Trail Mix

NBC NEWS: “Hillary Clinton delivered an economic speech in Warren, Michigan Thursday. She offered few new details on her own policy, and instead devoted most of her time to slamming Donald Trump’s tax plan, which he discussed Monday.”

Here are the facts behind Clinton’s speech.

• CLAIM: “An independent analysis by a former economic adviser to Senator John McCain,” Clinton said, found that Trump’s platform would lead to 3.4 million in job losses, while her plan would create 10 million jobs.
• THE FACTS: Clinton is referring to a June assessment by Moody’s Analytics. It was authored by several economists, but led by Mark Zandi. Zandi was in fact one of McCain’s advisers — but he’s also a registered Democrat and a donor who has maxed out to Clinton’s campaign. The Moody’s analysis did say that Trump’s policies would result in 3.4 million in job losses over the course of his potential presidency, reading in part: “The economic damage created by Mr. Trump’s policies is also stark when considering how the economy would perform if there were no significant changes to policy.” Moody’s July report on Clinton’s economic plan said it would create 10.4 million new jobs over the course of her hypothetical presidency.
• CLAIM: “Then there’s the Estate Tax, which Trump wants to eliminate altogether. If you believe that he’s as wealthy as he says, that alone would save the Trump family $4 billion. But it would do nothing for 99.8 percent of Americans.”
• THE FACTS: Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, said this mostly checks out. The Estate Tax — which Republicans prefer to call the Death Tax — only affects estates worth more than $5 million, and just 0.2 percent of people who die each year surpass that threshold. The $4 billion figure though, based on Trump’s stated net worth of $10 billion, is a bit trickier since Trump could employ a number of tax avoidance mechanisms.
• CLAIM: “I will stop any trade deal that kills jobs or holds down wages — including the Trans-Pacific Partnership. I oppose it now, I’ll oppose it after the election, and I’ll oppose it as President.”
• THE FACTS: Clinton came late to opposing the TPP: She called it the “gold standard” of trade deals when she was Secretary of State. She now says she opposes it, and would as president, though critics on both the right and left remain suspicious.
• CLAIM: Clinton said Trump called for a new loophole in his Monday speech that would allow him “to pay less than half the current tax rate on income from many of his companies.” She added that he would “pay a lower rate than millions of middle class families.”
• THE FACTS: The Washington Post delved into what Clinton calls the “Trump loophole,” which would effectively lower the tax rate on high-income “pass-through” entities — companies that file taxes through their individual owners, rather than at corporate rates — from 39.6 percent to 15 percent. The Tax Policy Center’s Williams said Clinton is right to say that Trump’s companies would indeed pay half the current tax rate. But he said it’s harder to state definitively whether that would be lower than middle-class families’ rates, since it would depends on their income level, and thus tax rate, as well as the amount they pay in payroll taxes. Under Trump’s plan, an estimated 63 percent of low-and-middle-class Americans would pay no federal income taxes at all.
• CLAIM: “We do know that the 400 richest taxpayers in America would get an average tax cut of more than $15 million a year from this loophole,” Clinton said.
• THE FACTS: The IRS periodically puts out data on the top 400 taxpayers. While Williams said it’s difficult to measure this claim in detail, he guesses they’d save between $10 and $15 million. “They’d save a lot of money,” he said.
• CLAIM: “The tax cuts he doubled down on in his speech on Monday offer trillions to the richest Americans and corporations.”
• THE FACTS: Clinton may be high-balling here, but it’s difficult to know for sure without more details on Trump’s new tax plan. The Tax Policy Center estimated that Trump’s old tax proposal would cut federal revenues by $9.5 trillion over the first 10 years, and that “high-income taxpayers would receive the biggest cuts, both in dollar terms and as a percentage of income.” However, Trump altered key portions of his plan Monday with the goal of making it $7 trillion less expensive, so the old analysis is out of date.

