“Ariana Huffington is unattractive, both inside and out. I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man – he made a good decision.”
Trump always has charming things to say about successful, prominent women – but he stooped particularly low with this comment about Huffington Post founder. The man is a complete schmuck when it comes to women.
“An ‘extremely credible source has called my office and told me that Barack Obama’s birth certificate is a fraud”
Trump was determined to ‘expose’ President Obama’s birthplace back in 2012, and even claimed to have sent investigators to Hawaii in the hopes of proving Obama wasn’t born in the United States. Former, disgraced Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has since charged this is true based on his completed investigation.
"Will Democrats and their friends and allies question their belief that the political professionals are best suited to decide who runs?" Not my question, it comes from Progressive Magazine and wonders what the future for our movement is. Bernie Sanders had the momentum and the message many voters were looking for, in a parallel with Donald Trump's appeal, although Bernie did it with class. But thanks to an underhanded Democratic National Committee, Clinton was favored.
Of course, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former disgraced head of the DNC, was the culprit that pulled the strings that prevented Sanders from getting the nomination. She's gone, thanks to Bernie, but the damage was done and we ended up with...Donald Trump. The latter's differences with Bernie was the fact that Trump added immigrant -bashing, tax cuts for the wealthy and a future for white male supremacy, along with racist and white nationalists' views.
Bernie Sanders did not get the nomination and Hillary Clinton was not able to capitalize on his support, particularly the millennials, so we lost the White House and a chance to reclaim the Senate. But there is still hope with Bernie Sanders Revolution in motion and Chuck Schumer as new minority leader in the Senate. And there are rumbles everywhere about progressive grass-roots movements being pursued. Even if Donald Trump lasts a term, it won't be easy for him or Republicans.
Donald Trump says he will repeal Obamacare and the Senate head idiot, Mitch McConnell, says that it is his priority in the new Congress. Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell warned Monday that a repeal of Obamacare without a replacement in place first would cause chaos in the health care industry. In the face of all this rhetoric, over 4 million people signed up for the coverage, in effect, telling Trump and McConnell to put their repeal where the sun don't shine. This repeal crap is not for the good of the country, it s simply child-like retaliation against Barack Obama.
The 4 million includes 1.1 million new subscribers, with 2.9 million re-upping. Even states with their own exchanges are seeing an increase in interest. The Obama administration has created the hashtag #CoverageMatters to let enrollees share how health care reform has benefited them, to prove to the American public just how valued the program is. Although Tom Price, Trump's new HHS Sec. "hates" Obamacare, and Trump and Obama and McConnell have indicated their intentions...
"...it's expected that they will delay putting an actual end to the law for two or three years while they come up with a replacement plan."
Price is connected to the Tea Party and that always spells trouble when you are talking about social programs. He's a former chairman of the conservative Republican study committee, with his website describing him as “devoted to limited government and lower spending.” The new Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, claims that Tom Price is way out of the mainstream of what the American public wants. But, then, that describes whole Tea Party, an organization that has caused more damage to this country that all of its wars. Here's a quote from Scumer:
"Nominating Congressman Price to be the HHS secretary is akin to asking the fox to guard the hen house."
40 electors from the Electoral College are demanding an intel briefing on Russia and its roll in the 2016 election from National Intelligence Director James Clapper, 10 this last Monday, Dec. 12, twenty more on Tuesday. This is a bi-partisan effort and according to Politico, the "...first show of public support for efforts questioning the legitimacy of Donald Trump's victory..." They are asking for the information before Dec. 19, when their decisions are due. John Podesta, Clinton's former campaign chairman, talks about the security factors involved in the ruse.
Podesta comments on the Clinton campaign's earlier requests for an investigation on the issue, which apparently fell on deaf ears and adds, the fact that the CIA confirms this Russian interference was for the purpose of getting Donald Trump elected President. Now, of course, this raises the question of just what kind of ties does the President-elect have with Russia. I plan to do a full post on this in the future but for the sake of this one, Jeff Nesbit of Time says he has many, many, many, many ties to Russia. Nesbit reports this all happened in late May.
Here's what the original 10 electors wrote...
