Links for 7/30/19
Amy who?
Let us hope that with Boris, unlike Trump, stupidity is all an affectation rather than reality. Her Majesty should have dissolved Parliament rather than let him dismember the Realm.
The GOP that have fled need to come back and support Weld or Steyer. The latter needs to switch to be able to attack Trump directly. This would also force Mitch to do his job rather than shill for Trump and his Kremlin handler.
A good economy would actually favor Trump. Trump is the only issue and it is not a good one for the GOP. Until Trump has two GOP opponents, this could end badly. The GOP likes winning more than reality. Just look at the comment section. As long as the myth that we are one Justice away from repealing Roe, the insanity continues.
Blame PREPA shareholders for continuing the madness. PR needs public election finance and probably publicly owned utilities.
Michigan has plenty of hate crimes without going after Church Militant or its enablers. SPLC calls attention to public failure, not religious lunacy.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Monday, July 29, 2019
Democratic debates: It's time to whittle down the candidates
Democratic debates: It's time to whittle down the candidates
The winnowing will happen because of money, which is better than the DNC with a thumb in the scale. Trump needs to be stopped now, which means Mike Pence and/or Bill Weld.
The winnowing will happen because of money, which is better than the DNC with a thumb in the scale. Trump needs to be stopped now, which means Mike Pence and/or Bill Weld.
Friday, July 26, 2019
Mueller testified with integrity amid Republicans' moral collapse
Mueller testified with integrity amid Republicans' moral collapse
The reason the Mueller investigation happened was not because of the Steele diaries but because Comey was fired. That is on Trump. Had he done nothing, only aides would have gone to jail and there would be no SDNY probe.
The GOP may simply vanish, splitting the Dems into Walls Street and DSA. To save itself, the GOP needs to 1. Air Schiff & Nadler meat on TV, esp. Fox News; 2. Grow a spine for Pence to invoke 25th; 3. Support Weld in primaries & end NRLC scam; 4. McGahn @ Judiciary has Senate GOP force DT out.
The reason the Mueller investigation happened was not because of the Steele diaries but because Comey was fired. That is on Trump. Had he done nothing, only aides would have gone to jail and there would be no SDNY probe.
The GOP may simply vanish, splitting the Dems into Walls Street and DSA. To save itself, the GOP needs to 1. Air Schiff & Nadler meat on TV, esp. Fox News; 2. Grow a spine for Pence to invoke 25th; 3. Support Weld in primaries & end NRLC scam; 4. McGahn @ Judiciary has Senate GOP force DT out.
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Links for 7/25/19
Links for 7/25/19
The key distinction in human rights is which are negative, i.e. protections from government, and positive, i.e. provided by government. Natural law is either a philosophic method untouched by authority or papal relativism. The latter should have zero weight in Church or State.
Mulvaney plans are the same old extremism that will never pass. They were a fave saver for Trump. They are more a GOP primary issue, but who will save their soul?
Vigano' and Chaput are yesterday's news.
A good lay pastor may be more likely to stretch because it is an unpaid gig. Priests and ministers must worry about loyalty to whomever writes their checks.
I wonder where the rabbis of Elad rank the aliens in the midst (Palestinians and Arabs) compared to dogs. That is the key question for all of Zion and the Neocons who enable it.
The key distinction in human rights is which are negative, i.e. protections from government, and positive, i.e. provided by government. Natural law is either a philosophic method untouched by authority or papal relativism. The latter should have zero weight in Church or State.
Mulvaney plans are the same old extremism that will never pass. They were a fave saver for Trump. They are more a GOP primary issue, but who will save their soul?
Vigano' and Chaput are yesterday's news.
A good lay pastor may be more likely to stretch because it is an unpaid gig. Priests and ministers must worry about loyalty to whomever writes their checks.
I wonder where the rabbis of Elad rank the aliens in the midst (Palestinians and Arabs) compared to dogs. That is the key question for all of Zion and the Neocons who enable it.
