Miami Herald: I’m done trying to understand Trump supporters. Why don’t they try to understand me?

[Bang]

They'll just say she's an actor. And even SHE will believe it.
She'd go on Fox and say it, too.

 

~Bang

Edited January 16 by Bang

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

20 hours ago, The 12th Commandment said:

Just one... but it's REALLY BIG

 

 

I want that

[Captain Wiggles]

2 minutes ago, Sacks 'n' Stuff said:

I want that

 

😉

 

https://www.bennysva.com/#locations

[@DCGoldPants]

2 hours ago, Larry said:

 

So James Woods is young enough to get elected?  

It's only the girls he chases who if you took their age, multiplied it by 2, would still be too young to run for President by a few years. 

[China]

White House targeted by swatting call, latest in nationwide trend

 

A significant number of emergency personnel responded to the White House on Monday morning after a 911 call falsely claimed there was a fire and someone was trapped inside, a source familiar with the incident told CNN.

 

President Joe Biden spent the weekend at Camp David and was not on White House grounds during the incident.

 

The call, which was traced to a fake number, was made at 7:03 a.m. ET. Multiple DC Fire and EMS units were sent to the White House.

 

A significant DC Fire and EMS response was already on site when the call was determined to be a false alarm, the source told CNN. The Secret Service declined to comment, directing inquiries to DC Fire and EMS.

 

Monday’s false call was swiftly determined to be a “swatting” incident, the source said, marking another troubling example of a dangerous trend.

 

Swatting is a dangerous criminal hoax where a false report is made to police with the express purpose of luring them to a location, where they are led to believe a horrific crime such as a mass shooting, an imminent bombing or hostage taking has been committed or is in progress. This can result in a forceful response from local police and SWAT teams, who have no way to know the call is a hoax.

 

The calls have targeted a variety of federal officials, politicians and celebrities across the country. Recent targets include Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, the New York judge overseeing the $370 million civil fraud trial against Donald Trump, and the DC judge overseeing Trump’s federal election subversion case.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Judge orders Trump to pay nearly $400,000 for New York Times' legal fees

 

A judge in New York has ordered former President Donald Trump to pay nearly $400,000 to cover The New York Times' legal fees from a now-dismissed lawsuit he brought against the paper, three of its reporters and his niece.

 

Trump sued the New York Times in 2021, accusing the paper of conspiring with his estranged niece, Mary Trump, to obtain and publish his tax records. New York Judge Robert Reed dismissed the lawsuit against with the Times and its reporters in May 2023, ruling that they were protected under the First Amendment and ordering Trump to cover their legal fees. 

On Friday, Reed determined that $392,638.69 was "a reasonable value for the legal services rendered," given the complexity of the case and the attorneys involved. (A portion of the lawsuit against Mary Trump was allowed to proceed, and her request to be reimbursed for legal fees was denied in June.)

 

In 2018, New York Times reporters Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russell Buettner published an investigation into Trump's wealth and taxes, revealing details from tax filings the former president had been unwilling to release publicly, claiming they were under audit. The paper later won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting.

 

"Today's decision shows that the state's newly amended anti-SLAPP statute can be a powerful force for protecting press freedom," a spokesperson for The New York Times said Friday, referring to a law meant to discourage frivolous defamation cases aimed at silencing defendants. "The court has sent a message to those who want to misuse the judicial system to try to silence journalists."

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

So much winning.

[China]

The Media Keeps Trying to “Understand” Trump Voters Because They Don’t Want to Accept the Truth About Them

 

If someone keeps choosing an authoritarian and likes the authoritarian even more when he does authoritarian stuff, then maybe they just . . . like authoritarianism?
 

Over the weekend the New York Times ran Part #937 in its continuing attempt to understand Trump voters. It’s a gorgeous, premium package filled with portrait photography and earnest quotes. The Times wants you to know that they’re not just hearing these patriotic Americans, they’re listening to them.

 

For example, Jan Altena is voting for Donald Trump because “he’s got principles, that’s the key feature there.”

 

That is a very real statement that the Times accepts and presents to readers.

