Election 16: Donald Trumps wins Presidency. God Help us all!

[Larry]

When people start digging up Rubio's past financials..I suspect he might get zinged repeatedly for his financial improprieties when it comes to use a company/state credit card for private expenses. Or his using PACs that he created to pay his family friends.

I assume all politicians to the latter. In fact, I figured that was the new traditional way of laundering payoffs.

 

When I think of politicians, I often reflect on a line from a Donald Westlake crime novel. 

 

In this one, the main character is "The Top Cop in the City of New York".  He's holds the highest position in NYPD to which an officer can rise, without being a political appointee.  He's working a case with a young, hotshot FBI guy. 

 

There's a scene, where the officer is on his way home.  He lives a long ways outside town.  And he notes that he's being followed. 

 

The other car is a long ways back.  But he's driving through deserted suburban roads, where it's a miracle to see another car at all. 

 

As he approaches a curve in the road, the car that's following him closes the gap, and gets right behind him.  So our cop is not all that surprised when he comes around the corner and finda two more cars, blocking the road.  He sees people in ski masks with automatic weapons.  Similar people jump out of the "tail" car. 

 

A man in a ski mask, but no weapon, walks up to his car.  Cop rolls down the window.  (While keeping one hand on his pistol, but keeping the pistol hidden. 

 

Ski Mask informs the cop that it would be in his interest to drop the case he's working on.  At the end of his speech, he (slowly) pulls out an envelope, and tosses it into the cop's car.  He then walks away.  Bad Guys get into their cars, and leave. 

 

Top Cop opens the envelope.  Inside is, he estimates, $50K in cash. 

 

Cop reflects that, in order for Bad Guys to set up this ambush, they had to know where he lives.  He puts the envelope in the glove box, and goes home. 

 

He gets home, and checks his family,  Everybody is fine.  (He does not tell them what happened.) 

 

He then thinks of the FBI guy he's working with.  Calls FBI guy to warn him that he might be about to get a visit from a bunch of guys in ski masks.  Tells FBI about the road block, and the envelope full of money. 

 

"And you didn't keep the money?" 

 

Top Cop sighs, and explains that no, he's not keeping the money.  But he was concerned about the safety of his family.  And he really didn't feel like driving all the way back into The City, so that he can hand over the envelope, and then spend the next 24 hours in an interrogation room with Internal Affairs.  (All while not knowing if his family is safe.) 

 

He'll turn the thing in, and fill out the paperwork, tomorrow, when he's on the clock. 

 

And he explains that he's telling FBI guy about it, now, just in case Ski Mask Guys decide to, say, kill him in his sleep, tonight.  He hasn't told his wife what's going on, and in the unlikely event that the Ski Mask Guys decide to kill him, tonight, he doesn't want his widow to spend the next 24 hours being interrogated about why her husband, the cop, had $50,000 in cash in his car when he died. 

 

And now, having warned his "partner" and given him all the information, he's going to spend the evening with his family, and not tell them about it. 

 

And he hangs up the phone, and he sighs. 

 

"You didn't keep the money?" 

 

What kind of people does the FBI recruit, anyway?  Where do they get these people?  They pull these innocent, ignorant, kids out of college, all full of book knowledge and with no experience in the real world at all.  And then they spend a year training them.  And they still don't actually tell them anything about The Real World? 

 

Do these kids all live in this "book knowledge only" world, with no experience at all of reality?  Do they all think everybody except the FBI are a bunch of crooked idiots?  Don't they know anything? 

 

You don't get to be The Top Cop in the City of New York by taking bribes from strangers. 

I assume that every politician from the City Council on up, has a cutout man who takes bribe money for him. And that in many cases, the cutout man is a family member.

 

Heck, high school football players being recruited for college football teams know that much. 

Rubio's tax plan alone is enough to disqualify him for me. Eliminating taxes on capital gains is insane. The rates are already lower than income rates and they almost exclusively benefit the wealthy. 

 

If there's a single Republican who doesn't promise to eliminate the capital gains and estate taxes, I'll be amazed. 

 

I think Romney was the only one who didn't make that promise, last time. 

[Rudechain]

blah blah blah....comment on the topic at hand (trump being well over 8 bil in debt) or stay out of it. 

3D,  never stop posting .  I look forward to your posts.  ( really for comic relief but I thank you for bringing a little laughter each day)

 

 

( BTW, I am not a liberal democrat but a staunch independent, ex military who served during our first foray into Iraq. So neanderthallic inane diatribes that are your hallmark while mildly entertaining have little else to offer other than pure comedic gold)

[Redskins3D]

3D,  never stop posting .  I look forward to your posts.  ( really for comic relief but I thank you for bringing a little laughter each day)

 

 

( BTW, I am not a liberal democrat but a staunch independent, ex military who served during our first foray into Iraq. So neanderthallic inane diatribes that are your hallmark while mildly entertaining have little else to offer other than pure comedic gold)

 

trust me, if you "follow" my post as you suggest, you'd know that I  already knew that

[Rudechain]

trust me, if you "follow" my post as you suggest, you'd know that I  already knew that

Actually I will say your a bold faced Liar, because I don't generally identify with any political party and rarely post.  So you stating  you know my political affiliation is much like you do with everyone else.  They don't agree with you they must be a liberal, democrat, socialist, communist.

