I don’t get this Republican mantra that they have to cut taxes to win in 2018. Exit polls this week in key races suggest voters aren’t that interested in tax cuts. Only 15% of the voters in Virginia, for example, cited taxes as the issue mattering most to them, behind health care by 24 points.
Tax cuts might matter to rich GOP donors, but there’s no clear evidence the voters care.
“Tax cuts might matter to rich GOP donors”
might?
the Kochs hold the keys to the kingdom and cuts (not guts) is key to the kochs
You don’t have anything if you don’t have your health (
careinsurance).  I watched the cbs evening news with an update on trump supporters in a diner (these old guys never leave the restaurant or tip as their wives are grateful they are out-of-the house all day).  They love trump because he is going to repeal and replace obamacare. Huh?  The men obviously are on medicare or tricare, not obamacare. Why do they punish those before them by ripping away health care? Makes no sense to me.BTW, the tax cuts will take 28 billion from Medicare….1 trillion from Medicaid.  Make these guys proud….what happened to these men to make them so cruel?? So constricted in thought…more shrinking brains.
Legal bills mounting for the trumpence junta…while trump visiting the big boss in china and trying for mar-a-lago redux with the mandarin vid of his granddaughter.  china feeds russia, russia diligently causes the election kerfuffle and the TPP goes down in flames…both sanders and trump did the job for xi.  Now china will continue to be the top leader, the silk road to flow throughout the globe, unencumbered. trump is handing over the power on this trip and searching for a home for the kushners in the asian pacific basin.
trump looks like crap…he doesn’t have the stamina for this trip.
Yep, it is china that ordered the election meddling and with clean hands, too. Just like when snowden ran-off with our data to china…he was told to head to russia after a brief respite in assange’s arms.  putie has his boss, too.
The congressional repugs used to used children as props during the debate over the debt…this tax cut leaves the little ones with a staggering $1.5 trillion in debt.  Good news? The little ones may not live that long without adequate health care while the junta continues to drop and destroy most of the environmental health regulations.
bw, those old white guys care more about repealing Obama than Obamacare. boils down to bigotry….perhaps only subconsciously, but still most trumpians want to erase what they see as a black mark on their American history.
BlondeW… Â you’re on a roll this morning!
MrDD… Â hope Chase is doing better today.
Jamie… Â thanks for that Carrie Underwood parody video…. Â tooooo funny!
Now let me see… Â where the hell did I put that tax cut I wanted so badly. Â It’s not over here… Â and it’s not over there. Â Oooops… Â methinks I flushed it down the toilet. Â Should I dig up our septic tank to find it… Â naaaaah…
oh, canada, you too?
the guardian:
Canada decides the F-word is not taboo for radio listeners’ ears
Country’s broadcast watchdog rules that the word is now so commonplace that it is no longer as vulgar as it once was
It may be still be too blue for English speakers, but authorities in Canada have ruled that the word “fuck” is no longer taboo on French language broadcasts as its use is so commonplace.
The Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council (CBSC) had previously classified the word as being suitable only for adults in both French and English, banning its use on radio and television to beyond the evening watershed and even then, only with a warning.
But after complaints from listeners that the French-language Montreal radio station CKOI-FM had twice aired clips with the word this year, it changed its mind in a ruling released Wednesday.
The CBSC agreed with the station’s argument that “fuck” was now “part of the common French spoken language” and therefore does not have “the same vulgar connotations when used in French.”
“The (CBSC) panel emphasises, in this regard, that language is evolutionary and reflects current society,” it said in its decision.
[….continues…]
We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
I understand there is a tax cut of pennies for the middle class in the bill. The middle class, however, has pulled ‘an elvis and left the building.’ There is no middle class anymore. We are left with the working class, the elites, the charity cases and retirees.  The repug response is to weaponize healthcare via tax cuts. And conveniently, healthcare follows the lines of the new social order. The wealthy can afford the best, the working get the company plan, the retirees get government issue and the rest can get some religious healthcare.
And watching pence in texas comparing mental illness to evil? We are setting a dangerous precedent by submitting to some superstitious, cosmic battle in defining mental illness.  The military, medical, religious and social institutions failed in this case. I guess pence thinks most texans pick the religious healthcare plan.
Patd…Eh?  (with apologies to RR).  Interesting development with our friends to the north and bilingual cussing. One request from me to Canada, keep your cold air to yourselves this year, please.
Maybe GOP thinks tax cuts boost turnout of their base, much of which didn’t show up Tuesday. I dunno, just can’t figure out why they think passing this is so critical for winning midterm elections.