 

Then there’s Jesse Gutierres, whom the Times identifies as “a 52-year-old musician and economist.” Here’s how the Times presents Mr. Gutierres’s expert opinion on economics:

 

Quote

[Gutierres] spends much of his time advising local governments on how to prepare for economic shifts. But he is also preparing his family, and blames Democrats for what he sees as shrinking opportunities. He is eager for a second Trump administration.

 

“The world changes so fast, we’re in a different world now,” he said. “When Trump was in office, the economy was in absolutely terrific shape. There was more competition, more freedom.”

 

Just as a factual matter, this is false. Every single word of it.

 

Along nearly every measurable vector, the economy is better today than it was on Election Day in 2020. But the New York Times has nothing to say about any of that. They just sent a photographer to the Gutierres home, took a handsome picture, and acted as his stenographer while amplifying his feelings.

 

Because we must understand why all of these people support a man who wrecked the American economy, attempted a violent insurrection, is under 91 felony indictments, and has been disavowed as a threat to the country by a large number of the high-level Republicans who worked directly for him.

 

As always: The New York Times is part of the effing problem.

 

This package does nothing to help readers understand the motivations of Trump voters. It merely amplifies their fact-free feelings.

 

Click on the link for more

[Captain Wiggles]

Quote

Then there’s Jesse Gutierres, whom the Times identifies as “a 52-year-old musician and economist.” 

 

[PokerPacker]

8 minutes ago, China said:

The Media Keeps Trying to “Understand” Trump Voters Because They Don’t Want to Accept the Truth About Them

 

If someone keeps choosing an authoritarian and likes the authoritarian even more when he does authoritarian stuff, then maybe they just . . . like authoritarianism?

Sure.  But really it's a cult of personality and they just like whatever that person does regardless of what it is.  If Hillary Clinton went full Authoritarian, they wouldn't be supporting her.  Or Joe Biden.  Or Obama.  It's a cult.  And a cult will find a way to like whatever their cult leader does.

[88Comrade2000]

If Cult leader asked his cult to give him their daughters; so he can impregnate them with his seed, they would enthusiastically.

[China]

🎶And the grift goes on...🎶

 

Trump suggests he will ‘suspend my campaign’ to seemingly dupe supporters out of cash

 

In the hour before the Iowa caucuses started, Donald Trump’s campaign twice blasted out fundraising text messages with an apparent scare tactic to spur supporters to donate.

 

“President Trump: Suspend my campaign?” the messages began, accompanied by an “ALERT” image of Trump in his signature Make America Great Again hat and billowing American flags.

 

“ONE MILLION TRUE MAGA RESPONSES NEEDED,” the graphic said.

 

Trump proceeded to ask his “PRO-TRUMP PATRIOTS” to chip in before the Iowa caucuses began Monday evening, the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest for the Republican Party.

 

Click on the link for more

 

[China]

Woman At Trump Rally Says ‘Absolutely’ She Wants Biden To Be Executed For ‘Treason’ — And Jesus Would Be Cool With It

 

A woman at an Iowa rally for former President Donald Trump said she “absolutely” wants President Joe Biden executed for treason, and that Jesus would be fine with that outcome as well.

 

Quote

MICHAEL SHURE: Tell me about the shirt you’re wearing.

 

TRUMP FAN: Uh, pretty much speaks for itself.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: Is that something you would really like to see happen?

 

TRUMP FAN: Absolutely.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: Even with that crucifix dangling over it, what would Jesus think of that?

 

TRUMP FAN: Absolutely he’s been a — he’s not just a traitor now. He’s been a traitor for decades. Everybody knows it.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: But. But again, you have Jesus hanging over “Hang Biden.” Would Jesus be cool with it?

 

TRUMP FAN: What’s the penalty for treason? Death.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: Tell me this —

 

TRUMP FAN: Or at least put him in prison for the rest of his life.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: So what is it about Donald Trump, forgetting Joe Biden for a moment, that you like so much?

 

TRUMP FAN: What did he do for this country? What did he do for the entire world? World peace. Lower gas prices. Taxes. Everything. Everything was phenomenal under Donald Trump. Everything was everything. Everything. Absolutely everything was. And now it’s.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: What is bad right now specifically to you?

