All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!(Part II)

[Carabas]

Because that’s not the argument people are making.

Catbellysqueezer has presented himself as a single issue voter who will not vote for anybody who won't run on single payer health care. Nobody is doing that as far as he can so he won't vote for anybody.

[Tendrin]

That would be the Democratic base. "Democrats fall in love, Republicans fall in line" is a saying for a reason. When they go safe they lose in the general, going back to Mondale.

It's frustrating. I view a demand for 'excitement' as a sort of entitlement. Civic responsibility and good governance shouldn't need to be exciting to get you involved.

[Kevinroc]

It's frustrating. I view a demand for 'excitement' as a sort of entitlement. Civic responsibility and good governance shouldn't need to be exciting to get you involved.

Democrats are always cleaning up the messes Republicans make. And then Republicans sweep into power and make an even bigger mess than they did before.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Trump Trying To ‘Stifle Free Speech,’ 12 Former Intelligence Officials Say

The rare rebuke comes after the president revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan. And all because Trumplethinskin can't handle criticism from the likes of Brennan. Deplorable! And that leads to this....

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Trump Hopes To Strip More People Of Security Clearances, Despite Outcry: Report

Officials told The Washington Post Trump believes he looked strong after taking away John Brennan’s security clearance. And, of course, the craven and cowardly Republicans in Congress won't say a damn thing.

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Republicans Plan To Run Close To Trump. A New Poll Shows Why That’s A Bad Idea.

Democrats can move swing voters by portraying Republicans as the president’s “yes men,” the survey shows. Yeah, Republicans know they're between a rock and a hard place, keeping Trump at arm's length risks incurring his wrath while sucking up to him is also perilous.

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Tucker Carlson’s Taco Tantrum: ‘It’s An American Food! ... Those Are My Tacos. Mine!’

The Fox News host tells a Univision anchor that tacos are an American food, and “you’re not going to appropriate my culture.” Okay, who the hell let Fucker Carlson go on air without taking his meds first? Jesus!

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Lastly, some good news....

Trump’s Military Parade Postponed Indefinitely Amid Reports Of Overspending

Estimates for the president’s Veteran’s Day parade, two days after the midterm vote, rose from $12 million to $92 million. The Pentagon is looking at 2019 now. To Trump, I have only this to say....WOMP! WOMP!

[numberthirty]

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Tucker Carlson’s Taco Tantrum: ‘It’s An American Food! ... Those Are My Tacos. Mine!’

The Fox News host tells a Univision anchor that tacos are an American food, and “you’re not going to appropriate my culture.” Okay, who the hell let Fucker Carlson go on air without taking his meds first? Jesus!

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That anyone is still going on his show and playing the Pam to his Martin is a mind blower.

Anyone who is doing so is a part of the problem.

[numberthirty]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/16/trum...estimated.html

Trump's military parade is now estimated to cost $92 million

France has a military parade every year and it doesn't cost $92 million or a French equivalent to this amount.

Did someone make a miscalculation?

There is a minimum of one joke hiding out in there somewhere.

[catbellysqueezer]

List of countries too "ideologically pure"

[worstblogever]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/16/trum...estimated.html

Trump's military parade is now estimated to cost $92 million

France has a military parade every year and it doesn't cost $92 million or a French equivalent to this amount.

Did someone make a miscalculation?

Yes, anyone who thought that Donald Trump could throw any sort of event and be frugal.

The closest he ever comes to he word is to demand someone else foot the bill on what he spent, or refusing to pay and "settling" for an amount far less than what was agreed upon.

The problem here is, he can't refuse to pay the military for the cost... but we, the taxpayers were always footing the bill.

Someone at the White House, probably John Kelly or Mad Dog Mattis convinced him it wouldn't be any cheaper, and it would be political suicide to push forward on this only a week before election day.

[aja_christopher]

List of countries too "ideologically pure"

Also a list of countries with different political systems, along with voters who support said candidates in elections.

