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misanthrope

(7,417 posts)
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 04:39 PM Apr 2018

The Alabamization of America is complete

Alabama Political Reporter Josh Moon has been talking about this process for a while. He's pretty much on the nose.

http://www.alreporter.com/2018/04/10/opinion-the-alabamization-of-america-is-complete/

Excerpt:

Hunter S. Thompson once wrote of Richard Nixon — on the occasion of Nixon’s death, no less — that Nixon was scum, and that the country had never encountered a crook like him.

If only Thompson had lived to see the era of Trump.

From his phony college to his taped confession of sexual assault to his porn star payoff to his Russian sellout to his moronic and corrupt children holding down jobs that real statesmen have been honored to hold to his complete and utter bumbling stupidity at every turn, this will be the worst president any of us will ever know.

He is George Wallace without the cunning.

29 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The Alabamization of America is complete (Original Post) misanthrope Apr 2018 OP
Clear as a bell! yallerdawg Apr 2018 #1
throw in the CIA-ization of the entire american gov't, and that about sums it up. nt TheFrenchRazor Apr 2018 #2
LOL, they are not even CLOSE to being done Skittles Apr 2018 #3
Growing up in Alabama, I know quite a bit about Wallace. Ferrets are Cool Apr 2018 #4
You might want to ask the columnist misanthrope Apr 2018 #5
I know. I was kinda being serious and Ferrets are Cool Apr 2018 #9
And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Wallace evolve toward the end of his political career? sandensea Apr 2018 #10
If by "evolve" you mean "changed his tactics in order to win office" then yes misanthrope Apr 2018 #14
I see. Thanks. sandensea Apr 2018 #16
Shaking up the establishment of his own party IronLionZion Apr 2018 #13
I seem to recall Wallace's daughter misanthrope Apr 2018 #15
Wallace even put his wife Lurleen in office when he was term limited IronLionZion Apr 2018 #22
Populism meadowlander Apr 2018 #17
Thanks for all the posts. I am sincerely grateful Ferrets are Cool Apr 2018 #24
I thought tRump-Ryan-RepubliCons were doing the Kansas-ization of the USA. Bernardo de La Paz Apr 2018 #6
tRump is King George III without the clothing. Nixon w/out the warmth. Coolidge w/out the cool. . nt Bernardo de La Paz Apr 2018 #7
Coolidge without the cool - good one! sandensea Apr 2018 #11
Though I'm no Tricky Dick fan, Trump isn't fit to lick Nixon's shoes misanthrope Apr 2018 #18
Yup. To all your points, true and well-stated. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Apr 2018 #21
Hitler without the stupid mustache DBoon Apr 2018 #27
Nope, Trump comes up short again misanthrope Apr 2018 #28
This message was self-deleted by its author ProudLib72 Apr 2018 #8
Does that make him wrong about the topic of this thread? meadowlander Apr 2018 #12
Yep, it was whataboutism so I deleted it ProudLib72 Apr 2018 #20
have been saying this KT2000 Apr 2018 #19
Aladamnification ThoughtCriminal Apr 2018 #23
George Wallace was intelligent, savvy and capable of change EffieBlack Apr 2018 #25
I laughed! misanthrope Apr 2018 #29
Let's have more Doug Joneses. klook Apr 2018 #26

yallerdawg

(16,104 posts)
1. Clear as a bell!
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 04:47 PM
Apr 2018
Now, before someone gets all fired up and starts scratching out a letter of complaint to me, I’m not pretending that all people who vote or believe differently than I do are dumb or ignorant.

But there’s a difference between having, say, a difference of opinion on the theory of “trickle-down economics” and believing that the reality TV star-turned-president will force Mexico to pay for a big, beautiful, YUGE border wall.

To believe the former requires only a basic misunderstanding of economic principles and the investing habits in today’s market. To believe the latter requires outright stupidity.


Sweet home, America!

Ferrets are Cool

(21,106 posts)
4. Growing up in Alabama, I know quite a bit about Wallace.
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 06:00 PM
Apr 2018

Comparing the two of them is ridiculous, so please enlighten me. Name one thing besides racism they have in common. I'm willing to be educated.

Ferrets are Cool

(21,106 posts)
9. I know. I was kinda being serious and
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 06:57 PM
Apr 2018

kinda being facetious. I am serious in saying that racism is the only connection.

sandensea

(21,635 posts)
10. And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Wallace evolve toward the end of his political career?
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:15 PM
Apr 2018

Today's Republicans only seem to get more extreme as they age - Cheeto particularly.

misanthrope

(7,417 posts)
14. If by "evolve" you mean "changed his tactics in order to win office" then yes
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:27 PM
Apr 2018

He made public apologies for his segregationist image and policies. There were public allusions to his days before the governorship when he seemed to have a far softer attitude toward African-Americans.

