The Neverending Thread for Political Shit

[tinnitus photography]

money shot about 1:37 in

for the record, i didn't choose him.

[oilpiers]

Dahlia Lithwick says it's worse than that:

It is indeed worse than what I wrote, much worse. My post was made BEFORE the more recent comments that Ms. Lithwick is responding to. His earlier comments were bad because Trump used the foreign policy of the United States to purse his own personal interest in being re-elected by manipulating the system to his advantage; because he undercut the legitimacy and authority of the United States Congress; and because he treated 2 citizens who also happened to be Congresswomen as second class citizens, punishing them for exercising their right to free speech and limiting their ability to travel in unconstitutional ways. In legal terms, he also denied them due process and the equal protection of the law.

This latest thing? It's purely offensive that he thinks he can speak for Jews (and/or tell us what to think and how to act) and because the fundamental notions behind his comments are flat out anti-Semitic and w/out question reflect views and assumptions that are flat out dangerous to Jews.

We can also throw in the absolutely bizarre and inexplicable "Greenland/Denmark incident" which to me shows that Trump lives in a fantasy world of his own creation. My first and most consistent thought is of Humphrey Bogart mumbling about strawberries in The Caine Mutiny. These seem to me to be literally the ramblings of a mentally challenged mind. How does any Trump supporter, especially elected officials, fund raisers and assorted big wheels, read/hear about this and think that supporting this mean is in any way ok? I think it's a particularly great example of the problem because it doesn't involve any hot button issues - it has nothing to do w/ "the culture wars," "playing to the base," "dividing and conquering" the opposition or appealing to or advancing the interests of, any particular interest group or political faction, so there's nothing for anybody to be defensive about and no reason to search for possible explanations/justifications (of which I've heard exactly zero) for this bizarre behavior. It's flat out nuts and not acknowledging that says way too much about Trump's supporters and not in a good way.

Your thoughts in these last two posts are SPOT ON. It is an articulate summation of my thoughts that I could never string together so coherently.

[John A Arkansawyer]

What do Patterson Hood and the Proud Boys have in common? The same thing drew them both to Portland. Just for exactly opposite reasons:

Perhaps the most important legacy of the Linde years were his opinions interpreting Oregon’s free-speech guarantee much more broadly than the federal First Amendment. That protection has helped preserve Oregon’s wide-open democratic culture, where ideas from the Neanderthal to the utopian can contend, and where human experience comes in many shades.

That very culture, I suspect, is what has drawn out-of-state fascist leaders to focus on Portland. From years of study—and personal experience—I know about Oregon’s dark racist past and the shadow it casts over the state today. Nonetheless, in recent years, leaders here have worked to create an inclusive culture—one that the fascists would like to discredit, stigmatize, and eventually destroy. Since the Saturday demonstration, the Proud Boys have announced that they will be back every month until the City suppresses the antifa movement, whom they call “domestic terrorists.”

[John A Arkansawyer]

In a continuing effort to point up The Good Things happening in the world, I ask you to answer this musical question posed by Talking Heads: Who, who is it? Who, who is it?

He has discredited core conservative beliefs, boosted the popularity of left-wing causes and caused millions of Americans to face ugly truths about racism and bigotry that they used to deny.

[schlanky]

Fuck Goatfucker.

It just needed to be said again.

[Wolf]

sorry kids, he's your prez til 2024

[tinnitus photography]

sorry kids, he's your prez til 2024

you think that there are there that many racists in the US? i guess we'll find out!

[LBRod]

sorry kids, he's your prez til 2024

you think that there are there that many racists in the US? i guess we'll find out!

If only life were that simple.

[cortez the killer]

sorry kids, he's your prez til 2024

you think that there are there that many racists in the US? i guess we'll find out!

If only life were that simple.

Says the Libertarian.

[beantownbubba]

Seems like a perfect time to invoke LJ. I wonder what he makes of the new policy that won't allow the children of US servicemen born overseas to automatically become citizens. Even by Trump/Miller standards, this seems totally gratuitous. I mean is there anybody out there agitating for this change? Speaking of which...

Who wakes up in the morning and says "Hey! I've got a great idea. Let's deport foreign kids who are in the country receiving cancer treatment!" Seriously? Is there any purpose to this other than gratuitous cruelty and meanness?

[pearlbeer]

I find it to be a perfect reflection on the state the world today that we have failed to discuss the President's plan to NUKE A HURRICANE.

Fuck Trump.

[Iowan]

I see a lot of folks on the right just not even showing up to vote in 2020. The amount of criticism of him I've seen from right wing folks in the past month exceeds the cumulative amount of criticism I've seen from this segment leading up to recent events.

The cult will go down with the ship, and I don't see these people voting for any of the Dems, but if they just don't vote for Trump, it's enough.

