Donald Trump and the Deathly Fallout (Part 15)

[Destiny]

Continued from here:

[47of74]

Just saw this thing on CNN that's tracking some of the promises Agent Orange has made;

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2017/politics/tracking-trumps-promises/

 

[GreyhoundFan]

I think his "path" is headed for a cliff. I just hope he doesn't take us with him: "Trump’s path forward only gets tougher after health-care fiasco"

Quote

The stunning collapse of the Republican health-care bill now imperils the rest of President Trump’s ambitious congressional agenda, with few prospects for quick victory on tax reform, construction projects or a host of other issues in the months ahead despite complete GOP control of government.

While Republicans broadly share the goal of Trump’s promised “big tax cuts,” the president will have to bridge many of the same divides within his own party that sunk the attempted overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. And without savings anticipated from the health-care bill, paying for the “massive” cuts Trump has promised for corporations and middle-class families becomes considerably more complicated.

Meanwhile, other marquee agenda items, including a $1 trillion investment in roads and other infrastructure and proposed crackdowns on both legal and illegal immigration, will require the support of Democrats, many of whom have been alienated by the highly partisan start to Trump’s tenure.

...

Trump and Republican leaders continued Saturday in their attempts to put a brave face on the health-care debacle. “ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE,” Trump wrote in a morning tweet. “Do not worry!”

But others in the party acknowledged the political damage sustained by pulling the House bill, particularly for a president who had touted his own dealmaking prowess.

“It’s a momentum issue,” said Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.). “The fact is that, you know, you came out of the gate and you stumbled.”

Doug Heye, a GOP consultant and former congressional staffer, said Republicans, having achieved control of both chambers of Congress and the White House, were left with a lot to prove.

“It sends a troubling sign to a lot of folks about the broader issue of whether Republicans will be able to govern,” he said.

Trump has said he would have preferred to start his term by cutting “the hell out of taxes.” Even before the health-care bill was pulled Friday, the president was already starting to turn the page.

...

The White House signaled Saturday that it was eager to move on. Trump’s weekly address made no mention of the health-care fight, instead focusing on his signing of legislation authorizing funding for NASA and his commitment to space exploration.

“We’re going to roll our sleeves up, and we’re going to cut taxes across the board for working families, small businesses and family farms,” Vice President Pence said Saturday at an appearance in Scott Depot, W.Va.

A senior White House official, however, said it was unlikely that Trump would ramp up a major sales effort on tax reform immediately, given that his team had been planning on using the coming days to push for Senate action on the health-care bill.

...

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist said the bloc of hard line Republicans who helped stymie the health-care overhaul were guilty of “ripping the lungs out of tax reform.” If they don’t revisit the health-care bill immediately, Norquist said, they will soon realize that “they didn’t shoot and wound health-care reform, they shot and killed permanent tax reform.”

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) acknowledged Friday that the health-care defeat “does make tax reform more difficult, but it does not make it impossible.”

“We are going to proceed with tax reform,” Ryan said.

Hours before the health bill was pulled, Mnuchin said a “comprehensive” overhaul of the tax code should prove less complex. “Health care is a very, very complicated issue,” he said at a Friday event hosted by Axios. “In a way, [tax reform is] a lot simpler. It really is.”

Trump has proposed cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent, though many Republicans on Capitol Hill have been aiming for a 20 percent rate. Trump has also proposed consolidating the existing seven individual income-tax brackets into three brackets of 10 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent.

Trump’s advisers have argued that these changes would trigger a big expansion of economic growth, but some budget analysts have said the changes would widen the deficit by anywhere from $2.6 trillion to $7 trillion over 10 years, depending on how it is measured.

Many Republicans have long vowed that an overhaul of the tax code must be “revenue neutral,” which means they need to find new revenue to offset the reduction in rates. Trump’s advisers have not identified specific tax breaks they would eliminate to raise new revenue, and Trump himself often waved away debt concerns during the campaign.

Meanwhile, House and Senate Republicans are at odds over the wisdom of a key component of tax reform.

Ryan has proposed a border-adjustment tax that would essentially create new taxes on items imported into the United States as a way to raise close to $1 trillion in new revenue while also providing incentives for companies to move operations to the United States.

Many other Republicans oppose this idea, though, and the fight probably will only intensify now. Some Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), argue that the scheme would drive up prices on consumer goods and many large retailers are strongly opposed.

