Donald Trump 2019

[yaqdum 182]

2 hours ago, Texas Jeff said:

You would probably first have to explain that there *is* a Big Bend ...  start with the basics.

trump knows there's a big bend.  he has white hair and doesn't say much.

[Brisketexan 104550]

Exactly this.  We all know people with kids like this.
The power of "no" is underrated.  If you compromise with someone or something that's unreasonable, then you're halfway unreasonable.

Again, something a good negotiator tells his clients: once you realize the power of an appropriate “no,” your negotiations will go so much better. It stuns people used to getting their way, because their opponents either 1) are easily intimidated, or 2) are such pleasers that they hate to disappoint by saying no. When they hit the clean “no,” it competent shifts the dynamic. And it often totally upends their preferred tactics (intimidation, threats, hostage-taking (metaphorical), etc.).
Trump isn’t used to being told no. He better start getting used to it. A lot.

[RomaVicta 29773]

1 hour ago, GRHorn said:

I ask because I’d like to know where people on the Left see as actual starting point.

Have all the people on the Left had their meeting yet to assemble the answer to your question?

[F250 28679]

2 hours ago, horncyclist said:

A lot of the impact of this is not going to be apparent immediately or possibly not ever discernible, but there's no doubt an impact. I'm a federal antitrust attorney. We had to suspend the investigations we working on. We'll eventually continue, but the month of lost work means a one month delay in those investigations and that resources will be lost down the road that could go to investigating other conduct. Other than targets and third-parties connected to these investigations, no one is going to notice but that doesn't mean there's not an impact. I would guess most of the effects of the shutdown fall in this category of longer-term projects. 

In case I'm doxxed, I'm speaking in my personal capacity and these views are my own. Not that I could represent my agency anyway, as I am not legally permitted to work. 

I had a call with some 3 letter federal agencies this morning. 

Without going into details they were told "their shit is all fucked up and in dire need of being fixed on their end." Their reply was nothing can be done until the shutdown ends. The conversation went back and forth with the government side just saying their hands were tied until the shutdown ends.

Everyone was aware of the absurdity but nobody mentioned it.

[David Dennison 18647]

46 minutes ago, jdhorn92 said:

Donald is Debbie downer.

Don't do what Donnie Don't does.

[Underdog 28444]

1 hour ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

Can we have an honest discussion about my bigger river idea yet? 

River of Dreams?

[Chooky 13299]

Trump:  Get me Tidley.

Staff:  Who?

Trump:  Hogan Tidley.

Staff:  It's Gidley, sir.  Hogan Gidley.

Trump:  Then who's Tidley?

Staff:  That person doesn't exist.

Trump:  Did Tidley quit?  Release a statement that Tidley didn't quit.  We need to get in front of this and announce that we fired him.

Staff:  It's not Tidley.  It's Gidley.  You're mistaking Hogan Gidley for Tidley.

Trump:  I see.  Well then call Hulk Hogan and find out what the Hell happened to Tidley.

Staff:  Yes sir.

[Aqua Buddha 14501]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Again, something a good negotiator tells his clients: once you realize the power of an appropriate “no,” your negotiations will go so much better. It stuns people used to getting their way, because their opponents either 1) are easily intimidated, or 2) are such pleasers that they hate to disappoint by saying no. When they hit the clean “no,” it competent shifts the dynamic. And it often totally upends their preferred tactics (intimidation, threats, hostage-taking (metaphorical), etc.).
Trump isn’t used to being told no. He better start getting used to it. A lot.

Exactly all of this.  You have to be confident in your position to say no, though.  If you understand the leverage that you have, it's easy.  

Trump hasn't been told no by anyone except the banks after all of his shitty bankruptcies.  It's also why he surrounds himself with unimpressive sycophants and marries models on their way down.  They all need him and don't have the power to say no. 

[BrickHorn 18186]

5 minutes ago, Chooky said:

Trump:  Get me Tidley.

Staff:  Who?

Trump:  Hogan Tidley.

Staff:  It's Gidley, sir.  Hogan Gidley.

Trump:  Then who's Tidley?

Staff:  That person doesn't exist.

