pushed them furthest right. Problem is that happens all the time. It just became more amplified under Obama. And the reasons for that are numerous.

Here is what is really going because of all the above...

 

[Lovebug]

I do not think Ross Douthat or Will Saletan is right. Close on a couple of points, but both missed the bigger picture.

Personally I think people are getting fed up with division oriented politics, and we seem to have real empirical data to back up the assumption that people are no longer interested in anything that looks like insider power in government. Obama did not create Trump, that is true. Establishment politics and division oriented politics gave us Bush 43, gave us Obama, might give us Trump but it is more likely will give us Hillary. Sure, all of their styles of campaigning and discourse are different but they are all based on the same premise... the other guy being at fault for something, or being party to a group at fault for something.

Congress is no better, the political pendulum going back and forth well back to Reagan's time in office shifting with the same intentions. We still end up with career politicians and very high reelection rates despite low approval rates. Key seats change hands every now and then allowing for party control shift, but overall we get people in Congress for 20, 30, 40 years or more. Giving us people in charge of Congress like Boehner, Pelosi and Reid, Hastert and Stevens, Gingrich and Thurmond, etc. People who make speech after speech about who is to blame for whatever condition or subject.

Two party politics still reigns us in election after election, organizing us into sheep thinking one choice is better than the other while they work hard to diminish 3rd parties by excluding them whenever possible.

That anger and distrust of government and power is what makes these people possible, Trump simply has been the most vocal and most demeaning in using the same mentality to obtain his support. Somewhat turning the tables on Establishment Republicans but really what he is doing is identifying with a segment of the nation that believes "Obama, liberals, minorities, Muslims," and whoever else we can vilify took the nation away from them. "Make America Great Again" inherently tells us the idea is we are not so great now, and present company in power including Obama is responsible for the decline. So they all gave us Trump, all doing something to make his campaign possible.

There is merit to the idea that because Obama was more or less center left, then Republicans blocking all his efforts pushed them furthest right. Problem is that happens all the time. It just became more amplified under Obama. And the reasons for that are numerous.

Here is what is really going because of all the above...

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View attachment 67197955

You should send this to Ross Douthat. Well said.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

I can stop 300 Republicans on my street and ask them about ACA. I'm sure most will say they don't like it, but some will like it. It's impossible for 300 people to have the exact same opinion about any 1 issue.

BUT there's 300 or so Republicans in Congress(and I KNOW we can change this example to Dems, and it still works) and every single 1 of them hate ACA. Actually over and over many Republicans in Congress have stated that not only that they don't like ACA, but it will lead to the downfall of the US because ACA socialist, communist, whatever.

IMO this is a large part of the reason for Trump, and for our dislike and distrust of politics. What I described is putting party before the country to the nth degree. I'm just using ACA and Republicans as an example, I don't care what side someone is on with ACA. Dems in Congress are just as bad.

The point is there's no 'independent thinking' politicians in Congress anymore. They exclusively do what their advisers, the polls, the lobbyists and most of all their PARTY tells them to do. BUT again, this November the incumbents will win 90% of the time.

We really, really need a true, viable independent party in the country. If nothing else but to scare the crap out of the 2 parties we have now.

 

[Ntharotep]

Disclaimer: Largely opinion.
Obama's appeal is basically to the lowest paid or unemployed Americans. His programs did not help middle America for the most part though some of his trade policies did help business owners large and small (policies that kind of went under the radar strangely enough but were good nonetheless like removing some of the pressure from exports). None of this is necessarily bad it is just the state of things.
Bush also didn't really do anything to elevate middle America (and to be fair 9/11 probably dipped into anything that was planned by that legislation). The exception being the income bonus at tax time ($300 - $600) which was signed in by Bush and Obama together.
And in more recent years the Democratic and Republican establishments seem to want to bicker and pull the rug out from each other's feet more than actually making any real progress.
This has created a kind of static existence for the middle class and especially for the shrinking end of the middle class who still work but barely get to live (mostly just survive).
Now here comes the odd men out, Trump on one side and Bernie on the other (though Bernie is trailing, he probably is still doing better than expected at this stage of the game).
New ideas, whether they are all entirely sane or not, wet the appetites of the average American who may feel stagnation in their everyday life and a Government that really seems to be doing the same thing over again.

