All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[jeanvaljean]

No you shouldn't call him a fascist because you don't know what a fascist is and you have yet to make a comparison to him being an actual fascist.

"believes he is genetically superior"
-so what? Lots of people think they are. They are dumb. Probably racist. Not fascist.

"goons beat up a homeless man".
-I guess the owner of the Canucks is fascist after what fans of his team did after they lost the 2008 Stanley Cup. Did Trump tell them to beat up that guy? Because that's what a real fascist would do. Not brush them off as being "passionate". Literally demanding it.

Oh and Mussolini wasn't a fascist because of some quote he had about lions and sheep. He was a fascist because of hundreds of oppressive atrocities his government perpetrated.

So I say to you "good grief". Read a history book and learn what you are talking about. It's borderline embarrassing, lacks any historical context and understanding of what it really means, and doesn't even measure up to the rise of real fascists.

Dude, he wants to control what the media can and cannot say about him.

So your theory is that he cannot be a fascist because he has not installed fascist rule yet?

That's ... interesting. And dangerous. But I guess it will give you deniability if you ever have to tell your grandchildren there was nothing you could have done to prevent a Trump rule.

[jeanvaljean]

Some good news on Good Friday:

More than 800 Boko Haram hostages rescued by Nigerian army

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Everything you need to know about the Wall

A most illuminating eighteen and a half minutes, and John was spot on about everything he said. It's amazing people either can't or refuse to see the insanity behind Trump's ridiculous wall and how he's conned them into think that will solve all our problems about keeping illegals out when it's painfully apparent that it won't.

[worstblogever]

One year ago we published our original "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of the current U.S. House Representative from Colorado's 4th District, Ken Buck, who in his original profile, we noted was forced to resign in disgrace from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado in 2001, and in 2005, while working at the Weld, Colorado District Attorney’s office, he would seize the tax information of five thousand people in a raid on a tax service, getting the office sued by the public for violating their constitutional rights by seizing their personal information. Buck is also noted for being terribly misogynist, not just because he supports Personhood legislation or thinks rape and incest victims should be forced to carry any fetus they might end up pregnant with to term… in a 2010 failed campaign for U.S. Senate he stated his superiority because he didn’t “wear high heels”, and because in 2005, while a prosecutor, he refused to charge a rapist who confessed to forcing himself on his victim while drunk with rape because, as he put it, it was simply “a case of buyer’s remorse” from the victim. Adding to that disgusting moment, Buck also is a Birther conspiracy theorist, a climate change denier, and has compared homosexuality to alcoholism (the latter of which is of course classified as a disease), as well as comparing pregnancy to cancer. It was only through the low Democratic turnout in the 2014 elections that Buck managed to sneak his way into Congress, winning with 65% of the vote. Since arriving in Washington, D.C., Ken Buck has voted as hard to the right as just about anyone in town:

• On January 22nd, 2015, an anti-abortion bill, HR 7, was moving through the House, and was halted because even some members of the GOP were put off by the language in the bill regarding its definition of rape. Ken Buck, however, had no problem with that, and voted for it anyway.
• On February 3rd, 2015, Rep. Buck votes for the 60th Republican attempt at repealing the Affordable Care Act. This in spite of the fact that the law is not just working, but better than experts predicted.
• On March 3rd, 2015, Ken Buck votes against funding the Department of Homeland Security as part of a Republican protest of President Obama’s executive orders on immigration.
• May 13th, 2015, Rep. Buck co-sponsors and votes for HR 36, a ban on abortion at 20 weeks.
• On September 11th, 2015, Buck votes against the United States' nuclear treaty with Iran.
• On September 18th, 2015, Rep. Buck co-sponsors and votes with most House Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood, based on highly edited “sting” videos submitted by a Pro-Life advocacy group that have been repeatedly debunked by investigators.
• November 19th, 2015: Rep. Buck votes for the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, reacting to the terror attacks in Paris by jihadists from France and Belgium by trying to create greater restrictions to keep out Syrian refugees, of whom exactly zero were involved in those attacks. One terrorist had a fake passport of a member of Assad's army, apparently to create a false trail to help in their escape, or hoping that the attacks would be blamed on Syrian refugees, and the governments of nations like France and the United States would fall for it and not allow refugees to escape ISIS abroad. And... the Congressman fell for it.
• February 2nd, 2016: Buck votes for HR 3762, the 61st attempt by Congressional Republicans to repeal the Affordable Care Act (which is still working better than was predicted).

