Friday Talking Points [491] -- FART Act, Pruitt Out
We are (of course) not drawing any onomatopoetic comparisons to Scott Pruitt's last name with that title -- perish the thought! -- because it is merely a reference to two political stories which bookended this week. That's all. Ahem.
We begin with a little history. Benjamin Franklin was a funny guy, and was also prone to irreverence. When serving as U.S. Ambassador overseas, Franklin wrote a downright hilarious response to a scientific society's attempt to spur interesting research. This essay goes by many names, including: "A Letter To The Royal Academy On Farting," as well as the simpler: "Fart Proudly." Here's just a sample:
It is universally well known, That in digesting our common Food, there is created or produced in the Bowels of human Creatures, a great Quantity of Wind.
That the permitting this Air to escape and mix with the Atmosphere, is usually offensive to the Company, from the fetid Smell that accompanies it.
That all well-bred People therefore, to avoid giving such Offence, forcibly restrain the Efforts of Nature to discharge that Wind.
Franklin then goes on to propose -- modestly, of course -- that research into what people could consume to make their farts not stink would benefit all of humanity. And this was long before elevators had been invented!
Over 200 years later, the Trump administration -- you cannot make this stuff up, folks -- was reportedly considering a proposed piece of legislation on trade, which would have removed any congressional oversight over tariffs and also given the green light to Trump to ignore all those pesky W.T.O. rules as well. Borrowing a phrase Trump loves to repeat, they called their proposed bill the "United States Fair And Reciprocal Trade Act."
This, obviously, is the biggest acronymical faceplant since George W. Bush decided to call his invasion of Iraq "Operation Iraqi Liberation." Could any Republican really stand (with a straight face) on the floors of Congress to defend the "U.S. FART Act"?
Ben Franklin, obviously, would have been amused.
By week's end, the White House was desperate to clear the air of such a stinkeroo of a news story, so they decided to "accept the resignation" of E.P.A. chief Scott Pruitt. To summarize, we began with the FART Act and ended with "Pruitt out."
What the media interestingly didn't really pick up on with the Pruitt firing (oh, excuse us, "resignation") was the fact that a very interesting story broke a few days beforehand. Now, Pruitt was already having yet another rough week, as some of his aides testified to a closed session of a congressional oversight committee. Reportedly, they confirmed some of the more juicy details of Pruitt's numerous scandals, including the fact that Pruitt retaliated against anyone who dared to suggest that what he was doing was creating ethical problems (to say the very least). So that's what the news media went with -- "Pruitt Fired After Aides Testify."
But this ignores the other big Pruitt story of the week, which was that Pruitt directly asked Trump to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, so that Trump could then replace Sessions with Pruitt. Pruitt would serve in this capacity for a while, and then step down to run for office back in his home state. Trump, obviously, didn't take him up on this scheme.
But we've seen this sort of thing before -- any Trump aide the news reports is trying to manipulate Trump behind the scenes lives on very thin ice. Trump is terrified of the storyline that puppetmasters are pulling his strings, and he's fired people who even dared to suggest such a thing before, so it should have been a fairly logical conclusion that this at least partly led to Pruitt's ouster this particular week (Pruitt's had so many bad weeks and so many different scandals that one wonders why this particular week was any different than all the others, in other words).
But Pruitt's exit isn't really all that much cause for environmentalists to celebrate, since the guy who is replacing him comes directly from the coal industry. So the henhouse will be left in charge of the foxes once again, even if the new fox is less ethically-challenged than the last one.
Of course, some responded to Pruitt's exit with snark. Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty responded: "How much can you get for a slightly used soundproof booth on eBay?" But the best response, though, came from presidential historian Michael Beschloss, who pointed out: "The Pruitts of Southampton was a 1966 ABC sit-com, starring Phyllis Diller, about a family trying to live beyond its means." Now that is a funny coincidence!
Of course, it was the week of July 4th, which is always chock-full of symbolism, and this year was no exception. A woman actually climbed up onto the Statue of Liberty to protest Trump's immigration policy, which is about as symbolic as you can get for an immigration protest, really. Also this week, it was revealed that the Trump administration is busily kicking immigrants out of the United States Army, for no particular reason. To twist the knife, many of the brave soldiers who were unceremoniously shown the door were not given honorable discharges, which would have protected them from possible deportation. Nothing like respecting and honoring the troops for Independence Day, eh?
But there was one protest which really stood out this week. Reverend Stephen Carlsen, the rector and dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis, decided he had to do something about the cruel Trump immigration policies. So he put the nativity figurines of Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus out on the church's front lawn, surrounded by a chain link cage. As he explained, Joseph and Mary were also a migrant family fleeing violence in their home country, after Herod ordered the execution of baby boys in Bethlehem. As he put it: "People forget what that scene means. That was a homeless couple who weren't welcome anywhere, who took refuge in a the barn, and it was to that couple that Christ was born."
He has spent time standing on the sidewalk in front of the display to talk to passersby about it. Some people can connect the dots and agree, but some don't, according to Carlsen. When asked how long the display would remain outside the church, Carlsen responded: "How long is it needed? I would love for it to be outdated and be taken down. That would be my greatest wish."
We've got a lot of folks to mention this week, but before we begin, we would like to send some "get well soon" wishes to Steny Hoyer, Democratic House Minority Whip, who was hospitalized this week for pneumonia.
We're handing out three Honorable Mention awards this week, for various reasons. The first goes to Representative Barbara Lee, who wasted no time after Joe Crowley's recent primary defeat to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Because Crowley will be out of office in January, it will leave his leadership position as the chair of the House Democratic Caucus open. Lee becomes the first person to toss her hat into the race to replace Crowley, which would (if successful) represent a double win for Progressives. It'll be interesting to see who else puts their name forward, but for now Lee is the only person who has announced her interest.
Our second Honorable Mention goes to Chuck Schumer, for sheer New York chutzpah. Schumer spoke on the phone briefly with President Trump, and suggested uniting America by nominating Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. No word on how Trump took this suggestion, but for daring to make it Schumer deserves some sort of recognition. It certainly would go a long way towards fairness, but we're not exactly holding our breath in anticipation of Trump following Schumer's advice, if you know what we mean.
And our final Honorable Mention goes to Cori Bush, who is running for a House seat in Missouri. She apparently had been getting some body shaming, and decided to push back on Twitter. Under proud photos of herself in various outfits, Bush posted:
As a candidate I've heard my hips are too big, and not just from trolls. "Wear dark pants." Well, I look like women in my district, who I serve. If elected, ALL OF THIS goes to Congress. Hips can't legislate but maybe they should! NO BODY SHAMING #WomenInPolitics! #thesehips Deal
That's the way to tell them! Nicely done....
As amusing as those last two were, we still had to slightly-retroactively award Bernie Sanders this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week. As we wrote earlier this week, Bernie is well on his way to enacting a fundamental change in the Democratic Party's rules -- specifically, those dealing with the "superdelegates" to the national convention.
On the same day Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted 27-1 to change the rules for superdelegates. They will no longer be able to vote in the first round of nomination balloting at the convention, unless one candidate has already wrapped up the nomination by winning the majority of the pledged delegates. Otherwise, the superdelegates will get to vote starting with the second round of voting. This effectively removes the power to throw the nomination to one candidate or another by the sheer weight of the superdelegates' votes. At the same time, it still allows the superdelegates to get an automatic ticket to the convention and it still will allow them to cast their vote (one way or another). As we wrote earlier, this seems a rather elegant compromise between competing interests.
Even so, it's a clear win for Bernie Sanders, who pointed out how undemocratic the superdelegate system was, last time around. His supporters initially called for the abolition of superdelegates, but Bernie is now happy with the compromise they reached.
This isn't a done deal yet, as the proposal now has to be voted on by the full D.N.C., which will happen next month. But the 27-1 vote in the Rules Committee shows that it already has support from those in the Bernie camp as well as the Clintonistas. This bodes well for the proposal's chances of passing and becoming the new rules for 2020.
If it does pass the full D.N.C., then Bernie will have successfully fixed a glaring inequity in the way the Democratic Party nominates their presidential candidates. Even if -- as was the case with Hillary Clinton -- a huge majority of the superdelegates endorse one candidate before the primary voting even begins, it will not have any direct effect on any candidate's chances to win the nomination. These superdelegate votes won't count unless a candidate has already won the nomination, removing the power of the superdelegates to put a rather large thumb on the scale before the voters have any say in the matter.
