Political Roundtable Part XIX

[Pointgod]

Jesus SD20 is so delusional it's pathetic. How does it feel to have your saviour Trump endorse another loser?

[cammac]

The Trumpster had 2 visits and Pence 1 they blew over $10 Million.
They brought in steel & aluminum tariffs.
The Unintelligent Committee tried to clear Trumpster
Not enough.
Was it a huge victory Yes in the case it reversed a 20 point spread but No because it was razor thin.
Plus win should expand with 6951 absentee ballots.
Congratulations Conor Lamb
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/378117-pennsylvania-special-election-live-results
https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/pennsylvania/special-election/mar-13/?lo=ap_d1

I was curious how faux news was spinning this, and it's the usual narrative when an R loses:
- The Republican adopted the Trump platform too late
- The Democrat actually is a moderate Republican and moved to the right
- The Republican is a RINO

same ish, different day. But if this is truly a referendum....cotdamn. The country is rejecting Trump bigly.

amazing race. 517 vote difference with 100% in only about 1800 absentee votes to count tomorrow morning. wow! saccone will need to take 80-85% of the remaining absentee votes to win. So Lamb has essentially won.

if Saccone is a RINO. Lamb is a DINO. Lamb essentially ran on the trump platform minus the wall. so this is hardly the country rejecting trump. basically 2 republicans garnered 99% of the vote.

Yadda Yadda Yadda
Fox talking points!
Lamb doesn't believe in abortion and would not change current law.
Lamb is pro union Repuganant's right to work.
Lamb believes in 2nd Amendment but for reasonable firearms Note: NRA gave $$$ to Saccone!
He definitely isn't a Republican at worst he is a independent that favors the Democratic Party.
Why are you looking for excuses? Trump got his ass whipped turned a 19%+ Repugnant advantage into a razor thin Democratic win.

[stilldropin20]

I was curious how faux news was spinning this, and it's the usual narrative when an R loses:
- The Republican adopted the Trump platform too late
- The Democrat actually is a moderate Republican and moved to the right
- The Republican is a RINO

same ish, different day. But if this is truly a referendum....cotdamn. The country is rejecting Trump bigly.

amazing race. 517 vote difference with 100% in only about 1800 absentee votes to count tomorrow morning. wow! saccone will need to take 80-85% of the remaining absentee votes to win. So Lamb has essentially won.

if Saccone is a RINO. Lamb is a DINO. Lamb essentially ran on the trump platform minus the wall. so this is hardly the country rejecting trump. basically 2 republicans garnered 99% of the vote.

Yadda Yadda Yadda
Fox talking points!
Lamb doesn't believe in abortion and would not change current law.
Lamb is pro union Repuganant's right to work.
Lamb believes in 2nd Amendment but for reasonable firearms Note: NRA gave $$$ to Saccone!
He definitely isn't a Republican at worst he is a independent that favors the Democratic Party.
Why are you looking for excuses? Trump got his ass whipped turned a 19%+ Repugnant advantage into a razor thin Democratic win.

omg you guys!!! have you seen this?? you HAVE to see this.

Watch on YouTube

[Wizardspride]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[cammac]

The Repugnants shaking in there boots already!
This is a district that about $11 million was poured in to win by Ryan, NRA & Super Pacs and visits by every low wig the Party could offer.

"I think most Republicans realize we're running into a very serious headwind, a hurricane-force wind," Dent said. "It's coming, and we have to be ready for it. Some of our members in the marginal districts, the swing districts, are better prepared for these fights frankly then some members in safer seats."

Dent went on to warn his fellow Republicans in traditionally-red districts that Lamb's success means they are just as vulnerable as GOP members in swing districts.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/378311-pennsylvania-republican-gop-running-into-hurricane-force-headwinds

[TGW]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Yea, he's a typical establishment left candidate. Your "normal" Democrat in this day and age. He panders to different groups, and will undoubtedly be a yes-vote for the deep state and war machine. Eh whatever. Sacconne is garbage, and Lamb is a little above that, but at least this pisses off Trump and his troll supporters so it makes me happy.

Trump is reviewing his list of excuses as we speak.

[bealwithit]

This spin that Lamb ran on a Republican platform is plain sad.

Is the modern Republican platform consisting of supporting the ACA, being against tax cuts, social security and medicare cuts, and pro-abortion rights? No. Supporting any of these things, besides maybe the social security and medicare cuts, would get a Republican candidate laughed out of a primary.