Trump:  Did Tidley quit?  Release a statement that Tidley didn't quit.  We need to get in front of this and announce that we fired him.

Staff:  It's not Tidley.  It's Gidley.  You're mistaking Hogan Gidley for Tidley.

Trump:  I see.  Well then call Hulk Hogan and find out what the Hell happened to Tidley.

Staff:  Yes sir.

Trump: And make sure he wears his uniform.

Staff: What uniform is that sir?

Trump: His army uniform. 

Staff: Army?  Sir, Hulk Hogan’s not in the army.  Never was, as far as I know.

Trump: Wrong.  He’s a colonel.  Colonel Hogan.  I’ve seen him on TV.  He’s a hero.  He commands a whole team of heroes, in fact.  Do I have to explain everything?

Staff: You’re thinking of Bob Crane, sir.  He’s an actor.  And a pervert.  Rumor has it there are tapes of him... Never mind.  We’ll make sure Hulk Hogan appears in his full dress uniform, sir.

 

[elfenix 34170]

5 hours ago, Js1 said:

Also, why does Spanky travel with cans of soup in his carry-on?

Where the fuck are you heating those up, brother?

i had rotel in my carry on once.  i wasn't sure ohio had anything spicy and thought i might want queso for football watching, so i checked a bag with a couple cans of rotel in it.  ended up not using it and decided to carry on rather than check once i got to the airport.  forgot the rotel was in there. i only hope TSA took it home and made some queso with it.

/csb.

[horncyclist 1384]

20 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Exactly all of this.  You have to be confident in your position to say no, though.  If you understand the leverage that you have, it's easy.  

Trump hasn't been told no by anyone except the banks after all of his shitty bankruptcies.  It's also why he surrounds himself with unimpressive sycophants and marries models on their way down.  They all need him and don't have the power to say no. 

And Vladimir probably tells him no when he gets bored with Donald sucking him off.

[Chooky 13299]

10 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

Trump: And make sure he wears his uniform.

Staff: What uniform is that sir?

Trump: His army uniform. 

Staff: Army?  Sir, Hulk Hogan’s not in the army.  Never was, as far as I know.

Trump: Wrong.  He’s a colonel.  Colonel Hogan.  I’ve seen him on TV.  He’s a hero.  He commands a whole team of heroes, in fact.  Do I have to explain everything?

Staff: You’re thinking of Bob Crane, sir.  He’s an actor.  And a pervert.  Rumor has it there are tapes of him... Never mind.  We’ll make sure Hulk Hogan appears in his full dress uniform, sir.

 

Trump:  This Bob Crane sounds impressive.  Put him in charge of vagina stuff.  Women's health or Title IX or something like that to piss everyone off.

Staff:  You already hired Ravishing Rick Rude for those positions that don't exist.

Trump:  Then call Tidley back and tell him I want this shit to be better organized.  And get me a copy of those Bob Crane tapes.

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

46 minutes ago, Chooky said:

 

Uh oh.

[Player 4575]

1 hour ago, High Plains Drifter said:

I have a friend, great guy, smart. I will not go to a restaurant with his family because his kids act like little fucking shitheads. My kids stay in their seat, do not whine about not getting to drink Coke, do not trash the place.

Why? Because years ago, one of them pulled some shit, wouldn't stop whining about not getting to drink coke instead of milk and then turning up the whining to screaming when I said no, I made us all get up and leave, left the barely eaten food on the table. They have never acted out in a restaurant again. If I had given them the coke just to shut them up so I could enjoy the meal in peace, they would be drinking coke every time we go to a restaurant.

You do not negotiate with terrorists, or misbehaving children. You do not meet them halfway. You do not make a deal. You do not make a counter offer. You do not give them the coke, or 5.7 billion for a stupid fucking wall that should have been laughed out of court the first time it was mentioned, just because its easier.

[ChiTownDoc 21098]

1 hour ago, Hank Kingsley said:

GRHorn not understanding what actually constitutes good faith is just so fucking modern day Republican.

Not understanding is only the half of it...admitting he doesn’t understand really completes it.  

[BrickHorn 18186]

14 minutes ago, Chooky said:

Trump:  This Bob Crane sounds impressive.  Put him in charge of vagina stuff.  Women's health or Title IX or something like that to piss everyone off.

