You can't eliminate the emotion driven choice although I agree it's not a good one. But there might be reasons it's appropriate.  Stay with me here, understand I think Obama is the single worst president we have ever had.  I talked to several blacks about why they voted him in and got answers that were 100% about the first black president.  When I pushed for thoughts about issues and policy, they had nothing to say.  The more conservative ones did not disagree that fiscal progressivism is bad, but that didn't matter, just the fact that a black is voted into the White House will "heal" the racial divide blah blah blah blah.  Of course, these are purely racist motives because they voted on skin color alone.  Nevermind the irony, hypocrisy, etc., this was an emotional vote, and if I step into their shoes and look at it from their perspective, I can understand where they're coming from. 

The Trump win also was driven largely by emotion.  People who have lost jobs, had their quality of life decline for the first time in U.S. history, and are losing their dreams for a future, voted for Trump out of desperation. They did something outrageous, like Spock jettisoning and igniting the shuttle craft fuel.  The risk is if you're wrong, you crash back on the planet.  But at this point what have you got to lose?  You're going to die anyway. 

In fact, the following pretty much nails my own state of mind when I pulled the lever for Trump:

KIRK: Mister Spock.
SPOCK: Captain.
KIRK: There's really something I don't understand about all of this. Maybe you can explain it to me. Logically, of course. When you jettisoned the fuel and ignited it, you knew there was virtually no chance of it being seen, yet you did it anyhow. That would seem to me to be an act of desperation.
SPOCK: Quite correct, Captain.
KIRK: Now we all know, and I'm sure the doctor will agree with me, that desperation is a highly emotional state of mind. How does your well-known logic explain that?
SPOCK: Quite simply, Captain. I examined the problem from all angles, and it was plainly hopeless. Logic informed me that under the circumstances, the only possible action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at.
KIRK: I see. You mean you reasoned that it was time for an emotional outburst.
SPOCK: Well, I wouldn't put it in exactly those terms, Captain, but those are essentially the facts.
KIRK: You're not going to admit that for the first time in your life, you committed a purely human emotional act?
SPOCK: No, sir.
KIRK: Mister Spock, you're a stubborn man.
SPOCK: Yes, sir.

At last, our long national nightmare is over.

'Gimp

If there are no decent jobs, or you have no employable skill set, you will just end up with people in more squalor than they were on welfare. 

Decent jobs are out there - but not enough.  We need increased economic activity.  An "America first" policy will help too. 

Both of these will be reversals of Obama's policies. 

After thinking about this a while, I realized that it's similar to the time I wrote "Moochelle" and you challenged me on it.  I thought about that, too, and realized it is because I don't respect her, and it's hard for me to use the real name of someone who, in my opinion, is neither worthy (of a position, say) or respectable (because of their behavior).  I concluded then that I supposed I should consider a person's name sacrosanct, despite my feelings about them.  I could skip titles, though, as I often do with the current person residing in the White House.

On this issue of Obama's birthplace, here is the deal.  I simply do not trust him, or any of his minions, handlers, cohorts, and cadre.  I don't trust him, or them, asechrest, sir.  Really, AT ALL.  And why should I? Look what he has done to our country!  His only memorable quote in office was a lie!

One can pontificate about this and that, that he has done, and how wonderful he is, but the fact is that his tenure has been painfully disastrous for our country.  Fareed Zakaria did a CNN special on Obama's second term, admitting that it was a disaster, but claimed that "America has failed its President.  It was not ready for his ideas." 

Well, thank God we weren't ready for the compost heap he shoved down our throats and the cloak of despair he threw over our country!  Those who TRUSTED him, and voted for him, brought it all down upon us.  I. Do. Not. Trust. Obama.

I don't trust Trump, either.  My trust has to be earned.  I am watching.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, and don't think I deserve to be called "wildly partisan" and "inconsistent."  I am not a birther.  I didn't care when it was issue, and I don't care about it now.  There were much more important reasons to be concerned about him than where he was born. 

My lack of trust in the whole leftist machine, as we saw exercised in such a WILDLY PARTISAN manner in this election, causes me to trust NOTHING that they do or say.  They have brought it on themselves, and I am not alone amongst thinking, rational people in seeing the horrific tearing away of the mask of civility the leftists managed to hide behind, before they began rioting, blaming everything but themselves, and gnashing their teeth at November 8th's REAL NEWS that there was a large swath of American citizenry who didn't trust them, either.

We need to weaken the Federal government so state's rights matter again. That was the concept of the U.S. in the first place.  United States not one big Oligarchy.  Still, people can vote with their feet. If you want to live in La La land, move to CA, OR, WA, MA, CT, RI, HI, MD, NY, VT, IL, MN, etc.  There are many ultra progressive states in which to choose.  But, stay in the metro areas, as if you wander out, you are fair game, even in the Progressive states. 

These are key points.
It wouldn't immediately divide the country, but neither would it rip it apart.  Allow States to tax or subsidize that which they feel is important.  Allow States to regulate businesses and our lives as much as their residents feel prudent.  States that choose wisely will grow and prosper and more people will move there.

