Trump Fails To Deliver On Coal Promises
For King Canute, it was the relentless tides that proved greater than royal decree. For Donald Trump, there are many examples of how reality has simply not matched up to his grandiose promises to personally make everything better for his base. The financial devastation hitting farmers is the most obvious, but there's a new contender for "biggest broken promise to people who overwhelmingly voted for Trump," and that is the people employed by the coal industry.
Salon has an overview of the grim news from coal country:
The coal industry was rocked by two massive bankruptcy filings this week that have put nearly 2,000 jobs at risk in Virginia, Kentucky, Wyoming and West Virginia.
Revelation Energy LLC, a West Virginia-based company that employs about 1,100 people in West Virginia, Virginia and Kentucky, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Southern District of West Virginia, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. Cumberland, Kentucky, Mayor Charles Raleigh told the outlet that the company has already shut down its nearby mines and workers were told not to show up for work.
The move comes as Revelation's parent company, Blackjewel LLC, shuttered two coal mines in Wyoming amid its own bankruptcy filing, leaving 700 workers unemployed, the Casper Star-Tribune reported. The two mines, Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr, are the fourth- and sixth-largest producing coal mines in the country.
In a bankruptcy filing Monday, Blackjewel owner Jeff Hoops cited declining demand for coal and increased consumption of renewable energy as causes for the company's fall.
"The entire industry either has gone through, or is currently going through, a period of financial distress and reorganization," Hoops wrote.
. . .
Revelation and Blackjewel's filings came just two weeks after Cambrian Coal, which operated a large coal operation in Kentucky and Virginia, also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The coal industry has been in steep decline in Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's home state, where coal output has dropped from 68 million tons per year to just 17 million tons since 2011, while costing the state nearly 10,000 coal jobs.
In Wyoming, Blackjewel is the fifth coal producer to file for bankruptcy in recent years, the Star-Tribune reported.
Donald Trump, of course, was going to personally usher in coal's revival. He explicitly promised to do so, and last year claimed victory in this effort by declaring: "coal is back."
The reality, however, is that coal is not only not "back," but it probably won't be coming back ever again. Last month, the U.S. Energy Information Administration admitted as much, noting that -- for the first time ever -- renewable energy production is now a larger slice of the energy market than coal. The Department of Energy's figures show an equally bleak picture: U.S. coal consumption has now fallen to its lowest level since 1978. Since Donald Trump was elected, 51 coal plants have been shuttered and a total of eight coal companies have filed for bankruptcy.
In other words, Trump lied to all those coal workers, plain and simple. He promised that he would personally be able to turn back this historic tide, and instead it washed over him. Chalk up another group of his own supporters that Trump has bitterly disappointed:
"The fate of coal has been sealed, the market has spoken. The trend is irreversible now, the decline of coal is unstoppable despite Donald Trump's rhetoric," Michael Webber, an energy expert at the University of Texas, told The Guardian. "Trump has made a promise that will be broken, which is a tragedy for coal miners who were told they don't need to get other jobs or get new skills. They have been sent the wrong signal and now there are lay-offs."
Of course, all of this is good news for the environment and the future of our planet. The green revolution continues apace, even when those who wish a return to the past actively try to thwart it. Trump's impotence on personally reviving the coal industry is proof positive that climate change deniers can only have a limited impact on what the market is doing on its own. Trump can try to scrub any mention of climate change from all executive branch reports, but the reality cannot be denied as easily as instituting such "Ministry of Truth" practices.
Democrats are not in complete agreement as to exactly which way America should move forward on energy. The Green New Deal is more aspirational than an actual blueprint of legislation to achieve its lofty goals. And not every Democrat fully supports it. But it's pretty obvious that Democrats do universally agree that the problem of climate change exists and that we need to make significant progress in a very short period of time to avoid disaster, while Republicans are still happily cramming their heads deeply in the sand.
During Donald Trump's first two years as president, he had a Congress run by his own party. And yet they were unable to turn back the historical clock to a day when coal was king. This too bodes well for the future, because it suggests that market forces will overwhelm any future attempts to do so, as well. All those coal miners who put their faith in Trump to wave a magic wand and fix everything have now been disappointed by the reality of Trump's utter inability to do so. One wonders whether a laid-off coal miner whose house was just repossessed by the bank will be as willing to vote for Trump again next time around, but plenty of them probably will anyway. After all, nobody else is promising them a return to the halcyon days of yore when their jobs wouldn't disappear when the company went bust. They got fooled once, but that doesn't mean they can't be fooled again, to put it bluntly.
But the good news for everyone else is that even if Trump promises once again to "bring back coal," he simply will not ever have the power to do so. It's an empty promise. This tide is just not going to suddenly turn. Just ask King Canute if you want to know how this story ends.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Chris,
One wonders whether a laid-off coal miner whose house was just repossessed by the bank will be as willing to vote for Trump again next time around, but plenty of them probably will anyway.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did. And, not because they love or trust Trump, either.
After all, nobody else is promising them a return to the halcyon days of yore when their jobs wouldn't disappear when the company went bust.
There ya go.
No one else is talking to them on their terms. Maybe they all realize what's happened to the coal industry. Heck, maybe some of them even worry about climate change. Sad thing is we may never know because Democrats seemingly do not care.
Worse than that, how did Hillary put it … she wants to take their jobs away since they're just a basket of deplorables … I'm paraphrasing but they got the point.