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Tracking polls, looking toward 2020: A lot can happen in a year in politics
Tracking polls, looking toward 2020: A lot can happen in a year in politics
Tracking polls are most helpful in the primaries in winnowing candidates. In late October, I ignore Rasmussen and call states with a high enough lead to beat the margin of error. In 2012, I used that method and my results were the same as Nate Silver.
This is a different year. The Trump coalition includes many who are sure that the next Supreme Justice will be the one to repeal Roe. So far, the two Trump Justices have done no such thing, even for the children with Down's Syndrome, whom Indiana sought to protect. If that case cannot get Certiorari, Alabama has no chance.
Democrats are not likely to point this out, since they fear their base would deradicalize (although that may not be the case this year). It is doubtful that a Democratic nominee would convince Republican pro-lifers anyway.
In the end, because Republicans vote tribally, Trump needs a primary challenger who will do so and propose a monthly middle class level negative income tax payment for each child to prevent most abortions. Trump's support is more wide than deep, so primary challenge is more likely to upend Trump than any Democrat.
We cannot risk four more years of Trump. If the Midwestern bishops support the Republican pro-life scam as they did in 2016, it may happen anyway. The issue must be defused early, so that the Bishops cannot repeat themselves this cycle.
Tracking polls are most helpful in the primaries in winnowing candidates. In late October, I ignore Rasmussen and call states with a high enough lead to beat the margin of error. In 2012, I used that method and my results were the same as Nate Silver.
This is a different year. The Trump coalition includes many who are sure that the next Supreme Justice will be the one to repeal Roe. So far, the two Trump Justices have done no such thing, even for the children with Down's Syndrome, whom Indiana sought to protect. If that case cannot get Certiorari, Alabama has no chance.
Democrats are not likely to point this out, since they fear their base would deradicalize (although that may not be the case this year). It is doubtful that a Democratic nominee would convince Republican pro-lifers anyway.
In the end, because Republicans vote tribally, Trump needs a primary challenger who will do so and propose a monthly middle class level negative income tax payment for each child to prevent most abortions. Trump's support is more wide than deep, so primary challenge is more likely to upend Trump than any Democrat.
We cannot risk four more years of Trump. If the Midwestern bishops support the Republican pro-life scam as they did in 2016, it may happen anyway. The issue must be defused early, so that the Bishops cannot repeat themselves this cycle.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Links for 7/23/19
Links for 7/23/19
Rosello' has always been an empty suit. As soon as Trump slow rolled aid after Maria, he should have camped out in Washington until aid started flowing. That he resigned his party post and not his office shows what he finds important. His mistakes have nothing to do with the issue of Statehood.
The problem with Planned Parenthood is the same as the problem of the National Right to Life Committee, it is worth too much as a political issue to tell the truth about. The reality both sides hide is that presidential elections have nothing to do with overturning Roe. The answer is a middle-class level negative income tax distributed through wages. The candidate who advances this idea deserves to win the each party's nomination. We can't risk Obama only voters staying home or anti-Roe absolutist bishops giving Trump another term.
We cannot survive four more years of Steve Miller controlling Trump and his social policy. The economy is unlikely to slide. There has been too much federal spending for it to slow down. What is needed is a candidate who can explain why tax cuts have nothing to do with it, Both to the public and the media. In the end, the winner must convince the Republicans in the donor class that they need to pay higher taxes.
Rosello' has always been an empty suit. As soon as Trump slow rolled aid after Maria, he should have camped out in Washington until aid started flowing. That he resigned his party post and not his office shows what he finds important. His mistakes have nothing to do with the issue of Statehood.
The problem with Planned Parenthood is the same as the problem of the National Right to Life Committee, it is worth too much as a political issue to tell the truth about. The reality both sides hide is that presidential elections have nothing to do with overturning Roe. The answer is a middle-class level negative income tax distributed through wages. The candidate who advances this idea deserves to win the each party's nomination. We can't risk Obama only voters staying home or anti-Roe absolutist bishops giving Trump another term.