Unrigging this system is in fact one of the most impressive outcomes of the bitter rivalry from 2016. Not only did Bernie Sanders see his complaints addressed with real change, but at the end of the day almost everyone was happy with the outcome. That is impressive indeed, and it's why Bernie Sanders gets a slightly-belated Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week.
[Congratulate Senator Bernie Sanders on his Senate contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]
Maybe it was because of the holiday this week, but no Democrat seriously disappointed us all week long, so the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award will have to stay on the shelf until next week. That is, unless anyone's got a suggestion for someone disappointing that we missed, this week, down in the comments?
Volume 491 (7/6/18)
This week's talking points range from Trump Baby to J. K. Rowling rolling on the floor laughing, so it's an interesting collection this time around. With no further ado, let's just get right to it, shall we?
Trump Baby will fly!
Now there's a fun headline!
"When Donald Trump visits the United Kingdom later this summer, he will be greeted by a 'Trump Baby' blimp hovering over Parliament in protest. The blimp depicts Trump holding a cell phone (oh, excuse me, a "mobile" to Brits) in his tiny little hands while wearing a diaper (whoops... I mean a "nappy," of course). How appropriate! The mayor of London just granted permission for the Trump Baby protest, the TrumpBabyUK Twitter account noted. That's right -- Trump Baby will be flying high to greet the president's arrival."
Seriously, though, baby jails are not who we are
On the more serious side of babies, Democrats need to start using this term as many times as possible, because it truly sums up the awfulness of the Trump administration's heartless policy.
"I'm sorry, but when I consider what it is to be an American and how our country should do things in our name, jailing babies shouldn't even be on the list. The very concept of baby jails should be abhorrent to any American citizen, no matter what you believe should be done on immigration. We are jailing babies, and that is just wrong, period. A church in Indiana this week put their nativity figurines of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph out on their front lawn with a chain-link cage around them. But it's even worse than that because they really should have just put the Baby Jesus in the cage, alone. Because under Trump, Mary and Joseph would be kept in separate jails. This is where Trump has led our nation, and it is high time every decent citizen speak with one voice, saying loudly: 'No more baby jails! Not in our name!'"
Keystone Kops all over again
This is the inevitable result of determining policy on the fly, folks.
"Just like they did with the travel ban, the Trump White House proved once again that absolutely no thought whatsoever was put into what their new 'zero tolerance' policy would actually mean to the human beings who would be directly affected. No guidance was given, no systems were put in place, they just thought they'd wing it and everything would turn out fine. What happened instead was more reminiscent of the Keystone Kops, flailing and failing badly. Recently, the Trump administration admitted it didn't even know the precise number of children who have been ripped from their parents' arms to be confined in horrific conditions. They're estimating that it is 'under 3,000' but they really have no concrete idea. They called it 'difficult and time-consuming' to even attempt to keep track of which children belong to which parents. They're now attempting DNA testing to fix the disaster of what should have been routine recordkeeping. If all that weren't bad enough, the New York Times reported that even the woefully inadequate procedures that were attempted didn't work, because 'Customs agents deleted the initial records in which parents and children were listed together as a family with a family identification number.' This led to the situation where 'parents and children appeared in federal computers to have no connection to one another.' The stunning levels of incompetence the White House displayed during the travel ban fiasco were chalked up to a new administration that had only been in power a very short time. Except that excuse doesn't work anymore, a year and a half in. This entire human rights disaster has to be laid squarely at the door of Donald Trump and the gang of incompetents he surrounds himself with."
Dutch prime minister refuses to enable Trump's fantasy world
This wasn't widely reported, at least not here in America.
"Donald Trump infamously lives in a fantasy world inside his own head, where everything he does is wonderful and nothing bad ever happens. On the trade wars he has started, according to Trump, it's all good. He was trying to explain this in a joint appearance with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte this week, but Rutte wasn't having any of it. When Trump said that if America and Europe 'do work it out, that'll be positive, and if we don't work it out, that'll be positive also,' Rutte injected a bit of reality into Trump's fantasyland, saying bluntly: 'No. It's not positive.' Trump responded: 'It'll be... it'll be positive.' So I'd like to thank Mark Rutte for so refreshingly pouring cold water on Trump's delusions in such a public way. Trade wars are not positive no matter what the outcome, which is a fact that Trump still has yet to face."
Does anyone remember the Cold War?
Seriously, this should be jaw-dropping, but in today's GOP it is merely par for the course, somehow.
"If someone told you, during Ronald Reagan's last year in office, that 30 years from then eight Republican members of Congress would spend their Fourth of July in Moscow kissing up to the Russian government -- even though it had been proven that the Russians interfered in the most recent U.S. election -- you would have thought it an insane prediction. And yet, here we are. The leader of this delegation, Senator Richard Shelby, openly admitted that the Republicans were visiting to 'strive for a better relationship' with Moscow, and would not 'accuse Russia of this or that or so forth,' which is an absolutely astonishing statement for anyone who lived through even a piece of the Cold War. Meddling in our presidential election is 'this or that or so forth'? Really? Wow. Russian state television openly mocked the Republican delegation for appearing so weak. It was pointed out that all the tough talk the Republicans had promised back home 'changed a bit' by the time they got to Moscow. Folks, that sound you are now hearing is Ronald Reagan spinning wildly in his grave."
How does he get a pass on this stuff?
This is a talking point that truly should be deployed by pretty much any Democrat on television, as many times as possible.
"Donald Trump has started a trade war, and he is incensed that Harley-Davidson responded by announcing they'd be moving production overseas as a direct result. Trump seemingly wants all immigration halted because he cannot stand foreigners coming to America at all. Both of those would seem to be bedrock beliefs not only of the president, but also of all his followers. However, there's a few glaring contradictions between these political stances and how Trump and his family run their various businesses. Because Trump really only gets irate at companies who manufacture things abroad that aren't named for Trump or his family. Ivanka uses Chinese factories to make all her branded clothing, and Trump used to have all his Trump ties made in China as well. This is somehow perfectly fine with the Trumps, while Harley-Davidson announcing it will be doing the exact same thing is somehow a gigantic betrayal of the president. Likewise, Trump's Mar-A-Lago resort just applied to hire dozens of foreign workers as cooks and waiters. Trump's business empire actually prefers giving jobs to foreign workers, whether in their own countries or right here in America. So where is the outrage? Trump creates jobs for foreigners, not Americans, and that's somehow supposed to be OK while no other American company should do the same? That's a pretty glaring bit of hypocrisy, and yet somehow his followers don't seem to mind, for some bizarre reason."
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
Finally, just for fun, we have the most brilliant response to Trump from anyone this week. Technically, this isn't really a talking point, but it was close enough for us. You'll see why.
Donald Trump, obviously peeved over people who point out that he capitalizes words in his tweets in much the same fashion as was trendy in Ben Franklin's time (see that excerpt, above), decided to fight back on Twitter this week. He tweeted:
After having written many best selling books, and somewhat priding myself on my ability to write, it should be noted that the Fake News constantly likes to pour over my tweets looking for a mistake. I capitalize certain words only for emphasis, not b/c they should be capitalized!
J. K. Rowling was amused by this tweet, since Trump in claiming to be smart proved once again that he just isn't. Here are Rowling's two tweets, reproduced in their entirety:
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha *draws breath* hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1014257237945176071 …
'pour' hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Others also pointed out Trump's homonymic mistake, and soon enough the tweet was taken down and reposted with "pour" corrected to "pore." This led to another round of laughter from Rowling:
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahaha someone told him how to spell 'pore' hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahaha
-- Chris Weigant
All-time award winners leaderboard, by rank
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
@cw,
do you think rev. carlsen heard the nields song? definitely worth a listen if you haven't yet - i linked to it in a previous comments section, but here's that link again just in case:
https://youtu.be/fPt6svQOmNY
JL
How does a US administration lose track of the families it chose to separate under its zero tolerance policy?
Why can it not comply with a court order to reunite these families?
When a misguided and mean-spirited policy meets complete ineptitude and incompetence all around in its execution, then you get a disaster on a mass scale that no one can resolve in a responsible manner. Heartless deosn't adequately describe the government's attempt to absolve itself of the responsibility to reunite children with parents who have already been deported.
If DNA testing is being used to ensure that children are being properly reunited with their families and not with smugglers and other criminals, that would be one thing.
But, the actual reason DNA testing is being used is that the government doesn't have a clue as to which children belong to which parents because the essential paperwork was not completed at each stage of the separation process.
