Wales2004

So Mulvaney's quite empathetic then because he also decided that a single mom in Detroit and a coal miner should not have to pay for CPB which may cost taxpayers about $1.35 a year. Of course, that single mom would rather pay 121 times that to beef up the military unnecessarily though. It's also okay if she can't afford health care.

28 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I don't think it's Rove-style machinations, I just think they have a basic goal in all of this which is hidden somewhat more than it should be by all the focus on GOP infighting. Most of the infighting is real, but I think it's also probably somewhat encouraged if it helps distract from the unified goals they do have that will be spun to the public and the press as, "It could have been worse." 

They've already shot themselves in the foot by constantly proclaiming this their last best chance to get it passed. Tom Cotton's running around telling them not to send it to the senate. Rand Paul's out leading Koch brothers' funded demonstrations against it. Then there's that "incredibly brilliant" plan to just let Obamacare collapse and blame it on the democrats because they didn't make that public knowledge so we'll never know.  I think incompetent is way too kind of a description for them because they're taking it to whole new levels.

Then there's that foot in mouth leader of theirs and his bunch of surrogates who seem to be supplying their own rope. I now think that he will tweet, talk and brag himself into a hole so deep that his apologists won't be able to doublespeak him out of. He told his clapping seals yesterday that this nation's border has never been safer so what's the wall for?  He's the walking definition of ignorance.

13 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

White, Irish, and undocumented in America

The Irish PM is reportedly going to ask Trump about this today. This is just another example of how complicit the media has been for years in pushing the narrative of the undocumented immigrants as border hopping Mexicans. Their anchor baby song has exclusively been about how Mexican women come over here and "drop" babies so they can stay while they ignore the big business of Chinese women and others who pay to have babies here for the same reason. Making money from it must make it seem like legitimate business.

Just now, DRW50 said:

I think most people knew it. What the article seemed to be suggesting, to me anyway, is that a lot of the bickering over this plan that has gotten most of the attention in the press and among a lot of activists is a cover to help their real plans get through more smoothly.

I don't buy that because there are republicans whose states will be impacted by a decrease in Medicaid and devastated by a total loss. And some of them are downright adamant about gutting it and tax credits. The idea that those dummies who had seven years to come up with something better are a bunch of evil geniuses is laughable.

This is such good timing. It's going to rain on his Fox News Tucker Carlson parade.

“Wiretap covers a lot of different things,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson set to air Wednesday night. “I think you’re going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks.”

I believe this because of that time when he said he knew a lot about hacking and he was going to share it on Tuesday, Wednesday or soon.

It's a good thing for him that he's holding a TN rally today to lift his spirits.

39 minutes ago, MissLlanviewPA said:

I'm sorry.  I wasn't trying to lump anyone together. I know that everyone has differences. I hope I didn't sound stupid. I wasn't trying to cause any trouble.

No, I'm the one that's sorry because I didn't convey what I was saying in a manner that didn't make you think I thought you were trying to lump everyone together. You didn't sound stupid. I respect your opinion. I believe I learn a great deal from reading and listening to different opinions.

While I don't agree with Snoop, even though he used a prop gun, I can't even muster up respect for the presidency concern.  The fact that he says so many outrageous, dangerous things including lies, and expects people to be outraged over something he considers an outrage is like....Please.

1 hour ago, MissLlanviewPA said:

And while I understand the distaste by some about thinking the idea that Democrats have to redirect towards rural America/rural white voters, the fact of the matter is the Democrats are in such a minority now--on the presidential level, Senate/Congressional level, Gubernatorial level, and the Legislative level--we have no choice but to talk to and reach out to EVERYONE now.

This is pretty much why I am unlikely to ever join an American political party again. American politics relies heavily on keeping people separated in comfortable little boxes. While the GOP generally hate helping anyone who isn't rich, they find a way to keep a base of people voting against their own personal interests by stirring up their brand of patriotism and inspiring them to hate everyone who is not like them.

Democrats are fine with everyone staying in place and placating them kind of like caring for a bunch of stray puppies. They may be compassionate but it's in this sort of patronizing we know what's good for you way. White people can be more than one thing. They can be working class, rich, women, men, children, etc. Everyone else is just whatever group they're lumped into: black, Latino, Asian, Muslim, etc. Contrary to the political narrative, every American citizen with a Spanish speaking background is not concerned about immigration.  Were people more amazed by the Hidden Figures being women or were they more amazed they were black? Me, I was amazed by neither. I was just surprised that it took so long to be told. None of this divisiveness should be remotely shocking. We pretty much continue to feed it while being appalled by it.

37 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

This is why I never ever bought that economic insecurity narrative.

