POLITICAL THREAD

[ukalumni00]

Everything Trump says and will say as this race goes on will get dissected and bashed by those who do not like him. He is saying what he has said for years, but people are listening now because he is leading in the polls. I think he went too far with the McCain comments especially since he never served in the military, but he at least is going after the Washington elite/establishment that has been a huge part the mess this country is in now. Both sides of the aisle. Republicans hate and are afraid of him because he is exposing them plus many think he will get alienated enough from the GOP to go Independent almost assuring Clinton the Presidency. As I said months ago, the debates are going to be a get your popcorn and drinks ready event with Trump in the mix.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

I've listened to all three cable news channels and that's not what I'm hearing. What's being report is that this situation has all the markers of an ISIS inspired or directed event. The only voice refusing to label this as a ISIS inspired effect at this juncture, is the lead investigator for the FBI who at his news conference says the won't label this anything until they sort through all the facts. That's not being PC, that's just normal policy for a investigation by law enforcement. They keep their cards on the table until all the facts come in.

True to an extent. However, during the Charleston shooting, the media invited the public to make every possible conclusion. Thats how the opinion about the flag changed overnight.

Yet now for this Chattanooga shooting, caution is the only message.

Ha! Last night on msnbc:

Andrea Mitchell to Chattanooga killer’s HS classmate: Was he into guns, or hunting maybe?

Such a history of hunters and mass murder, that has to be it. He was a hunter! Probably Southern, and Christian too....

Dont think for one second they havent assigned all their interns to search all his social media for images of the confederate flag, guns, etc.

Everything Trump says and will say as this race goes on will get dissected and bashed by those who do not like him. He is saying what he has said for years, but people are listening now because he is leading in the polls. I think he went too far with the McCain comments especially since he never served in the military, but he at least is going after the Washington elite/establishment that has been a huge part the mess this country is in now. Both sides of the aisle. Republicans hate and are afraid of him because he is exposing them plus many think he will get alienated enough from the GOP to go Independent almost assuring Clinton the Presidency. As I said months ago, the debates are going to be a get your popcorn and drinks ready event with Trump in the mix.

Hes the most dissected, because hes the most feared. Not because hes some great candidate. But because he isnt a career politician, and hes uncontrollable by the norm if he gets elected.

 

[qwesley]

Yeah, he's hoping really hard that Trump has some lasting power. He doesn't, of course - has no chance, none, zilch, nada, at the Republican nomination. In the end this is about attention and ego gratification. He has the opportunity to cause real mischief, by running as an independent. That's how he makes From the stands' dreams come true, and denies the Rs a meaningful chance at victory in November......

Back off fellas. FTS, despite the avatar and hundreds of cheerleading posts, voted for Gary Johnson in 2012...the guy who came in third at CPAC polling. He gave serious consideration to all the GOP candidates but concluded HRC is far superior than any of them. Good to have some centrist voices around here.

 

[qwesley]

I will give Trump credit for at least obviously writing his own tweets.

He shouldn't even be invited to the debates. He isn't a republican and he is a grenade willing to take out everyone around him. Not sure what he has "exposed" in the GOP, he hasn't put out any policy whatsoever other than immigration.

Much like his egomaniac kindred spirit Obama, people are projecting onto him what they want him to be. Unlike Obama he has zero filter in his empty suit.

 

[vhcat70]

It's a sad day when a Prez candidate apologizes for saying "All Lives Matter".

 

[vhcat70]

Was I a Pub Prez candidate, I'd refuse to appear in the same setting as Trump.

 

[JumperJack]

It's a sad day when a Prez candidate apologizes for saying "All Lives Matter".

Absolutely. What a damn pandering disgrace.

 

[Mashburned]

Tbh, I want to see Charles Barkley be Prez.

 

[qwesley]

Speaker at Netroots Nation

@HegartyKatie: The death of the bees is a sign that colonizing women, people of color, marginalized communities is not sustainable, says Jess X. Chen #NN15

 

[qwesley]

From the Detroit News:

On paper, it appears fairly innocuous. It authorizes HUD to send local zoning boards reams of data about racial and economic disparity in their communities to help them “proactively” overcome “historic patterns of segregation...and foster inclusive communities for all.”

Communities will get feedback on their schools, transportation systems and racial and socioeconomic make-up to help them determine whether they are fully welcoming to poor people and other classes protected by the Fair Housing Act.

Once the data is compiled and analyzed, the expectation is that communities will take positive action to improve their numbers. And if they don’t? They’ll lose federal housing dollars.