They got fooled once, but that doesn't mean they can't be fooled again, to put it bluntly.
I think it has zero to do with getting fooled.
They understand that Democrats are not talking to them on their terms about their future and about what part coal may play in it, if anything at all.
But the good news for everyone else is …
And THERE is the crux of the matter. Who cares about the coal miner so long as the rest of us reap the benefits of their loss.
Democrats Fail To Deliver On Issues Of Concern To Coal Miners (and their families), Trump Re-Elected!
Hope we don't see THAT headline, ever.
For the record and to be perfectly clear, I am most decidedly NOT arguing for saving coal.
What I am saying is that there has to be a serious and sustainable alternative offer to replace President Trump's "coal promises".
"Is there anybody out there!"
Well, how about a prediction, just for fun:
'The Cuomo Interview' will do wonders for the Biden campaign.
Happy Fourth of July!
Canada Day was, great.
Nice article, CW. Gives me a great idea for a "Trump Fails To Deliver On" series too.
Allow me to demonstrate (in no particular order):
Trump Fails To Deliver On: Coal Promises
Trump Fails To Deliver On: Health Care Plan
TFTDO: Enacting Congressional Term Limits
TFTDO: Draining the Swamp (Loaded It With Lobbyists)
TFTDO: Promise To "Never Lie To You"... Immediate Fail!
TFTDO: Eliminating Federal Debt In 8 Years
TFTDO: Wall
TFTDO: Mexico Paying For Wall He Failed to Deliver On
Obviously, Trump isn't the first POTUS to fail to deliver on a campaign promise, but he's the first presidential candidate/POTUS in the modern era to just fabricate promises of health care plans that never existed and invent lies on the fly and just pull totally false rhetoric straight out of his backside in an attempt to denigrate the majority of American citizens who see him for exactly who he is. Sad.
Elizabeth Miller [1] wrote:
Chris,
One wonders whether a laid-off coal miner whose house was just repossessed by the bank will be as willing to vote for Trump again next time around, but plenty of them probably will anyway.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if they did. And, not because they love or trust Trump, either.
After all, nobody else is promising them a return to the halcyon days of yore when their jobs wouldn't disappear when the company went bust.
There ya go.
No one else is talking to them on their terms. Maybe they all realize what's happened to the coal industry. Heck, maybe some of them even worry about climate change. Sad thing is we may never know because Democrats seemingly do not care.
Worse than that, how did Hillary put it … she wants to take their jobs away since they're just a basket of deplorables … I'm paraphrasing but they got the point.
They got fooled once, but that doesn't mean they can't be fooled again, to put it bluntly.
I think it has zero to do with getting fooled.
They understand that Democrats are not talking to them on their terms about their future and about what part coal may play in it, if anything at all.
But the good news for everyone else is …
And THERE is the crux of the matter. Who cares about the coal miner so long as the rest of us reap the benefits of their loss.
Yikes! How did that post? Wasn't finished!
You don't have to re-post everything, I can follow along pretty well ...
Elizabeth Miller
1
No one else is talking to them on their terms. Maybe they all realize what's happened to the coal industry. Heck, maybe some of them even worry about climate change. Sad thing is we may never know because Democrats seemingly do not care.
Are you trying to prove you're not paying attention? If not, you're failing.
Worse than that, how did Hillary put it … she wants to take their jobs away since they're just a basket of deplorables … I'm paraphrasing but they got the point.
I wouldn't exactly call that paraphrasing; I would call that spewing the right-wing talking points.
They understand that Democrats are not talking to them on their terms about their future and about what part coal may play in it, if anything at all.
You really should pay better attention, Canada. You seemed to have missed quite a lot. Also, how is it that you've come to believe that you know what American miners understand?
And THERE is the crux of the matter. Who cares about the coal miner so long as the rest of us reap the benefits of their loss.
What are you reaping from the coal miners' losses? I'm reaping absolutely nothing; however, I am regularly asked for "help," which I have been doing on a quite regular basis and will continue to do so since I have this soft spot for family. :)
Do you think that is a clever way of avoiding the issue?
Elizabeth Miller
12
Do you think that is a clever way of avoiding the issue?
Nope. I do, however, believe it's a clever way of stating emphatically and unequivocally: Spewing the right-wing talking points and inventing fake quotes you describe as "paraphrasing" while dragging a candidate through the mud in your regular fashion might make you some points with the board troll, but seriously: You have no idea what you're talking about when it comes to American miners, Canada. :)
Kick,
Are you trying to prove you're not paying attention? If not, you're failing.
I don't know what that means.
I'm done with you on this issue.
Elizabeth Miller
14
I don't know what that means.
You basically insinuated there are no Democrats talking to the miners on their terms. I asked if you were trying to prove you're not paying attention. If yes, you're succeeding. If not, you're failing.
Can't speak for all of them, but they are represented by a Senator who is a Democrat by the name of Joseph Manchin III who was recently reelected by a large majority of them (along with other voters, of course). Manchin served as the Governor of the State of West Virginia from 2005 through 2010. He won a special election to become Senator, was reelected in 2012 and 2018 in a state Donald Trump won by 42 points. I will give you one guess as to how Mr. Manchin has been a leader in the State of West Virginia for quite awhile now:
https://twitter.com/sen_joemanchin/status/1095818164863148033?lang=en
Well, thank-you for that.
