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

[ouroboros]

LOL@Antifa attacking audience members. Thanks. That was a pretty good chuckle.

As for the rest, it's fairly obvious that Shapiro is a vile, lying racist and propagandist with a history of bullshittery.

Don't tell me you're of the party that wants to believe the Right staged the Berkeley attack to garner sympathy?

Is Shapiro a racist for making disparaging comments about Arabs? Maybe he was just following the example of Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson.

[TheInvisibleMan]

Trump officials withheld funds from advanced energy office, waiting for Trump to slash budget

A federal watchdog says the Trump administration improperly withheld funding from a Department of Energy (DOE) research office this year ahead of proposed funding cuts for the office.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the Trump administration violated federal spending laws when it did not allocate $91 million in appropriated funding this year for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), which researches advanced energy.

Once GAO informed DOE about the investigation, the department spent the funds, according to the GAO's report.

In his first budget, President Trump proposed drawing down funding for ARPA-E and eventually shutting down the office by 2019.

[Tazirai]

People who 'write in' candidates are dumbasses.

Fortunately they're the R's problem this time.

You have the right to diss people who vote the way they choose, they still have the right to vote the way they choose.

[ouroboros]

Hey payback is a bytch.

How many minority groups, police officers, educators and Marvel employees have been painted with the same brush by groups like Republicans?

If they don't like being branded as racist pedophiles-do what everyone else has to do-PROVE that you are not by your actions and stop letting those bad apples be the face of your group. Stop protecting them.

I get the first and third ones, but when have Republicans, or groups similar to Republicans, picked on either "police officers" or "Marvel employees?"

I guess Donald Wildmon has attacked comics as a medium various times over the years, but I don't think it's been because of particular "bad apples."

Of course the medium's most famous assailant was a deep-dyed liberal, whose name I shouldn't even have to utter.

[ouroboros]

Ever notice how JBatman & ouroboros and the other Trumpkins aren't around when Fearless Leader has a huge setback, but show up when Democrats act stupid?

Can't speak for the others, but I've maligned Trump as much as any of you. I just refuse to let the ultraliberal narrative determine the way I think about everything he does or says.

While I'm not crazy about seeing a lot of people, ranging from Franken to Hoffman, excoriated by unproven assertions, I will weep no tears for Roy Moore. I've stated that on the basis of the available evidence his guilt seems a strong possibility-- my essential words were that I didn't disbelieve that he might have been trolling for jailbait-- but I don't hold with calling him a pedophile until it's proven in court.

The idea that you can condemn your enemies ahead of time is something real liberals used to oppose.

[JCAll]

Looks like the GOP are still going full speed ahead on their tax bill. Even though Democrats want to wait until after Doug Jones is seated.

Get ready for the Trump Recession or the Trump Depression.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/power...=.b90f314825d6

I've been suffering from Trump Depression for over a year.

[Iron Maiden]

Trump officials withheld funds from advanced energy office, waiting for Trump to slash budget

Welcome to the Dawn of the GOP Stone Age. I remember the stories my Aunt told about the Depression and going down to the train yards in Gary, Indiana to gather the coal that fell off the coal cars as a train passed through.

[TheInvisibleMan]

Welcome to the Dawn of the GOP Stone Age. I remember the stories my Aunt told about the Depression and going down to the train yards in Gary, Indiana to gather the coal that fell off the coal cars as a train passed through.

actions like this

defunding of the EPA, various branches of the Department of Energy, attempting to gut our education system

basically stopping actual progress, is IMO, the legacy of the Republican Party

and people lap it up

[BeastieRunner]

I also question the idea that Democrats have won with qualified candidates.

Plenty of Democrats fit the bill.

Coincidentally, Trump's favorite POTUS was the first true Democrat to win POTUS and served as a US Senator prior.

After that it was VPs, state governors, House Representatives, Senators, ambassadors, Secretaries of State, combo US Rep/active military duty, and the like for the Dems. Every single Democratic POTUS hits that 5-year caveat EXCEPT Obama since he only served from 05-08.

Republicans? You'd lose Grant, Hoover, Ike, and Trump.

There have been 5 Presidents that have never held an elected office: Taylor, Grant, Hoover, Eisenhower, and Trump. Ike being the only one (so far) to be remembered fondly and leaving a good to great legacy. Grant usually sits in the middle of the pack. Taylor and Hoover had major problems as the POTUS that they created. Ike and Grant had decades of military experience.

I'm confident that Trump is going to be around the Hoover end of things since he's pushing Hoover-esque economic legislation.

Not a good historical argument to hang your hat on either way.

I don't think the "had to have held an elected office" is a good idea, BTW. Several people like Lincoln, FDR, and Teddy fought against those kind of things in our system and I agree with them.

[TheInvisibleMan]

I don't think the "had to have held an elected office" is a good idea, BTW. Several people like Lincoln, FDR, and Teddy fought against those kind of things in our system and I agree with them.

and the US (along with the office of the President) is so much more different than when those 3 served

the job requires political experience IMO

[BeastieRunner]

and the US (along with the office of the President) is so much more different than when those 3 served

the job requires political experience IMO

I don't know if trading no Taylor, Hoover, and Trump for no Grant, Ike, and Obama is worth it.

Some of these events were bound to happen regardless of POTUS but Trump, Hoover, and Taylor are probably good arguments for having experience prior to the POTUS. Grant is a middle-tier POTUS while Ike and Obama are top 10-15. Most rank Ike number 5.

We'll see how 2018 plays out but I think America will fix this without any crazy amendments.

[worstblogever]

Don't tell me you're of the party that wants to believe the Right staged the Berkeley attack to garner sympathy?

Is Shapiro a racist for making disparaging comments about Arabs? Maybe he was just following the example of Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson.

This would be offensive remarks made by Jesse Jackson... 33 years ago. While they still were unpleasant, Jackson apologized... 33 years ago.

But perhaps how long back you had to reach to get an example should tell everyone how desperate you are to prove a false equivalency on this subject.

[wjowski]

You have the right to diss people who vote the way they choose, they still have the right to vote the way they choose.

If you're out there writing in Mickey Mouse on your ballot you have no business complaining about the state of current affairs.

[Gray Lensman]

I don't know if trading no Taylor, Hoover, and Trump for no Grant, Ike, and Obama is worth it.

Some of these events were bound to happen regardless of POTUS but Trump, Hoover, and Taylor are probably good arguments for having experience prior to the POTUS. Grant is a middle-tier POTUS while Ike and Obama are top 10-15. Most rank Ike number 5.

We'll see how 2018 plays out but I think America will fix this without any crazy amendments.

Also remember that Ike's job as a military commander was very political - perhaps more so than any other general before him. There are probably federal elected officials who had to deal with politics less than Ike did during WWII.

[ouroboros]

This would be offensive remarks made by Jesse Jackson... 33 years ago. While they still were unpleasant, Jackson apologized... 33 years ago.

But perhaps how long back you had to reach to get an example should tell everyone how desperate you are to prove a false equivalency on this subject.

There have been a lot of similar racist remarks by black celebrities in more recent years, and I pointed out some BLM comments on Jewish people a while back. Jesse Jackson is merely useful because he's a "name" who made one racist statement that people remember, and so he illustrates my basic point: that you can't just point to one statement and judge a person by that-- which is what was done here to Shapiro, despite his numerous criticisms of white supremacy.

Basically, the criticism was not really aimed at the particular thing Shapiro said, whatever one thinks of the statement. It was a shot at him for being a conservative, and little more.