Political Roundtable Part XIX

[Badonkadonk]

That's quite a rant.

Before I step back slowly, away from this thread, the only bit of context I will give you is that your "democrat" vs. "republican" lens is irrelevant to those outside the US. Truth be told, the rest of the world can't really differentiate between administrations most of the time in terms of policy.

I was merely pointing out to you what an isolationist approach would mean for your country. It's not about "choosing the US vs. China", it's about the economic ramifications of becoming a global hermit.

Anyways, the encouraging thing is that there seems to be high ranking members of both parties who are not blind to these basic rules. Maybe somebody will crack through his ego and talk some sense into him.

[stilldropin20]

That's quite a rant.

Before I step back slowly, away from this thread, the only bit of context I will give you is that your "democrat" vs. "republican" lens is irrelevant to those outside the US. Truth be told, the rest of the world can't really differentiate between administrations most of the time in terms of policy.

I was merely pointing out to you what an isolationist approach would mean for your country. It's not about "choosing the US vs. China", it's about the economic ramifications of becoming a global hermit.

Anyways, the encouraging thing is that there seems to be high ranking members of both parties who are not blind to these basic rules. Maybe somebody will crack through his ego and talk some sense into him.

My God when will the children ever understand???? its just a negotiation.

Trump could have left this alone. he could leave mexico alone. he could leave the wall alone. illegal immigration alone. he could leave china alone. he could leave North korea alone. And the media, and the pundits and the left would leave him alone on these topics for leaving them alone. ever ask yourself why????? or are you just another canadian? here to tell americans how, when and why to implement our foreign policy?? Trump could have left all of this alone and just stuck with the real issues we face as a country...like mueller, stormy, putin, and syria.

good God. it's called a negotiation. Look it up. Bluffing is part of negotiating. and its easier to negotiate and get your way when you are already holding most of the chips. The USA is still holding the overwhelming lions share of the chips. its time we get back to negotiating accordingly so. Sorry not sorry to the rest of the world.

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[cammac]

Hypocrisy thy name is Trump!

President Donald Trump has recently ramped up his attacks against Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos for not paying enough in local and state taxes. While there are plenty of problems with the president’s criticism, it looks as if hypocrisy might be a new one.

Amazon collects taxes in 45 states, but the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the president’s own online store—which offers an array of Trump-branded items including Trump wine glasses, baseball caps, and golf accessories—pays local taxes in only two states, Florida and Louisiana. Though the web store claims it is headquartered in Trump Tower in New York City, it doesn’t appear to pay New York state taxes either.

ust like Donald Trump’s mass-produced cheap clothing, Ivanka Trump’s fashion line is completely manufactured in China. Now, Trump officials swear that there was a carefully thought-out “algorithm" to determine who would get tariffs in order to have the “lowest impact" on Americans. Therefore, logically, we have a massive trade war over material being used to build everything from buildings, machines, roads, and cars. But tacky shoes? Thank goodness--you’re fine.

I’m certain the only math Trump used in that algorithm had to deal with Ivanka's measurements. (Sorry, but he really does fetishize his daughter. And this is another example of how his issues impact all of us.)

On a completely unrelated note, China happened to approve several new trademarks for Ivanka Trump’s fashion line the exact same day she had dinner with President Xi Jinping in her official capacity as White House advisor.

Perish the thought she’d ever use her offical capacity to help her business. She would never do that, except when she does. All the time. Like when she was hit with a copyright lawsuit alleging she stole a shoe design. A Trump lawyer essentially argued she couldn’t be sued as a “high-ranking government official”. She also used her position to avoid comment on labor violations in her sweat shop factories.

This kind of thing you’d expect from a third-world, corrupt dictatorship, which this administration is looking more like every day. (And thanks for your complicitness, GOP. Those tax cuts for the wealthy were so worth our democracy.)

