For several month from the time he rode the escalator to announce his campaign, until he infested the Oval Office, he made thousands of campaign promises. To the best of my knowledge, he has kept only one. He promised Republican billionaire donors he would make them richer. Robert Reich, the Reich on the left, who is virtually always right, reminds us of twenty.
Almost one year in, it’s time for another update for Trump voters on his election promises:
1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his new tax law does the opposite. By 2027, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the richest 1 percent will have got 83 percent of the tax cut and the richest 0.1 percent, 60 percent of it. But more than half of all Americans — 53 percent — will pay more in taxes. As Trump told his wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago just days after the tax bill became law, “You all just got a lot richer.”
2. He promised to close “special interest loopholes that have been so good for Wall Street investors but unfair to American workers,” especially the notorious “carried interest” loophole for private-equity, hedge fund, and real estate partners. You bought it. But the new tax law keeps the “carried interest” loophole.
3. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful.” You bought it. But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. (Just as well: His plan would have knocked at least 23 million off health insurance, including many of you.) Instead, he’s doing what he can to cut it back and replace it with nothing. The new tax law will result in 13 million people losing health coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
4. He told you he’d invest $1 trillion in our nation’ crumbling infrastructure. You bought it. But after his giant tax cut for corporations and millionaires, there’s no money left for infrastructure.
5. He said he’d clean the Washington swamp. You bought it. But he’s brought into his administration more billionaires, CEOs, and Wall Street moguls than in any administration in history, to make laws that will enrich their businesses, and he’s filled departments and agencies with former lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who are crafting new policies for the same industries they recently worked for… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Robert Reich>
I shared five. Click through for the other fifteen.
Some Trump voters are not fools. They are monsters. They knew he was lying all along, and that’s OK with them. But some Trump voters are decent people, who became fools, because he fooled them, but they don’t have to be fools indefinitely. They can see what’s going on and…
RESIST THE REPUBLICAN REICH!!
13 Responses to “Update for the Fools that Voted for Trump”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
The thing that we as fact-based progressives always forget it that, even if a person is not a monster, but a person of good will, it is EXTREMELY difficult to convince him or her that he or she has been conned. And it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE to convince them with facts. Being conned engages the same parts of the brain, and, if I may use a metaphor, the same “parts” of the psyche, as joining a cult. This says it far better, and goes into a lot more detail, than I could.
But you know what? Even in researching facts and trying to give them wide currency, WE PROGRESSIVES ARE ALSO BEING CONNED. Maybe I should say conning ourselves. To the extent we continue to believe that facts will save us, we too are like cult members. Sure, our cult is fact based, and that’a a higher class cult than the ones that are not – but it’s still a cult of sorts, and it promotes trying the same things over and over again and expecting different results.
If we can learn anything from the way special elections have started to go – it is, quit trying to convince Republicans. Quit trying to woo them. Concentrate on people who don’t voted, have never voted, vote sporadically, and get them out to vote. Even Republicans have that figured out – at least those who make their policy. Why else would they be trying so hard to suppress it?
Very well said JD! Good food for thought.
tDump lies, because having no center, he creates his life to suit his need of the moment, especially if it fits in with one of his delusional beliefs. Joanne’s article is marvelous!
Lies, lies, lies!!Mr. Dumpty’s ‘promises’ to the citizens are as devoid as he is.
The Orange Ogre is a shameless liar who has viciously backstabbed the very people who supported him. RESIST and PERSIST! Let’s reward his horrid excuse for a presidency with a political bloodbath in 2018 and elect LOTS of Democrats – preferably truly PROGRESSIVE ones – to not just Congress, but state and local positions.
I like the sounds of that — a political bloodbath!
There are two kinds of Drumpf voters and neither are going to change their minds.
The first is the group of Republicans with high incomes (the top 5% or so) and those that are in, or aspire to, a political career or Republican office. The know Drumpf lies and they knew he did a year ago. They voted for him and stand by him because the few truths he did tell were in their best interests and supporting him no matter what is in their best interest too.
The second group is his hardcore base who believed him then and most of whom believe him now, no matter what truth you present them with. They are not going to admit to making a mistake, they doggedly keep on believing him because he makes them feel good. So what if nothing comes from all his promises, they’ve felt that way for a long time about all politicians. At least Drumpf gives them the excuse to act out and reverse to some of their basic instincts like racism, bigotry, misogyny, religious intolerance, or if that’s too much hard work, simple, unadulterated hatred. Drumpf personifies all that, and he acts out on that without repercussion, so they feel they can do too.
Joanne is right, it’s no use wasting time and energy on the few Drumpf voters who can still be salvaged. If they haven’t come to their senses by now they never will. Progressives should focus on the non-voters of earlier elections, those who thought their vote didn’t count or wouldn’t make a difference. Activate them and make them feel welcome and at home in the Resistance.
Sadly, most of them still support him.
I could say it’s unconscionable that tRump did this. But is on the left knew that this was gonna happen, yet we let some people stay home and NOT vote! We gotta do BETTER this year!!! PLEASE!!! Get out and VOTE!!! And help get out the VOTE!!! ANYONE that needs a ride to the polls, offer to take them! Offer to help them get registered! We gotta do BETTER this time!!!
‘Don the Con’, the Liar-in-Chief will never change. I think he feels he is allergic to the truth. Will his ardent supporters accept that they have been conned and change? Not likely because that would require that they were made to fools, and nobody likes that.
The only solution is, as Freya says, a political bloodbath in 2018. And that can only happen if nobody stays home . . . everyone does their civic duty and votes. If not registered, get your documents in line and register. VOTE! Your future depends on it!
Thanks all. Hugs. Huge rush!
Cry baby cry,
you lot.
S, if I understand you correctly, you’re calling us cry babies, because we object to Trump’s monstrous policies. Please take note of the rules here. We treat each other with respect. You are welcome to express your views here. However, if you have to call people names in lieu of something reasonable to say, you will be banned. This is your only warning. If I did not understand you correctly, I apologize.