I understand that - and I may be wrong about this - at least one Coal Miners Union is supporting Democratic candidates.
But, that's not what Chris was talking about. He said that coal miners may very well vote for Trump again despite Trump's failure to deliver on his 'coal promises'.
All I was doing was putting forth one reason why some coal miners might vote for Trump again. And, I was disagreeing with Chris's point about the possibility that miners might be fooled again.
What is Manchin's stance on climate change?
When I said that the rest of us reap the benefits of the coal miners' loss, I only meant that the death of coal is a big win for the fight against climate change.
Perhaps what I said was a bit of a stretch but I hope you get the point.
Good God, I'm starting to feel like my name is Biden. :)
Which points to a problem here within this blog and outside of it …
People tend to take issue with something someone has said before looking further into to it to be sure they actually understood what was being said. Even after the attack, they don't bother to further look into it to find the truth of what was being said. And, on and on …
Is it really so difficult to get more information before attacking?
And, let me say that 'attack/attacking is probably too strong a word for some but, whatever ...
Kick -
Well, I tried to fix [8], but it was obviously still incomplete...
-CW
Elizabeth Miller
17
Well, thank-you for that.
You're welcome.
I understand that - and I may be wrong about this - at least one Coal Miners Union is supporting Democratic candidates.
Yes, ma'am... the UMWA. Is there another coal miners' union in America? There are only about 50,000 miners left in the entire country, not all of them part of the union, of course.
But, that's not what Chris was talking about. He said that coal miners may very well vote for Trump again despite Trump's failure to deliver on his 'coal promises'.
Well, some of them will, some of them won't, as per usual. They did overwhelmingly support and help elect Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania in the special election in March 2018 (huge hint regarding the blue wave to come) and again in November 2018... so I'd say they're catching on.
Regardless of how the miners vote, West Virginia will be squarely in the Red column. Pennsylvania, however, is a whole other ballgame. If Joe Biden is the nominee for the Democratic Party, I would wager quite a large sum that he'll have the support of the miners. One of the many of the myriad of reasons that I will be voting for Joe Biden on Super Tuesday. If anyone else is elected Democratic nominee... who knows? I won't even speculate. Okay, maybe a little speculation. Elizabeth Warren wants mining banned on federal lands, but she also has been advocating for several years on behalf of miners pensions and taking care of Americans who are losing their jobs to advances in technology. Would they support her? I honestly doubt it for the mere reason that she's a female. The majority of them generally denigrate female politicians while at the very same time allowing them to rule over and consume their every thought. How would they survive in a world where women held power... outside their tiny minds, of course? ;)
All I was doing was putting forth one reason why some coal miners might vote for Trump again. And, I was disagreeing with Chris's point about the possibility that miners might be fooled again.
Of course they might be fooled again. Many of them had already held their nose and voted for Trump in 2016 because they believed he was their only hope. The midterms are proof they are catching on to the con. Meanwhile, Democrats have not abandoned them and have been addressing their concerns for multiple decades. That's how Joe Manchin keeps getting elected. :)
CW
22
Well, I tried to fix [8], but it was obviously still incomplete...
-CW
Well, thanks for trying. I would naturally blame the mango margaritas if it wasn't for the fact that my computer went nuts and starting posting without me getting anywhere near the "Submit Comment" button. Had to smack it and reboot it.
Deleting it altogether would be fine, but then it would screw up the response numbering. So leave it or whatever. You decide!
Philly Cheesesteak. Are you packed yet!? ;)
Well, I tried to fix [8], but it was obviously still incomplete...
Actually, it looks pretty good to me!
Kick,
I won't be happy until ALL the coal miners vote for Biden.
Elizabeth Miller
18
What is Manchin's stance on climate change?
I will give you a hint: He's a Democrat that keeps getting elected in a Red state where so many people depend on the mining of fossil fuels to make a living. :)
See, that was part of my point.
Elizabeth Miller
26
I won't be happy until ALL the coal miners vote for Biden.
Heh... then your unhappiness is virtually assured. On the other hand, those miners do like voting for guys named "Joe."
Seriously, though, I do hope Biden is the nominee for the Democratic Party, and this subject is one of the reasons. Whatever it takes to get out the Criminal Con Artist Manbaby. :)
Elizabeth Miller
28
See, that was part of my point.
Well, I thought your main point was that Democrats weren't talking to the miners on their terms... since you actually typed it twice. The fact is that Democrats have for decades been talking to the miners on their terms and getting reelected.
And it's so great that Obama was able to close Gitmo, eh? :D
None of this will have any effect on Trump voters...
Liz,
I understand exactly what you are saying and yer dead on ballz accurate..
Trump failing to keep a campaign promise is just a small part of the equation....
Democrats must step up and do right and good by those that Trump failed..
Yet, Democrats won't DO that because they hate coal and, by default, hate the people that mine coal..
In the minds of the Democrats, those coal miners are nothing more than deplorables who voted Trump and mine a nasty evil thing that is destroying the planet..
Those laid off coal miners may be miffed that Trump didn't fully come thru for them..
But unless the Democrats offer the coal miners a BBD, the coal miners are going to find other reasons to vote for President Trump...
And you and I both know that the the attitude of Democrats towards coal miners is "Frak off and die.."
Result: President Trump re-election..
As things stand right now, you are dead on ballz accurate...