To all those auto workers who are facing layoffs because of Trump’s ridiculous and universally-panned tariffs on steel and aluminium, I’m so sorry.

All I can say is it really sucks that Ivanka just didn’t own a car company.

[Pointgod]

That's quite a rant.

Before I step back slowly, away from this thread, the only bit of context I will give you is that your "democrat" vs. "republican" lens is irrelevant to those outside the US. Truth be told, the rest of the world can't really differentiate between administrations most of the time in terms of policy.

I was merely pointing out to you what an isolationist approach would mean for your country. It's not about "choosing the US vs. China", it's about the economic ramifications of becoming a global hermit.

Anyways, the encouraging thing is that there seems to be high ranking members of both parties who are not blind to these basic rules. Maybe somebody will crack through his ego and talk some sense into him.

you'll have to excuse SD20 he suffers from a severe case of being a dumbass. He'd like for Donald Trump bankrupt the US like his casinos.

[stilldropin20]

That's quite a rant.

Before I step back slowly, away from this thread, the only bit of context I will give you is that your "democrat" vs. "republican" lens is irrelevant to those outside the US. Truth be told, the rest of the world can't really differentiate between administrations most of the time in terms of policy.

I was merely pointing out to you what an isolationist approach would mean for your country. It's not about "choosing the US vs. China", it's about the economic ramifications of becoming a global hermit.

Anyways, the encouraging thing is that there seems to be high ranking members of both parties who are not blind to these basic rules. Maybe somebody will crack through his ego and talk some sense into him.

you'll have to excuse SD20 he suffers from a severe case of being a dumbass. He'd like for Donald Trump bankrupt the US like his casinos.

why do you care?? you are not a citizen of the USA. huh????

[stilldropin20]

Hypocrisy thy name is Trump!

President Donald Trump has recently ramped up his attacks against Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos for not paying enough in local and state taxes. While there are plenty of problems with the president’s criticism, it looks as if hypocrisy might be a new one.

Amazon collects taxes in 45 states, but the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the president’s own online store—which offers an array of Trump-branded items including Trump wine glasses, baseball caps, and golf accessories—pays local taxes in only two states, Florida and Louisiana. Though the web store claims it is headquartered in Trump Tower in New York City, it doesn’t appear to pay New York state taxes either.

ust like Donald Trump’s mass-produced cheap clothing, Ivanka Trump’s fashion line is completely manufactured in China. Now, Trump officials swear that there was a carefully thought-out “algorithm" to determine who would get tariffs in order to have the “lowest impact" on Americans. Therefore, logically, we have a massive trade war over material being used to build everything from buildings, machines, roads, and cars. But tacky shoes? Thank goodness--you’re fine.

I’m certain the only math Trump used in that algorithm had to deal with Ivanka's measurements. (Sorry, but he really does fetishize his daughter. And this is another example of how his issues impact all of us.)

On a completely unrelated note, China happened to approve several new trademarks for Ivanka Trump’s fashion line the exact same day she had dinner with President Xi Jinping in her official capacity as White House advisor.

Perish the thought she’d ever use her offical capacity to help her business. She would never do that, except when she does. All the time. Like when she was hit with a copyright lawsuit alleging she stole a shoe design. A Trump lawyer essentially argued she couldn’t be sued as a “high-ranking government official”. She also used her position to avoid comment on labor violations in her sweat shop factories.

This kind of thing you’d expect from a third-world, corrupt dictatorship, which this administration is looking more like every day. (And thanks for your complicitness, GOP. Those tax cuts for the wealthy were so worth our democracy.)

To all those auto workers who are facing layoffs because of Trump’s ridiculous and universally-panned tariffs on steel and aluminium, I’m so sorry.

All I can say is it really sucks that Ivanka just didn’t own a car company.

why do you care about trump? you are not a US citizen. huh??? Why????

[cammac]

Tweddle Dumb can't handle one Canuck now he has to face two.
LOL poor little spawn of drug dealers!

