The inevitable end result of our last 56 years

[Joe Bauer]

Surprised Trump's motorcycle gang boys haven't been participating in the Trump Train highway caravans.

Trump has said many times this group of patriotic Americans is behind him 100%.

Maybe because their lion roaring big bike and threatening outlaw appearance often looks exactly like the scary motorcycle mauraders in the Mel Gibson film "MAD MAX" some one told them to "stand down and stand by " ... for now anyway.

[Joe Bauer]

1 hour ago, Steve Thomas said:

If you're going to protest, go to Barcelona.

https://boingboing.net/2020/11/02/street-pianist-plays-on-as-barcelona-ignites-with-protests.html

Steve Thomas

STEVE ... THAT IS ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!

The incongruity is crazily surreal!

Like someone playing music while the Titanic is sinking!

Nice pleasant music in the direct midst of rioters running to and fro with gun shots, rock throwing and flashing light police cars and ambulances all racing about!

Like the world's gone merrily mad!

I just have to forward this hilarity to my friends.

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by Joe Bauer

[Ron Bulman]

4 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/11/alarm-sirens-are-blaring-expert-explains-the-chances-of-extreme-political-violence-in-america-after-election-day/

"At Trump’s rallies, the United States flag has almost officially replaced by the fascist, racist, authoritarian “Blue Lives Matter” flag. This is another encouragement of state-sponsored violence by Donald Trump against his movement’s perceived enemies — meaning nonwhite people, Black Lives Matter activists, liberals and progressives, and anyone else deemed to be “justifiable” targets.

Writing at the Milwaukee Independent, Mаurіcе Chаmmаh and Cаry Аspіnwаll explore this:

What originally began as a banner supporting law enforcement in recent years been increasingly hijacked by White Supremacist groups who use it as a Neo-Confederate flag and symbol of the anti-Black Lives Matter movement. Since the death of George Floyd it has been flown alongside the American flag at Trump rallies.

At his “superspreader” event in Waukesha [Wisconsin] on October 24, Trump’s campaign took the unprecedented step of replacing the patriotic red, white, and blue of the “Stars and Stripes.” Instead, the cold black, white, and blue was displayed as the dominant background for Trump at the event, in what critics call a visual dog whistle.

Those who fly the flag have said it stands for solidarity and professional pride within a dangerous, difficult profession and a solemn tribute to fallen police officers. But it has also been flown by white supremacists, appearing next to Confederate flags at the 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville.

Philosopher Jason Stanley described this on Twitter as the “replacement of the American flag by a fascist one. Whether Trump manages to stay in office or not, the second Confederacy now has a banner.”"

 

http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/syndicated/controversial-thin-blue-line-flag-replaces-americas-stars-stripes-trump-rally-waukesha/

Flags matter. They are the tangible symbol of a people united for a cause. That Trump replaced the American flag with the Thin Blue Line flag as the centerpiece of his rally is a rejection of the nation itself in favor of his role as the leader of the alt-right. And it was not inadvertent: White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany called attention to the prominence of the flag, tweeting: ‘The Thin Blue Line flag is flying HIGH at President [Trump’s] rally in Wisconsin!’ – Heather Cox Richardson

 

Steve Thomas

 

That first link from raw story ends with a pretty scary scenario.

[Kirk Gallaway]

On 10/31/2020 at 2:30 PM, Douglas Caddy said:

The Unseen Agenda Behind Trump: Destroy the Public Realm to Free the Rich

 

https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/10/30/the-unseen-agenda-behind-trump-destroy-the-public-realm-to-free-the-rich/

There are 2 excellent articles by Doug The first about the uncounted absentee ballots that will end never being counted, but I'm really struck with this Counter Punch article.

Maybe we should call it this: It's the Politics stupid! (No offense intended.)

Not surprisingly with JFKA story, when I first came here, most people here were obsessed with a government deep state specifically regarding military expenditures and an aggressive sometimes imperialist American foreign policy. All this was well justified. In the same mainstream media, to this day there isn't really dependable spokesmen advocating to wind down the MIC. I can understand it would seem like there's a huge cabal working against us, but the truth it wasn't near as bad as it was in the 60's...

It could have been solved by an enlightened leader who wasn't in such a weak position politically that he had to barter for what he wanted by giving the defense owned representatives in Congress what they wanted. It could have been done surgically. People who know politics know it was always that simple.

 

But the only President to find himself in such a position in our lifetime was Kennedy, who sort of stumbled into proving his anti communist credentials with  the public by staring down Khruschev in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The intelligentsia didn't realize that JFK's boost  in public support came for middle America, who were still spooked by the Russians and were for America "standing strong against the Red Menace.".