Given such divides, as well as the mechanics of the budget process, it’s highly unlikely that lawmakers will produce a comprehensive tax bill by the August recess, if at all, said Jim Manley, a former longtime aide to former Senate majority leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.).

“It’s clearly not realistic, and it’s not going to happen, on policy and political grounds,” Manley said, adding that the Republican agenda is also undercut by “a president who’s out of his league and doesn’t know how to legislate.”

Republicans had planned to use a budget procedure called “reconciliation” for both the health-care overhaul and for the tax changes, as that would allow them to pass their plans with a simple majority in the Senate and make it impossible for Democrats to block the changes through a filibuster. That’s still the plan with tax reform.

...

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who was a close adviser to Trump during the campaign, said the White House should postpone what is expected to be a messy battle over the tax code and instead pivot toward trying to build a large infrastructure package. Proceeding with infrastructure could attract bipartisan support, he said.

Some Democrats and labor unions have said they could support a big infrastructure package, though the White House has not specified how it plans to finance a package that includes roads, bridges, airports and broadband capability, among other things.

Mnuchin said Friday that the package would likely include several hundred billion dollars in public money but the rest would be financed by the private sector, with public support as incentives. Democrats are wary of that approach and prefer more direct government spending.

Many Democrats and Republicans have tried — but failed — to pull off tax reform in recent years. A principal reason changing the tax code is so difficult is because interest groups flood Washington looking for tax cuts but fight vigorously against any measure that would increase their bills.

...

Beyond Gorsuch, Congress is facing a late-April deadline to pass a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government running. That could also spark a partisan clash that could risk a government shutdown.

Senate Democrats have warned that they are willing to risk a shutdown fight if Republicans include funding in that package to construct a U.S.-Mexico border wall, another marquee campaign promise from Trump.

Budget analysts fear Congress must also reach an agreement to raise or suspend the debt ceiling by August or September or the Treasury Department could run out of flexibility to continue paying the government’s bills.

Trump, on Friday and in the days leading up to the vote, seemed undaunted by the challenges ahead.

“I hope that it’s going to all work out,” he told a House Republican dinner before the collapse of the health-care bill. “Then we immediately start on the tax cuts, and they’re going to be really fantastic, and I am looking forward to that one. That one’s going to be fun.”

Yeah, his plan is for "the people" only if you count billionaires as "the people".  And, I can't believe I'm writing this, but I agree with Newt on this one point -- Agent Orange's smartest move would be to go for the infrastructure package, which is more likely to have bipartisan support. Okay, I'm still shaking my head that I agree with Gingrich on anything at all.

I truly hope the Democrats don't force a government shutdown. That was a bad idea in the past, and it really cost the Repubs each time they did it.

 

[RoseWilder]

A Trump aide is leaving the White House: 

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/25/politics/epshteyn-leaving-white-house/

Quote

Boris Epshteyn, a special assistant to President Donald Trump who leads the White House's television surrogate operations, is expected to leave the White House, potentially for a position outside the West Wing, two senior administration officials have told CNN.

A senior administration official confirmed Epshteyn's expected departure, saying, "We are exploring opportunities within the administration."

Palmer Report had a pretty good explanation of why this is suspicious: 

http://www.palmerreport.com/news/donald-trumps-russia-scandal-explodes-boris-epshteyn-abruptly-resigns-from-white-house-post/2061/

Quote

Boris Epshteyn, the Russian immigrant who played a prominent role in Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and then went on to take a high ranking job in Donald Trump’s White House, has abruptly resigned today without giving a reason. Epshteyn has had deep financial and business connections to his native Russia in recent years, and his sudden resignation today – as reported by CNN – comes as the Trump Russia scandal is exploding in real time.

Epshteyn was best known to the public as the comically inept Trump campaign surrogate who made a series of bumbling appearances on cable news networks. But behind the scenes, Boris – who was born in the Soviet Union and then immigrated to the United States in 1993 – was deeply involved with Russian financial interests.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Wow, I just saw on the local news that Agent Orange spent today at his private golf club in Virginia. So, he actually didn't go to Florida for once. At least this trip doesn't cost taxpayers as much, since his club is only about 15 miles from the White House.

[Childless]

22 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I truly hope the Democrats don't force a government shutdown. That was a bad idea in the past, and it really cost the Repubs each time they did it.

