The Trump Presidency – 2016

[sterlingice]

Of course, Fox News is using Photoshop for their coverage of Seattle (i.e. making shit up):

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/media...est/index.html

lmao Fox News is photoshopping an armed guard into pictures about the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone to make it look more dangerous than it is
(h/t @sumromanus!) pic.twitter.com/WtxE8k18KB
— Michael Hobbes (@RottenInDenmark) June 12, 2020

They also used a fiery photo from Minnesota as the centerpiece on a package of stories about Seattle. https://t.co/RBF0ttg2ku pic.twitter.com/bElH94RgYW
— Gina Cole (@Gina_Cole_) June 12, 2020

SI

[albionmoonlight]

The Trump Administration‘s decision to eliminate protections for transgender patients is simply wrong. I’ll work to overturn this discriminatory policy.

— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 13, 2020

She's not the worst thing going on right now by far. But is anyone in D.C. more of a self-parody than Susan Collins? It's life as performance art.

[JPhillips]

Is there anyone that ruined their reputation during the Trump years more than Collins?

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

The Trump Administration‘s decision to eliminate protections for transgender patients is simply wrong. I’ll work to overturn this discriminatory policy.

— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 13, 2020

She's not the worst thing going on right now by far. But is anyone in D.C. more of a self-parody than Susan Collins? It's life as performance art.

I wonder how many GOP Senators are going to find their spine if Trump continues to poll poorly and his campaign is the disaster reports make it out to be.

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Atocep

I wonder how many GOP Senators are going to find their spine if Trump continues to poll poorly and his campaign is the disaster reports make it out to be.

Likely too late to change much. The last time a party bailed on their lost cause nominee and saved their House and Senate positions was 1996 with Dole. They tried that again with McCain in 2008 and it blew up in their face. And now, people are even more tied in either for or against the President. They couldn't detach themselves in time after the last four years, nor should they be able to.

[Ryche]

Trembling Trump has trouble lifting glass of water during speech - New York Daily News

Something wrong with him.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Ryche

Trembling Trump has trouble lifting glass of water during speech - New York Daily News

Something wrong with him.

Well we know the stairs are because he can't see, and refuses to wear glasses, because it's a sign of WEAKNESS! It's also why he squints A LOT.

[kingfc22]

Jeff Sessions out here spending his weekend fighting for the Confederacy.

FFS GOP...

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Is there anyone that ruined their reputation during the Trump years more than Collins?

The number of candidates in this debate dwarfs the early Democratic debates.

[cuervo72]

It almost looks like maybe he is too fat for his jacket? I have no idea.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Jeff Sessions out here spending his weekend fighting for the Confederacy.

FFS GOP...

That primary is the most fascinating one in the country imo.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Fox is trying sooo hard with CHAZ.

I'm surprised they haven't suggested putting a fence around it and calling it ALCACHAZ.

As far as backtracking on the Juneteenth rally, it could be that his campaign successfully argued to him that directly causing another riot is going to cost him the election. Surely SOMEONE in that organization believes the polls and sees some real danger that he won't be able to count but a few votes outside of his rabid 35-40%.

[JPhillips]

The GOP running as the defenders of the Confederacy won't help their suburban women problem.

[sterlingice]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/media...wer/index.html

Is it bad when, as a President, you're less popular than Comcast?

SI

[JPhillips]

Tim Scott said this morning that qualified immunity reform or abolition is a red line for Republicans. So expect lots of talk and Mitch stopping anything from happening at the national level.

[kingfc22]

Ted Cruz trying to instigate a fight and have somebody else fill in for him is very on brand. Go GOP.

[miami_fan]

Note to the people selling Trump 2020 merchandise that I just saw on my way home. I fully support you selling whatever you want. I fully support you putting out some of the flags to advertise your pop up shop. I don't support making sure that your Trump 2020, Women for Trump and Don't Tread On Me flags are flying in the breeze while the US FLAG IS LYING ON THE FUCKING GROUND! And then when I call you on it, you tell me I need to get out of here cause I am a fucking ni***er.

Oh well at least I did not get shot so progress.

[kingfc22]

But you sure as hell better not kneel as THAT is disrespectful to the flag which is 100% what the issue is.