[cammac]

Tweddle Dumb can't handle one Canuck now he has to face two.
LOL poor little spawn of drug dealers!

[stilldropin20]

Tweddle Dumb can't handle one Canuck now he has to face two.
LOL poor little spawn of drug dealers!

yes. capitalists, dumbass!!

but asnswer the question. why do you care if trump fails? you want him to fail, no? And you fully believe his style of negotiation is doomed to fail, no?
or, are you just like the rest of them? scared he might succeed? scared "'merica" might begin the process of healing itself? He might rid the kingdom of it's serpents?

[dckingsfan]

http://www.wral.com/watch-out-ted-cruz-beto-is-coming-/17471106/

[cammac]

http://www.wral.com/watch-out-ted-cruz-beto-is-coming-/17471106/

Conor Lamb had a tougher row to hoe in PA18 than Beto has in Texas.
Cruz isn't that popular within the rank & file of the Republican party but will get Mega $ from the Koch's and Mercers of the world. But again Beto not taking PAC money is a plus because the $ he raises goes much farther in advertising than PAC money. Dckingfan is high on him so I believe he must have a chance. Trump again with his proposed trade war will hurt ranchers in Texas which may persuade Rural voters to stay away or vote for Beto. Morning Consult has Trump popularity in Texas down to 4%+ in March down from 7%+ January/February. If Beto can be strong in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso & Austin he has a real chance. The down ballot could also add 3 or 4 House seats. I said before think he will end up within 2 points either way.

[stilldropin20]

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[stilldropin20]

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with all this news you guys must have missed this one. not a word of any of this on CNN lol

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you may as well get back to stormy, putin, and collusion gate!!

one of your late night "hero" cry babies decided to pick a fight with hannity. idiot. big sean kickayourassis!!

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[stilldropin20]

Read on Twitter

[cammac]

The changing dynamics from 2016 to the midterms in 2018 is taking some unusual and alarming twists for the Republican Party.

Older, white, educated voters helped Donald Trump win the White House in 2016. Now, they are trending toward Democrats in such numbers that their ballots could tip the scales in tight congressional races from New Jersey to California, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll and a data analysis of competitive districts shows.

Nationwide, whites over the age of 60 with college degrees now favor Democrats over Republicans for Congress by a 2-point margin, according to Reuters/Ipsos opinion polling during the first three months of the year. During the same period in 2016, that same group favored Republicans for Congress by 10 percentage points.

The 12-point swing is one of the largest shifts in support toward Democrats that the Reuters/Ipsos poll has measured over the past two years. If that trend continues, Republicans will struggle to keep control of the House of Representatives, and possibly the Senate, in the November elections, potentially dooming President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda.

The potential impact of any swing to Democrats is magnified given that older, educated adults are reliable voters. They also make up a sizeable portion of the voting population in many districts where elections are close.

How they vote could decide elections in as many as 26 competitive congressional districts where Democrats have a shot at winning a seat. A Reuters analysis of U.S. Census data shows highly educated older voters make up about 5-10 percent of the population in those areas. Democrats need to pick up 24 seats to win control of the House of Representatives.

“The real core for the Republicans is white, older white, and if they’re losing ground there, they’re going to have a tsunami,” said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist who closely tracks political races. “If that continues to November, they’re toast.”

A interesting race will be the Special Election in Arizona 8th Congressional District. It pits Republican Debbie Lesko is a strong favorite over Democrat Hiral Tipirneni. This is Sheriff Joe territory and Trump won by over 20 points and Republicans have a 80,000 voter registration advantage in the district. While I think Tipirneni is by far the better of the two candidates if she can lose in a 10 to 12 point range it will be a major accomplishment.

