2016 Democratic Thread

[StrangeSox]

https://twitter.com/KFILE/status/8048324352...src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

Hell of a team they're assembling

[caulfield12]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-12...nt_27556397.htm

 

Great, now we get Kissinger playing a pivotal role in China. What can go wrong for a 93 year old?

[StrangeSox]

Good lord, he really is that easily manipulated.

 

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/...src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

 

E: lmao

 

https://twitter.com/7im/status/804850755567...src=twsrc%5Etfw

Edited December 3, 2016 by StrangeSox

[caulfield12]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-speaks-tai...--election.html

 

White House National Secrity Council obviously displeased.

 

 

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/arch...2/03/2003660473

The phone call was scheduled ahead of time and anticipated by WH.

 

Read the last four mini-paragraphs. Not coincidentally, one of Dick Cheney's deputy security advisors was in Taipei at the time, Stephen Yates. Expected to play a roll in the Trump administration.

 

Drain the swamp!

Edited December 3, 2016 by caulfield12

[StrangeSox]

Clinton won on the economy in nearly every swing state. It was terrorism and immigration that drove trump's victory.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix...m=.a50525430cf5

 

 

[caulfield12]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nation...m=.671d4285e4b7

 

Of course there's a Taoyuan Trump Hotel project involved in all of this.

 

Speaking of swamps...all the Cabinet members can be shielded from paying taxes on gains as they choose to sell assets or put them into a blind trust upon entering DC.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/politics/don...iwan/index.html

Edited December 3, 2016 by caulfield12

[StrangeSox]

Good lord, he really is that easily manipulated.

 

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/...src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

 

E: lmao

 

https://twitter.com/7im/status/804850755567...src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

Tripling down

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/...src=twsrc%5Etfw

 

He met with John Bolton today as potential Sosa, who has advocated for exactly this sort of action to provoke China because he is an insane hawk.

 

 

Edited December 3, 2016 by StrangeSox

[Balta1701]

Somewhere in here there's a line about people who complained about how unpleasant it was to be forced to vote for the lesser of two evils, winding up vaporized after the greater of two evils wins.

[caulfield12]

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/201...hoo&ref=yfp

 

Republicans haven't thought through consequences of repealing ObamaCare but not replacing it until 3-4 years down the road.

[Quin]

http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/201...hoo&ref=yfp

 

Republicans haven't thought through consequences of repealing ObamaCare but not replacing it until 3-4 years down the road.

 

Obama, probably: "They don't have a plan, they just hate mine."

[caulfield12]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2016-...nt_27560464.htm

 

China taking the high road and pinning most of the blame on Taiwan rather than confronting Trump directly...although there are some not so subtle smackdowns mixed in.

 

The threat of selling US bonds is hollow...it would not have the desired effect on the Chinese RMB and they know that.

 

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/02/politics/don...iwan/index.html

China has officially lodged a complaint, though...

 

 

Edited December 3, 2016 by caulfield12

[caulfield12]

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/why-alec-baldwin-t...-204007831.html

 

Trump exhibits many of the classic indicating signs of dictators like Mussolini and Berlusconi from the more modern media age

[greg775]

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/why-alec-baldwin-t...-204007831.html

 

Trump exhibits many of the classic indicating signs of dictators like Mussolini and Berlusconi from the more modern media age

Yeah but we have checks and balances. Good luck to him trying to do anything dastardly.

[Balta1701]

So today's the day we get to welcome Richard Spencer to campus!

 

Anyway, the university is holding a sponsored counter-event which is pretty nice. But what's really scared me about this has been the news coverage. There have been 4-5 reports on the nightly news and in the paper about this upcoming event with him. Several of them introduced him as "Controversial conservative speaker", "Controversial alt-right speaker", or referred to there being protests possible after his "Controversial remarks in Washington DC after Donald Trump's Victory". For the majority of people watching who probably don't know who he was, they did a great job of making it sound like whiny college kids who didn't want conservatives on campus.

 

Literally at the last one where they referred to his "Controversial remarks in Washington DC earlier this month" or whatever the phrasing was I started talking to the TV and said loudly "Come on, those controversial remarks were 'Sieg Heil's". You're covering that up by calling it "controversial". That's what we mean when we say the press is not doing their job and allowing this stuff to become normal.

 

They still have never pointed out that the controversial remarks were Nazi chants, but the best we got was last night calling him a White Nationalist. At least that made the racial part clear.

[CanOfCorn]

Yeah but we have checks and balances. Good luck to him trying to do anything dastardly.

 

The fact that he is trying is dastardly enough. And if you think it isn't and wait until it gets to the point of "doing something," then we are in big, fat trouble.

[StrangeSox]

I'd rather not test how resilient our institutions are, but it seems like we'll be doing it continually for the next four years. "It can't happen here!" doesn't always hold true.

[Balta1701]

I'd rather not test how resilient our institutions are, but it seems like we'll be doing it continually for the next four years. "It can't happen here!" doesn't always hold true.

I have nazis on campus tonight and the news media didn't call them nazis.

[StrangeSox]

Exactly. I prefer GoSox's name for what they are, neo-nazi scum, to "alt-right" and other euphemisms. Glad they've got important seats in the White House now.

[CanOfCorn]

I have nazis on campus tonight and the news media didn't call them nazis.

 

The media can't be afraid, but the media is acting afraid.

[StrangeSox]

The CEO of United Technologies just let slip an unintended consequence of the Trump-Carrier jobs deal

 

Carrier built a plant in Mexico and automated jobs away in Indiana and got Trump to pay for it.

 

First, Hayes was asked what's so good about Mexico. Quite a lot, it turns out. From the transcript (emphasis added):

 

JIM CRAMER: What's good about Mexico? What's good about going there? And obviously what's good about staying here?

 

GREG HAYES: So what's good about Mexico? We have a very talented workforce in Mexico. Wages are obviously significantly lower. About 80% lower on average. But absenteeism runs about 1%. Turnover runs about 2%. Very, very dedicated workforce.

 

JIM CRAMER: Versus America?

 

GREG HAYES: Much higher.

 

GREG HAYES: Right. Well, and again, if you think about what we talked about last week, we're going to make a $16 million investment in that factory in Indianapolis to automate to drive the cost down so that we can continue to be competitive. Now is it as cheap as moving to Mexico with lower cost of labor? No. But we will make that plant competitive just because we'll make the capital investments there.

 

JIM CRAMER: Right.

 

GREG HAYES: But what that ultimately means is there will be fewer jobs.

[caulfield12]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/america-pay-...-100000736.html

Will America pay to protect Trump-branded buildings all over the world?

 

 

Will (no longer officially working for the campaign) Trump advisors continue to make ill-advised remarks like "Screw 'em!" when dealing with the Chinese in the media? Will there be a war between the two administrations before January 20th rolls around?

 

 

https://jtf.org/trump-threatens-35-import-t...total-disaster/

Will Trump have to "win" every deal with companies looking to move operations abroad...forcing costs on American consumers to skyrocket but "preserving optics" of fighting for the American worker? And how long will GOP Congress sit idly by (or even Mitt Romney) while free market capitalism, philosophy of no government intervention, MNC's and their related PAC's are trampled on?

 

 

 

 

[Jenksismyhero]

I get the Carrier deal is less than ideal, and Trump is obviously playing the game and getting rewarded for doing it (something I would actually give his team/campaign credit for...I honestly didn't think they had the skills to do something like that).

 

Howeva, I have to say, the response is kind of funny. That tax break move to keep jobs home isn't anything new. Illinois has done it for decades. Caterpillar a few times, Exelon just recently. And while it's not some great fix and i'm not really a fan of it personally, the cost is negligible. I read it was like $870 per job "saved." That pays for itself in income taxes in one year alone.

Edited December 6, 2016 by JenksIsMyHero

[southsider2k5]

I get the Carrier deal is less than ideal, and Trump is obviously playing the game and getting rewarded for doing it (something I would actually give his team/campaign credit for...I honestly didn't think they had the skills to do something like that).

 

Howeva, I have to say, the response is kind of funny. That tax break move to keep jobs home isn't anything new. Illinois has done it for decades. Caterpillar a few times, Exelon just recently. And while it's not some great fix and i'm not really a fan of it personally, the cost is negligible. I read it was like $870 per job "saved." That pays for itself in income taxes in one year alone.

 

Totally agree here. These deals are done on a daily basis. Hell Rahm just blew himself today about getting the McDonalds ground breaking on its HQ started. Tax incentives to get businesses to move a town over, and to stay in a town are incredibly common. Hell as a part of a local board, I have personally voted on approving parts of some of them in a town of 30k people.

[caulfield12]

I get the Carrier deal is less than ideal, and Trump is obviously playing the game and getting rewarded for doing it (something I would actually give his team/campaign credit for...I honestly didn't think they had the skills to do something like that).

 

Howeva, I have to say, the response is kind of funny. That tax break move to keep jobs home isn't anything new. Illinois has done it for decades. Caterpillar a few times, Exelon just recently. And while it's not some great fix and i'm not really a fan of it personally, the cost is negligible. I read it was like $870 per job "saved." That pays for itself in income taxes in one year alone.

 

Yes, and the cost of a trade war/tariff on incoming Chinese tires (under Obama, this happened already) made saving those jobs (in terms of lost consumer surplus) cost roughly $900,000 for each job preserved.

 

Not exactly an efficient tradeoff.

 

 

[StrangeSox]

Yes, deals gutting corporate taxes and regulations are done all the time. Carrier wanted these breaks and got them in exchange for a town number of jobs that make trump look good, but it's the exact opposition of what his whole campaign rhetoric was.

 

And Carrier is going to spend the money automating the plant, which will ultimately result in fewer jobs. That's a very real problem for the economic future in general, but this isn't some sort of "trump gets tough!" deal it was being reported as.

Edited December 6, 2016 by StrangeSox