Trump may well be little more than a distraction.

[MineralMan]

While we're watching him make faces and dance around, we'll be ignoring what is going on in the background. Pence, Ryan and McConnell will be doing their magic acts while we have our eyes focused on the clown. One of the big worries I have is that the dominionist fundamentalists who have wormed their way into our Congress will push legislation through that moves the nation closer to a theocracy and confirm Supreme Court Justices who will find that legislation meets constitutional tests.

Don't be distracted by the funny clown at the center of the stage. Over on stage right, there is stuff going on that is really, really important. Keep your eye on the people for whom Trump is the distraction that lets them do their sleight of hand maneuvers.

There's some scary stuff about to appear. Watch for it and don't focus totally on the buffoon on the stage. Watch out for the players doing tricks elsewhere on the stage. That's where things are really happening. Your rights may depend on it.

[tecelote]

1. Totally agree.

How do we get Democrats to accept Mike Pence as President?

Give them Trump, let them impeach him and they will be happy to have Pence.

---

And, as you say, before impeachment, we'll all be hearing about how bad Trump is while Obama Care is disabled and Social Security privatized.

This is the Republicans wet dream.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

9. Pence.

I took this quick quiz awhile back, and Pence scored a ZERO for me!
http://www.ontheissues.org/Quiz/Quiz2016.asp?quiz=Pres2016

He was the most opposite to my policy preferences out of all of them!

I'd probably trust him more with the nuclear codes, though!

What a nightmare situation.

[Plucketeer]

36. Pence is the new Cheney

Shooting someone in the face will sound downright friendly under Malicious Mikey.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

44. He seems too dim witted to be as "active" as cheney....

But definitely up to taking orders in the name of republican jesus, and putting a theocratic spin on the punishment he deals out.

[Crash2Parties]

45. He doesn't have to be - he is just the front man for the whole cabal.

[aikoaiko]

2. And his cabinet who will be able to do much harm through their discretional authority

That's who I really worry about.

[MineralMan]

3. That, too.

We need to be watching carefully what is going on while everyone is distracted by Trump.

[DK504]

24. Will anyone but a real free press like Free Speech TV be covering

what will happen on the day after the A-hole gets sworn in? Who will actually be honest and reveal the filthy program to destroy what made America good?

[Dustlawyer]

39. We need to hold the media's feet to the fire!

Notice that we are not hearing much about Trump's conflicts of interest with is businesses? The media has moved on.

The last I heard on the subject was Trump saying that everyone knew he had these business interests while he was running so he didn't think there was going to be a problem. I kept waiting for the obvious question, "You knew the conflict rules were there before you ran for office, you agree you are still subject to these same rules that have applied to every President preceding you right?" I heard no follow up to his BS statement!

[Crash2Parties]

46. Backed by Congress and a conservative Christian Judiciary at all Federal levels.

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. They want to destroy FDR and Obama's legacy. They want to take any and all

benefits or programs that help average Americans.

They want to appoint judges who will blindly follow a corporate agenda and ignore the constitution and rights.

Mike Pence wants to torture gay people, he calls it "conversion therapy".

The list goes on and the American people need to join together, somehow, somewhere and form a resistance to this madness.

[MineralMan]

8. You're right, and that's not all.

They want women to be pregnant, back in the kitchen and the bedroom, too. They want poor people to stay poor and desperate, so they have a pool of people who will work for peanuts. They want troublesome minorities and people with other religious beliefs gone. If given the chance, they will remodel the United States in ways we can scarcely imagine.

[Eliot Rosewater]

10. Crap, forgot about women, sorry about that.

I also sincerely believe his hair trigger, childish personality and greed is going to cost many lives, at a minimum a war with Iran or maximum a nuclear exchange somewhere.

I just HOPE we have the luxury of worrying about voting rights and workplace rights and women's rights.

