The DON / redux

[RCHeliGuy]

Personally I've never cared what happens behind closed doors. The Prime Minister of France has frequently had a mistress over the years. The bottom line is that the people who seek power tend toward a certain type of behavior as we have seen by countless people in high places. JFK, Newt Gingrich, etc.. etc.. etc.. I don't care about that, UNLESS they are hypocrits and very outspoken about family values and don't practice what they preach.

 

[timm]

Newt Gingrich??? Newt Gingrich???? hahaha.... Right... we don't care if men in power use it to take advantage.... I just find that funny Bill Clinton, JFK, Newt Gingrich.... Which one doesn't belong?

 

[timm]

I thought the so-called "Tea Party" folks had staked out the "True Conservatives" territory (at least in their minds). Are these folks not front and center supporting The Donald?

Also, I certainly hope you are not suggesting the race relations were pretty much OK until President Obama showed up -- because that would be, um, difficult to understand.

To me, it looks like Trump is seeking to exploiting every divisive thing he possible can, all for political advantage. He's a regular Karl Rove...

No -- race relations have always sucked... I just 'thought' things would get better considering we had somehow 'grown' as a country by electing the first black president... I thought race relations also might improve or were in fact improving since we were so less divided, bigoted, racist as a country.... I was wrong... and unfortunately feel that the opposite has occurred.... That they have gotten worse. Again, not because of Trump... Anger was there.... and wasn't generated via this guys 5 minutes in the spotlight most with 17 other candidates. This is years of anger.... and how can that be as we have just grown so much? Laughable.

The 'Tea Party' is a good example of the GOP and the split within don't you think? Since they refer to themselves as 'tea partyists' or whatever, they too have more or less moved away from whatever the GOP is..... I'm not really sure what we have anymore.... Democrat/Socialists....and something else...... But, what a clueless bunch on both sides of the aisle.... If they were so guided - and so on target, The Don would not be in the position he is in.... They figure improving their target is not by altering platform... but by trotting people out there that are of Cuban or Latin heritage.... I find that to be racist at the worst...disingenuous at best....

Edit: Do not move this to the positive thread... as I have been dragged down by the rest of you!!!

 

[Rich]

Today's Headline: "Trump calls to ban immigration from countries with proven history of terrorism."

Really? So I guess we'll be banning immigration from Ireland then, right? In fact, using this same logic, other countries should be banning immigration from the U.S. Because we've got a proven history of terrorism ourselves. Complex problems can't be fixed by simpletons with sound bite solutions.

 

[RCHeliGuy]

Newt Gingrich??? Newt Gingrich???? hahaha.... Right... we don't care if men in power use it to take advantage.... I just find that funny Bill Clinton, JFK, Newt Gingrich.... Which one doesn't belong?

Newt is a hypocrit. Cheated on at LEAST his first two wives and then ran on family values and came after Bill. Bill and JFK are of the same ilk. They just couldn't keep it in their pants. We've got a local GOP hypocrit who is one worse. He ran on family values and anti-abortion and not only cheated on his wife, but pressured his mistress into having an abortion.

So.. yes the Dem's cheated, but the Rep's didn't practice what they preach and cheated which I consider worse.

 

[timm]

Newt is a hypocrit. Cheated on at LEAST his first two wives and then ran on family values and came after Bill. Bill and JFK are of the same ilk. They just couldn't keep it in their pants. We've got a local GOP hypocrit who is one worse. He ran on family values and anti-abortion and not only cheated on his wife, but pressured his mistress into having an abortion.

So.. yes the Dem's cheated, but the Rep's didn't practice what they preach and cheated which I consider worse.

Haha... I believe you Mark.... I just look at that guy.... and yah.... I'd give JFK a 9 / Clinton an 8 / and Gingrich...a 4...... LOL.....

 

[GaryG]

Today's Headline: "Trump calls to ban immigration from countries with proven history of terrorism."

Really? So I guess we'll be banning immigration from Ireland then, right? In fact, using this same logic, other countries should be banning immigration from the U.S. Because we've got a proven history of terrorism ourselves. Complex problems can't be fixed by simpletons with sound bite solutions.

Rich, Trumps idea has historic precidence. Please look up executive order 12279 signed by Jimmy Carter in 1979. Banning Iranians and deporting many.

GaryG

 

[timm]

Rich, Trumps idea has historic precidence. Pleases look up executive order 12279 signed by Jimmy Carter in 1979. Banning Iranians and deporting many.

GaryG

So Gary... Trump and Carter must agree on this issue.... .

 

[Rich]

Rich, Trumps idea has historic precidence. Please look up executive order 12279 signed by Jimmy Carter in 1979. Banning Iranians and deporting many.

GaryG

Gary, with all due respect, you are wasting my time and damaging your own credibility. Executive Order 12279 dealt SOLELY with economic sanctions. You can read it for yourself right here:

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12279.html

Perhaps there is some other Executive Order you meant to refer to. Regardless, this claim of similarity in Carter's measures against Iran and Trump's proposed immigration policies has been pretty well debunked by Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/jimmy-carter-banned-iranian-immigrants/

And, just for good measure, here's another well-written article describing the differences between what Carter did and what Trump is proposing: http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/politi...anians-was-not-the-same-as-trumps-muslim-ban/

 

[Kevin]

Complex problems can't be fixed by simpletons with sound bite solutions.

Which is what we have had for over 7 years now.

 

[Rich]

Which is what we have had for over 7 years now.

