President Cheeto 8: Our Long National Nightmare Begins

[GreyhoundFan]

1 minute ago, fraurosena said:

I wonder which alternative fact Kellyanne is going to use to spin this one... 

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/315811-conway-allegedly-punched-a-man-three-times-at-inauguration-ball

I'm sure she was just hugging him in an alternative fashion.

[fraurosena]

Three times in a row too... she must've really liked him! 

[ShepherdontheRock]

23 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

I was especially baffled that one guy said: I voted 4 u to get rid of abama-don'tcare not kill the ACA! I have surgery next month! Just #draintheswamp dont kill me... 

Actually, judging from that guy's twitter feed, he was parodying. But then again, Poe's Law applies here. There are actually people out there that think that. 

[unholypoledancer]

19 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I'm sure she was just hugging him in an alternative fashion.

Gotta love the class in this administration! Is this the level we function at now? The office of the president hits people they don't like?

[fraurosena]

2 minutes ago, ShepherdontheRock said:

Actually, judging from that guy's twitter feed, he was parodying. But then again, Poe's Law applies here. There are actually people out there that think that. 

Yeah, I looked that up just now. Apparently it's a thing, not knowing the (non-existant) difference between the two, as Jimmy Kimmel proved: http://time.com/4637918/jimmy-kimmel-obamacare-vs-affordable-care-act/

[RoseWilder]

10 hours ago, JMarie said:

You could mention this:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/natalie-portman-ashton-kutcher-was-paid-three-times-as-much-as-i-was-for-no-strings-attached/

An actor and an actress, having the same amount of screen time, yet the man was paid three times as much.  That's an example of Why We Are Mad, And Want To Change Things.

Thanks for the info. I'll try to convince her to pass this information on to them. 

[ViolaSebastian]

Fuck Trump for his executive orders about the pipelines. Also, this is bitch eating crackers, but Trump apparently filled those empty frames the Obamas famously left behind. Predictably, he filled them with pictures of himself. You'd think he'd include at least one of his kids and grandkids, but what do I know?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/politics/president-trump-live-coverage/index.html

(You have to scroll down a bit to see the article.)

[GreyhoundFan]

"Is Trump really ‘pro-worker,’ or is it a scam? Here’s how Democrats will call his bluff."

Spoiler

When it comes to Donald Trump’s self-created mystique as a kind of populist avenging angel for working class whites betrayed by elites, you cannot overstate the centrality of his promise to push for massive infrastructure spending. It helped Trump cast himself as ideologically different from congressional Republicans, who have long balked at massive public outlays to create jobs.

But today, Chuck Schumer and Democrats are trying to call Trump’s bluff. They are unveiling their own massive infrastructure spending plan, and are asking Trump to join them in supporting it:

A group of senior Senate Democrats on Tuesday plan to unveil their own $1 trillion plan to revamp the nation’s airports, bridges, roads and seaports, urging President Trump to back their proposal, which they say would create 15 million jobs over 10 years.

The Democrats said their infrastructure plan would rely on direct federal spending and would span a range of projects including not only roads and bridges, but also the nation’s broadband network, hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs and schools….

Democrats said they would pay for their program by closing tax loopholes, an oft-stated pledge by both Democrats and Republicans. They did not specify which tax loopholes would be used. …

Their 10-year blueprint included $75 billion for schools, $210 billion for roads and bridges, $10 billion for VA hospitals, and $20 billion for broadband installations. For every billion dollars in spending, 13,000 jobs lasting at least a year would be created, they said, citing a Federal Highway Administration estimate.

Democrats are trying to stake out a marker in this debate that indicates what they would need to cooperate with Trump in passing infrastructure spending. The idea is to contrast this with the plan that Trump himself has actually proposed, which isn’t actually a plan for massive public spending. What we know of Trump’s plan now is that it’s a tax break and privatization scheme. As Paul Krugman recently explained, the Trump plan would probably not result in projects that would fulfill real public need, because such projects would not be profitable to the private companies that would build them. And it would probably result in huge tax credits doled out to those companies for projects that would have been built anyway, possibly encouraging corruption and blunting its job-creation potential.

It’s hard to see how Trump’s plan, as it stands now, would create nearly as many jobs as a massive public investment would. And remember, Democrats have said that they will not participate in supporting a Trump plan that doesn’t amount to a genuine public expenditure. As Nancy Pelosi told me recently: “We aren’t going to use an infrastructure bill to be a vehicle for tax breaks, instead of an investment in the future.”

