The Politics Thread

[JaneAusten]

Once upon a time I respected Joe Scarborough. Never liked him. But he's been as guilty in the breaking apart of the GOP. I watched him slobber over Scott Walker several times, a true puppet of the Koch Brothers, and despite Walker's claims about how fantastic Wisconsin's credit rating became under him, his record in Wisconsin is atrocious.

 

But I am laughing. He's asking the GOP to dump Trump because he's a democrat now? LMAO ok.

[Roman]

seems to me that no matter where you work in this country...you have the right to your opinion and the right to vote, whether you work in Hollywood or not. 

[Vee]

The Russians Our mystery hackers have now targeted the DCCC and the Clinton campaign.

[Roman]

That party is getting EXACTLY what it deserves after 70 years of racism, bigotry and hatred for all but their "own kind". I find this funnier than The 3 stooges. 

[Ms. Quartermaine]

How did I miss this? lol.

 

Trump was wondering if Hillary would say this..."'I’d like to congratulate my Republican opponent for having done something that nobody has ever done in the history of politics in this nation...'"

 

"See, I thought she might do something like that. I thought she'd give me a big fat beautiful congratulations. If she did that, would that have been cool? Would that have been great?," Trump said.

 

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-congratulate-226452

 

Vee - what's interesting is that we've known the governor server has been hacked in the past... the DNC server... and now this campaign stuff... but was there any proof that Clinton's server was hacked? Don't get me wrong, she made a mistake, but seems like maybe those emails were safer from our enemies there than elsewhere... People didn't even know about her server 'til the Republicans in Congress went after her for Benghazi... (though, I do believe an assistant or someone else had been hacked before that and got access to personal account emails...)

 

[Vee]

Conservative pundit Jennifer Rubin - who I remember being dreadful in the Bush years, but who despises Trump - is just one of many conservative columnists laying out a very stark case as to how the Democrats have replaced the GOP as the 'rational,' patriotic party and changed the game. It's worth reading for opposition research, and for Rubin explaining - again, not the first this week to do so - that center-right Repubs might cross the aisle.

[JaneAusten]

This is like the 2016 version of Watergate. Will the Justice Dept end up finding the Koch Brothers in cahoots with the Russians behind all this? Would not shock me one bit.

[Vee]

It's ratfucking, alright. But in this case I don't think the Russians are colluding with today's GOP, which is frankly too inept, disorganized and discombobulated over Trump. I think this is the Russians' own operation, maybe with a few rich old men in the States giving them a hand. They do this [!@#$%^&*] by the boatload over there, though, and astroturf our social media and popcult/media sites to try and push opinion on Putin, Russia and the Ukraine. They're deeply invested in that information war, even if their public attempts are often very transparent.

 

I don't think they'll find anything exciting, but they'll keep trying until someone comes down hard. Or, preferably, ties them directly to Trump, more than we already have.

[Juliajms]

It's completely f*cked up.

True, but a lot of people are voting for HRC for that very same reason. If anything I feel that Republicans had a lot more choice this election cycle than Democrats ever did.  I do think the convention made a decent case for HRC, but of all the qualified people in our country she wouldn't have been anywhere near my first choice.  It's simply not in me to completely trust anyone who is as rich and powerful as the Clintons have become in the last 20 years.

 

As to the whole Hollywood elite issue, both Trump and HRC are far more wealthy and powerful than the "Hollywood elite" at this point, so it's a non starter this time around. How can you criticize the Hollywood elite when your candidate is a billionaire (or close) reality star?

[Vee]

Tonight in Trump's ongoing post-DNC meltdown: The Kochs refuse to meet with him, and apparently at his latest (or still ongoing since noon??) stream-of-consciousness press conference he attacked four-star general John Allen, who spoke last night.

[Khan]

Nobody brings the crazy like Donald J. Trump.

[JaneAusten]

Now I think Mike Pence is a radical wingnut but I know he's basically a Koch brother puppet. Maybe even he realizes how dangerous Trump is to our county and has briefed them. I honestly didn't think the Koch;s would care honestly unless there is another motivation. I guess the investment in retaining the senate is more important.

Edited July 30, 2016 by JaneAusten

[JaneAusten]

North Carolina voter ID law overturns. Determined to be racially discriminatory.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/30/us/federal-appeals-court-strikes-down-north-carolina-voter-id-provision.html?_r=0

Judge strikes down Wisconsin  voter ID, early voting laws

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/judge-strikes-down-voter-id-early-voting-laws-b99767669z1-388708211.html

 

I feel like I am living in an alternate universe. The GOP crumbling, voter ID laws being overturned.

 

[ReddFoxx]

Who wore it better, Rep. Joyce Beatty or Melania Trump?

 

[Vee]

As you can see on twitter, Trump is now very notably trying to lay groundwork for escaping the debates. He's complaining that "Crooked Hillary" scheduled them against NFL games, when in fact they were chosen a year ago by an independent commission. The press, fortunately, is dragging him.