[jumptheshadow]

28. And they want everything privatized

The primary motivations being the cash involved and the extension of corporate power over decisions that are now being made by career civil servants.

[Crash2Parties]

47. And by "everything" they mean "all of the Commons". Roads, schools, all government functions...

[frankieallen]

32. And they want to execute gays, and they want to put poor

In work houses, and the want to hang POC in the town square, and........

[Takket]

5. i honestly believe the GOP in congress hates Trump, but...

like you say he is a puppet. easy to control, and always 1 tweet away from saying something that media talks about for days, while policy that changes everyone's lives is enacted without so much as a whisper from the press.

[MineralMan]

6. I believe you're exactly right.

Everyone will focus on Trump and his weirdness, while all sorts of things are going unnoticed in the background. That scares me, to tell you the truth. I know what the right wants, and it isn't a pretty scenario.

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Call it a Mutual Game Plan.

While the Clown distracts the Audience(public),the real damage is happening in both the House and Senate. Corporations want their rewards and they will get them.

Are we on our way to a permanent Indentured Society? Appears the ground work has been laid with Con Job and the Koch bought and paid for Republicans.

[world wide wally]

7. Yep.

And in return, Trump (R-Rus) gets to do any business he wants with Russia and whoever else.

[Crash2Parties]

48. Trump gets a few hundred million closer to debt-free, Putin gets America.

[Runningdawg]

11. Revenge will be the order of the day

To me, the first 100 days will be the most dangerous. Trump and congress are likely to sign any bill put forth by the GOP without so much as a glance. This will lead to a few trying to "out Christian" each other and the shit could get deep FAST.

[MineralMan]

13. Yes. We need to be very watchful right away.

I'm afraid that most people are focusing on the distraction and paying no attention to what else is going on. Ryan, McConnell and a number of other players have goals they have held for a long, long time, and are about to put them into effect. If we aren't paying attention, we may be facing something that is a fait accompli that takes much away that has taken a long, long time to achieve.

The risks are very, very high. I'm bringing this up, because I'm not seeing people talking about these possibilities, due to their fascination with the spectacle that is Trump.

We need to be paying close attention to Congress right now. They're in session before the inauguration, and are planning to have bills on the table for Trump's signature shortly after he becomes President. He'll get the blame, and then they can get rid of him before anyone has even noticed what has taken place.

It's worrisome, to make a huge understatement.

[anneboleyn]

29. Paul Ryan will eviscerate social security, the VA, Medicare, everything else. Trump's idiots

may never catch on -- who the hell knows at this point. But I have no doubt that Ryan and Pence will charge ahead with their plans to destroy our social systems and of course boost hard-right religious fundamentalism. Trump will no doubt point to his "victories" w/jobs (yeah right) to distract his idiots while the repubs destroy everything that Trump voters most desperately need.

[Crash2Parties]

51. Oh, LGBT folks have been paying attention. So have feminists.

Trump we're not so scared of; his goals are relatively small scale, to increase his business. Payback Putin for that borrowed money. That sort of thing.

We've kept track of the GOP faces for a long, long time. We've watched them build up the Tea Party and take over the GOP. Then we watched Pence build up the proposed Cabinet into a who's who of radical Christian fundamentalists. America is on the fast track to becoming a theocracy. Look at who is heading up the agencies. See who is sitting in the Congressional seats. Watch who they name to those 103+ Federal Judgeships and the Supreme Court. Already there are judges like the one in Texas who states his rulings apply to the entire Nation. It's going to get worse.

[lancelyons]

14. I expect Trump will be impeached and Pence will fill in.

GOP has golden opportunity. If they can make the country better, it could be some time before Democrats get to work their ideas.

I suspect the GOP will screw up like they normally do. Their ideas are bad and dont consider a huge portion of the country.

Looking back at past GOP presidents and when both house and senate where in their control, they screwed up majorly.

[lunatica]

15. I fear we'll have a front row seat to the breakdown of the USA

Whole giant pieces of the foundation will be dismantled and taken out. Then the rest will collapse for lack of supporting institutions.

