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Originally posted by 1kiki:
"If the Democrats offer a very real 50% solution" ... that would be nice. But making life better for working people, simply NOT targeting Russia, and proposing even minimal but durable global warming solutions weren't anywhere in the platform. Hell, I'd settle for a 25% solution, maybe even a 10% solution on those items.

How much you want to bet House democrats don't address any one of those?

Side bet - how much you want to bet House democrats focus on being anti-Trump instead?

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Rep. Maxine Waters is running into an unexpected obstacle in her bid to investigate a president who has mocked her as a “low IQ person”: members of the California Democrat's own party.

Waters, the incoming chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, has promised to follow the “Trump money trail,” targeting the Trump Organization’s hundreds of millions in loans from Deutsche Bank, the German lender that has been under scrutiny in connection with Russian money laundering. But the committee has a handful of moderates who worry that such aggressive moves will backfire.

“The American people will understand thoughtful, well-grounded investigations," said Rep. Jim Himes, a Connecticut Democrat. “But they will bridle at investigations that seem overtly political."

That tension between cautious Democrats and those who want to train their subpoena firepower at the White House is being repeated throughout the House, as establishment veterans face off against progressives out for revenge against President Donald Trump.

While much of the base wants lawmakers to take on Trump and big corporations that have benefited from his tax cuts and deregulation, more moderate members fear that oversight investigations will be a distraction or cause political blowback for the party. They want to see a policy focus instead and don't want to be pulled too far to the left.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
lol... let's try to read into all the reasons why history ALWAYS shows that the general trend is to vote Democrat when people are living comfortably and lean Republican when the economy takes a dump.

Yup. Must be "muh racisim!".

Tool.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by second:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
lol... let's try to read into all the reasons why history ALWAYS shows that the general trend is to vote Democrat when people are living comfortably and lean Republican when the economy takes a dump.

Yup. Must be "muh racisim!".

Tool.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Does the economy do better under Republicans or Democrats? Democrats.
www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2016/11/07/trump-is-right-about-one-thin
g-the-economy-does-better-under-the-democrats/#5149b5f56786
www.aeaweb.org/research/why-does-the-economy-do-better-democrats-white
-house

Does the National Debt do better under Republicans or Democrats? Democrats.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/10/gop-presidents-have-been-
the-worst-contributors-to-the-federal-debt/264193/

Under Trump, the Federal government will be running a multi-trillion dollar deficit when it should be running a surplus.
www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-budget-deficit-hits-6-year-high-in-donald
-trumps-first-fiscal-year-as-president/
www.cato.org/publications/commentary/budget-deficits-are-only-getting-
bigger-under-trump

The conclusion was that the dynamic parts of America, the parts that are doing best, are controlled by Democrats. Personally, I'm doing terrific compared to the Republicans around me. Will they join me in business deals? No way! Too risky! They are convinced I don't know how to get rich and I'm not showing them I am rich because it would only cause friction between us. They can't be taught to be better because they are certain they already know what is best.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

lol

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Originally posted by second:
How much you want to bet that House Democrats know they can't pass any legislation through the Senate?

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Originally posted by second:
Trump said on Thanksgiving that there would be "bedlam, chaos, injury and death" if the federal judiciary did not give him his way on immigration policy.

Trump has been butting heads with Chief Justice John Roberts, who has defended the independence of the federal judiciary.

The Constitution tasks the judicial branch with checking Congress and the executive branch on the constitutionality of their actions.

www.businessinsider.com/trump-warns-chaos-injury-and-death-if-us-court
-stays-independent-2018-11

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Originally posted by SECOND:
The time Nancy Pelosi ...

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Originally posted by 1kiki:

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Originally posted by SECOND:
The time Nancy Pelosi ...

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WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy back in 2005 on topics that had nothing to do with the pressing issues of today.

Really, SECOND? Is that your excuse for democrats today?

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Originally posted by second:

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Originally posted by 1kiki:

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Originally posted by SECOND:
The time Nancy Pelosi ...

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WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy back in 2005 on topics that had nothing to do with the pressing issues of today.

Really, SECOND? Is that your excuse for democrats today?