 

That situation still exists today, with whole areas economically depending on strong federal defense budgets, and there was always a surplus of Americans who can never feel secure, could never not  have some imaginary American foe, like Wheeler whose voted for generations  of Bush's all of his adult life.  JFK's prospects for re election were strong. It was the realization of Kennedy's true intentions, and the fact that Kennedy had the political wind at his back that killed him.

But the JFKA has in part become the conspiratorial peephole windfall by which the financial elites  can now use the unwitting onslaught of new Trump or other conspiracy cadets  to now dissolve the public realm, and throw the entire government safety net baby out with the bathwater. Trump has done a masterful job at eroding public faith in all our institutions, not just a bloated defense budget. And they've cultivated a sizable number of people who were going to depend on government services in the future to declare "all government is bad."?

The "one issue -bring down the MIC!" pundits here  were continually distracted by Trump, completely overlooking Trump's domestic policies and in some cases were seeing a "light at the end of the tunnel" by evaluating U.S. foreign relations by one barometer. How well was the U.S. repairing their relationship with the age old cold war rival, Russia and Putin. Other than that, they seemed to lack much clarity in evaluating whether Trump was really winding down the MIC at all, but just giving special consideration to autocratic dictators, shifting the focus slightly, and not realizing in fact he was borrowing to increase defense spending and "reestablish America as the primary world military power."

 

But the damage done to the public realm has been immeasurable. A lot of good career people with experience who weren't hurling bombs in foreign countries, but truly wanted to serve the public are now gone from government. It's not going to be corrected anytime soon, and your economic rights, your social security, and public health care will be effected.

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by Kirk Gallaway

[Douglas Caddy]

Los Angeles report on today's assessment by the poll that was most accurate in 2016;

President Trump heads into the final, frenetic 48 hours of campaign 2020 having lost ground among key groups that powered his drive to the presidency four years ago, the final USC Dornsife poll of the election shows.

Former Vice President Joe Biden leads Trump by double digits nationally — 54% to 43% in the poll's daily tracking, a margin that has remained almost unchanging since summer. Biden's support has ticked down just slightly from the high it reached after the first debate between the two candidates in late September; but overall, the poll has barely budged since USC began its daily tracking of the race in August.

That's consistent with most other major surveys. The final NBC-Wall St. Journal poll of the campaign, for example, shows Biden leading 52% to 42%, a result nearly identical to what that survey found in January.

 

"So much has happened in the past 10 months of this year — impeachment, George Floyd's murder, Black Lives Matter, fires and floods, RBG's death, and yet the presidential trial heat has not changed," veteran Democratic pollster Peter Hart, who oversees that poll with Republican pollster Bill McInturff, wrote in an email. "The voters know the stakes, they care and they have been very consistent and constant in their vote since January."

 

[Steve Thomas]

5 hours ago, Steve Thomas said:

Years from now, historians will look back on the last two weeks of Donald Trump's Presidential campaign and shake their heads at the sheer incompetentancy.

From his campaign manager stealing $40 million, and hackers in Wisconsin stealing $2 million, to stranding rally goers in the cold and dark in Nebraska and Pennsylvania and dropping like flies in the heat of Tampa, FL; at his rally in North Carolina, they were playing the theme song from the movie, Titanic.

People are going to look back and ask, "Who hired these guys?"

Steve Thomas

Yet Again, Trump Rally Attendees Stranded On-Site For Hours After Trump Leaves

“Hundreds of Trump supporters in Rome, Georgia, huddled in the cold for hours waiting on buses to take them back to their cars after the president spoke Sunday.”

 

By Ja’han Jones 11/02/20

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-rally-attendees-stranded-again_n_5fa04535c5b60e7e37d0cf5e

“On Sunday night ― and for the second time in one week ― hundreds of Trump supporters leaving a rally were forced to wait hours in the cold for buses meant to drive them back to their cars.”

https://twitter.com/JulieNBCNews/status/1323144589448916993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Steve Thomas

 

[Andrew Prutsok]

17 hours ago, David Andrews said:

The question's going to be: Is this the future of American politics after Trump and Biden are history?  Is this learned behavior that will be with us in 2024 and after?

The Crab people who have been living in the sewers for decades and decades, unleashed by Trump, are not going to just go away.

[David Andrews]

54 minutes ago, Andrew Prutsok said:

The Crab people who have been living in the sewers for decades and decades, unleashed by Trump, are not going to just go away.

You mean...deplorables?  *shudder *

Well, read the history of the War of 1812.  There were some pretty deplorable anti-Federalist mobs rioting then.  They didn't have the internet and automatic weapons, however.