Now, Colorado’s 4th District has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of +11, which is why Ken Buck coasted to victory in 2014. However, in a presidential election year where a lot of Republicans are scared about their presidential candidates scaring voters into voting Democrat across the board, he might not do as well, and that bodes well for his Democratic opponent, Bob Seay. The lean in that district will make Seay a longshot, unless Buck starts shooting his mouth off in a misogynistic way, as he’s prone to do. Don’t rule out an upset in Colorado’s 4th if Buck returns to form.

[Iron Maiden]

Dude, he wants to control what the media can and cannot say about him.

So your theory is that he cannot be a fascist because he has not installed fascist rule yet?

That's ... interesting. And dangerous. But I guess it will give you deniability if you ever have to tell your grandchildren there was nothing you could have done to prevent a Trump rule.

Even if you don't want to toss around terms like fascist the one thing that cracks me up is that along with his usual campaign spiel like "making America great again" or "making good deals" he has brought up toughening the libel laws. Why would anyone be concerned about that except for the short fingered vulgarian*** himself? Trump is the party of ME

*** BTW...Trump still sends messages to Graydon Carter about that nickname and it was over 20 years ago when he started using that in Spy magazine.

[jeanvaljean]

A most illuminating eighteen and a half minutes, and John was spot on about everything he said. It's amazing people either can't or refuse to see the insanity behind Trump's ridiculous wall and how he's conned them into think that will solve all our problems about keeping illegals out when it's painfully apparent that it won't.

I LOLed at "maybe a rope."

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Batshit crazy Michelle Bachmann is at it again, saying the Brussels attacks were used by God to humiliate Obama. Never mind the horrible disrespect to all the victims of the attacks from what Bachmann said, while I'm not the religious sort, I like to think the Man upstairs has better things to do with his time than send bomb toting psychos to kill people just to flip the bird at a politician. Seriously, that bitch just plain needs to SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP!

http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/miche.../24/id/720747/

[JBatmanFan05]

Whatever people here want to call Trump, fascist, racist, xenophobe, demagogue, blowhard, bully or loudmouth, let's at least agree on one pertaining thing: he is dangerous as hell and has no business being this close to the Oval Office. The labels are secondary to the reality, that being the madness Trump has unleashed.

Let's not. Trump has every business being this close and being President. That both parties are trying to kill Trump should make it clear to you how dangerous control-hungry special interests are to the point of actively suppressing democratic voice (Trump & Bernie) under whatever guise. Presidents have had varied backgrounds and many were big businessmen. Trump is 70 years old and has been active in the political contribution and public discourse game. Trump has flirted with running in various races since the 80s and had his limited run for the Reform Party in 2000 and won some primaries. Our former Presidents would be appalled at our rigged rigid barriers to becoming President, and the special interest oligarchies that now fiercely control it all (not that this new or anything).

[Tami]

I think that, if I had a say in the matter, I'd have all the primaries squeezed into 3 months [April, May and June] instead of 6 and that Candidates had until November the previous year to announce their Candidacy. Basically, find ways to streamline and shorten the whole electoral process in the US. I'd also spread out the Primaries evenly over the 3 month period.

I think it's drawn out way too long.

