lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

Mt wife and I had many, um, exciting discussions prior to last years elections. She favored Clinton, and I think everyone here understands how much I loathed Clinton. Her fall back argument ( my wife's ) was that she was a woman and it was time for a female President. I agreed that a female could do the job, just - not Clinton, the crown prince of the DNC. Still, when the elections were over, I was left without any representation anywhere - but that would have been the case no matter WHO won. That got me to wondering just who WAS going to be represented.

Establishment Republicans have a lock on the Congress, with establishment Democrats hanging on by their fingernails. How many establishment dems/repubs are there in the country? About 42% of Americans identify as repub or dem, leaving 58% unaffiliated. Who will represent them? Some of them voted for Trump, as well as some Bernie fans and establishment repubs and he may or may not represent them. So far, Trump seems to be representing his 20,000,000 twitter fans, leaving 350,000,000 people drifting in the currents. Who knows what he'll do when he actually takes office, or who he'll represent while there, but his cabinet picks leave a scary feeling that it won't be - us, the little people. That's ok though, we've gotten used to being left out and ignored, by both democrats and republicans and everybody in between, so it won't be a shock.

I keep hearing statements " the American people want... ", from both sides of the aisle, under the aisle, over the aisle and 1000 miles from the aisle, and my question is; how do they know what the American people want? With a 100 different versions of that statement around, which American people are they each referring to? We all agree that our Congressional delegates don't listen to us, Trumps cabinet folk never talked to any of us and Trump only talks TO his fans - so - where are they getting their intelligence about what the American people want? Maybe it's dreams, or drug induced visions - or maybe they just assume we're too stupid to WHAT we want, so they'll decide for us. In any case, I have no confidence in any of them to really know what we want, or care a lick either way, because - they sure aren't listening to anything I have to say and I don't know anyone personally that have listened to. My democratic, republican and unaffiliated friends all agree, we're at the mercy of people far smarter than we are, that know what we want and need, because we're just too dumb to be making those kinds of decisions ourselves. We just have to hope that these superior humans come close to what we REALLY want.

PZG1225 Loc: Florida

Major....really. After the nightmare of the last eight years....the daunting task that is before this man, just to cut the ropes on all of the insane executive mandates this madman has forced upon us.....and before he is sworn in....you're asking "what about us??????". Thank the good Lord above you arent wondering " what will she do next! ". Give him a chance FGS!

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

Give him a chance. If he screws the pooch, he'll be the easiest incumbent ever to get rid of. He's been underestimated by everyone since this began. Don't you think it's about time to rethink this?

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

No, we haven't really been represented in 150 years, ever since the RNC and DNC decided we'd become a two party system of Government. The Progressives tried to take over the DNC and were partly successful, the Libertarians tried to take over the RNC and failed, the Tea party failed as well, so why would we even consider that THIS time will be different? The GOP has it's own agenda, Trump has his own agenda ( on a day by day basis, or perhaps even hour by hour, who knows ), and everyone else in DC has their own agenda. Who is actually going to represent me, or you, or the people you know? WE don't have lobbyists to plead our case, and we know our elected representatives stop representing us the moment they're sworn in and no one can make them.

I'm sick and tired of the tired old mantra "give them a chance and see what they do", because we've been screwed by EVERY administration and Congress since before the Civil war. People sent ( supposedly ) Trump to DC to "clean the swamp", but put even more swamp monsters IN the swamp, instead of voting some of them out. Then Trump proceeds to add his own swamp monster to his Cabinet, in the form of Oligarchs who have no concept of the needs of the masses - and absolutely no desire to learn. Each of them considers themselves to be superior humans and smarter than everyone else, and will TELL us what's good for us.

Aren't you tired of voting, then holding your breath to see what comes of it? Aren't you tired of the constant fear of what the Government is going to do next, that makes your life more difficult? We don't decide what issues are the most important, we are TOLD what they are, and like good little sheep - we argue about what we're told to argue about - all the time missing the fact that we won't have any impact on those issues anyway. State legislatures do what they want, Congress does what it wants and so do Presidents - and we can punish them for their behavior every 2, 4 or 6 years. Really? That's it? Well, this system has obviously worked well so far huh

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

Then be discontent. Your choice.

lpnmajor Loc: Arkansas

Yeah, or pretend that everything is hunky dory - when it isn't.

BigMike Loc: yerington nv

Sometimes a cure seems worse than the illness, but electing an outsider was a start in the right direction. I take my victories where I find them.

bggamers Loc: georgia