Or everything our country will be dragged a giant step to the Right until the balance is destroyed and the entire structure falls down.

[secondwind]

16. So true, MineralMan! And Trump is too lazy to read so he will sign anything that comes across his

desk, whether it is to open up federal lands to drilling/mining, to siphoning off more federal monies to private charter schools, etc.

Paul Ryan IS the man behind the curtain. He is very busy right now

[secondwind]

17. They want to have a filibuster-proof Senate in 2018... they are zeroing on 8 Democrat Senators who

are running for re-election, in states that Trump won.

They want to be in charge in 2020, with as many Governors as possible, so they can gerrymander us into extinction.

WE NEED TO ORGANIZE AND GET OUT THE VOTE IN 2018 AND 2020

[MineralMan]

19. Yes, and we need to start yesterday on that project.

We need to stop watching Trump's antics and focus on Congress, and we need to do it right now!

[annabanana]

20. Which ones.. Start to fund them NOW.

ActBlue is an easy way to do it.

[CousinIT]

18. Our healthcare and retirement depends on it.

literally. We can retire destitute like most seniors used to before social security (or they worked till they dropped dead) and with no access whatsoever to healthcare, or we can pay attention.

Fire up those letter and email writing and phone calling fingers, use them OFTEN and if you can go to a protest DO IT.

[Mountain Mule]

50. Yep, Paul Ryan is like the cat who's just been set free amongst the canaries!

Ryan has been biding his time on this one for a quite a while now. He's longed to destroy Social Security/Medicare-Medicaid for his entire career and now he gets to wreck the havoc he's always dreamed of. I am a senior dealing with a serious disability and I and millions of other Americans depend on these programs just to get by. Ryan is going to pull the floor out from under us while everyone else is watching orange boy cartoons. This is the first New Year ever where I'm seriously wondering if I'll be around for the next one. All I can say is that if I go down, you can be sure I'll go down fighting, e-mails and letters clutched in hand.

[asiliveandbreathe]

21. I concur with you MM

Pay close attention to the men behind the curtain...I so wish we could stop any trump reference here - but I understand - just can't look away from the car wreck...I get it..we will have a buffoon in chief...a hater, a racist, and the republican congress is just chomping at the bit to turn our country upside down into fascism..and stupid, uninformed - just saw the big red R when voting..hummm the big red R - comrades after all...so much for doing the most good for the most people, we do, but republicans, not so much...

Hubby and I are down to maybe 3-4 friends in our small 55+ community..NO more Mr. nice guy..do anything for ya'- -just call - NOPE - not anymore..and I will call them comrade to their face should they even try to approach..yes, I am angry - my daughter and I haven't spoken since the stolen election..my son, retired chief USN, asks the question, what reason do we have, now, to put on a military uniform - what do we have to fight for...

we must be ready to join enmasse against this enemy infiltration - as American citizens, we have great leaders...they will rise fol's - I just know it..optimist to a fault...

Watched the Kennedy Center program..and I have to say -- I heard a call to us from many of the speakers...and songs...I do believe our reps are working to fight as well..and President Obama will lead the charge - he was like "don't assume my silence for acceptance" when the camera panned to him...he started with the ousting of the russian dips...big..HUGE!

Thank you MM, the voice of reason, ever so vigilant, ever so concerned for your fellow man...

[Hekate]

22. What MinMan said

[lark]

23. Drumpf couold give a fuck about domestic policies, long as it doesn't hurt his bottom line.

He's president for one reason (ok 2) reason, get rid of Russian sanctions and take NATO off their backs is one reason. The other is to make a gazillion $$ from selling homes to oligarchs and the hope that Russia will cancel the debt he owes them. Think he'll be disappointed on that, Putin knows he's got something on rump and he's not going to lose his leverage. He's fine with Pence, Ryan, McConnell running the domestic show because they won't hurt him because he's rich.