[Noop]

I fully expect the GOP to turn on Trump... only if he loses the election (which I don't think he will personally).

[Jas_lov]

Bad day for Trump in the Supreme Court. I like the 6-3 ruling protecting LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace. Roberts and Gorsuch joined the four liberals in the majority.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

Bad day for Trump in the Supreme Court. I like the 6-3 ruling protecting LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace. Roberts and Gorsuch joined the four liberals in the majority.

Was worried this was going to go the other way. Are there more decisions coming from SCOTUS today?

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Was worried this was going to go the other way. Are there more decisions coming from SCOTUS today?

Can answer this myself:

https://apnews.com/cfc528bd21b256a3c321edfff40d50eb

https://apnews.com/69fb607b8143d0706e9c7f376f10cd6d

https://apnews.com/2af6c9fea55743a5e40cfcf14e28c1e0

Did get one in the "win" column though:

https://apnews.com/0315aa9e057106fe4590ad8c069ebc54

[PilotMan]

I think those were all fairly sound options from the court. A shocking thing to think looking back 3 years ago.

[Thomkal]

Trump not having a good day-FDA stops promoting Trump's magical cure for the virus.

[Thomkal]

Even one of the most right-leaning polls. Rasmussen, has Biden up by +12%

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

Bad day for Trump in the Supreme Court. I like the 6-3 ruling protecting LGBT people from discrimination in the workplace. Roberts and Gorsuch joined the four liberals in the majority.

Roberts likes to throw a bone on social issues as long as he can rule for pro business/corporate issues. I'm most curious to see if he'll thread the needle on all the abortion and Obamacare cases being hurled at him.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by bronconick

Roberts likes to throw a bone on social issues as long as he can rule for pro business/corporate issues. I'm most curious to see if he'll thread the needle on all the abortion and Obamacare cases being hurled at him.

This. He figured out which way the social wind was blowing and went with Obergefell.

But he's going to be perfectly fine to help dismantle the administrative state, rule wildly pro business, and rig elections (gutting the Civil Rights act, upholding gerrymandering /and/ making it harder to challenge, and, of course, Citizens United)

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Noop

I fully expect the GOP to turn on Trump... only if he loses the election (which I don't think he will personally).

I think it's mostly their preferred position. If you could guarantee them the Senate in exchange for the Presidency, I think they'd take it in a heartbeat.

They got their irreparable damage to much of the bureaucracy through 4 years of gross incompetence and brain drain. They got so many nutjob judges in place for decades to come.

They get to hand Biden an ineptly managed pandemic, damaged foreign policy, and a destroyed economy. Then they get to kick him around for 4 years, not letting him get anything done or solve any of the problems of Trump's creation or mismanagement.

Then then get to run some button-up conservative ideologue who invokes many Hail Trumps (as opposed to the old Saint Reagans) but can decry the part of Trump where he said the quiet part loud. And then force through a bunch of harsh austerity to further damage what little social safety net we have and keep moving us along that path toward corporate dystopia.

SI

[larrymcg421]

I actually don't see it as a social/corporate issue divide for Roberts. He wrote the dissenting opinion for Obergefell and it didn't pull any punches. In fact, that opinion sounds much like what Kavanaugh wrote today. However, he also voted to uphold Obamacare multiple times.

Roberts seems deeply concerned with the image of the court. I think once Gorsuch voted with the liberals, Roberts went with him to avoid it being a 5-4 decision. It also allowed him to assign Gorsuch to write the opinion rather than one of the liberals.

[Edward64]

I like the idea of infrastructure spending but not enough details right now. I know it's unlikely we'll get unemployed laying asphalt and such but have to think it will help unemployment some.

Although this will increase our debt, it provides a tangible return and is needed sooner or later.

Zoom In Icon

Futures contracts tied to the major U.S. stock indexes rose early Tuesday morning as a Bloomberg report said President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 492 points, suggesting an open gain of more than 539 points when regular trading resumes on Tuesday. S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures also implied a positive Tuesday start for the two indexes.

Citing people familiar with the plan, Bloomberg reported the Trump administration is drawing up a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal. The report said a preliminary version being prepared would set aside majority of the money for traditional infrastructure such as roads and bridges, though funds would also be reserved for 5G wireless infrastructure and rural broadband.

