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

[numberthirty]

Iiiii don't think it's going to play that well domestically when the pain of his economic policies actually sets in.

If someone is on solid ground if they hit Trump with something like this, you will probably be right. Depends on how things play out. I certainly can't see him keeping the support of Carrier employees. Well, the folks that used to be employed by Carrier and Carrier employees.

[InformationGeek]

It was one year ago we shared our original "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of former Montana House of Representatives member Jerry O’Neil, a man who prior to entering politics, was being investigated for practicing law without a license, but soldiered on by outspending the entire $2000 budget of the Montana Supreme Court’s Commission on the Unauthorized Practice of Law. Eventually, though, O’Neil would (What else?) begin a political career is a Montana state legislator, where he stood out by trying to draft bills that would allow for people sentenced to prison to commute their sentences by instead agreeing to corporal punishment, such as large quantities of canings or spankings (really) and his demand that his legislative salary should be paid in gold, like the Constitution intended (there’s no mention of state legislators being paid in gold). O’Neil ended up being beaten in the 2014 elections by Democrat Zac Perry, and has apparently decided to call it a career, at least for now.


On this date in 2016, as well as 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of the current U.S. House Representative for Wisconsin’s 7th District, Sean Duffy, a former contestant on MTV’s reality show “The Real World” (shown here gyrating in his underwear for his housemates). Duffy was yet another beneficiary of the Tea Party Wave, storming into office to replace twenty-one term Congressman Dave Obey back in 2010, and if you ask Sean Duffy, it’s a real struggle to survive on the measly $174,000 salary he gets as a member of Congress, to which some might advise him that he should have stopped having kids sometime before his eighth. Hypocritically, while refusing a pay cut on his own six figure salary, Duffy advises other public workers should accept pay cuts. Of course, with 8 children, it comes as little surprise that Sean Duffy is also a die-hard pro-life supporter. In January of 2016, however, he caused an uproar on the floor of the U.S. House after he decided to express that anti-abortion fervor during a discussion about the BlackLivesMatter Movement by presenting inaccurate statistics to chastise the Congressional Black Caucus for not supporting black lives because they allow higher abortion rates racially than whites. That’s not only stastistically incorrect but totally racist. Congresswoman Gwen Moore perhaps responded best that, “It’s painfully obvious that Representative Duffy’s concern for life ends as soon as the umbilical cord is cut.” But Duffy doesn’t always act like he knows it all, like the time he was asked at a town hall about his position on transvaginal ultrasounds, and he dodged the question by saying, “Well, I haven’t had one.” Of course, either quote could have been a worse statement… like the time Sean Duffy’s wife, and fellow “Real World” alumni Rachel Campos-Duffy compared abortion to slavery and the Holocaust, as Republicans are frequently in the habit of doing.

The more bizarre thing is that Wisconsin’s 7th District has only a +2 Republican lean according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, yet Duffy won a fourth term in office IN 2016 with 62% of the vote in spite of repeatedly changing his endorsements as candidates dropped out of the race before settling on Donald Trump, saying that the racist billionaire demagogue “fit the template of the conservative movement” with his border wall and financial background. After the election, Duffy embraced authoritarian fascism in full, encouraging Donald Trump use his Twitter account to “push back against the media” regarding negative stories about his transition team (which considering they were all talking to Russians, it’s a good thing it didn’t work).

Within two weeks, Duffy was on CNN, where in an interview with CNN he was being asked why Donald Trump took WEEKS to condemn Neo-Nazis who began a spree of hate crime assaults, vandalism, and threats against minorities to “celebrate” Trump’s election, Duffy tried changing the topic by claiming that the Neo-Nazis were similar to the Black Lives Matter movement. Host Jim Sciutto was having none of that s*** on his network, and shut Duffy down, and fast. Only a few weeks after that in December of 2016, Duffy was being interviewed by Tucker Carlson, when he claimed that the city of Madison, Wisconsin, one of the few liberal bastions in the state what with the University of Wisconsin there, was “communist”.
After he was widely criticized for this stupid, stupid remark, Duffy played the victim by getting on Twitter to post:


Ah yes. The sensible political strategy of embracing your inner ***hole. It’s no wonder Rep. Duffy was on the Trump transition team (no word on if they trusted him to talk to Russians, yet. YET.) But the real shock from Sean Duffy came in February of 2017, when he began arguing that the media was deliberately not reporting Islamic terror attacks (ones that they actually HAD reported on), Duffy started trying to claim that white terrorism didn’t exist, and even if it does, it wasn’t the same thing as Islamic terrorism because it has a “bright side”. He did this while arguing in defense of Donald Trump’s attempted Muslim ban in a CNN interview with Alisyn Camerota:


We can’t even begin with how ignorant that whole conversation is regarding the differences between White Nationalist terrorism and Muslim terrorism, but we’ll add that the man who shot Gabby Giffords was also not a Marxist. But hey, Duffy is an idiot, so what do facts matter?

