caulfield12 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) Trump critics seize on developer ties to infrastructure plan A council that helped craft his transportation proposal included NYC-based private-sector allies of the former real estate mogul. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/30/t...of-union-376326 President Donald Trump’s critics are already lining up to undercut his infrastructure proposal — the purported bipartisan centerpiece of Tuesday’s State of the Union speech — as a giveaway to his well-connected friends and a rollback of popular environmental protections. Even before the president formally calls for a deal to help rebuild the nation’s aging infrastructure, a watchdog nonprofit stocked with former Democratic aides is ramping up a campaign to discredit his plan as “a blueprint for cronyism.” The group Democracy Forward will release a report Tuesday that alleges potential conflicts of interest on Trump’s infrastructure advisory council, which was disbanded last summer. The board was led by two of Trump’s longtime New York developer allies, Richard LeFrak and Steven Roth, who were tapped to help shape his plan to shore up roads and bridges by leveraging public money with private investors’ involvement (more toll bridges and toll roads!). Among the potential minefields the group singles out are lobbying by LeFrak's company against flood risk regulations that the Trump administration axed last year and the prospect that Roth's company would benefit from a public-private partnership in the works to build a new Penn Station in New York City. Edited January 30, 2018 by caulfield12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 30, 2018 -> 07:00 AM) I posted an article with its title... O’Connell will leave the party stabilized, if not yet fully recovered, after wins last year in Virginia and Alabama, and her decision to leave is a personal one, a DNC official told NBC News, timed to cause minimal disruption ahead of November's midterm elections. Where’s the controversy here, exactly? I guarantee Steve Wynn is familiar to at least 75% of Americans...why shouldn’t the GOP give back all the money raised since he assumed an official role with the GOP? Why should his wife/wives be able to give Steve Wynn’s money away and it not also be considered fruit of the poisoned tree? Do you know the name of the person who works under the Chair of the Republican National Committee? Do you even know the Chair’s name? That’s essentially O’Connell’s job description. Besides, Tom Perez and the Obamas control the party for now...nobody else really matters in the overall scheme of things. List of Republicans not to last a year Dr. Tom Price Anthony Scaramucci Bannon Priebus Spicer Dina Powell Sebastian Gorka George Gigicos Michael Flynn Keith Schiller Katie Walsh KT McFarland Paul Manafort George Papadapoulos Corey Lewandowski Carter Page Rick Gates Andrew McCabe (voted in GOP primary) Chris Christie apparently back again, lol...the most unpopular governor in Gallup polling history Edited January 30, 2018 by caulfield12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 How This Is Different Than Watergate Greg Sargent points out “an important way that the current moment is different from Watergate — a difference that may point to the possibility of a more alarming endgame. The Nunes memo shows there is a massive propaganda apparatus out there — one that reaches deep into right wing media and into the Congress that has been pushing the alt-narrative and would back up Trump if he does take drastic steps — that didn’t really exist in Nixon’s time.” He quotes journalist Tim Weiner: “You certainly had very influential columnists who were diehard Nixon men. But you did not have a Devin Nunes. You did not have a Sean Hannity. And you did not have an alternate universe of conspiracy theories, in which the FBI was painted as the equivalent of the Weather Underground.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 State of the Uniom tonight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Republicans redefine morality as whatever Trump does Someday, likely three years from now, perhaps sooner, perhaps — gulp — later, President Trump will depart the stage. But what will be left of us? New evidence suggests that the damage he is doing to the culture is bigger than the man. A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday found that two-thirds of Americans say Trump is not a good role model for children. Every component of society feels that way — men and women, old and young, black and white, highly educated or not — except for one: Republicans. By 72 to 22 percent, they say Trump is a good role model. In marked contrast to the rest of the country, Republicans also say that Trump shares their values (82 percent) and that — get this — he “provides the United States with moral leadership” (80 percent). And what moral leadership this role model has been providing! Soon after the release of this poll, we learned that Trump, in an effort to halt the Russia probe, planned to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, backing off only because his own White House counsel threatened to resign. So Trump obviously didn’t speak the truth when he said that he had never contemplated such a firing. And, at this writing, he is in Switzerland, responding