[Zip City]

I see a lot of folks on the right just not even showing up to vote in 2020. The amount of criticism of him I've seen from right wing folks in the past month exceeds the cumulative amount of criticism I've seen from this segment leading up to recent events.

The cult will go down with the ship, and I don't see these people voting for any of the Dems, but if they just don't vote for Trump, it's enough.

He seems to be focusing solely on appealing to a small subset of Republicans. I don't know who thinks this is a winning strategy. All economic indicators are pointing towards a recession (which he'll blame on the Dems, but I digress), and the xenophobia and racism is a major turn off for many conservatives. Plus, his financials are very likely to come out before the election, either via subpoena or via a leak from the IRS.

[Iowan]

I see a lot of folks on the right just not even showing up to vote in 2020. The amount of criticism of him I've seen from right wing folks in the past month exceeds the cumulative amount of criticism I've seen from this segment leading up to recent events.

The cult will go down with the ship, and I don't see these people voting for any of the Dems, but if they just don't vote for Trump, it's enough.

He seems to be focusing solely on appealing to a small subset of Republicans. I don't know who thinks this is a winning strategy. All economic indicators are pointing towards a recession (which he'll blame on the Dems, but I digress), and the xenophobia and racism is a major turn off for many conservatives. Plus, his financials are very likely to come out before the election, either via subpoena or via a leak from the IRS.

I'm starting to see signs of this, and it's restoring a little faith in humanity. A lot of people were willing to suck it up for an election cycle in order to get conservative judges, but now that the court is locked into where it's at, they're bailing.

Trump is simply giving too much credit for his win on turn out from really shitty people who lapped up his racism/xenophobia/sexism/_______ism. Those people helped him for sure, but not nearly as much as ex Obama voters not turning out for Hilary, or conservatives making a vote for the status of the court. Those on the left who didn't vote Hilary are ALL going to vote for whoever the Dem is, and a lot of those conservatives who got their judges are going to walk away - their interest in having a Republican president isn't as strong as it was in 2016. He'll be left with his passionate base of ignorant, fearful people and that will be it.

[tinnitus photography]

I find it to be a perfect reflection on the state the world today that we have failed to discuss the President's plan to NUKE A HURRICANE.

Fuck Trump.

for once, i think Trump's got the right idea.

[beantownbubba]

I see a lot of folks on the right just not even showing up to vote in 2020. The amount of criticism of him I've seen from right wing folks in the past month exceeds the cumulative amount of criticism I've seen from this segment leading up to recent events.

The cult will go down with the ship, and I don't see these people voting for any of the Dems, but if they just don't vote for Trump, it's enough.

I don't have any real reason for thinking this, just kind of an impressionistic sense, but this has been how I've been thinking about the election recently. Additional benefit: If enough Republican and Republican leaning voters just stay away, it makes the identity of the ultimate Democratic nominee much less important.

[Clams]

I see a lot of folks on the right just not even showing up to vote in 2020. The amount of criticism of him I've seen from right wing folks in the past month exceeds the cumulative amount of criticism I've seen from this segment leading up to recent events.

The cult will go down with the ship, and I don't see these people voting for any of the Dems, but if they just don't vote for Trump, it's enough.

I don't have any real reason for thinking this, just kind of an impressionistic sense, but this has been how I've been thinking about the election recently. Additional benefit: If enough Republican and Republican leaning voters just stay away, it makes the identity of the ultimate Democratic nominee much less important.

I've said this here before and I'll say it again. I think Trump is a LOT more popular among republicans and independents than most democrats want to believe. They get that he is an asshole and a dipshit but they actually like his stances on immigration and many other hot button issues. They will swallow the puke in their mouths in the voting booths next November and they will vote him into a second term. Also - as we have seen in the past 20 years, the republicans are light years ahead of the democrats at playing dirty when it comes to politics, and I believe that will have a lot to do with it as well. Sadly, I think that we (the liberals and progressives) are not the majority in this country. They are.

[Zip City]

Trump only wins if the Electoral College works in his favor again. He lost the popular vote by 3 million votes, and I think more Dems will show up next election. If the Dems can flip Wisconsin or Pennsylvania back, Trump loses

[schlanky]

I've said this here before and I'll say it again. I think Trump is a LOT more popular among republicans and independents than most democrats want to believe. They get that he is an asshole and a dipshit but they actually like his stances on immigration and many other hot button issues. They will swallow the puke in their mouths in the voting booths next November and they will vote him into a second term. Also - as we have seen in the past 20 years, the republicans are light years ahead of the democrats at playing dirty when it comes to politics, and I believe that will have a lot to do with it as well. Sadly, I think that we (the liberals and progressives) are not the majority in this country. They are.

