US Politics: Follow the Money!

[Jace, Extat]

4 hours ago, Triskele said:

I do kind of wish that Ronan Farrow could dial back the domination a bit.  I'm feeling a little inadequate.  

At this point if he spit in Trump's mouth instead of breaking another story  the "Thank You" would probably be sincere.

[OldGimletEye]

Me thinks there is no mystery why the Tea Party have now become Trumpsters.

Their alleged libertarianism was was always a flamin’ fraud.

https://www.vox.com/2018/5/15/17263774/tea-party-trump-2018

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The Tea Party is back — for Donald Trump.

A decade after the anti-government, anti-tax, and anti-Obama insurgency emerged, and eight years after the movement fueled the midterm elections that gave the Republican Party control of the House of Representatives and sent conservatives like Rand Paul, Michele Bachmann, and Mark Meadows to Congress, Tea Party activists are getting active again in midterm races.

 

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This time they’re not trying to blow up the system or fight big government. They’re here to support President Trump, no matter that he’s the biggest big-government Republican of them all. And in 2018, they’re trying to get more Donald Trumps into office — from state-level races to the halls of Congress.

 

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Ohio Tea Party candidate Christina Hagan ran against Anthony Gonzalez (a former Ohio State football player) in the Republican primary in Pennsylvania. She lost, but she ran hard on Trumpian rhetoric and picked up a sizable share of the vote: 41 percent.

She described herself as “anti-establishment, pro-Trump” on her website. One of her campaign ads included video of people streaming across a wall seemingly on America’s border with Mexico (it was actually footage of migrants entering Morocco), and she shared a news article on Twitter about an undocumented immigrant arrested for drug offenses, who happened to have the last name “Gonzalez.” Ohio Republican leaders pleaded with her to take down the tweet.

Sounds like she is a real clown.

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The Tea Party’s transition from anti-big government to pro-Trump is a story of how a movement adapts to maintain its influence and power. The Tea Party rose to power by dragging mainstream Republicans further and further to the right, effectively shifting the center of the party.

For me it is even simpler. The Tea Party was always full of crap.

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Stefano added that in her view, much of the Tea Party’s activism was intended to be a rejection of Republican economic policies, not a response to Obama. “There was no chance that we were going to embrace Republican messaging.” she said. “We were furious at the bailouts that began under President George W. Bush, and many of us felt that the Republican Party betrayed what they were supposed to stand for, namely a limited government whose policies allow individual the opportunity to flourish. Bailing out corporations with taxpayer money is antithetical to that.”

If she dislikes handing out money willy nilly to banks during a financial crises, then maybe she should support a policy which tries to realistically manage a financial crises, while winding down troubled firms in an orderly manner and doesn't rely on ad hoc bailouts.

Now, hmm, what would such a policy be? Hmm. Oh, that would be Dodd-Frank and the OLA.

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Speaking of clowns. Here is a real gem of a clown.

https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/5/16/17362712/white-man-lawyer-threatens-spanish-speaking-workers-new-york-aaron-schlossberg

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In the video, an unidentified man can be seen yelling at the employees of a Fresh Kitchen in Manhattan, berating them for speaking Spanish to customers.

 

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“Your staff is speaking Spanish to customers when they should be speaking English,” he says to one employee in the video. “This is America.”

When other people inside the lunch spot laugh, the man threatens to call ICE, which has the power to detain and deport undocumented immigrants. It’s important to note that there’s no apparent reason for him to think that the workers are in the country illegally except for their race.

“My guess is they’re not documented, so my next call is to ICE to have each one of them kicked out of my country,” he says. “They have the balls to come here and live off of my money? I pay for their welfare; I pay for their ability to be here. The least they could do, the least they could do is speak English.”

 

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“What a big man talking down to couple of women and a helpless employee. I wish someone tells me I can’t speak in my native language!” Suazo wrote in a Facebook post. “First of all they wasn’t talking to you!”

Yeah, he sounds like a real Republican tough guy.

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Other users have uploaded videos of Trump rallies where they say the attorney was present. According to the New York Daily News, Schlossberg is a registered Republican. 

Well I'm just shocked by this. Shocked I tells ya.

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The right of center Ozimek sounds like he's just about had it with the austrians, the gold bugs, the inflationista's, the CEO Business Clowntable "skills gap" crowd, and the asset mispricing concern trolls.