Edited November 2, 2020 by David Andrews

[Cliff Varnell]

Final Prediction

Biden   340 electoral votes (Hillary states plus Florida, Georgia, N. Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Neb - 1)   85,000,000 popular votes

Trump   198   75,000,000

[Ron Bulman]

On 10/31/2020 at 4:30 PM, Douglas Caddy said:

The Unseen Agenda Behind Trump: Destroy the Public Realm to Free the Rich

 

https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/10/30/the-unseen-agenda-behind-trump-destroy-the-public-realm-to-free-the-rich/

This is a very relevant and informed article imo if anyone missed it.  Well worth reading.

Thank you Doug for posting the link.

[Kirk Gallaway]

 

Federal judge rejects efforts by GOP activists to invalidate nearly 127,000 votes cast at drive-thru polling centers in Houston

https://www.pilotonline.com/nation-world/ct-houston-drive-thru-ballots-20201102-zqliinvpuzemfmvmffkblhnbbu-story.html

It is a good article Ron. That's why wrote a piece on it earlier.

[David Andrews]

49 minutes ago, Cliff Varnell said:

Final Prediction

Biden   340 electoral votes (Hillary states plus Florida, Georgia, N. Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Neb - 1)   85,000,000 popular votes

Trump   198   75,000,000

From your mouth, to God's ears.  I'm not sure about Michigan or Florida, though.

[Ron Bulman]

The video in the second link and the picture of the car in the link below it are still disturbing to me.  I've driven this stretch of I-35 multiple times.  Wheeler tried to dismiss it in an earlier post.

In the first part of the video you see the white staffers small to midsize car trailing the bus with the big black truck beside it in the far right lane.  Then the video pans more of the "train" and comes back just as the big black truck physically shoves the white car over a lane.  I believe Robert was implying the car was trying to shove the truck over which is not what I see.  Watch for yourself, 2 or 3 times in full screen.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-hails-highway-ambush-video_n_5f9e174cc5b6bef9f18e22ce

The train slowed the bus down to 20 - 30 mph at one point.  IDK how fast they were going at this point.  20-30-40-50-60 it was dangerous.  If the car flipped in that traffic?

It's called Assault With A Deadly Weapon.  A Felony.  Up to a 20 year sentence.  Arrest the guy.  Prosecute him.  If you believe in and support Law and Order.  

[Joe Bauer]

29 minutes ago, David Andrews said:

From your mouth, to God's ears.  I'm not sure about Michigan or Florida, though.

Michigan will go Biden. Not sure about Florida. Still don't trust that state since 2,000.

I think Texas will go Trump, Arizona too and Nevada and Ohio.

Pennsylvania and North Carolina are the key for Biden electoral win.

Popular vote? Agree with C. Varnell. If not 10,000,000 Biden victory margin at least 7 to 8,000,000.

 

[Joe Bauer]

9 hours ago, Ron Bulman said:

The video in the second link and the picture of the car in the link below it are still disturbing to me.  I've driven this stretch of I-35 multiple times.  Wheeler tried to dismiss it in an earlier post.

In the first part of the video you see the white staffers small to midsize car trailing the bus with the big black truck beside it in the far right lane.  Then the video pans more of the "train" and comes back just as the big black truck physically shoves the white car over a lane.  I believe Robert was implying the car was trying to shove the truck over which is not what I see.  Watch for yourself, 2 or 3 times in full screen.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-hails-highway-ambush-video_n_5f9e174cc5b6bef9f18e22ce

The train slowed the bus down to 20 - 30 mph at one point.  IDK how fast they were going at this point.  20-30-40-50-60 it was dangerous.  If the car flipped in that traffic?

It's called Assault With A Deadly Weapon.  A Felony.  Up to a 20 year sentence.  Arrest the guy.  Prosecute him.  If you believe in and support Law and Order.  

I saw a right side view video taken by someone driving the same direction as the Biden Campaign bus. The speed appeared to be at least 50 mph.

What was really scary looking from this side view was seeing how close one of the Trump vigilante trucks were on the right side of the bus. Just a couple to a few feet. The driver of that truck was obviously purposely steering and keeping this dangerously close position.

It made me nervous just seeing this scary and dangerous move.

Clearly, some moving car endangerment law must be on the books down there in Texas and this Bus encirclement scene was a clear violation of this law.

Like I said, if these Trump MAD MAX intimidation marauders caused a crash of that bus resulting in injury and death, this could have been a trigger for angry and maybe even violent reactions nationwide.

The beligerent and taunting risks Trump's bully people take are unbelievable.

And Trump's defense of these endangering vigilantes is a huge and sickening risk as well.

Edited November 3, 2020 by Joe Bauer