Or worse — they’ll face a lawsuit from a federal government emboldened by the recent Supreme Court ruling on disparate impact, which makes it OK for prosecutors to determine discrimination simply by looking at statistics.

Suburban communities will be coerced to urbanize by plopping “affordable” (read: low income) housing in middle and upper income neighborhoods, and to demand that all residential developments, including luxury projects, contain a percentage of low-rent units.

 

[Catfan in Tn.]

Was I a Pub Prez candidate, I'd refuse to appear in the same setting as Trump.

Guessing Trump wouldn't care.

 

[From-the-stands]

Was I a Pub Prez candidate, I'd refuse to appear in the same setting as Trump.

If you're talking about the debates, about half the field won't have any say in the matter.

 

[krazykats]

Why? Seriously if I was a Rubio, Paul, or Cruz Id be drooling to get this idiot crossed up in some talking points! There is a huge difference in stirring a silent group up by making some non-PC comments that some people like to hear and actually speaking politics and having a strategy.

 

[qwesley]

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/248388-spotlight-falls-on-obamacare-fraud
http://bigstory.ap.org/urn:publicid:ap.org:c158e3b3ad50458b8d6f8f9228d02948

AP article today on how states have no idea how they are going to pay for medicaid expansion under UCA
Turns out it is easy to defraud UCA
And nice little nugget in the first article regarding $60B in improper medicare payments in the past year.

But yeah, dipshits, let's ignore this and the VA and talk more about turning it all over to the govt.

A separate GAO report found that Medicare made around $60 billion in improper payments in 2014, or about 13 percent of payments made by the core of the program (Medicare Parts A and B).

 

[Wall2Boogie]

Donald trump is the biggest douchebag there is. Why can't he just go away?
Let's explore the Donald shall we:

1. Announcment speech- trophy wife in front blaring keep on rockin in the free world by Neil young who is candian mind you. Not only that it pissed young off because he's backing Bernie sanders.
2. Complains about foreigners at his big speech yet plays Neil young lol
3. The gift from heaven; John McCain is a loser because he was a pow. LOL, I didn't see him make the same comments about George h.w. Who was also a pow.
4.donald trump could give two shits about Americans, especially those in poverty. It's all about him and his giant ego. Btw I loved his comment about selling a "chinamen" a condo for 50 mil bravo douchebag.
5. When and were did trump serve in the military exactly? Oh that's right never happened.
6. Bravo on calling McCain out on graduating last at Annapolis, you showed him. I didn't vote for McCain thanks to palin but trump has the likability of George Wallace, let's hope it ends the same for him as well.

 

[vhcat70]

Guessing Trump wouldn't care.

Of course not. The arrogant sob cares only about Trump.

 

[vhcat70]

Donald trump is the biggest douchebag there is. Why can't he just go away?
Let's explore the Donald shall we:

1. Announcment speech- trophy wife in front blaring keep on rockin in the free world by Neil young who is candian mind you. Not only that it pissed young off because he's backing Bernie sanders.
2. Complains about foreigners at his big speech yet plays Neil young lol
3. The gift from heaven; John McCain is a loser because he was a pow. LOL, I didn't see him make the same comments about George h.w. Who was also a pow.
4.donald trump could give two shits about Americans, especially those in poverty. It's all about him and his giant ego. Btw I loved his comment about selling a "chinamen" a condo for 50 mil bravo douchebag.
5. When and were did trump serve in the military exactly? Oh that's right never happened.
6. Bravo on calling McCain out on graduating last at Annapolis, you showed him. I didn't vote for McCain thanks to palin but trump has the likability of George Wallace, let's hope it ends the same for him as well.

Agree with this other than McCain wasn't last, just low.

 

[VT/UK Rondo]

Giant douche or turd sandwich

 

[Wall2Boogie]

i guess John Kerry was a loser and war hero also because he got shot, by trumps standards winners don't get shot only losers do.

 

[jamo0001]

And nice little nugget in the first article regarding $60B in improper medicare payments in the past year.

But yeah, dipshits, let's ignore this and the VA and talk more about turning it all over to the govt.

A separate GAO report found that Medicare made around $60 billion in improper payments in 2014, or about 13 percent of payments made by the core of the program (Medicare Parts A and B).

It doesn't appear to be any easier to defraud Medicare than it is to defraud private insurance. From The Economist:

Health care is a tempting target for thieves. Medicaid doles out $415 billion a year; Medicare (a federal scheme for the elderly), nearly $600 billion. Total health spending in America is a massive $2.7 trillion, or 17% of GDP. No one knows for sure how much of that is embezzled, but in 2012 Donald Berwick, a former head of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Andrew Hackbarth of the RAND Corporation, estimated that fraud (and the extra rules and inspections required to fight it) added as much as $98 billion, or roughly 10%, to annual Medicare and Medicaid spending—and up to $272 billion across the entire health system.