Agreed. It's possible they're not the popular majority, but they're definitely the likely voter, non-suppressed, electoral college majority. I wouldn't have thought that before Trump was in office---I thought we were getting better, but one big fuckload of roaches has come out since everything went dark.

This is very different than your garden variety shitty Republican administration. We have a white nationalist making policy in the White House and Moscow Mitch is ceding fair elections to ensure his brand of evil remains in power.

[tinnitus photography]

^^^

good post.

[Iowan]

I see a lot of folks on the right just not even showing up to vote in 2020. The amount of criticism of him I've seen from right wing folks in the past month exceeds the cumulative amount of criticism I've seen from this segment leading up to recent events.

The cult will go down with the ship, and I don't see these people voting for any of the Dems, but if they just don't vote for Trump, it's enough.

I don't have any real reason for thinking this, just kind of an impressionistic sense, but this has been how I've been thinking about the election recently. Additional benefit: If enough Republican and Republican leaning voters just stay away, it makes the identity of the ultimate Democratic nominee much less important.

I've said this here before and I'll say it again. I think Trump is a LOT more popular among republicans and independents than most democrats want to believe. They get that he is an asshole and a dipshit but they actually like his stances on immigration and many other hot button issues. They will swallow the puke in their mouths in the voting booths next November and they will vote him into a second term. Also - as we have seen in the past 20 years, the republicans are light years ahead of the democrats at playing dirty when it comes to politics, and I believe that will have a lot to do with it as well. Sadly, I think that we (the liberals and progressives) are not the majority in this country. They are.

I thought this for a long time, but I've just been seeing scores of conservatives come out of the wood work against him in the last month.

That said, I live in a part of the country that's tangibly being hurt by his stupidity, and people are finally feeling the crunch enough to get over the things they like about him (IE immigration, abortion, etc). Now that a conservative majority is locked into SCOTUS, they see less threat from a Dem president than they did in 2020.

I do think you're right in that a lot of people who can't stomach his behavior, personality, etc, agree with enough of his policies to vote for him. But I think, at least where I'm at, those folks feel like they got their use out of Trump and see only more harm coming from a second term. If look up thread, in the poll based on approval ratings, it shows him losing Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania in 2020. That would swing the election. Between the negative effects of the trade war, and now stabbing the ethanol industry in the back, he's doing real damage to himself here. It may not carry through to 2020, but as it stands today he was a useful idiot for many who have gotten their specific use from him and can no longer stand the effects of his idiocy.

[Clams]

We have a white nationalist making policy in the White House and Moscow Mitch is ceding fair elections to ensure his brand of evil remains in power.

Yep. Like I said the republican party is extra good at playing dirty. They truly don't give a shit about anything other than advancing the agenda. The dem party seems unwilling to match this.

in the poll based on approval ratings, it shows him losing Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania in 2020. That would swing the election.

One thing 2016 taught me is that you cannot rely on polls.

[beantownbubba]

schlanky wrote:
We have a white nationalist making policy in the White House and Moscow Mitch is ceding fair elections to ensure his brand of evil remains in power.

Yep. Like I said the republican party is extra good at playing dirty. They truly don't give a shit about anything other than advancing the agenda. The dem party seems unwilling to match this.

Yep. It's a big problem and one I've been bemoaning for some time.

[ramonz]

My mom is 79 and my dad is 88. They have never voted Democrat in their lives. Ever. My mom is so disgusted with Trump that there's ZERO chance she would vote for him again. Not 100% certain on my dad, but I'm pretty sure he's in the same boat (he's not as vocal in his distaste for Trump). These are good-hearted, generous, and giving folks who have voted Republican their whole lives, mostly because they've always believed that being fiscally conservative was important. Depression era and all that. But if they are any example, I think there IS a solid group of lifelong Republicans that can't stand this guy now that they've seen what he is all about (or not about). Dad was a marine, honor and duty are in his DNA. How could he ever vote for Trump again? This age group votes, but I'd bet 20% of conservative elderly folks will either not pull the lever in 2020 (can't vote for Trump but can't vote for a Democrat), or will take a leap and see what's on the other side. We'll see, but if the margin of victory is as small as it was in 2016, maybe people like my mom and dad will make the difference.

[pearlbeer]

My mom is 79 and my dad is 88. They have never voted Democrat in their lives. Ever. My mom is so disgusted with Trump that there's ZERO chance she would vote for him again. Not 100% certain on my dad, but I'm pretty sure he's in the same boat (he's not as vocal in his distaste for Trump). These are good-hearted, generous, and giving folks who have voted Republican their whole lives, mostly because they've always believed that being fiscally conservative was important. Depression era and all that. But if they are any example, I think there IS a solid group of lifelong Republicans that can't stand this guy now that they've seen what he is all about (or not about). Dad was a marine, honor and duty are in his DNA. How could he ever vote for Trump again? This age group votes, but I'd bet 20% of conservative elderly folks will either not pull the lever in 2020 (can't vote for Trump but can't vote for a Democrat), or will take a leap and see what's on the other side. We'll see, but if the margin of victory is as small as it was in 2016, maybe people like my mom and dad will make the difference.