Can't say I disagree.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/modeledbehavior/2018/05/04/stop-betting-against-american-workers/

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The unemployment rate today fell to 3.9%, reaching it's lowest point since 2000. Crossing the 4% barrier should mark a moment of reflection for those who pay attention to the economy and the labor market. The fact of the matter is people have been underestimating American workers for nearly a decade now. It's time for the pessimists to step back, admit they were wrong, and try on some optimism for once.

 

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For years, we have heard how people who lost their jobs in the Great Recession weren't coming back to work. They were playing videogames, living in their parents basements, addicted to drugs, didn't have the right skills, unwilling to move to where the jobs were, and had zero marginal productivity. These negative judgments of American workers were pointed to as excuses for why the labor market was basically back to full-employment despite a high unemployment rate and low employment to population ratio. In this view, the Fed might as well start raising rates to head off the inevitable inflation. Give up on those workers who haven't found a job yet, they are hopeless.

 

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Inflation is firming up, but is just now reaching the Fed's target after years of undershooting. And job growth is still going strong. The case for continued labor market slack is certainly harder today than it was a year ago, but given all of these facts there is still a very reasonable case to be made. Given the asymmetric costs, and given the consistent forecast errors on the side of being too pessimistic, the Fed and commentators everywhere should be more optimistic and consider that we have more room to improve.

 

[butterbumps!]

13 hours ago, Yukle said:

Not really, he was contradictory in the campaign trail. For instance, he was both for and against abortion, for and against compulsory vaccines and so on. He had consistent thematic aspects to his campaign, absolutely, but not really consistent policies.

Oh I understand that.  He contradicted himself constantly, including what you mention above.  But he was fairly consistent on the economic populism points I mentioned earlier.   To be clear, his campaign messages were usually as follows: he'd express outrage over some issue, say, the loss of mining or opioids or lack of healthcare, tell them that he alone can fix it, and promised some vague, unspecified populist outcomes, like healthcare for everyone.  The promised outcomes resembled the underpants gnome model of policy-making more than actual policies, and required voters to be pretty credulous to believe he'd actually accomplish any of these things.  But he did campaign on economic populism as a fairly consistent platform.  Completely unbaked and ludicrously underdeveloped as it was policy-wise.

I think recognizing the economic populism as a fairly consistent campaign position is notable for a couple of reasons, and why I commented.   For one, it's notable that Trump was pretty consistent about economic populism in light of people like McBigski pulling the lever for him.  In the case of "normal" solid republicans (which I interpreted mcBigski as being, at least in terms of fiscal conservatism), Trump promised the complete opposite of what these voters purport to want.  Trump was allegedly going to tax the wealthy and spend on all these "forgotten people," and invest in the country more generally (there was talk of infrastructure as well during the campaign).  I guess that for many fiscal conservatives, they saw his lack of developing actual policies as a sign that the populism was performative, and took a gamble that he would just follow whatever the heavily repug Congress put in front of him?

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And sure, he did mention other campaign issues consistently, such as the opioids or mining, but he's also done precisely nothing about those matters. Which, I can't help but notice, his sheep don't seem to care about. He also doubled-down on Afghanistan and Syria despite promises to the contrary.

If you ever listen to his speeches or read a transcript of what he says verbatim, he doesn't really say anything coherently at all.

There absolutely wasn't anything he said that says mcbigski can claim credit for voting for him based on what they've written, as they've just decided that the things they like are, retrospectively, what he must have meant all along.

Well that's the other reason I think noting that he was consistent about economic populism is important.  He did campaign on it, and has produced circumstance that are even worse for the people he purported to help by supporting policies antithetical to what he promised.  He and his administration have taken a very hard turn toward fiscal conservatism, and getting rid of things like worker protection and consumer protection.  I think a lot of his supporters-- probably the majority-- just don't realize (or believe) he's done these things- I can't imagine Fox News covering it.  I'm kind of really interested in how that message gets hammered over and over to them.  Idk if it's possible in the news consumption patterns without some major financial catastrophe that makes these people snap out of it.

I think it takes a real gem of a person to vote for Trump.  But I think some fiscal conservatives (who were ok to go along with bigotry, I'll add) took a gamble based on how unbaked the economic populism was, calculated that Congress would be leading the financial/ judiciary appointments, and voted based on that, even though his message was consistently antithetical to it (at least on economics).  I'm not sure that mcBigski really falls into that category, though-- it looked like he has some Hillary issues that eclipsed anything else. 