I'll save you the math: $98B out of $1,015B Medicare dollars is 9.6%, while $272B out of $2,700B of all American health care dollars is 10.1%.

Also from that flaming-liberal rag:

A bigger worry is that, as ever more Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries move to “managed care” (privately administered) plans, government sleuths will have access to less data. This could lead to lower fraud-related recoveries.
...
Efforts have been made to improve information-sharing between government and private insurers, including the creation of a public-private forum, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA). But some insurers are reluctant to take part, fearing that being too open with their data would invite lawsuits over privacy. Fraudsters bank on public and private payers not working together to connect the dots, said Louis Saccoccio, the head of the NHCAA, at a recent hearing.

 

[From-the-stands]

i guess John Kerry was a loser and war hero also because he got shot, by trumps standards winners don't get shot only losers do.

It's not the first time a war hero has been dishonored, slandered, swift boated - whatever you want to call it.

 

[Wall2Boogie]

I find it commercial all the vets that had been interviewed on news outlets are saying they will never vote for trump,

Here's my question with trump, and it's not just him it's all canidates. What is his "plan" to turn America around? He has opinions on everything else, besides his disdain for illegals what the hell is is his plan? It sure as hell won't be paying off the national debt which he will pass that buck to the lower class. It's funy he boasts about what he's worth yet he could give two shits about hunger and humanity, unless it's a tax write off.

Another douchebag throwing his hat into the ring of republican fire is John kasich. Wow another bad canidates from Ohio. He has the appeal of a pet rock. I thought banher was bad but kasich will give him a run for his money. Let's hope bahner takes a vacation to a North Carolina beach to brush up on his tan and plead and cry to the Sharks so nobody else is attacked.

 

[vhcat70]

I find it commercial all the vets that had been interviewed on news outlets are saying they will never vote for trump,

Here's my question with trump, and it's not just him it's all canidates. What is his "plan" to turn America around? He has opinions on everything else, besides his disdain for illegals what the hell is is his plan? It sure as hell won't be paying off the national debt which he will pass that buck to the lower class. It's funy he boasts about what he's worth yet he could give two shits about hunger and humanity, unless it's a tax write off.

Another douchebag throwing his hat into the ring of republican fire is John kasich. Wow another bad canidates from Ohio. He has the appeal of a pet rock. I thought banher was bad but kasich will give him a run for his money. Let's hope bahner takes a vacation to a North Carolina beach to brush up on his tan and plead and cry to the Sharks so nobody else is attacked.

Is there a Pub Prez candidate that isn't a douchebag in your esteemed opinion?

 

[Catfan in Tn.]

Wall2Boogie, what candidate has said to this point what their plans are if elected? Don't think there is any politician of either party that I dislike more than McCain. He and the Democrats both have something in common...they both hate Conservative Republicans and he is a backstabbing sob.

 

[Mojocat]

It's not the first time a war hero has been dishonored, slandered, swift boated - whatever you want to call it.

McCain was a prisoner of war for over 5 years, and suffered such torture that he has lifelong disabilities from it. He was offered early release by his captors because of his father's rank - but rejected it out of deference to his fellow POWs. Kerry was never a POW, but he was awarded several medals, nearly all of which are the subject of some controversy. Kerry refused to release supporting documentation to the Washington Post, probably because of its well known preference for conservative candidates and causes.

As to the accusers, Trump never served. The accusers of Kerry, on the other hand, were all veterans and even POWs of the Vietnam War, and included some that served on Kerry's own boat.

So, I suppose there is some analogy to be found there, but they are different in degrees of magnitude. I know as a card carrying liberal democrat you found the whole swiftboating thing to be a sordid, scandalous affair. I did not. There had always been rumors about Kerry's service. When he ran for President, and chose to make his military record a centerpiece, that several ex military guys might want to make those controversies public was no surprise.

In short, you need to have some standing in order to make accusations against, or belittle, a veteran. Trump doesn't meet that standard, and the Swiftboat guys did.....

 

[jamo0001]

McCain was a prisoner of war for over 5 years, and suffered such torture that he has lifelong disabilities from it. He was offered early release by his captors because of his father's rank - but rejected it out of deference to his fellow POWs. Kerry was never a POW, but he was awarded several medals, nearly all of which are the subject of some controversy. Kerry refused to release supporting documentation to the Washington Post, probably because of its well known preference for conservative candidates and causes.

