We should bear in mind that Facebook very readily contributes to echo chambers. The algorithms for Facebook's news suggestions are based on what you're likely to click, so a list of suggestions is really just a list of targeted advertisements directed at a single person. The sampling is inherently and strongly biased.
That doesn't sound very good, does it? "Summon President to meet Putin"? Almost like Trump is somehow unable to refuse...
And now... Donald Trump, who said he had no business dealings with Russia, just admitted he did, but "it was very legal & very cool". Included was a $50 million penthouse apartment he was going to give to Putin.
Internet hilariously mocks Trump’s ‘very legal & very cool’ defense of Russian business dealings
Americans were stunned when former Trump “fixer” and personal attorney Michael Cohen revealed in a plea agreement with Robert Mueller on Thursday that Donald Trump and his real estate company had been negotiating with Russia for a Trump Tower in Moscow as recently as June of 2016, when he was the GOP’s presumptive nominee for president. President Trump had insisted all throughout the campaign that he had no business dealings in Russia. Now, to defend those dealings, he took to Twitter early Friday morning, calling them “very legal & very cool”:
Trump Tower Moscow Was to Feature a $50 Million Penthouse. Trump Was Going to Give It to Putin as a Gift.
If I'm a Democratic operative or consultant I run this video on a constant loop for the next two years. These two men OWN Trump, and I would beat this clip over the head of the American public until they assume they are his running mates in 2020. Trump has sold us all out to these murderous killers for personal financial gain. It is no longer disputable. The only question is just how deep the rot goes. Maybe they're laughing about the free $50 million dollar penthouse Trump was planning to give Putin and the fact that Trump has basically been running a PR campaign for the Crown Prince in regards to the Khashoggi. Trump's business entanglements with murderous thugs are going to be the end of him. These are two men who know they have the President of the United States wrapped around their finger:
John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and the director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, said in an email that Moscow has a pattern of "distinguishing between President Trump and the tougher, more realistic policies of his Administration." The latest development, he said, is no exception.
Interesting news: NC09's board of electors have refused to certify that district's election due to some incredibly suspect looking voting anomalies which may have contributed to a razor thin election victory by the Republican candidate.
Of all the counties in NC09 all but one moved rather dramatically towards the Democrats. That one county that did not had apparently 75% percent of its voting population ask for absentee ballots. The average percentage of voting eligible population that asks for absentee ballots? 3%.
So there you have it. Potential voting fraud by the GOP in North Carolina.
Russian official mocks Trump’s excuse for canceled meeting as Mueller bombshells keep exploding
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/russian-official-mocks-trumps-excuse-canceled-meeting-mueller-bombshells-keep-exploding/ Even the Russian foreign minister’s office isn’t buying President Donald Trump’s excuse for canceling his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. NBC News’ Jonathan Allen reports that a spokesperson for Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that they didn’t believe Trump really nixed the meeting because he was concerned about military hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. And in this case, they'd be right. Trump canceled the meeting because he's scared.
Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes denied entry to Australia for ‘Deplorables’ speaking tour
Interesting news: NC09's board of electors have refused to certify that district's election due to some incredibly suspect looking voting anomalies which may have contributed to a razor thin election victory by the Republican candidate.
Of all the counties in NC09 all but one moved rather dramatically towards the Democrats. That one county that did not had apparently 75% percent of its voting population ask for absentee ballots. The average percentage of voting eligible population that asks for absentee ballots? 3%.
So there you have it. Potential voting fraud by the GOP in North Carolina.
Inevitable. The laser focus on make-believe issues was always clear projection in regards to their own suppression techniques. Now, they have just simply thrown out the rulebook entirely.
And in Michigan, more outright contempt for democracy is on display. This is now the third example of a statewide attempt at this across the country when Democrats win elections. The attempt is now to simply neuter those positions in the lame duck sessions before they ever take power, AFTER the election has already taken place, changing the very nature of the offices that were voted upon:
Again, the rules are becoming fairly clear. Democratic Presidents cannot make Supreme Court picks anymore unless they control the Senate as well. If a Democrat wins a race for Governor or Attorney General in a State with a Republican legislature and outgoing Republican Governor, that legislature will attempt to CHANGE what it means to be the Gov. or AG before they are able to take office. NC, Wisconsin, now Michigan as well. Once is one thing, two is a trend, three is an established pattern. There is no belief in the democratic process among this party, only power. If they can't have the power, they will seek to essentially nullify the results of an election.
Dallas police officer who shot man in his own apartment indicted on murder charge
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/30/us/dallas-police-officer-botham-jean/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1n6NoCJCGaEbF2owpHzCt-wfe8RWngFVoC99gUqNt0og2HfNhxBVlqq08 The indictment of Amber Guyger comes more than two months after she was arrested in the shooting death of Botham Shem Jean at the Dallas apartment complex where both lived -- a killing that sparked days of protests. Guyger was arrested after the September shooting and charged with manslaughter by the Texas Rangers, the lead investigative agency, Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said at a news conference. Now she just needs to be tried and convicted.
I'm frankly confused why it takes two months to get an indictment for someone who walks into someone else's apartment while they are sitting in their living room eating cereal and shoots them dead on the spot. ANY chance it takes that long if the shooter isn't an off-duty cop?? This is what happened, and no one can dispute this. The only dispute is whether it is manslaughter or murder. There is no chance it isn't one or the other.
Interesting news: NC09's board of electors have refused to certify that district's election due to some incredibly suspect looking voting anomalies which may have contributed to a razor thin election victory by the Republican candidate.
Of all the counties in NC09 all but one moved rather dramatically towards the Democrats. That one county that did not had apparently 75% percent of its voting population ask for absentee ballots. The average percentage of voting eligible population that asks for absentee ballots? 3%.
So there you have it. Potential voting fraud by the GOP in North Carolina.
Inevitable. The laser focus on make-believe issues was always clear projection in regards to their own suppression techniques. Now, they have just simply thrown out the rulebook entirely.
