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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190276: May 23rd 2017 at 12:16:42 AM

Moving things away from Trump a bit...

For your viewing pleasure, a couple of opinion articles on what's going on with Puerto Rico, the US territory in the hole for over $70 billion (on top of $50 billion for pensions) which plans to hold a referendum to see if they should push for statehood next month.

From The Hill: Hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans may be screwed out of healthcare by next January.

Basically, the ACA money they received as a territory is going to run out by next year. And right now they have no way of getting more money.

This is on top of the island's financial woes making it difficult to keep hospitals open, doctors leaving the island in droves, and the current Zika epidemic on the island.

And for a change in perspective, an opinion article from Investor's Business Daily: Puerto Rico's bankruptcy issues may not only make things far worse for the island in the future, they may also create a bad precedent for the states too.

The commentary takes issue with the demonization of Wall Street investors in Puerto Rico's woes, pointing out that Puerto Rico also shares responsibility for making bad decisions too. It also points out that states like Illinois are starting to take a page out of Puerto Rico's book in blaming Wall Street. The writer believes this is a bad thing since while such populist rhetoric might win voters over, indulging in it too much will make it more difficult to attract investors in the future.

edited 23rd May '17 12:21:05 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#190277: May 23rd 2017 at 12:57:15 AM

So Trump apparently doesn't know that Israel is part of the Middle East.
I was under the impression Israel was part of the near-East, not middle-East.

At least, that's how it is in French: "proche-Orient".

edited 23rd May '17 12:57:45 AM by Medinoc

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190278: May 23rd 2017 at 1:03:20 AM

[up] The Middle East page points out that "Middle East" isn't clearly defined. However, Israel traditionally is considered part of the Middle East.

edited 23rd May '17 1:04:35 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#190279: May 23rd 2017 at 4:50:01 AM

Don't remove Trump. Learn from Australia. They had an incredibly unpopular Prime Minister whose policies basically screwed over every person in the country and was almost universally hated. So hated in fact, that his own government managed to get themselves re-elected solely on the voter goodwill generated by firing the man. They then got to gleefully keep doing what they had been doing before, following the same fucked up policies and keeping all the unpopular decisions he had allegedly made on his own for another election cycle, and the people who got duped into voting for them have been slowly realizing they fell for an obvious bait-and-switch ever since. At the end of the day a president or prime minister is just someone to shoulder the blame for a much larger political entity; he's a fall guy.

If you oppose Trump, you should want him to stay in office at least until the next election because his continued presence could be the thing that swings that election your way. The last thing you should want is for his party to be able to shed responsibility for 'his' fuckups under the guise of impeachment, while continuing to do the exact same things under a different figurehead. The face may change but the nature of the beast always stays the same. Trump's continuing presence in the white house is a national embarrassment, but it is also the single best chance the Democrats have of gaining control over the senate next year.

Personally I suspect that the republicans will impeach Trump, but will wait until shortly before the 2020 election. Presidential candidates are carefully vetted and they would never have put him up there if they didn't have something on the guy. I predict they will get rid of him some time in late 2019 and try to ride the wave of public relief to the next presidential election.

A comment left on a Cracked article titled "Your anti-Trump efforts are working".

The idea that Trump is just a fall guy and the same policies will be continued without him wouldn't surprise me. The Republicans have after all not gone ahead with all his ideas, so I imagine if they go along with an idea of Trump's, then that means the party itself likes it, and we need to see that The Republican party itself is fucked up and should be rejected.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#190280: May 23rd 2017 at 4:54:41 AM

Yeah, that was my concern all along. Trump himself isn't that evil (or too incompetent), other Republicans are. And he did learn most of his stuff at their feet. Such as the recent budget proposals, which were written by dyed in the wool Tea Partier Mick Mulvaney and are really his work and ideas rather than Trump's.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
tricksterson Never Trust from Behind you with an icepick Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Never Trust
#190281: May 23rd 2017 at 4:54:45 AM

Unconfirmed but I've heard that the Republicans are waiting until after the 2018 elections because otherwise Pence would be in office too long to run for two terms.

Trump delenda est
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#190282: May 23rd 2017 at 4:58:26 AM

A clip from the newest episode from PBS's Frontline:

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#190283: May 23rd 2017 at 7:45:30 AM

"So many young beautiful innocent people living and enjoying their lives murdered by evil losers in life. I won't call them monsters because they would like that term. They would think that's a great name. I will call them from now on losers because that's what they are," he said.

I give Trump credit for phrasing it like that!

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190284: May 23rd 2017 at 7:55:23 AM

[up] But did he really have to bring up ideology in that speech? Terrorism is not an ideology. Unless, of course, that was a dogwhistle for Islam. Again.

Yeesh. Leave it to Trump to find a way to fuck up expressing sympathy for the victims of a suicide bomber.