 

[Vern]

Personally I think people are getting fed up with division oriented politics,

OS, yes people are fed up with that but I just cant help but believe you don't think republicans are completely responsible for "division oriented politics".

That anger and distrust of government and power is what makes these people possible, Trump simply has been the most vocal and most demeaning in using the same mentality to obtain his support.

mmmmm, which party encouraged distrust of the govt with its constant cries of out of control tyranny, dictatorship and fema camps. And don't forget these great examples of non-stop lies, pandering and fear mongering the last 7 years:

President was born in Kenya
His BC a forgery
wants to kill old people
the stimulus will cause "hyperinflation, dollar collapse, market to zero"
Obamacare will kill the economy and jobs
and of course the vile and disgusting stand down lies

the problem is the republicans took their foot off the gas pedal of the non-stop lies, pandering and fear mongering to try to appear moderate and Trump happily filled the void. So if you want to point fingers, point it at the non stop lying, pandering and fear mongering from the right the last 7 years. Hey, when's the last time the republicans tried to repeal Obamacare? maybe a couple of repeal votes will help cruz and Rubio at the polls.

 

[Fenton]

OS, yes people are fed up with that but I just cant help but believe you don't think republicans are completely responsible for "division oriented politics".




mmmmm, which party encouraged distrust of the govt with its constant cries of out of control tyranny, dictatorship and fema camps. And don't forget these great examples of non-stop lies, pandering and fear mongering the last 7 years:

President was born in Kenya
His BC a forgery
wants to kill old people
the stimulus will cause "hyperinflation, dollar collapse, market to zero"
Obamacare will kill the economy and jobs
and of course the vile and disgusting stand down lies

the problem is the republicans took their foot off the gas pedal of the non-stop lies, pandering and fear mongering to try to appear moderate and Trump happily filled the void. So if you want to point fingers, point it at the non stop lying, pandering and fear mongering from the right the last 7 years. Hey, when's the last time the republicans tried to repeal Obamacare? maybe a couple of repeal votes will help cruz and Rubio at the polls.

Hey, do you think Hillary or Bernie will run on Obama's " successes " over the last 7 years ?

ObamaCare ? The economy ? His Foreign policy disasters ?


Or are they going to do what they did in 2014
? Pretend that all of those things didn't exist ?

 

[Port & Starboard]

For MONTHS the Republicans and conservatives have blamed the Dems and/or the 'liberal' media for Trump. It's to be expected of the modern Republicans though, they blame everyone but themselves. The so call party of 'self responsibility' doesn't take responsibility for anything it does anymore.

You have no idea, do you? Trump voters are giving the finger to the GOP. Are you being willfully blind about this?

 

[countryboy]

For MONTHS the Republicans and conservatives have blamed the Dems and/or the 'liberal' media for Trump. It's to be expected of the modern Republicans though, they blame everyone but themselves. The so call party of 'self responsibility' doesn't take responsibility for anything it does anymore.

You should get out more. While Obama's, rule by decree tenure may have contributed to the rise of Chump, most conservatives I know are sick and tired of GOP status quo. This has been voiced time and again right here on DP. So, while your talking points regurgitation may play well to the drones, you are fooling no one with a brain.

 

[Velvet Elvis]

Obama won his election with a "rock star" persona. He had very little substance in his first bid for presidency.

Trump probably saw that and said, "I could do that."

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

You have no idea, do you? Trump voters are giving the finger to the GOP. Are you being willfully blind about this?

They're giving the finger to the system. They're telling the 2 party system they're tired of being ignored. But most Republican voters will vote for their Republican establishment Senator or Congressman is November. Even if by some miracle Trump is elected POTUS, he's only 1 man. We'll still have mostly GOP and Dem incumbents in Congress, there will be no revolution in Congress, US businesses lobbyists will still be pouring millions into Congress, Congress will continue doing the rich and Corporate's bidding, and it will be business as usual.

And I won't even mention that Republican voters are mostly looking to Trump to stop the illegal immigrants. Who are mostly here because businesses LOVE them. But looking to a billionaire businessman, who in the past used cheap immigrant labor, is probably a little naive.

 

[Port & Starboard]

They're giving the finger to the system. They're telling the 2 party system they're tired of being ignored. But most Republican voters will vote for their Republican establishment Senator or Congressman is November. Even if by some miracle Trump is elected POTUS, he's only 1 man. We'll still have mostly GOP and Dem incumbents in Congress, there will be no revolution in Congress, US businesses lobbyists will still be pouring millions into Congress, Congress will continue doing the rich and Corporate's bidding, and it will be business as usual.

