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

[Malvolio]

Just to go back to #30's previous argument... There was a time in America, around 200 years ago, when we didn't have professional politicians. Men (because it was all men back then) from many walks of life would serve a term or two in office and then go back to their previous lives. Even George Washington thought of himself as a farmer or surveyor before he thought of himself as a politician. So I agree with #30 that there are may Americans who would like to see us go back to that way of thinking.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Billy Graham Warned Against Embracing a President. His Son Has Gone Another Way.

The Rev. Billy Graham admitted in his later years that he had learned a hard lesson after the Watergate scandal exposed his cozy complicity with President Richard M. Nixon: Pastors should not become too enmeshed with politicians and partisan politics.

“Looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line, and I wouldn’t do that now,” he said to the magazine Christianity Today in 2011.

Now, the movement that he helped spawn is divided over the very danger that Mr. Graham — who died last week at age 99 — had warned about. Evangelicals have become locked in a tight embrace with President Trump and the Republican Party, and some of them are now asking whether they have compromised the Gospel message.

Among Mr. Trump’s most vocal evangelical supporters, few are as high-profile as Billy Graham’s eldest son and the heir to his ministry, the Rev. Franklin Graham, who is 65. Though admired among evangelicals for his aid work in hardship zones with the charity he leads, Samaritan’s Purse, he has drawn criticism for his unstinting support of the president.

Franklin Graham has defended the president on television and social media through the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., the crackdowns on immigrants and refugees, the Stormy Daniels scandal, and the slur against Haiti and Africa.

“People say that the president says mean things. I can’t think of anything mean he’s said. I think he speaks what he feels,” Mr. Graham said in a wide-ranging telephone interview last week. “I think he’s trying to speak the truth.”

When Barack Obama was president, Franklin Graham fanned the “birther” conspiracy that claimed the president was not an American citizen. He falsely suggested that Mr. Obama was not a Christian and might secretly be a Muslim.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Franklin Graham held rallies in 50 states to pump up evangelical turnout on what he called a “Decision America Tour.” Once Mr. Trump landed the Republican nomination, Mr. Graham avoided explicit endorsements at those rallies, but left no doubt about his preference.

After the election, Mr. Graham said that Mr. Trump’s victory was evidence that “God’s hand was at work.” He was one of the six clergy members chosen to offer prayers at the inauguration, and is among the evangelical pastors who serve as informal advisers to Mr. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.

But there is another wing of the evangelical movement whose members are more moderate politically, many of them black, Latino, Asian, or city dwellers, or young. Some of these evangelicals have grown increasingly discomfited by the close association with the Republican Party, and now, with Mr. Trump.

For years, there had been muted criticism of Franklin Graham by some evangelicals. It began after the Sept. 11 attacks, when Mr. Graham branded Islam a “very wicked and evil religion,” and escalated during Mr. Graham’s stoking of the “birther” slander. But given his status as evangelical royalty and respect for his charitable work, the misgivings mostly remained private.

Billy Graham chose not to pass judgment on his son, at least in public. When asked in an interview at his home in 2005 whether he agreed with his son’s words about Islam, he would only respond, “Let’s say, I didn’t say it.”

[BeastieRunner]

Mueller has something big.

Mueller just made a move indicating that Rick Gates has something of significant value to offer him.
Mueller moves to dismiss charges against Gates.

Holy ...

[ZombieHavoc]

Mueller has something big.

Mueller just made a move indicating that Rick Gates has something of significant value to offer him.
Mueller moves to dismiss charges against Gates.

Holy ...

That only means 1 of 3 things:

1. He realized Gates was innocent. Nothing changed.
2. He has some bigger info on Manafort's money laundering. Nothing changed.
3. He will soon be indicting Hillary and/or Obama. Trump has won.

[JBatmanFan05]

3. He will soon be indicting Hillary and/or Obama. Trump has won.

My god these rightwing FB comment threads have warped your (already warped) mind.

[KOSLOX]

That only means 1 of 3 things:

1. He realized Gates was innocent. Nothing changed.
2. He has some bigger info on Manafort's money laundering. Nothing changed.
3. He will soon be indicting Hillary and/or Obama. Trump has won.

####ing A, Eyore.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

That only means 1 of 3 things:

1. He realized Gates was innocent. Nothing changed.
2. He has some bigger info on Manafort's money laundering. Nothing changed.
3. He will soon be indicting Hillary and/or Obama. Trump has won.

Jesus! Aren't you a ray of sunshine!

[BeastieRunner]

That only means 1 of 3 things:

1. He realized Gates was innocent. Nothing changed.
2. He has some bigger info on Manafort's money laundering. Nothing changed.
3. He will soon be indicting Hillary and/or Obama. Trump has won.

I think you need a break from the news and social media for the rest of Lent. Perhaps the internet as a whole.

[ZombieHavoc]

I think you need a break from the news and social media for the rest of Lent. Perhaps the internet as a whole.

You are probably right about that.

Though I was joking about Hillary/Obama. Every right wing Trump bot on FB is pretty positive that Mueller's investigation ends with Hillary and Obama behind bars.

But ultimately, I don't get my hopes up about any of this. Trump is a deep state billionaire elite...he is not facing any charges. It's not gonna happen.

I also do not believe there will be a ton of flipping done in the midterms. I'm sure some seats will flip, but not enough to do shit about anything.

And I'm pretty positive Trump will be reelected in 2020.

I don't see much point in getting hopes up that anything else is gonna happen, so. Hopefully I'm wrong about all of it.

[PaulBullion]

InfoWars received a ‘first strike’ YouTube termination warning for "crisis actor" video

Three strikes and they are banned from YouTube.

[ZombieHavoc]

InfoWars received a ‘first strike’ YouTube termination warning for "crisis actor" video

Three strikes and they are banned from YouTube.

Yet they have White House press access...so, who's winning right.

[BeastieRunner]

InfoWars received a ‘first strike’ YouTube termination warning for "crisis actor" video

Three strikes and they are banned from YouTube.

About effin' time.

[GOLGO 13]

That only means 1 of 3 things:

1. He realized Gates was innocent. Nothing changed.
2. He has some bigger info on Manafort's money laundering. Nothing changed.
3. He will soon be indicting Hillary and/or Obama. Trump has won.

The white wing force is strong with this one.

[JBatmanFan05]

You are probably right about that.

I say: take a break, reflect on all the winning and eventually come on back and support the Republican Party and President Trump

[Kevinroc]

Twenty states sue the federal government, seeking an end to Obamacare

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/27/twen...obamacare.html

The Republicans don't care if you die. Anything it takes to undo the legacy of the black President.