Category: Bad Politics

Donald Trump Calls Out Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh Responds

Posted on by TL

Donald Trump smug smile

Donald Trump mentioned Pittsburgh today, and that was a mistake.

The Bumbler In Chief called out Pittsburgh today when he announced that he would ditch the Paris Agreement.

The reaction from Pittsburgh has been a fast and furious rebut.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Pittsburgh is hogging the national spotlight, and it’s being shone on the city courtesy of President Donald Trump, who in a climactic moment about the climate, made the alliterative assertment that, when it comes to which accords he’ll agree to, he “was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris.”

Which was surprising to Pittsburghers, because It’s worth noting that in November’s presidential election, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh were won by Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

So far, reaction has been swift.

And then there were the tweets, these from Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto:

And the voices go on from there.

Trump Sells Out Israel To Impress Russians

Posted on by TL

Donald Trump smug smileThe secret intelligence Donald Trump boasted about in front of his Russian buddies?

It came from Israel.

Israel.

The lives that could be lost. The dangers we could face.

From the NYTimes:

The classified intelligence that President Trump disclosed in a meeting last week with Russian officials at the White House was provided by Israel, according to a current and a former American official familiar with how the United States obtained the information. The revelation adds a potential diplomatic complication to the episode.

Israel is one of the United States’ most important allies and a major intelligence collector in the Middle East. The revelation that Mr. Trump boasted about some of Israel’s most sensitive information to the Russians could damage the relationship between the two countries. It also raises the possibility that the information could be passed to Iran, Russia’s close ally and Israel’s main threat in the Middle East.

The potential for catastrophic fallout from the child in the White House, the child dying to impress others, is incredible.

I’m scared now.

Daniela Vargas Released From ICE; SPLC, Others, Celebrate

Posted on by TL
Daniela Vargas
Daniela Vargas

No doubt to the consternation of President Donald Trump (it still aches to type that, to say it), Daniela Vargas has been released from ICE. The freedom of the 22-year-old #Dreamer was heralded by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

We’ve just won an important legal victory.

Today, Daniela Vargas, a 22-year-old aspiring math teacher, was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. A week ago, she had been detained by immigration agents moments after speaking publicly about immigrants’ rights.

It was a transparent attempt to chill free speech and intimidate immigrants who speak up. We filed a habeas petition to force her release and to stop her deportation.

“We’re joining the community in celebrating the release of our client, Dany Vargas,” said SPLC Deputy Legal Director Naomi Tsu.

“But we will continue to challenge the unconstitutional actions of ICE agents in this case and will not rest until she is no longer under threat of deportation. It is counterproductive and harmful to our communities for ICE to be targeting aspiring young people in this country and we urge ICE to release other immigrant youth held in detention.”

Read more about Dany’s case and the SPLC’s efforts to ensure detained immigrants have access to counsel.

Sincerely,

Your friends at the SPLC

“A transparent attempt to chill free speech and intimidate immigrants who speak up” indeed. This was ugly and wrong.

As is the Trump-declared war on immigrants.

It must stop.

More about Dany’s case here. Read. Celebrate tonight. Remember the many, many who do not make the news.

Report: Trump To Offer Crazy Rudy Giuliani Secretary of State

Posted on by TL
crazy rudy giuliani
Crazy Rudy Giuliani is reportedly Trump’s choice for Secretary of State.

And down the rabbit hole we continue to fall.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Rudy Giuliani is the favorite to be secretary of state in Donald Trump’s administration, according to a senior Trump official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the source isn’t authorized to speak on the record.

And then this:

The official said there’s no real competition for the job, and it’s the former New York mayor’s if he wants to take it. (emphasis added)

There’s no competition for Secretary of State? Does anyone in the President-Elect’s team actually want to work? Do any of them have a clue what it takes to run a country?

Those questions are rhetorical.