 

I think it has something to do with a condition called HOD.  ( Hillary Obsession Disorder)   You might want to get that checked out.

 

But alas, if you do that, I will miss out on many moments of comedic gold based on neanderthallic pre-pubescent rants with little thought or foresight.

 

So please for the sake of laughter never stop posting.

[Predicto]

Is that like Jeb being Latino?

 

Jeb is legitimately popular in the Latino community.  That is one of his biggest assets.

[Redskins3D]

deleted.

pretty sure it was off topic and irrelevant whatever it was

Actually I will say your a bold faced Liar, because I don't generally identify with any political party and rarely post.  So you stating  you know my political affiliation is much like you do with everyone else.  They don't agree with you they must be a liberal, democrat, socialist, communist.

 

I think it has something to do with a condition called HOD.  ( Hillary Obsession Disorder)   You might want to get that checked out.

 

 

 

never said you were liberal, but yes, I did know you were going to say you're independent. I really don't care if you believe me or not.

 

And HOD, that's cute.

[Corcaigh]

 

I think it has something to do with a condition called HOD.  ( Hillary Obsession Disorder)   You might want to get that checked out.

 

 

It used to be Hussein Obsession Disorder, so with the same acronym he doesn't need a new referral from his GP for treatment.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

and right under that I asked:   Anyway you can substantiate your claim that he is "well over" 8 billion in debt? Or are we just allowed to pull **** directly out of our ass?

 

seriously.

 

Trump's numbers are all fictional.

 

He is claiming that his name is worth $3 billion.

 

In all honesty, at this point, Trump's name is his most valuable asset. His licensing deals are probably the most lucrative part of his portfolio - though they aren't worth 3.4 billion or whatever he is claiming.

 

People - including several bankruptcy courts - have spent decades trying to untie Trumps' finances.

[@DCGoldPants]

Trump's numbers are all fictional.

 

He is claiming that his name is worth $3 billion.

 

In all honesty, at this point, Trump's name is his most valuable asset. His licensing deals are probably the most lucrative part of his portfolio - though they aren't worth 3.4 billion or whatever he is claiming.

 

People - including several bankruptcy courts - have spent decades trying to untie Trumps' finances.

 

 

and I agree, Whatever his value this minute is doesn't matter. He's a con man all juiced up.

[Bang]

trump...  honestly,  it just gets worse and worse.

they should put him next to Vermin Supreme on the side-stage.

 

It's almost as if the GOP is saying "Don't vote for us unless you were already going to."

 

~Bang

[Corcaigh]

trump...  honestly,  it just gets worse and worse.

they should put him onstage next to Vermin Supreme on the side-stage.

 

It's almost as if the GOP is saying "Don't vote for us unless you were already going to."

 

~Bang

 

He said, whether joking or not, that he'd love to have Oprah as his VP. I don't think he understands the GOP base.

[Bang]

He said, whether joking or not, that he'd love to have Oprah as his VP. I don't think he understands the GOP base.

Sure he does.

he knows they'll do as their told.

if they're told to love Oprah, they will.

 

~Bang

[Larry]

Well, he's upped the entertainment factor.

Think we could convince the GOP that Sarah will pull the women's vote away from Hillary?

[Predicto]

brilliant

 

http://boingboing.net/2015/06/17/stephen-colbert-has-an-announc.html

[Larry]

pretty sure it was off topic and irrelevant whatever it was

 

 

blah blah blah....comment on the topic at hand (trump being well over 8 bil in debt) or stay out of it.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Will Hillary run on the record of the last 8 years? 

[twa]

He said, whether joking or not, that he'd love to have Oprah as his VP. I don't think he understands the GOP base.

 

why would he?

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/donald-trump-donations-democrats-hillary-clinton-119071.html

Clinton, the Democratic front-runner and former New York senator who had some say over policy that could have impacted Trump’s vast business dealings, received donations from both him and son Donald Trump Jr. on separate occasions in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007, according to state and federal disclosure records.

Story Continued Below

 

Trump has also been generous with the Clinton Foundation, donating at least $100,000, according to the non-profit.

In another sign of their closeness, Clinton attended Trump’s 2005 wedding to current wife Melania Knauss at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, along with the likes of Katie Couric, Billy Joel and then-“American Idol” judge Simon Cowell. (According to People, Clinton had front-pew seating. Though Bill missed the ceremony itself, he did show up to the reception.)

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/donald-trump-donations-democrats-hillary-clinton-119071.html#ixzz3dLH4f0Qq

[Larry]

Will Hillary run on the record of the last 8 years?

I really doubt it.

1) While it's better than what the Republicans have put forward, it's really not that great.

2) And she has no legitimate way to take credit for it.

If she's smart, what she does is fervently hope that people will associate her with her husband's record. Although I really think that trying to either promise or take credit for that won't be easily sold, either.