I'm afraid that this situation is going to be with us long past the duration of the Trump administration.
I'm afraid that this situation is going to be with us long past the duration of the Trump administration.
Not just this one. The next Dem president in 2020 is going to spend all 8 years undoing all the damage Trump has done.
And, that is precisely why Senator Biden is the man for that job, with or without Governor Brown.
with these two scotus picks sitting on the bench, even if there isn't a third or fourth pick, it's going to take a lot longer than 8 years.
It's going to take an extraordinary leader.
more than that even. because of the enthusiasm of his base, donald could very well win a second term.
Oh, I completely agree with that. You will recall I was worried he'd win in 2016.
It will take an extraordinary leader who is capable of communicating a message clearly and concisely, focusing on the big picture as opposed to the daily distractions.
And, most importantly, this leader must take his message well beyond his base.
rjrap,
Do you believe that it's more than possible that Trump will be re-elected?
No I do not. I dont think his "base" is all that large percentage wise.
That can be a dangerous way of thinking ...
Although I do not agree with what Maxine Waters proposed, I feel a ground swell of Trump rebellion starting. And I'm afraid its only going to get worse.
And thats a dangerous thing also.
rjrap,
What do you think the next Democratic presidential nominee will have to do to beat him.
Actually, at his last rally, Trump said something that kind of shocked me when I heard it. Of course, the media hasn't picked up on it.
He was talking about 2020 and at one point he said, and I quote, "if I run". The Dems may not be the only ones with an incumbent-free primary ...
@liz,
if he's able, he'll run. that's reality tv drama, not real indecision.
JL
And thats a dangerous thing also.
Yes, that is a very, very dangerous thing and a sure fire way to re-elect a Republican president.
Joshua,
I was thinking that Trump knows something we don't know - for sure, at least - about what Mueller is up to ...
14- Liz
I dont know what it will take. Hopefully just being a Democrat will be good enough.
I sure we all know it wasnt just his base that got him elected. It was also voters who wanted to see if a non politician could drain the swamp and make all these great unfulfilled deals. I believe most of those voters are gone.
I don't know what it will take. Hopefully just being a Democrat will be good enough.
Good luck with that strategy, again.
Pour vs Pore!?
Really? I mean, SERIOUSLY!
Who among us has not made the mistake of saying there instead of their or your welcome instead of you're welcome or week instead of weak ...
Serious people need to stop allowing themselves to be distracted and start focusing like a laser beam on the big picture or the unthinkable will happen in 2020.
This, obviously, is the biggest acronymical faceplant since George W. Bush decided to call his invasion of Iraq "Operation Iraqi Liberation."
Ahem... Obama's Win The Future...
Now, Pruitt was already having yet another rough week,
Yea, he was harassed by Mad Maxine's minions..
Maybe it was because of the holiday this week, but no Democrat seriously disappointed us all week long, so the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award will have to stay on the shelf until next week. That is, unless anyone's got a suggestion for someone disappointing that we missed, this week, down in the comments?
Oh puuulleeeezzeeeee :^/
Others also pointed out Trump's homonymic mistake, and soon enough the tweet was taken down and reposted with "pour" corrected to "pore." This led to another round of laughter from Rowling:
Haven't seen you Democrats more hysterical since coffeve... :^/
Pour vs Pore!?
Really? I mean, SERIOUSLY!
Who among us has not made the mistake of saying there instead of their or your welcome instead of you're welcome or week instead of weak ...
Serious people need to stop allowing themselves to be distracted and start focusing like a laser beam on the big picture or the unthinkable will happen in 2020.
Seriously, Liz.. Well said..
Ahem... Obama's Win The Future...
Would you like to hazard a guess as to what my Poker Stars handle is? :)
I've had some great political chats there, from time to time ...
Important to note..
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/05/democrats-civility-1960s-violence-218948
Here's what happened the last time Democrats went down the road they are on today...
If Democrats want to guarantee a larger House and Senate GOP majority, just keep on traveling down the late 60s/early 70s road...
Pour vs Pore!?
Really? I mean, SERIOUSLY!
It would not have been as funny had Trump not preceded his gaffe with:
After having written many best selling books, and somewhat priding myself on my ability to write…
He first lies about being the author of many best sellers, then boasts about his writing abilities! You can’t make that sort of crap up! His arrogance is what made his otherwise forgivable mistake so glaring.
this is what it looks like
LWYH-25
Trump seems to write about as well as he can read.
more than that even. because of the enthusiasm of his base, donald could very well win a second term.
And given the Democrat penchant to snatch defeat from the jaws of vicotry...
Barring any major upheaval (a REAL one, not like what we have seen from hysterical Democrats) it's a forgone conclusion that Trump will win a second term...
He first lies about being the author of many best sellers, then boasts about his writing abilities! You can’t make that sort of crap up! His arrogance is what made his otherwise forgivable mistake so glaring.
Yea!!! And!!! And!!! He's got ORANGE SKIN too!!!
AND!!! AND!!! Tiny hands!!!!!
I really wish sometimes that ya'all could take a step outside yerselves and see how utterly inane and ridiculous ya'all sound...
:^/
https://a.disquscdn.com/get?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpics.me.me%2Fi-say-shit-that-drives-liberals-crazy-because-it-keeps-14776557.png&key=Mr0jF4YtZ9mfZ7Ydg4zoKQ&w=800&h=669
Says it all, right there.... :D
Democrats keep getting played over and over and over again...
Man threatened to kill supporters of Trump, GOP congressman outside campaign office, police say
A New York man nearly ran over a campaign volunteer at a Long Island congressman’s re-election headquarters Friday after threatening to kill supporters of the lawmaker and President Donald Trump, police said.
Martin Astrof, 75, was arrested outside his home shortly afterward and charged with making a terroristic threat and second-degree reckless endangerment, FOX5 New York reported.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/07/07/man-threatened-to-kill-supporters-trump-gop-congressman-outside-campaign-office-police-say.html
What's the problem?? He is just doing what Mad Maxine told him to do.. "Absolutely harass" anyone who thinks differently... The only thing he forgot was to get the angry mob together...
{/sarcasm}
The "Love" and "tolerance" of the Left Wingery..
:^/
Democrats keep getting played over and over and over again...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/05/some-trump-supporters-thought-npr-tweeted-propaganda-it-was-the-declaration-of-independence/?utm_term=.303ea0ff3a86
Typical Democrat incompetence..
Why the Left will hate Andrew Wheeler at EPA even more than Scott Pruitt
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/why-the-left-will-hate-andrew-wheeler-at-epa-even-more-than-scott-pruitt
Hound Pruitt until he leaves the EPA post and bring to power someone even worse (for Democrats) at the EPA...
What IS it about Democrats that they continually take a hammer to their own wee-wees over and over and over again??
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/05/some-trump-supporters-thought-npr-tweeted-propaganda-it-was-the-declaration-of-independence/?utm_term=.303ea0ff3a86
WaPoop...
'Nuff said...
But I have to ask... Was that the same Declaration Of Independence that Leftist Facebook called "Hate Speech"??
BEWARE THE RED WAVE
https://spectator.org/beware-the-red-wave/
Democrats MAY have a shot in the House. Emphasis on MAY...
But Democrats are going to get brutally decimated in the Senate....
Joe Manchin
Claire McCaskill
Joe Donnelly
Heidi Heitkamp
John Tester
Bill Nelson
All are going to be replaced with GOP'ers...
Maybe your Democrats can run on the THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE IS HATE SPEECH platform this election...
Please encourage them to do so...
How do you know the #WalkAway movement, in which white millennials are abandoning the Democrat Party, is a real thing?
That’s easy — the Left is making the accusation that Russian bots are behind it.
Dead giveaway.
Heh..
"It's funny because it's true.."
-Homer Simpson
:D
Stop insulting us, Don.
Most people around here don't react well to insults.
"Careful, Ryan.. Most things in the missile room don't react well to bullets"
-Sean Connery, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
:D
Liz,
Speaking of insults.. It's been kinda nice around here the last week or so, hasn't it?? :D
DH,
Just a thought..
The same freedom that gives you the right to voice your opinion and ask your questions is the same right others have NOT to address your opinion or answer your questions..
If you demand to voice your opinions and ask your questions, you must respect other's rights to NOT address your opinions and to NOT answer your questions..
I'm just sayin'....
The Walk Away "movement" is really no different than the Democrats getting all excited about some Republicans leaving the Republican Party because of Trump.
