A Trip Through Trumpanzee Wonderland...

[Lord Jim]

Every now and then I'll watch a focus group of hardcore Trumpanzees being interviewed...

it's always a mind-bending experience...

A few days ago I saw another one:

CNN asked Trump supporters how they think his administration so far is going and all they could do was rave[Yeah, "rave" is definitely the word for it...]




CNN’s Alisyn Camerota sat down with six Trump supporters in New Hampshire this week to check in with them and what they think of the president’s administration so far.

“So here we are, 60-plus days into his presidency, we want to get your grades, your impressions of how President Trump is doing,” she told the group.

Each person in the small group got the opportunity to explain what they thought of the current president. Five of the six give President Trump a grade of A. Only one man gave him a B, saying that he doesn’t give anyone an A.[One guy says he wishes he could write a plus sign on the card to give Trump an A+]

Some of the accomplishments people cited for his success included the withdrawal of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, the approval of the Dakota Access and Keystone Pipelines, his efforts on a travel ban, his signal to businesses to invest in the U.S., and his attempt to undo Obamacare.

While Camerota pressed his supporters on certain issues, like the failure of the Obamacare repeal, or the fact that judges continue to strike down the travel ban, his supporters remain confident that he is doing a great job.

“I think we need to see where we are in two years,” one woman said, before you can really judge the effectiveness of an administration.

Several times through out the segment, supporters cite Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal,” as an explanation for his tactics.

“He goes into things long-term, he’s not a short-term guy.[In fact he is, as Joe Scarborough put it, a "political day trader"; he lives from news cycle to to news cycle and has no capacity for strategic thinking at all]He’s willing to stick in the game for 10 years to get things done. Donald Trump, they’re not going to wear him down. He is the master of wearing everyone else down,” a Trump voter said.

Ultimately, voters seem satisfied that he has attempted to deliver on his promises, more so that the results they have yielded.

http://rare.us/rare-news/the-media/cnn- ... -was-rave/

If you watch the video, (and let me warn you; if you do watch it, it may really make your brain ache) these folks do not come across as idiots, or knuckle dragging mouth breathers...

They're just deeply, deeply, deeply immersed in an alternative reality that bears absolutely no resemblance to what is actually going on back here on good ol' Terra Firma...

Trump's approval rating has dropped to the mid 30s, primarily because he's losing the support of people who disliked him marginally less than they disliked Hillary... Those folks never had any real investment in Trump or commitment to him...

But for the hardcore true believers, it's going to take a lot more fucking up on Trump's part to shake them out of their trance...

Fortunately, (or really unfortunately for the country at large) when it comes to fucking up, Trump has pretty much an endless supply...

[Scooter]

[BoSoxGal]

I'm not sure that any amount of fucking up on Trump's part will turn his most ardent supporters against him; they will just blame it on Congress or the media or Democratic snowflakes. If these people aren't angry at a man who is on track to spend over $100 million/year on unnecessary travel & security, money straight out of their pockets which benefits ONLY the Trump family at significant cost to businesses and municipalities, then there is nothing that they will find fault with, I fear.

I hesitated to post this toon because of the truly distasteful imagery, but I'm going to because it really embodies exactly what is happening to our country under Trump - thanks to the delusional that elected him, and don't even realize how badly he's screwing them and all the rest of us, too.

[Bicycle Bill]

Considering there have already been cartoons where Trump has been portrayed as having mugged Justice and groped Lady Liberty, and even a German festival featured a float in which Drumpf was doing the Statue of Liberty doggy-style), it was only a matter of time before he got around to Uncle Sam.

Next one should show the SCROTUS ("So-Called Ruler Of The US"; thanks, kristina, for coining that one) in bed with the Russian bear, smoking cigarettes and engaging in post-coital pillow talk.

-"BB"-

[BoSoxGal]

[Scooter]

What? None of Putin peeing on him?

[Bicycle Bill]

"Ask and it will be given to you."  ..... Matt 7:7; NIV

I knew I could depend on you guys.

-"BB"-

[Econoline]

I love that first one, with the elephant purring on the foot of the bed!

[Econoline]

Meanwhile, on this side of the looking-glass...

• Trump Support Plunges In Latest IBD/TIPP Poll
  
  Just 34% of the public approve of the job President Trump is doing, as his support among Republicans and independents tumbles, according to the April IBD/TIPP poll. Fifty six percent disapprove of the job he's doing. Approval ratings for a president haven't been this low since President Bush's last months in office.
  
  Last month, 40% of independents approved of the job Trump is doing; just 29% approve today. Among Republicans, Trump's job approval is 74%, which represents a 14-point decline from last month.
  
  The latest IBD/TIPP poll was taken from March 24-30, and includes responses from 904 people across the country, giving it a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points. The national sample of adults had 34% Democrats, 30% Republicans and 36% Independents.
  
  Across the board, the poll has bad news for Trump.
  
  He lost significant support among his strongest backers: white men (which dropped from 58% in March to 49% today), and rural America, which went from 56% to 41% today.
  
  Just over a third (37%) rate Trump's handling of the economy as "good" or "excellent," which is down from 43% last month. Only a quarter of those polled give him top marks on his handling of health care.
  
  And 35% now say that Trump is providing strong leadership for the country, compared with 49% who say it is weak.
  
  Satisfaction with the direction of the country has also taken a sharp turn for the worse. It had climbed to 50% in February — the first time it had been that high in years — but is now back down to 39%.
  
  "As his ambitious agenda encounters some obstacles in Congress, President Trump's approval ratings have declined," said Raghavan Mayur, president of TechnoMetrica who directs the IBD/TIPP Poll. "For instance, the inability of Congress to pass the proposed health care bill has weighed down Americans' approval of Trump's overall performance as president.
  
  "Also, some Americans had hoped that he and Congress would take up tax reform first, rather than wait for health care reform. The media's persistently negative coverage of President Trump, especially regarding the ongoing Russian investigation, has also taken a toll on his approval numbers."
  
  Budget and Health Care Disapproval
  
  Trump's budget proposal gets a big thumbs down as well. When asked whether they support his overall plan to shift $54 billion from domestic programs to the military, 61% said they opposed this, while only 34% backed that plan.
  
  The health bill he pushed along with House Speaker Paul Ryan — which Ryan pulled from the floor without a vote last week — doesn't fare much better. Just 25% of those who've followed the story closely say the bill would improve the nation's health care system. A bare majority of Republicans (52%) say it would.
  
  On the specific features of the bill, the public gives only tepid support for what were supposed to be its biggest selling points — getting rid of the individual and employer mandates (51% and 53%, respectively). And an overwhelming 91% want to keep ObamaCare's protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
  
  But only 35% support the bill's proposal to replace ObamaCare's income-based subsidies with tax credits based on age.
  
  The public also appears more upbeat about ObamaCare itself. Half of those following the story say ObamaCare is sustainable if left alone, while only 48% say it isn't.
  
  What's more, 43% say they'd be less likely to vote to re-elect those representatives in Congress who voted to repeal ObamaCare. That compares with 30% who say a repeal vote would increase their support.
  
  Russian Interference But No Obama Surveillance
  
  Trump is also taking his lumps on the issue of Russian meddling with the election.
  
  Of those following the story closely, 50% now say that the outcome of the election was "influenced by Russia." When IBD asked this question in January, 50% said Russia didn't influence the outcome.
  
  The shift is largely due to changing views of independents. In January, 54% said Russia didn't have any influence on the election. Now, 51% of independents think it did.
  
  Trump also gets little support for his contention that President Obama surveilled Trump and his team before the inauguration. Just 38% say it's likely that Obama did that, while 59% say it's not likely.
  
  Fewer than half (44%) believe Obama administration holdovers have been leaking classified information in order to undermine the current administration.

  ---

  Note: The IBD/TIPP poll has now been credited with having the most accurate results in each of the past four presidential elections. In 2016, IBD/TIPP was the only national poll to show Trump defeating Hillary Clinton in a four-way matchup. And an analysis by Fordham University political scientist Costas Panagopoulos found that IBD/TIPP and McClatchy/Marist came closest to hitting the bull's-eye on the actual vote margins.

[Lord Jim]

Among Republicans, Trump's job approval is 74%, which represents a 14-point decline from last month.

It's important to remember that just 16 months ago, there was no such thing as a hardcore Trumpanzee...

After his announcement speech in June of 2015, he pulled just 3% in the polls among Republican voters...

He has no hardcore base of political supporters that he had spent years building...

So exactly what the actual floor of his base support is, is an open question...

[BoSoxGal]

I love that first one, with the elephant purring on the foot of the bed!

Here's another view of the GOP position:

[RayThom]

... Next one should show the SCROTUS ("So-Called Ruler Of The US"; thanks, kristina, for coining that one) in bed with the Russian bear, smoking cigarettes and engaging in post-coital pillow talk...

I like the SCROTUS acronym. It would be great knowing that 'our' kristina coined it because it has gone viral. However, the first time it showed up in here was on February 14th but the link below has it being used on February 11th. The web appears to ascribe its coinage to comedian Elayne Boosler's in her tweets soon after Lord Dampnut's inauguration.

https://www.indy100.com/article/s-c-r-o-t-u-s-7576276

[rubato]

Among Republicans, Trump's job approval is 74%, which represents a 14-point decline from last month.

Everything you need to know about what is wrong with America.


Trump carefully researched Republican knee-jerkisms and ran that non-stop in the campaign.



Yrs,
Rubato

[Bicycle Bill]

Among Republicans, Trump's job approval is 74%...

I'm a call center-based customer service rep for a major cellular telephone provider and we are rated based on random telephone surveys of the customers we help.  Those who agree to take the survey are asked how likely they are to recommend our company on a scale of 1 to 10; we are credited with 100 points if they respond with a 9 or a 10.  A 7 or an 8 is neutral — no points awarded or subtracted; and a 6 or lower results in a minus 100 points.  Add up all the pluses and minuses and divide by the total number of surveys received to get a final score; if you're a crappy rep, had a bad week, or just ran into a bunch of customers who hate the company it's entirely possible to end up the month with a sub-zero rating.

I just wonder how low it would get if Herr Drumpfführer was being graded in a similar fashion.

-"BB"-

[Econoline]

[Burning Petard]

BB, in this rating system is there a claim to take into account the individual motivation to participate or not? By the way, I think it stinks that the question asks for a 1 to 10 rating, but 6 or less is scored the same. Actually it is a five point rating system.

snailgate

[Bicycle Bill]

No, there isn't.  I agree, it is a flawed system ... but at least they do recognize it and set goal at around 35% instead of expecting us to reach 50%, 60%, or higher.

-"BB"-