The overnight moves Monday evening followed a striking rebound in U.S. equity markets during the regular session.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 157.62 points higher on Monday after the blue-chip index fell more than 760 points earlier in the session.

[RainMaker]

Kudlow says the $600/week will end in July. Also the Fed is buying individual corporate bonds to keep the markets up.

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I like the idea of infrastructure spending but not enough details right now. I know it's unlikely we'll get unemployed laying asphalt and such but have to think it will help unemployment some.

Although this will increase our debt, it provides a tangible return and is needed sooner or later.

This is nothing new, as Trump has advocated a massive national infrastructure program throughout his presidency. The republicans are lukewarm on the issue, but the biggest obstacle is getting the democrats to get behind the initiative. Obviously if Obama or Clinton was in power, the democrats would be enthusiastically supporting this, but with the current state of affairs, nothing that Trump proposes can be seen as a good idea. Therefore, this initiative will go nowhere.

[HerRealName]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

This is nothing new, as Trump has advocated a massive national infrastructure program throughout his presidency. The republicans are lukewarm on the issue, but the biggest obstacle is getting the democrats to get behind the initiative. Obviously if Obama or Clinton was in power, the democrats would be enthusiastically supporting this, but with the current state of affairs, nothing that Trump proposes can be seen as a good idea. Therefore, this initiative will go nowhere.

This isn't what I remember and this matches closer to my memory:

https://www.rollcall.com/2018/12/20/...r-wall-demand/

They've always tried to tie together infrastructure spending with his big, beautiful wall.

[ISiddiqui]

Not to mention that Democrats were very supportive of infrastructure spending, but whenever Trump proposed a bill it was mostly big tax cuts (with little oversight) as opposed to direct spending on infrastructure.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

This is nothing new, as Trump has advocated a massive national infrastructure program throughout his presidency. The republicans are lukewarm on the issue, but the biggest obstacle is getting the democrats to get behind the initiative. Obviously if Obama or Clinton was in power, the democrats would be enthusiastically supporting this, but with the current state of affairs, nothing that Trump proposes can be seen as a good idea. Therefore, this initiative will go nowhere.

"And, in other news, the 2023 Inspector General report found that over $460B of the $1T infrastructure bill has been unaccounted for. It has been spent out of the fund but there have been few leads as to where it went. The IG's office issued a rare apology for the lack of oversight, citing a lack of resources to do a more thorough job. They have also been unable to compel testimony through legal means. Despite a Tweet from former President Trump inadvertently implicating a Trump-owned firm of accepting $47B and no evidence of any substantive infrastructure work, the IG's office and House have been unable to enforce any subpoenas to track down the money. The Supreme Court has denied two appeals of two lower court rulings where Trump-nominated judges ruled in favor of the former President."

SI

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Vegas Vic

This is nothing new, as Trump has advocated a massive national infrastructure program throughout his presidency. The republicans are lukewarm on the issue, but the biggest obstacle is getting the democrats to get behind the initiative. Obviously if Obama or Clinton was in power, the democrats would be enthusiastically supporting this, but with the current state of affairs, nothing that Trump proposes can be seen as a good idea. Therefore, this initiative will go nowhere.

What? The Dems tried to negotiate an infrastructure plan multiple times. Last year there was a deal and then Mitch killed it. This year, before the pandemic, Dems were pitching an almost 1 trillion plan. Obviously the details will matter, but Dems have been willing, too willing IMO, to pass a huge infrastructure deal. The problem is Mitch and the GOP Senate.

[bronconick]

The United States Senate under Mitch McConnell is either a walking filibuster (if in a minority) or an avenue to ram unqualified judges through and little else otherwise. If you told me I'd get a re elected Donald Trump but McConnell shipped to Mars forever and a Democratic Senate, I'd seriously consider the tradeoff. Mitch has done more damage to this country than Trump. The parties actually negotiated before he went full asshat

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by bronconick

The United States Senate under Mitch McConnell is either a walking filibuster (if in a minority) or an avenue to ram unqualified judges through and little else otherwise. If you told me I'd get a re elected Donald Trump but McConnell shipped to Mars forever and a Democratic Senate, I'd seriously consider the tradeoff. Mitch has done more damage to this country than Trump. The parties actually negotiated before he went full asshat

What would Trump do with a completely Democratic congress? Never mind, he would still inflict as much damage as possible.