A national party nominee referencing violence against his foe is unforgivable. He does not deserve the debate stage. Further, this: “ISIS is honoring President Obama,” Trump said during a rally in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “He’s the founder of ISIS. He founded ISIS. I would say the co-founder would be ‘Crooked’ Hillary Clinton.”

Seriously, this man is inciting violence. We are in a dangerous place.

Meanwhile, Huma Abedin and Cheryl Mills have to go.
Recently released emails demonstrate these two crossed the line. Both are snake bit, have been for a long time. Time for them to head for the graveyard that is littered with Clinton lap dogs.

I’ve never seen anything like this in a major party nominee. Seemingly inciting violence against his foe in vague words that his team actually must try to walk back:

“If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,” Mr. Trump said. He added: “Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know.”

That is simply outrageous. This man should be shunned. For starters, Hillary Clinton has every right to refuse to debate him. He does not deserve the stage.

David Gergen on CNN last night: “This is wrong. It is wrong to raise the issue of violence. It is against the law to threaten any federal official. … Dog whistles go to crazies.. It’s a shameful statement to be making.”

Jonathan Wackow, former Secret Service, CNN: “These statements have ramifications. .. What about that one person who says maybe this is my moment.”

Jeffrey Toobin on CNN: “What Trump said today is certainly the kind of comment that would merit a visit from the Secret Service.”

Former CIA/NSA Dir. Michael Hayden on Trump: “If someone else had said that he’d be in the back of a police wagon.”

By PatD, a Trail Mix Contributor

CNN recapped the Trump economic speech and Elizabeth Warren decapitated it:

In addition to tax cuts, Trump also proposed a moratorium on financial regulations, which conservatives say hinder economic growth.

“Cut regulations massively,” @realDonaldTrump? No rules & no accountability means people get ripped off & markets blow up. Remember 2008?” Warren said. “A ‘moratorium’ on agency regulations means stopping new rules on shady payday lenders & too-big-to-fail banks, @realDonaldTrump.” …

“W/o rules, @realDonaldTrump, too many huge banks juiced profits by cheating ppl on mortgages, credit cards, etc, then crashed our economy,” Warren said.

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By Jamie44,
a Trail Mix Contributor

We have all seen the “Daisy” commercial multiple times.  Obviously the Republican candidate for President in 1964 was dooming us all to a nuclear conflagration unless we would have the good sense to vote for Lyndon Baines Johnson.  We have all heard the quote “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”  The man was capable of anything, and we were all afraid.

In the wake of the Kennedy assassination and the loss of “Camelot”, this was a risk we could not take.  The end result was a political wipeout never seen before.

More than a half century later, I am longing for a Republican party that was that sane and remembering a man whose reputation was in many ways the opposite of what was presented to the public.  To put it simply, Barry Goldwater was a good man.  Compared to the current Republican candidate and the party as it exists, he would be a worthy opponent but more than likely he also now would be a Democrat.  Why do I believe this?  Because of his actions after that overwhelming defeat.

After Goldwater again became a senator, he urged Nixon to resign at the height of the Watergate scandal, warning that fewer than ten senators would vote against conviction if Nixon were impeached by the House of Representatives.  The term “Goldwater moment” has since been used to describe situations when influential members of Congress disagree so strongly with a president from their own party that they openly oppose him.

The GOP now has a candidate thoroughly rejected by whatever bit of sanity  left in the party … a massive meltdown and “Goldwater moment”.

All of the above was on the political front, but Barry Goldwater was a whole man.  He was a ham radio operator who regularly “chatted” with other aficionados all over the globe.  He was a photographer well known for his images of his beloved Arizona and the indigenous people and he was so “conservative” that he rejected the concept that intrusive religion had any part in politics and was a strong advocate of gay rights and freedom of religion: “You don’t need to be straight to fight and die for your country. You just need to shoot straight.” … and: “I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.”

So right now, I’m missing Barry. I’m missing the Republican party of my childhood.  I hate what the GOP has become and I think Senator Goldwater would be ashamed.  This year he would have also been a truly great GOP candidate.

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