The Trump Presidency: Part 18

[acbytesla]

Sorry to sound thick - but are the subpoenas for testimony from McGahn, Bolton etc. included?

I don't think so. I believe these all involved his tax returns and financials.

 

[varwoche]

It doesn't, does it? And yet the SC took the case.

It will be a moment of truth. Does "shall" still mean "shall"?

 

[Minoosh]

If somebody right now, unconnected to any political party or campaign, ran a bunch of ads asking why Trump would not release his tax returns, who could stop them?

My real question I guess is, Why isn’t this happening?

 

[acbytesla]

If somebody right now, unconnected to any political party or campaign, ran a bunch of ads asking why Trump would not release his tax returns, who could stop them?

My real question I guess is, Why isn’t this happening?

Not yet. There will be lots of such ads soon. Lets not peak too early.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

There goes Wisconsin in 2020:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/13/politics/wisconsin-judge-remove-voter-rolls/index.html

I saw nothing that indicated what party most of these voters belong to. Also, it said the voters would stay on the roles through spring of 2021 so after the next election.

It's called voter caging. It would be fine if these letters were sent statewide. But that's not where they were sent:

Crooks and Liars: Wisconsin Republicans Just Can't Get Enough Voter Suppression

From gerrymandering to voter caging, Wisconsin Republicans will stop at nothing to suppress the voice of the people.

...There was the sordid gerrymandering which was done in secret which boxed in Democrats so badly that even when they receive the majority of voters, they still have a minority in the legislature.

The Republicans also passed a Voter ID law so oppressive that it's caused an estimated one percent reduction in voter turnout:...

For their latest stunt, the right returned to one of their favorite things - voter caging.

The misnamed Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty - a Bradley Foundation front group - filed a law suit demanding that nearly a quarter million voters be purged from voter rolls because they may have moved because they didn't respond to a letter within a month to voter caging letters.

Oh, and in what I am sure is just pure coincidence (not really), these voter caging letters just so happened to not be sent out in an impartial manner, but to target Democratic areas and areas with the highest African American populations, like Milwaukee and Madison:

This is where the letters went:

The letters went to about 7% of Wisconsin's registered voters, but were concentrated more heavily in some parts of the state than others.

Milwaukee and Madison — the state's Democratic strongholds — account for 14% of Wisconsin's registered voters but received 23% of the letters.

Across the state, 55% of the letters went to municipalities where Democrat Hillary Clinton out-polled Trump in 2016.

Apparently the GOP found another way to identify the poor and blacks, they searched different data bases for people who reported a new address to another agency. I hope that backfires and gets more people to register.

Then there's this re appeal:

The right wing special interests control five of the seven seats on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, more scary stuff: PR Watch: Koch, Bradley Money Fuels Trump's Right-Wing Echo Chamber

 

[Delphic Oracle]

I don't recall it being about "drain the swamp" and it was most likely after the election. As always, I could be wrong and unfortunately I ain't having much luck searching.

ETA:



That could have been it, so maybe it was "drain the swamp". However, as you and Trevor Noah note, Trump telling his audience he was just playing them is part of his shtick and the point being made.

"Lock her up" was in there, too. "That played well before the election, now...we don't care, right?"

He referred to "drain the swamp" as "so hokey."

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

It looks to me like they're just enforcing already existing laws.

ETA: These are voters who have moved and have not updated their voter registration with their new address as required by Wisconsin law. It has nothing to do with political affiliation.

On the surface, that's how you cover your ass.

 

[The Man]

"Lock her up" was in there, too. "That played well before the election, now...we don't care, right?"

He referred to "drain the swamp" as "so hokey."

Sure, but I was remembering when he was talking about trying it, it went over well so he stuck with it. Which seems to be "drain the swamp". So it seems I was mis-remembering.

 

[Aridas]

On the surface, that's how you cover your ass.

I'm actually willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the individuals directly involved, pending further information, odd as it might seem. Much less so to the people using them, however wittingly, though, if the individuals actually are sincere in their efforts to increase electoral integrity.

To poke at some other things...

Remember when Trump promised to back Medicare negotiating drug prices? Now he's the one blocking it

Such a shock!

Since I don't see a number or list often, I may as well poke at what the "Do Nothing Democrats" that have only been focusing on impeachment have been doing.

House Democrats sponsored and passed only 303 bills (some with the help of Republicans). On top of that, House Republicans sponsored and passed only 106 bills (all with the help of the Democrats). A grand total of 409 bills. Phhht.

I can see why the mainstream media rightly front-pages Republican complaints about the Democrat’s exclusive focus on impeachment.

For those of you supporting McConnell’s leadership in the Senate, you’d be impressed to know that he’s shepherded a massive 69 bills through the Senate. This tidbit of information is just TOO AWESOME for the media to report on.

For the convenience of those who might want to peruse this measly list of House bills and, maybe, highlight substantive ones you might stumble across (Ha! Good luck with that!), I’ve listed the bills below, including the vast few sponsored by the Republicans.

I’m sure Mitch McConnell has lots of time on his hands given the lack of House legislation demanding his attention.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

Congressional Do Nothing Democrats are being absolutely decimated in their districts on the subject of the Impeachment Hoax. People that voted for them are literally screaming in their faces. Crazy Nancy is finding defending Shifty Schiff harder than she thought! #2020Election

 

[Minoosh]

Not yet. There will be lots of such ads soon. Lets not peak too early.

