The Politics Thread

[Khan]

Two questions I never thought I'd have to ask: what did the President know, and when did he know it?

[Roman]

This is what happens when you spend almost 2 years talking [!@#$%^&*] about everyone when you're running for high office....they remember every single word and band together to wipe your ass OUT. that is what is happening right now.

[DRW50]

 

I think it has more to do with how incompetent, stubborn and deluded he continues to be and how inept his team is. I think a lot of people in and out of the government were willing to give him a chance. He didn't bother. Even now he's getting more of a chance than many would. 

 

Anyway, I usually wouldn't link anything from tired, faux-contrarian Slate, but this headline about this oaf really says it all:

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/03/22/energy_secretary_rick_perry_weighs_in_on_texas_a_m_student_election.html

[marceline]

He's completely coming apart.

 

"Yeah, it’s a cool story. I mean it’s, the concept is right. I predicted a lot of things, Michael. Some things that came to you a little bit later. But, you know, we just rolled out a list. Sweden. I make the statement, everyone goes crazy. The next day they have a massive riot, and death, and problems. Huma [Abedin] and Anthony [Weiner], you know, what I tweeted about that whole deal, and then it turned out he had it, all of Hillary’s email on his thing. NATO, obsolete, because it doesn’t cover terrorism. They fixed that, and I said that the allies must pay. Nobody knew that they weren’t paying. I did. I figured it. Brexit, I was totally right about that. You were over there I think, when I predicted that, right, the day before. Brussels, I said, Brussels is not Brussels. I mean many other things, the election’s rigged against Bernie Sanders. We have a lot of things."

Edited March 23, 2017 by marceline

[Khan]

Seriously, you need a translator to understand that man.  He makes George W. Bush sound like William F. Buckley.

[Wales2004]

A translator would be a waste of time because his words are like things floating in the air and he still doesn't get the concept of NATO and how it works and how payment works. He and Palin could have some deep mind-blowing conversations.

 

It's hard to know whether he suffers from an inability to accept the truth or whether he knows he's lying and maybe both can be true.

 

Elijah Cummings is calling for Devin Nunes to be investigated and I hope that happens.

 

@Roman yes, I live in California where there's crazy Nunes and Issa. No one will ever be able to explain electing them. But now I've seen quite a bit of Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell which balances things out for now.

[marceline]

Another gold medal winner in the "I voted against my own interests" Olympics

 

"Beginning in January 2016, Kraig Moss traveled to 45 rallies, belting out songs in support of Donald Trump and telling the story of his late son, Rob, who died three years ago from a heroin overdose. In this way, the musician earned the title of “the Trump Troubadour,” a true believer said to symbolize “the voice of unheard America.”

 

He stopped making his mortgage payments and sold the equipment for his construction business to stay on the campaign trail, galvanized by Trump’s promise to help young people — like Moss’s late son — who struggle with drug addiction. Trump, Moss thought, was the candidate most capable of bringing an end to the heroin epidemic sweeping the nation."

 

Fast forward to today...

 

"This bill is just the absolute opposite,” Moss told The Washington Post. “I felt betrayed. I felt let down.”

 

He had put all his weight behind the Republican’s promise, sacrificing his business and his livelihood to sing Trump’s praises. But this bill backed by the president “disgusted” him. He no longer sings songs about Trump, and he now wonders if any of his sacrifices were worth it."

[Wales2004]

I read about him yesterday and thought maybe Trump can call him up and say whatever the man wants to hear and things will be fine again. I remember watching an interview in which three women spoke about voting for Trump hoping he would make their work lives better. When asked what they'd do if Trump didn't deliver, one of them jokingly said that she'd write him an angry letter. Some people are looking for a savior and they want him to be their savior.

[DRW50]

 

It sounds to me like this man never grieved properly for his son and this is the result we get. I guess that isn't very nice of me to say. I have limited sympathy for the endless amount of Trump voters who always seem to talk about the many sacrifices they make and how let down they are. It's one thing to meet someone in a diner and hear them vent about it, another to know they endlessly get to sell their stories. I don't see the Washington Post rushing out to interview the disabled person who can barely leave their home and depends on government funding to pay their rent or pay for basic meds or food and for this basic attempt at survival is repeatedly told that we are being compassionate to them as we throw them on the street and lock the door behind them. 

[DramatistDreamer]

The surge of women running for elected office looks to be a lasting legacy, ironically of this present administration.

 

Roused by Trump, First-Time Female Candidates Eye Local Seats

[Wales2004]

The media helps to "condition" people into not caring about average people suffering. Donald Sterling, former owner of the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team, was a slum lord for years and engaged in discriminatory practices. He didn't get labeled a racist until he told his "friend" not to bring black guys to games with her and not to take pictures with Magic Johnson. All of a sudden a sports media person started referring to him as the most hated man in the country and the media carried on as though they were providing some public service to the public in blowing up the story, despite his track record (which led to Gloria Allred being able to snatch her piece of the spotlight). Anderson Cooper/CNN even got in on the act with an interview of this old man who was so dangerous to society. His treatment of his tenants was not enough of a reason to find him despicable, but he said something about a former basketball player and they all went after him as the nation's greatest evil. All those players and the coach pretended to not know what he was and pretended to have some moral dilemma about whether or not they could continue to play for someone like that. They knew all along what he was but the money spoke louder.

 

At least there are people who genuinely care but the media is just out to make life seem like one big show.

[dragonflies]

Unless there's a person who translates stupid then it won't help with Trump at all lol

[DramatistDreamer]

For years folks were trying to convince us that Paul Ryan was so smart and wonky and he can't even hold a press conference after his supposed healthcare bill tanked.  Two postponements and then put off until further notice.

 

So the Senate just voted 50-48 to allow ISPs to sell broadband user's personal data to marketing companies (stripping away the privacy protections that the Obama administration had put in place).  

None of my Senators are on the list but no surprise, all who did are Republican!

 

Edited March 23, 2017 by DramatistDreamer

[DRW50]

That's disgusting, and sadly not surprising. You'd think this would lead to a lawsuit as didn't they pass laws about this years ago?

 

Is anyone else getting more and more spam calls and scam calls in recent months? I sometimes get one or two a day, week in and week out. My mother got one and was nearly tricked into agreeing to donate money. 

 

This is something else I thought had gone away.

[slick jones]

Every Wednesday, our phone rings at least twelve times a day with spam/robo-calls. The rest of the week, three to six a day.  We request to be taken off the call lists, yet we get the same calls over and over.  Being on the no-call list is a joke. Pollsters, charities,businesses under a year old, etc.  still can call you, regardless of the list.