“The Electors require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations. We further require a briefing on all investigative findings, as these matters directly impact the core factors in our deliberations of whether Mr. Trump is fit to serve as President of the United States.”
The first 10 electors include nine democrats and one Republican. The additional electors joining the original 10 were all Democrats. Today is Thursday and with one more business day available what's the likelihood of getting the intel? Law Newz says...
"Legal experts tell LawNewz.com it will be tough for the electors to get what they are seeking. However, there is a way that it could possibly happen, but it involves an often arduous process of receiving an interim security clearance. A process that President Obama could even help expedite, if he wanted to."
The next question is can you delay the electors' decisions? The Huff Post has a solution you can read here.
As of December 23, a total of 12,942 people had been killed in the United States in 2015 in a gun homicide, unintentional shooting, or murder/suicide. Thanks to The Trace.
Most of Donald Trump's incoming cabinet picks have some modicum of respect, but his choice for the incoming National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn, must have left this trait at the Army officer's club. Now the President-elect has put out some pretty salty tweets, but this guy drags the bottom of the barrel in his treatment of Hillary Clinton. It's a fake news story about her involvement in sex crimes with minors, deleted sometime since Nov. 2...
"...Flynn linked to a story on TruePundit.com that falsely claimed the FBI investigation into Anthony Weiner had turned up evidence 'to put Hillary (Clinton) and her crew away for life.'"
Here's the tweet...
"U decide - NYPD Blows Whistle on New Hillary Emails: Money Laundering, Sex Crimes w Children, etc...MUST READ!" Flynn's tweet read.
"The tweet received renewed scrutiny in recent weeks after a different fake news story about Clinton's connection to a underage sex ring at a DC pizzeria led a man to show up at the restaurant with a gun. Flynn's son, also named Michael Flynn, was dismissed from Donald Trump's transition team after peddling the pizzeria conspiracy on his Twitter account."
So we've got Flynn's son on the Trump transition team--couldn't get a job on his own?--who was fired because his taste is in the sewer like his father's. There is something that could be considered a plus, at least to Twitter, that the social media should pay Donald Trump for all the free promotion it is getting. The crux of the whole thing is really that a man with this kind of judgment should not be in the position of having access to top secret information, even though that was the case when he was Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
You would hope that a man who has achieved the rank of Lieutenant General in the army would have more brains than to post a tweet like the above, especially when he knows it was fake news. Since it was live some time around Nov. 2, it is obvious Flynn designed the tweet to damage Hillary's presidential campaign. There is no sign that Trump is doing anything about this heinous behavior, but, then, maybe he either thinks it is okay or just doesn't give a damn. Either way, it is classic Donald Trump.
They are really coming out from under the rocks since Donald Trump's win and they are doing it with the kind of vitriolic spume you would expect from the scum of the earth. I am, of course, talking about the supporters of the President-elect, Donald Trump, this particular one being a rabid racist. I must warn you because the language is not only heinous but it reflects the double-digit IQs of Trump followers. Read the following comment on my blog, if you dare...
What a joke,the market is breaking records every day since we elected a real President, your buckwheat nigger "president" was and is the biggest failure of all time
You can see the post this refers to: "Donald Trump becomes President-elect...Stocks take a dive" I have to admit that stocks in general have soared back--primarily because it looks like Trump will favor the business world over consumers--but my point in the diving stocks referred to in the above post, were those concerned with globalization, which isn't something Donald Trump favors. At least today.
But what really stands out here is the ignorant racist approach of a supposed human being, the latter of course in question. His or her ignorance is definitely akin to what Trump has spewed from the beginning, and attracted ignoramuses like this commenter. Some background. He posts as "Ellis" and lists his home as Tucson, AZ. This is how he describes himself: "Right Wing Conservative American exceedingly tired of the liberal left and the damage they are doing to this country." "...the damage 'they' are doing to this country." The person is obviously mentally impaired and needs help so if anyone in Tucson knows this individual, helping them get to the nearest mental hospital would be nice.
There are many who believe this, especially retiring Senator Harry Reid who has led Democrats in the Senate for several years. There are two parts to his charge that "Democrats 'would have won the majority in the Senate and would have won the presidency but for Comey.'" First the letter James Comey sent to Congress just over a week before the November, 2016 election that there were additional emails that appeared relevant to the Hillary Clinton email case. Two, the FBI failed to investigate election hacking believed to be Russians in an attempt to get Donald Trump elected.
