W. Niederhut Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 Geez... WaPo reports today that military officials discussed using a "heat ray" to disperse White House protesters for Trump's upside-down Bible photo op this summer... I'm picturing Bill Barr with a bull horn, saying, "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE, YOU DEMOCRATIC SCUM!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Carter Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 The dividing line in US politics is not Dems vs Repubs; it is advocates of the “free market” vs a reformist movement interested in alleviating the social carnage of the boom/bust cycle. This contest has mostly played out inside the Dem Party since FDR. Reform policies poll extremely well and are a proven winning platform. The reformists were ascendant in the 1960s with the election of JFK, and were set to control policy well into the future until all the leaders were murdered. Overcoming resistance to reformist policies within the Dem party has been a key problem since the 1970s, taking into account institutional roadblocks to any third party runs. After the Clinton campaign proved both venal and incompetent in 2016, the stage was set for a progressive insurgency to triumph in 2020, but a significant portion of the Dem base were distracted by the Russiagate hoax through 2017-2018 and their energies effectively diverted. Lame arguments that “pressure from below” is in anyway effective against a free market Democrat executive will prove disappointingly incorrect - as always. Biden and his campaign are already on record as stating any aspirations articulated by the “Biden-Sanders task Force” are already moot, and any available monies will go to the military. This was entirely predictable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Caddy Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 China and Russia plotting to bring down America in this time of crisis and chaos https://medium.com/@Douglas_Schoen/wake-up-america-china-and-russia-are-plotting-to-destroy-us-1530d0448316 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Gallaway Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) Jeff said:I guess the New Deal is truly dead. I suppose next you see the teacher's unions join BLM to demand an end to social security and the privatization of all public infrastructure. That should create unstoppable momentum across the base and bring in all the young people. Heh heh, That's pretty funny, Jeff! I agree with a lot of what you've said. Though I don't think the reformist Dem base would have done anything different if there had not been a, as you put it, "Russiagate hoax" or not. What could they really do? In the first 2 years, the Republicans controlled everything, gave themselves tax cuts, increased military pending. All they could do was to hunker down for 2018. I think, assuming a relatively smooth transition, my take would be. Whether there's Trump or Biden there's not going to be a continuing "v" shaped recovery. I don't know what the "New Deal" looks like after covid. There's going to be a lot of money spent just to combat the economic displacement that's already happened in the U.S, and Latin America. It looks like Asia is almost fully recovered. I'm not well versed enough to talk the about recovery in Europe. But they are starting from a lower base than the U.S. If it was my guess, if Biden won and the Republicans held the house. I don't think there would be enough relief to keep people from rioting, which the Republicans would blame on Biden, and could adversely affect Biden. But Biden could end up just being a transitional, somewhat sacrificial figure which he's suited for anyway. If nothing changed and Trump got elected and Repubs held the Senate. Trump will just continue talking like America's recovering then completely recovered, while talking up the projected fact that there will be vaccines to combat the pandemic and come down on the social unrest of people who don't have enough means or food to eat, under a banner of law and order, and initialize a police state. The smoothest transition could be a Democratic sweep. Though at best, they can have only a small margin in the Senate and not the 60 needed to get all their agenda. I don't agree with you Jeff, deficit spending is the order of the day, whether it's a Democrats spending stimulus to take care of people who've lost their jobs, local governments and small business or Republicans to save large and small businesses, and we know Trump has no problem at all overspending. It's possible Biden could be the figure that the corporate state, Wall Street (and Fox news) fears that will give in to the 'AOC, Sanders" wing of the party, but will be too old for their more militant factions to have the thought to assassinate. Still it seems for the goals of health care for everyone and re fortifying social security, much less any idea of free education is going to have to take a back seat to just to stave off the displacement and keep the peace. But Biden could initiate a big infrastructure program as FDR did, because it's sorely needed, and gives jobs to people (Democrats) and increases commerce, (Republicans) The deficit spending will not be good for the future generations. There really has to be some draconian taxation such as Sanders proposed tax on figures such as Bezos, Zuckerberg, Gates and the massive windfalls that the stay at home companies have made at the expense of the brick and mortar companies and the little guy and small businesses. That sort of taxation wouldn't effect the ability to have an economic rebound. He's going to raise the corporate tax rates as everyone expects, and abolish the Trump tax cuts to the wealthy, and then probably increase their rates. You'd almost have to bring in