 

Fear of Diversity Made People More Likely to Vote Trump

Everyone is not motivated by the same things and I've come to find all this analysis useless--especially after the fact. The smarter we all become, the easier it is for us to convince ourselves that we're intellectually savvy enough to know what everyone else is feeling.

I used to often hear that politics, race, and religion were topics to avoid because discussions could get heated. Now it's more like those topics could be deadly. And the thing is that we're supposed to be so much smarter than people used to be but somehow we seem to have become less civil.

45 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

I'm sure region makes a difference too. I grew up in the mountains of upstate NY, which is more backwoods then some people realize, but it's not like being in the south. We were never taught to hate other races, but there was some stereotyping. It's really funny looking back because even into college I would have said I wasn't a victim of sexism, but now I see it was totally off the charts. I'm sorry your grandmother scared you with religion. I can totally relate. It's funny now, but my best friend and I were always worried about being left behind in the rapture. I remember once we walked into an empty room where a ball was bouncing and we looked at each other and she said "We've been left behind!". We were eight or nine and totally believed it.

Maybe region does and sometimes denomination. The ones I can remember are Methodist, Seventh Day Adventist, Baptist, Catholic, and Pentecostal. We went to New Jersey once but mostly in Los Angeles and around Southern California, and also Phoenix. I mostly had fun with other kids but there were times when we'd have to sit still for hours.

My grandmother didn't actually need religion to scare me because I was scared of her anyway, but she used to threaten me with it anyway. I don't think I was ever scared of going to hell, but I believed that I would just because she said so. After I started to actually read the Bible, her threats became even more meaningless because I was convinced that she was the one going to hell. One day I told her so and she stopped threatening me with it.

Whether they be good, bad, or somewhere in between, I look at all my experiences as shaping who I am. Thanks for your empathy, but I'm not sorry about it. When I was younger everything was amplified by 1000%.  It's funny how many things seem quite intense and serious during the teen years. My mind probably protected me from a lot because things come back in spurts and I finally understand some of the things that happened, that I could not comprehend as a child.

Once I stopped believing I could go to hell, I started thinking that I was such a good child that surely I would end up in the best place ever.

@Juliajms I should have actually worded that a lot differently so thanks for sharing your experience. Thanks to my grandmother, I spent a considerable amount of time in a number of different churches and denominations and I got the sense that overall, people liked instructions and not so much reading for themselves. Also from watching some evangelicals in action and their congregation's lack of reaction to some of the questionable things they proclaim, made me question whether some of them read scriptures themselves. I know there are those who memorize Bible verses and I know whenever I ended up in a setting where people were asked to recite one, I would often hear "Jesus wept."

Unlike you, I was exposed to some of the "Jews killed Jesus" crowd and they said it as though the Jews were a contemptible lot, as in we good Christians would never do a thing like that.

I just assume, probably incorrectly, that those "alt-right Christians" that are anti-Semitic don't know but I guess they might know and not see any type of contradiction in that. Maybe they saw a picture of blonde, blue eyed Jesus and the rest is irrelevant.

My grandmother would use Bible verses to scare me over going to hell if I didn't do whatever she said. I eventually learned that she'd never ever read the Bible. A month or so I ago I watched part of  A Little House on the Prairie episode in which a woman used the Bible to scare the entire little town of illiterate people into believing whatever she said. It turns out that she was illiterate too and had made up a bunch of stuff. It was kind of like my experience and I figured other people have probably been there as well.

1 hour ago, Roman said:

Burn some popcorn in it...that'll fix the little f'er.

I was thinking a teeny camera but that digital camera was very funny. I wish I would catch Obama taking pictures inside my microwave. Now I'm getting visions of him popping up in the smart phone and the smart TV...

Now the DOJ is asking for additional time to collect evidence on wiretapping or as Jim Acosta (CNN) tweeted " to provide info to House Intel Committee to back up POTUS wiretapping claims." Because Jeff Sessions or whoever is supposed to be handling this can back up those claims. I really hope Jim Acosta's wording is wrong.

@Roman my microwave has been spying on me a lot lately and even though I am concerned, I still used it to heat up some pasta.  Maybe I'll check for the hidden cameras tomorrow.

I'm not going to broad stroke the people of Kentucky since I am sure some of them appreciate having health care. I do wonder how many people toting a Bible ever opened it up and tried reading it, as I suspect most people rely on their good reverends to translate it for them. I'm going to take a wild guess and say they would be shocked to find out that not only was Jesus Jewish but that he wasn't European either (and not just because Europe didn't exist yet).

10 minutes ago, Roman said:

24 million people. well......how many of them voted for the fool who told them THIS IS WHAT HE WAS GOING TO DO?!

He actually promised them a better plan and that no one would lose health care.

5 minutes ago, Roman said:

So has Pres. Orange Slurpee came out with the evidence Pres. Obama wiretapped him yet? 