Except for the fact that the #WalkAway movement is nearly all LGBQTRABCXYZ.... That's much for of an issue for Democrats because they are a protected group...
It would be as if black Americans migrated to President Trump in droves..
Oh wait.. THAT has happened too...
So when is Trump picking his second Russian Judge? Almost a quarter of the SCOTUS are illegal placements after this. None of the judgements the Russian Judges are swing votes are legitimate. If the Russian Judges take away our healthcare, or let Trump get away with crimes, they should be impeached as soon as the Democrats get power back.
So when is Trump picking his second Russian Judge? Almost a quarter of the SCOTUS are illegal placements after this. None of the judgements the Russian Judges are swing votes are legitimate. If the Russian Judges take away our healthcare, or let Trump get away with crimes, they should be impeached as soon as the Democrats get power back.
"The whine is strong with this one"
-Yoda
:D
Ya really have ta face reality, Neil...
McConnell gambled and it paid off big time..
The Left doesn't have a leg to stand on trying to deny Judge Barrett her seat at the table...
Michale[45],
Very well said.
I has been nice around here, Michale. I was afraid to say anything to jinx the welcome atmosphere ...
I has been nice around here, Michale. I was afraid to say anything to jinx the welcome atmosphere ...
I kinda was too... But (knock on wood) we can keep it going...
:D
Michale[45],
Very well said.
Danke... :D
"Careful, Ryan.. Most things in the missile room don't react well to bullets"
-Sean Connery, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER :D
Yes, that movie was on my mind - one of my favourites.
The Left doesn't have a leg to stand on trying to deny Judge Barrett her seat at the table...
Of course, that doesn't mean they shouldn't try!
Don Harris,
Couldn't it force the Democrats to rethink their failed strategy in 2020 and get many more Democrats to run true small contribution campaigns so that they can attract some of those over 50% of voters that have rejected the failed strategy as well as get back the others that chose the other option in 2018?
Where is your data that shows the reasons that people give for why they failed to vote?
I have no doubt that most people believe that we need to get Big Money out of our elections, but that doesn’t mean that this is the reason that people chose not to vote. There are lot of people who support one political party over the other, but don’t vote for a variety of reasons: forgot to mail it in, overslept, feel that their vote won’t change anything, etc..
Why would a person who doesn’t vote because it would mean getting up an extra two hours early to get to a polling place before heading into work want to make the effort just so they can write in their own name on the ballot?
You think that sends a message to the political class, but how is anyone going to know the difference between those that truly want Bart Simpson to win and someone supporting One Demand by writing their own name in?
They do not have to invest ant money in contributions, investigate any candidates, they are not spoilers because they would only be writing in their own name to register a vote against the Big money candidates to create and demonstrate demand for small contribution candidates in 2020 and set up a base for an organization to support those candidates in 2020 instead of not voting in 2018.
You are telling people not to take the time to see if a candidate deserves their support, but to do what you tell them to do! Wow! Talk about arrogance! You have yet to explain how writing in your own name is sending a message against Big Money candidates that anyone other than you will recognize.
You want people to get excited about a political movement that you, yourself, have said will have no effect on who is elected in that election. You believe, for some unknown reason, that people will be so excited by their decision to make a change in their own lives by voting (even though writing their own name onto the ballot won’t accomplish anything) that they are going to want to continue taking the time to vote in future elections and support the movement that accomplished NOTHING?!?!
And what about electronic voting booths that do not allow for write-ins? What are people to do then? Or in places where write-ins are not allowed except in the primaries?
You try to compare what you are wanting to do to the Woman’s March protests, which gave people an opportunity to come together in protest for women’s rights and to shine a light on those that have abused women. Your group wants to send an unclear message politicians whose only sin is accepting donations that you deem to be too large! You have yet to explain WHY I would support the only One Demand candidate on my ballot who opposes everything I support....except that they ran a small donations campaign!
And that is the real problem... you want people to support candidates based on how they choose to run their campaigns, NOT with how they will govern!
And to answer your questions: No, there is no chance in HELL that One Demand will draw people because it doesn’t give them “another option”! It isn’t a political party. It’s a campaign strategy at most, but it isn’t even a very good strategy.
@russ,
you are correct on many counts about non-voters. according to political scientists, one of the main reasons people don't vote in the US is because it's inconvenient and takes effort. another main reason is because they don't know, don't care or aren't interested in politics. a third reason is that there is no immediate positive result when people vote for anyone other than the candidate who wins. however, those issues don't interest don. he's only interested in "the issue at hand" (an oddly appropriate term), namely whether or not millions of people who currently don't vote in mid-terms could be convinced to vote based primarily on campaign finance.
as i see it, the chief obstacle would not be the illogical rationale for voting that way - people vote for all kinds of stupid stuff all the time (see: brexit). the main operational obstacle would be targeting the appropriate cross-section of the population and gaining their attention. which is why i see pestering CW as counterproductive. although there's a fair amount of sympathy here for the overall cause of addressing the legalized corruption of campaign finance, we as a community tend not to be receptive to the narrow focus of don's idea. some of us have suggested in all sincerity that he would be more successful if he sought out greener pastures, but no matter how many times we all say no thanks, it's certainly his prerogative to continue to ask.
JL
Joshua,
Is campaign finance reform possible in the wake of Citizens United?
@liz,
yes it is. see here:
http://www.nhrebellion.org/agenda
JL
also, strengthen and lengthen revolving door prohibitions.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/ethics/50-state-table-revolving-door-prohibitions.aspx
Is Hillary Clinton secretly planning to run in 2020?
https://nypost.com/2018/07/07/is-hillary-clinton-secretly-planning-to-run-in-2020/
All I have to say is... PLEASE, PLEASE run Hillary!!! You owe it to your fans to be a 3 time loser..
"Careful, Ryan.. Most things in the missile room don't react well to bullets"
-Sean Connery, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER :D
Yes, that movie was on my mind - one of my favourites.
:D One of Connery's best...
San Francisco: Poster-Child For The Failure Of U.S. Cities' Blue Model
San Francisco proudly calls itself a "progressive" city. It follows what writer and scholar Walter Russell Mead calls the progressive "Blue Model" of governance. Yet, the policies it follows — high taxes, inane regulations, petty nanny-state authoritarianism, tolerance for rising lawlessness and disorder on its streets in the name of "compassion" — are the very ones that have driven middle-class and working-class citizens out. Only the rich and the so-called homeless, who have been welcomed into the city and are a growing issue, can afford to live in the city.
Still, it might be unfair to single San Francisco out. A new study of Census data from 2010-2017 by the online publication 24/7 Wall Street and reported by USA Today finds that many other major American cities are losing population to other areas, even faster than San Francisco. But, unlike San Francisco, none of them have a booming Silicon Valley to bail them out as their middle-class residents seek greener pastures elsewhere.
Looking at the Top 10 biggest net migration losers on the list for the seven years is instructive: It includes Chicago (which lost 296,320 people from 2010-2017), L.A. (-93,959 people lost), Detroit (-54,640), St. Louis (-39,894 people), Cleveland (-33,117), Memphis (-30,000), Milwaukee (-27,959), Flint, Mich. (-22,658), El Paso, Texas (-21,829), and, of course, New York City (-21,503).
Those cities' hard-working middle class residents are leaving, rather than face growing urban decay, welfare-based poverty, loss of major businesses, poor-performing public schools, artificially high local housing prices, crime and a hostile political class that focuses on superficial measures of class-leveling and "equality" rather than creating opportunities for all.
We looked at the list and did a bit of research of our own. What we found was that virtually all of the top 10 cities on the list that had a net loss of population to other cities and states have been governed almost exclusively by liberal or far-left Democratic regimes since at least the 1960s. Their problems aren't accidental. They're systematic.
For years, these Blue Model politicians have taxed, spent and regulated on the people's behalf, with poor or even abysmal results. That's why the massive shift of population is taking place. It also accounts, perhaps, for the surprising rise and success of President Trump.
https://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/san-francisco-blue-model/
The conclusion is as rational and as logical as it is inescapable...
Democrat governance simply does not work as advertised...
[9] Elizabeth Miller
"Do you believe that it's more than possible that Trump will be re-elected?"
[10] rjrap
"No I do not. I dont think his "base" is all that large percentage wise."
Here are my predictions:
1) Control of the Senate between Republicans and Democrats is too close to call.
2) The House will flip from Republican to Democratic control guaranteed.