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

15 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

           

You’re out of control Birdie. Clearly the ramifications of you being drunk on power over the like button are your violent delights.

In all seriousness, yesterday was a perfect example of why it’s so hard for everyday people to follow what’s happening. There were like a half dozen major news stories, and I’d be surprised if most people thought deeply about two of them. This effect is what’s in part enabling Trump to get away with so much.

[Zorral]

An excellent explanation, description and summary of the investigation into Russia meddling and influence on the 2016 election, in the NY Times -- despite the Times having contributed to the confusion starting back in 2016 too -- which, of course, at this point, they acknowledge (without ever acknowledging how much they contributed to the "consider no one else except Hillary, it's hers, choice as candidate and then making the mess worse by almost immediately going back to focusing entirely on the accusations, etc. that have plagued her, well, forever):

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-fbi-mueller-investigation.html?

In the meantime there's so much smoke generated by the dumpster's people and the Russians that, indeed, the entire system and structure of the USA is dying of inhalation and suffocation.

[Martell Spy]

37 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

You’re out of control Birdie. Clearly the ramifications of you being drunk on power over the like button are your violent delights.

In all seriousness, yesterday was a perfect example of why it’s so hard for everyday people to follow what’s happening. There were like a half dozen major news stories, and I’d be surprised if most people thought deeply about two of them. This effect is what’s in part enabling Trump to get away with so much.

And now the Trump camp demands that Mueller finish the investigation quickly, after setting off a million scandals and crimes.

[Zorral]

31 minutes ago, Martell Spy said:

And now the Trump camp demands that Mueller finish the investigation quickly, after setting off a million scandals and crimes.

As captioned in the New York Magazine, the actions and behaviors of Trump and his crowd consist of a "bottomless pit" of criminality, corruption and "sleaze."

[Fragile Bird]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

You’re out of control Birdie. Clearly the ramifications of you being drunk on power over the like button are your violent delights.

In all seriousness, yesterday was a perfect example of why it’s so hard for everyday people to follow what’s happening. There were like a half dozen major news stories, and I’d be surprised if most people thought deeply about two of them. This effect is what’s in part enabling Trump to get away with so much.

One whiplash per offense, of course!

A number of threads ago I swore my next thread title would be Just Another Slow News Day.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

35 minutes ago, Martell Spy said:

And now the Trump camp demands that Mueller finish the investigation quickly, after setting off a million scandals and crimes.

It’s funny how differently people view crime. My father is a retired lawyer, and he told me in my teens that it’s OK to commit crimes, but just make sure to only commit one at a time. It’s easier to get off that way. He wasn’t wrong. And yet at the same time I’ve heard major crime lords say that the best tactic is to commit as many crimes as possible to mask the major ones. These people tend to be mobsters, and there’s a plethora of evidence to suggest that Trump has mob connections. With these types, part of the reason to commit so many crimes is to implicate those who surround you, making it less likely that they’ll sing. Seems to me that Trump is absolutely in the latter camp of thought. And with that, here are so of his delusional rage tweets:

 

 

[Bonnot OG]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/05/16/trump-immigrants-animals-mexico-democrats-sanctuary-cities/617252002/

 

words that help set the tone for ethnic cleansing.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

27 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

One whiplash per offense, of course!

I just assumed the first one was for me and the rest were you whipping yourself, because that’s your kink. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

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A number of threads ago I swore my next thread title would be Just Another Slow News Day.

You did. It almost feels like it’s time for a thread dedicated to thread titles that were lost to the void.

[Darth Richard II]

Evil is as Evil does.

[Mexal]

Big Buzzfeed investigative article came out today about Trump's attempt to build his Trump Tower in Moscow during his 2016 campaign, which clearly puts to bed the lies that "I HAVE NO DEALS AND NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA". This isn't something we didn't already know from various other articles, but this provides a ton more detail using multiple sources and makes it clear that this attempt didn't stop when they said it stopped. Worth a read.

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All through the hot summer campaign of 2016, as Donald Trump and his aides dismissed talk of unseemly ties to Moscow, two of his key business partners were working furiously on a secret track: negotiations to build what would have been the tallest building in Europe and an icon of the Trump empire — the Trump World Tower Moscow.