 

Did it really cost them though?  They now control the entire legislative branch as well as the executive branch.  Shutting down the government doesn't appear to have affected them negatively in the least.

[GreyhoundFan]

1 minute ago, Childless said:

Did it really cost them though?  They now control the entire legislative branch as well as the executive branch.  Shutting down the government doesn't appear to have affected them negatively in the least.

It did in the short-term, and I'm worried about 2018. I've read many times that the 1995-96 shutdowns forced by Congressional Repubs ended up helping Bill Clinton get re-elected in 1996, partially because Clinton was seen more favorably and partially because Bob Dole couldn't campaign as he was dealing with Congress.

[Audrey2]

@GreyhoundFan, I just had to copy and paste this from page 23 of the last thread. You were quoting Maureen Dowd.

 

Quote

You knew that Paul Ryan’s vaunted reputation as a policy wonk was fake news. Republicans have been running on repealing and replacing Obamacare for years and they never even bothered to come up with a valid alternative.

And neither did you, despite all your promises to replace Obamacare with “something terrific” because you wanted everyone to be covered.

Instead, you sold the D.O.A. bill the Irish undertaker gave you as though it were a luxury condo, ignoring the fact that it was a cruel flimflam, a huge tax cut for the rich disguised as a health care bill. You were so concerned with the “win” that you forgot your “forgotten” Americans, the older, poorer people in rural areas who would be hurt by the bill.

This was the best quote ever!!!! I think it will be my new name for Paul Ryan- the Irish Undertaker. His real name should be like the evil Lord in Harry Potter, the title dead character in the movie from the 80's (played by Michael Keaton), and That Man Who Took Our Beloved Cleveland Browns and Moved Them to That City on the Eastern Seaboard- a name that shall never be mentioned aloud, lest he show up. 

[GreyhoundFan]

3 minutes ago, Audrey2 said:

@GreyhoundFan, I just had to copy and paste this from page 23 of the last thread.

 

This was the best quote ever!!!! I think it will be my new name for Paul Ryan- the Irish Undertaker. His real name should be like the evil Lord in Harry Potter, the title dead character in the movie from the 80's (played by Michael Keaton), and That Man Who Took Our Beloved Cleveland Browns and Moved Them to That City on the Eastern Seaboard- a name that shall never be mentioned aloud, lest he show up. 

I agree, I laughed for quite some time about it.

 

I have just one word about this article: SERIOUSLY?? "Napolitano told friends he was on Trump's Supreme Court shortlist"

Quote

Judge Andrew Napolitano may be temporarily sidelined at Fox News, but he’s been telling friends and associates that he could be in for a big promotion — to the Supreme Court.

After meeting with President Trump twice during the transition, first in December and again in mid-January, the Newark, N.J.-born television personality told several people that Trump said he was on the list of judges from whom he was selecting a nominee for the high court.

“He said, ‘Trump said I’m on the list,’” said a source who spoke with Napolitano shortly after one of his meetings with the then president-elect. “He’s been saying that since the transition.”

Friends warned Napolitano not to take the president too literally – or seriously. “He'll take your call and invite you to the Oval Office, but he just wants you to say nice things about him on TV,” the source says he told Napolitano at the time. But that didn’t sink the ambitious judge’s hopes.

Trump released a list of potential replacements for the late Justice Antonin Scalia before the election, vowing to select Scalia’s replacement from that list — and followed through, tapping Tenth Circuit judge Neil Gorsuch for the nomination in January. Napolitano’s name did not appear on any public list.

But the salt-and-pepper-haired Napolitano, 66, who served as a New Jersey Superior Court judge until 1995 and joined Fox News in 1998, was a sleeper candidate, he told his skeptical friends. He claims he’s submitted both academic and personal resumes to Trump aides, and that they’ve pored over the judge’s writings, including several popular non-fiction books.

People familiar with the president’s thinking dismissed the idea that Napolitano is being considered for a Supreme Court nomination. “The president already has a list of highly qualified contenders for future SCOTUS openings, and Judge Napolitano is not on it,” said a person close to the White House.

Since the Gorsuch nomination, Napolitano has continued to maintain that he is in the running for a seat, telling a colleague that Trump promised him the next Supreme Court seat “if I get another one.”

...

