Category: Conservatives

The GOP Is the True Anti-Business Party

GOP elephant
GOP elephant
Source: Republican Party (US), via Wikimedia Commons.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the Republican Party cares only about the Republican Party. The party, which once stood in opposition to slavery, now stands in favor only of the next election cycle.

Consider this, from Paul Krugman:

Republican politicians are at odds with corporate America on crucial issues. It’s not just vaccines. Corporate interests also want serious investment in infrastructure and find themselves on the outs with Republican leaders who don’t want to see Democrats achieve any policy successes. Basically, the G.O.P. is currently engaged in a major campaign of sabotage — its leaders want to see America do badly, because they believe this will redound to their political advantage — and if this hurts their corporate backers along the way, they don’t care.

Just to be clear, corporations aren’t being good guys. They support vaccine mandates and infrastructure investment because they believe that both would be good for their bottom lines. They’re still for the most part opposed to the rest of the Biden agenda, including — unforgivably — efforts to fight climate change, because they don’t want to pay higher taxes.

Still, the conflict between the G.O.P. and corporations is a striking new turn in American politics. And I wonder if some corporate leaders find themselves asking, in the privacy of their own minds, “My God, what have we done?”

And that’s the big question: What have they done? Corporations are quickly realizing they have little to no voice now in the party they bankrolled for generations.

When will donors to the GOP finally jump ship and side with the Dems? Like them or not, the Dems listen to everyone.


Republican Group Airs Ad Slamming Trump: “Corruption Won’t Make America Great Again”

Just watch:

The group is Republicans for the Rule of Law and you might want to check them out.


GOP Senator Wants to Take Away Health Coverage So People Find God

Mark Green, Tennessee, Medicaid, poverty, health care
Mark Green, Tennessee, Medicaid, poverty, health care
Tennessee state senator Mark Green opposes Medicaid expansion because it keeps people from knowing God. (Screengrab)

GOP State Senator Mark Green of Tennessee needs a Congress “Come to Jesus” talk. His radical, perverted, and twisted preference is for Tennessee to reject medicaid expansion because health care somehow prevents people from finding God.

Poor people, at least. I don’t see Mr. Green volunteering to give up his own medical coverage so he can get closer to Jesus.

That’s what he said. And Mr. Green now wants to go to congress. His opponent, Democrat Justin Kanew, shared this video where Green confesses to his death-panel mentality, sharing his desire to deny the people of Tennessee health coverage because the federal expansion of Medicaid would keep people from finding Jesus.

Disgusting.

From Justin Kanew:

NEW VIDEO: My opponent Mark Green explains the radical religious views behind his decision to reject billions of our federal Medicaid expansion dollars – which caused many rural hospitals to close and 300,000 Tennesseans to go without health coverage, including 30,000 veterans.

Here’s what Green says in the video:

… every person who came to Christ came to Christ with a physical need… People go to God because of a physical need and they walk away with a spiritual need met. That’s the story of the Gospels. And so government has stepped in, at least in this country, and done all the work for the church. And so the person who’s in need — they look to the government for the answer. Not God. And I think, in that way, government has done an injustice that’s even bigger than just the entitlement — creation of an entitlement welfare state. I think it’s even bigger. And in this setting, I’ll share the story… I think it interrupts the opportunity for people to come to a saving knowledge of who God is…

How easy it is for some of those who have to deny those who have not.


Giuliani Makes Up Date Mueller Probe Will End

Rudy Guiliani

Rudy Guiliani

Rudy Guiliani

The president’s “lawyer” Rudolph W. Giuliani said the special counsel plans to wrap up its investigation of whether President Trump obstructed the Russia inquiry by September 1.

Guillani made his remarks Sunday, according to the New York Times, saying “that waiting any longer would risk improperly influencing voters in the midterm elections in November.”

Somehow I don’t believe Rudy Guiliani, nor do I believe that Robert Mueller’s primary concern is the midterm elections.

Rudy doesn’t pass the smell test, again.

How did he come up with the date of September 1? Likely he said it many times during the “negotiations” with Mueller’s team, finally convincing himself that the special counsel’s office agreed to that date.

In short, he made it up.

The NYTimes reports:

The office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, shared its timeline about two weeks ago amid negotiations over whether Mr. Trump will be questioned by investigators, Mr. Giuliani said in an interview. A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

Mr. Giuliani’s comments were an apparent attempt to publicly pressure Mr. Mueller amid their interview negotiations.

Most relevant from this report?

“A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.”

That’s all we need to know. Guiliani runs at the mouth every time he gets before a camera or microphone. No doubt this time he is simply playing parrot to what President Trump would like to be true. Mr. Mueller works in a political void — so it seems to me. Let his work continue until it has reached its natural conclusion, and a real report can be prepared.

Bring on the midterms.


White House Deletes Key Line From Transcript Of Jared Kushner’s Speech In Jerusalem

Jared Kushner, Amy Siskind, Other 98

Jared Kushner, Amy Siskind, Other 98

Amy Siskind and the Other 98.

For some reason, Jared Kushner spoke on behalf of the United States today at the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.

Jared Kushner, who was elected to nothing.

Jared Kushner, who has no background, training, or education at all to be the voice of the United States.

Jared Kushner, who has no security clearance.

That Jared Kushner spoke on behalf of the United States today at the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.

And the White House edited a key line from his talk from the official transcript.

From Alternet:

The White House on Monday released an official transcript of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner addressing the opening ceremony for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. In the version submitted to reporters, however, the administration neglected to include an important—and controversial—line from the top Trump aide.

