Page 24 of 56 FirstFirst ... 1420212223242526272834 ... LastLast
Results 691 to 720 of 1675

Thread: Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

  1. #691
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726

    Life in the Trump Era, Part 2

    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    Its the Breitbart virus. He has the fever. It infects all of them
    It will help if you and jrj will actually read my post. That would require you both to actually respond to what I said instead of reading my thoughts.

    Would you be OK with this if the political parties were reversed?
    Last edited by LA Ute; 04-01-2018 at 02:21 PM.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  2. #692
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    5,526
    I had somewhat of an curious thought this morning.

    Trump doesn't really care about many issues. He will pay lip-service to whatever cause of the day suits him the best. Which makes all of this "Big Beautiful Wall" and immigration talk all the more intriguing to me. Why does he keep pushing this issue? I don't think he feels as strongly about it as he is implying.

    I was mulling this over this morning when it hit me. It is so obvious.

    He doesn't want a wall because of immigration. He wants a wall as a MONUMENT to be remembered by. His own Great Wall Of China.

  3. #693
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    It will help if you and jrj will actually read my post. That would require you both to actually respond to what I said instead of reading my thoughts.

    Would you be OK with this if the political parties were reversed?
    i dont have to read your post. I have your Facebook info. (Actually, i did read it.)

  4. #694
    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    Its the Breitbart virus. He has the fever. It infects all of them
    I’m starting to think that “I’m not a Trump fan but...” qualifier is the new “I’m not racist but...”


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  5. #695
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by Dwight Schr-Ute View Post
    I’m starting to think that “I’m not a Trump fan but...” qualifier is the new “I’m not racist but...”
    Oh, come on, you can't really believe that.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  6. #696
    Trump is the worst . . . but such a truth does not of itself make the Democratic party and its followers above reproach.

    OTOH, one should be able to criticize Democrats and liberals without having to preface the criticism by stating that one is not a Trump fan.
    "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." -- Oscar Levant

  7. #697
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    i dont have to read your post. I have your Facebook info. (Actually, i did read it.)
    I thought so. Cowed by the terse brilliance of my thoughts, you resorted to heartless attacks on me. Typical of all you closet Maoists.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  8. #698
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Oh, come on, you can't really believe that.
    Of course I don't believe that. It was a joke. I just never get to say provocative things on here. Earlier I had been listening to a podcast about CPAC and there were a surprising amount of interviews that started with "I'm not a racist, but..." that went on to say incredibly racist things. So when I read your comment that essentially said, I'm not a Trump fan, but..., it reverberated. To be clear, I wasn't at all suggesting that you are a racist. I just have heard a lot of comments that follow the pattern, I'm not a Trump fan, but this is why I like what Trump is doing. That's all.

  9. #699
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by Dwight Schr-Ute View Post
    Of course I don't believe that. It was a joke. I just never get to say provocative things on here. Earlier I had been listening to a podcast about CPAC and there were a surprising amount of interviews that started with "I'm not a racist, but..." that went on to say incredibly racist things. So when I read your comment that essentially said, I'm not a Trump fan, but..., it reverberated. To be clear, I wasn't at all suggesting that you are a racist. I just have heard a lot of comments that follow the pattern, I'm not a Trump fan, but this is why I like what Trump is doing. That's all.
    All right then, you’re back on the Christmas card list. (I was quite sure that you didn’t mean it, and the more I thought about it, I could actually see the satire in your post. Duh. So sorry about that. I’ve known you long enough to know you wouldn’t believe something like that.)

    Here’s the problem for a generally conservative person who is not a Breitbart reader or a CPAC devotee. I generally believe in a strong defense, lower taxes, less regulation, an originalist approach to constitutional law, and so forth. I am a moderate on social issues in the mold of Jack Kemp or John Kasich (for the most part). About 70%, if not more, of what happens under a Trump administration is going to be consistent with those beliefs. Do I have to say, “Even though that is exactly what I hoped to see out of any administration, I must not be happy about it, and I refuse to support it, because it came to be under the administration of that man?“

    I don’t think you are saying that at all, but your post reminded me of that point of view. I think jrj is saying that, and there are a few others here also seem to see it that way. If someone approves of anything that the Trump administration has done, or object to any over-the-top characterization, either of of the administration or of the president, the speaker is accused of being a sympathizer of, and a fellow-traveler with, Trump. It is kind of a reverse McCarthyism, except Instead of a loyalty oath, we are expected to swear a disloyalty oath. Otherwise we risk being expelled from polite society.