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Such an adult..."Trump tweets: 'Do not worry' on health care; urges followers to watch Fox News host trash Ryan"

Quote

President Donald Trump's message on health care Saturday morning: "Do not worry."

And watch tonight's Judge Jeanine.

In a morning tweet a day after the House GOP's Obamacare repeal and replace bill failed to make it to a vote, Trump doubled down on his claim that Obamacare will explode and that a new healthcare plan will be created.

"ObamaCare will explode and we will all get together and piece together a great healthcare plan for THE PEOPLE. Do not worry," the president wrote on Twitter apparently during a motorcade to Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.

...

In addition, Trump also tweeted Saturday morning to watch Judge Jeanine Pirro's show on Fox News on Saturday night.

(Pirro began her show by calling on Speaker Paul Ryan to step down, casting blame on Ryan for not being able to the pass the health care legislation. In a lengthy monologue, Pirro also took aim at White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, alongside absolving Trump from much of any blame for the saga.)

When asked whether Trump played golf at any point during the day, the pool reporter was told the president was holding meetings. The pool reporter later sought to clarify that statement with a White House spokesperson after photos of the president wearing golf attire and riding in a golf cart surfaced on social media.

Trump thanked his supporters in a tweet Saturday evening for the pro-Trump rallies that were held across the U.S.

"Thanks you for all of the Trump Rallies today. Amazing support. We will all MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," he tweeted.

About 9 p.m., Trump made his way along Pennsylvania Avenue to Trump International Hotel, where he had dinner.

 

[Coy Koi]

At the end of the last thread, someone mentioned understanding if Biden doesn't want to run for president next time. I would understand too, of course, but I just read this article where he says he had been planning to run last time, but with his son's death he just didn't think it was the right time. Of course I don't blame him at all, but it does give me complicated feelings, because I think he's correct that he would have won. It sounds like there's a pretty decent chance he'll run in 2020, but of course that's a long time from now so, who knows. I love both Michelle and Joe and would be thrilled with either. Of course, at this point I'd be thrilled with a mop wearing an overcoat...

[Cartmann99]

2 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Trump has proposed cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent, though many Republicans on Capitol Hill have been aiming for a 20 percent rate. Trump has also proposed consolidating the existing seven individual income-tax brackets into three brackets of 10 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent

Just for shits and giggles, let's flip the new individual Trump tax rates upside down, so that the 10% rate only kicks in when you make over $500,000! The first $100,000 in income will taxed at 25%, and any income between $101,000-$499,000 will be taxed at 20%.  

We'll call it, Trumped-Up Trickle-Down! It will be MAGAnificent! 

[sawasdee]

Why can we not be told how much of the cost of the Tangerine Toddler's security goes straight into his (very large - too big for his hands ) pockets? How much is the Secret Service paying for accommodation at Mar-a Lago? At Trump Tower? How much for Secret Service operational centres at both places? Are they on the premises?

He accused Hillary of 'pay to play' with her extremely effective charity. What about  'pay to play' at Mar-a Lago - membership fees doubled after he was elected....and what about the bookings at the Old Post Office Hotel in Washington - staying there seems from the outside to guarantee Presidential access?

We have never seen anything resembling this monetarisation of the Presidency before. There are no precedents for such shameless behaviour. And because the Founding Fathers could never envisage such a charlatan winning office, they made no provisos to control him.

We need not just to see the Tangerine Toddler's own tax returns, but those of his businesses - to see how he  is using the presidency purely and simply to turn a profit.

 Incoherent with rage.

[RoseWilder]

Here's a detail about the healthcare repeal fiasco that the media doesn't seem to be talking about too much: 

It just amazes me to see how Trump and Bannon think they can bully the entire world into doing what they want. 

[47of74]

And now the Branch Trumpvidians are all bent out of shape over the upcoming Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale;

observer.com/2017/03/trump-handmaids-tale-elizabeth-moss/

Quote

But perhaps the most interesting revelations from the new trailer are down in its comments section where hordes of ornery Trump supporters who can’t find anything in the world to get angry about have decided to project their ire onto a decades-old work of fiction.

For a little context: Hulu picked up The Handmaid’s Tale with a straight-to-series order in April 2016. I know it feels like Donald Trump has been our president for a thousand years, but he didn’t even become the Republican nominee until July—three months later.