My representative folks...

Dear God do I hope we can bounce him in November.

[ed2962]

Trump looked weak. the optics were horrible for him. His alpha male image is tarnished with his base now.



The base is also not happy about him pardoning black people, he took a dive in the polls soon as he did that.

Actually, I think this will play well among his base. They will interpret it as, "Look at those foreigners trying to gang up on our President! Look at Trump bravely defying them!!"

[Tendrin]

Actually, I think this will play well among his base. They will interpret it as, "Look at those foreigners trying to gang up on our President! Look at Trump bravely defying them!!"

Oh, there are certainly people who will like that, but those people are already in the 'approves' camp.

[kidfresh512]

Sounds like a threat to people... So we vote the way y'all want or we get trump?
Why not have an actual message and run on Policies then?

Where EXACTLY is the Democratic party pushing any form of actual policy to help people and tell us why we should vote for the,?

You guys make me happy I became an Indie. You need us, yet hate us, then if YOU lose, somehow it's OUR fault? Lol.

/bye felicia.

You make no sense. It is a simple fact that Bernie will NOT and cannot win if he doesn't have Democratic support. There are not enough of the voting populace that will overcome Trump AND the real Democratic nominee period.

That's just reality that is not a threat. It is like voting for Jill Stein in 2016. You know she wont win. You throw your vote away. Which you have every right to do obviously. At least operate in reality and admit it. Everyone that does not vote, or throws them away for a "principal" WILL help elect trump. That's how it works.

Until that fundamental reality changes and enough people vote that we actually can have a viable third party then you get what you get. And we all loose except, the 1% maybe, white supremacists, China, and Russia.

Spare me the holier than thou attitude. I'm not interested. I'm only interested in one thing. Ending Republican control of the US government. To quote Noam Chomsky, “Has there ever been an organisation in human history that is dedicated, with such commitment, to the destruction of organised human life on Earth?”

But, hey, Democrats might nominate Kirsten Gillibrand. And that's just as equally bad, am I right?

(Edit: I'm not even a Democrat.)

Ending Republican control of the government should be the goal of ANYONE who is not freaking insane. Especially now that Trumpism has taken over the GOP. They all kowtow and bootlick make excuses for ever moronic move he makes until they decide to get out of office or not run for re election. Then they start speaking up.

[Trey Strain]

Besides trade agreements that drag them through the mud, other thing American workers hate is porous borders. Now why is that, you ask? It's because almost everyone who crosses the border illegally is laborer, who if he can will work under the table to avoid detection by the authorities. This makes them much cheaper for Americans to hire.

Is Trump's border wall a silly idea? Sure it is. But contrast it with Hillary Clinton's dream of "a Western Hemisphere without borders."

Was Trump smart enough to think of doing that? No. It was Bannon's idea. And it just might work again in 2020.

In the 2016 election you had Hillary, with along with Slick Willie had pushed through trade agreements that blasted millions of Americans out the middle class, and who wanted to merge the United States economically with Latin America, versus Trump. Yet Hillary, the party establishment and the news media still have no clue as to why she lost. "It was Russia!" they cry. "No, wait, it was Comey!"

Instead of enjoying her remaining golden years in a retirement community, the desiccated Nancy Pelosi was even stupid enough to shut down Congress recently to defend illegal immigration, putting her weird facial tics on display in a filibuster for hours.

Yes, the Democrats are just going to double down on what got them into this mess. Watch them.

[PaulBullion]

Besides trade agreements that drag them through the mud, other thing American workers hate is porous borders. Now why is that, you ask? It's because almost everyone who crosses the border illegally is laborer, who if he can will work under the table to avoid detection by the authorities. This makes them much cheaper for Americans to hire.

Is Trump's border wall a silly idea? Sure it is. But contrast it with Hillary Clinton's dream of "a Western Hemisphere without borders."

Was Trump smart enough to think of doing that? No. It was Bannon's idea. And it just might work again in 2020.

In the 2016 election you had Hillary, with along with Slick Willie had pushed through trade agreements that blasted millions of Americans out the middle class, and who wanted to merge the United States economically with Latin America, versus Trump. Yet Hillary, the party establishment and the news media still have no clue as to why she lost. "It was Russia!" they cry. "No, wait, it was Comey!"

Instead of enjoying her remaining golden years in a retirement community, the desiccated Nancy Pelosi was even stupid enough to shut down Congress recently to defend illegal immigration, putting her weird facial tics on display in a filibuster for hours.

Yes, the Democrats are just going to double down on what got them into this mess. Watch them.

I repeat: You are not a progressive.

[The Overlord]

The media are mocking Trump's actions at the G-7 conference, but it will play well domestically. American workers despise these trade agreements, which have devastated their lives. He could win re-election by campaigning against them and doing nothing else.