[Iron Maiden]

Let's not. Trump has every business being this close and being President. That both parties are trying to kill Trump should make it clear to you how dangerous control-hungry special interests are to the point of actively suppressing democratic voice under whatever guise. Presidents have had varied backgrounds and many were big businessmen. Trump is 70 years old and has been active in the political contribution and public discourse game. Trump has flirted with running in various races since the 80s and had his limited run for the Reform Party in 2000 and won some primaries. Our former Presidents would be appalled at our rigged rigid barriers to becoming President, and the special interest oligarchies that now fiercely control it all (not that this new or anything).

I'm going to have to disagree with this. Yes, there have been businessmen who've entered into politics and been successful. But Trump has some major flaws. Why run a petty scam like the Trump University for example? I have to laugh when the GOP tosses around the King Obama stuff. Trump thinks that he's going to be able to issue proclamations and have his will be done post haste. He doesn't even have the full support of his adopted party. He makes ill considered statements without thinking them through or even having basic knowledge about what he's being asked about. His words are making good recruitment fodder for our enemies. They can say, "see Americans hate all Muslims" and use a Trump sound bite.

[Gray Lensman]

John Oliver's take down of Civil Forfeiture laws was pretty great too.

I've seen it. It can be made to work, but it needs two things (of course, this is just opinion). First, conviction required. Part of what makes the current system suck so much is stuff being seized without any charges even being filed, much less an actual conviction. Requiring the conviction also puts the burden of proof on the person taking, not the person being taken from. Second, assets seized can't go to the seizing police departments. Or to their retirement funds (I'm looking at YOU, New York).

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Let's not. Trump has every business being this close and being President. That both parties are trying to kill Trump should make it clear to you how dangerous control-hungry special interests are to the point of actively suppressing democratic voice (Trump & Bernie) under whatever guise. Presidents have had varied backgrounds and many were big businessmen. Trump is 70 years old and has been active in the political contribution and public discourse game. Trump has flirted with running in various races since the 80s and had his limited run for the Reform Party in 2000 and won some primaries. Our former Presidents would be appalled at our rigged rigid barriers to becoming President, and the special interest oligarchies that now fiercely control it all (not that this new or anything).

This has nothing to do with special interests, suppressing one's democratic voice, Trump's political background or his business acumen which, in itself is specious, given his failures with Trump University and the bankruptcies of his casinos. We're talking about a man who has, for the most part, has acted like a deranged infant with serious impulse control issues, taking to Twitter like a spurned teenage girl to hurl insults at the first sign of a slight against him, holding meaningless and ridiculous feuds with everyone from Megyn Kelly to Faux News, hell, he even dissed the Pope and bragged about the size of his manhood during a nationwide debate. Trump is an ill mannered, uncouth bully and just plain crass as hell, and I'm certain he won't change so much as a lick if by some miracle he wins the election, if anything, he'll probably grow worse. He envisions himself a strongman like his hero Vlad Putin, but that dog won't hunt in a democracy, bottom line, I do NOT want that cretin representing me as leader of the free world.

[Paradox]

That's without mentioning the dozens of times he's made statements indicating he hasn't the slightest idea how government works. Really, "qualified" the man is NOT.

[Tami]

It's not impossible for a political novice to be a good president, but that novice has to believe in the system, be willing to learn and learn fast, and work with those already in power in the Congress. Most political Novices would get eaten alive on the federal level, most wouldn't last four years. As we have seen with Obama, if your adversaries aren't willing to work with you, they will attack you every chance they get.

I agree, Trump is delusional. He thinks that, as soon as he is in office, he can surround himself with yes-men and run the country like he runs his businesses. But, he is not the employer here, the American Public is. Once he is in Office, he is no longer as much in charge as he thinks he will be.

[Tazirai]

Batshit crazy Michelle Bachmann is at it again, saying the Brussels attacks were used by God to humiliate Obama. Never mind the horrible disrespect to all the victims of the attacks from what Bachmann said, while I'm not the religious sort, I like to think the Man upstairs has better things to do with his time than send bomb toting psychos to kill people just to flip the bird at a politician. Seriously, that bitch just plain needs to SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP!

http://www.newsmax.com/TheWire/miche.../24/id/720747/

Totally agreed.