And in Michigan, more outright contempt for democracy is on display. This is now the third example of a statewide attempt at this across the country when Democrats win elections. The attempt is now to simply neuter those positions in the lame duck sessions before they ever take power, AFTER the election has already taken place, changing the very nature of the offices that were voted upon:
Again, the rules are becoming fairly clear. Democratic Presidents cannot make Supreme Court picks anymore unless they control the Senate as well. If a Democrat wins a race for Governor or Attorney General in a State with a Republican legislature and outgoing Republican Governor, that legislature will attempt to CHANGE what it means to be the Gov. or AG before they are able to take office. NC, Wisconsin, now Michigan as well. Once is one thing, two is a trend, three is an established pattern. There is no belief in the democratic process among this party, only power. If they can't have the power, they will seek to essentially nullify the results of an election.
And after they neuter the position they spend 2 years or 4 years or whatever complaining about their inability to do things.
This is terrible third world bull crap. Welcome to Trump's America.
I see my state of NC making the rounds again. Yup, we had two proposed constitutional amendments up for votes this last go round. Both were conservative backed and continue our GOP controlled legislatures fight against the new democratic governor. We have a rather high number of unaffiliated voters that I imagine made the difference here. 2.6mil Dems 2.1 mil Pubs 2.2 mil UFL
1. The legislature wanted to control judicial appointments 2. Party leaders in legislature to control ethics and elections board appointments; eliminate nonpartisan representation on board.
Interestingly enough both got shot down. The Voter ID law passed again though. I am wondering if the same judge that ruled it unconstitutional the last time it passed will do so again. At the moment we are one of the few states that require absolutely no ID whatsoever.
"Make the pie higher!" "Rarely has the question bean asked, 'Is our children learning?'." (Yeah, because it's grammatically incorrect!) "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... uh, won't get fooled again."
The best case scenario is that it will only forces people on EU to use VPN to watch yt, the worst case scenario is if all world decides to copy this law and internet as we know will gonna die. Will become one more centralized mainstream media tool.
About EU, European union as the name suggests should be an union of countries and each country should have his own rules. EU should't be able to impose an unique currency or unique law into many different countries.
The idea of make completely different regions, from northern part of Sweden to Southern part of Italy subjected to the same makes no sense and will be awful. Just like in USA was no longer an union of states.
This centralization of power will be really bad...
No! Not Bush Sr., too... he was one of the good ones. Another man of integrity. We need people like him today more than ever.
He was a decent one. Dubya was pretty embarrassing but HW was fine.
"Thousand points of light" "Not gonna do it!"
Don't forget, "Read my lips, no new taxes!".
Oh, he didn't pass any new taxes. He just raised the old ones!
News
How Devin Nunes Helped Robert Mueller
The House Intelligence Committee chair may have unintentionally assisted the special counsel in building cases against Trump associates. https://amp.slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/michael-cohen-lying-to-congress-plea-deal-devin-nunes.html?fbclid=IwAR0UDBNMvP3PTqmAII1ZggXrPhiWWMlCaidcdGWzfswel46nfp4_QQ0owiI As a result, some witnesses affiliated with Trump and his campaign may have been lulled into thinking they could lie with particular impunity. It is therefore possible, if not likely, that a fairly substantial number of witnesses, including possibly the president’s eldest son, will soon find themselves facing the unusual prospect of being criminally charged for lying before a House panel that all but welcomed their dishonesty.
Election Fraud Hearing Could Change Outcome Of North Carolina Vote
In Major Threat to Due Process, Marsy’s Law Gains Ground Nationwide
https://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/major-threat-due-process-marsys-law-gains-ground-nationwide?fbclid=IwAR3EgBLuL3Bfpja2_LEA7UU8MvGsqM2Hp_ibClVADWQ_9KUZRyhWDyVEh6I On Nov. 6, six states adopted, through ballot initiatives, what is known as “Marsy’s Law,” which enshrines a specific set of legal rights for victims of any crime — violent and non-violent — in state constitutions. Broadly speaking, providing rights to crime victims, such as notification if a defendant escapes custody, is a positive concept that we strongly support. But what the $71.8 million worth of ads and publicity for the six ballot measures didn’t mention is that Marsy’s Law directly targets defendants’ rights, including a bedrock of our criminal justice system – the presumption of innocence.
Car Crashes Into Hicksville CVS, Runs Over 'Santa'
China won’t stop flood of fentanyl into Canada, sources say
https://globalnews.ca/news/4658188/fentanyl-china-canada-diplomatic-tensions/?utm_source=notification/ The opioid crisis and record-setting death counts caused by fentanyl flooding into Canada could get worse because of a growing diplomatic dispute with China, sources have informed Global News. Canadian law enforcement agencies have found that fentanyl and its chemical precursors are mostly produced in southern China factories and sent to North America via shipping containers, and in the mail. Looks like Canada is going to have some rough times ahead @deltago
Ex-White House staffer: 'The Cohen news is very bad' — Mueller may have laid a perjury trap
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816099/-Ex-White-House-staffer-The-Cohen-news-is-very-bad-Mueller-may-have-laid-a-perjury-trap?detail=emaildkre Tricking Donald Trump into lying is not exactly sporting. It’s sort of like hunting manatees with an Uzi and a stick of dynamite. But Robert Mueller has a job to do, and it looks like he may have just done it. The redoubtable Gabriel Sherman at Vanity Fair has given us yet another peek behind the mildewy orange curtain, and it’s not looking promising for Mafia Don: And now Trump has provided written answers. Which are almost certainly lies- and in his own HANDWRITING!