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I have been following politics for about 66 years. There is no goddamn difference between the causes of America's problems of today and 2001. On 9/11 I was reminded that the majority of voting Americans, obviously NOT me nor everybody, are a bunch of panicky idiots, prone to getting angry but completely confused when directing it at the correct target. The majority ABSOLUTELY CANNOT figure out the correct people to blame. It was no surprise to me that there would be a stupid war which America would lose in the Middle East, although I never expected two stupid wars. I guess I had too high an opinion of American voters, but I have since lowered my expectations. I was in Vietnam; I know about how many idiots back in America believed that was a war worth fighting. Place Americans under a little pressure and the majority of voters couldn't make a sensible decision to save their lives. Both Democratic and GOP Congressmen know this limits what can be done by Congress. If Congress does something smart, the idiot voters, which are the majority, will turn against it. It is why Democratic Congressmen make tiny little steps toward progress. If they do more they get voted out of office. It is why Republican Congressmen can teardown progress made by Democrats. The majority of voters are too stupid to understand what happened and who to blame. The GOP knows that the Democratic Congressmen will get as much blame as the GOP Congressmen for what only the GOP did. Why not teardown the country when your enemy will get blamed as much as you?

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

So what happened when Obama got us into more wars? Or Hillary threatening Russia with nukes then?

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by second: American politics are ridiculous because the majority of American voters are ridiculous people.

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Originally posted by second:

What war? Obama couldn't shutdown the Afghanistan War because of the majority of dumbass American voters wanted to "win" in Afghanistan.

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And when did Hillary threaten to nuke Russia? Did she make a Fire and Fury declaration like Trump did against N Korea? She did not. American politics are ridiculous because the majority of American voters are ridiculous people.

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Originally posted by second:I have been following politics for about 66 years.

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...On 9/11 I was reminded that the majority of voting Americans, obviously NOT me nor everybody, are a bunch of panicky idiots, prone to getting angry but completely confused when directing it at the correct target. The majority ABSOLUTELY CANNOT figure out the correct people to blame...but I have since lowered my expectations.

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It is why Republican Congressmen can teardown progress made by Democrats. The majority of voters are too stupid to understand what happened and who to blame. The GOP knows that the Democratic Congressmen will get as much blame as the GOP Congressmen for what only the GOP did.

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Originally posted by JO753:

The GoPs hav tapped into the power uv stupid. Even tho it iz horrendously inefficient, its about 1,000 timez more massiv than the power uv intellijens, so usually winz the boxing match.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

But! But! Hillary won the popular vote!!!

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Originally posted by second:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

But! But! Hillary won the popular vote!!!

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But! But! Obama killed Muammar Gaddafi (except he didn't) which means Obama gave birth to ISIS (except he didn't). Ask a Trump voter about who is responsible for what wicked people worldwide do and the answer is Obama! Obama! making the point that Trump voters understand the State Department and Pentagon and CIA as poorly as they do the Federal Reserve Board and HUD and FDIC.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

He made a bunch of promises he didn't keep. You can't deny that.

Nobel Peace prize. What a laugh.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by second:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

He made a bunch of promises he didn't keep. You can't deny that.

Nobel Peace prize. What a laugh.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Obama made promises. The GOP listened closely and did their worst to make him fail.

Remember Guantanamo? Obama promised to shut it down and the GOP fought him every step.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/why-obama-has-failed-to-close-gu
antanamo

If Obama wanted to kill fewer people? The GOP wanted more civilians dead, and fought Obama every step against killing less. If he had tried to completely shutdown the stupidest wars in history, the GOP would ignite a political firestorm that would burn forever. All Obama's GOP Generals would eventually be voting for Trump. Did you notice how many delighted Generals were placed on Trump's staff? Trump is working toward justifying an invasion of Iran, as Bush worked for invading Iraq.

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22638533


The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

Yeah... Obama just quietly sent in drones that killed innocent civilians 8 times out of ten.

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Originally posted by captaincrunch:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

Yeah... Obama just quietly sent in drones that killed innocent civilians 8 times out of ten.

