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

RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#265626: Jan 3rd 2019 at 5:49:28 PM

Republicans already betray their own principles in print and on camera every day. The people who still believe in Trump will continue to do so - they'll just say "yeah, he compromised and got a wall out of those lying cheating libtards", and nothing will change.

It's been fun.
Oruka Since: Dec, 2018
#265627: Jan 3rd 2019 at 5:50:55 PM

I'm sorry, what Republican principles? They've changed their tune on so many things so often it's doubtful they have any besides "funnel money to the rich" and "everything Democrats do is wrong ". It's very funny to observe this through the lens of Ben Shapiro's long career of opinion pieces. The following video does a Shaun-style deconstruction of just such a past. It's rather shocking how much the GOP party line has changed over time, and how petty their motives are.

[up]"lying cheating libtards": those are some Batsignal-grade projectors.

Edited by Oruka on Jan 3rd 2019 at 5:53:37 AM

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265628: Jan 3rd 2019 at 5:54:10 PM

EVERYTHING TRUMP TOUCHES DIES is a book by a Republican campaigner that talks at length about how he had a Heel Realization when he realized that Trump represented everything the Republican party was supposed to be against (big government, overspending, racism) and every Republican moved in lockstep behind him without hesitation.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everything-Trump-Touches-Dies/Rick-Wilson/9781982103125

He says Roy Moore was salt on the wound.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jan 3rd 2019 at 5:55:01 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
TroperOnAStickV2 Call me Stick from Redneck country Since: Dec, 2009 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Call me Stick
#265629: Jan 3rd 2019 at 6:06:36 PM

[up][up] et al. Then rip away the "funneling money to the rich" part. That would basically be an expansion on what I meant by "tax restructuring". And propose the deal in such a way that they would have to give the Democrats everything they want and more.

Oh, and permanently enshrine net neutrality in to law. That's small beans compared to the rest of the requirements, but it's a pet issue at this point.

Edited by TroperOnAStickV2 on Jan 3rd 2019 at 9:30:28 AM

Hopefully I'll feel confident to change my avatar off this scumbag soon. Apologies to any scumbags I insulted.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#265630: Jan 3rd 2019 at 8:40:53 PM

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2019/01/03/day-714/

    Day 714: Foolish 

1/ Trump and congressional leaders failed to resolve the partial government shutdown that's now stretched into its 13th day. The meeting was billed as a a "border security briefing," but turned into Trump asking Department of Homeland Security officials to "make a plea" for his $5 billion border wall with Trump rejecting an offer from Democrats to reopen the government, because he "would look foolish if I did that." Nancy Pelosi, meanwhile, reaffirmed her refusal to accommodate Trump's border wall demand, saying: "How many more times can we say no? Nothing for the wall." Sen. Lindsay Graham, meanwhile, has been pressuring Trump to hold firm as well. "If he gives in now, that's the end of 2019 in terms of him being an effective president," Graham said. "That’s the probably the end of his presidency." (The Guardian / New York Times / CNN / NBC News)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/02/politics/donald-trump-shutdown-congress-meeting/index.html

Mitch McConnell: The Senate will not consider the House Democrat bills to end the government shutdown if they don't include Trump's demand for a $5 billion border wall. "The Senate will not waste its time considering a Democratic bill which cannot pass this chamber and which the president will not sign." (Reuters)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-shutdown-mcconnell/senate-will-not-consider-house-democratic-bills-to-end-shutdown-republican-mcconnell-idUSKCN1OX01I

Trump falsely accused Democrats of shutting down the government in order to take the presidency in 2020. He went on to praise "all of the achievements of 'Trump.'" (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/03/trump-shutdown-democratic-ploy-1079022

Trump put a large "Game of Thrones" poster of himself on the table in front of him during a cabinet meeting with the words "SANCTIONS ARE COMING NOVEMBER 4" across the middle. Nobody in the meeting talked about the poster and the White House did not respond to questions about it. (New York Times / Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-defensive-trump-calls-a-cabinet-meeting-and-uses-it-to-boast-deflect-and-distract/2019/01/02/21600a3a-0ec3-11e9-8938-5898adc28fa2_story.html

Trump issued an executive order freezing federal workers' pay for 2019, after initially announcing a 2.1% across-the-board pay raise that was set to take effect in January. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/29/politics/trump-executive-order-federal-workers-pay-freeze/index.html

2/ The House of Representatives elected Rep. Nancy Pelosi as speaker for a second time. The 116th Congress convened with Democrats taking control of the House and Republicans maintaining control of the Senate. (Wall Street Journal / New York Times / Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/the-new-congress-pelosi-poised-to-retake-gavel-as-shutdown-continues/2019/01/03/2c5f0824-0f49-11e9-8938-5898adc28fa2_story.html

