JaneAusten

I am thoroughly perplexed at the GOP push to pass a very unpopular tax bill. It's approval is in the mid 20's and is less popular than the last tax increase. I mean seriously outside of pleasing their donors, who is this for. It doesn't seem the American people are buying it, not even GOP voters. Congressional reps up for re-election in 2018 in New York, New Jersey, California will get killed and there are enough GOP reps just in those states to swing control back to the democrats. It's mind boggling.

I've seen a few of those comments but not as a whole. The DNC's primary effort was to target African Americans and Millennials and apparently worked hard with the Jones campaign, the NAACP there, and also black faith leaders. I guess they did find a gap in outreach but the DNC actually helped pull it together in collaboration with the Black Faith Community and the NAACP. The DNC spent all their money in those areas and the grassroots efforts organized knocked on more than 400k doors. I do think this was a pushback on not just Moore but Trump. Whatever the motivation, I hope it dispels the rumor black voters only turn out in mass when Obama is on the ballot. Which is ridiculous. They consistently vote in higher numbers and also turned out in Virginia, without the credit they have gotten in Alabama.

Oh sorry. I think the Evangelical Church if you read a couple of the articles I posted is going to be faced with their own reckoning. They have lost members over the past couple of years. I think one of the postings showed Trumps Evangelical support eroding and that was prior to the Roy Moore election and endorsement. Like the many institutions failing our society, the White Evangelical Church is right up there. I think you may see a lot of the same that happened with the Catholic church in this country after their own scandals, a come to Jesus moment. Yes lots of people stayed with the church but many like me left. And I think you have seen a shift in the church from non acceptance to tolerance and acceptance for those now who are not 100% on board with everything the church stands with. Keep in mind it was a choice the church did not have. They had to move in that direction or risk losing more members and not being able to attract more or at least encourage former members to return. And I think Pope Francis's appointment was a deliberate choice aligned with those things in mind. Like politics I think you need younger leaders in the church that recognize this and push for change. By the way a good article in WaPo on White vs Black Evangelicals and what White non evangelicals in Alabama voted Jones by 29% https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/12/13/there-was-an-enormous-gap-between-black-evangelical-voters-and-white-evangelical-voters-in-alabama/?utm_term=.c5a66087e816

Also millennials. I don't know what the turnout was for millennials but they voted 65% for Jones. It's primarily a voting issue for white folks. There are lots of black women who are pro life but understand that many don't have the latitude to be one issue voters. And also Jones is not for partial birth abortion because it's illegal.

Well maybe the NYTimes can start writing articles about the forgotten black female voter. Turnout by AA women was close to 80%

Thank you and this was a huge failure on the part of the GOP both at the state and national levels. The GOP Governor calling an election this year when she could have left it to 2018 and left Strange in there until then Appointing Strange who lost in the primary by a Governor who was impeached just after Strange was appointed Had the GOP in Alabama appointed someone relatively clean, it would have been an easy appointment and race. Strange had the taint of Bentley which is why he lost to Moore I don't want to hear how Mitch McConnell, Bannon, or Trump are some tactical geniuses

Doug Jones has just been declared the winner in the Senate Race in Alabama, it's first democratic senator in 25 years And this brilliant take I just rolled my eyes at

Additional stats on White Evangelical erosion from the Trump base https://shareblue.com/after-cheerleading-for-a-pedophile-trumps-white-evangelical-support-drops-double-digits/

I want to remind people of something, Obama the president of half the country left office with a 61% approval rating. last time I looked 61% is significantly higher than 50%. Lets continue. GWB left office with a 28% approval ratings, Bill Clinton yes Bill Clinton is the only president in recent years to leave with an approval rating higher than his wifes(ie who got the blame for his sexual exploits) but he did leave office with a surplus and booming economy and his rating was 63%, GHWB left office with a 53% approval. So it appears to me which party represents half the country and in GWB's case much less than half. Obama also pushed a healthcare program that was pushed by republican Romney in Massachusetts in an attempt to win over some GOP support. He talked to them, Susan Collins was actually on one of the main committees, adopted over 100 GOP amendments and he was rewarded with NO GOP votes,

Why I can no longer call myself an Evangelical Republican https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/opinion/sunday/wehner-evangelical-republicans.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FEvangelism&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0 When discussion surfaces in terms of the destruction of institutions, that includes the White Evangelical Church. there is also a huge difference between the Black Evangelicals and White Evangelicals.

Illinois has a Democratic legislatute(not a super majority) and all democratic nominees for Governor here have vowed to sign it. This resurfaced here at the beginning of this year and there has been an active push by a number of groups to revisit it, led by the League of Women Voters. Our current idiot Governor who needs suburban white women in Chicago has never said he won’t but never has said he will either.

I don't think you're wrong. Reacting based on how you felt and how culture was at the time. I had empathy for Polanski at one time, but when I think back, much of it was media driven. not that elements of his life are not tragic, but they used that to overshadow the rape. I think very few people knew or know that at the time, while many feel the judge potentially backing out of a plea agreement(the judge had never agreed to it to begin with), his rational that how the judge I believe was rumored to rule, was that he didn't feel Polanski felt any remorse and would do it again. That was based on reports from the mental health facility Polanski went into. Well he did rape again? And I am pretty sure there were rumors about he and Natassia Kinski(well her father is a creep also) http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-roman-polanski-accused-of-raping-german-1507133265-htmlstory.html I encourage you to reed that op-ed I posted several posts back by Dylan Farrow. This is a new one and she talks about how Woody Allen used the media to his advantage also. Not that Mia Farrow doesn't have her own issues, but the entire scandal was turned to Allen's advantage IMO while Farrow has been blackened. Neither one is a saint and the facts she pointed out in her op-ed are things that I don't recall having ever been disclosed about the case against him and what legal authorities believed at the time, much different than they dropped it due to lack of believability and evidence. These people have also influenced our legal system to their advantage. Heck look how Weinstein got that case to disappear a few years back by a simple campaign donation to the Manhattan DA. As for Spielberg, I believe it. He's one of the men Corey Feldman I believe pointed to without mentioning names. Will that come out? Who knows.

