4 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

One of the reasons why I got so pissed at supposedly progressives squawking about the Democratic platform and that 'cultural issues' tanked the 2016 election prospects is that now, it's painfully obvious that these issues certainly do matter, they obviously matter to Trump and to his voting base, but for all the wrong reasons.

 

Exactly.  

 

Racism doesn't go away because we messed up and let a Black man be president for eight years.  As long as there IS racism and there are racists, IMO, these issues will continue to matter.

 

But, you know, it'll be okay.  Black people have become used to this one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back treatment.  We'll still get [!@#$%^&*] done, just like always.

2 hours ago, Roman said:

and Trump is PISSED that he had to sign that Russian Sanctions bill, calling some parts unconstitutional.

 

I figured he'd be pissed.  For the most part, he'd been silent about those sanctions.  Also, whenever the subject came up, they would say he "might" sign (or "was likely to," or "expected to"), indicating there was a good chance he wouldn't.

 

Of course, we don't have to explain WHY there was a chance he wouldn't have signed the bill, do we?

Edited August 2, 20178 yr by Khan

I just saw new polling numbers showing that 45 has an approval rating of 33% I guess we are supposed to be shocked by how low it is, but all I can think is that 1 out of every 3 people we meet approve of him. How is that possible?

So Lara Trump is doing a "news" program on Facebook?  Was the lady who barks out the news on North Korean television not available?

This just makes me feel nauseous - the complete contempt. And this bill is NOT about being more fair to Americans. We will still get screwed over.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/08/02/a-trump-adviser-was-right-about-the-history-of-the-statue-of-libertys-famous-inscription/?utm_term=.e7364f972c12

From the article:

 

“I don’t want to get off into a whole thing about history here,” Miller said. “The poem that you’re referring to you was added later. It is not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty.”

 

And I say, SO WHAT?  Was that even RELEVANT to Acosta's question?

 

Oh, well.  At least someone within TrumpCo. reads, right?

15 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

This just makes me feel nauseous - the complete contempt. And this bill is NOT about being more fair to Americans. We will still get screwed over.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/08/02/a-trump-adviser-was-right-about-the-history-of-the-statue-of-libertys-famous-inscription/?utm_term=.e7364f972c12

One thing Trump has achieved is to completely change my mind about immigration.  Not that long ago I used to wonder how we could just ignore laws we don't like? How can it be OK to have sanctuary cities and how can we have a nation that's boarders are so insecure? Now I still find it odd to ignore the laws we don't like, but that's still better than rounding people up and breaking up families.  It's sad that I had to see it happen to realize how awful it is, but there is often a difference between the abstract and reality.

 

I've also thought (in the past) that we should stack the deck in our favor when it comes to immigration. Doesn't it make sense to let people in based on skills versus family relations? I don't think so any more.  Of course doing it by family relationship is also somewhat unfair to people who don't have that foothold and we obviously do it to keep down welfare expenses. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I'm now against braindraining other countries simply because we can.

 

I still don't care much about that poem on the Statue of Liberty and think it's been romanticized to a ridiculous degree, but I do think we need the immigration policy that does the most good for the most people versus one that is simply self serving.  Luckily, there is no way Trump will get any law in this area passed. It's just not going to happen.  Elite Republicans know we need customers, cheap workers and a tax base to keep growing.

1 minute ago, Khan said:

From the article:

 

“I don’t want to get off into a whole thing about history here,” Miller said. “The poem that you’re referring to you was added later. It is not actually part of the original Statue of Liberty.”

 

And I say, SO WHAT?  Was that even RELEVANT to Acosta's question?

 

Oh, well.  At least someone within TrumpCo. reads, right?

 

Apparently those are talking points from white nationalist groups. If that's who he was reaching out to I wonder if he knows how they feel about Jews.

13 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

Luckily, there is no way Trump will get any law in this area passed. It's just not going to happen.  Elite Republicans know we need customers, cheap workers and a tax base to keep growing.

 

Yep.

 

The WWC can say all they want about "the illegals" and the harm they claim they're doing to the economy, but the truth is, they're not gonna work TOO hard to get rid of 'em or restrict their flow into our country, because immigrants, both illegal and legal, are working the low-level, low-paying jobs that the WWC don't really want.  I mean, c'mon -- why do you think Africans were brought here on ships over 300 years ago?  Because the Whites on the plantations were lonely?

Edited August 3, 20178 yr by Khan

I was reading an article a day or two ago about Syrian refugees working in poultry factories, and how refugees from Middle Eastern countries have become a backbone of many plants in the last decade to the point where one of the main companies spoke out against Trump's Muslim ban.

 

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-refugees-in-poultry-industry-in-california-20170726-htmlstory.html

 

I often wonder what those who insisted Trump would be so good for business feel now.

7 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I often wonder what those who insisted Trump would be so good for business feel now.

 

I don't think they'll really KNOW until 1) they have removed the immigrant workers and 2) they realize the rest either won't fill those empty positions on account of the crap wages, or they'll have to fire 'em because their productivity ain't worth [!@#$%^&*].

Edited August 3, 20178 yr by Khan

33 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I was reading an article a day or two ago about Syrian refugees working in poultry factories, and how refugees from Middle Eastern countries have become a backbone of many plants in the last decade to the point where one of the main companies spoke out against Trump's Muslim ban.

 

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-refugees-in-poultry-industry-in-california-20170726-htmlstory.html

 

I often wonder what those who insisted Trump would be so good for business feel now.

He's been pretty good for business so far. That's not a hard thing to be when you don't care about the environment, a fair tax structure or worker's rights.  I think people underestimate how much money can be made if you decide to rape (and I never use that word lightly) the environment.  It's unconscionable and unsustainable, but I do think they could keep it going for four years.

 

When Jim Accosta (SP?) said "Aren't you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant in this country?" Miller should have simply said "yes". We are not bound by tradition.  We should always be doing things because they are right not because we've always done them in a particular way.  Tradition is among the worst logical arguments, especially if you live in America. I don't think many of us on this board want to go back to what's traditional.  There are much better arguments for immigration.

 

Meanwhile, the point system they are coming up with is pretty disgusting. Olympians? Really? Why not just simply ask if having a higher score means you are more entitled to food, freedom and shelter? If so, why? I'm starting to favor a lottery system for the most of the spots.

11 hours ago, Juliajms said:

I just saw new polling numbers showing that 45 has an approval rating of 33% I guess we are supposed to be shocked by how low it is, but all I can think is that 1 out of every 3 people we meet approve of him. How is that possible?

 

I can't believe that either. 

Miller is a white supremacist, period. Neo-Nazi.

 

Meanwhile, Bannon apparently has a new enemy, because everyone in the WH is always after each other: McMaster.

13 hours ago, Juliajms said:

I just saw new polling numbers showing that 45 has an approval rating of 33% I guess we are supposed to be shocked by how low it is, but all I can think is that 1 out of every 3 people we meet approve of him. How is that possible?

 

We have to stop being shocked that people support him. A whole swath of Americans live in a right wing bubble that is essentially an alternate reality. Fox News, Breitbart, Drudge, it's brainwashing pure and simple. I had a couple I was friends with - and I could see when they started watching Fox that it just made them vicious and stupid. Suddenly one transphobic post after another and non stop ranting about the "libs." These folks can't be reached anymore than the people in Jonestown could. They have completely given themselves over to a cult mindset. I remember seeing a report at one of Donald's rallies that one of his supporters said he prays to a cardboard cutout of Donald every day.

Edited August 3, 20178 yr by marceline

14 minutes ago, marceline said:

 

We have to stop being shocked that people support him. A whole swath of Americans live in a right wing bubble that is essentially an alternate reality. Fox News, Breitbart, Drudge, it's brainwashing pure and simple. I had a couple I was friends with - and I could see when they started watching Fox that it just made them vicious and stupid. Suddenly one transphobic post after another and non stop ranting about the "libs." These folks can't be reached anymore than the people in Jonestown could. They have completely given themselves over to a cult mindset. I remember seeing a report at one of Donald's rallies that one of his supporters said he prays to a cardboard cutout of Donald every day.

 

Without implying any other similarities this is frighteningly reminiscent of how Germans behaved towards Hitler and nazism in the 1930s.