Talks to construct the 100-story building continued even as the presidential candidate alternately bragged about his relationship with Vladimir Putin and rejected suggestions of Russian influence, and as Russian agents worked to sway US public opinion on Trump’s behalf.

While fragments of the Trump Moscow venture have trickled out — most recently in a report last night by Yahoo News — this is the definitive story of the Moscow tower, told from a trove of emails, text messages, congressional testimony, architectural renderings, and other documents obtained exclusively by BuzzFeed News, as well as interviews with key players and investigators. The documents reveal a detailed and plausible plan, well-connected Russian counterparts, and an effort that extended from spearfishing with a Russian developer on a private island to planning for a mid-campaign trip to Moscow for the presidential candidate himself.

The tower — a sheer, glass-encased obelisk situated on a river — would have soared above every other building in Moscow, the architectural drawings show. And the sharply angled skyscraper would have climaxed in a diamond-shaped pinnacle emblazoned with the word “Trump,” putting his name atop the continent’s tallest structure.

Michael Cohen, the president’s embattled personal fixer, and Felix Sater, who helped negotiate deals around the world for Trump, led the effort. Working quietly behind the scenes, they tried to arrange a sit-down between Trump and Putin, the documents show. Those efforts ultimately fizzled. But the audacious venture has been a keen focus of federal investigators trying to determine if the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin.

 

[Bonnot OG]

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/05/watch-racist-nyc-lawyer-tries-hide-umbrella-flees-reporters-outside-home/

 

lol hes scared now and trying to play victim. Called the cops for help too.

hes also not allowed back at his office building lol.

 

oh and theres gonna be a party outside his office where Mexican food will be served and mariachi music played.

[TheKitttenGuard]

29 minutes ago, Sword of Doom said:

oh and theres gonna be a party outside his office where Mexican food will be served and mariachi music played.

Yeah

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He again threatened to call ICE and told her to, "Go back to Guatemala." Serrano is of Puerto Rican descent, born in New York. At that point she decided to call police. While on the phone to the dispatcher, the man left, she said.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Man-Threatens-to-Call-ICE-When-He-Hears-Workers-Speaking-Spanish-in-Midtown-Sandwich-Shop--482824731.html

Though some enjoy the sentiment, I find it odd anything because people are speaking Spanish it is something Mexican.

[Week]

Real consequences of Right-Wing conspiracy theories -

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/witnesses-vegas-shooter-ranted-about-govt-gun-grabbing-plot.html

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The man said in their conversations Paddock ranted about a popular right-wing conspiracy theory that claims FEMA’s actions after Hurricane Katrina were “a dry run for law enforcement and military to start kickin’ down doors and … confiscating guns.”

“Somebody has to wake up the American public and get them to arm themselves,” Paddock said, according to the man. “Sometimes sacrifices have to be made.”

 

[Zorral]

2 hours ago, Sword of Doom said:

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/05/watch-racist-nyc-lawyer-tries-hide-umbrella-flees-reporters-outside-home/

 

lol hes scared now and trying to play victim. Called the cops for help too.

hes also not allowed back at his office building lol.

 

oh and theres gonna be a party outside his office where Mexican food will be served and mariachi music played.

There should be Mexican wrestlers too, slammin' in their masks and costumes to Heavy Metal! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[Martell Spy]

1 hour ago, Week said:

Real consequences of Right-Wing conspiracy theories -

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/witnesses-vegas-shooter-ranted-about-govt-gun-grabbing-plot.html

 

Clearly a crisis actor.

[Martell Spy]

Help yourself, you deserve it Kush. 

Report: Kushners and Qatari-Linked Company Near Deal for NYC Tower

https://www.thedailybeast.com/report-kushners-and-qatari-linked-company-near-deal-for-nyc-tower?ref=home

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The real estate company owned by White House advisor Jared Kushner’s family is close to “receiving a bailout” for their troubled 666 Fifth Avenue tower in New York City from a company with ties to the Qatari government, according to The New York Times. Jared’s father, Charles Kushner, is reportedly in “advanced talks” with Brookfield Properties—a Canadian company whose second-largest shareholder is the Qatar Investment Authority—over “a partnership to take control” of the property. 

 

[Mexal]