As to the accusers, Trump never served. The accusers of Kerry, on the other hand, were all veterans and even POWs of the Vietnam War, and included some that served on Kerry's own boat.

So, I suppose there is some analogy to be found there, but they are different in degrees of magnitude. I know as a card carrying liberal democrat you found the whole swiftboating thing to be a sordid, scandalous affair. I did not. There had always been rumors about Kerry's service. When he ran for President, and chose to make his military record a centerpiece, that several ex military guys might want to make those controversies public was no surprise.

In short, you need to have some standing in order to make accusations against, or belittle, a veteran. Trump doesn't meet that standard, and the Swiftboat guys did.....

I think you need to go back and read about the Swiftboat controversy now that the dust has settled and the Pentagon has done its investigations. It was purely political and not based in fact.

 

[Deeeefense]

McCain was a prisoner of war for over 5 years, and suffered such torture that he has lifelong disabilities from it. He was offered early release by his captors because of his father's rank - but rejected it out of deference to his fellow POWs. Kerry was never a POW, but he was awarded several medals, nearly all of which are the subject of some controversy. Kerry refused to release supporting documentation to the Washington Post, probably because of its well known preference for conservative candidates and causes.

As to the accusers, Trump never served. The accusers of Kerry, on the other hand, were all veterans and even POWs of the Vietnam War, and included some that served on Kerry's own boat.

So, I suppose there is some analogy to be found there, but they are different in degrees of magnitude. I know as a card carrying liberal democrat you found the whole swiftboating thing to be a sordid, scandalous affair. I did not. There had always been rumors about Kerry's service. When he ran for President, and chose to make his military record a centerpiece, that several ex military guys might want to make those controversies public was no surprise.

In short, you need to have some standing in order to make accusations against, or belittle, a veteran. Trump doesn't meet that standard, and the Swiftboat guys did.....

The Swiftboat campaign was a disgusting political attempt to discredit a man that served honorable, risked his life in combat and received two bronze stars and a silver star. He was completed exonerated of the slanderous political ads by a 9 year thorough investigation conducted by the Swift Boat Veterans for truth.

It would be interesting to know the names of those that are attacking Trump, that earlier support this type of gutter politics.

Interestingly McCain stoop up for Kerry during the campaign by denouncing those ads, even though he was obviously on the other side of the election.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Absolutely. What a damn pandering disgrace.

Hilariously pathetic.

"OMGZ YOU SAID ALL LIVES MATTER!!!!111"

"OH YOURE RIGHT. SORRY. PLEASE ACCEPT MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES AND DONT EJECT ME FROM THE 'PARTY OF INCLUSION'."

 

[bigblueinsanity]

I think its terrible whenever one candidate calls into question another's military service. Trump seems to be weathering this storm.

As abrasive as he is, I think alot of Americans are ready for someone who isnt a career politician, who will unashamedly do what it takes to make America great, secure the borders, deport illegal aliens, reverse this fiscal disaster.

People are apparently willing to swallow alot if they think you stand for those concepts.

 

[From-the-stands]

"As someone who truly understands the risk of standing up for something, I simply cannot express in words how much I value their willingness to stand up against John Kerry."

That quote is from then Florida Governor Jeb Bush, thanking Swift Boater members for their smear campaign. By "the risk of standing up" Jeb must have been referring to his executive order to have Terrie Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted.

 

[Mojocat]

I think you need to go back and read about the Swiftboat controversy now that the dust has settled and the Pentagon has done its investigations. It was purely political and not based in fact.

Will take your word for that. Some clarifications:

1. I don't approve of the idea, generally, of a war veteran, or any veteran for that matter, being attacked regarding his service. Democrat or Republican.
2. The main point I wanted to make is that McCain's record is unassailable - or at least un assailed, relative to Kerry, and that Kerry's accusers at least had a cognizable claim to credibility - they served. Not so with Trump.

 

[vhcat70]

Trump seems to be weathering this storm.

Based on what? I have seen a poll that includes dates since his McCain comments. Thanks.

 

[ukalumni00]

What Trump said about McCain was stupid. He is not going to win the nomination but will bring up some very important topics that politicians love to hide from. I just want to see these politicians get put on the hotseat by someone. Trump will do that. My only fear is that he completely highjacks the election and destroys any credibility left with the remaining GOP candidates.