Now, it remains to be seen whether Democrats make good on this threat. Democratic senators in red states carried by Trump who face reelection in 2018 might be tempted to support even a crappy infrastructure plan with his name on it.

But the point is that right now, Democrats need to make clear, broad statements as to where they stand as a party — drawing a hard contrast with the GOP in the Trump era. Unequivocal support for major public spending to create jobs fits the bill. Democrats have long pushed for more infrastructure spending, only to be blocked by Republicans. Trump is supposedly remaking the GOP as a “workers party.” If so, will he support this sort of spending plan?

Stephen Bannon, the keeper of the narrative of Trump as leader of a new kind of populist movement, has explicitly described this kind of expenditure as central to that storyline. In a recent interview, he cast it as a crucial element of the kind of “economic nationalism” that would lock in the support of working-class people of all races behind Trump:

“We’re going to build an entirely new political movement,” he says. “It’s everything related to jobs. The conservatives are going to go crazy. I’m the guy pushing a trillion-dollar infrastructure plan. With negative interest rates throughout the world, it’s the greatest opportunity to rebuild everything. Shipyards, ironworks, get them all jacked up.”

Trump repeated his call for such spending in his inaugural address. Yet he kept it general. And White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus recently played down the chances of such a thing happening anytime soon.

It has been widely speculated that there will be a war for the soul of Trumpism inside the administration and among Republicans, with the economic nationalist types (Bannon) calling for big breaks with conservative orthodoxy, and those more in sync ideologically with congressional Republicans (Priebus) pushing instead for the sort of tax break and privatization infrastructure scheme that they can accept.

In a sense, then, the question of what kind of infrastructure plan Trump ends up supporting could help settle outstanding questions about whether Trumpism will really amount to a new, ideologically heterodox populist movement — in concrete policy terms. Our bet is that it will be much more in line with the sort of scheme that congressional Republicans can comfortably support.

I have one quibble -- there is no soul in Trumpism, it is the epitome of soulless.

2 minutes ago, ViolaSebastian said:

Fuck Trump for his executive orders about the pipelines. Also, this is bitch eating crackers, but Trump apparently filled those empty frames the Obamas famously left behind. Predictably, he filled them with pictures of himself. You'd think he'd include at least one of his kids and grandkids, but what do I know?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/politics/president-trump-live-coverage/index.html

(You have to scroll down a bit to see the article.)

Melania the puppet is in one of the pictures. Of course, it's only because she happened to be standing next to the toxic orange fornicate face.

[JMarie]

3 hours ago, ShepherdontheRock said:

IMO the main reason Melania hasn't divorced him is she's probably signed a prenup that would make it a lot more financially advantageous for her if Donald was the one to initiate a divorce. Also, Barron. 

I mean it's kinda obvious she married Donald because she wanted a sugar daddy...so she's probably just waiting it out for him to decide to divorce. 

Or an affair surfaces.  He's in DC, she's in NYC.  What are the chances?

[catlady]

15 hours ago, AuntK said:

Twenty people died this weekend due to the severe weather in the South and the White House holds a SECOND press conference on the size of the audience for the inauguration. Smh.

well, you know, CheetoMan is focusing on what's important.  

[AmazonGrace]

2 hours ago, fraurosena said:

I wonder which alternative fact Kellyanne is going to use to spin this one... 

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/315811-conway-allegedly-punched-a-man-three-times-at-inauguration-ball

Fake news, obviously :=)

[Roux]

16 hours ago, AuntK said:

Twenty people died this weekend due to the severe weather in the South and the White House holds a SECOND press conference on the size of the audience for the inauguration. Smh.

This.  At least acknowledge it with a written statement giving condolences and the pledge of federal disaster aid if necessary.  That's what most Presidents would do.  So he has no common decency.  OK, I get that, but what about his famed political savvy (sarcasm voice).  Does he not realize that these storms hit States that overwhelmingly voted for him? They can't show up to your rallies Donnie if their too busy being homeless.

[Cartmann99]

6 minutes ago, Roux said:

This.  At least acknowledge it with a written statement giving condolences and the pledge of federal disaster aid if necessary.  That's what most Presidents would do.  So he has no common decency.  OK, I get that, but what about his famed political savvy (sarcasm voice).  Does he not realize that these storms hit States that overwhelmingly voted for him? They can't show up to your rallies Donnie if their too busy being homeless.