Soon the Dems are going to be too busy sniping at each other for anyone to think to put out the kind of ads I envision. Or they'll think they have to make a case of some sort. I'm talking about the sort of drive-by BS that Trump specializes in, like "Why doesn't he just release his birth certificate?"

Trump Tweets

Congressional Do Nothing Democrats are being absolutely decimated in their districts on the subject of the Impeachment Hoax. People that voted for them are literally screaming in their faces. Crazy Nancy is finding defending Shifty Schiff harder than she thought! #2020Election

If that were really happening, Trump wouldn't have to tweet about it. If anyone is screaming, they are a Trump plant.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Trump Tweets

Congressional Do Nothing Democrats are being absolutely decimated in their districts on the subject of the Impeachment Hoax. People that voted for them are literally screaming in their faces. Crazy Nancy is finding defending Shifty Schiff harder than she thought! #2020Election

Again, this sounds more like his looney screechy Media Secretary. Donny would never be able to remember or use a word like "decimated" in a sentence, no matter how badly constructed.

 

[Crazy Chainsaw]

Trump Tweets

Congressional Do Nothing Democrats are being absolutely decimated in their districts on the subject of the Impeachment Hoax. People that voted for them are literally screaming in their faces. Crazy Nancy is finding defending Shifty Schiff harder than she thought! #2020Election

You do realize that this president partnered with a Racist Conspiracy theorist to start a conspiracy theory about the Last president based on the fact he couldn't figure out how simple Punch Cards worked.

 

[Trebuchet]

Again, this sounds more like his looney screechy Media Secretary. Donny would never be able to remember or use a word like "decimated" in a sentence, no matter how badly constructed.

And like most Americans, either Donny or she doesn't understand that "decimated" means "reduced by ten percent", as opposed to "completely wiped out".

 

[acbytesla]

And like most Americans, either Donny or she doesn't understand that "decimated" means "reduced by ten percent", as opposed to "completely wiped out".

Words often change meaning over time. An important principle to remember is words don't have fixed definitions only usages. Yes, the root of the word goes back to the Roman legions where a squad would draw straws and whoever drew the short straw was killed by the rest of the squad.

That the word has a different meaning now ...or at least in the US is the result of language evolution which is a constant.

 

[acbytesla]

Soon the Dems are going to be too busy sniping at each other for anyone to think to put out the kind of ads I envision.

In about 4 months we'll be down to maybe two or three Dems running. Maybe less. It always shakes out.

 

[kookbreaker]

Sure, but I was remembering when he was talking about trying it, it went over well so he stuck with it. Which seems to be "drain the swamp". So it seems I was mis-remembering.

IIRC, "lock her up" got him all the cheers at his rallies. "Drain the Swamp" was the print & ad campaign that actually got him the numbers, as it painted him as the outsider going to clean up DC.

Yeah, some people still believe that bit.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

I'm actually willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the individuals directly involved, pending further information, odd as it might seem. Much less so to the people using them, however wittingly, though, if the individuals actually are sincere in their efforts to increase electoral integrity.
.....

Did you miss the parts about gerrymandering and voter suppressing voter ID laws? How about the part where the caging letters went to selected groups? Did you look to see what voter caging is?

How about the fact Republicans are running that legislature and voter registration office?

These are the guys that lost the governorship to a Democrat so they moved legislation in a hurry through the State Congress to block as many of the Governor's powers as they could.

NY Times, sorry I can't link to it in anonymous view: Dec 2018: "Wisconsin Republicans Defiantly Move to Limit the Power of Incoming Democrats."

MADISON, Wis. — When Wisconsin Republicans pushed through a sweeping set of bills Wednesday to limit the power of the state’s newly elected Democrats, it was another hardball maneuver by a man who has played a key role in driving the state sharply to the right.

In the days after the Republican governor’s stunning loss last month — the end of eight years of one-party control of the state’s government — Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the Assembly, was defiant.

“We are going to stand like bedrock to guarantee that Wisconsin does not go back,” Mr. Vos told local reporters after the midterms.

These are the guys you want to give the benefit of the doubt to as maybe just cleaning up the voter roles for legit reasons?

 

[Segnosaur]

So, lets say you're hosting a Hanukkah party. If you're Jewish, it probably seems like a fairly big deal.... you would want the event to be treated with a certain amount of respect. So, who should you invite to your party?

If you're Trump, you invite a pastor who is well-known for making bigoted remarks (including suggesting jews will go to hell.)

From; https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ho-says-jews-are-going-to-hell-at-white-house
The White House hosted an evangelical pastor who has said that Jews “can’t be saved” as part of the administration’s Wednesday Hanukkah celebration...Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas called Trump “the most pro-faith president in history” at the Wednesday event. ...Jeffress has a history of making offensive comments about Jewish people, as well as Muslims and Mormons.... He also suggested Mormons, Muslims, Hindus and Jews will be sent to hell during a 2008 sermon.

Remember folks, Trump is the guy who thinks Jews should support him because he loves money as much as they do (or something like that).

 

[SezMe]

If the suit to ensure the rolls are purged is brought by a right wing organization, you can be sure that it benefits the GOP.

The suit was filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a conservative organization., Quelle surprise.