We cannot survive four more years of Steve Miller controlling Trump and his social policy. The economy is unlikely to slide. There has been too much federal spending for it to slow down. What is needed is a candidate who can explain why tax cuts have nothing to do with it, Both to the public and the media. In the end, the winner must convince the Republicans in the donor class that they need to pay higher taxes.
Monday, July 22, 2019
When picking new US bishops, Francis shouldn't hesitate to ruffle feathers
When picking new US bishops, Francis shouldn't hesitate to ruffle feathers
I suspect that the members of the Council of Cardinals, who could be looked at as proto-Patriarchs, have become the go-to sources of information on appointing bishops.
There is no reason for the Church to resist the evolution of democracy. It is superstition to look at the office as anything but a job, especially when reviewing its history.
Term limit and locally elect Bishops. The bishops can elect the Metropolitan, who elect the Patriarch. End tying these offices to provincial Sees, including the Ecumenical Patriarch of Orhodox Catholicism.
Until that happens, make Rome responsible for funding abuse settlements. As long as Rome picks these scoundrels, they are employees.
I suspect that the members of the Council of Cardinals, who could be looked at as proto-Patriarchs, have become the go-to sources of information on appointing bishops.
There is no reason for the Church to resist the evolution of democracy. It is superstition to look at the office as anything but a job, especially when reviewing its history.
Term limit and locally elect Bishops. The bishops can elect the Metropolitan, who elect the Patriarch. End tying these offices to provincial Sees, including the Ecumenical Patriarch of Orhodox Catholicism.
Until that happens, make Rome responsible for funding abuse settlements. As long as Rome picks these scoundrels, they are employees.
Friday, July 19, 2019
Trump may make America great again after all -- when we show how out of step he is
Trump may make America great again after all -- when we show how out of step he is
Trump is a dottard, a sexist, a racist and a Fabulist who gets sis news from Fox. So do his followers, many of whom are above 50, if not above 70. They are a temporary problem, as is Trump, who is Stephen Miller's sock puppet on race and immigration. Their pollution of the young is longer lasting, but not insurmountable.
The House resolution was written by a man and focused on his status as an immigrant. Trump did not tweet about him at all. While racism is surely a factor in the Trump psyche, his bigger issue is sex. To him, Black women are stupid welfare mothers and White women are toys to be played with. The first is the result of having Fred Trump as a father. I have no information about his mother, but his hypersexuality is a symptom of Bipolar I disorder. Without medication, which he does not have, he simply cannot control himself.
Trump will eventually be removed when Mueller report witnesses convince GOP Senators that he will wreck the party if he is not removed. They will try to force him out, although he may not listen to reason. Ultimately, the 25th Amendment must be used. It should have been invoked ling ago, but Pence does not have the moral courage to do so.
Pence will likely forge deals with Congress on fiscal issues, as he did in Indiana. If allowed to serve, he will do a good enough job to do what Jerry Ford did not. There is good reason for Pelosi to fear his ascension. His positions on social issues scare her more, especially if he is President. Whether he is a pandered or a true believer is the ultimate question. I am thinking the former, based on how he handles Trump. Still, he seems to have a moral core.
If we make Pence Trump's sin eater, it will change the narrative and prick his conscience. The reality is that, because Trump is insane and Pence can remove him, every bad thing Trump does, from his toxic tweets, his immigration policies, his bumbling foreign policy (he is also Bolton's sock puppet) are Pence's moral responsibility. Unless we force him to accept it, Trump s sins and those of his enablers will continue.
I could end there, but will not. There could be a moment of truth in a Pence presidency that will impact the GOP. If they do not take it, they deserve to die, not just spend time in the penalty box.
Trump won the White House for two reasons, neither of which have anything to do with endemic racism among Southern Baptists. . Hillary did not put Booker on the ticket and black men stayed home and she made messed up in the last debate by pandering to her base rather than showing Trump's incompetence when he brought up partial birth abortion.
Simply pointing out that PBA is already illegal and that he is pandering would have defused the issue. The Midwestern bishops pounced and delivered the swing states to Trump. Whether they had forewarning or not is a matter for Congress to investigate. If Jamie Raskin or his staff reads his social media, he likely will. Even if they did not, they are also the sin eaters for Trump's actions.