The congressional freshman class of 2019 is the most racially diverse and most female group of representatives ever elected to the House, and includes the first Native American congresswomen, the first Muslim congresswomen, and the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. (CNN / New York Times)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/politics/new-congress-history-women-diversity/index.html

3/ Pelosi suggested it's an "open discussion" whether Trump can be indicted by Robert Mueller while still in office, challenging the Department of Justice's guidelines that a sitting president cannot be indicted. The incoming speaker also added that "everything indicates" that Trump "can be indicted after he is no longer president of the United States." Pelosi's statements make her the highest ranking politician to suggest that Trump can be indicted while still in office. (NBC News / Axios / Politico / USA Today)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/03/trump-indictment-pelosi-1078249

The Incoming House Judiciary Chairman plans to re-introduce legislation to protect Robert Mueller. The legislation would provide recourse for Mueller and future special counsels to challenge any firings in the court system. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/politics/jerry-nadler-mueller-protection-bill/index.html

4/ Democrats plan to ask for 10 years of tax returns for presidential candidates in their first piece of legislation in 2019. Vice presidents would also be required to turn over the last decade of their tax returns. The documents would then be posted on the FEC's website for the public to view. The legislation, however, is not expected to pass the Republican-controlled Senate or signed into law by Trump. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/02/politics/trump-tax-returns-democrats/index.html

5/ Russia charged an American with espionage. Paul Whelan faces 20 years in Russia if convicted. Russia's Interfax news agency said Whelan was arrested on Dec. 28 "while on a spy mission." Another Russian news outlet, Rosbalt, claimed that Whelan, a former U.S. marine now detained in Moscow by Russia's Federal Security Service, was arrested minutes after receiving a USB drive that contained the names of people employed at a top secret state organization. Whelan's arrest comes weeks after Russian gun rights activist Maria Butina pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an agent for the Kremlin from 2015 until her arrest in July. She agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. (The Guardian / Washington Post / New York Times / USA Today / NPR / CNN)

https://www.npr.org/2019/01/02/681624921/russia-grants-u-s-access-to-paul-whelan-arrested-on-suspicion-of-spying

Notables
The confirmation of 70 of Trump's judicial nominees remains in flux after Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer failed to reach an agreement on how to move the nominations forward. The pending nominations will now be sent back to the White House to be re-nominated. The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to hold an extra-long session at some point in the next few weeks to consider all the remaining nominees who were awaiting a vote on the Senate floor or waiting for a committee vote. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/02/trump-judicial-nominees-1077658

Trump's Bedminster golf club shielded at least one undocumented immigrant from a list of workers vetted by the Secret Service during the 2016 campaign. Emma Torres told a human resources employee that she did not have legal status. The woman replied: "'It's O.K. No problem.' She scratched me off the list." Torres later made sandwiches for Secret Service agents when they began visiting the property. (New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/us/trump-golf-club-illegal-immigrant-employee.html

The Trump administration is considering a rollback of anti-discrimination rules. The rollback would dilute federal rules against discrimination in education, housing and more. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/trump-administration-considers-rollback-of-anti-discrimination-rules/2019/01/02/f96347ea-046d-11e9-b5df-5d3874f1ac36_story.html

The Justice Department is examining whether Ryan Zinke lied to the Interior agency's inspector general investigators – a potential criminal violation. (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-dept-investigating-whether-zinke-lied-to-inspector-general/2019/01/03/6c9dea06-0eac-11e9-84fc-d58c33d6c8c7_story.html

The national debt is $2 trillion higher since Trump took office. At the end of 2018, the debt stood at $21.974 trillion. (CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/politics/trump-us-national-debt/index.html

Edited by sgamer82 on Jan 3rd 2019 at 9:41:47 AM

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#265631: Jan 3rd 2019 at 9:06:07 PM

[up] The first thing I want a Democratic Controlled House to do is Supoena the Idiot Orange’s tax returns. (I mean, Mueller probably has them by now, but it still would feel really good.)

Edited by megaeliz on Jan 3rd 2019 at 12:06:41 PM

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#265632: Jan 3rd 2019 at 9:44:24 PM

Trump falsely accused Democrats of shutting down the government in order to take the presidency in 2020.

Either he's finally realizing this shutdown isn't going so well or he just forgot about how he was boasting about causing the shutdown.

i'm tired, my friend
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265633: Jan 3rd 2019 at 10:27:19 PM

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/profit-college-cancels-500m-student-debt-after-fraud-allegations-n954486

This is good news. Obama cracked down heavily on for-profit universities but Betsy removed a lot of those protections.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#265634: Jan 4th 2019 at 1:45:56 AM

Something interesting I found out about the new House rules; apparently three Democrats voted against them - Ocasio-Cortez, Khanna and Gabbard, three Republicans voted for them - Fitzpatrick, Katko and Reed. No we know that Tom Reed (R-NY) had already announced earlier that he'd support the new rules and that Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna would oppose, but the other two Republican supporters are a surprise.

