Orange Duce

[youthathletics]

It is a big deal, one that could have enormous upside impacts for the US or, it could be a failure.

Dude. You STILL haven't told me what Trump's "upside" is.

Your mind is already made up, nothing worth further discussing on the topic.

[a fan]

Buffalo bagels. My mind isn't made up, because I've asked you three times now what Trump's plan is, and you can't answer this simple question. Yet you're behind him. You're not making any sense.

I'm all ears as to what you think "victory" looks like, when Trump himself can't answer that question.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Buffalo bagels. My mind isn't made up, because I've asked you three times now what Trump's plan is, and you can't answer this simple question. Yet you're behind him. You're not making any sense.

I'm all ears as to what you think "victory" looks like, when Trump himself can't answer that question.

Trump is his leader.

[Bandito]

BREAKING: Trump admin. has formalized work requirements for recipients of food stamps, a move that will cause nearly 700,000 people to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - NBC


Good. I’ve always worked for my food.

Thanks for reminding folks that while they're pushing poor people toward hunger by kicking them off food stamps the Trump administration is firing off welfare checks to farmers to keep them from getting mad about how the tariffs are bankrupting them.

Good. I’ve always worked for my food. Cry me a River

[seacoaster]

Here's a weird one:

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/1 ... ani-079762

"The gatekeeper to the lawyer for the most powerful man in the world is a 20-year-old conservative activist with a thin resume, an inflated biography and an impossible job.

For the past three months, Trumpworld has been both abuzz and baffled by Christianné Allen, a little-known Instagram personality who became Rudy Giuliani’s director of communications in September. She accompanies him wherever he goes, recently appearing by his side in Ukraine, where he’s working on a documentary defending himself against accusations that he ran a malicious campaign to get a U.S. ambassador fired. She’s his media strategist, technology consultant and the employee who helps field reporters’ daily onslaught of inquiries — or, at least, tries to do so.

Allen’s boss, described as a “hand grenade” in congressional testimony, is famous among reporters for his unguarded text exchanges, rambling phone calls and butt dials at odd hours. His bumbling efforts to investigate Joe and Hunter Biden’s activities in Ukraine are likely to result in the third impeachment in U.S. presidential history. He’s under federal investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office he once headed. And his ostensible client, President Donald Trump, muses openly about whether Giuliani is, in fact, his attorney.

In sum: Allen’s assignment would be tough sledding for the most seasoned of PR professionals, let alone a distinctly unseasoned Trump superfan who is still pursuing a communications degree online.

“For a 20-year-old college student to be the communications director to one of the country’s most talked-about men is quite something,” said Kelly Jane Torrance, a conservative journalist who met Allen while interviewing Giuliani.

Numerous people POLITICO spoke with, from her family to her friends to the people who’ve met her, praised Allen’s remarkable maturity and poise, a trait they said she exhibited in her early teenage years.

Even so, some of her friends privately wonder how she found herself in such a sensitive position. “I don’t think she had a client like Rudy before, let alone worked as a press secretary,” said one.

...

In an email interview, Allen said that she got the job after several rounds of interviews “that included incredibly challenging questions and multiple phone calls with his staff,” with Giuliani himself “expressing that I had the necessary skills and leadership to fill the position.”

She did not elaborate further, but Allen’s Twitter bio, LinkedIn, and old personal website list an array of suitable credentials: representative of the Trump Victory Finance Committee, the official joint fundraising committee for the re-election campaign; and video columnist for the Daily Caller. Spokeswoman for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Executive director of the Middle Eastern Women’s Coalition.

According to representatives of these entities, these titles are embroidered at best, and completely untrue at the most. She is, however, an “ambassador” for both Turning Point USA and Liberty University’s Falkirk Center, titles she gained this year. And there’s no question she enjoys Giuliani’s confidence."

[CU88]

BREAKING: Trump admin. has formalized work requirements for recipients of food stamps, a move that will cause nearly 700,000 people to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - NBC


Good. I’ve always worked for my food.

Thanks for reminding folks that while they're pushing poor people toward hunger by kicking them off food stamps the Trump administration is firing off welfare checks to farmers to keep them from getting mad about how the tariffs are bankrupting them.