3) If a Democratic House tries to impeach Trump without overwhelming control of the Senate as well, they will fail, and Trump will garner enough sympathy to be elected to a second term.
4) If however, a Democratic House just holds hearings and investigations, lets Mueller issue his report, takes no action on impeachment, and leaves it up to the American people to decide politically through the next election, then: Trump will not be elected to a second term, and those close to Trump, like Jared Kushner and Eric Trump, will be hung out to dry and left to face criminal charges by themselves, while Trump himself remains untouched except for the electoral loss.
[20] Elizabeth Miller
"Who among us has not made the mistake of saying there instead of their or your welcome instead of you're welcome or week instead of weak ..."
My favorite are the people who use "except" instead of "accept" and don't know the difference.
[36] Michale
"But Democrats are going to get brutally decimated in the Senate....
Joe Manchin
Claire McCaskill
Joe Donnelly
Heidi Heitkamp
John Tester
Bill Nelson
All are going to be replaced with GOP'ers..."
I know how much you LOVE polls BUT:
Democrats hold double-digit leads in the U.S. Senate contests in Arizona and Ohio:
In Arizona, Democrat Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is ahead of all three potential Republican opponents — Kelli Ward by 10 points among registered voters (48 percent to 38 percent), Rep. Martha McSally by 11 points (49 percent to 38 percent) and Joe Arpaio by 25 points (57 percent to 32 percent).
In Ohio, Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, leads GOP challenger Jim Renacci by 13 points, 51 percent to 38 percent.
Even in Florida, the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson, gets support from 49 percent of registered voters, while his Republican challenger, Gov. Rick Scott, is at 45 percent
Democrats are also currently ahead in Montana and West Virginia. North Dakota is currently a toss up.
So again Michale, I would not crow too loudly or count your chickens before they are hatched. There's a long way between now and November, and the Senate really remains too close to call.
Especially with Democrats having excellent chances to pick up Republican held Senate seats in Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee, while holding on to ones in Florida, West Virginia, Montana and Missouri, and possibly losing ones in North Dakota and Indiana.
My favorite are the people who use "except" instead of "accept" and don't know the difference.
I have to admit that this does confuse me...
Democrats hold double-digit leads in the U.S. Senate contests in Arizona and Ohio:
In Arizona, Democrat Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is ahead of all three potential Republican opponents — Kelli Ward by 10 points among registered voters (48 percent to 38 percent), Rep. Martha McSally by 11 points (49 percent to 38 percent) and Joe Arpaio by 25 points (57 percent to 32 percent).
In Ohio, Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, leads GOP challenger Jim Renacci by 13 points, 51 percent to 38 percent.
Even in Florida, the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Bill Nelson, gets support from 49 percent of registered voters, while his Republican challenger, Gov. Rick Scott, is at 45 percent
Democrats are also currently ahead in Montana and West Virginia. North Dakota is currently a toss up.
And all of that means NOTHING when a SCOTUS seat is in play..
Let's revisit those stats AFTER the incumbents place their vote for Judge Amy Barrett..
I wager 10,000 quatloos that those stats will be VASTLY different than they are now..
So again Michale, I would not crow too loudly or count your chickens before they are hatched. There's a long way between now and November, and the Senate really remains too close to call.
Not to those who objectively understands the FACTS and reality without any partisan blinders..
Especially with Democrats having excellent chances to pick up Republican held Senate seats in Arizona, Nevada and Tennessee, while holding on to ones in Florida, West Virginia, Montana and Missouri, and possibly losing ones in North Dakota and Indiana.
YOu can dream.. :D
It's gonna be 56-58 GOP after the mid-terms. :D
I have to admit that this does confuse me...
Heh.
You're bad, Michale. :)
nypoet22-57
The decision to vote or not vote involves some interesting asymmetries between costs and benefits to an individual voter.
The costs of voting tend be personal,concrete and therefore relatively easy to quantify in terms of lost time and money.
The benefits of voting are collective and much harder to quantify in tangible terms. The chances that any one voter can sway an election one way or another are extremely small. In a very real sense, your individual vote typically doesn't matter very much. Moreover, the post 19th Century process of voting gives an individual plausible deniability about how they voted, or if they voted at all. Given the low peer pressure, it's very easy to say "screw it...." even before you weigh the likely dubious merits of the available candidates.
At the end of the election day, I'm always slightly amazed at the percentage of potential voters who actually DO show up at the polling stations.
Maybe we should give a smallish tax credit to those who show up to vote. Who you vote for remains secret, but the fact you showed up is a matter public record. Not all peer pressure is bad.
Don,
Are your lists of people who sign up going to be available for anyone to view?
I still cannot figure out how anyone is supposed to know that a voter who writes their own name in on the ballot is making a political statement about campaign donations? How can people tell that this isn’t just someone who really wants to vote for themselves to win? Do you have a plan to determine how many write-in ballots are actually One Demand protesters?
Yet, the policies it follows — high taxes, inane regulations, petty nanny-state authoritarianism, tolerance for rising lawlessness and disorder on its streets in the name of "compassion" — are the very ones that have driven middle-class and working-class citizens out. Only the rich and the so-called homeless, who have been welcomed into the city and are a growing issue, can afford to live in the city.
OMG, this has to be the dumbest argument ever.
Let me see if I can get this argument straight:
1. Nasty nanny government in SF is driving people out
2. This means that less demand sends prices skyrocketing
3. So only rich people can afford to live there.
This is so asinine it could only be swallowed by a confirmed Trump supporter.
If the writer and readers of this joke propaganda had used their brains for a couple of seconds, they would have identified two possible scenarios:
Scenario One - Bad Government is raising the costs of living in SF
1. Thus the cost of daily living in SF goes up
2. People don't want to pay these costs
3. They leave for the relatively inexpensive surrounding counties
4. SF rents drop and rich people get a bargain
Scenario Two - A lot of people want to live in SF and vote for their local government to enact policies they want
1. Take a look at SF - that is the reality on the ground.
Rent in SF seems high until you understand that the median salary at FaceBook is north of $240K (for the mathematically challenged, this means that half are paid more and half are paid less, Michale).
Three 20-something friends of mine live in SF. Two are couples living in one bedroom apartments downtown for $3.5K/month, the other is living further from the center with a room in a house with four other friends for $1.5K. These are normal prices.
SF is one of the best cities in the World - people love living there when they are young, but move to the burbs' to raise families. Some (the really successful) move back in or get a pied-à-terre.
I'd suggest you visit, but we have enough tourists ;)
So the whole article "San Francisco: Poster-Child For The Failure Of U.S. Cities' Blue Model" is a piece of simple propaganda.
The "author" did his or her research to find facts or statistics that backed up the headline, and went all smug. He or she probably failed in SF or some other big city and has a chip on their shoulder.
To see why people move to SF and the Bay Area, and why companies repeatedly, year-after-year, decide to start up in the Bay Area, you need to read the book I recommended a couple of months ago: "The New Geography of Jobs" by Enrico Moretti.
Needless to say the real situation, and the choices made by millions of people, is far more complex than this laughable piece of feel-good nonsense.
I hike all over SF - I go in several days per month and do some of the guided tours, or my and my buddies just pick a route and hike it - we are working our way though climbing every set of stairs in the city.
There are two or three areas that are sketchy. One is a poor neighborhood and has the usual problems of crime, etc we see in any major city anywhere in the world.
The other two areas are major areas with homeless people. The one towards the South of the city is mostly out-of-sight as in most cities. The other area in called "The Tenderloin" and is right between the financial district, Chinatown, the City Hall/Opera House/Symphony area, and Market Street.
The Powell St Cable Car terminus is right on the edge of the Tenderloin and so most tourists get to see the homeless part of SF, with pretty aggressive panhandlers. This dramatically increases the perception of tourists that SF is overrun by homeless people because most other cities sweep them away from "nice" areas.
Founder of Movement Against Liberalism Denied Service at Camera Store: 'It Took My Breath Away'
The creator of a social media movement urging liberals to detach themselves from the Democratic Party said he was denied service at a camera store because of his campaign.
Brandon Straka started the "#WalkAway Campaign," which shares video stories of people who decide to dissociate themselves from liberalism.
Straka appeared on "Justice with Judge Jeanine" Saturday night and said that he tried to purchase camera equipment at a New York City store, but was questioned by the cashier.