[cammac]

Forbes has a article on the Trump Stock Market that he seems so proud of but in the 1st 444 days he ranks 6th behind both Obama and Clinton. So much for the braggadocios Spanky MacTrump and the market is very nervous and could get worse today.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/johndorfman/2017/10/30/trump-ranks-sixth-in-stock-market-performance-behind-obama-and-clinton/#3696763d6644

The CBO is releasing data that shows his deficits will be higher than Obama's. That is still likely low since it is still based on some unrealistic economic forecasts and without a potential trade war.

[quote]The new U.S. normal of $1 trillion or more annual federal budget deficits will officially begin this week when the Congressional Budget Office releases its economic and budget outlook report showing that the deficit will be at least that high every year Donald Trump is president.

Although there have been private sector projections for months (including my post from last October) that the government’s red ink will hit and exceed a trillion dollars for years to come, this will be the first report by Congress’s official budget watchdog since last year’s big tax cut and this year’s spending deal were enacted that will show the deficit rising precipitously and staying at that very high level through the next 10 years.

The official CBO projections are likely to be lower than the budget deficits that actually occur. CBO’s report is based on current law and makes no political judgements about what Congress and the president will do in the future. That means the deficit projections will be based on the presumption that the tax cuts enacted last year that currently phase out will in fact end. That means the CBO forecast will assume that future revenues will be higher and the deficit lower compared to what is likely to occur.

The same is true for spending. For this report, the Congressional Budget Office doesn’t presume that any of the reductions proposed in the Trump 2019 budget will be enacted. That will increase the deficit outlook compared to what the White House will say it will be.[quote]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/4/9/1755571/-CBO-Economic-Report-Trillion-Dollar-Budget-Deficits-Under-Trump-For-His-Entire-Presidency

[Zonkerbl]

That's quite a rant.

Before I step back slowly, away from this thread, the only bit of context I will give you is that your "democrat" vs. "republican" lens is irrelevant to those outside the US. Truth be told, the rest of the world can't really differentiate between administrations most of the time in terms of policy.

I was merely pointing out to you what an isolationist approach would mean for your country. It's not about "choosing the US vs. China", it's about the economic ramifications of becoming a global hermit.

Anyways, the encouraging thing is that there seems to be high ranking members of both parties who are not blind to these basic rules. Maybe somebody will crack through his ego and talk some sense into him.

Heh. Dude I'm not going to name any names *cough*SD20*cough* but some people in this thread are bat. ****. crazy.

Some advice - if reading someone's texts give you a massive headache it's probably safe to just stop reading and move on.

[JWizmentality]

That's quite a rant.

Before I step back slowly, away from this thread, the only bit of context I will give you is that your "democrat" vs. "republican" lens is irrelevant to those outside the US. Truth be told, the rest of the world can't really differentiate between administrations most of the time in terms of policy.

I was merely pointing out to you what an isolationist approach would mean for your country. It's not about "choosing the US vs. China", it's about the economic ramifications of becoming a global hermit.

Anyways, the encouraging thing is that there seems to be high ranking members of both parties who are not blind to these basic rules. Maybe somebody will crack through his ego and talk some sense into him.

SD20 is.....special.

Best not to take him seriously. He's a troll. But the comedic value is awesome.

[cammac]

While SD20 believes I don't care about the USA it is far from the truth. As I said I grew up in a small farming community in SW Ontario and saw the boom and the bust. Farmers are hard working and between climate change, low commodity prices and now Trumps uninformed tariff war many more farmers and there life style are threatened. Who will benefit is large corporate farms who will buy the land cheaply and replace the farmers with underpaid migrant labor. Rather farmers should be allowed for domestic production to sell product at a price that insures the stability of the family farm.

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Farmers and ranchers can’t afford a trade war
© Getty Images

When people in rural Kansas talk to me about a farm crisis or economic depression, they unfortunately aren’t talking about the dust bowl of the 1930s or farm credit crisis of the 1980s – they’re talking about the ongoing crisis in farm country today where low commodity prices and severe drought have pushed many agricultural producers to the edge of an economic cliff. America’s trade relationships are, now more than ever, tied to the success of rural America, and we must make certain we negotiate responsibly so that our farmers and ranchers can continue to make a living by feeding and clothing the world.