But your not answering to the anti left bias from your original post. You know as well as I do that Republicans are about 12 inches apart from democrats when it comes down to what we all want from life.

As far as congress - senate - admin...........they could all go to hell as far as I care.

 

[calamity]

The GOP Opposition to Obama is what's to blame.

Ross Douthat says Obama created Trump. That’s nuts.





This article is really well written and the premise makes a lot of sense. The Republicans were so dead set against all things Obama even when Obama offered to compromise and start from a center-left position. As such, the Republicans had to take such extreme positions and effectively forced some of their political candidates to act as far from Obama's policies and even his demeanor.

So where Obama often comes across as professorial, Trump has gone out of his way to appear childish and base.

My theory is that the GOP spent 7 years whipping up the base with horror stories about Obama, the Muslim Socialist, Marxist-fascist who hates America and wants to destroy it from within. And, by doing that, they saw good results, winning back the House and Senate. However, the people voted into those Seats did not do what the base wanted--Stop Obama!

So, in the end, the angry monster turned back and attacked its creator: the GOP itself. I love it.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

You know as well as I do that Republicans are about 12 inches apart from democrats when it comes down to what we all want from life.

I use to know that, but I don't anymore. I hear a lot of small government talk from Republicans but they sure do want to stick their noses in everyone's lives and bedrooms. Over the last 7-8 years, IMO ,the GOP has been more about their social agenda than anything else 'conservative'. And I don't know if even with this Trump revolution that has changed.

The current GOP is more worried about gays marrying than they are about us spending and wasting gzillion of $'s at home and mostly abroad with our 'nation building bs'.. TRUE fiscal conservatives, both in the establishment GOP, and with Trump supporters are few and far between. I see little difference.

 

[Port & Starboard]

I use to know that, but I don't anymore. I hear a lot of small government talk from Republicans but they sure do want to stick their noses in everyone's lives and bedrooms. Over the last 7-8 years, IMO ,the GOP has been more about their social agenda than anything else 'conservative'. And I don't know if even with this Trump revolution that has changed.

The current GOP is more worried about gays marrying than they are about us spending and wasting gzillion of $'s at home and mostly abroad with our 'nation building bs'.. TRUE fiscal conservatives, both in the establishment GOP, and with Trump supporters are few and far between. I see little difference.

Democrats and Republicans do the very same thing under different paintwork. Liberal Seattle wants to cortisone wire a homeless camp...did you see that?

 

[OpportunityCost]

I use to know that, but I don't anymore. I hear a lot of small government talk from Republicans but they sure do want to stick their noses in everyone's lives and bedrooms. Over the last 7-8 years, IMO ,the GOP has been more about their social agenda than anything else 'conservative'. And I don't know if even with this Trump revolution that has changed.

The current GOP is more worried about gays marrying than they are about us spending and wasting gzillion of $'s at home and mostly abroad with our 'nation building bs'.. TRUE fiscal conservatives, both in the establishment GOP, and with Trump supporters are few and far between. I see little difference.

Yes and the majority of GOP voters are not about the social agenda. Its the small but very vocal soc-cons and evangelicals that want that. But that's only 20% or so of the party, but its the loudest.

The majority wanted government to leave them the hell alone. That's gotten worse, not better. The reason is simple, the GOPe told us for years to vote with them and they will fight but when it comes down to it, they fold. Every time, they fold.

What's very curious is the number of establishment types telling us they cant vote for Trump after spending years telling the rest of us to hold our nose and vote for these establishment guys that never went to bat for the people that elected them. That's both telling and hypocritical.

 

[Vern]

Obama won his election with a "rock star" persona. He had very little substance in his first bid for presidency.

Trump probably saw that and said, "I could do that."

Velvet, I don't know if its a lack knowledge on your part because you get your info from the conservative entertainment complex or what but President Obama running on fixing the economy Bush destroyed, sending more troops to Afghanistan, health care reform and getting out of Iraq is substance. Its actually quite a bit of substance.

 

[Vern]

You have no idea, do you? Trump voters are giving the finger to the GOP. Are you being willfully blind about this?