"Are you planning to use this equipment for alt-right purposes?" Straka said the salesperson asked him.
http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/07/08/brandon-straka-walk-away-campaign-founder-denied-service-camera-store
Once again, the "tolerance" and "respect" of the Hysterical Left Wingery....
This dramatically increases the perception of tourists that SF is overrun by homeless people because most other cities sweep them away from "nice" areas.
No, the FACT that SF is overrun with homeless people crapping on the sidewalks and throwing their used needles all over is what increases the perception..
Face reality... Democrat run big cities suck...
No, the FACT that SF is overrun with homeless people crapping on the sidewalks and throwing their used needles all over is what increases the perception..
No, the FACT is you have no idea what you are talking about. neilm is absolutely correct. I have moved out of the city recently but two months ago, I worked in the Financial district and can confirm neilm's view of SF homeless. I lived out by the beach and my neighborhood had one homeless lady, and the only shit on the sidewalk was from dogs, which admittedly deserves it's own rant...
That article also pulls a serious bait and switch. All those cities with net negative migration? San Francisco is not on the list. Yes, many people are leaving, myself one of them, but more are are coming in. San Francisco has been gaining population every year for the last couple of decades.
neilm, have you done the 16th avenue tiled steps from the end of Morega? Way cool. I used to climb up to Coit Tower from Filbert street on my lunch break. Great workout.
neilm, have you done the 16th avenue tiled steps from the end of Morega? Way cool. I used to climb up to Coit Tower from Filbert street on my lunch break. Great workout.
The tiled steps are fantastic! My friend runs some walking tours of SF for free (he loves the exercise) and we are working on a new one that includes the tiles steps.
His Telegraph Hill tour includes the steps up to Coit Tower, and he has lots of amazing history included as well.
http://palmer-walking-tours.com/
He has a perfect 5 Star rating on Tripadvisor. These and the City Guides tours are great ways to learn a lot about SF for free (most people tip at the end, but it is strictly optional and there is no pressure).
BashiBazouk:
Have you ever seen the tiled steps in the moonlight when the mirrored tiles show a different picture? I've yet to see this, but it is on my list:
https://www.boredpanda.com/glowing-16th-avenue-tiled-steps-san-francisco-night-view/
77 - Michale
You didn't do your homework on this one.
The hashtag has been linked to a Russian Twitter campaign.
Astroturfed social media campaigns like the “WalkAway Movement” aim to create manufactured consensus, or the illusion of popularity, so that an idea or position without much public support appears more popular and mainstream than it actually is.
Why American Taxpayers will be bailing out Soybean farmers to try to help Trump avoid humiliation in November:
http://ritholtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/soybean.png
US Soybean Prices Crumble as Trade War Sparks Brazil Rally - AgWeb
neilm-
That's really cool. I have never seen the steps in the moonlight nor heard about it...
Well, well...I decided to disengage from the US political cretiny for a few weeks, it was refreshing to sit back, watch the footie (INGERLAND ftw over Croatia for a spot in the final against France, to lose, sadly.)
It gets on my tits that the real story behind Trump's 'Kinder Konzentrationslager' is being ignored. Simply put, the reason his Sturmabteilung (DHS) can't play snap with these kids and their parents is...they never intended the procedure to become public (hence my query to the admin six weeks ago regarding the loss of 2000+ kids!) Or more likely, and infinitely more disgraceful, Trump and his Trumpettes never intended these families to again reunite! (No doubt in my mind, these kids were being groomed for grounds-keeping serfdom at some over-mortgaged Trump golf course.) Takes a fucking huge and awkward broom to sweep that under the rug, not to mention the rug under which it's swept...Lots of people were involved, I'm still waiting for a pair of bollocks within the DHS to step up and break with the pack.
Pruitt...come on. His resignation/dismissal was just another in a string of dismal Trump failures to create an alternate news cycle. Between the US fending off a global economic dunce cap, Micky (two chins) Cohen, Kim Jong Owned and his elastic agreements, Kinder Konzentrationslager's and the ever-present Sword of Mueller hanging over his flat-top, Trump thought Pruitt was a well-timed bower.
Dimwit is about to announce his pick for supreme court judge...another joke. Why have a supreme court that, given it's whim, can overturn the decision of itself in a previous iteration? Such a court renders itself academic and without lasting value if it's final word on any given matter is subject to reversal within it's life-cycle...Roe V Wade is simple enough as it is, the high court decided that women had sway over their reproductive system as an extension of due process...45 years on, all the key components remain the same, a redress of the issue by the court will just 'give birth' to it's own redress in a few decades. Hell's Bells...if the Irish can manage abortion in their twee little backwater, surely the seborrheic, purulent Justices can let it slide for a few more decades, or a round of afternoon drinks...whichever takes less time.
An aside... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtIvn4HiaJU If anyone is at a loss for 'all the winning.' *Ahem... https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/02/why-are-so-many-of-england-world-cup-footballers-from-yorkshire Like there could be any other reason from your resident Yorkshireman/Canuck.
LL&P
OK you guys, I give up. I'm contacting my realtor tomorrow and selling my house here in L.A., divorcing my wife, giving away my dog and selling my beloved '56 Chevy Nomad and moving to S.F. with just the clothes on my back.
Just for the exercise of course.
That article also pulls a serious bait and switch. All those cities with net negative migration? San Francisco is not on the list. Yes, many people are leaving, myself one of them, but more are are coming in. San Francisco has been gaining population every year for the last couple of decades.
The problem is the people leaving are upstanding American middle class citizens and the people going into SF are the illegal immigrant criminals and the homeless..
I don't know if I would be bragging about that emigration eh??
And, I have to ask?? Why did you have to leave?? Be honest.. I am betting because it's too expensive to live there, right??
rjrap,
The hashtag has been linked to a Russian Twitter campaign.
Facts that proves your claim??
ANY facts at all???
It's my day off. I'll be here all day...
Lemme know if you come up with any FACTS that prove your claim..
:D
Why American Taxpayers will be bailing out Soybean farmers to try to help Trump avoid humiliation in November
More hysterical fear-mongering that, like all of the fear-mongering predictions before it, will never come to pass... :^/
What part of, "THE LEFT HAS NO CREDIBILITY WHATSOEVER" do you not understand???
MSNBC Does Not Merely Permit Fabrications Against Democratic Party Critics. It Encourages and Rewards Them.
On MSNBC, lies are not corrected; they are rewarded, provided the lies are designed to smear the reputations of Democratic Party critics. Is this not definitive and conclusive proof of that: that this is not a news outlet but a political arm of the Democratic Party? What else could possibly explain, let alone justify, behavior like this? I’m asking that earnestly.
I BRING THIS UP again now not because I think MSNBC will ever correct its lie – it has made clear that lies designed to destroy the reputations of Democratic Party critics are perfectly permissible – but because a very similar event happened on Friday night involving the same MSNBC analyst.
https://theintercept.com/2018/07/08/msnbc-does-not-merely-permit-fabrications-against-democratic-party-critics-it-encourages-and-rewards-them/
This is EXACTLY why it's impossible to take anything the Left says seriously.. Because it is PROVEN and DOCUMENTED bullshit...
The hashtag has been linked to a Russian Twitter campaign.
It's funny.. rjrap's bogus claim fits in nicely with the Glenn Greenwald article above..
In the past, Democrats would simply accuse people they disagreed with of racism. Of course, no facts to support and the Dims doing the accusing KNEW that there were no facts to support the racist accusations.. But the Dims would accuse people of racism just to silence them.. This is a well-documented tactic used by Democrats.
Now we have Democrats reaching back in time to use a tried-and-true method of silencing any dissent. Made famous by Joe McCarthy himself... NOW Dims will simply accuse people of working for the Russians.. Of course, there is nothing but rumor, innuendo and outright bullshit to bully people into silence....
But the goal in BOTH of these programs is the same. Silence ANYONE who would dissent by ANY means necessary...
Don't ya'all think it's sad that your Democrat Party has sunk so low????
On the 4th, CW put out a commentary that was titled Everybody Agrees We Have The Freedom To Disagree
At the time it was aired, I had a problem with that because I firmly believed that NO... Not EVERYONE agrees we have the freedom to disagree.. I just did not aire my disputes because I felt it was a feel good holiday commentary that I didn't want to denigrate with such a discussion..
But I can now state, for the record... NO.. Not everyone agrees we have the freedom to disagree... The Left is pulling out ALL the stops and re-visiting the Red Scare era in an effort to insure that NO ONE has the right or the ability to disagree....
And that's just sad....