Has there been anything from Trump about how he and Melania will keep the victims in their thoughts and prayers? I haven't seen any quotes like that, and you know the Fox News crowd would go into a frothing rage if President Obama didn't immediately offer prayers from his family after a disaster. 

I've read some news reports about the Governors of the affected states requesting federal aid. I then had a very troubling thought. Will the Trump administration provide adequate assistance when a disaster strikes one of the blue states?

I'm sure some of you remember when Sandy hit in 2012, and how some of the  Republicans really didn't want to send aid to the Northeast. These folks, combined with Snowflake Orange's desire to strike back at his "enemies", has me concerned.

I know we have the Red Cross, and some "Jimmy Carter" type groups* who show up when disaster strikes, but they do not have the resources to care for everyone in a large-scale disaster. 

*I mean the religious people who are actually feeding, clothing, sheltering, cleaning up, providing healthcare, etc.. instead of proselytizing and doing photo ops. Those folks are great, and I'm glad they are willing to help people in need. 

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I'm sure she was just hugging him in an alternative fashion.

How come the conservatives aren't chastising Kellyanne for emasculating the men in the room by not letting them do the punching? 

1 hour ago, JMarie said:

Or an affair surfaces.  He's in DC, she's in NYC.  What are the chances?

The family values crowd will blame her for not fulfilling Trump's needs.

[47of74]

Awww....poor Agent Orange was mad about all them women folk marching against him;

http://www.palmerreport.com/politics/white-house-aides-admit-donald-trump-visibly-enraged-womens-march/1124/

Quote

At least now we know how Donald Trump spent his first full day as “president” of the United States: sitting around the White House and watching television. More specifically, he was watching the coverage of the Women’s Marches in Washington and other cities around the nation and world, as millions of women and men turned out to protest against his very existence. And now his own aides are admitting that Trump became “visibly enraged” as a result.

In particular, Trump became enraged when TV news broadcasts began reporting that the crowds for the Women’s Marches were larger than the crowd for his inauguration ceremony the day before; for that matter the Women’s March in Washington alone outdrew his inaugural. Trump was so bothered by the sight that he insisted press secretary Sean Spicer immediately issue a denial, even as his aides tried to talk him out of it. This may explain why Spicer didn’t even so much as have an opportunity to put on a suit that fit him before heading to the briefing room.

Fuck you Donnie.  Not everyone on Earth thinks you're the goddamn second coming, and you had better get used to that.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, catlady said:

well, you know, CheetoMan is focusing on what's important.  

Dammit! I now have the theme song to Chico and The Man playing in my head. 

[47of74]

8 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

The family values crowd will blame her for not fulfilling Trump's needs.

Yeah then she can ask the family values crowd? "Well would you want to fuck him for me?"

Meanwhile I am....

[Childless]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Agent Orange obviously hasn't learned from Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan's mistakes with freezing Federal Government hiring. It doesn't work, and has the opposite effect. "Trump’s hiring freeze will do the opposite of what he wants"

Of course, Agent Orange doesn't care about effectiveness, he only cares about adulation. Also, I'm sure he doesn't want the IRS to be more efficient, they might finish the interminable audit that has been holding up his release of this tax returns. (Please note sarcasm font.)

The sad thing is this sends good talent elsewhere.  I'm going to brag for a moment here.  My husband is taking his very last class this semester.  He'll graduate in May with an accounting degree.  With just one class to go, he is holding a 4.0 GPA.  With that and his internship experience, he could get a job making good money in the private sector.  He wants to work for the government though because he'd like to serve his country.  He knows that means he'll make less money and it'll take longer for us to pay off his student loans, but he feels it's important.  Trump's hiring freeze means he'll most likely go into the private sector.  The federal government is going to loose a smart, passionate worker with a talent for numbers over a dumb policy.  It's insane.

[Childless]

4 hours ago, apple1 said:

I have long suspected that she is victim of abuse, at least mental and emotional.

I would love to know exactly what preceeded this bit. It might shed more light.

Definitely mental and emotional abuse going on.  Did you see him get out of the car and leave her in the dust while the Obamas helped usher her into the White House?  Michelle's face spoke volumes.  I don't think Barron has anything to do with her choosing to stay in NYC.  I think she has seen an opportunity to escape Donald's reign of terror and has taken it.  I don't blame her one bit.

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Cartmann99 said:

Has there been anything from Trump about how he and Melania will keep the victims in their thoughts and prayers? I haven't seen any quotes like that, and you know the Fox News crowd would go into a frothing rage if President Obama didn't immediately offer prayers from his family after a disaster. 

