Khan

Frankly, I hope constituents from across the country makes the GOP's lives hell during this recess. (Oklahomans won't bother, since we're as red as they come.)

Yes, and thank God for that, too. Agree.

I'll tell you the truth: I've braced myself for the possibility that the GOP will pretty much have the run of things 'til 2024 (provided, of course, Trump does NOT rewrite the Constitution to have him elected for more than two terms as President). Not everyone will come around to the other way of thinking by then, because as several have said in this thread, there will be many who will stand by Trump and the GOP no matter what. But I think enough will have had enough of the b.s. in seven years' time to swing the pendulum back the other way. In other news... https://www.thestar.com/business/2017/06/27/trump-organization-to-check-out-from-toronto-hotel-condo-tower.html

As usual, I'm with marceline: I would NOT put it past the GOP to sneak it through via some middle-of-the-night vote.

A 75% corporate tax rate? I really DO like Ike!

I have a feeling even Jesse Helms would be considered a "pinko" by today's GOP.

You know what? It ain't worth it.

Keep us on the plantation? Where the hell am I? 1865? And why, in God's name, are we still feeding this troll?

#sorrynotsorry

Right now, I'd take Johnny Cakes AND his baby mama over the Orangutan, the Turtle and the President of the Ayn Rand Fan Club. WHAT is the purpose in THAT??

It sure would be nice to find ONE honest, upstanding politician.

And as usual, Trump leaves out facts that don't fit into his narrative. Not only were Mitch McConnell and other GOPers blackmailing Obama into keeping quiet, threatening to tell the media he was playing partisanship, but there were concerns that releasing the information on the cusp of Nov. 8 would create among voters more chaos and mistrust in an election season that was already on record as being the most volatile in recent memory. Now, Lord knows I haven't always been in Obama's corner, and I'm not saying his administration's response to the report was wholly appropriate either, but dammit, his hands were tied. But here's the bigger question, Mr. Trump: now that you know what you know and what we have known for some time, WHAT do you intend to do about it?

Oh, that turtle is such the sly fox. [/sarcasm]

"I'm shocked," said no one.

Agree.

You know, even if the AHCA does pass, I don't want it to do so without a fight.

In a way, it's like that episode of "Good Times" where the Evans family ("and you, too, Willona") were divided over the two candidates in the local alderman's race. On one side, you had Florida, Michael, Thelma and Willona supporting Jimmy Pearson; and on the other were James and J.J., who supported the incumbent Fred C. Davis. Pearson was portrayed as young, educated, and full of ideas on how to improve ghetto life. Conversely, Davis (or "Baldie," as Willona called him on many occasions) was your typical blustery, crooked "career politician," who cared more about garnering votes (and filling his bank account) than actually addressing his constituents' needs and concerns. At a critical point during their impromptu debate in the Evans' apartment (!), Davis and the Evanses attempted to engage Pearson in "playing the dozens," as it were. However, Pearson was having none of that. He wanted to stick to the issues; and though Florida, for one, applauded him for seeing the election had nothing to do with who could out-perform who in "street games," Pearson ultimately lost the election anyway. Not because his ideas were bad, as James implied, but because, when push came to shove, Pearson couldn't (or wouldn't) come at the people on their level. So, yeah, I can see Jane's point, and even agree with it on some level. The Dems SHOULD hit back that the GOP is truly the party of the one-percent, and that all their promises to "fix" Obamacare and reform the tax codes amounts to is trickle-down economics for the Emoji Generation. They need to "get their teeth back," to quote Jane. They need to "play the dozens." But, as they engage in this so-called street warfare with the GOP (fighting fire with fire, as it were) they still need offer that alternative to the GOP's agenda that doesn't feel cherry-picked or cobbled together (to quote the HuffPo article linked upthread) and says seemingly little more than "We're not (as bad as) Trump." The Dems need grass-roots strategies -- again, starting at the most local level possible, in every state, in every city and small town -- that present fresh approaches to the issues that affect working-class Americans the most: jobs, and healthcare. They need to take all that raw data that tends to go over Americans' heads and make their eyes glaze over, and boil it down to something useful to them, or else risk being dismissed as elitist again. And they need to tie up all that platform with a nice, big, pretty bow in the form of a slogan because -- and I cannot emphasize this enough -- advertising is everything. MAGA was simplistic as hell, covering up a multitude of Trump and the GOP's sins; and yet it worked, because, as I've said before, it gave the base the feeling that someone was listening. The Dems need to let the American people know they're not just lashing out at Trump's victory, as the GOP insists, but that they're listening as well and they have their own prescription for the future.

Neera Tanden's tweet at the end of the HuffPo article might say it all -- but really, it's more than that. "Going high" might not "f**king work," but neither does campaigning as little more than the "anti-Trump party" without a concise, sellable message that cuts across partisan boundaries and speaks to people on the ground (meaning, local) level primarily on issues related to jobs and to healthcare. That's the trouble right now for Democrats, and the reason why they keep losing. Because, it's just like what post-ers such as Jane and Julia have been saying: even if the GOP's message is one built on falsehoods and fears, it's still something that's digestible and gives people something to hang onto.

Pretty much. From day one, Trump and his ilk have had one purpose in mind: to erase Obama's legacy. Anything else that occurs along the way, "good" or "bad," is entirely coincidental.

Is Melissa McCarthy's SNL job in jeopardy?

Normally, Roman, I'd agree with you. However, the GOP's victories in the last election proved to me that we've become willing to put party over our own interests.

Georgie Phillips' murder, which occurred during her stint, was the last time I was truly excited about a storyline on the show. Otherwise, though, I think her stint was riddled with mistakes, with Todd's faking DID being number-one on that list.

Agree.

It's tragic when even George W. Bush displays more compassion toward those affected by the HIV epidemic than Donald Trump.

I'm not familiar with the theories, rhinohide. Could you bring me up to speed?