Right-wing ‘reporter’ handcuffs herself to Twitter HQ, and the Twitter responses erupt into hilarity
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816053/-Right-wing-reporter-handcuffs-herself-to-Twitter-HQ-and-the-Twitter-responses-erupt-into-hilarity?detail=emaildkre Right-wing Islamophobe and self-styled “citizen journalist” Laura Loomer has handcuffed herself to one of the doors at Twitter headquarters in New York City. She is standing outside with a small megaphone, yowling that she doesn’t have freedom of speech. Let’s repeat that. She is yelling into a microphone, handcuffed to a building in Manhattan, blathering about “Sharia law” and “anti-Semitism,” and her lack of “freedom of speech.” She is doing this is because, about two weeks ago, Loomer was one of the many right-wing misinformation bigots—along with dummy Richard Spencer—to be banned from the Twitter platform. Yet another idiot who does not understand "Freedom of Speech". It means the government will not arrest you for what you say. It says nothing about a company being able to ban you from its platform.
Study: Trump appeals to men with 'fragile masculinity'
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816072/-Study-Trump-appeals-to-men-with-fragile-masculinity?detail=emaildkre A new study from Sarah DiMuccio and Eric Knowles, psychology researchers at New York University, has concluded that men who support Donald Trump are insecure in their masculinity. Writing in The Washington Post, the duo concludes that “Trump is not necessarily attracting male supporters who are as confidently masculine as the president presents himself to be. Instead, Trump appears to appeal more to men who are secretly insecure about their manhood. We call this the ‘fragile masculinity hypothesis.’” We began by selecting a set of search topics that we believed might be especially common among men concerned about living up to the ideals of manhood: “erectile dysfunction,” “hair loss,” “how to get girls,” “penis enlargement,” “penis size,” “steroids,” “testosterone” and “Viagra.” (With the exception of “how to get girls,” these are Google “topics” rather than individual search terms. For instance, the topic “erectile dysfunction” includes searches for “erectile dysfunction,” “ED” and “impotence.”) … We found that support for Trump in the 2016 election was higher in areas that had more searches for topics such as “erectile dysfunction.” Moreover, this relationship persisted after accounting for demographic attributes in media markets, such as education levels and racial composition, as well as searches for topics unrelated to fragile masculinity, such as “breast augmentation” and “menopause.” In contrast, fragile masculinity was not associated with support for Mitt Romney in 2012 or support for John McCain in 2008 — suggesting that the correlation of fragile masculinity and voting in presidential elections was distinctively stronger in 2016. I have nothing to say. Honestly. A study like this? Really?
Defeated Oklahoma Republican compares people who voted him out to 'a dog lapping up antifreeze'
Patagonia calls out Trump, says it will put tax-cut money toward climate-change grassroots activism
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816005/-Patagonia-calls-out-Trump-says-it-will-donate-tax-cut-money-to-climate-change-grassroots-activism?detail=emaildkre CEo Rose Mecario said, "We recognize that our planet is in peril. We are committing all $10 million to groups committed to protecting air, land and water and finding solutions to the climate crisis. We have always funded grassroots activism, and this $10 million will be on top of our ongoing 1% for the Planet giving. It will go a long way toward funding grassroots groups; including those dedicated to regenerative organic agriculture, which may be our greatest hope for reversing the damage done to our overheated planet."
Developing countries forge ahead of wealthy nations in clean energy, and Trump can't grasp why
"Make the pie higher!" "Rarely has the question bean asked, 'Is our children learning?'." (Yeah, because it's grammatically incorrect!) "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... uh, won't get fooled again."
That's George W bush isn't it? Definitely the last one is ("fool me...").
And now... Donald Trump, who said he had no business dealings with Russia, just admitted he did, but "it was very legal & very cool". Included was a $50 million penthouse apartment he was going to give to Putin. ..
Watch Manafort, as Trumps campaign manager at the time, repeat that Trump line about no business dealings with Russia. It's gold Jerry, gold! Never forget.
The good news is that fentanyl has a counter drug called Naxolone that all first responders now carry and, depending on the municipality or province can be obtained for free.
More good news is Canada does know where these drugs are coming from and who is responsible for the distribution. The thing is, the Chinese government can’t stop due to their own corruption. The gang, The Big Circle Boys, own most politicans in southern China where the fentanyl is coming from.
A brief history of George H. W. Bush (both positive and negative). While Bush himself always conducted himself as a gentleman (though anyone looks likes a gentleman next to Trump), he did put his 1988 campaign in the hands of Lee Atwater, one of the key architects of the Southern Strategy and the notorious Willie Horton ad ran against Mike Dukakis. He won in a landslide in 1988. During his Presidency, we of course had the Gulf War (which is hard to really call a "war" at all and more like a 72 hour bombing campaign that was reduced to a light show on CNN for most of the American public). It's immediate goal was liberating Kuwait, but was far more about protecting the Saudis (how little things change). It was one of the main catalysts for Osama Bin Laden's quest to hit back at America a decade later (along with our funding of the anti-Russian forces in Afghanistan under Reagan in the '80s).
On the domestic front, Bush's main problem came from the right, which never trusted him, and trusted him even less after he broke his tax pledge. This caused a primary challenge from Pat Buchanan in 1992, who gave a proto-Trump culture war speech at the Republican Convention. Moreover, it can certainly be argued that Ross Perot siphoned off more than enough votes to put Clinton into office, and in a one on one match-up, things may have gone very differently. But of course, what he really couldn't overcome was the recession, which despite the massive popularity of the Gulf War, took him down. In 1992, he also pardoned the remaining central figures in the Iran Contra scandal, which is all but forgotten today and exemplifies the kind of pass Republicans get on so many issues.
Other than that?? The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, though that had little to do with Bush. Bush signed NAFTA (though it wasn't ratified til after he left office). In my opinion the domestic highlight of his Administration was the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the kind of pro-civil rights legislation that I couldn't possibly fathom the modern Republican Party supporting. One of his Supreme Court picks also ended up being wholly moderate (and you could even argue liberal), which was David Souter. This was not, of course, the intent, and the far-right also never forgave him for this, and it's hard not to see that moment as the starting point of their zealotry about the court which led them to eventually steal a seat from a President years later.