Good. I’ve always worked for my food. Cry me a River

Cool, we finally agree on something; USA farmers are lazy sods and piss poor business people.

Now they are sucking on Mother USA's teet!

Deplorable no?

[MDlaxfan76]

BREAKING: Trump admin. has formalized work requirements for recipients of food stamps, a move that will cause nearly 700,000 people to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - NBC


Good. I’ve always worked for my food.

Thanks for reminding folks that while they're pushing poor people toward hunger by kicking them off food stamps the Trump administration is firing off welfare checks to farmers to keep them from getting mad about how the tariffs are bankrupting them.

Good. I’ve always worked for my food. Cry me a River

Cool, we finally agree on something; USA farmers are lazy sods and tick poor business people.

Now they are sucking on Mother USA's teet!

Deplorable no?

He's in the penalty box, so expect no answers...thankfully.

[seacoaster]

Uh-oh:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigrat ... story.html

"A federal judge in El Paso on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration’s plan to pay for border barrier construction with $3.6 billion in military funds, ruling that the administration does not have the authority to divert money appropriated by Congress for a different purpose.

The Trump administration was planning to use those funds to build 175 miles of steel barriers, and the court’s permanent injunction casts new doubt on Trump’s pledge to erect 450 linear miles of fencing by the end of next year.

District court judge David Briones, a Bill Clinton appointee, said in his ruling that the administration’s attempt to reprogram military construction funds by emergency proclamation was unlawful, and the plaintiffs in the case were entitled to a permanent injunction halting the government.

A ruling Briones issued in October placed a temporary hold on Trump’s plan to use the funds, but that decision did not have a nationwide scope.

The Trump administration has budgeted nearly $10 billion for barrier construction to date, so the ruling affects roughly one-third of the money the president plans to spend on his signature project. Briones’s decision does not apply to other money available to the administration, including reprogrammed military counter-narcotics funds.

The ruling was the first instance of a local jurisdiction successfully suing to block construction of Trump’s border barrier.

El Paso County, one of the two plaintiffs in the suit, had argued the new border barrier was unwanted by the community and would inflict permanent harm on its reputation as a welcoming, cross-border place.

Kristy Parker, one of the attorneys for the plantiffs, said the decision meant the president cannot spend money on the project that wasn’t authorized by Congress.

“The president can’t use the National Emergencies Act to override a congressional appropriations decision,” Parker said. “That specifically means he cannot use funds appropriated for military construction and divert it for use to build border barriers.”

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision."

[a fan]

That red line does not bounce above and below a balanced zero line based on political affiliation....it keeps sliding south

Yes. Because Bush and his band of Republican morons cut the firetruck out of taxes when we were finally living within our means.

And, a question for you[/url]: When Clinton left office with an 8 year ~68 Billion surplus, what value did we receive or benefit from?

Are you serious?

We didn't have to borrow money to keep the government running, with interest. So we could put our money to productive use.

Right now debt service----just the service on the debt----- is 10% of the US Budget. 10 motherFing percent. Do you honestly not realize how stupid and wasteful that is?


...we're blowing 10% of our budget on nothing but interest.

Know how much that 10% buys? Half of the US military budget, including overseas contingencies.

That 10% is $479 Billion. DoD's base budget is $576 Billion.

You're telling me you don't get the problem here? Come on man.


Best part? Because a nation of Republicans thinks that they're overtaxed right now, there is ZERO chance we'll get a raise in taxes in the next decade. And if Trump wins? You can count on more spending.

Guess where that debt service is in just six years, assuming fiscal genius Trump doesn't cut taxes and increase spending again?

$762 Billion. Wasted. That money could be used to educate our children, try and cure cancer, or build our infrastructure. Instead? It goes to interest, all because a bunch of twaddling boomers don't want to pay their dinner tab. Worst. Generation. Ever.

No comment on this YouthAthletics?

So your plan here is to blow $5+ Trillion on n-o-t-h-i-n-g over the next decade because Republican voters and Congressmen are too stupid to understand how interest works? Too dumb and irresponsible to pay their our own bills?

While at the same time, you want to claim that we can't possibly afford universal health care, and it's insane to think we can?