 

TRUMP FAN: Everything’s bad. Look at all the wars going on everywhere. Gas prices.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: Do you blame. Do you blame President Biden for the for the wars that are going on?

 

TRUMP FAN: Absolutely. And the Democrats and Obama.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: I’m I’m.

 

TRUMP FAN: It’s really Obama calling the shots right now. It ain’t Biden. Biden.

 

MICHAEL SHURE: So it’s Obama calling the shots.

 

TRUMP FAN: I believe so. What did he say at the end of his second term or after his second term? He said if he could have a third term and have a bug in someone’s ear and run it from his basement, that’s that would be good enough for him. And I believe that’s what he’s doing.

 

Click on the link for the video

 

Definitely not a cult.  

[China]

On 12/27/2023 at 10:59 PM, China said:

A shocking number of Americans believe God personally anointed Trump to rule the country

 

Why do so many evangelical Christians support former President Donald Trump despite his decades of documented ungodly behavior?

 

An in-depth report from The Economist shows that it has a simple explanation: They believe that God personally appointed him to rule the United States.

 

In fact, the report cites a survey conducted by Denison University political scientist Paul Djupe that around 30 percent of Americans believe Trump "was anointed by God to become president."

 

The Economist traces the origins of this line of thinking to Lance Wallnau, a self-declared prophet who has long been seen as a fringe figure but who gathered a following arguing that Trump was God's personal pick for the White House.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

I'm not sure I believe 30% of Americans.  Maybe 30% of Republicans, but that would only be about 15% of Americans.  Still a lot, but significantly less.

 

On 1/14/2024 at 7:26 PM, Cooked Crack said:

 

 

Trump's team targets followers like those above accordingly:

 

 

 

And the Lincoln Project has made their version:

 

 

[Cooked Crack]

 

[Cooked Crack]

 

[China]

T-shirts and silver balls: Politics get mixed in with the profane at a Trump store

 

Walk into Trump Town USA in Boones Mill, Virginia, and you may marvel at the breadth of human creativity, as long as you’re not distracted by how the merchandise tackles some of the most controversial political issues in the most vulgar way possible. The most spectacular specimens are in the back right corner: pairs of silvery, veiny metal testicles hanging from a ring and wrapped in protective clear plastic. “That’s Trump’s balls,” the store’s owner, Whitey Taylor, explains. The smaller set costs $75, the larger, $125. They’re heavy.

 

There are dozens of independent stores across the country selling items supporting former President Donald Trump’s reelection bid. They are another unique feature of Trump’s appeal and what their customers buy offers some insight into what they want politically – and that is not subtlety.

 

Taylor’s outlet is a prime example. A couple of weeks before the Iowa caucuses, business was brisk with out-of-towners flocking to a decommissioned church in a tiny village that is now packed with Trump merch. It’s like the Cave of Wonders from the movie Aladdin, except with more references to butts, poop and pee. A bumper sticker shows a cartoon Trump urinating on “Putin.” A keychain can be squeezed to make a tiny Trump defecate. “Moonie Trump” figurines depict the former president mischievously showing his naked backside. “We sell a lot of those,” said Taylor, who has long sought to create controversies of his own.

 

The gag gifts may raise a smile among the customers, but they also show their passion, pride and faith in Trump.

 

Dale Copeland was buying some Trump hats and a Trump sign to put over the garage he’d just built, “so when you pull in the driveway you see it. And then I’m going to post it all over Facebook.”

 

He said he was afraid of an economic crisis to rival the Great Recession of 2008 and counting on Trump to prevent it.

 

Another shopper, Mary-Jean Palmer, spoke thoughtfully about her politics and why she felt the criminal indictments against Trump were “just totally evil.”