GOP singing same tired old song of Trickle Down, Job Creators……
Neetch observed once that the average “truth” lasts about 20 years. This one’s had a bit of a longer run.
Even the non-thinkers are beginning to grasp that it is merely a shifting of wealth from bottom to top
Torrent Up as opposed to trickle down, if you will.
craig, this a.m. from the hill:
White House National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn said Thursday that United States corporate executives were the “most excited” people about the House GOP tax plan.
Cohn told CNBC that American CEOs are thrilled about the Republican plan to slash taxes for businesses, insisting the plan would make the U.S. more competitive with international corporations.
“The most excited group out there are big CEOs, about our tax plan,” said Cohn, who was COO of Goldman Sachs before joining the White House.
“They all tell me how they excited they are to get a tax plan that makes the United States competitive, makes it so they can grow their business domestically, makes it so they can — actually pay wages here.”
[….continues…]
i get the appeal to corporates, just don’t understand how it gets them votes (unless maybe they think it translates into corp-funded TV ads)
votes schmotes, it’s $$ in their coffers.
and the big lie to joe sixpack voter is that if we give them cuts the corps promise to come back home, create jobs and “actually pay wages here.”
Craig
It is necessary to win because somebody has to pay the bills. Unfortunately, for the American public, the GOP bill payers are a small group of very rich guys who want to get a whole lot richer.
Not all that many years ago, the difference in income between the lowest paid worker in a company and the CEO was about 40 times the low paid worker’s take home. The the CEOs found out they could vote each other raises by sitting on the same Boards of Directors and tie income to stock holdings and the next quarter’s profits. End result now the CEO makes 300 times that low paid worker. Take on all the benefits and golden parachute and you have a system that rewards the wealthy while destroying the economy that has now gone global to increase those quarterly profits.
meanwhile on the russky social media front.
For the low, low price of $200, you too can control the fate of any American election.
The $35,000 Raise
Best Places to work 2017 – Gravity PaymentsÂ
Follow Up on the above article with Dan Price
And the big lie about paying more wages with corporate tax cuts: Wall Street HATES rising labor costs. Stocks (and the CEOs) get hammered by analysts and investors if companies pay much more than 25% of their revenue to workers. History shows tax windfalls go to share buy-backs and dividends.
Most of the money of those who would benefit from any GOP tax plan will end up offshore/overseas/laundered.
There are more benefits for quality of life in paying taxes than not. I like drivable roads, bridges that don’t collapse, garbage pick up (which = rodent/disease control) & snowplows. Policemen, Firemen, water & sewage. Also open libraries, Art museums. This is actually a positive message. Taxation is not bad when you consider what we receive. Greed is bad, but that has the PR of being successful. Spin, spin.
more on russky trolls
AP Exclusive: Russia Twitter Trolls Deflected Trump Bad News
Disguised Russian agents on Twitter rushed to deflect scandalous news about Donald Trump just before last year’s presidential election while straining to refocus criticism on the mainstream media and Hillary Clinton’s campaign, according to an Associated Press analysis of since-deleted accounts.
Tweets by Russia-backed accounts such as “America_1st_” and “BatonRougeVoice” on Oct. 7, 2016, actively pivoted away from news of an audio recording in which Trump made crude comments about groping women, and instead touted damaging emails hacked from Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta.
Since early this year, the extent of Russian intrusion to help Trump and hurt Clinton in the election has been the subject of both congressional scrutiny and a criminal investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. In particular, those investigations are looking into the possibility of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
AP’s analysis illuminates the obvious strategy behind the Russian cyber meddling: swiftly react, distort and distract attention from any negative Trump news.
The AP examined 36,210 tweets from Aug. 31, 2015, to Nov. 10, 2016, posted by 382 of the Russian accounts that Twitter shared with congressional investigators last week. Twitter deactivated the accounts, deleting the tweets and making them inaccessible on the internet. But a limited selection of the accounts’ Twitter activity was retrieved by matching account handles against an archive obtained by AP.
[….continued…]
For those on Twitter who haven’t noticed. If someone is arguing with you just to be arguing and not seeming to say anything other than “you’re wrong and let me call you names to prove it”, check out their profile. There are clues to their troll probability:
1. They claim to have been on Twitter for more than five years, but have fewer than 300 followers.
For comparison, I have been on since 2009 and have more than 1300 followers. This is not an extreme number for an average person. Fearless leader has almost 9,000, while major celebrities can have number in the millions. Under 300 is probably a bot account.
