Ask Dr. Democrat Archives

Ask Dr. Democrat

October 21, 2022October 25, 2022 Dr. Democrat

Dear Dr. Democrat,

The polls are unreliable. The pundits are unfathomable. What’s going to happen in the midterm elections?

Worried in Wimauma

Dear Worried:

You should be.

Republicans will take both houses in the midterms, THEN the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act will kick in, prescription drug prices will fall, Biden’s De-frickin-cember releases from the strategic petroleum reserve will bring down gas prices, and things will start to get better. Republicans will take and get all the credit, and we will be there going, “No, it was us! Really it was! Vote for us again!”

The two botched impeachments, the Mueller report and the way-too-late Jan. 6 Commission will fade like the afternoon sun does without daylight saving time, and new impeachments and investigations, all centered on Democrats, will dominate the news cycles right up to election day 2024…when Ron DeSantis becomes our next president.

Sorry, no balm of Gilead here.

Be careful,

Dr. Democrat

Dr. Democrat: The GOP Will Do Itself In, Just Be Patient

February 26, 2021March 1, 2021 Buck Banks

Dear Dr. Democrat,

I have very mixed feelings about cheering on the end of the Republican party. Not because I don’t want to see it shrunken and changed, but because I don’t see encouraging signs of declining power. I think the country is experiencing what we in Florida have gone through for years, which is minority rule based on gaming the system.

Republicans have gotten so good at this that it’s all they need to stay in power. They don’t need to convince the electorate of their rightness, they don’t need to win hearts or minds, they just need to keep suppressing the vote that would go against them and playing to their base. And if they all stick together, as McConnell has trained them to do, they not only win, they keep all the power and make all the decisions.

We got rid of Trump, maybe, but we are still in trouble. The work we still need to do is crushing and I don’t know if it’s even possible to succeed at it.

Please give me some encouragement that all is not lost.

Worried in Wakulla

Dear Worried,

I think you’re right on all counts, but I also see the Republican Party as weak and crumbling, which may be a product of my learned environment. But it’s difficult to operate politically for very long based on lies, which was the point of Tom Nichols’ recent piece in The Atlantic.

One of their biggest runs before now were the GOP’s anticommunist witch hunts. They started in the House around 1947-48, moved to the Senate in 1950 and then were obliterated with the “Have you no sense of decency?” episode in June 1954. A tremendous amount of damage was done in those few years – even though the lies were not promoted from the White House, either by Truman or Eisenhower (unlike Trump). And they didn’t have Fox News.

My point is, something will happen that will expose them or pop the bubble, but it’s going to have to be something irrefutable that even Fox, et. al., can’t ignore or spin – something like a Bush-Katrina moment that brings them down.

Crushing them at the polls would be a start. I thought we were going to do it last year, but … SOCIALISM! Thanks, Bernie and AOC.

I might sound like Paul E. Anna here, but I really believe it can’t last.

Sincerely,

Dr. Democrat

Ask Dr. Democrat: Is Gavin Newsom Getting Recalled?

December 17, 2020December 18, 2020 Dr. Democrat

Dear Dr. Democrat:

Politico says it’s time for concern about efforts to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) — and this is just as he’s about to appoint at least one (but let’s face it, probably two) senators. Should I (we) be concerned?

Half-Baked in Bakersfield

Dear Half-Baked:

Republicans are bestirring themselves in California. That is true. But the article’s reference to the state’s “Republican establishment” is laughable — probably as laughable as Florida’s “Democratic establishment.”

This part is correct:

A recall by Republicans, who still have the albatross of Donald Trump, an unpopular president in solidly blue California, around their necks, remains a longshot. And Democrat Newsom still enjoys the strong approval of the majority of Caifornians, the latest Public Policy Institute of California poll showed.

Hillary won by 4.3 million in California. Biden won by 5 million and change — 11 million to Trump’s 6 million. Newsom is over 60% in the polls.
[…]

Ask Dr. Democrat: Impeaching Trump

September 27, 2019 Dr. Democrat

Dear Dr. Democrat,

Should I be worried that the Democrats appear to have gone all-in on impeaching Trump?

Tangled Up in Tucson

Dear Tangled,

I hope they have more than we’ve seen so far. Knowing Trump, they do.

Fortunately, the standard for impeachment is a very low bar: perjury in
a civil lawsuit unrelated to the president’s time in office. That rules
in just about every infraction greater than a parking ticket.

I also think we’re at an advantage now because the Trumpsters have been
blindsided and so haven’t had time to muddy up the charges like they did
on the Russia scandal. You wouldn’t know it today but there were 10 or
so charges of obstruction of justice in the Mueller report, for example,
and obstruction of justice was one of the articles in both the Nixon and
Clinton impeachments.

[…]

Dr. Democrat Discusses the Candidates

March 11, 2019 Dr. Democrat

doctor democrat Dear Dr. Democrat:

How you are feeling about the 2020 Democratic contenders and who are your early favorites?

I’m impressed big time by Pete Buttigieg, but wish he had a different last name. Also like Kamala Harris and John Hickenlooper (again with the last name! Sheesh!).

Not a fan of Bernie or Biden, but will hold nose and vote Warren, if the need arises.

I’m looking forward to Beto entering the race. He has the GOP running scared.

On the Republican side, I like Bill Weld over the other guy.

Best regards,

Not in the Prediction Biz in Bismarck

[…]

Tag: Ask Dr. Democrat

Ask Dr. Democrat

Dr. Democrat: The GOP Will Do Itself In, Just Be Patient

Ask Dr. Democrat: Is Gavin Newsom Getting Recalled?

Ask Dr. Democrat: Impeaching Trump

Dr. Democrat Discusses the Candidates

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

— Nick Catoggio

“Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say.”

— Nikki Haley, at the Republican presidential debate, to Vivek Ramaswamy.

“Ahead of the second Republican debate, the DeSantis camp is plagued by growing doubts among donors and allies that their biggest unspoken problem may be the candidate, not the campaign.”

— Tina Nguyen

“This week, I hope to see my colleagues fully address the alleged systemic corruption of Senator Menendez with the same vigor and velocity they brought to concerns about our dress code.”

— Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), in a statement.

“House Republicans are gleefully letting Donald Trump function as their chief political strategist at the expense of American families. Trump’s behavior is shameful, but unsurprising from someone who has demonstrated he couldn’t care less about the American people.”

— A spokesman for President Biden’s campaign hit House Republicans for heeding Donald Trump’s calls to dig in on a government shutdown if they don’t get “everything,” The Hill reports.

Numerati

$250 million

New York Times: “He now faces not only the prospect of having to pay $250 million in damages, but he could also lose properties like Trump Tower that are inextricably linked to his brand.”

56%

A new NBC News poll finds that 56% of registered voters say Congress should not hold impeachment hearings to start the process of removing President Biden from office, while 39% say it should.

43%

A new Monmouth poll finds that if the federal government does shut down, 43% of the American public will hold the Republicans in Congress most responsible while 27% will place the blame on President Biden and 21% will blame congressional Democrats.

11th

President Joe Biden’s younger dog, Commander, bit another U.S. Secret Service agent at the White House Monday evening, the 11th known biting incident involving the 2-year-old German Shepherd, CNN reports.

65%

A new Pew Research poll finds that 65% of Americans “say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency. …. A third favor keeping the current Electoral College system.”