The inevitable end result of our last 56 years

[Douglas Caddy]

 

 

Ex-CIA official says Russian spy invaded US intelligence and aided Putin's rise to power | Watch (msn.com)

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Douglas Caddy

[Benjamin Cole]

7 hours ago, W. Niederhut said:

Joe,

     It's not that U.S. and global wealth is disappearing, per se, it's that it has been increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer hands.  

     Thomas Piketty has documented this phenomenon in considerable detail, In Capitalism in the 21st Century, and subsequently.*

     Since 1980, almost all of the marginal increase in U.S. wealth has gone to the wealthiest 1%.

     Republican "trickle down" economic tax cuts since 1980 not only created our gargantuan national debt, they have played a major role in the gradual destruction of the American middle class.

     No wonder Ben dislikes the "Donks."  🤥

*

W-

I might wish I was in the right-end of the chart, but unfortunately I am not. 

If the Donks would think about economics, and not obsess on ID politics 24/7, they might come up some good programs. 

IMHO, cheap immigrant labor and huge imports are the largest swords impaling the American middle class, followed by property zoning. 

Neither party wants to tackle property zoning (which restricts supply) but, curiously, Trump wanted to handle the first two problems (maybe for the wrong reasons). 

Obama was all about trade with China and ineffective border controls. Obama now lives in Martha's Vineyard but also has a Washington manse. 

So it goes. 

 

 

 

[Paul Brancato]

1 hour ago, Benjamin Cole said:

W-

I might wish I was in the right-end of the chart, but unfortunately I am not. 

If the Donks would think about economics, and not obsess on ID politics 24/7, they might come up some good programs. 

IMHO, cheap immigrant labor and huge imports are the largest swords impaling the American middle class, followed by property zoning. 

Neither party wants to tackle property zoning (which restricts supply) but, curiously, Trump wanted to handle the first two problems (maybe for the wrong reasons). 

Obama was all about trade with China and ineffective border controls. Obama now lives in Martha's Vineyard but also has a Washington manse. 

So it goes. 

 

 

 

Ben - there is a problem with accusing Democrats of identity politics. It’s akin to when righties accuse lefties of being intolerant. Republicans have been playing the ultimate race card for a long time. There are no white racists who identify as Democrats. Affirmative action bit the dust because Republicans said it was racist! Sure, in a way. But that ignores real history. Republican playbook is to accuse their opponents with doing the exact thing they themselves are guilty of. Can’t you see that Ben? Take corruption. Was Biden’s son being protected by his father’s connections? Yup. Democrats should be as intolerant of corruption in their own ranks as they are in their opponents ranks. They try but fail in this regard. But they do try. Republicans simply do not try. They are corrupted in the extreme. So is inclusion politics racist? Well, it’s an honorable attempt to correct historical norms. When you look at and listen to Mitch McConnell can you not see who he is and what he stands for? He is a very effective politician and Chuck Schumer is not. But who would you rather know? The imperfect humanist is ever so much more admirable then the priggish elitist white dude. Is it racist to point out that white racism is alive and well in the Republican fold? You’ve got your equivalencies mixed up. 

[Benjamin Cole]

1 hour ago, Paul Brancato said:

Ben - there is a problem with accusing Democrats of identity politics. It’s akin to when righties accuse lefties of being intolerant. Republicans have been playing the ultimate race card for a long time. There are no white racists who identify as Democrats. Affirmative action bit the dust because Republicans said it was racist! Sure, in a way. But that ignores real history. Republican playbook is to accuse their opponents with doing the exact thing they themselves are guilty of. Can’t you see that Ben? Take corruption. Was Biden’s son being protected by his father’s connections? Yup. Democrats should be as intolerant of corruption in their own ranks as they are in their opponents ranks. They try but fail in this regard. But they do try. Republicans simply do not try. They are corrupted in the extreme. So is inclusion politics racist? Well, it’s an honorable attempt to correct historical norms. When you look at and listen to Mitch McConnell can you not see who he is and what he stands for? He is a very effective politician and Chuck Schumer is not. But who would you rather know? The imperfect humanist is ever so much more admirable then the priggish elitist white dude. Is it racist to point out that white racism is alive and well in the Republican fold? You’ve got your equivalencies mixed up. 

Verily, the 'Phants are the mirror image of the Donks. 

However, the easy accusation that everyone is a racist...not really the way to go.

In fact, the GOP more represents money, much than race. Rich non-whites are happily embraced in 'Phantland.  McConnell, who you described as racist, is married to a non-white. 

I stand by my position that the Donks, who should stand by ordinary workers and employees, have instead gone bananas on ID politics. A Marxist would say that is intentional--Donk and DC  leadership does not want employee-based party, and abhor class politics.

Silicon Valley, the multinationals, media (Disney wants those China sales), Wall Street et al do not want a referendum on what happened to the middle class in America. So they make racist white cops the issue. 

Add on: the creepy alliance, between the Donks and the Deep State.

You mean I am supposed to support the Donks as they fly the rainbow flag? 

I am sorry I cannot support the Donks. Just IMHO. I do not support the 'Phants either, although Trump's trade and border policies were fascinating---actually, the most pro-middle class policies in DC is 50 years. 

 

 

 

[W. Niederhut]

1 hour ago, Paul Brancato said:

Ben - there is a problem with accusing Democrats of identity politics. It’s akin to when righties accuse lefties of being intolerant. Republicans have been playing the ultimate race card for a long time. There are no white racists who identify as Democrats. Affirmative action bit the dust because Republicans said it was racist! Sure, in a way. But that ignores real history. Republican playbook is to accuse their opponents with doing the exact thing they themselves are guilty of. Can’t you see that Ben? Take corruption. Was Biden’s son being protected by his father’s connections? Yup. Democrats should be as intolerant of corruption in their own ranks as they are in their opponents ranks. They try but fail in this regard. But they do try. Republicans simply do not try. They are corrupted in the extreme. So is inclusion politics racist? Well, it’s an honorable attempt to correct historical norms. When you look at and listen to Mitch McConnell can you not see who he is and what he stands for? He is a very effective politician and Chuck Schumer is not. But who would you rather know? The imperfect humanist is ever so much more admirable then the priggish elitist white dude. Is it racist to point out that white racism is alive and well in the Republican fold? You’ve got your equivalencies mixed up. 

Well said, Paul.

I have mentioned at least twice to Ben that white identity politics (beginning with Nixon's "Southern strategy") has been a Republican game for the past half century.

The Dixiecrats migrated en masse to the Republican Party after the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Later, GHWB used Lee Atwater's Willie Horton ads to scare up the white fright vote.

But Fox News and the Trumplican Party have taken white identity politics to a whole new level since 2016, even directly promoting violence against minorities.

The GOP today is a party run by and for the Koch plutocrats, which garners white working class and middle class votes by fear-mongering about blacks, Mexicans, LGBT citizens, and "Great Replacement."

Hopefully, Ben will eventually understand what is happening.

[Matt Allison]

That's an interesting take there, Ben, as the reality is that the Dems and the GOP have never been this far apart.

Today, the Republicans voted against 3 different bills; to prevent domestic terrorism, to lower gas prices, and to solve the baby formula crisis.

Simply because those bills were brought by Democrats and would make the Dems look good for trying to help the country and its people, the Republicans voted against them. Yep.

The GOP is finished. There are feeble attempts to drag the Dems down with them, by saying both sides are the same, etc. but on a daily basis, it's just so painfully obvious that isn't true that it's finally being abandoned.

The Beginning of the End will debut on televisions everywhere on June 9th. History will be made, don't forget to watch

[W. Niederhut]

58 minutes ago, W. Niederhut said:

Well said, Paul.

I have mentioned at least twice to Ben that white identity politics (beginning with Nixon's "Southern strategy") has been a Republican game for the past half century.

The Dixiecrats migrated en masse to the Republican Party after the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

Later, GHWB used Lee Atwater's Willie Horton ads to scare up the white fright vote.

But Fox News and the Trumplican Party have taken white identity politics to a whole new level since 2016, even directly promoting violence against minorities.

The GOP today is a party run by and for the Koch plutocrats, which garners white working class and middle class votes by fear-mongering about blacks, Mexicans, LGBT citizens, and "Great Replacement."

Hopefully, Ben will eventually understand what is happening.

Addendum:  This reference about the Fox/Trumplican White Identity/Replacement Theory ethos got lost in the shuffle this week, which is unfortunate, because it's historically important and directly linked to the tragic Buffalo mass shooting.

Tucker Carlson not only promoted the white nationalist “great replacement” theory, but repeatedly called on his audience to take action | Media Matters for America

Edited May 20, 2022 by W. Niederhut

[Matt Allison]

For over a year, Loudermilk claimed no tours were given, and demanded an investigation into any member that suggested such a thing occurred.

Today, after the 1/6 Committee revealed it is asking him to come in for questioning, he admitted that he had, in fact, given a tour.

The SHTF is happening right now. Don't forget to watch

 

 

 

[Benjamin Cole]

2 hours ago, Matt Allison said:

For over a year, Loudermilk claimed no tours were given, and demanded an investigation into any member that suggested such a thing occurred.

Today, after the 1/6 Committee revealed it is asking him to come in for questioning, he admitted that he had, in fact, given a tour.

The SHTF is happening right now. Don't forget to watch

 

 

 

The 1/6 committee has access to Capital Hill cameras, evidently hundreds of them. Some outtakes were used to convict participants in the 1/6 scrum, although not all films taken that day have been released to the public. Lawyers for defendants have complained about this.  

Seems to me the 1/6 committee can prove through photographic evidence if there was a certain tour through the Capitol. 

It may be a bit of a leap from there being a tour pre-1/6 to a there being true coup attempt. Noe in the headlines, but in the courtroom. 

The Donks want to play this (aging) 1/6 gag big ahead of the election---that's what committee hearings are for. They are theater. The 'Phants will do the same thing if they win control of the House come November. 

BTW, the 'Phants may be even stupider than the Donks. They were set to crush the Donks, and they allowed this whole abortion issue to blow up in their faces. 

I realize there are some people with genuine emotions and principles regarding abortion, and I respect those people (although that surely excludes the bulk of office holders in DC). 

We will see what the Donks do with this windblown gift. 

 

 

[Steve Thomas]

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA, SOUTHERN DIVISION

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.841840/gov.uscourts.cacd.841840.345.0.pdf

Page 10

“That prior holding makes the veracity of the Select Committee’s accusations
all the more important, and a key issue underlying this dispute over privileged doc-
uments. For if, as seemed clear to Dr. Eastman and his client at the time, there was
illegality and fraud in the election of sufficient magnitude to have altered the out-
come of the election, then far from “undermining” Democracy, Dr. Eastman’s ac-
tions and advice must be seen for what they were—a legitimate attempt to prevent
a stolen election. Perhaps Dr. Eastman was wrong about that. But even if he was,
being wrong about factual claims is not and never has been criminal—indeed, it is
constitutionally protected, see New York Times v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964)—
unless the claims were known to be false when made. The Select Committee’s evi-
dence on that score is simply that news accounts and some government officials
(including a few high-ranking ones) had belittled the substantial fraud and illegal-
ity evidence as false. But given the false claims, outright lies, and even docu-
mented efforts by many of those same sources to spy on and otherwise thwart the
former President from fulfilling his constitutional duties for the entire four years of
his term as President, one should hardly be surprised that President Trump did not
take such claims at face value and preferred instead to rely on trusted advisors out side of the normal channels.”

 

This is straight out of the Wizard of Oz.

If you close your eyes real tight and click the heels of your ruby red slippers three times, and wish real hard, it will all come true.

Steve Thomas

 

 

[Douglas Caddy]

 

Biden security official arrested, accused of assaulting South Korean (msn.com)

 

A drunk Secret Service Agent is involved again in an incident. They never learned from what they did the night before and in the early morning hours before JFK was assassinated.

Edited May 20, 2022 by Douglas Caddy

[Douglas Caddy]

 

SpaceX Paid $250,000 to a Flight Attendant Who Accused Elon Musk of Sexual Misconduct (businessinsider.com)

 

Elon Musk called the woman who accused him of sexually harassing her flight-attendant friend a 'far left' actor 'with a major political axe to grind' (msn.com)

Edited May 20, 2022 by Douglas Caddy

[Paul Brancato]

10 hours ago, Benjamin Cole said:

Verily, the 'Phants are the mirror image of the Donks. 

However, the easy accusation that everyone is a racist...not really the way to go.

In fact, the GOP more represents money, much than race. Rich non-whites are happily embraced in 'Phantland.  McConnell, who you described as racist, is married to a non-white. 

I stand by my position that the Donks, who should stand by ordinary workers and employees, have instead gone bananas on ID politics. A Marxist would say that is intentional--Donk and DC  leadership does not want employee-based party, and abhor class politics.

Silicon Valley, the multinationals, media (Disney wants those China sales), Wall Street et al do not want a referendum on what happened to the middle class in America. So they make racist white cops the issue. 

Add on: the creepy alliance, between the Donks and the Deep State.

You mean I am supposed to support the Donks as they fly the rainbow flag? 

I am sorry I cannot support the Donks. Just IMHO. I do not support the 'Phants either, although Trump's trade and border policies were fascinating---actually, the most pro-middle class policies in DC is 50 years. 

 

 

 

Do you recall any Democrats that engaged in mass shootings? You can have legitimate complaints about Democrats - they are very disappointing - but you engage in a false equivalence. What exactly does mirror image mean? One side, for all its faults, accepts and in most cases welcomes a multicultural world, and one does not. Choose Ben. 

[Paul Brancato]

24 minutes ago, Paul Brancato said:

Do you recall any Democrats that engaged in mass shootings? You can have legitimate complaints about Democrats - they are very disappointing - but you engage in a false equivalence. What exactly does mirror image mean? One side, for all its faults, accepts and in most cases welcomes a multicultural world, and one does not. Choose Ben. 

I’m thinking the confusion arises when we equate one party or another with the principles they are associated with. Politicians are by and large corrupted by big money. I gather that’s your main point. But by harping on it you kind of evade a question in my mind about where you actually stand on human rights. Somehow you always manage to leave doubt. So let’s suppose that both parties are equally corrupt. In some ways I agree with that. I’d rather talk about what kind of world we wish we lived in, without equivocation. 

[Guest]

@Paul Brancato I just began to write a big piece on the way both parties use race and the disastrous consequences of it. But, I can't write 10,000 words that barely anyone will read, it's such a massive topic and so nuanced. Obviously, I am completely certain that racism is a cancer on society, and can only lead to bad things. I am also conscious that it is the easiest topic to divide the masses over, it's a primeval thing and I think it serves a purpose for the despicable political class. What the news cycles do is take people away from the rational thinking part of the brain and make them think emotionally with the older instinctive part. It's so destructive, manipulative and it sorts society into tribes. 

I do have a question: are you pro equality or outcome doctrines, or are you for equality of opportunity? It seems to me that is a huge topic of contention in the race debate, in terms of problems that need solving.