I've read some news reports about the Governors of the affected states requesting federal aid. I then had a very troubling thought. Will the Trump administration provide adequate assistance when a disaster strikes one of the blue states?

I'm sure some of you remember when Sandy hit in 2012, and how some of the  Republicans really didn't want to send aid to the Northeast. These folks, combined with Snowflake Orange's desire to strike back at his "enemies", has me concerned.

I know we have the Red Cross, and some "Jimmy Carter" type groups* who show up when disaster strikes, but they do not have the resources to care for everyone in a large-scale disaster. 

*I mean the religious people who are actually feeding, clothing, sheltering, cleaning up, providing healthcare, etc.. instead of proselytizing and doing photo ops. Those folks are great, and I'm glad they are willing to help people in need. 

How come the conservatives aren't chastising Kellyanne for emasculating the men in the room by not letting them do the punching? 

The family values crowd will blame her for not fulfilling Trump's needs.

They'll probably say she went crazy because it was "her time of the month." Or, maybe they'll say that just hearing about birth control has made her ugly and crazy (ala Breitbart's dumbass article).

 

1 hour ago, 47of74 said:

Yeah then she can ask the family values crowd? "Well would you want to fuck him for me?"

 

She should say, to paraphrase Henny Youngman, "take my husband... please".

[47of74]

Hmmm....I wonder who Pope Francis could've been thinking about when he said this?

yahoo.com/news/pope-warns-against-populism-saviours-hitler-001439301.html

Quote

In an hour-long interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais conducted as Donald Trump was being sworn in as US president, the pontiff also condemned the idea of using walls and barbed wire to keep out foreigners.

"Of course crises provoke fears and worries," he said but added that for him "the example of populism in the European sense of the word is Germany in 1933.

"Germany... was looking for a leader, someone who would give her back her identity and there was a little man named Adolf Hitler who said 'I can do it'."

"Hitler did not steal power," the pope said. "He was elected by his people and then he destroyed his people."

This ought to get the Branch Trumpvidian wing of the Catholic church going.

[AlwaysExcited]

4 hours ago, ViolaSebastian said:

Fuck Trump for his executive orders about the pipelines. Also, this is bitch eating crackers, but Trump apparently filled those empty frames the Obamas famously left behind. Predictably, he filled them with pictures of himself. You'd think he'd include at least one of his kids and grandkids, but what do I know?

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/politics/president-trump-live-coverage/index.html

(You have to scroll down a bit to see the article.)

I once joked that Trump will spend next four years decorating White House with his own portraits... You can't even joke about this guy, he turns it all into reality. 

What's next, Donald, will you put a giant statue of yourself in Washington? 

[VelociRapture]

2 hours ago, Childless said:

Definitely mental and emotional abuse going on.  Did you see him get out of the car and leave her in the dust while the Obamas helped usher her into the White House?  Michelle's face spoke volumes.  I don't think Barron has anything to do with her choosing to stay in NYC.  I think she has seen an opportunity to escape Donald's reign of terror and has taken it.  I don't blame her one bit.

Maybe I'm heartless - but I absolutely blame her. Not for staying with him because that's a personal decision, I don't believe in blaming actual or potential victims in that way, and we don't know what their marriage is like... but I do blame her for whatever costs and inconveniences this winds up placing on the taxpayers. It's not right for New Yorkers to take on the additional financial burdens that come with the First Family living there on a regular basis and the President potentially flying back every weekend to visit.

(To be clear, I would hate to think that she's facing abuse of any kind. I wouldn't wish that on anyone and I sincerely hope things aren't bad for her.)

[onekidanddone]

5 hours ago, JMarie said:

Or an affair surfaces.  He's in DC, she's in NYC.  What are the chances?

Is there anything higher than 100%? Cuz, you know,  it has been 10 years.  He is due to buy a  new wife.

[Audrey2]

57 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

Is there anything higher than 100%? Cuz, you know,  it has been 10 years.  He is due to buy a  new wife.

If I'm being really snarky, what about Kellyann Conway? Although she's a little old for him, she already believes and agrees with everything he says.

 

[onekidanddone]

18 minutes ago, Audrey2 said:

If I'm being really snarky, what about Kellyann Conway? Although she's a little old for him, she already believes and agrees with everything he says.

 

Yea she is kinda old, at least for him.  But she does have that "look" he requires for his women.  She is also a lap dog sycophant. Just say'n