What's this?? RBG sings the high praises of Justice Kavanaugh???
Ruth Bader Ginsburg praises Brett Kavanaugh and reflects on gender equality
Supreme Court justice and liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Tuesday praised newly-confirmed Justice Brett Kavanugh for appointing an entirely female staff. Ginsburg spoke about her own history in the fight for gender equality to a packed auditorium at Georgetown Law School.
Ginsburg praised Kavanaugh — whose controversial confirmation was marked by allegations of sexual assault — and remarked that the court's upcoming fall term will be the first time in history that more women will be clerking than men.
"There is a very important first on the Supreme Court this term and it's thanks to our new justice, Justice Kavanaugh," Ginsburg said.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ruth-bader-ginsburg-praises-brett-kavanaugh-and-reflects-on-gender-equality-georgetown-2019-07-02/
RBG better watch her back now.. She has gone against the hysterical Democrats...
US still looking for way to ask about citizenship on census
https://apnews.com/d94ca41d3413409e9d7395194540eaa0
It's going to happen people.. :D
One way or another..
This Fourth of July, why have we lost our patriotism?
For the haters, it’s open season on the American ideal.
Colin Kaepernick doesn’t like today’s American flag because it reminds him of police brutality and he doesn’t like Betsy Ross’ O.G. flag because it reminds him of slavery. I’m starting to think maybe Colin Kaepernick is not so fond of the flag, or of the country that made him rich.
Nike supported him by withdrawing the Betsy Ross-flagged sneaker. That’s right, the American flag, in any form, is now apparently a toxic symbol. The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, actually praised Nike.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/03/this-fourth-of-july-why-have-we-lost-our-patriotism/
This is the sad legacy of the Democrat Party..
It's made AMERICA HATING fashionable.. :^/
Don’t take it from me; ask the world. A Gallup survey notes that 150 million people, or one out of 25 adults on the planet, would move to the US if they could. That’s more than the next four countries combined. “America remains unusually attractive to people from all over the world — in a way to which no other country compares,” Gallup reported.
Everybody knows America is number one, which is why, even among the hating class of Americans, no one ever leaves. Ta-Nehisi Coates and Spike Lee haven’t moved to France. Gavin Newsom isn’t moving to Mexico. Colin Kaepernick isn’t moving to Cuba. Lena Dunham, Bryan Cranston, Barbra Streisand and all the other celebrities who threatened/promised to move to Canada are still here. Hell, we can’t even get the Canadian-born whiners and haters (like Seth Rogen and Jim Carrey) to move back.
America didn’t complete the project of freedom on that broiling day in Philly, but that’s like saying your kid’s first day of school is no big deal because your kids can’t do algebra yet. On July 4, 1776, we began setting up the greatest opportunity for human flourishing the world has ever known, and our example continues to be the world’s beacon. The United States of America isn’t perfect. We’re merely the best.
Shove it up yer ass, America haters!!
Is Trump’s 4th of July celebration an abuse of power? Critics say it will be one big MAGA rally
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-office-presidency-2020-reelection-20190703-story.html
Allow me to sum up the totality of that article..
"Whine, whine.. Cry cry cry... Waaa Waaaa Whine, bitching, whine, cry, whine, whine whine...Cry, cry, waaa waaaa whine cry whine cry waaaa waaaa waaaa waaaa. Whine whine.."
-Sore Luser
:eyeroll:
'Mini AOC' ends parody videos after receiving 'death threats,' 'harassment' from the left, family says
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/mini-aoc-ends-parody-videos-after-receiving-death-threats-harassment-from-left
This is your Democrat Party, people..
Threatening an 8-yr old little girl and her family with death...
This is the Democrat Party ya'all are so proud of..
Portland police release photos of suspects in violent Antifa clashes that injured conservative writer
https://www.foxnews.com/us/portland-police-release-photos-of-suspects-in-violent-antifa-clashes-that-injured-conservative-writer
Exhibit B of the "tolerant" and "respectful" Democrat Party... :^/
Ohio firework company receives multiple bomb threats after Trump tweets out praise
Multiple bomb threats were called in to an Ohio-based fireworks company Tuesday night -- just hours after President Trump thanked the CEO for donating the explosives to light up Washington D.C.’s Fourth of July celebration.
The Youngstown Police Department received a 911 call from the Phantom Fireworks headquarters on Belmont Ave. after the office received two calls threatening that “there was a bomb in the building.”
Officer Brad Ditullio with the Youngstown Bomb Squad told Fox News on Wednesday the first threat was called in at 8:30 p.m. by a man claiming there was a bomb in the building and everyone “needed to get out.”
He hung up, but three minutes later another call came in, with the voice saying “Tik-tok, tik-tok” before hanging up again.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/ohio-firework-company-receives-multiple-bomb-threats-after-trump-tweets-out-praise
Exhibit C... :^/
On the lighter side..
Ditullio said that he called the Mercy Health St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital to use their bomb-sniffing dog to secure the property.
It took authorities around an hour and a half to clear the building, eventually finding that there was no explosive in the building.
I must say... No explosives in a fireworks factory???
That's kinda disappointing.. :D
Five Principles That Will Power President Trump's Reelection
If you are eagerly awaiting each new development in America’s quadrennial drama to select a president, then please regard the opening sentence to this commentary as a spoiler alert.
I have seen this movie before, and I know how it turns out. In fact, I have seen the movie several times.
I was there in 1972 when President Nixon soundly defeated the left-wing candidacy of George McGovern. I was actually in the McGovern campaign, and I was in on the early stages of the Dukakis campaign 16 years later, when George H.W. Bush defeated the liberal Massachusetts governor. I wasn’t associated with the Mondale campaign in 1984, but it was pretty much the same plot: left-wing Democrat wiped out by right-wing Republican. Mondale, like McGovern, only managed to carry one state (Dukakis won eight).
So, as the candidates seeking next year’s Democratic presidential nomination compete to outdo each other on issues like socializing medicine, opening borders and providing racial reparations, I think I have a pretty good idea of how this drama is going to turn out.
President Trump is going to be reelected.
The American electorate simply doesn’t like left-wing ideologues. You can trace this pattern back over a hundred years to the defeat of William Jennings Bryan in three different presidential runs, during each of which he offered radical cures for what supposedly ailed the country. Even in the depths of the Great Depression, FDR knew he had to run as a centrist and populist rather than a socialist to bolster his chances of getting elected (Carter and Clinton successfully embraced the same lesson).
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lorenthompson/2019/07/02/five-principles-that-will-power-president-trumps-reelection/#4d2ff68b15b8
Unless the Democrat Party nominates a centrist moderate Democrat, President Trump will coast to a landslide re-election...
This is pre-ordained...
And in sport, as in life, if you can deliver on all your self-hype then people will not just grudgingly respect you, many will love you for it.
As Donald Trump once told me with such prescience: ‘If you talk the talk, you gotta walk the walk, or the act doesn’t play.’
Now that I’ve calmed down and had time to reflect, I can see that the cold hard reality of last night is the USA gave England a lesson in how to play our own game.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7209529/The-team-bunch-brash-taunting-prima-donnas-winners-walk-talk.html
heh
End the Border Patrol
It's time to tear down the U.S. Border Patrol. And I mean tear it down entirely: Fire its staff, close its detention centers, and start over from scratch.
https://theweek.com/articles/850590/end-border-patrol
This is why the Democrat Party will lose and lose big this presidential election..
Their "mainstream" ideas are simply too far Left for patriotic Americans to accept...
Democrats will be driving Independents into the waiting arms of President Trump...
Come the morning of 4 Nov 2020, ya'all will realize this is factually accurate...
"I’ve even found the inner strength to have a wry chuckle at Alex Morgan’s tea-drinking taunt, because when you win so emphatically and with such style, you also win the right to have a bit of fun at the loser’s expense.
-Piers Morgan
Indeed...
This is why the Democrat Party will lose and lose big this presidential election..
Their "mainstream" ideas are simply too far Left for patriotic Americans to accept...
Democrats will be driving Independents into the waiting arms of President Trump...
"But!!! But!!! But!!! 2018!!!"
-Weigantian Peanut Gallery
Let's face reality here, my fellow Weigantians..
The ONLY reason that Demcorats made strides in 2018 is because the ran moderate Democrats that espoused right-wing ideas...
So, if you can nominate a Democrat like that for POTUS, you MIGHT win...
But ya'all know and I know that Democrats are not going to nominate the same kind of candidate that won the House for Dems in 2018...
Result: Democrat Massacre, President Trump re-elected in a landslide... :D
The ONLY reason that Demcorats made strides in 2018 is because the ran moderate Democrats that espoused right-wing ideas...
Don't take my word for it.. Check out the Left Wing rags...
Democrats are running to the middle to win the midterms
The left is fired up, but Democrats are still relying on centrists in the 2018 campaign.
Part of The 2018 midterm elections, explained
Democratic success in the 2018 midterms hinges significantly on candidates who don’t run on Medicare-for-all or abolishing ICE — the best hope the party has of taking back Congress is if a lot of center-left candidates win.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/11/5/18042804/2018-midterm-elections-moderates-indiana-ohio-west-virginia
AOC’s grandstanding ignores real cause of the border crisis
If there’s one thing rookie congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knows about, it’s grandstanding.
She turned her visit to a detention facility for illegal immigrants at the border this week into a media extravaganza. But her well-timed tantrum and cries of racism were pure baloney. AOC’s wild assertions that inmates were drinking out of toilets were debunked almost as quickly as they were spread by her credulous press cheering section.
She and other Democrats are seeking to spin what is a very real crisis as evidence of the administration’s moral failings. But if they want someone to blame for the conditions they encountered, they can start by looking in the mirror.
The situation at the centers AOC visited is undoubtedly rough. When hundreds of thousands flood across the border, it’s hard to quickly provide services to handle the crisis. Yet this is not the fault of the Border Patrol or the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, let alone President Trump.
The problem is a massive surge of illegal immigrants pouring over the border that has overwhelmed understaffed and underfunded agencies that were already hard-pressed to cope with their responsibilities.
As El Salvador’s President Nayib Buekele said Monday, referring to the thousands of his citizens who are flooding north — including a father and daughter who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande whose picture has become the symbol of this crisis — the responsibility for their plight belongs to failed Central American countries.
https://nypost.com/2019/07/02/aocs-grandstanding-ignores-real-cause-of-the-border-crisis/
Like I said.. It's Democrat Party's pro-Illegal Immigrant stance that is the cause of the crisis at the southern border..
A crisis that, up until quite recently, Democrats even denied existed..