 

“As we have seen from the protests of the last month and even today, those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution,” Kushner said during his remarks in Jerusalem. At least 52 Palestinians were killed on Monday in Gaza by Israeli security forces.

For some reason, the White House removed Kushner’s line saying, “…those provoking violence are part of the problem and not part of the solution.”

Besides the 52 Palestinians killed attempting to enter Israel — Israel fired on them with live ammunition — besides the 52 killed, at least 1,000 Palestinians were injured.

No more than 40 miles away.

From where Jared Kushner, a man with no background, elected to no office, a man with no security clearance, spoke on behalf of the United States.


Donald Trump’s Dangerous Reality Show

Rex Tillerson

Rex Tillerson, official portrait.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is the latest to find himself outside the revolving door of the Trump White House. CIA Director Mike Pompeo will replace Tillerson, according to reports.

Trump treats his White House as a reality TV show. He treats national security as a TV reality show. The number of firings, resignations, etc., of the “best people” is staggering. The number of positions not yet filled, numbering in the hundreds, is very troubling.

The federal government employs 2 million civilian workers nationwide, but many positions at the top of the food chain remain empty a year into the Trump presidency. Of more than 600 key jobs filled by presidential nomination, more than half of them are currently vacant awaiting confirmation or have no nominee.

We are in crisis. Our government is in crisis. Our national security is in crisis. The man at the top thinks he is running a TV reality show.

I must say it again. I have no other explanation. He thinks this is all about him.

And we are suffering, will suffer, for this.


Round And Round: The Web Spins ‘Round Trump

Nick gates to change plea

Nick Gates will change his plea to guilty, testify against Paul Manafort.

The web spins ever more tightly, creeping closer and closer to Donald Trump.

From the LA Times:

A former top aide to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign will plead guilty to fraud-related charges within days — and has made clear to prosecutors that he would testify against Paul Manafort, the lawyer-lobbyist who once managed the campaign.

The change of heart by Trump’s former deputy campaign manager Richard Gates, who had pleaded not guilty after being indicted in October on charges similar to Manafort’s, was described in interviews by people familiar with the case.

Gates will change his plea to guilty within the next few days, according to the report.

And this:

Gates, 45, who is married with four children, does not appear to be well positioned financially to sustain a high-powered legal defense.

“He can’t afford to pay it,” said one lawyer who is involved with the investigation. “If you go to trial on this, that’s $1 million to $1.5 million. Maybe more, if you need experts” to appear as witnesses.


Undocumented Immigrant Trump Trashed Acquitted in Killing of Kate Steinle

Jose Ines Garcia Zarate

Jose Ines Garcia Zarate (SFPD)

An undocumented immigrant from Mexico who Donald Trump trashed in an August 2016 campaign speech has been found not guilty of murder and manslaughter charges in the killing of Kathryn Steinle.

The man on trial, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, was found guilty only of possession of a firearm by a felon.

The jury also found him not guilty of assault with a firearm.

From the New York Times:

The backlash to his release into the community crescendoed when Donald J. Trump invoked Ms. Steinle’s killing as he campaigned for president. Mr. Trump rallied national support for his hard-line immigration agenda, which ultimately helped to catapult him into office.

In a major speech on immigration in August 2016, Mr. Trump argued that “countless innocent American lives have been stolen because our politicians have failed in their duty to secure our borders and enforce our laws.”

Mr. Trump then named several young people who he said had become victims of policies he considered failures. Among those he named was Ms. Steinle, who Mr. Trump said had been “gunned down in the sanctuary city of San Francisco, by an illegal immigrant, deported five previous times.”

“And they knew he was no good,” Mr. Trump said of the man who had shot her.

Except The Donald was wrong.

Again.

And again.


Mueller Charges: Trump Should Worry

 

Robert Mueller

Special Counsel Robert Mueller

CNN reports, “A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter.”

It’s happening.

And Donald Trump can tweet all he wants. But the charges are coming Monday.

More from CNN:

On Friday, top lawyers who are helping to lead the Mueller probe, including veteran prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, were seen entering the court room at the DC federal court where the grand jury meets to hear testimony in the Russia investigation.

Reporters present saw a flurry of activity at the grand jury room, but officials made no announcements.

Shortly after President Donald Trump abruptly fired then-FBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel. Mueller took the reins of a federal investigation that Comey first opened in July 2016 in the middle of the presidential campaign.

Justice is coming for Donald Trump. And it will be blind.

He may think himself capable of shooting someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue in New York and getting away with it.

So far as we know, that’s fiction.

Maybe a dream Trump yearns for.

But these “high crimes and misdemeanors?” Well, we’re about to see exactly what is there.

At last.


Trump’s Early Ties To Moscow Become More Clear

Donald Trump smug smile
From the New York Times:

A business associate of President Trump promised in 2015 to engineer a real estate deal with the aid of the president of RussiaVladimir V. Putin, that he said would help Mr. Trump win the presidency.

The associate, Felix Sater, wrote a series of emails to Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, in which he boasted about his ties to Mr. Putin and predicted that building a Trump Tower in Moscow would highlight Mr. Trump’s savvy negotiating skills and be a political boon to his candidacy.

“Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it,” Mr. Sater wrote in an email. “I will get all of Putins [sic] team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.”

“Our boy?” Is Donald Trump really some group’s “boy?” And what do they want from him in return?

What does Vladimir Putin want in return?