Hoping Carson can bring some real value to these debates and have solid ideas. Very smart and accomplished man, but not sure what he offers as a whole. He has been somewhat hidden lately with all the Trump buzz. Cruz is a smart guy by trying to stay on Trump's good side. Could come in and take his voters if he lasts long enough.

 

[jamo0001]

Will take your word for that. Some clarifications:

1. I don't approve of the idea, generally, of a war veteran, or any veteran for that matter, being attacked regarding his service. Democrat or Republican.
2. The main point I wanted to make is that McCain's record is unassailable - or at least un assailed, relative to Kerry, and that Kerry's accusers at least had a cognizable claim to credibility - they served. Not so with Trump.

Good post except for that last part: they *dont* have credibility. The only guy from that group who was on the boat with Kerry gave an account that (1) contradicted what the rest of the boat crew said, and (2) got a medal based on the same story Kerry got his based on. Again, the Pentagon investigated this.

It was a political hack job. Nothing more or less.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Based on what? I have seen a poll that includes dates since his McCain comments. Thanks.

Just an overall impression from social media, national, regional, and local. Hardly a scientific analysis. Just an opinion.

 

[qwesley]

Good lord

Bloomberg Politics ‏@bpolitics 44m44 minutes ago
.@ScottWalker says military action against Iran could begin on his inauguration day http://bloom.bg/1CLDIIZ

As for Kerry, he made a lot of military enemies with his comments after coming home from Vietnam.

 

[fuzz77]

What Trump said about McCain was stupid. He is not going to win the nomination but will bring up some very important topics that politicians love to hide from. I just want to see these politicians get put on the hotseat by someone. Trump will do that. My only fear is that he completely highjacks the election and destroys any credibility left with the remaining GOP candidates.

Hoping Carson can bring some real value to these debates and have solid ideas. Very smart and accomplished man, but not sure what he offers as a whole. He has been somewhat hidden lately with all the Trump buzz. Cruz is a smart guy by trying to stay on Trump's good side. Could come in and take his voters if he lasts long enough.

Tell us what topic Trump has addressed that has put any other politician on a hot seat?
When you act and talk like a buffoon people laugh at you and then ignore you. It isn't that Trump doesn't say things that might have some small degree of merit but the method is as important as the message.
Tell us any policy specifics Trump has championed? His responses have all been..."Going to get the smartest people working on..."...Guess what? Regardless if you agree or disagree with most political appointees...they are generally "smart people". If the problems of our country only needed "smart people" then those problems would have been resolved along ago.

There is a segment of the population that falls for Trump's shtick. Those are the people who currently support Trump. Having the "lead" is a 17 person field is not a sign of power. As the field is trimmed, Trump isn't going to pick up any (very, very little) of the support from those candidates. It will be much like David Duke's campaign in 1991. Duke did well in a crowded field. People who liked him because he "wasn't afraid to say..." were the people voting for him in the first place. Once the field was trimmed to 2 he was trounced in the infamous "Lizard vs Wizard" election.

Trump's potential ceiling is about 20%.

 

[qwesley]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKYzzxNVAAAoNU2.png

Trump numbers dropped considerably on Sunday

 

[fuzz77]

It doesn't appear to be any easier to defraud Medicare than it is to defraud private insurance. From The Economist:

Health care is a tempting target for thieves. Medicaid doles out $415 billion a year; Medicare (a federal scheme for the elderly), nearly $600 billion. Total health spending in America is a massive $2.7 trillion, or 17% of GDP. No one knows for sure how much of that is embezzled, but in 2012 Donald Berwick, a former head of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Andrew Hackbarth of the RAND Corporation, estimated that fraud (and the extra rules and inspections required to fight it) added as much as $98 billion, or roughly 10%, to annual Medicare and Medicaid spending—and up to $272 billion across the entire health system.

I'll save you the math: $98B out of $1,015B Medicare dollars is 9.6%, while $272B out of $2,700B of all American health care dollars is 10.1%.

Also from that flaming-liberal rag:

A bigger worry is that, as ever more Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries move to “managed care” (privately administered) plans, government sleuths will have access to less data. This could lead to lower fraud-related recoveries.
...
Efforts have been made to improve information-sharing between government and private insurers, including the creation of a public-private forum, the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA). But some insurers are reluctant to take part, fearing that being too open with their data would invite lawsuits over privacy. Fraudsters bank on public and private payers not working together to connect the dots, said Louis Saccoccio, the head of the NHCAA, at a recent hearing.

I keep waiting for qwesley to address this one...

 

[From-the-stands]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKYzzxNVAAAoNU2.png

Trump numbers dropped considerably on Sunday

So he peaked at 28% before the meltdown.