"It's obvious he was a partisan in all this. There's information out there. He had it, I'm confident. And he ignored it."
In referring to James Comey's letter to Congress, another attack on Hillary Clinton's emails less than two weeks from the election, Reid commented...
"In fact, to show how awful this situation is, this man ignored precedent that had been going on for decade after decade after decade. The FBI does not get involved in politics -- except Comey did."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, has now said he supports a Senate investigation into Russian hacking, which right away makes me think he has an ulterior motive. That's how much I trust him. Donald Trump has downplayed the accusations of Russian hacking and the fact that, if so, had nothing to do with his winning the election. The President-elect has said all along that Hillary Clinton has received favoritism during her campaign for president and commented just after the election, she is, "... being shielded by the 'totally rigged system.'”
We probably haven't heard the last of this and may never with Donald Trump in the White House. But this along with Clinton's success with the popular vote, leading Trump by over 2 million, which he claims is because of illegal votes will put this in the record books as "unfinished business." Trump is a psychopath to the end.
Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA)
(1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as
reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!
The short answer is loose gun laws in the United States where anyone can buy a gun as long as they are a warm body. From the National Observer...
"...you can buy them without a background check at gun shows or from neighbours in many American states. Background checks through the FBI’s database are only required for in-store purchases. Customers are asked if they’ve ever been committed to a mental institution and their criminal history before the store calls the FBI. Denials are rare, amounting to less than 1 per cent."
We've all known that for years with past events like when an AR-15 was used in an Orlando, Florida gay nightclub to kill 50 people. Weapons like that are restricted in Canada. More on this...
Handguns are generally classified as restricted weapons, while rifles and shotguns are usually non-restricted. The AR-15 rifles used by the San Bernardino suspects is classified as restricted. Anyone wishing to buy a gun in Canada and/or ammunition must have a valid licence under the Firearms Act. Dec 4, 2015, whichis only given after you’re trained on how to safely handle firearms, and must consent to criminal record and background checks before being given a license.
Most states in the U.S. do not require any training to get a gun, although I give the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) credit for holding regular classes, after the fact. And let's get this straight right now re. "Americans killing 51 times more people with guns than Canadians," and the differences between the two populations. The U.S. population is only nine times the size of Canada's. Associate professor of sociology at the University of Toronto Jooyoung Lee says, Canada has a more robust set of policies that make gun violence much less likely than in the U.S. Further...
"Canada creates an infrastructure that somewhat levels the playing field, trying to address poverty — the underlying driver of gun violence in communities. Canada has a more robust healthcare system, there’s more money being funneled into public education, there’s a much more progressive approach to ensuring that gun violence doesn’t happen here.”
The United States could learn a lot from Canada when it comes to guns. But it probably won't.
Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA)
(1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as
reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!
This is all hypothetical since none of us really know what's going on between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Russia in general. Putin appears to be Trump's friend and many in the U.S. believe Russia's President had a lot to do with getting Donald Trump in the White House. Hell, maybe all Putin wants is to spend a night in the Lincoln bedroom. CNN's Daniel Treisman has reminded us of the 1962 political thriller "The Manchurian Candidate." He explains it this way...
"...a hostile government uses covert measures and secret agents in an elaborate plot to get its favored candidate elected president of the United States. The scenario seemed fanciful even at the height of the Cold War."
But if you delve deeper into the plot of the movie, "The Manchurian Candidate concerns the brainwashing of the son of a prominent right-wing political family, who becomes an unwitting assassin in an international communist conspiracy," thanks to Wikipedia. The assassin, played by Frank Sinatra in the film, is supposed to kill the President-elect. And this is where the similarity to the current situation ends but still with some serious questions unanswered. Like did the hacking into the Clinton campaign and the DNC originate from Russia?
Even a Republican Congress now wants a bipartisan probe of alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. And if there was interference from Russia in favor of Trump, we can be assured it was originated by Putin who is in complete control. But the question remains, just what does the President of Russia want from the U.S. President-elect, and that brings up the question of how far back the ties go between these men. Here's what CBS News said...