[JPhillips]

But I bet there would be a lot more threats to conduct oversight. There might even be a speech or two.

[GrantDawg]

Now the White House is suing Bolton for breach of contract. They are desperate for this book not to come out. How much you want to bet it does make it out and it is a big nothing burger? They are going to make this tremendous deal out of it, and the worst thing says is the President mispronounced a leaders name or something.

[panerd]

Bringing the cancel culture topic over here from the college football thread because I think it was way off topic. Some people say it's not getting ridiculous and I am just old. Stuff like this is pretty absurdly ridiculous in my opinion. This is behavior of the 6th graders I teach...

Domino's responds to backlash over thanking Trump staffer in 2012 - Business Insider

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by panerd

Bringing the cancel culture topic over here from the college football thread because I think it was way off topic. Some people say it's not getting ridiculous and I am just old. Stuff like this is pretty absurdly ridiculous in my opinion. This is behavior of the 6th graders I teach...

Domino's responds to backlash over thanking Trump staffer in 2012 - Business Insider

The lede buried in that article is that Kayleigh McEnany thinks "Dominos is wayyyy better than any NYC pizza."

[panerd]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

The lede buried in that article is that Kayleigh McEnany thinks "Dominos is wayyyy better than any NYC pizza."

In 2012. Some intern at dominoes who runs their twitter feed is supposed to know she will be in the Trump admin 8 years in the future?

[molson]

I watched two entire seasons of the Apprentice. I hope nobody finds that out.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by panerd

In 2012. Some intern at dominoes who runs their twitter feed is supposed to know she will be in the Trump admin 8 years in the future?

Sure, that's ridiculous.

...but I'd also like to address the stock pizza picture they chose for that article:



WTF?

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by molson

I watched two entire seasons of the Apprentice. I hope nobody finds that out.

Welcome to my ignore list.

[larrymcg421]

Originally Posted by panerd

Bringing the cancel culture topic over here from the college football thread because I think it was way off topic. Some people say it's not getting ridiculous and I am just old. Stuff like this is pretty absurdly ridiculous in my opinion. This is behavior of the 6th graders I teach...

Domino's responds to backlash over thanking Trump staffer in 2012 - Business Insider

I agree that this was stupid. However, this went nowhere. People saw it as such and Dominos did not, in fact, get cancelled. Instead, people from both the right and the left are rightly dunking on Rick Wilson. And he may have ironically got himself cancelled due to an Instagram post someone found where he has a cooler with a Confederate flag on it.

I agree that cancel culture can go too far. However, I don't think the Gundy situation is as simplistic as you're making it out to be. Similar to the FSU situation where the coach lied about having a meeting with his players, it goes beyond just a t-shirt and touches on the issues of a mostly white coaching culture disconnected from the real concerns of its players.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by panerd

Bringing the cancel culture topic over here from the college football thread because I think it was way off topic. Some people say it's not getting ridiculous and I am just old. Stuff like this is pretty absurdly ridiculous in my opinion. This is behavior of the 6th graders I teach...

Domino's responds to backlash over thanking Trump staffer in 2012 - Business Insider

Ah, "cancel culture" will be the cry if "political correctness" updated for 20 years later

SI

[JPhillips]

These fucking guys.

Why did Trump have a secretive, midnight run to Walter Reed Medical Center? It’s time we talk about it. #TrumpIsNotWell pic.twitter.com/c8g97n61s5

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 16, 2020

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

These fucking guys.

Why did Trump have a secretive, midnight run to Walter Reed Medical Center? It’s time we talk about it. #TrumpIsNotWell pic.twitter.com/c8g97n61s5

— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 16, 2020

What's FDR hiding? Why won't the press admit what we all know is true? He's in a wheelchair. With the world at war, don't we need a strong President?

I could name 100 reasons to vote against Trump without needing to pause. Resorting to his physical weakness is juvenile bullying. Do better Lincoln Project.