No, but Sean Spicer is claiming he meant "wire tapping" not wiretapping. You know because there's a difference.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/13/sean-spicer-just-explained-why-wire-tapping-is-different-from-wire-tapping/?utm_term=.66b590cd46b3

I really hope no one is falling for this since he was subjected to spying microwaves and all.

30 minutes ago, Roman said:

Steve King was just embarrassed by Chris Cuomo on New Day in a interview you all should take a few minutes to see...and right now Kellyanne Conway is lying her tail off right now on the very same show....meanwhile on Morning Joe.....

I'm glad I don't have cable anymore because now I have no need to be exposed to all this silliness. CNN wants to play take down games with what's essentially low hanging fruit and then expect the audience to be impressed because they "showed them." Meanwhile they keep giving serial liars air time to spread more conspiracy theories. They should just re-brand themselves as TrumpTalk.

All I want from the news is to hear the news without all the opinions, games, and faux outrage. I don't need the media personnel pretending to be the moral compass when some of them are probably cut from the same philosophical cloth.

Plec was all over the place talking about how epic the finale was going to be and now she and Williamson are all over the place trying to make what they did with Bonnie seem so awesome. I didn't watch all eight seasons so I have no idea if that was a satisfying end in that respect. Half of that episode was squandered on stabbing Katherine multiple times.

What was good was Lexi/Stefan, Bonnie/Elena, and the Bennett witches saving Mystic Falls.

What was especially bad was no one thanked or even acknowledged Bonnie saving the town because they made it all about Stefan sacrificing to save MF when there was no reason he needed to stay with Katherine and clearly he ended up in a peaceful place with instantly redeemed Damon but Bonnie ended up with having to comfort Caroline over Stefan's death when no one cared that Bonnie was left alone after Stefan ripped out Enzo's heart. And while Caroline gets set up for a potential hook-up with Klaus (which is KC baiting at max), Elena and Damon get married and then apparently go off to their own peace, and Matt gets honored and may rund for sheriff, Bonnie gets a travel brochure, passport, Enzo's vial of blood necklace, and possibly Enzo creeping all around.

Maybe Bonnie's ending would have been blah but not as bad had they not spent most of the season detailing how already happy Bonnie would be even happier if Enzo were human. I don't get the point of having him share his dreams of marrying her twice (once before his heart was ripped out and the next to last episode where he mentioned the location), if they intended to have him stay dead and them never marry. He should have been gone after Abby burned his body since the point was to set Bonnie free. So for Plec and Williamson to make out as if Bonnie traveling around, taking dozens of lovers, keeping Enzo in her heart until they can meet again, oh and saying that their love is eternal, is supposed to be some wonderful ending is beyond ridiculous. I bet they're both dumbfounded by anyone who tells them differently.  Plec basically told the Damon/Elena fans to go write fanfiction because they complained about not seeing him propose or their kids.  I don't like that pairing but I do believe as much as they hyped that whole thing and since they decided that Damon was worthier of a happy life than Stefan, then they should have shown something more romantic. It seemed as if they rushed to jam a whole bunch of cameos in. They let Matt's father talk to Vicky and Tyler didn't even get to say a word. 

But since Plec is already pitching another spinoff which will probably be centered around that ill-named school, she can create more social media drama.

14 hours ago, DRW50 said:

That's what should frighten the Republicans who use him for their agenda, because at some point, sooner rather than later, they will be the ones in his crosshairs. 

He's already threatening them with fundraising money he plans to use for mid-term retributions. He managed to soften some of them up with a trip in the WH bowling alley. Unless he can win over Tom Cotton those bowling pins will have been a waste.

Trumpmaniacs will be coming for John McCain again since he reiterated what thinking people already know concerning the wiretapping claim--Trump can ask the FBI if he really wanted to know and he asked for the evidence that Trumpty Dumpty has.

The press is so easy letting that smarmy Spicer wiggle around and turn Trump's flip flopping lunacy into a joke.

37 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

The Obamas were in Omaha today, meeting with Buffet. I wonder what he's fundraising for.  Whatever it is I hope he got what he came for.

You haven't heard how that incompetent Obama is running the "deep state" undermining and potential overthrow of Trump.  Some of the Republicans seem to know just about as much about running the government as Paul Ryan knows about how insurance works.

R.I.P. Joni Sledge

I was expecting the GOP to go giddy over the .1% drop in the unemployment rate even though Trump claims he inherited a terrible economy and that 94 million are out of work (and he's going to get 25 million jobs as the biggest job creator ever), but this lot has exceeded my expectations:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republicans-jobs-report_us_58c2c9fae4b0d1078ca6579f?4gm5z5mi&&

Trolls are special in their general contempt for poor people.  If we're simply talking about able-bodied people scamming welfare, then yes it is wrong for them to take away from those in need.  When we're talking about people who need welfare to survive then what's wrong with them receiving free insurance? In fact what's wrong with everyone receiving free insurance? Rich people get free stuff all the time and yet I never see the Jons of the nation constantly lamenting how rich people are getting free stuff since they'd rather gripe about poor people getting free stuff, and how they should work for it like everyone else...as if none of them ever try or want to work for it like everyone else. 