I won't blame him for his son, who was an abject disaster (which is something I think Bush Sr. knew deep down by the tail end in 2006-2008). Bush Sr. was like Jimmy Carter, a decent, upstanding guy who couldn't handle pressing economic issues at home and was denied a second-term. He was FAR more moderate than any Republican in that office since Nixon, but the fissures that showed up on the right during his Presidency would continue to this day. I've always said the road to Trump in the GOP has been a 30+ year in the making event, and the rebellion against H.W. from Buchanan and Perot was just another example of it. His son would "learn" from his father's mistakes electorally, but would also lead the party directly into the horror show it has now become. George H.W. Bush was never comfortable going down this road, and my guess is he was sickened by what it has become.
"Make the pie higher!" "Rarely has the question bean asked, 'Is our children learning?'." (Yeah, because it's grammatically incorrect!) "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... uh, won't get fooled again."
That's George W bush isn't it? Definitely the last one is ("fool me...").
Oh yes. W had problems with English. Very bad problems.
And now... Donald Trump, who said he had no business dealings with Russia, just admitted he did, but "it was very legal & very cool". Included was a $50 million penthouse apartment he was going to give to Putin. ..
Watch Manafort, as Trumps campaign manager at the time, repeat that Trump line about no business dealings with Russia. It's gold Jerry, gold! Never forget.
A brief history of George H. W. Bush (both positive and negative). While Bush himself always conducted himself as a gentleman (though anyone looks likes a gentleman next to Trump), he did put his 1988 campaign in the hands of Lee Atwater, one of the key architects of the Southern Strategy and the notorious Willie Horton ad ran against Mike Dukakis. He won in a landslide in 1988. During his Presidency, we of course had the Gulf War (which is hard to really call a "war" at all and more like a 72 hour bombing campaign that was reduced to a light show on CNN for most of the American public). It's immediate goal was liberating Kuwait, but was far more about protecting the Saudis (how little things change). It was one of the main catalysts for Osama Bin Laden's quest to hit back at America a decade later (along with our funding of the anti-Russian forces in Afghanistan under Reagan in the '80s).
On the domestic front, Bush's main problem came from the right, which never trusted him, and trusted him even less after he broke his tax pledge. This caused a primary challenge from Pat Buchanan in 1992, who gave a proto-Trump culture war speech at the Republican Convention. Moreover, it can certainly be argued that Ross Perot siphoned off more than enough votes to put Clinton into office, and in a one on one match-up, things may have gone very differently. But of course, what he really couldn't overcome was the recession, which despite the massive popularity of the Gulf War, took him down. In 1992, he also pardoned the remaining central figures in the Iran Contra scandal, which is all but forgotten today and exemplifies the kind of pass Republicans get on so many issues.
Other than that?? The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, though that had little to do with Bush. Bush signed NAFTA (though it wasn't ratified til after he left office). In my opinion the domestic highlight of his Administration was the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the kind of pro-civil rights legislation that I couldn't possibly fathom the modern Republican Party supporting. One of his Supreme Court picks also ended up being wholly moderate (and you could even argue liberal), which was David Souter. This was not, of course, the intent, and the far-right also never forgave him for this, and it's hard not to see that moment as the starting point of their zealotry about the court which led them to eventually steal a seat from a President years later.
I won't blame him for his son, who was an abject disaster (which is something I think Bush Sr. knew deep down by the tail end in 2006-2008). Bush Sr. was like Jimmy Carter, a decent, upstanding guy who couldn't handle pressing economic issues at home and was denied a second-term. He was FAR more moderate than any Republican in that office since Nixon, but the fissures that showed up on the right during his Presidency would continue to this day. I've always said the road to Trump in the GOP has been a 30+ year in the making event, and the rebellion against H.W. from Buchanan and Perot was just another example of it. His son would "learn" from his father's mistakes electorally, but would also lead the party directly into the horror show it has now become. George H.W. Bush was never comfortable going down this road, and my guess is he was sickened by what it has become.
And after supporting Reagan's "trickle down economics", he basically said it was Voodoo Economics. Unfortunately, Republicans still support giving tax breaks to the richest, claiming it will "trickle down" to the people who aren't as rich. As I recall, at the time, someone else said, "You know what else trickles down? Urine."
Fun Fact: the Bushes are quite popular with the secret service. They tend to be the nicest when off duty and W. Bush even shares Thanksgiving meals with them. It also helps that in general the Bushes tend to listen to the service when it comes to safety conduct, which makes their jobs easier.
It is very interesting that Bill Clinton and Bush Sr. basically became best friends once they were both out of office and started doing disaster relief together. The one former President who is always frozen out of that club (so to speak) is Jimmy Carter, who has always seemed apart from the rest of them whenever their was a gathering. Whatever the failures of his time in office, there is little question in my mind that as far as President's go from a moral and just plain decency standpoint, Jimmy Carter is as close to a saint as we have or are ever likely to have.
Fun Fact: the Bushes are quite popular with the secret service. They tend to be the nicest when off duty and W. Bush even shares Thanksgiving meals with them. It also helps that in general the Bushes tend to listen to the service when it comes to safety conduct, which makes their jobs easier.
W Bush seems like a nice guy if a bit slow. Mostly good intentioned. But he surrounded himself with likes of Dick Cheney and John Bolton. Terrible. He reminds me a little bit of McCain in that way. The guy who seems reasonable surrounded by insane right wing lunatics. McCain showed his cards by picking Sarah Palin as his vice president candidate.
I'm frankly confused why it takes two months to get an indictment for someone who walks into someone else's apartment while they are sitting in their living room eating cereal and shoots them dead on the spot. ANY chance it takes that long if the shooter isn't an off-duty cop?? This is what happened, and no one can dispute this. The only dispute is whether it is manslaughter or murder. There is no chance it isn't one or the other.
She was indicted for manslaughter by the DA 3 days after the crime, but he had said he was sending the case to the grand jury and they could upgrade it to murder. The news here is that the grand jury has made its decision.