Many people here want universal health care -- if that's your goal, then it doesn't make sense to act as if this is an issue on this forum.

However, since you won't list who you actually support so that people can try to work with you to make that happen, the only real assumption can be that you don't want to work together to achieve said goal.

If the issue is privacy then you can always PM people individually... but if you just want to argue then I guess have at it.

[catbellysqueezer]

Also a list of countries with different political systems.

Probably got those systems by voting for people who agree with them.

[aja_christopher]

Probably got those systems by voting for people who agree with them.

Like Hillary Clinton -- the "corporate Democrat" who pushed for universal health care way back in 1993.

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"The Clinton health care plan was a 1993 healthcare reform package proposed by the administration of President Bill Clinton and closely associated with the chair of the task force devising the plan, First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton.

The president had campaigned heavily on health care in the 1992 presidential election. The task force was created in January 1993, but its own processes were somewhat controversial and drew litigation. Its goal was to come up with a comprehensive plan to provide universal health care for all Americans, which was to be a cornerstone of the administration's first-term agenda. The president delivered a major health care speech to the US Congress in September 1993. During his speech he proposed an enforced mandate for employers to provide health insurance coverage to all of their employees.

Opposition to the plan was heavy from conservatives, libertarians, and the health insurance industry. The industry produced a highly effective television ad, "Harry and Louise", in an effort to rally public support against the plan.

Instead of uniting behind the original proposal, many Democrats offered a number of competing plans of their own. Hillary Clinton was drafted by the Clinton Administration to head a new Task Force and sell the plan to the American people, which ultimately backfired amid the barrage from the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries and considerably diminished her own popularity.

On September 26, 1994, the final compromise Democratic bill was declared dead by Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell.

The 1994 mid-term election became, in the opinion of one media observer, a "referendum on big government – Hillary Clinton had launched a massive health-care reform plan that wound up strangled by its own red tape." In that 1994 election, the Republican revolution, led by Newt Gingrich, gave the GOP control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the first time since the 83rd Congress of 1953–1954, ending prospects for a Clinton-sponsored health care overhaul.

Comprehensive health care reform in the United States was not seriously considered or enacted by Congress until Barack Obama's election in 2008."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinto...e_plan_of_1993

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To add to this: what happened to Congress right after the Obama administration pushed for universal health care?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United...lections,_2010

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

[Mister Mets]

Let me jump into this fray. There are only three choices currently

1. Republicans retain control over Congress, which means that Trump will be President at least until 2024, longer of the Republicans change things so that a President can have a lifetime in Office [don't think they wouldn't consider it].

2. Democrats take control over Congress and actually run Congress the way it was meant to be run, as a check on Trump's power. Which includes letting Mueller complete his investigation, which might lead to impeachment.

3. Trump does something so insane that even his Base turns against him, and as his Base goes so goes Republicans in Congress. Considering what they have tolerated so far, that red line would have to be pretty extreme.

Each of those three options put the power in the hands of the people, the voters.

You can vote for whomever you want, but in the end it boils down to these three possibilities.

Situation #1 makes a few assumptions, including the idea that there will be a push to give a 78 year old man a third term in the White House (that seems to be going into q-anon levels of crazy).

Mueller's investigation isn't dependent on who controls Congress and Trump would still have to win reelection (which is also a possibility if Democrats take back Congress; the party losses in midterms didn't keep Bill Clinton or Obama from winning second terms)

[Mister Mets]

List of countries too "ideologically pure"

Well, if you'd rather be in Botswana...

[aja_christopher]

Well, if you'd rather be in Botswana...

You conveniently overlook your Republican president's love affair with Norway and the like -- but you conveniently overlook a lot of things about your party these days.

[JCAll]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/16/trum...estimated.html

Trump's military parade is now estimated to cost $92 million

France has a military parade every year and it doesn't cost $92 million or a French equivalent to this amount.

Did someone make a miscalculation?

That sounds about right. Building the marching hammers must get expensive.