He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and was a research assistant to Laurence Tribe, one of the premier constitutional scholars in our country. You may disagree with his politics or leadership style, but you cannot, with any credibility, call Obama a simpleton.

 

[RCHeliGuy]

He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and was a research assistant to Laurence Tribe, one of the premier constitutional scholars in our country. You may disagree with his politics or leadership style, but you cannot, with any credibility, call Obama a simpleton.

Obama is very intelligent, well spoken and has a great education. It always surprises me when people tear him down for ability.

You may not like what he stands for and what he has done while he is in office, or what he has been able to get accomplished if you wanted him to go further, but he has been the embodiment of an intelligent, dignified president. It's hard to tell what might have happened over the last 7 years if we didn't have the equivalent of a feud between the Hatfields and McCoys going on in congress.

 

[Kevin]

Someone who is highly educated can't be a simpleton? They absolutely can be. Anyone who when asked about the advancement of ISIS, with all the destruction, torture, and killing of innocents that they were doing, who could possibly answer back that they joke around about their being a JV team, is a simpleton. How about trying to sell Obamacare as a means of bringing down health care premiums? But you might be right, perhaps Obama is not the simpleton, perhaps he just took advantage of his supporters being the simpletons. Isn't that what Jonathan Gruber basically said they did?

 

[RCHeliGuy]

We aren't going to agree on what progress has been made, so I'll move on.

A growing consensus is that the GOP leaders actually want Hillary to win, but can't say that publicly.

And these from staunch Republicans in my FB feed who are fed up.

"I got a call yesterday from someone at the RNC requesting my "continued" support for Donald Trump. I really enjoyed the opportunity to let loose on someone who doesn't believe in political correctness. I hope they continue to call back. Yesterday I just came up with my standard answer that I would vote for a three legged dog with mange before I'd vote for Donald Trump. But, with practice, I think I could become much more creative. And I'd get to yell and be abusive! Trump supporters believe in that. They even think that being louder means you're smarter. How cathartic!"

"Next time, tell them "If Trump was drowning in a river and I had a rope, I'd throw him both ends." They love it when you say that! "

FYI, that last one came from a guy who has been tearing down Obama for the last 7 years. He voted for Kasich the primaries and is really ****ed off about Trump winning the nomination.

The first is voting for Hillary, the second is not going to vote for the first time since has been of voting age. ( FYI, their ages are early 60's and late 50's )



Trumps numbers are eroding fast right now and more GOP candidates are distancing themselves from him and making statements condemning him.

 

[Gordon Gray]

perhaps he just took advantage of his supporters being the simpletons.

Just about says it all.

 

[Kevin]

You can argue that with Gruber, he's the one who said it, but instead of simpleton I think he called the supporters "stupid". But honestly, if I said auto insurance rates are too high, and I can fix it by allowing kids to stay covered under their parents plan until they are 26, you can have pre-existing damage covered for an accident or other loss that has already occurred prior to taking out the insurance, we will make the auto insurance industry pay for even additional coverages and if someone can't afford their coverage we will provide them with subsidies..... we can do all that and still save the typical American family $1000 off their auto insurance premiums, who could honestly believe that to be true except a simpleton? For sure it would take a simpleton to sell it as being able to do just that.

 

[slowGEEZR]

...and yet, Obamacare is a success.

 

[Kevin]

...and yet, Obamacare is a success.

I guess that depends upon what barometers you use to define success. It also would depend upon whether you are an individual that now has affordable care due to subsidies, or perhaps has coverage now when they couldn't get it before due to illness, or whether you're one of those that had their plan dropped and are now paying a much higher premium with a much higher deductible. Of the 24 original co-ops created to reduce the uninsured, only 11 now remain, with some of those still expected to drop out. The premium increases being proposed for 2017, to help the remaining co-ops stay viable, are quite high in many states. I am not sure I would define that as success, but I understand that is using the barometers I would measure it by.

 

[RCHeliGuy]

Obamacare is a tough call. I know people who it helped and those it didn't.

More people are now insured.
People with pre-existing conditions can now get insured reasonably.
People who are lower income get subsidies making it more affordable.
Some people had their rates drop substantially.

Others lost their plans or had their insurer pull out.
Some have had their rates go up substantially.

I have a friend who is self employed and whose wife is chronically ill. He makes a very good income and his rates dropped because he was previously paying extortion rates because of his wife's condition.
I know other people who have said their rates dropped.
I've also heard a few accounts of rates going up very substantially.

My Mom was one of the people this would have helped. She had breast cancer when she was in her early 40's. A small lump was removed. She had treatment and until she died 30+ years later she never had cancer again.
She was told after she was clear 8 years her rates would drop, then it was 12, 15 and basically ended up as never. So my parents could only afford for a bare minimum catastrophic plan for her until she went on Medicare.

Obamacare is not remotely perfect and has lots of room for improvement, but instead Congress made over 60 attempts to repeal it rather then beating it into shape. What a waste of time and tax payer money!

The pragmatic approach that would be best for the country is to improve it, but because of partisan politics Congress made ZERO progress in this regard and the country has suffered for that.

 

[Gordon Gray]

The latest. It just keeps getting better.

DT accuses American soldiers responsible for giving money to the Iraqi military to assist in the war effort of stealing funding or skimming off the top. I'm glad he likes our military as much as he professes to support.

I think the DON is going to need both feet replaced / transplanted given the number of times he has shot himself in the foot. Can't be much left at this point. And its only mid-June.