Though he and his advisors -- and many voters as it turned out -- thought this softened up his image, to others it made what he did in the 1950s and 1960s look worse. It would be one thing if he was enforcing his actual beliefs but to admit he thought blacks weren't subhuman then insist on such policies simply for political expedience is even more reprehensible.

sandensea

(21,635 posts)
16. I see. Thanks.
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:32 PM
Apr 2018

Wallace was quite the demagogue, then - though unlike King Con, he seemed to be able to at least read the writing on the wall and adapt accordingly.

Cheeto will probably never change, not even to keep up appearances.

IronLionZion

(45,442 posts)
13. Shaking up the establishment of his own party
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:24 PM
Apr 2018

Defiant attitude
large loud rowdy rallies
Claimed male hippies were not manly enough
exploiting the worst elements of people's fears and biases
giving voice to less educated rural people who feel they have been ignored and looked down on by the educated elitists
People developed intense hatred against him which only emboldened him
He got support from people who felt their best days were in the past
Surprise upset election results

Wallace ran for president as an independent and Trump threatened to do that if he didn't win the GOP nomination

More at this link:

https://www.npr.org/2016/04/22/475172438/donald-trump-and-george-wallace-riding-the-rage

misanthrope

(7,417 posts)
15. I seem to recall Wallace's daughter
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:28 PM
Apr 2018

noting the similarities between her father and Trump during the 2016 election.

IronLionZion

(45,442 posts)
22. Wallace even put his wife Lurleen in office when he was term limited
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 08:18 PM
Apr 2018

Trump would totally do that with Ivanka if he could

meadowlander

(4,395 posts)
17. Populism
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:34 PM
Apr 2018

Running a "law and order" campaign out of one side of their mouth while undermining unions out of the other

Starting out as a democrat and then switching to being a republican when they realized that those were the only people stupid enough to vote for them en masse

Sitting to some extent outside either party's apparatus and threatening to run as an independent

Enjoying campaign rallies and publicity stunts a lot more than actually governing

False bravado:
"If any demonstrator ever lays down in front of my car, it'll be the last car he'll ever lay down in front of." George Wallace
“I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon” "Get that son-of-a-bitch out of here" Donald Trump

Bernardo de La Paz

(49,001 posts)
6. I thought tRump-Ryan-RepubliCons were doing the Kansas-ization of the USA.
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 06:53 PM
Apr 2018

Because Kansas is such a shining example of RepliCONGAMEs working.

sandensea

(21,635 posts)
11. Coolidge without the cool - good one!
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:18 PM
Apr 2018

Though I fear his Wall Street-written policies may be leading us down the same road Silent Cal's did.

misanthrope

(7,417 posts)
18. Though I'm no Tricky Dick fan, Trump isn't fit to lick Nixon's shoes
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 07:36 PM
Apr 2018

Nixon was far smarter. Could Trump have graduated from Duke Law?

Though a shady crew, Nixon actually hired a more capable administration.

Nixon created the EPA, signed the National Cancer Act, ended the draft and shrunk the deficit.

Even by more malevolent measures, POTUS 45 is an amateur. Machiavellian tactics and machinations? Trump is a piker compared to Nixon.

misanthrope

(7,417 posts)
28. Nope, Trump comes up short again
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 11:39 PM
Apr 2018

Hitler had actual military and battlefield experience. By accounts, Hitler was a brave soldier in the face of withering fire, was wounded twice and awarded several medals.

Also, Hitler was a normally literate adult and actually wrote his autobiography. Neither of those can conclusively be stated about Trump.

Response to misanthrope (Original post)

ThoughtCriminal

(14,047 posts)
23. Aladamnification
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 08:57 PM
Apr 2018

Is not just about comparisons of Trump to Wallace. It's not just about staying backwards, but proudly marching into the 19th century: Preserving white supremacy, promoting ignorance as "Tradition", fighting unions and workers rights, making sure public schools are underfunded... In short, doing the exact opposite of what needs to be done on every policy front that would make life better for its citizens.

A model for every Red state to follow.

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
25. George Wallace was intelligent, savvy and capable of change
Wed Apr 11, 2018, 09:35 PM
Apr 2018

He was still a jerk, but it's unfair to him to compare him to Trump.

That's how bad it's gotten - I'm actually defending George Wallace.

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