A brief history of George H. W. Bush (both positive and negative). While Bush himself always conducted himself as a gentleman (though anyone looks likes a gentleman next to Trump), he did put his 1988 campaign in the hands of Lee Atwater, one of the key architects of the Southern Strategy and the notorious Willie Horton ad ran against Mike Dukakis. He won in a landslide in 1988. During his Presidency, we of course had the Gulf War (which is hard to really call a "war" at all and more like a 72 hour bombing campaign that was reduced to a light show on CNN for most of the American public). It's immediate goal was liberating Kuwait, but was far more about protecting the Saudis (how little things change). It was one of the main catalysts for Osama Bin Laden's quest to hit back at America a decade later (along with our funding of the anti-Russian forces in Afghanistan under Reagan in the '80s).
On the domestic front, Bush's main problem came from the right, which never trusted him, and trusted him even less after he broke his tax pledge. This caused a primary challenge from Pat Buchanan in 1992, who gave a proto-Trump culture war speech at the Republican Convention. Moreover, it can certainly be argued that Ross Perot siphoned off more than enough votes to put Clinton into office, and in a one on one match-up, things may have gone very differently. But of course, what he really couldn't overcome was the recession, which despite the massive popularity of the Gulf War, took him down. In 1992, he also pardoned the remaining central figures in the Iran Contra scandal, which is all but forgotten today and exemplifies the kind of pass Republicans get on so many issues.
Other than that?? The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, though that had little to do with Bush. Bush signed NAFTA (though it wasn't ratified til after he left office). In my opinion the domestic highlight of his Administration was the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the kind of pro-civil rights legislation that I couldn't possibly fathom the modern Republican Party supporting. One of his Supreme Court picks also ended up being wholly moderate (and you could even argue liberal), which was David Souter. This was not, of course, the intent, and the far-right also never forgave him for this, and it's hard not to see that moment as the starting point of their zealotry about the court which led them to eventually steal a seat from a President years later.
I won't blame him for his son, who was an abject disaster (which is something I think Bush Sr. knew deep down by the tail end in 2006-2008). Bush Sr. was like Jimmy Carter, a decent, upstanding guy who couldn't handle pressing economic issues at home and was denied a second-term. He was FAR more moderate than any Republican in that office since Nixon, but the fissures that showed up on the right during his Presidency would continue to this day. I've always said the road to Trump in the GOP has been a 30+ year in the making event, and the rebellion against H.W. from Buchanan and Perot was just another example of it. His son would "learn" from his father's mistakes electorally, but would also lead the party directly into the horror show it has now become. George H.W. Bush was never comfortable going down this road, and my guess is he was sickened by what it has become.
Also Bush was an actual, honest to god active military (WW2) vet.
None of this namby-pamby crap about medical deferments, or join the Reserves, or stay out of combat because of poor eyesight, which the other Republican presidents since Ford have. Not one of those three ever left America in war-time.
Contrast with: A Navy submariner, a guy who was opposed to the war politically but at least took his chances with the draft, and Obama too young to have been involved in Vietnam.
Multiple reports of Trump meeting his daddy at G20 "informally" instead of the job review that he had planned.
"President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had an "informal conversation" at Friday night's dinner during the G20 summit in Argentina, according to the White House."
Comments
From "Raw story"
"Russia 'rejects’ Trump plan to cancel Argentina meeting and will summon president to meet Putin: report"
That doesn't sound very good, does it? "Summon President to meet Putin"? Almost like Trump is somehow unable to refuse...
And now... Donald Trump, who said he had no business dealings with Russia, just admitted he did, but "it was very legal & very cool". Included was a $50 million penthouse apartment he was going to give to Putin.
Internet hilariously mocks Trump’s ‘very legal & very cool’ defense of Russian business dealings
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/internet-hilariously-mocks-trumps-legal-cool-defense-russian-business-dealings/Americans were stunned when former Trump “fixer” and personal attorney Michael Cohen revealed in a plea agreement with Robert Mueller on Thursday that Donald Trump and his real estate company had been negotiating with Russia for a Trump Tower in Moscow as recently as June of 2016, when he was the GOP’s presumptive nominee for president.
President Trump had insisted all throughout the campaign that he had no business dealings in Russia. Now, to defend those dealings, he took to Twitter early Friday morning, calling them “very legal & very cool”:
Trump Tower Moscow Was to Feature a $50 Million Penthouse. Trump Was Going to Give It to Putin as a Gift.
https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2018/11/trump-tower-moscow-was-to-feature-a-50-million-penthouse-trump-was-going-to-give-it-to-putin-as-a-gift/Which doesn’t surprise me.
Of all the counties in NC09 all but one moved rather dramatically towards the Democrats. That one county that did not had apparently 75% percent of its voting population ask for absentee ballots. The average percentage of voting eligible population that asks for absentee ballots? 3%.
So there you have it. Potential voting fraud by the GOP in North Carolina.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/politics/certification-in-limbo-in-nc-house-race-as-fraud-investigation-continues/2018/11/29/109209f6-f406-11e8-80d0-f7e1948d55f4_story.html?noredirect=on&__twitter_impression=true
Michael Cohen’s plea deal shows that Russia did have something on Trump
https://www.vox.com/2018/11/30/18119798/cohen-plea-deal-email-lies-cover-up-peskov-kremlin?fbclid=IwAR0y-p-9d1FkvtP4pBHvtxgBNzYGQLS5QW56QLogMlaNodFrbeBgH7yFt4gPutin’s spokesperson knew Cohen lied to Congress — and helped him cover it up.
South Carolina megachurch camera caught man performing sex act on 3-year-old: cops
https://www.foxnews.com/us/church-volunteer-28-performs-oral-sex-on-child-in-restroom-3-affidavit-says?fbclid=IwAR0xhIUHV8c7dNxdPsByBOQqYUt4HvMxpdPv5OpsOUWScmhj_DKmxZwA4yEA 3 year old. A 3 YEAR OLD! I want to punch him. Hard. In the groin.