Trump considers executive order on citizenship question
President Trump is considering an executive order to try to move forward with a citizenship question on the 2020 census, top sources tell Jonathan Swan and me.
"We didn’t come this far just to throw in the towel," said a senior administration official with direct knowledge of the conversations.
Administration lawyers are exploring various legal options.
https://www.axios.com/scoop-trump-considers-executive-order-on-citizenship-question-5c9dfdb5-facd-46ed-b1fd-fdda7eb2aa15.html
What I tell ya'all... :D
It's gonna happen... One way or another.. :D
"If the president of the United States were to issue an executive order, supported by his full Article II powers, directing that the citizenship question be included in the 2020 census, I believe the Supreme Court would affirm the constitutional power of the president to include the citizenship question in the census.”
-Federal Judge J. Michael Luttig
There is not a single Republican in Congress that supports impeachment.. :D
Well, at least there is one less of them in Congress.
Kick,
I wouldn't exactly call that paraphrasing; I would call that spewing the right-wing talking points.
Right-wing talking points?
You mean Hillary didn't say that half (or some) of Trump's supporters can be put into a basket of deplorables?
You think she didn't say that the plan was to take coal miners' jobs away?
Liz [53]: Not at the same time, or in the same context. You're being as pedantic as he is.
Look, Balthasar.
You and I, and anyone who follows politics as closely as we do, know exactly what Hillary was talking about - on both occasions - even if we didn't agree with her 100%.
What I'm talking about is how people who don't follow politics understood what Hillary said, in or out of context … all in the context of what Trump was saying.
Balthasar,
Let's approach this another way …
How do you think Democrats can win the coal miner vote in 2020?
Liz [53]: Not at the same time, or in the same context. You're being as pedantic as he is.
Did you read [21]?
Must we always get so personal with our discussion here? Let's try to understand what posters are saying by having a civil debate about the issues.
This is exactly how Biden get misunderstood by peoples who are too lazy to look for the truth.
how on earth did that 's' get misplaced??
Elizabeth Miller
53
You've spent a considerable amount of time defending Joe Biden on this board when his comments were taken out of context and used against him. Let's just say that's very instructive to keep in mind while you're taking another Democratic candidate's words out of context and dragging them through the mud in predictable fashion.
Right-wing talking points?
Yes, ma'am. A fake quoting right-wing troll likely wouldn't have phrased it any differently:
You appear to have taken two phrases out of context to create a sort of "mashup" fake statement that was never said.
You mean Hillary didn't say that half (or some) of Trump's supporters can be put into a basket of deplorables?
You mean Joe Biden didn't praise his pals the segregationists? That people didn't take that entire phrase out of context?
No mention of miners in there where "deplorables" are clearly defined as "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic – Islamophobic." No mention of segregationists either... now that would have been really stupid. It was stupid to define an entire group of voters in such a fashion, but then Donald Trump and the resident board troll isn't doing anything differently in the way he demonizes Democrats and refers to anyone who doesn't genuflect to Trump as an "America hater." Trump isn't America. "We the people" are America. It's right there in the Declaration of Independence wherein "we the people" set out dozens of grievances against absolute rule by one man via orders.
You think she didn't say that the plan was to take coal miners' jobs away?
Sad thing is we may never know because Democrats seemingly do not care.
Wrong. That is simply a right-wing talking point, and you've apparently bought "all in" to that versus listening to what the candidate actually said, and that's exactly what they'll do to Joe Biden if people allow them. They don't call it "fear and smear" for no reason.
It's not my plan to defend HRC or any candidate who ran in the past if they aren't running in 2020, but I thought I'd make an exception this time to defend those Democrats who have been championing the miners for decades and who'll continue to do so. Democrats are the only political party not blowing smoke up their asses and conning them with false promises. The coal miners have been losing jobs to technology, fracking, etc. for decades now. Hindsight being 20/20, the miners are leaving the right-wing circus tent in droves, continuing to support Joe Manchin, throwing their support to Conor Lamb in March 2018 and November 2018 and similar Democratic candidates in the midterms.
So now you know. :)
Elizabeth Miller
58
This is exactly how Biden get misunderstood by peoples who are too lazy to look for the truth.
Do you not see how this could apply to yourself when you're happily repeating the right-wing talking points and falsely claiming that Democrats don't care about miners?
And Elizabeth, seriously? With few exceptions, those of us who pay attention to this forum and practice continuity of ideas and possess the ability to comprehend the written word are already well aware that you routinely take delight in the disparagement of HRC, and I think there is no question that Paula describes it best.
Who knows? Perhaps the election of 2020 will be Paula's chance to spew the right-wing talking points about Biden in reciprocal fashion and right back at you. Here's hoping you can take as good as you've given because payback can be a real bitch. :)
Kick [60], [61]
Respect.
EM - when you are in a hole, stop digging.
You and I, and anyone who follows politics as closely as we do, know exactly what Hillary was talking about - on both occasions - even if we didn't agree with her 100%.
What I'm talking about is how people who don't follow politics understood what Hillary said, in or out of context … all in the context of what Trump was saying.
Yep, exactly..
This is exactly how Biden get misunderstood by peoples who are too lazy to look for the truth.
Exactly x2
END OF WATCH
Police Officer John Anderson
Metro Nashville Police Department, Tennessee
End of Watch: Thursday, July 4, 2019
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/13839e8d10b9303c8d9aee50576e15b15f4844be91d15073a21097a85b780c50.jpg
EM - when you are in a hole, stop digging.