Farm commodity prices have hovered at or below the cost of production for nearly half a decade, wiping out farmers’ savings and forcing many producers to take on more debt to keep family operations alive. Each morning, my office posts daily commodity prices from across Kansas for visitors to see, such as the price of wheat in Colby and price of soybeans in Hiawatha. The prices show what farmers receive per bushel of grain at the local elevator, but they also reflect the financial lifeblood of these towns and the thousands of rural communities across the country that are suffering due to the current farm disaster. These commodity prices are often a topic of conversation between visitors to my office, and more often than not, these Kansans have personally felt – or know someone who has – the strain of this recession.

In addition to alarmingly low prices, we’ve received little to no rain across much of the high plains for months. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 24 Kansas counties as primary natural disaster areas so far due to severe drought conditions – and I’m working with my colleagues to extend and expand these designations as conditions don’t seem to be improving. While above-average yields the past several years have helped farmers and ranchers survive low commodity prices, I fear low prices, plus a drought, may be more than many producers can withstand.

Recently I was in Kensington, Kan., when I drove past such a large grain pile on the ground waiting for mouths to feed that I was compelled to pull over and take a photo. I’ve kept the photo with me ever since and have used it as a visual reminder of the reality our Kansas farmers face. In meetings with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, USTR representatives and numerous Kansas farmers, the reaction has been the same: How do we fix this?

First and foremost, we must have a solid path toward an end result in our trade negotiations with China. We cannot escalate a fight between a significant purchaser of what we produce in Kansas with no real end goal. My hope is that this is a negotiating tactic, but the efforts we see now suggest more than that, as they keep being ramped up by both countries: the United States imposes tariffs, China responds. The United States imposes tariffs, China responds. Then United States responds to that, and so on. In addition, we ought not forget about recent ill-advised tariffs on solar cells, washing machines and steel and aluminum that have resulted in our farmers and ranchers – through no fault of their own – being caught in the middle of an escalating trade dispute with China and other global trading partners.

Frustratingly, the administration continues to push trade policies that threaten to further drive down farm prices and extend the recession in rural America into the foreseeable future. For example, TPP negotiations has put American agricultural exports at a disadvantage to foreign competitors, and contentious NAFTA renegotiations with Canada and Mexico, which alternate between being the number one market for agricultural products in Kansas, are no closer to being resolved. Our economy in Kansas is dependent on the ability of our farmers, ranchers and manufacturers to trade their products. In 2016, Kansas exported more than $4.5 billion worth of agricultural products, which supported more than 36,000 jobs and generated more than $5.7 billion in economic activity, making these negotiations all the more important.

Mexico is a huge export market for USA farm products such as wheat, pinto beans and soya beans. They are now looking at South American suppliers.

Instead, the president ought to build off his success from last year in negotiating access for American beef to China by directing his administration to aggressively pursue bilateral trade agreements and other opportunities to expand agricultural exports. For Congress, passing a new farm bill that strengthens the farm safety net, protects crop insurance and invests in trade promotion programs must be on top of the to-do list.

Agricultural producers are no strangers to tough times. Resiliency is a necessary and defining character trait of those who have passed down family-owned farming and ranching operations for generations. These American producers have learned to live with challenges outside of their control, such as weather and global markets, but also spring to action when they can improve their situations. Congress and the administration ought to take to heart the same lesson – we can’t make it rain or dictate prices, but through sound policies, especially on trade, our nation can better respond to the disaster in farm country and improve the livelihoods of American farmers and ranchers.

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/politics/382224-farmers-and-ranchers-cant-afford-a-trade-war

[Kanyewest]

FBI seizes records related to Stormy Daniels in raid of Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s office
https://wapo.st/2ExhJHm

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