Anti-Semitic vandalism painted outside Jewish homes in Seattle
https://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-semitic-vandalism-painted-outside-jewish-homes-in-seattle/?fbclid=IwAR2DvoqqJYEBeeURVltCuh0m794kT-S77mMqynUaMYXM5eU8yUmb5-Y1368#noredirectThe word “JEW” was spray painted on a garage and “F*** JEW THIEVE” on the pavement.
I'm glad Seattle's Residents are speaking out about (and against) this. They should.
Judge rules against Trump administration in sanctuary cities case
https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-rules-trump-administration-sanctuary-cities-case/story?id=59524685&fbclid=IwAR0UifzANWSdlpYliMxYbMHSpWpZgVD_NC1jNiqWFA3R8hrL_4PNZB3HMNINot in the 9th Circuit this time. This is the 2nd Circuit court.
(By the way, wondered where the circuits are? Here you go: https://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-rules-trump-administration-sanctuary-cities-case/story?id=59524685&fbclid=IwAR0UifzANWSdlpYliMxYbMHSpWpZgVD_NC1jNiqWFA3R8hrL_4PNZB3HMNI )
Now, this one is just completely ridiculous!
Two million federal workers receive memo warning they can’t use the word ‘resist’ or discuss Trump impeachment at work
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/two-million-federal-workers-receive-memo-warning-cant-use-word-resist-discuss-trump-impeachment-work/Well, this is going to hamstring Electrical Engineers. Can't discuss resistance in wires or circuits. But, seriously?
Russian official mocks Trump’s excuse for canceled meeting as Mueller bombshells keep exploding
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/russian-official-mocks-trumps-excuse-canceled-meeting-mueller-bombshells-keep-exploding/Even the Russian foreign minister’s office isn’t buying President Donald Trump’s excuse for canceling his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
NBC News’ Jonathan Allen reports that a spokesperson for Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that they didn’t believe Trump really nixed the meeting because he was concerned about military hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.
And in this case, they'd be right. Trump canceled the meeting because he's scared.
Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes denied entry to Australia for ‘Deplorables’ speaking tour
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/proud-boys-founder-gavin-mcinnes-denied-entry-australia-deplorables-speaking-tour/Why? He failed the Character Test! I kid you not! I didn't know you had to pass a test of character to gain entry to Australia, which is rather amusing when you think of the origins of many Australian families... But it seems they have higher standards today. Sucks to be Gavin McInnes, I guess!
And in Michigan, more outright contempt for democracy is on display. This is now the third example of a statewide attempt at this across the country when Democrats win elections. The attempt is now to simply neuter those positions in the lame duck sessions before they ever take power, AFTER the election has already taken place, changing the very nature of the offices that were voted upon:
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/11/29/bill-would-allow-legislators-intercede-any-court-case-involving-state/2150818002/
Again, the rules are becoming fairly clear. Democratic Presidents cannot make Supreme Court picks anymore unless they control the Senate as well. If a Democrat wins a race for Governor or Attorney General in a State with a Republican legislature and outgoing Republican Governor, that legislature will attempt to CHANGE what it means to be the Gov. or AG before they are able to take office. NC, Wisconsin, now Michigan as well. Once is one thing, two is a trend, three is an established pattern. There is no belief in the democratic process among this party, only power. If they can't have the power, they will seek to essentially nullify the results of an election.
Dallas police officer who shot man in his own apartment indicted on murder charge
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/30/us/dallas-police-officer-botham-jean/index.html?fbclid=IwAR1n6NoCJCGaEbF2owpHzCt-wfe8RWngFVoC99gUqNt0og2HfNhxBVlqq08The indictment of Amber Guyger comes more than two months after she was arrested in the shooting death of Botham Shem Jean at the Dallas apartment complex where both lived -- a killing that sparked days of protests.
Guyger was arrested after the September shooting and charged with manslaughter by the Texas Rangers, the lead investigative agency, Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said at a news conference.
Now she just needs to be tried and convicted.
This is terrible third world bull crap. Welcome to Trump's America.
2.6mil Dems
2.1 mil Pubs
2.2 mil UFL
1. The legislature wanted to control judicial appointments
2. Party leaders in legislature to control ethics and elections board appointments; eliminate nonpartisan representation on board.
Interestingly enough both got shot down.
The Voter ID law passed again though. I am wondering if the same judge that ruled it unconstitutional the last time it passed will do so again. At the moment we are one of the few states that require absolutely no ID whatsoever.
and also:
"Thousand points of light"
"Not gonna do it!"
"Rarely has the question bean asked, 'Is our children learning?'." (Yeah, because it's grammatically incorrect!)
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... uh, won't get fooled again."
The best case scenario is that it will only forces people on EU to use VPN to watch yt, the worst case scenario is if all world decides to copy this law and internet as we know will gonna die. Will become one more centralized mainstream media tool.
About EU, European union as the name suggests should be an union of countries and each country should have his own rules. EU should't be able to impose an unique currency or unique law into many different countries.
The idea of make completely different regions, from northern part of Sweden to Southern part of Italy subjected to the same makes no sense and will be awful. Just like in USA was no longer an union of states.
This centralization of power will be really bad...
News
How Devin Nunes Helped Robert Mueller
The House Intelligence Committee chair may have unintentionally assisted the special counsel in building cases against Trump associates.https://amp.slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/11/michael-cohen-lying-to-congress-plea-deal-devin-nunes.html?fbclid=IwAR0UDBNMvP3PTqmAII1ZggXrPhiWWMlCaidcdGWzfswel46nfp4_QQ0owiI
As a result, some witnesses affiliated with Trump and his campaign may have been lulled into thinking they could lie with particular impunity. It is therefore possible, if not likely, that a fairly substantial number of witnesses, including possibly the president’s eldest son, will soon find themselves facing the unusual prospect of being criminally charged for lying before a House panel that all but welcomed their dishonesty.