Staff:  You already hired Ravishing Rick Rude for those positions that don't exist.

Trump:  Then call Tidley back and tell him I want this shit to be better organized.  And get me a copy of those Bob Crane tapes.

+rep for Ravishing Rick Rude.  We also would have accepted “Brutus Beefcake,” “Adrian Adonis,” or “The Fabulous Moolah.”

[Chooky 13299]

Trump has put himself into the position of telling everyone not to trust his personal lawyer that he employed for 12 years because he's a known liar who lied to Congress on Trump's behalf.  That's 5 dimensional Hungry Hippos.

[Kyrie Eleison 9312]

32 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

Trump: And make sure he wears his uniform.

Staff: What uniform is that sir?

Trump: His army uniform. 

Staff: Army?  Sir, Hulk Hogan’s not in the army.  Never was, as far as I know.

Trump: Wrong.  He’s a colonel.  Colonel Hogan.  I’ve seen him on TV.  He’s a hero.  He commands a whole team of heroes, in fact.  Do I have to explain everything?

Staff: You’re thinking of Bob Crane, sir.  He’s an actor.  And a pervert.  Rumor has it there are tapes of him... Never mind.  We’ll make sure Hulk Hogan appears in his full dress uniform, sir.

 

 

[BrickHorn 18186]

You read my mind, KE.  

[Hornius Emeritus 12413]

22 minutes ago, Jiggy-Z said:

Uh oh.

 

You saying Kushner went against the family?

[Jiggy-Z 3432]

5 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said:

 

You saying Kushner went against the family?

Hey, I say a lotta t'ings.

[Biff Tannen 45491]

Tidley Wink?

[Hugo Stiglitz 23356]

Watch Kushner be the CI mole that brings everything down. 

[Bama Chick 28596]

lol Y’all are in rare form today.

[Chooky 13299]

Trump with a pen right now:  "Fancy.  Dancy?  Antsy!  Pants.  John Clancy?  Bela Pelosi or Nancy Lugosi.  Pakistani Nancy!  Stupid bitch.  ChimpNancy?  Pelosi More like Pe-lose-ee.  Granny Pelosi.  Old Nancy!  Prolapse-y.  Banshee Pelosi!  Handsy.  Bill Dance-y"   

['stache 21753]

7 minutes ago, Chooky said:

Trump with a pen right now:  "Fancy.  Dancy?  Antsy!  Pants.  John Clancy?  Bela Pelosi or Nancy Lugosi.  Pakistani Nancy!  Stupid bitch.  ChimpNancy?  Pelosi More like Pe-lose-ee.  Granny Pelosi.  Old Nancy!  Prolapse-y.  Banshee Pelosi!  Handsy.  Bill Dance-y"   

I guarantee you that 95%+ of those who blame the democrats actually vote in elections and will vote again for Trump, while only 50% of those who blame Trump will actually ever vote against him. And I bet a good portion of those who blame Trump are actually trumpkins who are proud of their cheeto god for shutting down the government to own "that bitch Nancy." This poll means jack shit.

[UpperWestside 6133]

5 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Well, it also demonstrates a complete misunderstanding of an economic system built on the flow of money.

Let's take the ABSURD cost of a massive deportation effort out of the equation.  Let's just imagine, as a fantasy, that the Lord God Jehovah issued a command booming from the heavens, and POOF, every undocumented person in America was teleported back to their country of origin.  Let's look at the cascade of economic effects there.

Farms?  They're fucked.  I hope you like your strawberries and lettuce in rotten piles on the dirt, because that's where they'll be.  Alternatively, quadruple the price.

Construction?  Totally fucked in much of the country.  I mean, as a litigator, I'd love it -- the blown deadlines and liquidated damages litigation would keep me going for YEARS.

Restaurants?  They're fucked too.  Some will close (some have already closed in Austin because they can't find adequate staff at wages that make the business work).  At the rest, prices will go up.

Landscaping and janitorial services?  Same story.

How many landlords would go broke after losing many of their tenants?