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Looks like those GOP tactics worked like a charm on you!

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Originally posted by second:
Democratic Citizens And The Populist Ideal Of Democracy

The assumptions underlying the folk theory of democracy are very stringent. Can ordinary people, busy with their lives and with no firsthand experience of policy-making or public administration, do what the theory expects them to do? Can they formulate policy preferences, assess where candidates stand on the issues, set aside cognitive biases and group prejudices, and then choose a candidate who embodies an uplifting version of their own policy views? Can human nature meet those demands?

As we showed in chapter 2, the answer is that real people are not much like the citizens imagined by the folk theory. Numerous studies have demonstrated that most residents of democratic countries have little interest in politics and do not follow news of public affairs beyond browsing the headlines. They do not know the details of even salient policy debates, they do not have a firm understanding of what the political parties stand for, and they often vote for parties whose long-standing issue positions are at odds with their own. Mostly, they identify with ethnic, racial, occupational, religious, or other sorts of groups, and often—whether through group ties or hereditary loyalties—with a political party. Even the more attentive citizens mostly adopt the policy positions of the parties as their own: they are mirrors of the parties, not masters. For most citizens most of the time, party and group loyalties are the primary drivers of vote choices.

Thus, the folk theory of democracy fails.

from chapter 11, Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government
www.amazon.com/Democracy-Realists-Elections-Responsive-Government/dp/0
691178240/

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

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Originally posted by captaincrunch:

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

Yeah... Obama just quietly sent in drones that killed innocent civilians 8 times out of ten.

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Looks like those GOP tactics worked like a charm on you!

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The truth sucks, doesn't it.

(There is no question mark here because it was by no means a question)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:
lol. Okay. Obama killed innocent people for you and me.

Thanks Barry.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Originally posted by THG:
It's easy to be self-righteous while maintaining a safe distance from ridicule and danger. America is a work in progress and we are living through the events of the time. The possibilities here are endless.

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Originally posted by SECOND:
The time Nancy Pelosi ...

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Originally posted by 1kiki:
WWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy back in 2005 on topics that had nothing to do with the pressing issues of today.
Really, SECOND? Is that your excuse for democrats today?

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Originally posted by SECOND:
I have been following politics for about 66 years.

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Originally posted by 1kiki:

I think you're too entranced with your history to look at today. Sanders had nearly 50% of the democratic vote. That indicates to me a large number of people do understand the problems and their causes, and are seeking solutions.
Hillary lost not because she was too radical, but because she was more of the same. And creepy. With really high negatives.
Democrats stayed home because of her message, and her persona couldn't make up the difference.

And if democrats don't do anything different, how are they any better?

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Originally posted by THG:
It's easy to be self-righteous while maintaining a safe distance from ridicule and danger.

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Originally posted by 6IXSTRINGJACK:

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Originally posted by THG:
It's easy to be self-righteous while maintaining a safe distance from ridicule and danger.

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I'll bet that was exactly what was going through Obama's mind when he was ordering drone strikes.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Trump is seeking to loosen some Obama-era limits on drone attacks and ground raids outside conventional warzones, US media reports have said.

The New York Times, citing unnamed officials, reported on Thursday that Trump's top national security advisers have proposed relaxing two rules from the administration of Barack Obama, the former US president.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

So, who's in charge of this program now? CIA? JSOC? Both? Neither?

If the CIA's still half in-charge, I doubt that Trump would promote the program, seeing as the CIA (and the FBI, MI6, and DNC) having been running a program against him since 2016. However, if the authority has been wrested from the CIA and put into the Pentagon, he might go along with it.

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Though America’s drone war in Somalia has been shrouded in secrecy, in the past year and a half the number of American air strikes in Somalia have notably increased.

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Originally posted by SIGNYM:

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Though America’s drone war in Somalia has been shrouded in secrecy, in the past year and a half the number of American air strikes in Somalia have notably increased.

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If "all Americans" (which BTW includes you. And me.) were so happy to pull the trigger, they wouldn't have to keep the program a secret.

"The messy American environment, where most people don't agree, is perfect for people like me. I CAN DO AS I PLEASE." - SECOND

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