Election Fraud Hearing Could Change Outcome Of North Carolina Vote
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ballot-worries-cloud-outcome-of-north-carolina-congress-race_us_5c01ced6e4b04fb21168186a?fbclid=IwAR3IB1UBuwuBXVA8PX5dUdD8VN8eBJNivWAUTH7jNVcclQU5eo99xUD5WWM@jjstraka34 had mentioned this earlier. And here it is in the HuffPo
FBI Raids Trump's Former Chicago Tax Attorney Who Saved the President $14 Million in Property Taxes
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fbi-raids-trump-apos-former-220132971.html?soc_src=community&soc_trk=fb&fbclid=IwAR39kuZDZCwR0001B9Z_ZISPARNGyLHzHTiRBKasjRk3yAz73SDDAkaD3PwIrony
Party celebrating Rudy Giuliani nixed because no one wants to go
https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-rudy-giuliani-party-mayor-trump-20181129-story.html?outputType=amp&fbclid=IwAR0AT30ESeSEISiqAtYQnyw1YBpZO-qIH7lnY5UbfWbcOcEULkiKWa2iu0EPlans for a party celebrating the 25-year anniversary of Rudy Giuliani becoming the mayor of New York City are “fizzling out” because the 74-year-old politico is “too toxic,” according to a source who was invited.
“Rudy wanted it to appear to come together organically,” according to that source, who said the mayor left party-planning responsibilities to associates who struggled to find supporters willing to pay for tickets.
In Major Threat to Due Process, Marsy’s Law Gains Ground Nationwide
https://www.aclu.org/blog/criminal-law-reform/major-threat-due-process-marsys-law-gains-ground-nationwide?fbclid=IwAR3EgBLuL3Bfpja2_LEA7UU8MvGsqM2Hp_ibClVADWQ_9KUZRyhWDyVEh6IOn Nov. 6, six states adopted, through ballot initiatives, what is known as “Marsy’s Law,” which enshrines a specific set of legal rights for victims of any crime — violent and non-violent — in state constitutions. Broadly speaking, providing rights to crime victims, such as notification if a defendant escapes custody, is a positive concept that we strongly support. But what the $71.8 million worth of ads and publicity for the six ballot measures didn’t mention is that Marsy’s Law directly targets defendants’ rights, including a bedrock of our criminal justice system – the presumption of innocence.
Car Crashes Into Hicksville CVS, Runs Over 'Santa'
https://patch.com/new-york/levittown-ny/s/gkcj3/car-crashes-hicksville-cvs-runs-over-santa?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_term=police+&+fire&utm_campaign=autopost&utm_content=levittown-ny&fbclid=IwAR0OenjSS7Y4XvAAgezdsb_MFOhZUSpzq7EwiGRi1vLTCb4XZnCwe6JGQz8No one inside the store was injured. However, a Santa decoration was knocked down by the vehicle. The Hicksville Fire Department arrived to the scene and crews removed the car from the building.
The headline makes it sound like "Santa" was a person!
China won’t stop flood of fentanyl into Canada, sources say
https://globalnews.ca/news/4658188/fentanyl-china-canada-diplomatic-tensions/?utm_source=notification/The opioid crisis and record-setting death counts caused by fentanyl flooding into Canada could get worse because of a growing diplomatic dispute with China, sources have informed Global News.
Canadian law enforcement agencies have found that fentanyl and its chemical precursors are mostly produced in southern China factories and sent to North America via shipping containers, and in the mail.
Looks like Canada is going to have some rough times ahead @deltago
Ex-White House staffer: 'The Cohen news is very bad' — Mueller may have laid a perjury trap
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816099/-Ex-White-House-staffer-The-Cohen-news-is-very-bad-Mueller-may-have-laid-a-perjury-trap?detail=emaildkreTricking Donald Trump into lying is not exactly sporting. It’s sort of like hunting manatees with an Uzi and a stick of dynamite.
But Robert Mueller has a job to do, and it looks like he may have just done it.
The redoubtable Gabriel Sherman at Vanity Fair has given us yet another peek behind the mildewy orange curtain, and it’s not looking promising for Mafia Don:
And now Trump has provided written answers. Which are almost certainly lies- and in his own HANDWRITING!
Right-wing ‘reporter’ handcuffs herself to Twitter HQ, and the Twitter responses erupt into hilarity
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816053/-Right-wing-reporter-handcuffs-herself-to-Twitter-HQ-and-the-Twitter-responses-erupt-into-hilarity?detail=emaildkreRight-wing Islamophobe and self-styled “citizen journalist” Laura Loomer has handcuffed herself to one of the doors at Twitter headquarters in New York City. She is standing outside with a small megaphone, yowling that she doesn’t have freedom of speech. Let’s repeat that. She is yelling into a microphone, handcuffed to a building in Manhattan, blathering about “Sharia law” and “anti-Semitism,” and her lack of “freedom of speech.” She is doing this is because, about two weeks ago, Loomer was one of the many right-wing misinformation bigots—along with dummy Richard Spencer—to be banned from the Twitter platform.
Yet another idiot who does not understand "Freedom of Speech". It means the government will not arrest you for what you say. It says nothing about a company being able to ban you from its platform.
Study: Trump appeals to men with 'fragile masculinity'
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816072/-Study-Trump-appeals-to-men-with-fragile-masculinity?detail=emaildkreA new study from Sarah DiMuccio and Eric Knowles, psychology researchers at New York University, has concluded that men who support Donald Trump are insecure in their masculinity.
Writing in The Washington Post, the duo concludes that “Trump is not necessarily attracting male supporters who are as confidently masculine as the president presents himself to be. Instead, Trump appears to appeal more to men who are secretly insecure about their manhood. We call this the ‘fragile masculinity hypothesis.’”
We began by selecting a set of search topics that we believed might be especially common among men concerned about living up to the ideals of manhood: “erectile dysfunction,” “hair loss,” “how to get girls,” “penis enlargement,” “penis size,” “steroids,” “testosterone” and “Viagra.” (With the exception of “how to get girls,” these are Google “topics” rather than individual search terms. For instance, the topic “erectile dysfunction” includes searches for “erectile dysfunction,” “ED” and “impotence.”)