Nothing? No response? Vote Trump, and who cares about math....is that your plan?

[youthathletics]

That red line does not bounce above and below a balanced zero line based on political affiliation....it keeps sliding south

Yes. Because Bush and his band of Republican morons cut the firetruck out of taxes when we were finally living within our means.

And, a question for you[/url]: When Clinton left office with an 8 year ~68 Billion surplus, what value did we receive or benefit from?

Are you serious?

We didn't have to borrow money to keep the government running, with interest. So we could put our money to productive use.

Right now debt service----just the service on the debt----- is 10% of the US Budget. 10 motherFing percent. Do you honestly not realize how stupid and wasteful that is?


...we're blowing 10% of our budget on nothing but interest.

Know how much that 10% buys? Half of the US military budget, including overseas contingencies.

That 10% is $479 Billion. DoD's base budget is $576 Billion.

You're telling me you don't get the problem here? Come on man.


Best part? Because a nation of Republicans thinks that they're overtaxed right now, there is ZERO chance we'll get a raise in taxes in the next decade. And if Trump wins? You can count on more spending.

Guess where that debt service is in just six years, assuming fiscal genius Trump doesn't cut taxes and increase spending again?

$762 Billion. Wasted. That money could be used to educate our children, try and cure cancer, or build our infrastructure. Instead? It goes to interest, all because a bunch of twaddling boomers don't want to pay their dinner tab. Worst. Generation. Ever.

No comment on this YouthAthletics?

So your plan here is to blow $5+ Trillion on n-o-t-h-i-n-g over the next decade because Republican voters and Congressmen are too stupid to understand how interest works? Too dumb and irresponsible to pay their our own bills?

While at the same time, you want to claim that we can't possibly afford universal health care, and it's insane to think we can?

Nothing? No response? Vote Trump, and who cares about math....is that your plan?

We've already proven IT IS ALL OF THEM, D's and R's, The red line has not turned upwards in decades, except for one blip w/Clinton. You are taking the argument to another level when you try to say that "I" am okay with it, no, I hate we live beyond our means, but my entire argument is simple, if you do not move the goal post and inject added layers. Debt has continued south for 50 plus years, and we are still doing pretty well all things considered.

[Trinity]

President Trump will sign an executive order defining Judaism as a nationality, not just a religion, thus bolstering the Education Department's efforts to stamp out "Boycott Israel" movements on college campuses. NYT

[a fan]

We've already proven IT IS ALL OF THEM, D's and R's, The red line has not turned upwards in decades, except for one blip w/Clinton.

For spending? Yes. They are the same. And your chart looked at Presidents. Presidents don't tax and spend. Congress does.

For revenue? Nope. The R's not only refuse to tax within our means, they keep cutting like a bunch of children who don't understand interest. That's on you, and everyone here who thinks taxes are bad. Not one D voted for Trump's tax cuts. Not one. And how many of the Dems campaign on raising taxes, and take the political heat for doing so? Sorry mate, taxes is on the R's.

I'm directing this at you because you have told me multiple times that debt isn't real---it's only political. Add in that you think Trump's economic policies are swell? You're on the record as supporting this financial insanity, sorry.


The good news for me? In 2026 we will have to choose between giving Boomers their free health care, and playing cop to the world. Interest alone will sail past a laughable $800 Billion per year. And I will laugh, and laugh as the very Boomers who are in charge of government finally wake up and see the score...and have to pay the price for their political selfishness and insistence that taxes are bad, and tax cuts "pay for themselves".

Meanwhile, Millenials who are on to this financial nonsense, and are sick of picking up Boomer's tabs will be voting in much greater numbers. And I get to sit back and laugh as they grow more and more liberal because right wing America thought there'd be no consequences for their fiscal infantilism.

Debt has continued south for 50 plus years, and we are still doing pretty well all things considered.

This debt and anti-tax attitude is keeping us from educating our children and investing in the future. How much do you infrastructure could we improve with the $700 Billion+ we're blowing on interest payments this year?

It's criminal. And your buddy Trump, who's policies you've been cheering for the last three years, are exponentially accelerating the problem........