Chicago Ald. Milly Santiago and Colleagues Sound Like A Bunch Of Damn Fools: #Cubs

Posted on by TL
Milly Santiago crying foul
Ald. Milagros “Milly” Santiago speaking during the Chicago City Council meeting. Wednesday, October 5, 2016. Brian Jackson/For the Chicago SunTimes

Chicago Ald. Milly Santiago and her self-entitled colleagues on the Chicago City Council sound like a bunch of damn fools complaining about not being able to get in to see the Cubs for a World Series game.

She and other aldermen are crying foul because the Cubs withdrew their offer to sell council members World Series tickets at face value. This after the Chicago Board of Ethics ruled that accepting the special offer would violate the ban forbidding aldermen from accepting gifts in excess of $50.

They can all go pound salt.

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Ald. Milly Santiago (31st) said she’s “a poor alderman” who can’t afford to pay thousands of dollars for Cubs tickets purchased on the secondary market.

“We were not the ones reaching out to the Cubs for some freebies or for some special treatment. The Cubs actually reached out to all of us to offer face-value tickets and those Cubs fans have to say yes. I said yes. I said of course I would like some tickets. We paid for them,” said Santiago, who described herself as a die-hard Cubs fan.

Santiago branded the controversy triggered by the Board of Ethics narrow interpretation of the city’s gift ban “kind of insulting, humiliating and embarrassing for us” for a perk that wasn’t all that hot.

“First of all, those tickets were not front-row tickets. They were all the way in the upper-deck. If I went like this, I would almost touch the ceiling. That’s how bad those tickets were,” Santiago said, lifting her arm over her head.

Right. The seats stunk. The aldermen would have been sooooooooo unhappy.

Imagine the arrogance.

Imagine their sense of entitlement.

Imagine all the “little people” out there who have to go on <gasp> ticket exchanges, paying thousands of dollars for the chance to stand in Wrigley Field during one of the games.

Imagine all the people.

The little people.

Imagine a bunch of self-entitled pols crying foul, all the way home.

Let them pound salt.

Donald Trump Wants To Be Your Latex Salesman (Video)

Posted on by TL

There is so much wrong with Donald Trump.

So. Very. Much.

Today, he pointed out a black rally attendee and said, “Look at my African American!”

There is so much wrong with Donald Trump.

Tonight, I could only think of George Costanza…

But, George is fictional. The Donald is not.

 

Trump’s Twits on Twitter Appear To Be Bought

Posted on by TL

So, perhaps, you were amazed at all of these people on Twitter attacking those who dare to attack their “Donald.”

Guess again.

One analyst has taken a look, and then several more looks, at who these “Defenders of the Donald” might be.

And, it appears, they might all be fake.

Fake Twitter accounts created, bought, to attempt to fool us all.

Check out dailywire.com:

The speculation about the phoniness of the Trump Twitter army began with a post by Erick Erickson in The Resurgent, and he bases his conjecture on three main points:

  • There are professional Internet trolls who have the specific purpose of inciting chaos in the U.S. through social media, such as spreading a hoax Ebola case in Atlanta as well as a hoax story of cops shooting an unarmed black woman. Most of them were shut down, but the ones that are still active are supporting Trump.
  • Numerous reports suggest that Trump bought crowd members for his campaign launch in June.
  • An organization called Crowds on Demand has protesters for sale to appear at various events and harass people on social media.

And then there’s more.

Go here for the complete story.

University Park: Here’s Your Board Agenda … From 2015

Posted on by TL

So I thought I would take a look at the website from University Park, IL. People have been commenting for quite some time what a mess it is in that town.

University Park is about 30 miles directly south of Chicago’s Loop. For those of you unfamiliar, the town seems to have had a viciously divided board for some time now.

Decided to see what their online presence was like.

They have a decent-looking website. Check it out here: http://www.university-park-il.com/.

Hover over the word “Government” in the top menu, then go down to “Board of Trustee’s Agenda.

Click on that. Go ahead.

As of this writing, that click takes you here, to the board’s agenda from (wait for it) July 28, 2015:

http://www.university-park-il.com/DocumentCenter/View/1128

University Park: keeping the past alive.