[TGW]

This spin that Lamb ran on a Republican platform is plain sad.

Is the modern Republican platform consisting of supporting the ACA, being against tax cuts, social security and medicare cuts, and pro-abortion rights? No. Supporting any of these things, besides maybe the social security and medicare cuts, would get a Republican candidate laughed out of a primary.

Yep, he's also pro-union, and SLAMMED Trump's tax cuts (he did slam Nancy Pelosi too, so I give him kudos on that).

[Wizardspride]

Read on Twitter

[cammac]

Just read 538 on PA18 how they look at numbers!

Finally, Pennsylvania 18 was yet another example of a Democratic turnout advantage — the telltale sign of an enthusiasm gap — helping the party do better than expected in special elections. The number of votes Lamb received was 80 percent of the number of votes Clinton received in this district in 2016 — but Saccone got just 53 percent of the number of votes Trump got. Anecdotally, turnout was also much higher in Democratic precincts than it was in Republican precincts. But, crucially for Democrats, the results hinted that maybe that Democratic turnout advantage is transferable to the higher-turnout environment of a midterm election. The 228,177 votes cast in the special election exceeded the 214,912 votes the 18th District cast in Pennsylvania’s 2014 gubernatorial election. In other words, turnout on Tuesday was even higher than it was in the last midterm

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/pennsylvania-18-district-lamb-results/

[cammac]

Even Gowdy who SD20 wants to be AG disagrees with the Repugnant Unintelligent Report about Russian interference.

Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina said that the evidence gathered by the committee clearly showed Russia's disdain for Trump's rival, Hillary Clinton, and was "motivated in whole or in part by a desire to harm her candidacy or undermine her Presidency had she prevailed."

A source familiar with Gowdy's thinking said the congressman believes there's no difference between opposing Clinton and backing Trump in what had become, effectively, a two-person race. The source added that Gowdy "disagrees with the conclusion" that the intelligence agencies got it wrong.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/14/1748905/-Trey-Gowdy-admits-that-the-Republican-House-Intelligence-report-is-fundamentally-wrong

[cammac]

In the "Let Them Eat Cake" category HUD. Secretary Carson lied about the 31K dining room set.
The person who suffered was a Civil Servant doing her job and getting demoted'

An August email from a career administration staffer, with the subject line "Secretary's dining room set needed," to Carson's assistant refers to "printouts of the furniture the Secretary and Mrs. Carson picked out." [...]

Confronted Tuesday with the discrepancy between his past comments and the internal emails, Williams offered only this explanation: "When presented with options by professional staff, Mrs. Carson participated in the selection of specific styles."

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/14/1748912/-Emails-show-Ben-Carson-and-his-wife-chose-the-31-000-dining-set-he-denied-knowing-about

[cammac]

Under the "montestewart category" of "when is there a armed teacher when you need one".
Maybe we need "how to arm students when you need one" category.

The LA Times is reporting on this incident, which happened yesterday in Seaside High School in Monterey County California. This teacher brought a firearm to school to give a lecture on “Public Safety Awareness”. This teacher serves as a reserve police officer in Sand City California, so they fit the Trump definition of “certain highly adept people, people that understand weaponry, guns — if they really have that aptitude. “

The teacher “inadvertently” fired the gun into the ceiling of the classroom. The bullet went through the ceiling. “A student hit by bullet fragments or ceiling debris sustained a minor neck injury.” Maybe Trump should work on “hardening” school ceilings and walls.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/14/1748919/-Teacher-Carelessly-Fires-Handgun-in-Monterey-County-High-School-Injures-Students

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

My issue with this is that Theresa May is using terms like 'likely', the other European allies are lukewarm on this, and according to OPCW, you need to have the accused country participate in investigating this.

I fully support Corbyn's approach: tough questions for a government mired in Russian money and asking for evidence, due process and reliance on existing multilateral agencies inc OPCW.

Its an approach consistent with exactly the approach that could have stopped the Iraq war; and indeed deterred Russia in 2018 - which May's party, reliant on Putin's allies for cash, have failed to do.

[FAH1223]

Read on Twitter

[montestewart]

Under the "montestewart category" of "when is there a armed teacher when you need one".
Maybe we need "how to arm students when you need one" category.