by renewing his denunciations of the “fake news” media — an attack on the free press now emulated by despots the world over. In fairness, we learned of the proposed Mueller firing after the poll was conducted, so let’s see what else might have led 72 percent of Republicans to conclude Trump is a good role model: His lawyer arranged to make payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, a month before the election for her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal. He used a vulgar word to describe African countries during a racist rant to lawmakers at the White House. He was mounting a campaign to discredit the “corrupt” FBI, the Justice Department and the special prosecutor, just as he previously sought to disqualify courts and judges. He backed a credibly accused child molester for the Senate from Alabama. And so on. Yet so strong is the pull of tribalism that we’ve reached a point where partisanship outweighs morality. Republicans aren’t approving of Trump despite his behavior; in calling him a role model, they’re approving his behavior. No doubt some of those Republicans now condoning Trump’s behavior will give the standard rebuttal: What about the Clintons? Well, Quinnipiac didn’t poll nationally during the Clinton presidency, but Gallup, during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in January 1999, asked a similar question. The number of Republicans back then saying Clinton did not provide good moral leadership, 91 percent, was similar to the 96 percent of Democrats who say Trump does not provide moral leadership today. The difference: Democrats disapproved of Clinton’s morality by 2 to 1 (65 to 33 percent), even as they overwhelmingly approved of his job performance. Only 16 percent of Republicans today say Trump does not provide moral leadership. The triumph of partisanship over morality starts at the top. Franklin Graham excused Trump’s alleged sexual encounter, and Tony Perkins, the president of the conservative Family Research Council, declared that Trump gets a “mulligan” — a do-over — for his behavior. Such normalizing of Trump’s behavior makes the seediest elements feel safe to crawl out from under their rocks. The FBI reported in November that hate crimes were up again in 2016 after rising in 2015. And the Anti-Defamation League reported that anti-Semitic incidents were “significantly higher” through the first nine months of 2017 — a time in which Trump said there were “very fine people” among a march of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville. (This month, as Trump was whipping up loathing of the “fake news” media, a young man was arrested for threatening to gun down CNN journalists.) Even public officials feel emboldened to give voice to the basest impulses. In recent days: A town manager in Maine was ousted for promoting racial segregation and “pro-white” views. A pro-Trump Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Missouri posted a statement saying he expects his wife to have dinner waiting for him each night and denouncing “nail-biting manophobic hell-bent feminist she devils who shriek” and have “nasty, snake-filled heads.” A Republican state representative in Kansas alleged that marijuana was illegal because “the African Americans, they were basically users and they responded the worst off to those drugs.” A Trump appointee to AmeriCorps resigned after CNN uncovered his past remarks saying “I just don’t like Muslim people” and similar statements. Politicians have always behaved badly. What’s new is the willingness of so many not just to look the other way but to call bad behavior good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 (edited) QUOTE (raBBit @ Jan 30, 2018 -> 08:58 AM) Lol check out Pelosi on CNN last night talking about the Dennis Nunes and the DNA. Let’s get term limits. At least get his name right. Oh, she said something about making America white again. Let’s usher in term limits for that deadly barb. Apparently you weren’t around when Newt Gingrich and all incoming Republicans promised to abide by term limits in the Contract With America and then changed their minds once they tasted power so briefly in 1995. Here’s a refresher with a helpful visual aid to go along with it. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/polit.../termlimits.htm Besides, 36 House GOPers are already “retiring” this year, so there’s your term limits. Edited January 30, 2018 by caulfield12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Allen Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 President Donald Trump says the Trump National Golf Club in Florida is worth more than $50 million. Palm Beach County Property Tax Appraiser Dorothy Jacks disagrees, saying the Jupiter course, where Trump plays when he visits nearby Mar-a-Lago, is actually worth much less — $19 million. But in a twist, Trump's lawyers are now suing Jacks, saying her estimate and the nearly $400,000 property tax bill it generates are too high, even if her appraisal is only 40 percent of what the president listed in his 2017 financial disclosure form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan2003 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Jan 30, 2018 -> 11:26 AM) President Donald Trump says the Trump National Golf Club in Florida is worth more than $50 million. Palm Beach County Property Tax Appraiser Dorothy Jacks disagrees, saying the Jupiter course, where Trump plays when he visits nearby Mar-a-Lago, is actually worth much less — $19 million. But in a twist, Trump's lawyers are now suing Jacks, saying her estimate and the nearly $400,000 property tax bill it generates are too high, even if her appraisal is only 40 percent of what the president listed in his 2017 financial disclosure form. I'd be interested to see what he thinks his Chicago building is worth. No doubt he will be appealing this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoSox05 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I hope Trump spends his whole SOTU address complaining about CNN and talking about how bad he beat Hillary Clinton in the election. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockRaines Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jan 30, 2018 -> 12:16 PM) I hope Trump spends his whole SOTU address complaining about CNN and talking about how bad he beat Hillary Clinton in the election. Hes going to trash the FBI for at least 10 min. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Sources say that Trump has adopted a two-track strategy to deal with the Mueller investigation. One is an un-Trumpian passivity and trust. He keeps telling some in his circle that Mueller -- any day now -- will tell him he is off the hook for any charge of collusion with the Russians or obstruction of justice. But Trump -- who trusts no one, or at least no one for long -- has now decided that he must have an alternative strategy that does not involve having Justice Department officials fire Mueller. "I think he's been convinced that firing Mueller would not only create a firestorm, it would play right into Mueller's hands," said another friend, "because it would give Mueller the moral high ground." Instead, as is now becoming plain, the Trump strategy is to discredit the investigation and the FBI without officially removing the leadership. Trump is even talking to friends about the possibility of asking Attorney General Jeff Sessions to consider prosecuting Mueller and his team. "Here's how it would work: 'We're sorry, Mr. Mueller, you won't be able to run the federal grand jury today because he has to go testify to another federal grand jury,'" said one Trump adviser. https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2018-stat...-better-n842501 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxbadger Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 One day when this all shakes out Republicans/Conservatives are going to really wish they had not gone down this path of trying to completely discredit the FBI/DOJ. Those entities have always naturally skewed toward the right. Its surprising that their love of Trump has made them blind to this, considering that most of them never wanted Trump in the first place. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 30, 2018 Author Share Posted January 30, 2018 QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 30, 2018 -> 12:55 PM) Hes going to trash the FBI for at least 10 min. Even if it is not of his script, he can't resist going off on his own tangent, for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dam8610 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Trump is actively committing treason. 18 USC 2381: "Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States." That is the definition of treason per US code. Public Law 115-44, signed into law by President Trump, imposed sanctions on Russia. The Trump administration now refuses to impose these sanctions, "giving...aid or comfort within the United States or elsewhere" to Russia, who can be said to be our enemy by the fact that Public Law 115-44 passed nearly unanimously and required the United States government to impose sanctions on Russia as a punishment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dreamers-goo...-204616866.html Dreamers are good for the economy https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/fact-ch...me-u-s-data-say Across 200 metropolitan areas Research has shown virtually no support for the enduring assumption that increases in immigration are associated with increases in crime. Immigration-crime research over the past 20 years has widely corroborated the conclusions of a number of early 20th-century presidential commissions that found no backing for the immigration-crime connection. Although there are always individual exceptions, the literature demonstrates that immigrants commit fewer crimes, on average, than native-born Americans. Also, large cities with substantial immigrant populations have lower crime rates, on average, than those with minimal immigrant populations. The New York Times ✔@nytimes Trump says that he has ended the war on clean coal. But coal consumption fell to its lowest level in 40 years in 2017. http://nyti.ms/2FvcmJB Edited January 31, 2018 by caulfield12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) Is he for real? “His family followed” @realDonaldTrump tells story of North Korean refugee in same speech where he calls for end to family reunification. #sotu That's the key battle the next 5 weeks..."chain migration" vs. "family reunification" Is anyone else annoyed with USA, USA, USA!!! chants at any time other than the Olympics??? Is there anyone in America besides Trump and the defense industry/hawks who think building more nuclear bombs is actually a good thing??? Since he didn't call anyone by a demeaning nickname, are pundits now going to say he was presidential? #SOTU Senator Jeff Merkley Best speech since Ronald Reagan, lol... Edited January 31, 2018 by caulfield12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Just heard he did a great job on his speech and it was a big hit. Hmmmm ... Chris Matthews disagrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 This must be the most unexpected feature of the entire night. "You knocked it out of the park. We've got your back. Better than Reagan at his peak!