We still need a Federal Government for inter-state policies and for national defense, but the function of the Federal Government should be more of an enabler for the various States and less of a controlling authority for them.  As for financing the Federal Government, rather than taxing all individuals the Federal Government should collect fees from each State, but the States should be responsible for the method they choose to raise those funds.

We would see some States go the Socialist route, and some States go the Capitalist route, but most would choose policies somewhere in between (ie, the Bell Curve).  Each system would be given teh chance to succeed or fail on it's merits and as a Citizen of this Union of States, I could choose to live and work under the system I prefer.

I disagree because the two aren't joined at the hip.
Paul Ryan has been a monumental failure at leading based on conservative principles.
What Donald Trump thinks or does has no bearing on what Paul Ryan did and does.

Don't try and use facts or logic with Jihad Jeff, he is so broken record on that I still have him on ignore as a total no-value-added waste of time and wouldn't have even seen what he said had you not quoted it - but I already knew what it would be anyway.

Conservatism is not on the Presidential ballot this year (or any year really but that is another story) - what is on the ballot this year is a continuation and expansion of the disastrous policies of the last 8 years, or something else. 

I only say 'something else' because the details are actually not that important - on any of the issues I could be a single issue voter on, Trump's official platform positions (and the history of his public life, on balance) far more closely align with my own than do Clinton's.  SCOTUS, Gun Control, Abortion, the Political-Media-Complex, Immigration, Trade, Radical Muslim Terrorism, the UN, the Republican Elite/Establishment, DC vs the rest of the country, the rigged system - I could go on but he is far closer to my own positions than Hillary could ever believably pretend to be.

Is he an ideal candidate, no - never said that.

Is he a rock-ribbed conservative, no - never said that.

Is he a paragon of moral virtue and propriety, no - never said that.

Borrowing from a good friend of mine, we are minimizing the election by calling this one a choice between 'the lesser of two evils' - simply put:

• One is for the murder of unborn children one is not - that is not the lesser of two evils, that is for the greater good and is for me an easy choice.
• One is for the elimination of the foundation of our Bill of Rights (2nd Amdt) and one is not - that is not the lesser of two evils, that is for the greater good and is for me an easy choice.
• One is for appointing radical left wing idealogues to SCOTUS (and every other court in the land) and one is not - that is not the lesser of two evils, that is for the greater good and is for me an easy choice.
• One is for allowing unvetted refugees from dangerous areas of the world (and anywhere else frankly) into our country without a single thought as how to support them and one is not - that is not the lesser of two evils, that is for the greater good and is for me an easy choice.
• One refuses to name or even try to truly quantify the danger we face from Radical Islam and one is not - that is not the lesser of two evils, that is for the greater good and is for me an easy choice.

 

'Gimp

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-apologizes-for-vulgar-comments-my-travels-around-the-country-have-changed-me/article/2603992

Donald Trump offered an apology to Americans early Saturday morning after comments he made in 2005 degrading women were made public.

"I've never said that I'm a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that I'm not. I've said and done things I regret and the words released today on this more than a decade old video are one of them. Anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who I am. I said it, I was wrong and I apologize," Trump said.

"I've traveled the country talking about change for America but my travels have also changed me. I've spent time with grieving mothers who have spent lost their children, laid off workers whose jobs have gone to other countries and people from all walks of life who just want a better future. I have gotten to know the great people of our country and I've been humbled by the faith they've placed in me.

"I pledge to be a better man tomorrow and will never ever let you down. Let's be honest. We're living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction from the important issues we're facing today. We are losing our jobs, we're less safe than we were eight years ago and Washington is totally broken. Hillary Clinton and her kind have run our country into the ground. I've said some foolish things but there's a big difference between the words and actions of other people. Bill Clinton has actually abused women and Hillary has bullied, attacked, shamed and intimidated his victims. We will discuss this more in the coming days. See you at the debate on Sunday," Trump concluded.

 Trump has come out and apologized.   He has taken responsibility for his actions.

 And the Clintons?  Has Hillary apologized for her remarks calling Americans "deplorables" and bad mouthing the Sanders supporters?  Has Hillary apologized for lying to Americans about her role in Benghazi and letting Americans die for political expediency?  Has Hillary apologized for lying to Americans about her mishandling of information and how she and her staff destroyed evidence in a criminal investigation?   Has Hillary apologized for her treatment of the victims of Bill Clinton's rapes?  Has Hillary apologized to Monica Lewinsky for her remarks made about her?  Has Hillary apologized to the mothers of the Benghazi victims that she called liars and other cruel names?

 If you think things are bad now, with a rogue president and his party using the government and the media to accomplish their punishments of anyone daring to disagree or stand up to them, this should be a wake up call.  Once Hillary gets into office she will be BHO on steroids in using her position to punish anyone who dares hold her or her criminal foundation accountable.  You are witnessing the lengths the democrats and the media will go to destroy anyone who stands in their way.  They are desperate to hold and increase their power base.