How many stores (think La Michoacana on N. Lamar, and 100 other stores like it in Austin alone) will shut down because of a loss of customers?

How many local restaurants would take a similar hit?

And of course, we're also not including any of the calculations netting out their contribution to the tax base -- remember, when that illegal buys a new pair of boots, those are taxes going into our coffers.  When the apartment complex he was in depreciates because it can't fill its beds, that's value off of our tax base.  When he isn't working on that construction project, even under a fake SSN, those are SS dollars that aren't going into the coffers.

Immigration is one of those issues that, because of a minor itch, we seem intent on shooting ourselves in the dick economically with a .357.  It's just so fucking stupid.

 

Great post and I agree with all of that.

Anyone arguing to send the evil brown people back to where they are from had better get used to paying 2 or 3 times what they currently pay at restaurants. Take a look in kitchens in pretty much any restaurant that serves any kind of food almost anywhere across our country. Think it's a bunch of Italian chefs and cooks back there making that 40 dollar bowl of pasta?

I worked for a guy on Long Island once and he's pretty well off because he owns Gino's Italian Ice due to his dad. He has four other restaurants and the one I was at the entire kitchen was from El Salvador. Cooked their ass off and made some great Italian food. But yeah let's get all of these men and women home and get those disenfranchised whites back into the kitchens making the minimum. I am sure that would end well.

[Brisketexan 104550]

4 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

Great post and I agree with all of that.

Anyone arguing to send the evil brown people back to where they are from had better get used to paying 2 or 3 times what they currently pay at restaurants. Take a look in kitchens in pretty much any restaurant that serves any kind of food almost anywhere across our country. Think it's a bunch of Italian chefs and cooks back there making that 40 dollar bowl of pasta?

I worked for a guy on Long Island once and he's pretty well off because he owns Gino's Italian Ice due to his dad. He has four other restaurants and the one I was at the entire kitchen was from El Salvador. Cooked their ass off and made some great Italian food. But yeah let's get all of these men and women home and get those disenfranchised whites back into the kitchens making the minimum. I am sure that would end well.

That's long been one of my running jokes.  I worked in restaurants through college.  I've told people a jillion times "I don't care where you're eating, you're eating Mexican food.*"

* Except if you ate at the Birraporetti's in River Oaks.  I worked there in 1989, and at that Italian Restaurant/Irish Bar, the entire kitchen staff was all....Vietnamese.  And they were all related.  One Vietnamese guy worked his way up to head of kitchen staff.  And every time there was an opening, he filled it with some extended family member.  At rush times, you heard rapid-fire Vietnamese chatter interspersed with "alfredo" and such as they worked like a machine.  It was awesome.

I also hooked up with our cute cashier that summer.  That was a fun job.

Quote

But yeah let's get all of these men and women home and get those disenfranchised whites back into the kitchens making the minimum. I am sure that would end well.

Jesus....we'd all end up eating stuff that belongs on the Vic Mackey food thread.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Brisketexan

[Biff Tannen 45491]

6 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Jesus....we'd all end up eating stuff that belongs on the Vic Mackey food thread.

This alone is a great argument against wall.

[Francisco 2.0 32317]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-disney-robot-obsession-and-the-moochs-dick-joke-scenes-from-a-wh-insider?ref=home

 

Quote

Shortly after Donald Trump’s election, a Disney crew was dispatched to the White House to record the new president’s voice, which would be played through an animatron at Disney World’s Hall of Presidents. It was a typical right of passage for a new president. But Trump was thrilled by the idea. He also had an odd request.

Trump wanted his robotic likeness to tell Disney-goers that Americans had invented the skyscraper and to remind them of his own career in real estate.

 

Quote

“Then I could add a little, ‘Which, of course, I know a thing or two about,’ right?” Trump suggested his robot say, according to an account of his remarks in a new book, Team of Vipers, by former senior White House aide Cliff Sims.

 

Spoiler

Disney brass objected to the request, saying that Americans hadn’t actually invented the concept of a skyscraper—it’s “just a taller building,” one protested—and Sims agreed to strike the line from the pre-recorded Disney speech. But the anecdote illustrated one of the major themes that has defined the Trump era: The president, and many of his top aides, have had immense difficulty grasping the enormous duties of their office.  