 

“I’m a reasonable woman,” she said. “I often wonder, what encourages people to be a Democrat? Because I don’t see a lot of kindness. I don’t see a lot of help for our country. And I see a lot of talk, no action. That’s why I like Trump.” Over her shoulder was a a rack of stickers, some reading “F**k Biden.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Cooked Crack]

 

[LD0506]

[Riggo-toni]

 

Edited January 17 by Riggo-toni

[Cooked Crack]

 

[China]

On 1/8/2024 at 7:03 PM, Califan007 The Constipated said:

I have no idea where any of this **** should go lol...so I'm putting it here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the record, Stone is claiming it's an AI generated fake of his voice...unfortunately that can be done somewhat well now.

 

On 1/8/2024 at 7:40 PM, China said:

 

You have to wonder what kind of case the DOJ may be building against Stone.  He wasn't one of the unindicted co-conspirators in the DC Jan. 6 case, so I wonder if they are going to go after him separately.

 

Law enforcement investigating remarks allegedly made by Roger Stone appearing to discuss assassinating Democrats, sources say

 

US Capitol Police are investigating comments allegedly made by pro-Trump political operative Roger Stone in the weeks before the 2020 election in which he appears to discuss assassinating two well-known House Democrats, two sources familiar with the probe confirmed to CNN.

 

The FBI is also involved in the investigation, sources said.

 

Last week, Mediaite published an audio recording of a conversation alleged to be between Stone and his associate, former NYPD officer Sal Greco. In the recording, Stone can be heard telling Greco that either Rep. Eric Swalwell of California or Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York – both prominent House Democrats – “has to die before the election.”

 

“It’s time to do it,” Stone told Greco, according to the recording published by Mediaite. “Let’s go find Swalwell. It’s time to do it. Then we’ll see how brave the rest of them are. It’s time to do it. It’s either Swalwell or Nadler has to die before the election. They need to get the message. Let’s go find Swalwell and get this over with. I’m just not putting up with this sh*t anymore.”

 

CNN has not independently obtained the recording. In a statement to Mediaite, Stone denied making the comments.

 

“Total nonsense. I’ve never said anything of the kind more AI manipulation. You asked me to respond to audios that you don’t let me hear and you don’t identify a source for. Absurd,” Stone told Mediaite.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[88Comrade2000]

 

 

 

 

[Cooked Crack]

 

[Cooked Crack]

 

[China]

Ex-federal prosecutor explains what MAGA and the scientifically illiterate have in common

 

A poll released prior to the third anniversary of the January 6 insurrection found that one in four Americans believe that the FBI "organized and encouraged" the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol. However, a former federal prosecutor thinks the rest of America should be "grateful" that only 25% subscribe to that conspiracy theory.

 

In a recent column for Lawfare, former U.S. Attorney Chuck Rosenberg put that poll in perspective. He pointed out that, while it's true that one in four Americans believe the "nonsense" claim that the federal law enforcement was behind the U.S. Capitol siege that killed five police officers and injured hundreds more, the poll is less "depressing" when put in the context of other polls regarding information a large majority of Americans view as settled facts.

 

Rosenberg laid out how a March 2021 survey showed 15% of Americans believe that "the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation," which is a core element of the QAnon conspiracy theory that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has endorsed.

 

"Americans apparently relish conspiracy theories. That is neither good nor new. But even if we turn to the physical sciences — the stuff we ostensibly learned in school — we do not do all that much better as a nation," Rosenberg wrote.

 

He then pointed out numerous other survey results that show a not-insignificant amount of Americans are effectively scientifically illiterate. Almost 30% of Americans, for example, didn't know that the Earth takes 365 days to orbit the sun, according to a 2021 query by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

 

A 2018 survey by the National Science Foundation found that 28% of Americans actually believe the sun orbits the Earth (a theory debunked by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in the 17th century).

 

Roughly that same percentage of the country also fails in basic civics knowledge. The Annenberg Public Policy Center found in 2022 that approximately one in four Americans could not name a single right guaranteed by the First Amendment, and 25% of Americans were also unable to name any of the three branches of government, according to Annenberg.

 

And in 2018, the Institute for Citizens & Scholars found that a full two-thirds of Americans would fail the U.S. citizenship test, which asks basic questions about U.S. history and the nature of the U.S. government.

 

Click on the link for the full article