59 Comments

Useless chatter. To what end other than moral self congratulation while losing

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What is wrong with these people? How are they close to running the country........into the ground?

OMG. How can the average American voters look at this clown show and say, "those guys know what they're doing.

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Vaccines, among other things, will join abortion in what promises to be a greatly expanded "back alley." With a string of dead bodies trailing out the back.

Assualt rifles we'll pick up at kool-aid stands. Maybe Bobster Jr. and Lutnick will shoot other.

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founding

So essentially it’s the same MAGA plan as in 2016. Instead of Christie leading the transition team that ultimately was disbanded and replaced by MAGA faithfuls, we have another dumb CEO who’s about to get hoodwinked, and replaced by the Heritage Foundation. Good times!…:)

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The most interesting thing about this to me is that it's clear Trump world isn't on the same page as to whether RFK is an asset or a liability. One of Trump's magic powers has been an ability to seem to be on both sides of issues, so that voters can put their preferred interpretation on his plans. I think that as things seem to be unravelling for him in general, he has lost this magic power, too.

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To go off on a total tangent , Dogecoin (DOGE referenced in the article) is not a "Musk cryptocurrency". It was created by software engineers as a satirical parody of crypto.

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founding

Sounds like a match to me, but what do I know about crypto? Elon is a satirical parody of a smart guy who can cut 2 trillion dollars with the wave of a pen.

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I imagine all of those Midwest farmers loved to hear RFK talk about eliminating seed oils and pesticide laden crops! Meanwhile RFK tried to downplay the HHS talk by suggesting that Joe Lapido from Florida would be a good choice instead !!! That is like Frankenstein introducing his friend Dracula as a more laid back choice!

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founding

Good analogy.👍

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founding

"...sparked a tiff with Lizz Cheney..."

Marc. Dude. *Sparked a tiff* is pretty damned short shrift for the latest Trump assault from that AR-15 of a mouth of his against a critic. And a critic who's a woman, at that.

So, let me get this straight about how things work these days... Trump gets shot at and nearly gets his head blown off and a woman - Kamala Harris - calls him on the phone to say she's glad he wasn't killed. And a woman - Lizz Cheney - who quite possibly could have ended up killed at the hands of violent insurrectionists at the Capitol 4 years ago criticizes Trump, calling him out for who and what he is, and he all but says 100% overtly and in these very words to "Stand her up against a wall". And that gets classified as a "tiff"?

Maybe you were being sarcastic? If so, I'd say that sarcasm's not your long suit. Or cute, maybe? Sometimes "cute' works for certain things. This wasn't one of them.

Maybe you've just been immersed in all things MAGA for a bit too long. *Tiff* is a term those folks would use to describe a controversy created by a clear threat of violence from thier leader against someone opposed to or critical of him.

Might be time to come up for some air. And to quit chopping and grating language like salad seasoning and call a spade a spade.

And a threat a threat.

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Remember when George Soros was the GOP's bogeyman? You don't hear of him now that Lutnick, Musk, Thiel, et al are funding Orange's run. Such hypocrisy.

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When did Lutnick go off the rails?

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Nice to know the madness exists among the inner looneys.

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Yes, Lutnick's new. He has not learned that when the Boss is spinning a line of bullshit, he is not to be contradicted.

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Sigh . . . . this sort of reminds me of part of the s__tshow I observed before I left EPA in the early days of the first-and-I-hope-only Trump Administration. Since the Trumpies didn't expect to win the election they had no one in place for the transition, but a guy named Dave Schnare (sort of a minor player in anti-regulatory "intellectual" circles) was suddenly everywhere, and "Dave Schnare says _____," and Dave Schnare told us to ______" seemed to be on everyone's tongue, often uttered with breathless urgency. Three weeks later Dave Schnare was out, never to be seen (in the Agency's Policy Office, where I worked, at least) again. It seemed he had had no real authority.