Yes, of course, The Handmaid’s Tale seems chillingly familiar to the modern day Republican party and its Twitter-addicted leader, but that’s what made Atwood’s original work so stirring in the first place. Atwood tapped into a genuine and timeless threat: those men who will trade away the liberty of their neighbors for power. A fixation on controlling women’s bodies, and their wombs; performative evangelicalism; anti-intellectualism; pollution and sexually transmitted diseases gone unchecked—“’Better’ never means better for everyone,” the Commander remarks. What about “Great Again,” Commander?

And so, to those Trump supporters who have seen the trailer and derided it as liberal propaganda, I ask: what is it about a dystopian horror world in which terrorist attacks are used as an excuse for unchecked power, and in which women are suppressed until they are worth little more than their ability to reproduce seems like it’s referring to your political party? Because if you recognize The Handmaid’s Tale, written over thirty years ago, as a big subtweet at your political movement, what does that say about your political movement?

 

6 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

Here's a detail about the healthcare repeal fiasco that the media doesn't seem to be talking about too much: 

It just amazes me to see how Trump and Bannon think they can bully the entire world into doing what they want. 

So if that's true this member never served in the military then.  I'm wagering whoever this guy was who said that to Bannon, he's some chicken hawk war monger who would love to be at war with half the planet.

[sawasdee]

And I forgot to even mention the sudden granting of Chinese Trademarks after 10 years of negotiating - but that of course, had nothing to do with the Presidency. (Worth more money than I can get my head around (the noughts..)).

ETA tRump is now saying it's the treacherous DEMOCRATS fault that he didn't have enough votes for AHCA. I mean, a 44 seat majority for your party, who disagree from both right and left with your proposed bill, means that the opposition should vote with you to dismantle their legislation so you don't lose?

NOT A SINGLE DEMOCRAT WAS WITH ME!

Well, no. They disagreed - strongly - with your bill - which attempted to reverse theirs.

He keeps coming out with statements that make me believe that I've slipped down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, where sense and logic are suspended....

[send*the*ferrets]

14 hours ago, Coy Koi said:

At the end of the last thread, someone mentioned understanding if Biden doesn't want to run for president next time. I would understand too, of course, but I just read this article where he says he had been planning to run last time, but with his son's death he just didn't think it was the right time. Of course I don't blame him at all, but it does give me complicated feelings, because I think he's correct that he would have won. It sounds like there's a pretty decent chance he'll run in 2020, but of course that's a long time from now so, who knows. I love both Michelle and Joe and would be thrilled with either. Of course, at this point I'd be thrilled with a mop wearing an overcoat...

A Joe/Michelle ticket is my dream team. I think Biden as the front runner stands a better chance at winning- like it or not, after Hillary lost I think it showed parts of white America just won't vote for a woman (much less a black woman). Comparatively, Hillary has a better political track record than Michelle. She has a better political history than most of the past presidents in my lifetime. 

Edited for riffles 

[Coy Koi]

1 minute ago, send*the*ferrets said:

A Joe/Michelle ticket is my dream team. I think Biden as the front runner stands a better chance at winning- like it or not, after Hillary lost I think it showed parts of white America just won't vote for a women. Comparatively, Hillary has a better political track record than Michelle. She has a better political history than most of the past presidents in my lifetime. 

Agree on all points. A Joe/Michelle ticket would be awesome. But has Michelle ever said anything about potentially running for any office?

If they're both interested in POTUS/VP though, I could see it happening. I seriously doubt they'd ever run against each other in the primaries, being such close friends.

[47of74]

Yes Biden could very well run then even though he'd be close to 78 by then.

Of course his age shouldn't stop him if Mr. Biden has his health and feels that he can do the job.  The previous two Popes have been in their mid to late 70s when elected and that didn't stop them.  Francis especially. 

We're going to need someone who can work hard to undo all the damage The Orange Toxic Megacolon and Total Fornicate Face is doing now. 

[send*the*ferrets]

6 minutes ago, Coy Koi said:

Agree on all points. A Joe/Michelle ticket would be awesome. But has Michelle ever said anything about potentially running for any office?

If they're both interested in POTUS/VP though, I could see it happening. I seriously doubt they'd ever run against each other in the primaries, being such close friends.

I've never seen Michelle mention any political aspirations- if anything I've seen her deny it. They are still pretty young, once her kids are older she may change her mind. 