“This,” Sims wrote of the Disney encounter, “was a presidential duty that filled the President with unusual boyish excitement.”

Sims’ book, which the Daily Beast obtained in advance of its release next week, portrays a group of amateurs and self-promoters, handed the keys to the federal government with little idea of how it functions and less interest in finding out. Most of the staffers, advisers, and hangers-on with which the president surrounded himself appear motivated by petty grievances, triviality, and self-aggrandizement.

And that tone was set at the top.

Trump, Sims intimates, was as obsessed with his particular style of opulent presentation as he was with his actual legislative accomplishments

When Congress approved the Republican tax bill in late 2017, the president was elated at a New York Times front page story on the achievement. “We need to get this framed. Put it in a nice gold one,” he instructed staff. “In fact, any good articles you see—on anything, not just the taxes, on anything—go ahead and get them framed and we’ll put them here and there. People like that.”

Trump’s natural inclination towards public messaging as an end in itself colored his policy proposals on some of the most serious issues facing the country. To combat the opioid epidemic, for instance, Trump’s go-to solution was a violent, graphic ad campaign to scare kids away from drugs.

“We need people dying in a ditch. I want bodies stacked on top of bodies,” he instructed Sims. “Do it like they did with cigarettes. They had body bags piled all over the streets and ugly people with giant holes in their faces and necks.”

That over the top communications style was echoed by many of the people who went to work for Trump, and none more so than Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House comms director whose tenure lasted a tumultuous ten days (or eleven, depending who you ask).

In Sims’ book, “The Mooch” is portrayed as part court jester, part tabloid celeb, and, ultimately, part tragicomedy. Scaramucci, Sims writes, was a minor celebrity even among the White House press corps, generally accustomed to being surrounded by famous and powerful people. And Scaramucci indulged their fascination, resulting, on one occasion, in a memorable exchange about the size of his dick.

Scaramucci had just finished up an interview on the White House’s north lawn, Sims recalls, when he “was approached by several cameramen from one of the networks, each of whom wanted to take a photo with him.” As he snapped selfies, Scaramucci “put both hands on his belt buckle, leaned in close to the cameramen—each of whom happened to be African American—and said, ‘Can I tell you guys something? We’ve already hit it off, and I think I know one of the reasons why.’ Mooch paused for a few moments to build the anticipation. ‘It’s ’cause I’m black from the waist down.’”

The cameramen, according to Sims’s account, laughed “hysterically,” with one playfully exclaiming, “He’s crazy!” as Scaramucci waltzed away beaming.

Asked on Thursday if he’d like to comment about the moment, Scaramucci texted The Daily Beast: “Nah thanks though.”

A year ago, when The Daily Beast had first heard that Scaramucci had a habit of cracking this particularly joke, he had feigned ignorance, suggesting the joke “sounds racist.” When asked if that was a denial, he would only say, “I have no further comments. Ask your editor if he thinks that is a good idea to write that.” (The Daily Beast ultimately didn’t run the story on grounds that the former White House comms director’s endowment didn’t have an obvious news hook.)

Sims felt no such hesitation. Team of Vipers is packed with similarly outlandish moments with Trump during and after the 2016 presidential race—including details that are bound to make some of his former administration compatriots uncomfortable.

During his time in the White House, Sims—a former Christian-rock touring musician turned journalist turned Trump administration official—found himself at the center of all the drama, backstabbing, and antics familiar to any dweller of Trumpworld. A 2016 campaign veteran, he had enjoyed special access to the president Trump, who affectionately called him “my Cliff,” according to a source familiar with the relationship.

And with that access came stories to tell. On Wednesday night, Vanity Fair published an excerpt of Sims’s “tell-all,” in which the author offered a firsthand account of watching the president’s counselor Kellyanne Conway leaking against fellow senior officials such as Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus—and even Donald Trump himself. (White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Conway did not immediately respond to The Daily Beast’s request for comment on Thursday afternoon.)

When it first became clear that Sims was writing his book, President Trump took notice, fearing that the memoir could make him look bad. As The Daily Beast reported, Trump began quizzing close associates in November if “we lost Cliff?” according to two people with knowledge of these conversations.