…
We found that support for Trump in the 2016 election was higher in areas that had more searches for topics such as “erectile dysfunction.” Moreover, this relationship persisted after accounting for demographic attributes in media markets, such as education levels and racial composition, as well as searches for topics unrelated to fragile masculinity, such as “breast augmentation” and “menopause.”
In contrast, fragile masculinity was not associated with support for Mitt Romney in 2012 or support for John McCain in 2008 — suggesting that the correlation of fragile masculinity and voting in presidential elections was distinctively stronger in 2016.
I have nothing to say. Honestly. A study like this? Really?
Defeated Oklahoma Republican compares people who voted him out to 'a dog lapping up antifreeze'
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1815998/-Defeated-Oklahoma-Republican-compares-people-who-voted-him-out-to-a-dog-lapping-up-antifreeze?detail=emaildkreBecause insults always ALWAYS help...
Patagonia calls out Trump, says it will put tax-cut money toward climate-change grassroots activism
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816005/-Patagonia-calls-out-Trump-says-it-will-donate-tax-cut-money-to-climate-change-grassroots-activism?detail=emaildkreCEo Rose Mecario said, "We recognize that our planet is in peril. We are committing all $10 million to groups committed to protecting air, land and water and finding solutions to the climate crisis. We have always funded grassroots activism, and this $10 million will be on top of our ongoing 1% for the Planet giving. It will go a long way toward funding grassroots groups; including those dedicated to regenerative organic agriculture, which may be our greatest hope for reversing the damage done to our overheated planet."
Developing countries forge ahead of wealthy nations in clean energy, and Trump can't grasp why
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816113/-First-time-ever-developing-countries-are-ahead-in-clean-energy-over-wealthier-countries-and-Trump?detail=emaildkreBecause they don't want to deal with the pollution, stupid!
California looking into legal action over Trump admin tear-gassing children and families at border
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816022/-California-looking-into-legal-action-over-Trump-admin-tear-gassing-children-and-families-at-border?detail=emaildkreGood. I hope they win.
Trump is still sabotaging Obamacare, which means getting people signed up is even more important
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/11/29/1816043/-Trump-is-still-sabotaging-Obamacare-which-means-getting-people-signed-up-is-even-more-important?detail=emaildkreOf course. Can't let Obama succeed at anything, if Trump can sabotage it!
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.. Watch Manafort, as Trumps campaign manager at the time, repeat that Trump line about no business dealings with Russia. It's gold Jerry, gold! Never forget.
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/campaigns/drug-prevention.html
The good news is that fentanyl has a counter drug called Naxolone that all first responders now carry and, depending on the municipality or province can be obtained for free.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/where-get-free-naloxone-kit
More good news is Canada does know where these drugs are coming from and who is responsible for the distribution. The thing is, the Chinese government can’t stop due to their own corruption. The gang, The Big Circle Boys, own most politicans in southern China where the fentanyl is coming from.
https://globalnews.ca/news/4658158/fentanyl-kingpins-canada-big-circle-boys/
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/globalnews.ca/news/4667198/who-are-the-big-circle-boys/amp/
Police have also started charging drug dealers with man slaughter for those who deal fentanyl laced drugs that cause death.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/fentanyl-manslaughter-dealers-overdose-death-1.4346539
So Canada is fighting it with or without China’s help.
On the domestic front, Bush's main problem came from the right, which never trusted him, and trusted him even less after he broke his tax pledge. This caused a primary challenge from Pat Buchanan in 1992, who gave a proto-Trump culture war speech at the Republican Convention. Moreover, it can certainly be argued that Ross Perot siphoned off more than enough votes to put Clinton into office, and in a one on one match-up, things may have gone very differently. But of course, what he really couldn't overcome was the recession, which despite the massive popularity of the Gulf War, took him down. In 1992, he also pardoned the remaining central figures in the Iran Contra scandal, which is all but forgotten today and exemplifies the kind of pass Republicans get on so many issues.
Other than that?? The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, though that had little to do with Bush. Bush signed NAFTA (though it wasn't ratified til after he left office). In my opinion the domestic highlight of his Administration was the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the kind of pro-civil rights legislation that I couldn't possibly fathom the modern Republican Party supporting. One of his Supreme Court picks also ended up being wholly moderate (and you could even argue liberal), which was David Souter. This was not, of course, the intent, and the far-right also never forgave him for this, and it's hard not to see that moment as the starting point of their zealotry about the court which led them to eventually steal a seat from a President years later.
I won't blame him for his son, who was an abject disaster (which is something I think Bush Sr. knew deep down by the tail end in 2006-2008). Bush Sr. was like Jimmy Carter, a decent, upstanding guy who couldn't handle pressing economic issues at home and was denied a second-term. He was FAR more moderate than any Republican in that office since Nixon, but the fissures that showed up on the right during his Presidency would continue to this day. I've always said the road to Trump in the GOP has been a 30+ year in the making event, and the rebellion against H.W. from Buchanan and Perot was just another example of it. His son would "learn" from his father's mistakes electorally, but would also lead the party directly into the horror show it has now become. George H.W. Bush was never comfortable going down this road, and my guess is he was sickened by what it has become.
----
.. The "Very Legal and very cool" sounds like an alternate title for "The Fast and the Furious", doesn't it?
None of this namby-pamby crap about medical deferments, or join the Reserves, or stay out of combat because of poor eyesight, which the other Republican presidents since Ford have. Not one of those three ever left America in war-time.
Contrast with: A Navy submariner, a guy who was opposed to the war politically but at least took his chances with the draft, and Obama too young to have been involved in Vietnam.
"President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had an "informal conversation" at Friday night's dinner during the G20 summit in Argentina, according to the White House."
So it was almost certainly more than that.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/trump-putin-meeting-g20-summit-russia-us-ukraine-crimea-argentina-buenos-aires-a8662741.html
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, according to a Kremlin aide.