some of Elizabeth Warrens wealth tax. The goal for the Democrats would be a perceived repeat Democrat mop up from a previous Republican administration, where the very basic needs of the marginalized are taken care of, and with a long drawn out gradual economic recovery where at least for a while people aren't gaming the system and making money hand over fist. Edited September 17, 2020 by Kirk Gallaway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) Former Model Amy Dorris Says Trump Sexually Assaulted Her At U.S. Open In 1997 “I was in his grip, and I couldn’t get out of it,” Dorris told The Guardian. By Hayley Miller A former model has accused President Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1997, adding to the list of more than two dozen women who have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct over the last few decades. Amy Dorris told The Guardian that Trump “shoved his tongue” down her throat and grabbed her butt and breasts outside the bathroom in his VIP box at the tournament in New York. Dorris and her then-boyfriend, media mogul Jason Binn, were guests in Trump’s box during the event. “I was in his grip, and I couldn’t get out of it,” Dorris told The Guardian. “I don’t know what you call that when you’re sticking your tongue just down someone’s throat,” she added. “But I pushed it out with my teeth. I was pushing it. And I think I might have hurt his tongue.” Dorris was 24 at the time. Trump was 51 and married to his second wife Marla Maples. Trump’s legal team denied the allegation, telling The Guardian that there would have been more witnesses if the assault had occurred. They also suggested Dorris’ accusation was politically motivated. At least 24 other women have publicly accused Trump of sexual misconduct in incidents that span from the early 1980s to 2016. At least 10 women, including Dorris, have accused Trump of groping or kissing them without their consent. One, E. Jean Carroll, alleged Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied sexually assaulting anyone. He has accused Carroll of being a xxxx and suggested he wouldn’t have pursued her because she’s not his “type.” Carroll filed a defamation lawsuit against him in response. Last week, the Justice Department, headed by Trump loyalist Attorney General William Barr, took the unusual step of seeking to substitute the U.S. government for Trump as the defendant in Carroll’s lawsuit. I believe that the main reason the Democrats aren't pounding at this Trump issue ( his biggest "Achilles Heel" one ) is because they are trapped due to Biden's own past unwanted sexual advance baggage. If Warren was the candidate ( she has absolutely no baggage in this area ) the Dems could go all out with this Trump sexual predator issue which would be the strongest "emotion grabbing" one in turning women voters against Trump. Just another reason Warren should have been the Democratic Party candidate imo. Edited September 17, 2020 by Joe Bauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Andrews Posted September 17, 2020 Share Posted September 17, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Douglas Caddy said: China and Russia plotting to bring down America in this time of crisis and chaos https://medium.com/@Douglas_Schoen/wake-up-america-china-and-russia-are-plotting-to-destroy-us-1530d0448316 Apparently the Islamofascist threat has run its course. This vulpine sheep is being trotted out of his pen as well, like a show animal: https://www.salon.com/2020/09/17/noam-chomsky-we-are-facing-the-most-dangerous-moment-in-human-history_partner/ Say - what do we do now that we can put a face to our enemies? Edited September 17, 2020 by David Andrews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 (edited) This is Ripley's, folks... 🙁 Check out Donald's drug-addled diatribe today against Howard Zinn and the de-mythologizing of traditional American history. My question. Who is writing this nonsense for the Donald? The guy has never read a book in his life, and he's lecturing to us about historiography? Something about this reminds me of Hitler and his goons "correcting" art and pedagogy in the Third Reich. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eRSaUrg82s Edited September 18, 2020 by W. Niederhut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Gallaway Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 (edited) This is a Trump focus group giving their reactions to mock Trump campaign ads. Yes---- it's worse than you probably ever imagined. For once, Triumph the insult comic dog is actually upstaged by the respondents. Edited September 18, 2020 by Kirk Gallaway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Kirk. I saw that Triumph the Dog video earlier. The scariest part for me was that not one of the "focus group" members recognized that it was not Trump speaking. They were like mindless zombies. They just heard the words, and that's all it took. Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 9 hours ago, W. Niederhut said: This is Ripley's, folks... 🙁 Check out Donald's drug-addled diatribe today against Howard Zinn and the de-mythologizing of traditional American history. My question. Who is writing this nonsense for the Donald? The guy has never read a book in his life, and he's lecturing to us about historiography? Something about this reminds me of Hitler and his goons "correcting" art and pedagogy in the Third Reich. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eRSaUrg82s Excuse me for talking to myself here but, as erstwhile historians, forum members here must, surely, be concerned about Trump's latest proposal. He is, essentially, saying that we need to replace true history-- including the writings of Howard Zinn, Eric Foner, Peter Kuznick, and Oliver Stone-- with white supremacist mythology. This is another Trump page from the Nazi playbook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 (edited) Where conspiracy theories meet Jesus: Inside the ‘upside-down fantasy world’ of Trump rallies By Chauncey Devega, Salon 09/18/20 https://www.rawstory.com/2020/09/where-conspiracy-theories-meet-jesus-inside-the-upside-down-fantasy-world-of-trump-rallies/ “Hoffman traveled some 5,000 miles across the country attending Trump rallies, and spent almost 200 hours talking with the Trump faithful who attend those events.” “In his book, “xxxx’s Circus: A Strange and Terrible Journey Into the Upside-Down World of Trump’s MAGA Rallies, (Carl) Hoffman explains that Donald Trump’s rallies function as a form of alternate reality for his followers. This “upside-down world” is tied together by conspiracy theories, ignorance, racism and a longing for an earlier time in America where life was “simpler” because nonwhite people, LGBTQ people, women and other marginalized groups “knew their place” and white Christian straight men were understood as the most essential Americans. Hoffman also explores the similarity between Trump’s rallies and evangelical church revivals where the sick are healed, sinners are “born again” and the charismatic preacher is seen as a semi-divine prophet.” “Donald Trump’s world is an upside-down one. It is a fantasy world. One of the most popular songs at a Trump rally is “YMCA” by the Village People. There are 22,000 people pantomiming the letters YMCA at a Trump rally. The next person that comes on the stage is Vice President Pence. Out of 22,000 people, untold thousands of them are fundamentalist, evangelical Christians who think homosexuality is a sin. And yet their favorite song is a disco hit about having anonymous gay sex at the YMCA.” “I was shocked and surprised to see that at a Trump rally it is hyper-lit —it is incredibly bright and there are no shadows. I shared that observation with a woman in Dallas. She explained to me that it is like church. Trump’s rallies are like a church revival. You want to see the preacher, and the preacher wants to see you. The idea of being “born again,” what does that mean? To be born again means you have to die.” “The idea of being reborn is something that happens because the preacher convinces you that the world is evil, and that you’re sinning so badly that you essentially die, and then he brings you back. At a traditional church revival, people faint, they pass out and then they come back to life and they are reborn. I have seen this happen at Trump rallies. I have watched people fall out at a Trump rally and then be carried out on stretchers and placed near the front row.” That is scary stuff. Steve Thomas PS: The Forum's software is apparently set up to delete the word that is synonymous for someone who doesn't tell the truth. The first word of Hoffman's book is "Someone Who Doesn't Tell the Truth's" Circus. Edited September 18, 2020 by Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Brancato Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Incredibly, there are members of the yoga and new age communities that are buying into the QAnon conspiracy theories. When a friend pointed this out to me, drawing comparisons between some of today’s rallies in places like Berlin to similar rallies in the early 1930’s where the crowds were combinations of far rightists and new age religionists (think Rudolf Steiner or Madame Blavatsky), I was incredulous until it was proven true. I watched a video presentation by a woman yogi with 70,000 YouTube followers which portrayed Trump as the ‘light bringer, sent to break apart the old systems and usher in the new age. Leaving aside the Christian rhetoric, something similar is happening among Radical Left voices. One example is Chris Hedges, who is publicly proclaiming that a choice between Trump and Biden is no real choice at all, and recommending that we follow his lead and vote Green Party. I think it’s safe to say that QAnon reaches the far left and alternate lifestyle people because there is truth underlying the central tenet that our government, indeed most governments, are corrupted by greedy capitalists. That’s why Bill Gates has joined their pantheon of billionaire evil doers along with Soros and others, and their government facilitators like the Clintons, who are working to drag all world citizens into their dictatorial One World Government. It’s very sophisticated propaganda, and it’s been in the works since before Trump became president. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Varnell Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 59 minutes ago, Paul Brancato said: . One example is Chris Hedges, who is publicly proclaiming that a choice between Trump and Biden is no real choice at all, and recommending that we follow his lead and vote Green Party. Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. No real choice between Obama’s Supreme Court Justices and Trump’s? The ignorance is staggering! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1306408278755164160 Reporter: “The U.S. has 4% of the global population and 24% of the world’s COVID-19 death, how is that a success?” Kayleigh McEnany : “We use different numbers” Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Prutsok Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 5 minutes ago, Steve Thomas said: https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1306408278755164160 Reporter: “The U.S. has 4% of the global population and 24% of the world’s COVID-19 death, how is that a success?” Kayleigh McEnany : “We use different numbers” Steve Thomas The mass death is all part of the joke those us not in the know don't get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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