Eventually Samantha Dravis took a political appointment in EPA's Policy Office. Her credentials for the position seemed largely to consist chiefly of fitting the ideal of the Trump woman/Fox News eye candy blond. Her short tenure with the Agency was probably best captured in a 2018 Daily Mail headline: "Fired Trump aide is leaking down his ex-girlfriend's boss's scandals because SHE told White House he was accused of wife-beating". Basically, she was sleeping with Rob Porter (remember him?), Dravis was telling Porter about then-EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's many dubious financial dealings, then she found out Porter was also canoodling with Hope Hicks, so Dravis tattled about allegations that Porter had abused his ex-wife, so Porter leaked the Pruitt allegations . . . .As Trump said: "Only the best people".

This time they're preparing in advance (maybe?), but are the choices going to be any better? Makes one cringe even more to hear of the Trumpies' plans to bypass the FBI on background checks.

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Scott Pruitt of the “tactical pants!” (Painter’s pants with zippers.)

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Lord help us if this guy wins again. I’m so done with all the Jr. HS-level drama at the highest levels of our gov’t. Only smart, ethical grown-ups please.

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Trumpworld is an Ottoman court, with factionalism, exiles, denunciations, and bowing and scraping. I'll bet none of them expect Trump himself to exert only inconsistent, and waning, influence. But the infighting is already crazy. Should he be elected, the courtiers will be lining up supporters, who must be paid off - with government jobs that are appropriated from former civil servants. Trump knows and cares nothing about the middle ranks, and will be appointing whomever the courtier who has his ear at the moment recommends. And the courtiers themselves will be giving, and taking "donatives" for their supporters. Corruption will be on the grandest of scales.

The infighting will be fierce, with power centers forming and reforming. Elon Musk has the money, but not the connections,. Vance has screwed up too much already and needs an ally. Lutnick doesn't have political sense. Trump will never promote his sons to successors. In fact, he will never name a successor but will instead keep them revolving and fighting each other. Who will be the sultan's sultana? Not Melania. Not Ivanka. But one of his female supporters will gain access.

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This is the best description I’ve read yet.

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Perfectly put! Susan K for the win.

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The good news is that Trumpism is a very unstable coalition of interest groups, with lots of big egos beyond Trump. Add to that, Trumps love of playing his team members off one another, it’s unstable and volatile. But to those GOP waiting quietly in the wings (you too John Cornyn) for Trump to go away, RFKJr and and Tulsi have more pull with the GOP base. You have lost the war.

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founding

Please stoop using "Trumpism" as if he created Fascism. He did not and there is no reason to name anything after him. General (ret.) Kelly said he is a fascist. He knew the word existed. Lest you think I am upset about nothing, naming ANYTHING after this orange moron is an insult to the intelligence of those who read about it. I don't mean to suggest you are saying any of us lack intelligence, but leaving nothing but a big, orange hole where he was is all the "memory" we need to give him.

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Do you think the base will stay united? I think the pull for them is the persona of Trump. As he dwindles, the only way one of his courtiers will keep their attention is by going ever more abnormal - "I'm superTrump" - with the problem that Trump's already gone abnornal - supernatural forces, demon women, supervillains. How can they top Trump?

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founding

I agree with you that he is the glue. But I think you have his value to the world upside down. Bill had a piece the other day (maybe just yesterday?) "just when you think he can not go any lower", or words to that effect.

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He did go lower yesterday at a "rally" but I don't remember what state. He simulated fellatio with a microphone. Of course his dimwitted followers loved it. His descent into madness is becoming more obscene, yet somehow 46% of the population are good with this behavior.

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founding

Let's wait to see about "46%" until the REAL poll is in, after next Tuesday. And, even if it is, that is a 7% spread for Kamala , giving the Rock, (I mean Stein) 1% which should be enough, even with the EC.

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Why do people think MAGA is rooted in racism and misogyny? Well, when they discuss placing a total crank white guy as czar of the American diet, Trumpers either shrug or swoon. When Michelle Obama tried to encourage people to exercise and eat more vegetables, the Tea Partiers were apoplectic and screamed bloody murder that a communist government was attempting to control their lives.

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A bear claw in every pot.

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