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Politics 2: Electric Boogaloo — Page 162

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So I wonder if Trump will have anyone left in his corner by 2020.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-cuts-billions-urban-areas-he-vowed-help-n734516

President Donald Trump is proposing slashing billions in federal funding that helps heavily minority urban communities — just months after appealing on the campaign trail to residents of cities like Detroit, asking, “What the hell do you have to lose?”

Released Thursday, the budget calls for $6.2 billion of cuts to the nation’s Housing and Urban Development agency, putting the already strapped federal housing authority under even bigger strain.

The reductions come in a spending plan designed specifically to keep the president’s many promises — “if he said it on the campaign, it’s in the budget,” Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters Wednesday — and one that advocates say will have disastrous effects in the largely African-American communities that Trump promised he’d “fix.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-budget-appalachia-idUSKBN16N2VF

President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating funding for economic development programs supporting laid-off coal miners and others in Appalachia, stirring fears in a region that supported him of another letdown on the heels of the coal industry’s collapse.

The 2018 budget proposal submitted to Congress by the White House on Thursday would cut funds to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The Washington-based organizations are charged with diversifying the economies of states like West Virginia and Kentucky to help them recover from coal’s decline.

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Good job, Spicy.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/gchq-trump-wiretap-denial/

The White House has apologized to the British government after alleging that a UK intelligence agency spied on President Donald Trump at the behest of former President Barack Obama.

National security adviser H.R. McMaster spoke with his British counterpart on Thursday about press secretary Sean Spicer’s comment from the White House podium about a Fox News report that said British intelligence helped wiretap Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, a White House official said Friday.

The official described the conversation as “cordial” where McMaster described Spicer’s comment as "unintentional."
McMaster also told his counterpart that “their concerns were understood and heard and it would be relayed to the White House.”

The official said there was “at least two calls” from British officials on Thursday and that the British ambassador to the United States called Spicer to discuss the comment.

“Sean was pointing to the breadth of reporting, not endorsing any specific story,” the official said.

A senior administration official told CNN that Spicer and McMaster offered what amounted to an apology to the British government.

Earlier Friday, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said senior UK officials had protested to the Trump administration after the claims were repeated by Spicer.

“We’ve made clear to the US administration that these claims are ridiculous and should be ignored. We’ve received assurances that these allegations won’t be repeated,” May’s spokesman said.

At a Thursday press briefing, Spicer read out allegations originally made on Tuesday on Fox News by legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, that the UK intelligence agency GCHQ – the equivalent of the US National Security Agency – had spied on Trump.
“Judge Andrew Napolitano made the following statement, quote, ‘Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command (to spy on Trump). He didn’t use the NSA, he didn’t use the CIA … he used GCHQ,’” Spicer told journalists.

The strong language from Downing Street – which followed a similar, rare statement from the UK intelligence agency GCHQ – indicated that the British government was furious that the US had made such an incendiary allegation.

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I want to break out my soapbox for a little bit.

The whole discussion of “Republicans voting against their self-interest” is the sort of elitist, condescending, liberal-bubble nonsense that does more to reinforce bad stereotypes of liberals than to actual further any political analysis.

Everyone votes against their own self-interest. Everyone.

Liberals vote to increase their own taxes. Those taxes may fund schools their kids don’t go to. Republicans look at this and roll their eyes, talk about those crazy liberal cities that love taxes. But you know what they tend not to do? Talk about those liberals as if they were a bunch of slow-witted slack-jawed yokels who will someday come to their senses.

There is an understanding that there’s a thinking brain behind these decisions. That the liberals weighed the very tangible and measurable economic self-harm against some ideological greater good they believe they’re working toward.

Where is that understanding on the left, when people on the right vote to cut the social programs they rely on? People on the right also have a concept of the greater good, it’s simply a very different-looking greater good than the one envisioned on the left. When they decide to take a personal hit to do what they believe advances their society, they may consider it a brave and noble act. Then every single liberal they see implies they’re just morons. Way to build bridges, people.

Now, full disclosure. My people don’t come from too far from that pink stripe on Frink’s map. I go camping for a weekend and could easily be mistaken for an extra from Deliverance. I don’t think a whole lot of these voters are going to be lining up to support Kamala Harris in 2020. But some can be convinced, and it’s a start. And it’s not going to be by saying “What’d you go and do that for? I hope you’re happy without your health care, har!” It would be by showing them the better world envisioned by liberal ideals. Yes, yes, I (painfully) realize that most wouldn’t see what’s so much better about a world with so many brown people in it, but some could. And that’s the way forward.

Project Threepio (Star Wars OOT subtitles)

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I vote for higher taxes to fund things with the full knowledge and acceptance that I will pay more for it.

Did people in the Appalachians vote for Trump knowing he’d eliminate programs that are designed to help them? Or did they vote for him because he lied about wanting to help them?

I’m not saying people in the Appalachias are stupid. I’m saying that Trump is gonna fuck them over because he doesn’t give a shit about them. He’s gonna fuck over anyone who conflicts with his idea of what will help him and him alone.

If you think that puts me in a liberal bubble so be it.