Except trade with Canada creates jobs in the US, Trump trying to squeeze every dime out of Canada will end up hurting the US too. Any tariffs Trump puts on Canada will be met with counter tariffs:

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/econ...nada-us-trade/

[aja_christopher]

Yes, the Democrats are just going to double down on what got them into this mess.

What got us "into this mess" (again) is the Republican party -- if people choose to vote for (or not to vote against) an unqualified sexist, racist, Islamophobe over a qualified candidate with years of experience then the voters are to blame, not the alternative candidate who is none of the above.

You keep trying to point the finger at the Democrats as being the problem, but research has shown that racism and sexism was behind much of Trump's success both within the Republican party and in the general election: his poll numbers shot up the day after he lied and accused Muslim-Americans of celebrating 9/11 and the rest of his campaign was just more of the same.

"Minority" middle class Americans are dealing with the same "economic anxiety" as most white Americans but the vast majority of said group still had enough sense not to vote for Trump, so obviously there is a larger issue (i.e. "racism") at work there.

Sit here and ignore the truth all you want -- it won't change the fact that the problem doesn't lie within the Democratic party so much as the Republican -- and American -- electorate.

------

"RESEARCH FINDS THAT RACISM, SEXISM, AND STATUS FEARS DROVE TRUMP VOTERS"

Two new studies suggest Trump broadened the Republican Party's appeal by tapping into deep-seated anxieties and prejudices.

America is the world's dominant superpower, and white Christian males sit at the top of our nation's food chain. That's the right and proper hierarchy, and it's under serious threat.

When blue-collar whites heard that implied message from Donald Trump, many realized it aligned with their own beliefs. As a result, they broke with precedent to support the Republican candidate for president.

That's the conclusion of a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the latest to analyze what drove Trump voters (aside from traditional party affiliation). Other recently published studies have pointed to the appeal of authoritarianism, or plain old racism and sexism.

University of Pennsylvania political scientist Diana Mutz reports a key group of voters—those who switched parties to vote for Trump—were motivated by the vision of a frightening fall in social status. In short, they feared they were in the process of losing their previously privileged positions.

This thesis is hardly new. In October of 2016—one month before the election—we reported that reminding whites that America is on its way to becoming a minority-majority country increased whites' support for Trump. "Trump has successfully tapped into the threat to group status (felt by many white Americans)," that researcher team wrote...

Both studies point in the same direction: The 2016 election was largely about fear of change. Many people see an increasingly interdependent world, and an increasingly multicultural America, as threats to their well-being. Unless that attitude can somehow be softened, our era of ugly politics may be just beginning."


https://psmag.com/news/research-find...e-trump-voters

[aja_christopher]

Prescient.



demagogue -- a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument; a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

[Starter Set]

Just when you think that Trump couldn't get any dumber he proves us once again all wrong.

Gratz Donald.

[kidfresh512]

Peter Navarro, Trump's trade adviser, directed a series of stinging comments at Trudeau on "Fox News Sunday."
"There's a special place in hell for any foreign leader that engages in bad faith diplomacy with President Donald J. Trump and then tries to stab him in the back on the way out the door," Navarro said. "And that's what bad faith Justin Trudeau did with that stunt press conference. That's what weak, dishonest Justin Trudeau did, and that comes right from Air Force One."
Navarro added that while these were his own words, they reflected the "the sentiment that was on Air Force One." Navarro also said Trump attending the G7 in Canada was a "courtesy" to Trudeau and that the President had "bigger things on his plate" in Singapore.
"He did him a favor," Navarro said. "He was even willing to sign that socialist communique."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/10/politics/larry-kudlow-donald-trump-justin-trudeau/index.html"]CNN[/URL]

Wow "Special place in hell" for Trudeau? What a brilliantly sane administration we have. Putin actually attacked us and he didn't get a reservation in hell. He instead gets a no strings attached recommendation to rejoin the g8! China literally steals our intellectual property but they need to have sanctions lifted to help out their phone makers.

No reserved seat in hell there

[Kal-El Summers]

Oh boy, I sure do love alienating and pissing off our allies while cozing up to brutal dictators! /s

[worstblogever]

Actually, I think this will play well among his base. They will interpret it as, "Look at those foreigners trying to gang up on our President! Look at Trump bravely defying them!!"

They may, but it's the neutral eye on that shot that I think about. A seated individual never looks like the stronger one in a group setting, unless they're elevated on a throne. It's emphasized in theatre, to ensure the audience's eyes play to those who are standing. Also, from left to right, because our eyes are trained to read from left to right. It's also why the WWE always traditionally puts the "face" on the left in promo shots for matches, and the heel on the right.

[Kirby101]

Who gives a **** about his base. They are maybe 30% of voters and did not get him elected. That was the idiots who didn't think through what a giant, corrupt, incompetent a-hole he is. And from the looks of the special elections so far, his base can't elect anybody.