The LA Times is reporting on this incident, which happened yesterday in Seaside High School in Monterey County California. This teacher brought a firearm to school to give a lecture on “Public Safety Awareness”. This teacher serves as a reserve police officer in Sand City California, so they fit the Trump definition of “certain highly adept people, people that understand weaponry, guns — if they really have that aptitude. “

The teacher “inadvertently” fired the gun into the ceiling of the classroom. The bullet went through the ceiling. “A student hit by bullet fragments or ceiling debris sustained a minor neck injury.” Maybe Trump should work on “hardening” school ceilings and walls.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/14/1748919/-Teacher-Carelessly-Fires-Handgun-in-Monterey-County-High-School-Injures-Students

Yeah Trump will build new school walls. Apparently, he prefers see through walls, especially around the girls locker room.

Hey, how come those Duck Dynasty guys don't object to Trump's condemnation of The Swamp?

[cammac]

I do read Alt Right BS and at times you do find unexpected gems.
We know that the MAGA tax plan was to grow the GDP and nothing grows the GDP more than retail sales + housing. But on retail sales have dropped for the last 3 months.

Consumer spending, which accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, appears to have slowed at the start of the year after accelerating at a 3.8 percent annualized rate in the fourth quarter

https://www.newsmax.com/economy/retail-sales-month/2018/03/14/id/848558/

[I_Like_Dirt]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

This is just so predictable, though. Putin and Medvedev basically admitted that Medvedev's presidency was an attempt to try things the new (American) way and decided that the returns simply weren't worth it and they felt they weren't achieving their place in the world and basically openly switched tracks to return to more old school methods. And given the results, it's hard to argue they're wrong. These assassinations are clearly Russia. They make it super obvious for everyone so everyone knows, but then they deny it in a classic Shaggy defense and enough people buy it that it sows political division and there are no repercussions against them. Putin has been very open about his belief that whoever controls AI will control the future. And thanks to his strategy, enough Americans have bought it, or are willing to allow it for other priorities.

And I would disagree with characterizing this as an issue Republicans need to wake up to, but while it is that, it's much more than that. It's one Democrats need to wake up to. The whole "at least we're not Trump!" is all well and good, but the pendulum is going to swing back Democrat at some point (given recent events, probably sooner than later) and then what? What is the actual plan to stop all this nonsense and then come out ahead? From the looks of it, Democrats are going to go to back on racism issues first, and that makes sense, but that also allows for an amazing opportunity for Russia. Heck, even if Democrats go the fiscally responsible route, that's loaded with danger right now, because the idea of tightening one's belt or paying more taxes tends to make lots of people unhappy, and that's a situation that causes all sorts of opportunities for Russia to sow more division and cause further chaos.

And this isn't even just an American problem. Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, these places aren't immune to the issues America is presently facing, they just aren't suffering quite to the same degree at the moment. This is something Democrats need to have started thinking about quite some time ago, and I'm not so sure they have been.

What is Russia's end game? They neuter the powers that would have normally kept them in line. It's clear that Trump is going to enable them at this point. Now he's proving that Europe is powerless to stop them without America at their side. How do you deal with a shrinking population and a country that nobody wants to move to thanks to a rather toxic political environment? Expand. If Britain only expels a few diplomats for killing British citizens on British soil, what are they realistically going to do if Russia starts killing non-British citizens on non-British soil? All the former soviet states and places like Sweden, Norway, Poland, etc. have to be more than a little concerned at this point. They took Crimea and nobody stopped them. Now Putin has succeeded in creating an environment even more conducive to Russian expansionism, should he choose to attempt it.

[cammac]

These were the points that John Favreau a Obama speech writer made about the Lamb victory!
Conor Lamb campaigned:
1. For universal health care
2. Against Trump’s tax cut
3. For expanded background checks
4. For stronger unions
5. Against cuts to Social Security
6. For a woman’s right to choose
7. For medical marijuana

“Conservative Democrat.” Ok. Cool

[Pointgod]

These were the points that John Favreau a Obama speech writer made about the Lamb victory!
Conor Lamb campaigned:
1. For universal health care
2. Against Trump’s tax cut
3. For expanded background checks
4. For stronger unions
5. Against cuts to Social Security
6. For a woman’s right to choose
7. For medical marijuana

“Conservative Democrat.” Ok. Cool

You a friend of the pod canmac?