I’m glad you said it. It’s been very uncomfortable seeing people ( not here because I feel like I know those who pot here) but many being so protective of so many of these people. The Woody Allen defenders, Polanski, and even those like Hoffman, with the rational of great art. These same people turn.a blind eye to Casey Affleck and How the entire industry jumped on the awards bandwagon for him due to his “great performance”. But how many talent people across industries might have been able to rise higher or even rise, if not for this blatant abuse of power. I watched the Hoffman tape with Oliver and all I could feel was nauseous at Hoffman’s responses. It wasn’t the time to discuss this when is. It’s what you hear whenever people are uncomfortable. Read about the civil rights mvmt and all the questioning by many of why blacks did it this way or this way or disrupted this, why? Because it made them uncomfortable. If Hoffman and the folks listening and sitting there were uncomfortable for an hour boo hoo. Try 40 or 50 years of tolerating much worse. and the Al Franken issue. As a white women, they are all out there showing who they are. So up in arms over this while crucifying Kirsten Gillabrand. I want to remind these white women that they also had no issue overwhelmingly voting for Bill Clinton and Donald Trump while turning their backs on Hillary. Franken is no Ghandi. He’s a multimillionaire , and no matter how well intentioned, that photo would have been used against him. And while I’ve been easier on Franken, I see no issue with asking him to step down. There is nothing saying in the midst of an investigation more women would not have come forward. I’m hoping he’s proactive and uses this experience to educate and help.

Op Ed by Dylan Farrow. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-farrow-woody-allen-me-too-20171207-story.html

Sure let them impeach her and remove her from the White House and make Tim Kaine President. I'm all for it.

Maybe I'm getting the allegations mixed up. I thought that allegation was from the person who said he claimed he could get away with it because he was an entertainer. That to me sounds very flimsy, very much like trump saying he could get away with it because of who he is. As I said I'm not trying to justify anything, but we have to be in a place at some point where degree of misconduct(like degree of criminal activity) equates with the sentence. That said I thought he should have resigned a couple of weeks back. On another note I have found it kind of offensive how there was not a peep of discontent by anyone about Pelosi pushing the black caucus forcing Conyers out. But now the demands from mostly female senators is some kind of lynch mob against Franken. If zero tolerance is the policy, Conyers and Franken should be treated equally.

I like Al Franken. He did a commendable job as senator but I kind of feel like based on where he came from something like this was bound to happen. I don't believe all the accusations were credible including the first one, but there were others that were believable. I believe he did the right thing for his constituents. I think he has a real opportunity if he is serious about what he said(I believe he is) to use his voice as part of the MeToo movement. I think there needs to be a place to discuss the degree of sexual misconduct.. We don't penalize a shoplifter the same as we do someone who robs a bank if you get my point. It's not to diminish the accusations, but there should be some degree of consequence associated with the degree of sin committed. Where things are now can possibly create an opposite impact. We cannot and should not equate sexual misconduct(tapping someone on the rear) with someone stalking and grooming teenage girls, committing rape, and using their power to commit sexual harassment. It's not to excuse the butt tap, that's not appropriate, but consequences should equal the sin.

Didn't take long to back peddle

Trump has been looking at ways to salvage his withering numbers. This will win over some pro-Israel people perhaps in the short term. The nutty evangelicals he already had. And Netanyahu has his own corruption scandal going on so perhaps this distracts from that also. I detest Netanyahu almost as much as Trump. He's been PM for years and has never every embraced moving forward on peace talks of any kind. The war hawks like Lindsey Graham are already applauding this. I am listening to these people and I finally realize I know more than most of them do about well almost anything. But these people have been itching for another war/extended conflict to fill their coffers, So it's a win win for the loons the senate also. Every other country has come out in opposition including Trumps buddy Putin. You'd think Vlad might have had some pull. How exactly are the generals saving us again?

So dumb dumb is going to resign the 6 month waiver so the embassy stays put. I guess Prince Jared is still working on peace talks That comment in the article by HR McMaster deflates any confidence in the "generals". His comment on the move seemed almost flippant to me. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-05/trump-says-in-calls-he-s-moving-u-s-israel-embassy-to-jerusalem

Maybe there is a god/higher being? Having the Saudi's and Iran united leaves me almost speechless.

So apparently the entire Arab community including Saudi Arabia and Iran together issued a joint statement opposing the movement of the US Embassy to Jerusalem President Abbas has reached out to Pope Francis and Vladimir Putin to intervene So much for the generals who are supposed to be protecting us. This move makes every American here and overseas a target for terrorism. And this idiot is supposed to concerned about National Security? I know there are so many horrible things going on here, but this act makes me incredibly frightened for the future of the world

So much for the brilliant "peace in the middle east" strategy. These folks want to extend middle east chaos and fuel terrorism. This is the opposite of national security and protecting the US.

MBS comes across like a child with a new toy. He knows very little or doesn't care about real reforms. Just a couple of surface changes that catches the attention of the west as he helps blow up the middle east even further. And the idea of allowing Jared and MBS to decide that it's the US's position to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, I don't even want to think about what type of violence that is going to set off.