Du auch.. With all your bullshit Trump/America hate based predictions..
:D
Works both ways...
The sad economic facts are that coal mining is not a viable occupation any longer. There are several reasons: automation and technical advances (e.g. mountaintop removal); competition (e.g. fracking); and economic and environmental.
The first two are immediate short term effects on coal mining employment, the latter suppress the long term investment required to have any hope of overcoming the first two.
Also there are only 50,000 coal miners in the U.S. Add in families and dependent businesses and, in the most generous count, we are talking 250,000 voters spread over several states.
This isn’t a voting block that requires a dedicated plan and investment. This is a voting block that falls into “How are we going to help Fellow Americans whose industry and community are becoming obsolete”. There are many of these blocks all the time. From buggy whip factory workers to photograph developers, the churn in our economy creates losers, but to date at least, usually more winners.
As usual, Hillary had the best answer, but not the emotionally popular answer. The “feelies” fell for Trump’s con as usual.
As usual, Hillary had the best answer, but not the emotionally popular answer.
So, you concede that Liz was right.. That Hillary threw coal mining Americans under the bus..
Thank you for your concession...
The sad economic facts are that coal mining is not a viable occupation any longer.
And THAT is why coal miners won't vote for the Democrat candidate.. Because they know that Democrats don't like them...
Kick [60, 61] and Neilm [66]
Wow. That's what I'm talking about. THAT'S the way to discuss a subject!
Sorry, Liz, but they're exactly right.
Kick and Neil,
You are both missing my point … on purpose? No, I don't think so but your eyes may be closed.
All of my comments on this thread have to do with how coal miners who voted for trump may see things differently from us.
I understand the context of what Hillary said, just like the two of you. I wasn't commenting on how I understood Hillary but rather how some people who voted for Trump may have understood Hillary.
So, how about the two of you take a break ...
So, you concede.....that Hillary threw coal mining Americans under the bus.
The bus had arrived already, Mike. What Hillary said was: when this bus is done, we'll help you to pick up and move on.
It's that simple.
Kick, Neil, Balthasar,
I think your comments here show the kind of knee-jerk tendency to respond without understanding and really sheds light on why your country is so divided.
Catch y'all on the next thread where I'll try again to spur an enlightened discussion where respect is the name of the game. Call me a sucker for punishment.
By the way, did anyone read Chris's piece.
Do you think that the coal miners who voted for Trump were fooled into voting for him and could be fooled again?
I for one, as I noted in my first comment on this thread, do not believe they were fooled the first time.
Democrats need to work very hard to reach coal miners and other Americans for whom Trump's message still resonates.
EM [21]People tend to take issue with something someone has said before looking further into to it to be sure they actually understood what was being said.
Liz, we get what you said. Whatever the miner's motivations, they were conned by Trump. That's the bottom line.
You don't give them much credit, do you.
Don't you think that if the Democratic response to Trump's coal promises had been more effective, their votes might have been different?
I asked earlier how you think Democrats should respond in 2020 to get a better result … any thoughts on that?
I'm waiting for a Democrat in the next round of debates to begin talking about their plan to beat Trump by offering better prescriptions to solve critical issues while explaining - clearly and effectively, not a strong suit for Democrats - why Trump's way is not working for most Americans.
Don't you think that if the Democratic response to Trump's coal promises had been more effective, their votes might have been different?
What would've been more effective? To lie - to say that they have a future? They don't.
Trump's lies got him a temporary win, but in the long run, the jobs are gone anyway.
how you think Democrats should respond in 2020 to get a better result
I think that they should keep telling the truth. If that has some negative short-term effects, at least the Democrats have nothing to apologize for to history.
Or to put it another way: right now, America has waaay more Burger King jobs than it does coal mining jobs. Sure, they don't control West Virginia, but then neither will coal jobs soon.
So I'd lobby for a $15 per hour minimum wage. It's fair, and likely to pick up more votes than all of this other nonsense combined.
If I was advising the Biden campaign …
Call out Trump's wrongheaded thinking and policies that don't work for most Americans, of course.
But, the focus shouldn't be on Trump's lies and bad behavior.
The focus should be on outlining policies that work; as for the coal mining industry, the focus should be on a sustainable transition from coal jobs to jobs in the new energy economy or elsewhere.
I would suggest that every person now working in the coal industry, such as it is, should receive free retraining in the clean energy industry or training for another field of work; or if the worker is close to retirement, then an annual tax refund to help them survive their retirement and to thank them for their critical service in supplying energy to keep America moving at the risk of their own health;
In other words, no one should be talking about eliminating coal mining jobs but rather focus on help creating new ones through enlightened and visionary policies.
Forget about left and right wing. That's so yesterday.
Let's talk about an up-wing agenda that focuses on the future with policies that put America on the cutting edge and leave down-wing Trump by the wayside.
Balthasar,
What would've been more effective? To lie - to
say that they have a future?
Ah, no. Most decidedly no!
Surely there is a better way to go than lies, right?
Your $15.00/hour minimum wage is a good one and I'd go even further, mandating yearly increases.
And, Democrats should always tell the truth. After all, the facts on their side!
Balthasar, I think we just saved this thread!