Ugh, I would not be surprised if this causes his approval rating to go up again since people are grasping at straws to convince themselves that the POTUS is not a POS.

edited 23rd May '17 7:57:37 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#190285: May 23rd 2017 at 8:09:01 AM

He might get a few points for it and if his overseas trip goes without a major screw up.

And then he'll drop again after something about Comey, Russia or a Twitter rant comes out. His budget will also result in widespread opposition.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
WhatArtThee Since: Oct, 2015
#190286: May 23rd 2017 at 8:10:08 AM

[up] It did go up, according to Five Thirty Eight's aggregate it increased from 38.8% to 39.1% today, due to a new poll by Rasmussen Research which puts it at 41%.

Just another day in the life of Jimmy Nutrin
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#190287: May 23rd 2017 at 8:11:21 AM

That's basically a non movement. And that poll leans right wards compared to the average.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Julep Since: Jul, 2010
#190288: May 23rd 2017 at 8:16:19 AM

So apparently, Corsica now belongs to Italy. Nice to see that the Trump administration is already leaving its mark on the world.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190289: May 23rd 2017 at 8:23:27 AM

[up] Remedial geography, remedial math, remedial sex education, remedial history...

Fuck it, the entire Trump administration needs to retake high school again.

Disgusted, but not surprised
WhatArtThee Since: Oct, 2015
#190290: May 23rd 2017 at 8:25:24 AM

So how do you feel about Trump seemingly changing his tune on Muslims? If he has indeed, that's really great news given some of the policies he proposed a few months ago. I hope it's true.

Just another day in the life of Jimmy Nutrin
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#190291: May 23rd 2017 at 8:26:57 AM

[up]Nothing Trump says can be trusted, he's changing his tune because it benefits him. He could go right back to bashing Muslims next week for all we know, flipflopping is what he does.

"Sandwiches are probably easier to fix than the actual problems" -Hylarn
ViperMagnum357 Since: Mar, 2012
#190292: May 23rd 2017 at 8:28:32 AM

@What Art Thee: Trump did not change anything-he never cared about them anymore than anyone else he could not screw over for personal gain, and he never will. He was just reading whatever they put in front of him because he does not care-the difference being this time, someone with a couple of neurons to rub together wrote his official statements.

edited 23rd May '17 8:29:14 AM by ViperMagnum357

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190293: May 23rd 2017 at 8:29:34 AM

@What Art Thee He hasn't changed his tune. Wait until he makes the same kind of speech in the USA itself. And he's still talking shit about Iran.

edited 23rd May '17 8:29:56 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#190294: May 23rd 2017 at 8:36:52 AM

Democrats Don’t Need Trump’s Voters To Retake The House. In other words, hardcore Trumpistas are not enough to carry a House majority. I'll also add that partisan redistricting does not by default account for demographic or demographic-political shifts such as those that cost Trump the majority in Orange County (there was an article a while ago that said that California's OC is a good example for a number of suburban and - so far - Republican held districts in the South)

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#190295: May 23rd 2017 at 8:37:40 AM

@New Rasmussen Poll: That's actually pretty low, considering it's Ramussen. Last I saw, it was at 47%, though that was a month or two ago.

carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#190296: May 23rd 2017 at 8:47:19 AM

Trump to sell half of the US strategic oil reserve.

When Obama released part of the strategic reserve to offset the soaring prices during the gas hike republicans completely lost their shit.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#190297: May 23rd 2017 at 8:48:09 AM

[up] Say it with me everyone...IOKIYAR

Disgusted, but not surprised
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#190298: May 23rd 2017 at 9:29:46 AM

[up] x4 we actually have a name for that. They would be classified as 5s in campaigning, people that are compleatly against your party or candidate. You don't even bother with them because they won't like you no matter what.

edited 23rd May '17 9:32:57 AM by megaeliz

TrashJack from Deep within the recesses of the human mind (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#190299: May 23rd 2017 at 9:30:07 AM

[up][up] Even most other Republicans couldn't get away with half of what Trump does. At this point, Trump could tear near-term fetuses out of the womb and eat them, then use the American flag as a napkin afterward while singing Satan's praises, and the GOP would love him for it.

edited 23rd May '17 9:33:17 AM by TrashJack

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#190300: May 23rd 2017 at 9:30:23 AM

[up][up][up][up] Honestly, that's not a particularly bad decision from what I know. the rise of fracking has dramatically reduced the United States's dependence on imported oil, and like it or not other forms of power generation are becoming increasingly economical. The strategic oil reserve, at least at our current volume is something of a relic at this point in time.

@Septiums: Trump's hardcore supporters aren't needed of course, but not everyone who voted for Trump is a hardcore supporter, as you've pointed out on several occasions. Thinking of the electorate in such binary terms is really not a winning strategy.

edited 23rd May '17 9:35:23 AM by CaptainCapsase


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