I personally don't think that Biden will run- they are very involved with his grandson since his son passed away, and I don't think he wants to be away from him. After losing his first wife and a child, and then losing another child twenty years later- that has to be really hard.

[47of74]

10 minutes ago, Coy Koi said:

Agree on all points. A Joe/Michelle ticket would be awesome. But has Michelle ever said anything about potentially running for any office?

If they're both interested in POTUS/VP though, I could see it happening. I seriously doubt they'd ever run against each other in the primaries, being such close friends.

The impression I got from Mrs. Obama is that she's just glad it's all over for them and wants to get away from all that Washington horseshit for a while.

I'm a little uneasy about political dynasties regardless of the side.  I think Mrs. Clinton would have been so much better than Fuck Face, but then again a can of peanuts would've been better than said Fuck Face.  But I think that might've been something that turned some people off to her was that we were having another political dynasty forming after shrub.

3 minutes ago, send*the*ferrets said:

I've never seen Michelle mention any political aspirations- if anything I've seen her deny it. They are still pretty young, once her kids are older she may change her mind. 

I personally don't think that Biden will run- they are very involved with his grandson since his son passed away, and I don't think he wants to be away from him. After losing his first wife and a child, and then losing another child twenty years later- that has to be really hard.

Of course it's entirely up to him if he wants to run.  If he's the nominee I'll support him.  I will support any Democrat because they'd be a trillion times better than the Orange Fuck Face.

[Cartmann99]

5 hours ago, 47of74 said:

And now the Branch Trumpvidians are all bent out of shape over the upcoming Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale;

observer.com/2017/03/trump-handmaids-tale-elizabeth-moss/

As the premiere date approaches, Hulu and the main actors who worked on this show, will probably start receiving death threats from the Trump fans. This will backfire on the Trump fans, because then people who ordinarily wouldn't be interested in a show like The Handmaid's Tale, will want to see what all of the fuss is about. 

I'm curious to see what nonsense Fox News will be spewing about The Handmaid's Tale.

 *Offers up a prayer to the universe that a bewigged Sarah Palin and the Big Gulp of Doom, will be wheeled out to screech on this topic* 

[send*the*ferrets]

I read The Handmaid's Tale in a high school IB class- is it still taught? If not in high school, in a basic college lit course? I read 1984 and Farenheit 451 in high school as well. All cover the dangers of censorship, importance of free speech, free press, etc etc- do people not read them anymore, or just not care? 

[47of74]

5 minutes ago, send*the*ferrets said:

I read The Handmaid's Tale in a high school IB class- is it still taught? If not in high school, in a basic college lit course? I read 1984 and Farenheit 451 in high school as well. All cover the dangers of censorship, importance of free speech, free press, etc etc- do people not read them anymore, or just not care? 

Never came across it before until after Fuck Face got in to office. 

When I was in high school they didn't really cover hot off the presses sort of material so much. 

Even in college that wasn't one of the books we covered.

17 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

As the premiere date approaches, Hulu and the main actors who worked on this show, will probably start receiving death threats from the Trump fans. This will backfire on the Trump fans, because then people who ordinarily wouldn't be interested in a show like The Handmaid's Tale, will want to see what all of the fuss is about. 

I'm curious to see what nonsense Fox News will be spewing about The Handmaid's Tale.

 *Offers up a prayer to the universe that a bewigged Sarah Palin and the Big Gulp of Doom, will be wheeled out to screech on this topic* 

I remember when NYPD Blue came out in 1993, that it warranted a statement from the local Catholic Church about the supposed dangers and evils of the program.  I don't think it would have stopped me from watching if I had been of a mind to watch the series.  The extra special attention from the Catholics and the AFA probably got more people to watch the show than would've otherwise.

[JoyfulSel]

1 hour ago, send*the*ferrets said:

I read The Handmaid's Tale in a high school IB class- is it still taught? If not in high school, in a basic college lit course? I read 1984 and Farenheit 451 in high school as well. All cover the dangers of censorship, importance of free speech, free press, etc etc- do people not read them anymore, or just not care? 

I never read any of those books in high school, but as part of my communications degree, we had a class called Propaganda, and I know 1984 is read in that class. I was even discussing the class with my former professor/advisor recently and he couldn't believe how perfect it is in this climate we're currently in.