    It’s also really a very truncated way of looking at the overall situation. If one believes that Trump is the equivalent of Hitler, then I can at least see the argument. But Trump is not Hitler. To believe so reflects a profound misunderstanding of the history of the Third Reich, and damages the public discourse. Remember, people called Bush Hitler too. And Bush 1. And Reagan.

    This is not directed at you, Dwight, you just unintentionally got me started on a rant. Which is now over.
    Last edited by LA Ute; 04-03-2018 at 12:09 PM.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  10. #700
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    I love the Trump era. It's morning in America again.

    GunActivist.png

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  11. #701
    A diabolical thought:

    We know that Russia and Wikileaks interfered with the 2016 election.

    Mdme. Chennault's obit yesterday reminded us that she and Nixon interfered with the Paris Peace talks just before the 1968 election to ensure that Nixon would be elected.

    Could China ensure Trump's defeat by maintaining tariffs in Trump country?



  12. #702
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    A diabolical thought:

    We know that Russia and Wikileaks interfered with the 2016 election.

    Mdme. Chennault's obit yesterday reminded us that she and Nixon interfered with the Paris Peace talks just before the 1968 election to ensure that Nixon would be elected.

    Could China ensure Trump's defeat by maintaining tariffs in Trump country?


    Non-diabolical and playfully irritating thought: How about the Dems just nominate a good candidate and beat him fair and square?

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  13. #703
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Non-diabolical and playfully irritating thought: How about the Dems just nominate a good candidate and beat him fair and square?

    Oh, so NOW you care about interference.

  14. #704
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    Oh, so NOW you care about interference.
    Nah. I just think that if you're going to steal an election, you should do that fair and square.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  15. #705
    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    A diabolical thought:

    We know that Russia and Wikileaks interfered with the 2016 election.

    Mdme. Chennault's obit yesterday reminded us that she and Nixon interfered with the Paris Peace talks just before the 1968 election to ensure that Nixon would be elected.

    Could China ensure Trump's defeat by maintaining tariffs in Trump country?


    Heh, that's pretty funny. I'd love to see them flip on him.

  16. #706
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Nah. I just think that if you're going to steal an election, you should do that fair and square.
    That's not interference, just the consequences of your own actions.

  17. #707
    Bernie Sanders supporters should be delighted. Trump is doing everything he advocated.
    One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.

    --Albert Einstein

    The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.

    --Richard Dawkins

    Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.

    --Philo

  18. #708
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by SeattleUte View Post
    Bernie Sanders supporters should be delighted. Trump is doing everything he advocated.
    Yeah. Like moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, appointing Gorsuch and dozens of other conservative judges, cutting taxes, massive deregulation, and a few others. Bernie must be proud of his influence on Trump.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  19. #709
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Yeah. Like moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem, appointing Gorsuch and dozens of other conservative judges, cutting taxes, massive deregulation, and a few others. Bernie must be proud of his influence on Trump.
    BS didn’t have many planks. Just tarrrifs, nativism, steel and coal, and bashing tech and Wall Street.
    One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike -- and yet it is the most precious thing we have.

    --Albert Einstein

    The fact that life evolved out of nearly nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved out of literally nothing, is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice.

    --Richard Dawkins

    Be kind to all, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.

    --Philo

  20. #710
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by SeattleUte View Post
    BS didn’t have many planks. Just tarrrifs, nativism, steel and coal, and bashing tech and Wall Street.
    Well, Trump has no ideological moorings so I guess he takes a Chinese restaurant menu approach to policy: One from column A, another from column B....

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  21. #711
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    5,526
    Quote Originally Posted by Dwight Schr-Ute View Post
    Of course I don't believe that. It was a joke. I just never get to say provocative things on here. Earlier I had been listening to a podcast about CPAC and there were a surprising amount of interviews that started with "I'm not a racist, but..." that went on to say incredibly racist things. So when I read your comment that essentially said, I'm not a Trump fan, but..., it reverberated. To be clear, I wasn't at all suggesting that you are a racist. I just have heard a lot of comments that follow the pattern, I'm not a Trump fan, but this is why I like what Trump is doing. That's all.
    See: Moral licensing

    Past good deeds can liberate individuals to engage in behaviors that are immoral, unethical, or otherwise problematic, behaviors that they would otherwise avoid for fear of feeling or appearing immoral.
    It's like saying "I had that salad for lunch, so I'm good to eat this whole cake for dinner."