"While the Republican presidential nominee has denied any ties to Russia, his connections to the country and its president go back years. Trump has talked about Russia being a hot business climate, and he has been trying to bring his brand to Moscow for decades, reports CBS News correspondent Julianna Goldman."
Okay, we know that Donald Trump is in the White House for the purpose of promoting his businesses. He's already alienated the Chinese government and that could cause damaging repercussions to the U.S. in both trade and diplomacy, especially with China as one of our biggest trade partners. I see Vladimir Putin as a harmless old crony of Donald Trump who plans to use the President-elect like he has used so many people. What the watchdogs must do is make sure that Trump doesn't give away any state secrets, that is if he ever goes to a briefing.
They all did well during Barack Obama's administration but put the skids on when Donald Trump was elected. These are Standard and Poor's stocks that excelled under Obama, some even soared like online retailer Amazon.com (AMZN),alcoholic beverage seller Constellation (STZ) and real-estate investment trust General Growth (GGP) all with 1,000% growth since 2008 when President Obama took office. They now trail the 3% regular rise in the S&P 500 since the Trump win. There is also a rapid decline in bond prices according to USA Today.
Investment experts expect a significant change in government policy under Donald Trump, particularly on globalization, which many of the down companies depend on. And as well they might, considering the new President-elect changes his mind daily, his word is worth very little, and shows fits of being unstable at times. Here's an example of why the concern...
Constellation bought U.S. distribution rights to Corona and other Mexican brews in June 2013. Mexican beers now account for 90% of Constellation's beer business, which is more than half the company's revenue, Ramey says.
Constellation is a top maker of wine and beer including brands like Robert Mondavi and Black Velvet. Here's another quote from USA Today...
"His tough talk on larger, unregulated companies (and) industries has many spooked that he’ll do something negative, or that he’ll be friendlier to competition," says Daniel Kurnos, analyst at Benchmark Capital.
Bernie Sanders had said if Donald Trump planned to fight the outsourcing of many U.S. companies, he was with him all the way. Then the Carrier Indiana plant situation arose with Trump demanding the company change its position on sending jobs to Mexico. As it turns out more than half of the Carrier jobs still went south. Just another Trump deception.
Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA)
(1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as
reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!
Congressman: Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY)
Total amount received: $34,850 Tel. Number: (202) 225-3115
As I am sure the rest of us sane individuals are, but there is nothing we can do about Donald Trump getting there, but maybe something can be done about his staying there. The Bern made reference to Chuck Jones who challenged the President-elect's outright lie that he had saved all the Carrier jobs at the Indiana plant, when in fact more than half are still going to Mexico. Sen. Sanders concludes that Trump's message here to unions and their workers was that if you continue to stand up and fight, my administration will go after you. Just as he did with Chuck Jones on Twitter.
MSNBC's Chris Hayes questioned Bernie on the appointment of "Andrew Puzder, CEO of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, who supported Trump during his campaign, praising him as a 'pragmatic centrist' and 'negotiator.' The Senator took the opportunity to remind those who voted for the President-elect that all those promises of standing up to the establishment were all "crap," my word but still accurate. Pudzer, who is anti-worker, and who pays his workers as little as possible--many of whom have to get federal assistance--is adamantly against raising the minimum wage.
When Chris Hayes asked Bernie Sanders about the reality of all this, referencing how Barack Obama has established his legacy from his accomplishments, particularly, bringing the economy back from near disaster under George W. Bush--now that's reality. At this point we have another Republican in the White House, and Hayes wondered if reality would hit when under Trump wages decline, outsourcing continues, and the economic squeeze on the middle-class advances, will the public, particularly his supporters, blame it on the President-elect or Bernie, Hillary, the Democrats?
The Bern hopes to build a movement of grass roots supporters who do see the reality of what just happened in this election, plus what will be taking place under Donald Trump. I know I'm in!
Recipients of cash from the National Rifle Assn. (NRA)
(1988-2016) who refuse to pass gun control laws that would save lives, as
reported by The Nation magazine. Call them today!
Congressman: Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) Total
amount received: $35,250