And while Democrats dither and go on an on hysterically about the latest shiny.....
More South Texas land owners getting letters on border wall
https://www.yahoo.com/news/more-south-texas-land-owners-getting-letters-border-145331014.html
.....President Trump is quietly going about the business of keeping this country safe.. :D
And, once again, Democrats get played.. :D
Supreme Court vacancy: Prepare for a game-changer, experts say
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2018-07-08/supreme-court-vacancy-prepare-game-changer-experts-say.html
After Judge Amy is seated as the newest SCOTUS Justice... This country will never be the same.. It's going to be much much better!!!
And it will have the added benefit of totally demoralizing the Democrats.. :D
The Red Tsunami approaches... :D
This month, Justice Anthony Kennedy announced he would be retiring from the Supreme Court of the United States, giving President Trump an opportunity to nominate a potential replacement.
Instantly, Trump’s political opponents began questioning the credentials of those who were thought to be on his shortlist for the position.
"I saw the new nominee is like racist, and he’s starting a new wave of something very negative..." Tweet This
The same sentiment was seen on social media from pundits and members of Congress alike -- but what would college students have to say about the matter? Did they have substantive reasons for not trusting the potential replacement, or were they simply set on opposing any Trump nominee?
To find out, I headed to New York University to ask students what they thought about who Trump had chosen to replace Justice Kennedy.
Despite the fact that Trump’s decision was still days away from being finalized, students unanimously condemned Trump’s move, harshly criticizing the president’s nonexistent nominee.
“He’s quite extreme in his views,” said one student of the fictitious Judge.
“I saw it all over the news, that he’s like racist,” another student added, referring to the announcement that hadn’t yet happened.
“I saw the new nominee is like racist, and he’s starting a new wave of something very negative, and I’m really scared about the future and what choices he will make,” another pupil added.
When asked if she’d seen the online coverage of the event, one faculty member described witnessing “outrage… as it should be.”
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=11100
Progressive sheep are so easily led..
BLLEEEEEEETTTTTT
Bookstore owner calls 911 when customer confronts Bannon
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Nick Cooke, owner of Black Swan Books in Richmond, called 911 Saturday afternoon after witnessing a woman confront Bannon and call him a "piece of trash."
Cooke said Bannon was minding his own business when the woman began harassing him. Cooke asked the woman to leave. She did so only after he called police.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/07/08/bookstore-owner-calls-911-when-customer-confronts-bannon.html
What a cowardly biatch.. If she really had the strength of her convictions she would have stayed until LEO's arrived..
Nothing but a drive-by coward..
Typical of the hysterical Left...
The Liberal Backlash Is Coming
http://prospect.org/article/liberal-backlash-coming
The liberal backlash is already here..
And is proving to be very VERY detrimental to the liberal's agenda.. :D
In “Summer of Our Discontent,” Washington Post staff writer Dan Zak lays out the mood gripping Washington, D.C., or, as the headline in last Tuesday’s Style section describes it, “the capital of the resistance.” Here’s the third paragraph:
“Here we all are. The start of a mad hot American summer in the nation’s capital. A president violating norm after norm. Immigrant children wailing for their mothers. A Supreme Court seat, open like a wound. A midterm election hurtling toward us like an avenging angel, or a killer asteroid. The resistance girding for war, or curdling into hysteria, depending on your view.”
Let’s opt for hysteria. This is the shark fin of a Deep State that is determined to bring down the Trump administration by whatever means necessary.
“It’s reached a point of desperation,” explains Amanda Werner, described by Mr. Zak as a campaign strategist. “We’ve been civil (did she say this with a straight face?) and having endless debates, and all we’ve seen is the decimation of everything we care about.”
Two weeks ago, Ms. Werner and a dozen others invaded a D.C. restaurant to heckle Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and also came to her residence to scream, “We’re here to wake up your neighborhood.” Last Sunday, the D.C. chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America chanted slogans outside the Alexandria home of just-retired Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau Director Thomas Homan, accusing him of “fascism” (a socialist variant, but perhaps they don’t know that).
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jul/8/liberals-wrapped-in-hysteria-hurtle-toward-a-dooms/
As I said.. Liberal backlash is already here..
And the Democrats are paying and will continue to pay a huge price for not reigning in their violent hysterical minions...
In all honesty.....
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators running for re-election in Trump Country face an agonizing choice over President Trump’s coming Supreme Court nominee: Vote to confirm the pick and risk demoralizing Democratic voters ahead of the midterm elections, or stick with the party and possibly sacrifice their own seats — and any chance at a Democratic majority in 2019.
The actions of a handful of Senate Democrats struggling to hold their seats in red states where Mr. Trump remains popular — notably Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia — will have broad implications for the party at a critical political juncture.
A decision by one or all of them to try to bolster their standing with Republican-leaning voters in their states by backing the president’s nominee would undermine Democratic leaders as they try to sustain party unity. And if their votes put the president’s choice on the court, it could hasten the move to the left by the party’s aggressive activist core, while intensifying the clamor for new, more confrontational leadership.
But if they hold together on a “no” vote, those senators could not only surrender their own seats, but by expanding the Republican majority, they could also narrow the path of Democrats to a Senate majority for years to come by ceding those states to Republicans.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/07/us/politics/democrats-supreme-court-nominee.html?rref=collection%2Fissuecollection%2Ftodays-new-york-times&action=click&contentCollection=todayspaper®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&
I don't envy these 5 Democrats their choices...
What IS it about Democrats that, nearly always, they maneuver themselves into a classic lose-lose situation..
I honestly can't see ANY way that they will keep their seats in November..
Vote YES and they piss of their base and they lose..
Vote NO and they piss of their constituents and they lose..
I feel a bit sorry for them...
88- Michale
Google it. You'll find plenty of facts. I don't have the room here for all the links. You said you have all day.
Google it. You'll find plenty of facts. I don't have the room here for all the links. You said you have all day.
It's not up to me to provide facts to support YOUR claim
And Google is as about as reliable for finding stuff AGAINST the Left as Snopes/Politifact is...
You made the claim.. If you don't have any FACTS that prove your claim, that's on you, not me..
You'de be better off changing your posting name to Joe McCarthy.... :D
Let's revisit the credibility of the hysterical Left Wingery and the NeverTrumpers..
https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1016079192604139520
M [102]: Yep, we're hysterical all right - hysterically laughing at the desperate 'red wave' iconography, and at the pathetic attempt by the Trumpers to pin the tail on everyone except the ass in the middle of it all.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (catch breath) HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHa!(snort) hehehehehehe....
Balthy,
I can admire that you can put on such a brave face, considering all the hits you Democrats have been taking over the last couple weeks..
But look at that twitter video.. That should bring you back down to reality..
That is, if you WANT to actually be brought down to reality.. :D
I mean, seriously.. All politics aside, you have to simply marvel at the position that President Trump has maunevered the Democrat Party into..
Take a "principled stand" against President Trumps nominee, please the Democrat base and give the GOP a near filibuster proof majority..
OR...
Go along with President Trump's nominee, piss of the Democrat base BIG TIME and give the GOP a near filibuster proof majority...
I really hope CW does an analysis of this LOSE/LOSE position the Democrats have been forced into.. :D
I really hope CW does an analysis of this LOSE/LOSE position the Democrats have been forced into.. :D
I do too, because your side is suffering from a great many delusions fed to you by your corporate overlords.
Start with numbers: the best that you can hope for numerically is that large numbers of Democrats stay home as they did in 2010 and 2016.
That ain't happenin'. Democratic voter participation has been up all year, and the midterms are shaping up to see an even larger bump up.
Then you'd have to hope that large numbers of Trump voters are on board with the pain that will be delivered upon them by Trump's Trade War. Soybean farmers in Iowa are already griping as contracts for their crops are disappearing into thin air.
Harley-Davidson is the canary in the coal mine, buddy. If they'll leave the US to escape the vortex of Trump's trade black hole, others will follow.
McCaskill, Manchin, et. al., are already being told by Democratic voters: we've got your back on this one. Voting against Trump's nominee my cost them a few Trump votes, but will be rewarded by many more Democratic votes.
Besides, Democrats never expected to take the Senate on this go-round. At worst, we end up close to where we are now - without having to worry about the GOP peeling as many votes away in the future.
We might, on the other hand, flip the House this time. It'll be harder for local congressmen to justify the pain of Trump's trade war at the local level, where jobs and commodities prices matter.
One thing we can thank Trump for - he's making Democrats look Great Again!