As excerpts of the book have trickled into public view over the past week, Trump allies have sought to discredit Sims’ account by describing him as a mid-level staffer with little internal influence or access to the president. The White House still has not addressed the book on the record. But on Thursday, shortly after the Daily Beast put in a comment request, a “source familiar” did call to discuss the matter—and dub Sims an untrustworthy leaker.

In his book, Sims does not paint the president in a strictly positive or negative light. Instead, it serves to further illuminate and underscore—from first-person experience—aspects about the Trump presidency that have been breathlessly reported on by the political press. Chief among those aspects are the president’s obsessions with the media.

In Team of Vipers, Sims recounts Trump lavishing praise upon Fox Business host Lou Dobbs—at the mild expense of Sean Hannity, another Fox host and top Trump confidant.

“Lou, I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I really think you might be the best,” the president told “Lou,” according to Vipers. “I’m serious. Honest to God, Lou, I think you’re the best who’s ever done it. You’ve got a certain way that you do things. Now you know Hannity—Sean is wonderful, so good. But I honestly think you may be better. And you know why? It’s not just information, Lou. It’s great information but it’s more than that; it’s entertainment.”

As The Daily Beast previously reported, the president’s affection for Dobbs is so complete that he has even patched the TV anchor in on speakerphone during high-level Oval Office meetings. Trump has also repeatedly mocked Hannity’s interviewing style, decrying it as lazy, boring, “dumb,” and too suck-up-y, three people with direct knowledge told The Daily Beast in November.

“It’s like he’s not even trying,” Trump said, one source recalled, just before the president launched into a rough Hannity impersonation, and complaining that the host’s questions about how “great I am” give him nothing to work with.

 

[Mo Horn 8807]

Heard an interview on NPR with the sheriff of Nogales, Arizona. He's been there over 50 years. This may come as a shock to no one but he says there is no crisis at the border and that a wall will make absolutely no difference. Who would have thought.

[DigglerontheHoof 21051]

21 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

Great post and I agree with all of that.

Anyone arguing to send the evil brown people back to where they are from had better get used to paying 2 or 3 times what they currently pay at restaurants. Take a look in kitchens in pretty much any restaurant that serves any kind of food almost anywhere across our country. Think it's a bunch of Italian chefs and cooks back there making that 40 dollar bowl of pasta?

I worked for a guy on Long Island once and he's pretty well off because he owns Gino's Italian Ice due to his dad. He has four other restaurants and the one I was at the entire kitchen was from El Salvador. Cooked their ass off and made some great Italian food. But yeah let's get all of these men and women home and get those disenfranchised whites back into the kitchens making the minimum. I am sure that would end well.

Don't forget construction.  I lived in Victory Park for a while and they started construction of a big mix-use complex next door.  I'd estimate that 90% of the crews I saw on sight were Hispanic or Central American.  You want to see rents and house prices rise?  Deport the browns. 

(Obviously, I have no idea how many were legal or not but I figure there's at least some solid percentage that aren't.)

Edited January 24, 2019 by DigglerontheHoof

[Lagunamadre 1975]

17 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

That's long been one of my running jokes.  I worked in restaurants through college.  I've told people a jillion times "I don't care where you're eating, you're eating Mexican food.*"

I also hooked up with our cute cashier that summer.  That was a fun job.

Jesus....we'd all end up eating stuff that belongs on the Vic Mackey food thread.

FAKE NEWS!!!

[Chuckie Finster 22598]

Does the GOP have an endgame here?  They can peacock on Twitter all they want, but it is obvious that they are taking the blame in the court of public opinion.  Just seems crazy that every single one of them is willing to take the political hit.

[longhorndude 146]

Flying out to Vegas for a guys trip in a week and a half. I’m gonna be really pissed if my plane crashes because of this stupid wall shutdown.

[DigglerontheHoof 21051]

What crashes in Vegas...

[Chooky 13299]

8 minutes ago, longhorndude said:

Flying out to Vegas for a guys trip in a week and a half. I’m gonna be really pissed if my plane crashes because of this stupid wall shutdown.