[Typical Lax Dad]

We've already proven IT IS ALL OF THEM, D's and R's, The red line has not turned upwards in decades, except for one blip w/Clinton.

For spending? Yes. They are the same. And your chart looked at Presidents. Presidents don't tax and spend. Congress does.

For revenue? Nope. The R's not only refuse to tax within our means, they keep cutting like a bunch of children who don't understand interest. That's on you, and everyone here who thinks taxes are bad. Not one D voted for Trump's tax cuts. Not one. And how many of the Dems campaign on raising taxes, and take the political heat for doing so? Sorry mate, taxes is on the R's.

I'm directing this at you because you have told me multiple times that debt isn't real---it's only political. Add in that you think Trump's economic policies are swell? You're on the record as supporting this financial insanity, sorry.


The good news for me? In 2026 we will have to choose between giving Boomers their free health care, and playing cop to the world. Interest alone will sail past a laughable $800 Billion per year. And I will laugh, and laugh as the very Boomers who are in charge of government finally wake up and see the score...and have to pay the price for their political selfishness and insistence that taxes are bad, and tax cuts "pay for themselves".

Meanwhile, Millenials who are on to this financial nonsense, and are sick of picking up Boomer's tabs will be voting in much greater numbers. And I get to sit back and laugh as they grow more and more liberal because right wing America thought there'd be no consequences for their fiscal infantilism.

Debt has continued south for 50 plus years, and we are still doing pretty well all things considered.

This debt and anti-tax attitude is keeping us from educating our children and investing in the future. How much do you infrastructure could we improve with the $700 Billion+ we're blowing on interest payments this year?

It's criminal. And your buddy Trump, who's policies you've been cheering for the last three years, are exponentially accelerating the problem........

They ain’t my kids! And the Fed Govt has helped prop up the DMV! Things are great!

[MDlaxfan76]

President Trump will sign an executive order defining Judaism as a nationality, not just a religion, thus bolstering the Education Department's efforts to stamp out "Boycott Israel" movements on college campuses. NYT

a nationality???

I'm no fan of the BDS movement, much less the aggression on college campuses, but whoa... Der Leader is saying what???

Here's CNN's reporting.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/politics ... index.html

The article references the State Department's definition of anti-semitism, but here's that definition:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/politics ... index.html

I don't see where criticism of the Israeli government is necessarily anti-semitic, not anything suggesting that Judaism is a 'nationality'.

Of course, there are undoubtedly anti-semitic members of BDS, who quite openly use anti-semitic tropes in their condemnation of Israel, and this includes their equating American Jews with Israel's current government policies...and, yes, that is "anti-semitic". But this move seems to actually endorse that false notion about Jews and Israel as monolithic!

Of course, Trump himself keeps making anti-semitic remarks, while 'supporting Israel' in the same breath.
I don't know if he's just an idiot or he's cannily understanding that white evangelicals see Israel as playing an essential role in 'end times' and thus important to support so as to hasten such end times...but it's pretty darn screwy and ugly nevertheless.

[jhu72]

The Beverly Hillbillies visit Mongolia. Jethro shoots himself a sheep.

[ardilla secreta]

I’m in urgent care this evening when I almost slice off the tip of my thumb with my just steeled Wustof chef knife. While waiting for stitches I’m entertained with a tv tuned to TLC channel. I never watch it, but a commercial hawking donations for a Trump fight against maniacal Dems came across pretty strong and caught my attention because I thought it might have been a SNL type spoof, but NOT.

[holmes435]

President Trump will sign an executive order defining Judaism as a nationality, not just a religion, thus bolstering the Education Department's efforts to stamp out "Boycott Israel" movements on college campuses. NYT

a nationality???

I'm no fan of the BDS movement, much less the aggression on college campuses, but whoa... Der Leader is saying what???

Here's CNN's reporting.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/politics ... index.html

The article references the State Department's definition of anti-semitism, but here's that definition:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/politics ... index.html

I don't see where criticism of the Israeli government is necessarily anti-semitic, not anything suggesting that Judaism is a 'nationality'.

Of course, there are undoubtedly anti-semitic members of BDS, who quite openly use anti-semitic tropes in their condemnation of Israel, and this includes their equating American Jews with Israel's current government policies...and, yes, that is "anti-semitic". But this move seems to actually endorse that false notion about Jews and Israel as monolithic!