Start with numbers: the best that you can hope for numerically is that large numbers of Democrats stay home as they did in 2010 and 2016.
That ain't happenin'. Democratic voter participation has been up all year, and the midterms are shaping up to see an even larger bump up.
It WILL happen if 5 Democrats vote YEA on President Trump's nominee..
McCaskill, Manchin, et. al., are already being told by Democratic voters: we've got your back on this one. Voting against Trump's nominee my cost them a few Trump votes, but will be rewarded by many more Democratic votes.
Yea, the base said the same thing with the Gorsuch votes..
Guess what happened??
Besides, Democrats never expected to take the Senate on this go-round. At worst, we end up close to where we are now - without having to worry about the GOP peeling as many votes away in the future.
BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You people were ALL about taking the Senate.. Until the fortunes turned against Democrats.. :D
You are making the EXACT same arguments ya'all made in the summer of 2016...
Let's revisit that again, since you obviously missed the point. :D
https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/1016079192604139520
You were as confident then as ya are now..
Why do you think you have any credibility??
Because THIS time it will be different :D
That's what it ALL boils down to, Balthy..
Ya'all were as confident, as mouthy and as sure now as you were in the run-up to the 2016 election...
And you were as wrong as wrong can be...
Why do ya think it's gonna be any different this time around???
Thoughts and prayers?? :D
You were as confident then as ya are now..
Why do you think you have any credibility?
Science, my friend. If you want to keep crowing about your fluke election, you go right ahead, and be sure to convince every other Trump zombie that everything will be just fine in crazy-land for eternity.
As for us, we've got a midterm election to win, followed by a hard knock-out in 2020. Once Trump hits the floor, it's all over except for the mop-up job, which will be huuuuuuge.
104 - Michale
I can admire that you can put on such a brave face, considering all the hits you Democrats have been taking over the last couple weeks.
Here's some Trump stuff from just the last week. Enjoy.
-Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Files Request To Hire Foreign Workers — Again
-In The World According To Trump, NATO Allies Are Bad And Putin Is Good
-Migrant Baby Returned To Mom Covered With Lice
-Year-Old Baby Appears In Immigration Court, Cries Hysterically
-Data show that Trump's real base is 24 percent of the electorate. A decline of 10 percent
-U.S. Opposition to Breast-Feeding Resolution Stuns World Health Officials
-Here’s A Taste Of The Divisive Rhetoric Trump Uses To Vilify Immigrants
-Trump Crammed A Remarkable Amount Of Misogyny Into Just 24 Hours
-Justice Kennedy Cut Voting Rights. His Replacement Could Destroy Them
-The Trump Administration Is Quietly Discharging Immigrant Recruits Promised Citizenship in Return for Military Service
-Ivanka Trump's Chinese-made products spared from tariffs
-‘ANT-MAN AND THE WASP’ SETS NEW MARVEL RECORD
I like the last one. I just threw that one in.
Tell me which one you want a link to. We gotta have the facts.
Science, my friend.
The same "science" that predicted Hillary's win??
Dood, I would get your money back.. :D
Come talk to me on 7 Nov when your Democrats have lost and lost big time. :D
I was right then.. I'll be right now.. :D
Here's some Trump stuff from just the last week. Enjoy.
And with ALL of that, Democrats have been having their asses handed to them and President Trump's approval numbers have been going up. :D
Still waiting on your to provide FACTS that prove #WalkAway is a Russian plot...
-‘ANT-MAN AND THE WASP’ SETS NEW MARVEL RECORD
Yea, that's gonna be good.. Won't compare to INFINITY WAR though.. :D
My bad.
https://arcdigital.media/pro-trump-russian-linked-twitter-accounts-are-posing-as-ex-democrats-in-new-astroturfed-movement-20359c1906d3
I asked for FACTS.. Not links..
I ain't gonna read thru a whole big litany of Left Wing bullshit only to learn it's all innuendo, rumor and outright bullshit..
Quote the facts and then you quote the link to back up the facts..
I quoted the facts as stated in the link in my original comments and just supplied the link. Do want something notarized?
I don't know what else your looking for.
Just moments ago heard from some Dem/Lib nut job on youtube name of Jimmy Dore, that Manafort and perhaps others are to be prosecuted by Mueller for everyday, run-of-the-mill corruption, and that "Collusion with the Russians" wont even be a factor in the prosecutions.
How many gawdam times have I told you people that THERE IS NO LAW AGAINST GETTING DIRT ON YOUR OPPONENT FROM ANYBODY WHATSOEVER, even dirty Communists, and how many times was I greeted with ridicule and derision for being a naive simpleton, too dumb to understand the many ramifications that could come of "collusion"???
And now I'm ashamed to say I can't resist a "told ya so, morons!!!"
The hashtag has been linked to a Russian Twitter campaign.
Astroturfed social media campaigns like the “WalkAway Movement” aim to create manufactured consensus, or the illusion of popularity, so that an idea or position without much public support appears more popular and mainstream than it actually is.
There are no facts there.. At least no substantiated facts...
Can you substantiate ANY claim you make there??
No, you cannot..
And now I'm ashamed to say I can't resist a "told ya so, morons!!!"
It gets easier, the more you indulge... :D
Maybe ya'all can help me out...
How do I got about donating to Hillary's campaign to encourage her to run again in 2020???
"Just to keep things in perspective, Donald Trump could either nominate Judge Amy Barrett or Vladimir Putin and tomorrow's headlines would be exactly the same.."
-Dennis Miller
It's funny (and sad) because it's true..
Key red-state Senate Democrats turn down invites to Trump's Supreme Court reveal
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/key-red-state-senate-democrats-turn-down-invites-to-trumps-supreme-court-reveal
Looks like Dems are going to tough it out and stick with the Party....
Their seats will adorn the GOP side of the aisle very nicely....
And then, assuming that Democrats were able to derail Judge Amy's confirmation, with the GOP's 58 in the Senate, President Trump re-submits Judge Amy's name and she sails thru confirmation... :D
No matter what..
President Trump and this country wins and Democrats lose.. :D
"Just to keep things in perspective, Donald Trump could either nominate Judge Amy Barrett or Vladimir Putin and tomorrow's headlines would be exactly the same.."
Donald Trump could nominate Wolf Man and Frankenstein, and the results would be the same. But why would a sane human being nominate either?
Key red-state Senate Democrats turn down invites to Trump's Supreme Court reveal
pucker factor for Judge Amy's nomination just went up.
pucker factor for Judge Amy's nomination just went up.
Worst case scenario, Judge Amy's nomination is thwarted the first time around, but sails thru when the GOP adds 7-9 seats after the midterms. :D
Donald Trump could nominate Wolf Man and Frankenstein, and the results would be the same. But why would a sane human being nominate either?
So, you are saying thatJudge Bartlett is no different than Putin, Frankenstein or the Wolfman...
Nice bigotry...
[116],[118]
Please take that juvenile behavior somewhere else. It doesn't belong here.
Please take that juvenile behavior somewhere else. It doesn't belong here.
:D heh...
Tell Hillary you're a wall street executive and offer her 225,000 dollars to make a speech.
OK, that sounds good.. I can buy an ambassador-ship!! :D
C. R. Stucki
116
Just moments ago heard from some Dem/Lib nut job on youtube name of Jimmy Dore, that Manafort and perhaps others are to be prosecuted by Mueller for everyday, run-of-the-mill corruption, and that "Collusion with the Russians" wont even be a factor in the prosecutions.
Oh, isn't that cute? Old man Stucki doesn't understand the concept of statute of limitations and that Mueller isn't going to play all his cards just yet against Paulie Manafort. The hayseed in Idaho actually thinks this is all Mueller has got and nothing more. I guess ignorance really is bliss... so they say. :D
How many gawdam times have I told you people that THERE IS NO LAW AGAINST GETTING DIRT ON YOUR OPPONENT FROM ANYBODY WHATSOEVER, even dirty Communists, and how many times was I greeted with ridicule and derision for being a naive simpleton, too dumb to understand the many ramifications that could come of "collusion"???
How many times have we posted the actual law, and how many times have you ignored it? Mueller has more charges against Paulie, old man; you can count on that because it's a fact. The way a "Snitch Hunt" works is that you charge the target you're trying to flip with "enough" to secure their cooperation and retain the other charges as a bargaining chip.
And now I'm ashamed to say I can't resist a "told ya so, morons!!!"
You are embarrassing yourself, hayseed! :D