2. They have a huge number of tweets when compared to followers.
3. They have little or no bio.
4. Their profile picture is symbolic or just doesn’t “look right” as if it came from Google images.
This doesn’t cover all the trolls by any means and not all people with these hints are trolls, but checking it out will save you a great deal of time and blood pressure medication.
Oh an if you are very sure and ding them for being a Troll, they will disappear suddenly and go elsewhere. Of course the non trolls will be even more upset, but those are the chances you take. lol
SFB/PG/Dotard voters are never going to change their little tiny minds
The recent elections indicate that turnout is everything. We are the majority we just have to turn out and make sure voter suppression is reversed
Donnie Dotard may not survive this trip. Wouldn’t that be great the big fat blowhard is due for a major health problem — all that dye over the years.
kgc, have recently been wondering about “all that dye over the years”… if you mean the hair, maybe that’s not dye. given his love of golden ornamentation, could it be he had strands of gold woven into that which was implanted from unspeakable areas? it sorta shines in certain lighting as tho’ planned to glitter. halo effect. or maybe it’s just gilt or gold plate and will eventually rust. or maybe it’s already rust. if it is dye, prolly affects his brain as well as overall health.
Samantha B also took another swipe at turnout, gerrymandering and why governorships are so important due to the Census and Congressional districts.
Low turnout – GOP Wins
Average turnout – GOP Wins
Large turnout – GOP probably wins but might not
Massive turnout – Democrats win
Ms Jamie,
Thanks for your 10:40 post ! I am spreading the advice.
The gop tax plan is golden showers on the 99%. Tinkle-down economics from the 1%. I can feel the puddle oi money flooding-out low America if this passes.
roy moore, you broke a few commandments!
GOP tax increase on middle class fits on a post card but saves money on stamps.
A hinky good-bye to VA, goodlatte to retire. From 538, tracking old bob.
The first hats being thrown in the ‘District 6’ VA congressional race for 2018.
sorry for length, but ….
nbcnews:Â Report: Woman Says Roy Moore Initiated Sexual Activity When She Was 14
An Alabama woman has accused Roy Moore, the state’s Republican Senate nominee, of forcing her into a sexual encounter in 1979, when she was 14 and he was 32, The Washington Post reported Thursday.
The woman, Leigh Corfman, now 53, told the Post that Moore took off her “shirt and pants and removed his clothes,” touched her “over her bra and underpants” and “guided her hand to touch him over his underwear.”
In a statement put out by his campaign, Moore, now 70, vehemently denied the allegations, calling them “a baseless political attack” and “the very definition of fake news and intentional defamation.”
“Judge Roy Moore has endured the most outlandish attacks on any candidate in the modern political arena, but this story in today’s Washington Post alleging sexual impropriety takes the cake,” Moore campaign chair Bill Armistead said in statement. “National liberal organizations know their chosen candidate Doug Jones is in a death spiral, and this is their last ditch Hail Mary.”
“The Washington Post has already endorsed the Judge’s opponent, and for months, they have engaged in a systematic campaign to distort the truth about the Judge’s record and career and derail his campaign. In fact, just two days ago, the Foundation for Moral Law sent a retraction demand to the Post for the false stories they wrote about the Judge’s work and compensation. But apparently, there is no end to what the Post will allege,” Armistead added. “After over 40 years of public service, if any of these allegations were true, they would have been made public long before now.”
The allegation comes just over a month before the Dec. 12 Alabama special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Polls show Moore leading Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney, by a comfortable margin.
Following the report’s publication, several Republican senators said Moore — a conservative firebrand who served twice as a chief justice of the state Supreme Court and has unsuccessfully run for governor twice — should drop out of the race if the allegations prove true.
“If these allegations are true, he must step aside,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told NBC News.
“The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said. “He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.”
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Co., who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called the allegations “deeply troubling,” adding that if they “are found to be true, Roy Moore must drop out of the Alabama special Senate election.”
If Moore were to drop out, his name would remain on the ballot. Alabama law states that a general election candidate must withdraw 76 days before the date of the election to be removed from the ballot. If a candidate withdraws after that deadline, his or her name must remain on the ballot but no votes for the candidate can be certified. As of Thursday, the special election was only 33 days away.
There could, however, be some precedent for a court challenge. In 2002, an embattled Democratic Senate candidate in New Jersey dropped out of the race after the withdrawal deadline, and Democrats ultimately prevailed in a legal challenge to allow a replacement on the ballot anyway.
According to The Post, the relationship between Moore and Corfman began in 1979, when he approached her and her mother outside a courtroom in rural Alabama and offered to watch the teenage girl while her mother went into court for a hearing.