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middle Buffalo Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 30, 2018 -> 10:01 PM) Just heard he did a great job on his speech and it was a big hit. Hmmmm ... Chris Matthews disagrees. It was available for your consumption and thoughts, yet you wait for the review. Why not just watch it yourself and tell us what you thought? Let me guess, you heard it was great from a ®eal news news source. Chris Matthews disagrees - fake news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg775 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 QUOTE (Middle Buffalo @ Jan 31, 2018 -> 06:29 AM) It was available for your consumption and thoughts, yet you wait for the review. Why not just watch it yourself and tell us what you thought? Let me guess, you heard it was great from a ®eal news news source. Chris Matthews disagrees - fake news. Matthews keeps calling him, "this guy." It's funny how cocky some people are. Their candidate didn't win so they don't even recognize the winner as President. When Obama won, nobody referred to him as "this guy." If you are an American you have to admit he's your president at least. We voted him in. So he's the USA president. U live in the USA so he's your president. Trump may be a chump but a lot of smart people are claiming the economy is thriving under DT. If we can get him impeached, fine, go for it. But if not he's still the US president until a scandal arrives that dictates he be removed. Just cause u lost doesn't mean u have to call him "this guy." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caulfield12 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) QUOTE (greg775 @ Jan 31, 2018 -> 12:10 AM) Matthews keeps calling him, "this guy." It's funny how cocky some people are. Their candidate didn't win so they don't even recognize the winner as President. When Obama won, nobody referred to him as "this guy." If you are an American you have to admit he's your president at least. We voted him in. So he's the USA president. U live in the USA so he's your president. Trump may be a chump but a lot of smart people are claiming the economy is thriving under DT. If we can get him impeached, fine, go for it. But if not he's still the US president until a scandal arrives that dictates he be removed. Just cause u lost doesn't mean u have to call him "this guy." This was exactly what Trump and Fox News (certainly after the bloom wore off the rose in 2010) were calling Obama, or worse. Let's not forget that Trump wouldn't even acknowledge for many years that Obama was an American citizen, nor had he the right to be president. Or the times that they said Obama wasn't patriotic simply because he didn't wear an American flag lapel pin. "THIS GUY" was a much more racist term in many parts of the US that refused to believe that an African-American was in charge of their country for the first time after 220 years of white males. Don't you remember "YOU LIE!!!" being shouted at him during a SOTU speech by Representative Joe Wilson, Greg? https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video...mp;action=click Trump's top health official traded tobacco stock while leading anti-smoking efforts CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald bought shares in a global tobacco giant even as her previous holdings were under review. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/30/c...ointment-316245 Edited January 31, 2018 by caulfield12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I think it's time I block greg, his posts absolutely make my blood boil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrangeSox Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 More lies from Trump (or really his speech writers) on how family reunification immigration and the visa lottery systems work. These aren't differences in how policies might work out like whether "tax cuts pay for themselves," these are blatant lies about how extant policy works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 31, 2018 Author Share Posted January 31, 2018 QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Jan 31, 2018 -> 08:49 AM) More lies from Trump (or really his speech writers) on how family reunification immigration and the visa lottery systems work. These aren't differences in how policies might work out like whether "tax cuts pay for themselves," these are blatant lies about how extant policy works. Can't find it now but there was an immigration lawyer on Twitter pointing a lot of his fibs out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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