    By stating they're not a racist, their conscience is clear and they can justify their next sentence.

  22. #712
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    5,526
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Here’s the problem for a generally conservative person who is not a Breitbart reader or a CPAC devotee. I generally believe in a strong defense, lower taxes, less regulation, an originalist approach to constitutional law, and so forth. I am a moderate on social issues in the mold of Jack Kemp or John Kasich (for the most part). About 70%, if not more, of what happens under a Trump administration is going to be consistent with those beliefs. Do I have to say, “Even though that is exactly what I hoped to see out of any administration, I must not be happy about it, and I refuse to support it, because it came to be under the administration of that man?“
    I'm curious about your feeling on the $700B increase in defense spending Trump signed?

  23. #713
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    I'm curious about your feeling on the $700B increase in defense spending Trump signed?
    Haven't studied it. Lots of money doesn't necessarily mean a strong defense.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  24. #714
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    I'm curious about your feeling on the $700B increase in defense spending Trump signed?
    Sequestration was a disaster for the military services. If the increase addresses the problems created by sequestration then it is a good thing. OTOH, the Pentagon has a rep for spending money unwisely. Also, it appears the budget was increased so it could be raided to pay for Trump's wall. That would not be a good thing.
    "It'd be nice to please everyone but I thought it would be more interesting to have a point of view." -- Oscar Levant

  25. #715
    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    A diabolical thought:

    We know that Russia and Wikileaks interfered with the 2016 election.

    Mdme. Chennault's obit yesterday reminded us that she and Nixon interfered with the Paris Peace talks just before the 1968 election to ensure that Nixon would be elected.

    Could China ensure Trump's defeat by maintaining tariffs in Trump country?


    Ordinarily retaliatory tariffs on soybeans would have a negative effect, but I could see Trump, completely & defiantly unconcerned about the long term, simply opening the Treasury to deliver massive checks to soy bean farmers and giving each of them a Cadillac, made with American made steel. Pull it out of the defense budget.

    For that matter, don't be surprised if the GOP passes another sizable tax cut *AND* increases spending, with Trump declaring a $2 Trillion deficit necessary to MAGA as America wages economic war against the rest of the world.

  26. #716
    It will be interesting to talk to my parents next week when they’re out West visiting from “the soybean capital of the world”. My hometown is entirely dependent on corn and soy processing, but I have know idea how they’re processing this.

  27. #717
    From Trump, the master of self-restraint and growth through sacrifice: the pain from China tariffs will make us "much stronger". http://thehill.com/policy/finance/38...-much-stronger

    JRJ - remember to remind your parents that "Trade Wars are Good, and Easy to Win", according to the very stable genius.
    Last edited by Ma'ake; 04-06-2018 at 07:36 AM.

  28. #718
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Salt Lake City
    Posts
    5,526
    It appears Mad Dog is now on the chopping block.

    https://www.apnews.com/1ee81c8bcba14...chief-of-staff

    WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Donald Trump made a congratulatory phone call to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, White House chief of staff John Kelly wasn’t on the line.

    When Trump tapped John Bolton to be his next national security adviser, Kelly wasn’t in the room.

    And when Trump spent a Mar-a-Lago weekend stewing over immigration and trade, Kelly wasn’t in sight.

    Kelly, once empowered to bring order to a turbulent West Wing, has receded from view, his clout diminished, his word less trusted by staff and his guidance less tolerated by an increasingly go-it-alone president.

    Emboldened in his job, Trump has rebelled against Kelly’s restrictions and mused about doing away with the chief of staff post entirely. It’s all leading White House staffers and Trump allies to believe that Kelly is working on borrowed time.

  29. #719
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    It appears Mad Dog is now on the chopping block.

    https://www.apnews.com/1ee81c8bcba14...chief-of-staff

    Would that make Mattis the only one with half a brain left in that organization?

  30. #720
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    17,726
    Politics in the 21st century aren’t turning out the way I hoped they would.

    One of the country’s biggest publishers of fake news says he did it for our own good

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...ews:newsletter

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •