Trump ran a PT Barnum style, say anything to win, baby campaign. The only reason he selected "Republican" themes and phrases, I think, is because the Democrats, with their Super Delegate system would have been a much harder road. This was "selling" on a grand order, and the rubes bought it. Hook. Line and Sinker. The caught fish, though, usually gets gutted, fried and eaten. Let's see how We The People fare....CHARGE!!!

Newts are semiaquatic, alternating between aquatic and terrestrial habitats over the year, sometimes even staying in the water full-time.

You got it, Charles: all presidents like Sisi in Egypt or Erdogan in Turkey:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/21/opinio…
The term they're using is "managed democracy." Looking forward to you riffing on that!

Trump lies, news at 11.

@4, Indeed, followed by ALL US Presidents Lie(d).,,,

@6
I think some of his 'supporters' are about to start sharpening their pitchforks.

I can only hope.

Why would Trump even bother announcing that he's dropping "drain the swamp"?
The only thing that could possibly accomplish is pissing off his own base.
It's kind of funny that the person who made the announcement is one of the supporters that Trump is dropping.
Lock her up, Drain the swamp, Gingrich, Giuliani and Christie where all 'cute' for a while, but now it's time to move on.
Most politicians don't announce when their campaign promises are lies, so I guess that means Trump really is a different kind of politician.

Hils merely made highly-paid speeches to Goldman Sachs. Donaldo is calling people out of the audience to run the government.

I like that he's been spending his time screaming, "SUCKERS!" at his supporters and they're still standing there and cheering because they think he and his cabal of wealthy people are going to work to bring their jobs back.

@8 Why would Trump even bother announcing that he's dropping "drain the swamp"?

Good question. He has also dropped "Lock her up" and made it clear that a lot of things he said during the campaign were complete bullshit. But his supporters don't mind. So much of what drove his campaign was Donald himself, not his policies. So when he says things like this -- when he reveals that some of the phrases he uses were bullshit -- his fans are still happy, because they can gloat in America's stupidity. Because for too long his fans have been called stupid. But now these guys can celebrate beating the arrogant, elitist, well educated class. It is like dumbfuck university beating Stanford with a trick play. You are supposed to be so smart, but you didn't even know the tackle was eligible on that play. I didn't either -- until the coach explained it -- and when he did, we loved it.

Which is really the key dynamic here. Trump supporters have their political agenda (to be sure) but mostly they are thrilled because "there kind of person" won, and managed to outsmart the so called elitists.

@11 "Their" kind of person is going to bend them over and make it hurt.

I really hate to say this, but this actually kinda is something all Presidents do.

The first guy I ever pulled a lever for was Bill Clinton, back in 1992. I did this because I was gay, in the Army, and afraid. So, I pulled the lever, and the Bill pulled the rug out from underneath me. That was the start of my deep personal dislike for politicians named Clinton.

Bush wasn't any better, and since he was President for the first year of my military service, he was technically my boss. I remember how he lied to everyone too, saying read my lips no new taxes. And he won his first term by lying about Mike Dukakis and Wille Horton. And his predecessor got real lucky with that, because Reagan could've gone to prison for Iran-Contra if the Democrats had won instead. So the lying goes back a ways.

I was born the day before McGovern lost the election to Nixon. So the first President in my lifetime was Tricky Dick. So I'm a little cynical when it comes to Presidents. Every one of them in my lifetime has been a lying piece of shit. From Watergate to the deporter in chief, its been one long river of bullshit.

If Trump kept using the phrase, you'd be on his case for being a loose cannon without the capacity to rein in his outbursts. Just as if Obama were opposed to TPP and Trump for it, you'd be devastated about its recent (unnoted by you) demise. Now Trump is showing obvious signs that seriously investigating Pentagon cost-overruns is high on his agenda, and I presume you'll find some way to see that as evidence that this is just another way to stick it to the poor for whom military service is the only way out of the hood.

Basically, you're a Democratic Party flack, and would still find a way to justify Democrats and vilify Republicans no matter what (at least as long as minority grievance issues continued to find their home with the Dems).

Sure, all politicians lie, it's part of their job description... but most of them don't turn around and laugh at their own supporters for believing them. I guess this sort of abuse is "refreshing"? IDK

It's just another example of Trump getting away with saying anything that drops from his mouth - because he can. "Hey, all you suck - er, voters, I just said a bunch of stupid shit to get elected, ha-ha! Ain't I a stinker?" And they're all "oh, uh, yeah. We knew it was just stupid shit you didn't mean, because, uh, we're so smart. That's why we voted for you!" The faithful have no choice but to double-down, because anything else would be a clear admission they've been played just as much as everyone else.