Some of us are only too happy to spend money on software from giants such as Adobe, but let an independent software developer charge $30 for similar software and we're whining because it's not free. 

Capitalism results in a lot of people falling by the wayside and it's not because they're all incapable of being productive. The GOP's platform is built on hatred for the common man and they rely heavily on encouraging resentment towards people who are not wealthy period. And for a party that speaks as if they have a pipeline to Jesus, they seem to comprehend so little about Christianity.

1 hour ago, GMac said:

That's true, but I can't pretend to understand how evangelicals reconcile their support of a man that is the antithesis of everything they claim to believe in.  The only logical conclusion is that they are all hypocrites.

They're simply not Christians.  They fall right into "many are called but few are chosen."  One of the main reasons it's hard to be a Christian is because it's hard to give up worldly things.  The fact that they are all prone to placing material things over human life is the surest of indicators.  There's a proverb in the Bible in which Jesus says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven.

I have no sympathy for anyone who voted for Trump and now regrets it.  He didn't present himself as some sort of charismatic guy who has now turned into an ogre.  He is WYSIWYG 100%. Those people just need to admit that their selfishness and total disregard for other humans has stung them as it should.

I didn't even read that and am not going to, but seriously, how do you justify at 55 voting for the first time in your life for a vile man like that?

Russia has deployed a banned missile:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/us-general-russia-deployed-banned-missile-45992484

"Selva said the missile's deployment presents what he called a "risk to most of our facilities in Europe" and that the move is a deliberate effort by Russia to pose a threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization."

Has anybody heard what his tough stance on Russia is yet? It kind of seems as if they can do whatever they want while Trump plays finger-pointing games with the media.

2 hours ago, marceline said:

I'm terrified that he's going to get Obama killed.

I definitely won't be surprised if we hear that some Trump loyalist is plotting this. 

Wikileaks can try to distract all they want.  I don't suppose they figure there are average people out there who will wonder why nothing unfavorable has been leaked about Republicans.  They're just making it more obvious what they are all about.

I can't even begin with that creepy Homeland Security man talking about taking people's kids.  Vile is not a strong enough description.

According to Jason Chaffetz people who can't afford health care should give up their iPhones to pay for health care

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/jason-chaffetz-new-gop-health-care-plan-235762

I kind of hope that Trump's anti-Obama tirades will eventually contribute to his mental unraveling.  He is really obsessed with Obama.

2 minutes ago, marceline said:

Not really. Claiming Obama tapped his phones was a stupid thing to say but it still ties back into his ties to Russia. I think the real story here is that even if Trump's phone wasn't bugged he's so tied to the Russian mob that there's little doubt that they have him on the phone with someone who was. This was a pre-emptive shot for if/when that drops.

It's not the smartest move though, right? There would have to be a compelling criminal reason for a warrant to be issued, so that would be bad for him.  And making it all up is bad for him as well. 

He's trying to fund raise so that he can get more Republican loyalists elected in 2018 but he's not expected to last through the end of this year. 

4 minutes ago, Nothin'ButAttitude said:

GOP draft of their version of replacing Obamacare is out and here are their stipulations: 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/new-details-emerge-on-gop-plans-to-repeal-and-replace-obamacare/2017/03/06/04751e3e-028f-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html?utm_term=.985c38c5fc86#comments

They're just in love with tax credits, aren't they? These have to be some of the most clueless people.  Apparently they don't comprehend the meaning of poverty.  But then again, they probably think that the more people that die the better.  They have no problem with people dying multiple preventable ways as long as they end abortion.

14 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

That massive voter fraud claim is yet another claim that Trump made that has no merit. That WH investigation is going nowhere.

...but since almost none of the media outlets are talking about Sessions lying under oath, I guess this latest Trump lie has achieved its aim.

I think his aim was to distract the media from talking about Russia.  Jeff Sessions just said he didn't mislead Congress and now has a memory problem.

16 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Ben Carson is rightfully being dragged on Twitter. He may have left his brain in the mid-2000s, I think.

No, he just lives in that special place.  It's an utter waste of time to even try with him.  He and DeVos can have some enlightening chats about the choices those "immigrants" and their descendants had to make.

Spicer has to hide out today because he'll get hammered over the new travel ban and he can say all day long that he won't comment on the wiretapping allegations but he'll still be asked.  It's a tantrum in the making.