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TV’s Frink said:

Did people in the Appalachians vote for Trump knowing he’d eliminate programs that are designed to help them?

I can’t be absolutely certain or other people’s motivations, of course, but Trump is hardly the first person who promised to eliminate programs that help Appalachia, got their overwhelming support, and then once elected proceeded to eliminate those programs as promised. And then will get their overwhelming support in the next election. There’s a lot about Trump that’s unprecedented, but this particular refrain has been playing on repeat for decades.

They aren’t getting what they need economically (they never have), but Trump is absolutely giving them more than they thought they’d ever get ideologically. The problem with this pattern is the ideology, not the economics.

Project Threepio (Star Wars OOT subtitles)

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Ok. I still don’t see how what I’ve posted makes me a condescending liberal elitist but whatever.

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^ that is said in partial self derision as i find that i myself often act elitist, and welcome a push for self reflection in that regard.

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Self reflection is for ignorants who cant done read good.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/17/trumps-questionable-irish-proverb-paul-d-ryans-despicable-pint-and-other-st-patricks-day-mishaps/?utm_term=.bd8c21b9178e

My favorite is the first one.

The day began with a cringe-worthy, mildly offensive Irish cliche in front of a roomful of Irish people, and it all went downhill from there.

“Top of the morning,” said Vice President Pence, as he hosted Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny at his residence for breakfast Thursday.

Really? The reaction by Irish on social media was palpable.

“Literally just shouted ‘NOBODY SAYS THAT’ at the TV,” a journalist in Ireland tweeted. “I’ve literally only ever heard that said by Americans,” another person said.

“How do all the Irish people not just go, ‘Nope,’ and leave the room?” tweeted another.

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TV’s Frink said:

Ok. I still don’t see how what I’ve posted makes me a condescending liberal elitist but whatever.

Really wasn’t targetting you so much as the media coverage of all these “Trump voters are so screwed by Trump’s policies” articles in the media these days, which include graphics like the one you used. It’s rare for one of these articles to successfully get to the issues that actually motivate these voters to continue to rally behind Trump. Taking a look at this story, the Charla McComic story is your typical “there are huge gaps in her motivation/logic here that could easily be filled in by a pushy reporter but instead we’ll leave the gaps in place and she’ll sound like a moron”. The Nancy Ware story is better – the motivations are fully revealed, but not analyzed in the least.

Project Threepio (Star Wars OOT subtitles)

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So, what’s German for “Kindly leave me the hell out of this, Mr. President!”? :p

Where were you in '77?

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Jetrell Fo said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeIg4Ihd1Ns

Press Briefing … a must watch no matter which side you support.

I’m sure there are better sources than a version edited by a 911 conspiracy channel.

VIZ TOP TIPS! - PARENTS. Impress your children by showing them a floppy disk and telling them it’s a 3D model of a save icon.

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Jay said:

Jetrell Fo said:

Hannity

Ha.

I don’t give a flying darn about Hannity so laugh away. I posted the interview because of what John Solomon and Sarah Carter had to say. I find both of them to be fair and credible reporters.

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SilverWook said:

So, what’s German for “Kindly leave me the hell out of this, Mr. President!”? :p

“Bitte lass mich die Hölle aus dieser, Herr Präsident”

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Jetrell Fo said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgXHklzuwGQ

Hannity interviews John Solomon and Sarah Carter. The Trump/Russia connection was not real. 3rd Party masking itself as Trump Tower Server pings Russian Bank from the United States. Russia ask U.S. Justice Department to investigate. Willing to hand over proof to U.S…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeIg4Ihd1Ns

Press Briefing … a must watch no matter which side you support.

Here are his tweets:

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

Is it legal for a sitting President to be “wire tapping” a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!

I’d bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!

How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

Clearly Trump thought that wiretapping meant phone surveillance since he accuses Obama of just that in his two later tweets. As such I can only assume that Sean Spicer is lying through his teeth when he tries to misconstrue the president’s statements.

You probably don’t recognize me because of the red arm.
Episode 9 Rewrite, The Starlight Project (Released!) and ANH Technicolor Project (Released!)

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NeverarGreat said:

Jetrell Fo said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgXHklzuwGQ

Hannity interviews John Solomon and Sarah Carter. The Trump/Russia connection was not real. 3rd Party masking itself as Trump Tower Server pings Russian Bank from the United States. Russia ask U.S. Justice Department to investigate. Willing to hand over proof to U.S…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeIg4Ihd1Ns

Press Briefing … a must watch no matter which side you support.

Here are his tweets:

Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!

Is it legal for a sitting President to be “wire tapping” a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!

I’d bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!

How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

Clearly Trump thought that wiretapping meant phone surveillance since he accuses Obama of just that in his two later tweets. As such I can only assume that Sean Spicer is lying through his teeth when he tries to misconstrue the president’s statements.

This is all fine and dandy but Trump is not the only Government official to make this claim.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2017/03/14/former-dem-rep-comes-to-trumps-defense-on-wiretap-claim-obama-admin-did-the-same-thing-to-me-n2298681

Also, Trump comes from a different era, he is not as tech saavy as some seem to expect him to be.