Of course, Trump himself keeps making anti-semitic remarks, while 'supporting Israel' in the same breath.
I don't know if he's just an idiot or he's cannily understanding that white evangelicals see Israel as playing an essential role in 'end times' and thus important to support so as to hasten such end times...but it's pretty darn screwy and ugly nevertheless.

Meanwhile emboldened by Trump's election, actual anti-semites are shooting up synagogues, kosher grocery stores, calling in and graffitiing threats to other Jewish orgs. White power organizations are rallying. And actual Nazis are on camera saluting Trump.

This is a very, very strange time we live in regarding the truth and action.

[seacoaster]

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/ ... us-history

[MDlaxfan76]

President Trump will sign an executive order defining Judaism as a nationality, not just a religion, thus bolstering the Education Department's efforts to stamp out "Boycott Israel" movements on college campuses. NYT

a nationality???

I'm no fan of the BDS movement, much less the aggression on college campuses, but whoa... Der Leader is saying what???

Here's CNN's reporting.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/politics ... index.html

The article references the State Department's definition of anti-semitism, but here's that definition:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/10/politics ... index.html

I don't see where criticism of the Israeli government is necessarily anti-semitic, not anything suggesting that Judaism is a 'nationality'.

Of course, there are undoubtedly anti-semitic members of BDS, who quite openly use anti-semitic tropes in their condemnation of Israel, and this includes their equating American Jews with Israel's current government policies...and, yes, that is "anti-semitic". But this move seems to actually endorse that false notion about Jews and Israel as monolithic!

Of course, Trump himself keeps making anti-semitic remarks, while 'supporting Israel' in the same breath.
I don't know if he's just an idiot or he's cannily understanding that white evangelicals see Israel as playing an essential role in 'end times' and thus important to support so as to hasten such end times...but it's pretty darn screwy and ugly nevertheless.

Meanwhile emboldened by Trump's election, actual anti-semites are shooting up synagogues, kosher grocery stores, calling in and graffitiing threats to other Jewish orgs. White power organizations are rallying. And actual Nazis are on camera saluting Trump.

This is a very, very strange time we live in regarding the truth and action.

Strange and scary times.

I recommend Robert P. Jones' The End of White Christian America
https://www.prri.org/end-white-christian-america/

Jones was our (The Institute for Islamic Christian Jewish Studies icjs.org) featured speaker this year at a series of study groups and public presentation this week. On Tuesday eve he met with our Board for 2 hours reviewing the data behind his work, predominantly PRRI's The American Values Survey.

Fascinating how rapidly there has been a decline in those self-identifying as white christians. Including those identifying as evangelical.
Dramatic drop in the past 10 years, with corresponding changes in attitudes on various hot button topics of importance to evangelicals.

The most important change driving that decline is that remarkably few younger white people in America identify with being christian. Enormous shift versus prior generations. Leaving 'white christians' to be much older and less educated than in prior periods, (education a stronger predictor than income).

It's the overlap between race and evangelical beliefs, with power assumptions, that has folks freaked out.

And these folks have coalesced as R's, with immigration and anti-Muslim views being the most important issues to them. The huge % of R's thinking that whites, not blacks, face heavy discrimination is quite revealing.

That's a poor description by me of the complexities, but my key takeaway is that folks are absolutely freaked out by their sense of slipping power assumptions from a prior white christian majority for hundreds of years to now being a minority, and what they assume that will mean.

Jones suggests that the Supreme Court's ratification nationally of same-sex marriage was an earthquake for evangelicals, while most liberals and moderates who had come around on the issue (a very rapid shift in opinions over just a decade) didn't understand that it was big deal. His data also suggests that Obama's first election was not a major issue for evangelicals, but the second win in 2012 energized anger and fear politically differently, the realization that their demographic power was slipping away.

And all of this has turned off young whites, who might otherwise have identified as christian, given that their various social views and experiences are so different from their parents.

[MDlaxfan76]

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/ ... us-history

Good for Chris Wallace.
Worth paying attention to what he has to say on this topic.