The Post interviewed both Corfman and her mother, Nancy Wells, as well as two of Corfman’s childhood friends, who said Corfman told them at the time that she had been dating an older man. One of Corfman’s friends identified the man as Moore.
Moore, then a district attorney in Etowah County, asked the girl for her phone number, and picked her up for a date days later, when he drove her to his house and kissed her.
The sexual encounter Corfman detailed to The Post occurred during second meeting between her and Moore.
“I wanted it over with — I wanted out,” Corfman told The Post. “Please just get this over with. Whatever this is, just get it over.”
Corfman said she told Moore his age at the time. The age of legal consent in Alabama is 16.
According to The Post, Alabama state law defines sexual abuse in the second degree as a person who is 19 or older having sexual contact with someone aged 12 to 16.
Corfman never filed a police report or a civil suit, the paper reported, and the statute of limitations for bringing charges would have expired three years after the alleged incident.
The Post also interviewed three other women who claim Moore “pursued” them when they were 16 to 18 and when he was in his early 30s.
excerpt from wapo’s story about the above:
None of the women sought out The Post. While reporting a story in Alabama about supporters of Moore’s Senate campaign, a Post reporter heard that Moore allegedly had sought relationships with teenage girls.
Over the ensuing three weeks, two Post reporters contacted and interviewed the four women. All were initially reluctant to speak publicly but chose to do so after multiple interviews, saying they thought it was important for people to know about their interactions with Moore. The women say they don’t know one another.
The news struck the Capitol with a thunderbolt on Thursday afternoon. As senators headed in for an afternoon vote on a Transportation Department nominee, reporters swarmed Republicans in a bid to get their reaction.
and another righteous bible thumping republican rides off into the sunset
Just like health care, and now taxes, Republicans are learning when your party’s president is an idiot you’re totally screwed.
It’s the republican perv lifestyle.
I just love turnaround. They say that it’s fair play, whoever ‘they’ are.
If corporations demand middle class tax increases for tax windfalls then fuck you. We’ll figure it out.
The next meeting of the Roy Moore Coven of Pedophiles 4 Jeezus has been postponed until further notice.
We can’t beat up roy moore for molesting that sweet white young’n, that flower of Southern femininity. Nor can we slowly hang him from an oak until he pees his pants, and jerks as we all laugh and chuck rocks and pine burs at him. We can’t use the dangling corpse of roy moore for rifle practice, nor set that animal’s remains on fire, while we picnic and take pictures to memorialize the happy event. You see, he’s white. So, we’ll just say, Good ol’ boys will be boys.
Something to keep in mind while smashing “judge” AH moore is that in many locales of the U.S. marriage of 12 yo girls was legal. And, in many it is legal to marry 14yo girls today. I have a branch in my family which the girls were married by time they were 16yo.
However, the guy is a nasty asshole. He suggested that gays be rounded up and killed. Nice, eh?
That he is going to suffer a lot of crap makes me happy. If he is forced to go back to his slimy hole makes me even happier. That he is not even liked by the republican senators and they are ready to renounce him is fine. Whatever hell he is forced into is nothing like what he did to the people of Alabama.
Does anyone among the CA residents or our various legal beagles know a really good contingency lawyer who would be willing to take on a City Government? If so send me an email as I need it for my daughter the whistle blower … irk.
So much has gone on today.
Rebellious Renee and Jamie–Chase is home and wearing his plastic cone to protect his eye and those stitches. An excellent patient so far. Vet has a hopeful prognosis for the eye.
Wasn’t Priscilla Beaulieu 14 when Elvis spotted her and took an interest in her? The dreadful Alabama Judge, Louis C.K., the pee-pee tapes . . . Weinstein, Kevin Spacey being wiped off the face of Hollywood. I mean, where does this all end? What is all this in reaction to? A president/predator?
Here in Tallahassee, we have allegations of sexual assault with a powerful legislator, staff and lobbyists. I’m kind of waiting for Daisy Duck to spill the goods on Donald. No one is innocent, no one is safe.
Much angst and acting out going on. Maybe the answer is to ditch this Prezator as quickly as we can.
Courtesy of Biography.com
More for the interested:Â Â https://www.biography.com/people/elvis-presley-9446466
“Here in Tallahassee, we have allegations of sexual assault with a powerful legislator, staff and lobbyists.”
mr doodlesdog, so nothing much has changed there, I see. 🙂Â
tally isn’t unique. that’s the culture in most capitols and college towns, isn’t it?
btw, glad to hear that chase came thru the ordeal successfully.