 

----------

why would he?

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/donald-trump-donations-democrats-hillary-clinton-119071.html

Dang. We're attacking The Donald early, aren't we?

And with the dreaded "He did something with a Democrat" paintbrush, too.

 

[TheGoodBits]

Will Hillary run on the record of the last 8 years?

Dems started running away from it in 2009, got crushed in 2010, and GOP has done a pretty impressive job dictating the conversation ever since then. Their media machine is ridiculous.

Hillary should be able to run on the record, but I'm not sure that anyone would find it believable at this point. We're a hell of a lot better off than 2008, despite congressional obstructionism, but the overall mood of the country would make you think we're still deep in recession.

[Larry]

Hillary should be able to run on the record, but I'm not sure that anyone would find it believable at this point. We're a hell of a lot better off than 2008, despite congressional obstructionism, but the overall mood of the country would make you think we're still deep in recession.

We aren't deep in a recession. But we aren't hunkey dorey, either. And the voters are ticked that we aren't.

Frankly, I think that, if the GOP had a plan that would actually make the economy better, for the bottom 95%, they'd be looking at Reagan-esque landslides.

(Unfortunately, what they've actually got is "Tired that the Democrats haven't fixed the mess we made? Vote for us, and we promise to do the same thing again, only with even more zeal!") 

[tshile]

Frankly, I think that, if the GOP had a plan that would actually make the economy better, for the bottom 95%, they'd be looking at Reagan-esque landslides.

 

 

This is a point I've been trying to get my republican friends to understand for a few years now...

 

As much as the democrats are beating their chest about their positioning in regards to "the issues", they're not that strong. They're beatable.

 

The GOP just has to stop acting like a bunch of idiots. Put out an actual plan. Stop being on the wrong side of social issues (not even all of them, just pick one or two to not be on the complete wrong side of.) They might actually find themselves able to destroy the democrats for a few election cycles.

 

But they can't stop pissing into the wind. If you look past all the damage they've been causing, it's mildly amusing to watch them float around like a rudderless ship.

[s0crates]

Will Hillary run on the record of the last 8 years?

Not if she wants to win. Luckily the Dems do have a guy in the race who can run on his record . . .

Dang. We're attacking The Donald early, aren't we?

I think that's more an indictment of Hillary than it is of Trump.

[Rudechain]

pretty sure it was off topic and irrelevant whatever it was

 

never said you were liberal, but yes, I did know you were going to say you're independent. I really don't care if you believe me or not.

 

And HOD, that's cute.

So glad that I garnered your approval with cuteness.   That's exactly what I was going for /sarcasm

 

 

Truth is, there is nothing you state that I could believe anyways. You see, a modicum of thought or foresight is usually a good idea before hitting the post button.   And a little bit of research on the context of the subject is sometimes needed so you don't look or sound like an idiot.

 

But I guess some people refuse to heed common sense and will post anything from the echo chamber.

 

But please 3D in all seriousness.  I actually do laugh at the the strabismic postings and look forward to  the next chuckle.

[Corcaigh]

why would he?

 

 

Having a former President attend your wedding is a negative for a candidate?

 

And donating to a non-profit whose cause is: "to unlock human potential through the power of creative collaboration, through building partnerships between businesses, NGOs, governments, and individuals everywhere to work faster, better, and leaner; to find solutions that last; and to transform lives and communities from what they are today to what they can be, tomorrow."

 

OMG, Trump is a ****ing commie!

[PeterMP]

Two things:

 

1.  I think the economy is in good shape.  Realistically, it is in as good a shape as any non-bubble circumstances in the last 25+ years.

 

Unemployment tied to U6 and U3 are lower than they've been since early 2008 and where they were before in the early 2000s.  Before early 2008, they were lower, but that was directly related do the housing bubble.  Before the early 2000s, they were lower, but that was related to the stock bubble.  

 

GDP looks good.  The stock market looks good.

 

Yes, the economy has appeared to be better in the last 25+ years, but in each case the apparent quality of the economy was due to a bubble.

 

I was talking to somebody the other day and they said something about how long the recovery is taking.  This is a non-bubble recovery.

 

Now, you might argue that middle/lower class income are an issue, but that's a matter of how we divide the pie. When the top 1% (and really the top 0.1%) are taking more of the pie, there is going to be less for everybody else.

 

I don't think the pie is going to get better (for any real amounts of time, maybe on shorter < a decade you can see the pie grow, but that's it) unless it is driven by a bubble.

 

One of our biggest issues in the political process is some idea/concept that the economy of the late 1990s or mid-2000s was somehow "normal", what we should expect, or even actually good.

 

They weren't.

 

2.  I just don't believe Hillary can win.  I haven't looked at the numbers for the last 8 years, but based on what they were, nobody really likes her and lots of people dislike her.  Some of that dislike might have dissipated some, but underneath its still really there, and I seriously doubt many people have started to actually really like her.  If she wins the Democratic nomination, I actually think the Republicans have a good chance to win the Presidential election.