You should've been in pre-check two hours ago.

[Loco 3752]

10 minutes ago, longhorndude said:

Flying out to Vegas for a guys trip in a week and a half. I’m gonna be really pissed if my plane crashes because of this stupid wall shutdown.

might be cheaper

[Hugo Stiglitz 23356]

19 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

It’s ’cause I’m black from the waist down.’”

In front of Caucasian audiences it’s, “I’m white from the wallet up.”

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20342]

30 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

Great post and I agree with all of that.

Anyone arguing to send the evil brown people back to where they are from had better get used to paying 2 or 3 times what they currently pay at restaurants. Take a look in kitchens in pretty much any restaurant that serves any kind of food almost anywhere across our country. Think it's a bunch of Italian chefs and cooks back there making that 40 dollar bowl of pasta?

I worked for a guy on Long Island once and he's pretty well off because he owns Gino's Italian Ice due to his dad. He has four other restaurants and the one I was at the entire kitchen was from El Salvador. Cooked their ass off and made some great Italian food. But yeah let's get all of these men and women home and get those disenfranchised whites back into the kitchens making the minimum. I am sure that would end well.

 

 

It's not just this.  It's that, by doing the labor that they do, they free the rest of us up to to the monetarily valuable stuff that we do that generates huge sums that feed the treasury and, hence, the U.S. budget.  What I mean is that, as a consulting hydrologist, when I'm on site I'm charging anywhere from 100-150 dollars an hour.  That generates a lot of income that, taxed, pours into government coffers. If I had to dig trenches at 15 bucks an hour,  the income tax that I pay in would be a lot, lot less.   By working construction at 13 bucks an hour, Pedro frees up you, as an attorney or an engineer, to do the skilled high-dollar work that continues to feed the beast. This is what most cost/benefit analysis of whether illegal workers are a net benefit to the economy fails to consider. 

Trumpkins don't get this. Of course, most of them are rubes. 

[Hugo Stiglitz 23356]

15 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Does the GOP have an endgame here?  They can peacock on Twitter all they want, but it is obvious that they are taking the blame in the court of public opinion.  Just seems crazy that every single one of them is willing to take the political hit.

Eventually, they will have to make a blood sacrifice to the political gods.

 

We’re not there yet but the ball is rolling.

It’s the oldest Machiavellian trick in the book.

Tax the population to the point of starvation. When they come for your head, publicly hang your second in command for making the people suffer and say he was behind it the entire time.

The people rejoice.

I wonder who they will throw over the bus...

[HenryJames 65886]

 

[Brisketexan 104550]

2 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

 

[atomheartbevo 89405]

1 hour ago, Chuckie Finster said:

Does the GOP have an endgame here?  They can peacock on Twitter all they want, but it is obvious that they are taking the blame in the court of public opinion.  Just seems crazy that every single one of them is willing to take the political hit.

Southwest Airlines was one of the first companies to publicly declare how much the shutdown has cost them.   I imagine that behind the scenes, there are lobbyists who are going to force an endgame.  Trump and his fans can be an overbearing presence for some, but as much as it pains me point out the influence, it’s going to be in part corporate lobbyists telling Mitch and Co. to get their shit together, or they take their money and give it to opponents. 

[HenryJames 65886]

This is usually the point when he files for Chapter 11.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23356]

Why wouldn’t the corporate lobbyists just push to remove Trump so this shit never happens again? 

Seems like it would be the correct choice and allow them to make better informed business decisions and forecasts.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Hugo Stiglitz

[Biff Tannen 45491]

6 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

This is usually the point when he files for Chapter 11.

We reached that point in like week 1 of the shut down.

[DigglerontheHoof 21051]

What a fucking child.  Sooooooo much butthurt. 

[Player 4575]

Eventually, they will have to make a blood sacrifice to the political gods.

 
We’re not there yet but the ball is rolling.
It’s the oldest Machiavellian trick in the book.
Tax the population to the point of starvation. When they come for your head, publicly hang your second in command for making the people suffer and say he was behind it the entire time.
The people rejoice.
I wonder who they will throw over the bus...

Mike Pence: Did you say hung?

[Bama Chick 28596]

I mean.....