Also, take note of what Reed said about his planned support vote, that "he may face ‘consequences’ for it". This rules package doesn't say that the US has to become a Communist society in the next five years or anything, and yet a single minor vote is already grounds to be deemed a traitor. We've seen this pattern before, though.

Edited by SeptimusHeap on Jan 4th 2019 at 10:49:34 AM

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#265635: Jan 4th 2019 at 1:47:56 AM

I'm not really surprised that Gabbard was the third Democratic Rep. who voted against the rules.

Edited by M84 on Jan 4th 2019 at 5:48:25 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#265636: Jan 4th 2019 at 5:09:08 AM

As an aside the House did pass the general appropriations act and a continuing resolution, the texts are linked here. Evil Turtle has already signalled that he doesn't plan to vote on them.

(I presume it might be possible for Evil Turtle to have the bill amended so that it includes the border wall money, but he won't do that as a) that would be a capitulation and b) it's far from clear that a border wall amendment has even support among Republicans)

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#265637: Jan 4th 2019 at 5:28:44 AM

Plus side, for a given definition of "plus", this keeps the shutdown blame squarely on the Republicans' side of the aisle since he's good as saying "No wall, no government".

3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#265638: Jan 4th 2019 at 6:14:10 AM

[up][up]If he did that, it would still have to pass the House again.

"You can reply to this Message!"
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#265640: Jan 4th 2019 at 7:00:21 AM

Also, take note of what Reed said about his planned support vote, that "he may face ‘consequences’ for it". This rules package doesn't say that the US has to become a Communist society in the next five years or anything, and yet a single minor vote is already grounds to be deemed a traitor. We've seen this pattern before, though.

Eh, that's vague to the point of being useless grandstanding. He's fishing for sensationalism.

"Bob puts himself in the line of fire, risking devastating consequences from his own party, to put his vote where he thinks is right. Truly, a man of courage and integrity is he."

makes for better press than

"Bob agrees with something that the other party says."

Three weeks from now, nobody will even remember Bob's "Heroic Sacrifice Vote". But anyone who reads about and goes, "That Bob is a pretty cool dude," will still have that generally positive impression of him, and may contribute to his campaigns or vote for him in future elections.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Jan 4th 2019 at 8:01:21 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#265642: Jan 4th 2019 at 9:00:20 AM

[up] "By assuming that the President would be more concerned about these 'dangerous illegals' than saving a few bucks."

Honestly, it's the perfect encapsulation of undocumented workers. Businesses love them, and the fact they are, statistically speaking, less likely to commit a crime than a citizen means they're safer, too.

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#265643: Jan 4th 2019 at 9:01:56 AM

Wouldn't the US agricultural sector largely implode in the case of a hypothetical mass removal of undocumented immigrants?

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265644: Jan 4th 2019 at 9:09:55 AM

There's also the fact that illegals are why social security hasn't exploded like it was predicted as doing.

All the money poor into it and don't claim is a net gain.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
HallowHawk Since: Feb, 2013
#265645: Jan 4th 2019 at 9:55:14 AM

[up][up][up] Sorry, I was playing speedyboris' game.

SciFiSlasher from Absolutely none of your business. Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#265646: Jan 4th 2019 at 11:14:06 AM

There's also the fact that illegals

Can you please not just call undocumented immigrants "illegals"? It's incredibly dehumanizing.

"Somehow the hated have to walk a tightrope, while those who hate do not."
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#265648: Jan 4th 2019 at 11:57:09 AM

Trump considering declaring national emergency in an effort to secure wall funding: Sources

Sources tell ABC News the discussions are still on the "working level" adding that there's a range of legal mechanisms that are being considered before such a decision is announced.

The president acknowledged on Friday during a press conference that he would consider granting himself national emergency powers to help get the wall built "for the security of our country."

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
MrHellboy The Shadow from A world of my own Since: Dec, 2017 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
The Shadow
#265649: Jan 4th 2019 at 12:02:49 PM

He... he can't actually do that... can he?

The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#265650: Jan 4th 2019 at 12:03:40 PM

The operative questions are whether he believes that he can, and who would stop him if he tries. Before today, the Republican Congress let him do whatever he wanted and it was mainly up to his cabinet to persuade him to back down from his dumbest ideas.

Edited by Fighteer on Jan 4th 2019 at 3:04:22 PM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

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