Hopefully they will also realize that the current administration (and I'd argue the entire party) is not acting in the country's best interest from a fiscal perspective. For all the talk and belief surrounding 'fiscal conservatism', the National Debt has significantly increased during Trump's reign. The debt has grow by more than $3 trillion, and this is in the absence of a major spending crisis (war, economic collapse, etc.)

https://www.thebalance.com/national-deb ... ts-3306287

Trumps talks like an asshole, but he acts like one too. He isn't acting in the best interest of your parents.

Fuck Trump.

[ramonz]

My mom is 79 and my dad is 88. They have never voted Democrat in their lives. Ever. My mom is so disgusted with Trump that there's ZERO chance she would vote for him again. Not 100% certain on my dad, but I'm pretty sure he's in the same boat (he's not as vocal in his distaste for Trump). These are good-hearted, generous, and giving folks who have voted Republican their whole lives, mostly because they've always believed that being fiscally conservative was important. Depression era and all that. But if they are any example, I think there IS a solid group of lifelong Republicans that can't stand this guy now that they've seen what he is all about (or not about). Dad was a marine, honor and duty are in his DNA. How could he ever vote for Trump again? This age group votes, but I'd bet 20% of conservative elderly folks will either not pull the lever in 2020 (can't vote for Trump but can't vote for a Democrat), or will take a leap and see what's on the other side. We'll see, but if the margin of victory is as small as it was in 2016, maybe people like my mom and dad will make the difference.

Hopefully they will also realize that the current administration (and I'd argue the entire party) is not acting in the country's best interest from a fiscal perspective. For all the talk and belief surrounding 'fiscal conservatism', the National Debt has significantly increased during Trump's reign. The debt has grow by more than $3 trillion, and this is in the absence of a major spending crisis (war, economic collapse, etc.)

They already do......."can't stand this guy now that they've seen what he is all about (or not about)"......thankfully.

Yes, Fuck Trump.

[Zip City]

My mom is 79 and my dad is 88. They have never voted Democrat in their lives. Ever. My mom is so disgusted with Trump that there's ZERO chance she would vote for him again. Not 100% certain on my dad, but I'm pretty sure he's in the same boat (he's not as vocal in his distaste for Trump). These are good-hearted, generous, and giving folks who have voted Republican their whole lives, mostly because they've always believed that being fiscally conservative was important. Depression era and all that. But if they are any example, I think there IS a solid group of lifelong Republicans that can't stand this guy now that they've seen what he is all about (or not about). Dad was a marine, honor and duty are in his DNA. How could he ever vote for Trump again? This age group votes, but I'd bet 20% of conservative elderly folks will either not pull the lever in 2020 (can't vote for Trump but can't vote for a Democrat), or will take a leap and see what's on the other side. We'll see, but if the margin of victory is as small as it was in 2016, maybe people like my mom and dad will make the difference.

Hopefully they will also realize that the current administration (and I'd argue the entire party) is not acting in the country's best interest from a fiscal perspective. For all the talk and belief surrounding 'fiscal conservatism', the National Debt has significantly increased during Trump's reign. The debt has grow by more than $3 trillion, and this is in the absence of a major spending crisis (war, economic collapse, etc.)

https://www.thebalance.com/national-deb ... ts-3306287

Trumps talks like an asshole, but he acts like one too. He isn't acting in the best interest of your parents.

Fuck Trump.

Republicans haven't been fiscally conservative since before Reagan. The national debt has regularly grown under Republicans and shrunk under Democrats (funny how those GOP tax cuts end up tanking the national debt).

[Flea]

Fuck Trump.

Republicans haven't been fiscally conservative since before Reagan. The national debt has regularly grown under Republicans and shrunk under Democrats (funny how those GOP tax cuts end up tanking the national debt).

The ONLY time Republicans are fiscally conservative is when they are in the minority of Congress or do not control the White House.

[Smitty]

Former Marine said he’d ‘slaughter’ antifa. The FBI, using Oregon’s new red flag law, took his guns away

[LBRod]

Fuck Trump.

Republicans haven't been fiscally conservative since before Reagan. The national debt has regularly grown under Republicans and shrunk under Democrats (funny how those GOP tax cuts end up tanking the national debt).

The ONLY time Republicans are fiscally conservative is when they are in the minority of Congress or do not control the White House.

And then they are lying.