RN, you have obviously missed the posts where conservatives openly wondered if Trump was a democratic plant, working for Hillary, etc. And trump voters giving the finger to the GOP has nothing to do with the posts where conservatives openly wondered if Trump was a democratic plant, working for Hillary, etc.

 

[Port & Starboard]

RN, you have obviously missed the posts where conservatives openly wondered if Trump was a democratic plant, working for Hillary, etc. And trump voters giving the finger to the GOP has nothing to do with the posts where conservatives openly wondered if Trump was a democratic plant, working for Hillary, etc.

LOL.............. I didn't miss it at all. I follow it very closely and talk with people every day.

The consensus I come up with is a ............ middle finger to the establishment.

It doesn't really matter because the one thing that sticks out the most is, people are flat out tired of what the DC insiders want everyone to think.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

Yes and the majority of GOP voters are not about the social agenda. Its the small but very vocal soc-cons and evangelicals that want that. But that's only 20% or so of the party, but its the loudest.

The majority wanted government to leave them the hell alone. That's gotten worse, not better. The reason is simple, the GOPe told us for years to vote with them and they will fight but when it comes down to it, they fold. Every time, they fold.

What's very curious is the number of establishment types telling us they cant vote for Trump after spending years telling the rest of us to hold our nose and vote for these establishment guys that never went to bat for the people that elected them. That's both telling and hypocritical.

I agree with much of what you are saying. But some of what you are saying has NOTHING to do with the establishment GOP. The vocal soc-cons and religious right is mostly the Tea Party. Unfortunately though the establishment has bent over for the TP, and let them take over the party.

But anyway I'll take it more seriously if I see this GOP 'revolution' carried over to the Congressional elections in November. If the same old warmongers in Congress who want us to stick our noses in everyone else's business and instead of cutting spending they want to spend trillions overseas are re-elected, then I'm not convinced. If this November the same old Republicans who want to police people's bedrooms are voted back in, I won't be convinced.

Again, I hope you guys are right. BOTH parties, our whole rotten political system needs a swift kick in the ass. But I'm not convinced Republicans are truly ready chuck the old guard.

 

[OpportunityCost]

I agree with much of what you are saying. But some of what you are saying has NOTHING to do with the establishment GOP. The vocal soc-cons and religious right is mostly the Tea Party. Unfortunately though the establishment has bent over for the TP, and let them take over the party.

But anyway I'll take it more seriously if I see this GOP 'revolution' carried over to the Congressional elections in November. If the same old warmongers in Congress who want us to stick our noses in everyone else's business and instead of cutting spending they want to spend trillions overseas are re-elected, then I'm not convinced. If this November the same old Republicans who want to police people's bedrooms are voted back in, I won't be convinced.

Again, I hope you guys are right. BOTH parties, our whole rotten political system needs a swift kick in the ass. But I'm not convinced Republicans are truly ready chuck the old guard.

Now that Super Tuesday is over, it looks like the voters on the GOP side are more ready to pick Trump or Cruz than the Dem side are ready to pick Sanders.

The bigger question is will it outlive one election cycle.

 

[SenorXm/Sirius]

Now that Super Tuesday is over, it looks like the voters on the GOP side are more ready to pick Trump or Cruz than the Dem side are ready to pick Sanders.

The bigger question is will it outlive one election cycle.

Dem voters aren't as PO'ed as GOP voters are, and don't believe in the doom and gloom scenario much as the Republican voters do. That's also a big part of this.

For 7 years the Republicans, and Conservative talking heads have told their base over and over(and I've heard it a dozen times myself, and I never listen to the talking heads) that Obama is purposely trying to destroy the country. You tell people who love their country that someone is trying to destroy it? You tell them over and over Obama is a socialist Muslim who's working for the Muslim Brotherhood? You spew hate and lies over and over?

That's a sure fire way to make your base mad and distrustful, with everyone. Not just at Obama, but they'll begin to turn on their masters too, and they have.

 

[tres borrachos]

There are many things that contributed to the "creation" of Trump. Obama is just one of them, but he's hardly the only factor, and not even the biggest factor.

 

[Ntharotep]

There are many things that contributed to the "creation" of Trump. Obama is just one of them, but he's hardly the only factor, and not even the biggest factor.

Definitely not the only factor. But saying he is not a factor at all is folly IMO.