Just in case I have been about as clear as mud,
Democrats should never stoop to Trump's level and lie to American voters, coal miners or anyone else.
What I was talking about in my first comment here is Democrats' only antidote to Trump's 'coal promises' is to tell the truth about the demise of coal mining, and to thank the generations of miners who have worked to provide America's energy at risk to their own lives, and most importantly, to provide a sustainable roadmap to their future without coal.
What's so hard about that?
If Hillary did all of that, then I guess I owe her an apology.
In any event, the next Democratic nominee for president must do better!
Liz [81]: You've made great progress.
I fully endorse everything you say in [78] through [81].
The problem is, is that lying is so much easier. Why, we've go plenty of coal jobs for your future! Do'ya see how much easier that was, than to go into all of the reasons that coal isn't coming back?
Now if we did that with EVERY issue, we'd be old and exhausted. But since we're old and exhausted anyway,
onward!
All of my comments on this thread have to do with how coal miners who voted for trump may see things differently from us.
Exactly...
They can't conceive that anyone would vote for President Trump..
So, they attack and denigrate the people...
That is decidedly NOT they way to get their vote...
Balthy,
I think that they should keep telling the truth.
The problem is YOUR truth is not factually accurate..
YOUR "truth" is that Trump won the election because of Russia influence, even though the FACTS totally negate that "truth"..
THAT is your problem.. You can't see ANYTHING beyond your "truth"..
And that is why your "truth" is going to come back and bite you on the ass on 4 Nov 2020... AGAIN...
Elizabeth
We sometimes joke about how large comments could be boiled down to a few words. So here's my "boil down" for all those words in all those comment boxes.
The GOP plan is to lie, cheat, and "divide and conquer." Democrats and Independents don't have to agree on everything, but if they want Trump out of the White House, a good first step would be to stop perpetuating the right-wing talking points and doing their work for them.
Why, we've go plenty of coal jobs for your future! Do'ya see how much easier that was, than to go into all of the reasons that coal isn't coming back?
And yet, you have NO FACTS to support your claims..
Technology is making it so coal is more useful than ever.. And it's also CLEANER than ever..
But YOU lie to those people and say coal is dead because you don't like what they do...
There is someone who is lying to the coal miners and it is NOT President Trump..
It is YOU Democrats who are lying and demonizing the coal people and telling them they are killing the planet and that they are "deplorable"...
So, they know who has their backs..
And it is NOT the Democrat Party....
https://www.apnews.com/5fef7761f14f4c65a7de982359b87bd0
America First, Baby!!!
Michale
83
So, they attack and denigrate the people...
Said the board troll who attacks and denigrates the posters on this board on a daily basis.
That is decidedly NOT they way to get their vote...
Check your mirror, moron!
Very interesting..
Harris and Booker slammed and attacked and demonized Joe Biden because he said that maybe Busing is not the best solution.. That FORCED Busing was a problem, a bad thing...
NOW...
Now Harris is saying the exact same thing..
Harris says busing should be considered, not mandated
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Sen. Kamala Harris said Wednesday that busing students should be considered by school districts trying to desegregate their locations — not the federal mandate she appeared to support in pointedly criticizing rival Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden last week.
https://apnews.com/586b1e81cb684654b0cf689b9074c1cb
What a partisan opportunistic hypocritical weasel Harris is!!!
NOW Harris is saying the EXACT same thing that Biden was saying!!!!
I think your comments here show the kind of knee-jerk tendency to respond without understanding and really sheds light on why your country is so divided.
Ding, ding, ding!!! WE HAVE A WINNER
Public Service Announcement
Remember that time the board troll was extolling the integrity of James Comey and assuring us all that Hillary Clinton would be indicted?
Extensive LEO background!? After you stop laughing, please recognize that this and many other examples of his bullshit is exactly how you know you're dealing with nothing but an unequivocal bleating sheeple of the GOP just spewing back whatever he's being spoon-fed via talking points.
Please don't make this circle jerk's job any easier. :)
And let's review Democrat "truth"...
"Those manufacturing jobs are gone."
LIE
"2.0 Growth is the new normal.."
LIE
The Democrat Party has spewed one lie after another..
Lies that President Trump PROVED were lies..
So, please... Don't talk to me about Democrat "truth"...
Democrats don't know the meaning of the word...
It is literally raining on Trump’s parade. Thunderstorms are predicted. Good day for the tanks tho.
Just for the record, James Comey exudes integrity.
And, just soliciting some free advice, anyone here have experience with the $699.99 Dyson Pure Cool Air Purifier and Fan Tower?
neilm
93
It is literally raining on Trump’s parade. Thunderstorms are predicted. Good day for the tanks tho.
But not very good tanks, though. Strange that every single tank I saw looked to be in very poor condition, gun tubes rusted, capped, not painted and buffed, and basically in REDCON5 condition that wouldn't even qualify as battle ready... let alone "parade" ready.
I did not listen to the speech, but one of my buddies just called from DC cursing like a soldier and described Trump's speech as the: "Proof America Was Already Great" speech. *laughs*
neilm [93]: More importantly, it's not being broadcast. PBS is somehow doing its usual fourth from the capital steps, the Macy's fourth is being broadcast, and that's about it.
Faux News has Tucker's show - so far boilerplate, and something called 'A Hannity Fourth' that might show clips of it.
PBS showed a small clip of Trump talking while it rained.
Hope your fourth is going well!