[pnwmom]

25. YES!! And they'll be doing so many things at once no one will be able to keep up.

That's what happened in the campaign, too. He had so many scandals that they all trivialized each other.

And this is why I think we'd be better off with Pence. He's an enemy, but he is clearly the enemy -- not a clown or a magic act. It's much easier to fight an enemy in uniform.

[RKP5637]

26. K&R!!!!! n/t

[PWPippinesq]

27. President Pence

I suspect that the powers that be in the Republican Party are being very quiet about and even supporting Trump's many ethical and illegal missteps as President-elect in order to get him inaugurated. Once he's in office, my guess is they will join in the Democrats' efforts to get him impeached. The Republicans will then have their dream President. Pence is about as far right as you can go, but he's not around the bend crazy. Frightening nonetheless. Maybe more so because he seems so "normal".

[fleabiscuit]

42. What makes you think Democrats will push for impeachment? nt

[mahina]

54. Welcome to DU.

[MFM008]

30. I agree

he will say outrageous things for the media to concentrate on.

[Motley13]

31. I am really afraid of a Prez Pence

He doesn't yell like a maniac but his thinking is in the dark ages.

[RKP5637]

35. Exactly! He is one evil regressive POS! n/t

[bhowle]

33. Look! It's a squirrel !!! n/t

[RKP5637]

34. I believe the country will eventually regionalize and some states will have to secede and defend

their borders. Under Trump and his cohorts, the US will likely fall apart. It's happened to other countries, there is no reason to believe it will not happen here as this shit hits the fan!

[PearliePoo2]

53. I'm trying to think of a worthy name for the BEAUTIFUL new Country of:

Washington, Oregon and California!

[Bettie]

37. he's Pence/Ryan/McConnell's shiny object

People watch it while they pick their pockets and steal all that isn't nailed down and a lot of stuff that is.

[raccoon]

38. Absolutely, MM! See also my post here:

36. Or could this rude, offensive, childish behavior be calculated to distract us from

something the Republicans don't want us to notice?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141652577#post36

[bucolic_frolic]

40. Who watches the Federal Treasury

capital flight is one thing

outright offshore looting would be a new tactic

[AwakeAtLast]

41. Shrub was practice.

Those years went well for them, Cheeto Trumpolini is next level. Grab your ankles, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

[loyalsister]

43. We fell for it before

While we made fun of Bush and anticipated his next misspeak, and deviation from proper etiquette, Cheney did his thing in the background.

[Midnight Writer]

49. Exactly! Trump will act out while the Conservatives will remake our country.

[OldYallow]

52. Trump will distract us

While republicans kill our families.

[CrispyQ]

55. Trump will play king at his rallies,

while Pence/McConnell/Ryan shred the safety net, dismantle our rights, privatize the remaining Commons, & implement more voter restriction laws to permanently maintain power. They control most of the state legislatures & they get a SCOTUS nom right out of the gate. I don't see how we could be any more fucked than we are. The democrats didn't drop the ball - they lost the game. Election 2016 was a game changer & this country may not come back from it. And I know I'm not the only one who fears that.

[randr]

56. I think they hacked and rigged the Republican Primaries.

The right was just a sure he would fail as we were and just as surprised when he won.

[bonniebgood]

57. GOTV is not working. Hillary won the GOTV. This Country will continue to fall

until we get to a safe and reliable vote counting method. We must get rid of no paper trail vote counting machines. Vote caging, provincials ballots.. Paper ballots please.

[MineralMan]

58. Not so. She lost by very slim margins in three states that

would have given her enough electoral votes. Better GOTV would have helped. Better campaigning would have helped. Fixing voting problems would be wonderful, of course, but that's going to be up to people in individual states to correct. Elections remain state-run things. If your state has problems, work to fix them there.

[2naSalit]

59. Shock.Doctrine. 2.0