mhaze,

Hasn't your doctor told you to stop have dinner parties for
four people unless there's 3 others there.

You old chap, have lost all credibility ages ago so give it
a rest. I don't bother to read everything you post. You lost me
years ago with your support of Cardinal Pell, Trump, Israel,
and your accusations of Biden molesting his daughter. Cringe-worthy
supports.

I'll repeat what I stated to you earlier -

Two words, one finger.

It's OK though.
I'm on 500 mgs of Fukitol.

Therapy helps, but I've found that obscenities is faster and
cheaper.

That's Foxy for you. When adult discussion is beyond your capabilities, go for the gutter.

mhaze,

My being adult depends on who I'm with.

You're simply not worth the effort.

Besides is you don't like my opinion of you you can always improve.

It's funny how when one is pushed to the limit and one
pushes back - you're blamed of being in the gutter.
Nah. I prefer to be reaching
for the stars - always. But sometimes things have to
be broken down so that the person you're
dealing with understands the message. Especially, for a
person who thinks they know it all.

As far as my living and working in the US? Los Angeles
was our base. Chosen because of its climate.
However, we travelled all over the US, working and living
and experiencing the country and its people. We also travelled
all over Mexico and Canada. They thought enough of us to keep
our jobs for us in Los Angeles. And when we decided to go back
to Australia - they tried their hardest to persuade us to
stay.

Our experiences in the US were very wide. Hence our concerns
about someone like Trump being elected. We're used to
a higher calibre of American leader coming from any side of
American politics. Trump simply does not have the qualifications
or skills for the job. We can only hope that Americans will
not re-elect him.

.

Dear mhaze,

.

Yes, I understand that party discipline is not as strict in the US parliamentary system as it is in the Australian Westminster parliamentary system Nevertheless, as I am sure you are aware, in the US, both houses of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, have majority and minority whips.

But naturally, astute party leaders recognize the need for balance, because voters could easily oust any of their local representatives in both houses who repeatedly supported the party’s agenda over their constituents’ concerns, thereby jeopardizing the number of seats their party holds.

I guess it’s a delicate balancing act in all democratic legislatures, including in the US even though the latter is more liberal and flexible regarding respect of the party line.

As for the internal opposition between pro and anti-Trump Congressional Republicans, as I see it, the former outweighs the latter by a long shot. As things stand, of the 268 Republican Congressional Representatives, I doubt that there are even 10% who would openly declare their opposition to Trump today.
.

You ask :

« If Trump wanted to turn the US polity into "Putin’s Russia, Xi’s China or Kim’s North Korea" why didn't he do it in his first term? »
.

The political regimes in Putin’s Russia, Xi’s China or Kim’s North Korea, mhaze, are all autocracies, i.e., ‘government by one person with absolute power’, and as I indicated in my previous post :

“The Republican Party … continues to exist in name only. It no longer functions as a democratic political party. It has dissolved into a political organisation dedicated exclusively to the promotion of the personal interests of Donald Trump. … It is now under autocratic rule.

And, more than likely, the same schema would apply if, by misfortune, Donald Trump were to be elected President of the United States in November.”

Whatever the reason he didn’t do it in his first term, mhaze, he certainly seems determined to do it in his second term if ever he is elected.

.

" I prefer to be reaching for the stars - always. "

Always?

"I'll repeat what I stated to you earlier - Two words, one finger."

Its as though she can't remember what she wrote 3 hours previously and assumes no one else can either. Honestly!!

____________________________________________________________________

What I find most interesting here and in the other thread on Trump is that, despite the myriad assertions that Trump will be a bad president, not a single poster has listed a single Trump policy they abhor. This isn't about policy or policies or plans for the future. This is just straight up media designed Trump Derangement Syndrome where people are told they need to hate Trump for unknown reasons, and dutifully comply.

Trump is 1984's Emmanuel Goldstein bought to life.

I also find it passing-strange that those who constantly preen themselves as friends of the working class so vehemently hate the one man in the USA who is indeed representing the working class and seeking to improve their lot and future.

Quite a few history and psychology careers will be built around trying to make sense of these phenomena.