Whether it is loyalty to the Church or pandering to Catholic voters, Biden may not mention this or say the obvious, that Roe is part of the tapestry of civil rights law (which is not permissive, but rather prevents abuse of power by the states) instead of using the Cuomo pluralism explanation (which could be further excused by invoking Dignitatis Humanae, which would make the Trads throw another fit on Vatican II).
Reality may provide our moment of truth. Indiana v. Planned Parenthood has already shown that the last four GOP justices treat Roe in the same way as the four Democratic appointees, albeit for different reasons. We know this because Indiana was decided per curium ( from the bench) without hearing. Indiana protected Down's children. If they won't hear that case, Alabama has no shot. If June v. Gee, the Lousiana Trap Law case is decided the same way (reversing the 5th Circuit), the prospect that voting Republican means overturning Roe is simply a lie.
This will hurt NARAL but it may end the pro-life movement as it exists today unless both sides and the media ignore the truth. I will do my best not to let them.
The only alternative left to protect the unborn is what I have been saying all along, a living wage tax credit for each child to cover most, if not all, of the additional expense they bring, about $1000/month distributed with pay as an offset to an employer paid consumption tax. To sweeten the deal, this could eliminate income taxes for most families. This could be called pro-life socialism.
This could be a divisive moment or a unifying one. If Pence proposes it, he deserves to win where Ford lost. If he does not, it will show that on the GOP side, opposition to abortion is about sexism, not the unborn, and that their live for Trump is no accident. Likewise, if Biden et al don't seek this, it will show that their support of Roe is about sexual liberation and not the well being of families.
There is much more at stake than meets the eye. It is time for a Christian Left moment. If Pence and/or Biden don't step up, then we become the sin eaters for Trump.
Trump is a dottard, a sexist, a racist and a Fabulist who gets sis news from Fox. So do his followers, many of whom are above 50, if not above 70. They are a temporary problem, as is Trump, who is Stephen Miller's sock puppet on race and immigration. Their pollution of the young is longer lasting, but not insurmountable.
The House resolution was written by a man and focused on his status as an immigrant. Trump did not tweet about him at all. While racism is surely a factor in the Trump psyche, his bigger issue is sex. To him, Black women are stupid welfare mothers and White women are toys to be played with. The first is the result of having Fred Trump as a father. I have no information about his mother, but his hypersexuality is a symptom of Bipolar I disorder. Without medication, which he does not have, he simply cannot control himself.
Trump will eventually be removed when Mueller report witnesses convince GOP Senators that he will wreck the party if he is not removed. They will try to force him out, although he may not listen to reason. Ultimately, the 25th Amendment must be used. It should have been invoked ling ago, but Pence does not have the moral courage to do so.
Pence will likely forge deals with Congress on fiscal issues, as he did in Indiana. If allowed to serve, he will do a good enough job to do what Jerry Ford did not. There is good reason for Pelosi to fear his ascension. His positions on social issues scare her more, especially if he is President. Whether he is a pandered or a true believer is the ultimate question. I am thinking the former, based on how he handles Trump. Still, he seems to have a moral core.
If we make Pence Trump's sin eater, it will change the narrative and prick his conscience. The reality is that, because Trump is insane and Pence can remove him, every bad thing Trump does, from his toxic tweets, his immigration policies, his bumbling foreign policy (he is also Bolton's sock puppet) are Pence's moral responsibility. Unless we force him to accept it, Trump s sins and those of his enablers will continue.
I could end there, but will not. There could be a moment of truth in a Pence presidency that will impact the GOP. If they do not take it, they deserve to die, not just spend time in the penalty box.
Trump won the White House for two reasons, neither of which have anything to do with endemic racism among Southern Baptists. . Hillary did not put Booker on the ticket and black men stayed home and she made messed up in the last debate by pandering to her base rather than showing Trump's incompetence when he brought up partial birth abortion.
Simply pointing out that PBA is already illegal and that he is pandering would have defused the issue. The Midwestern bishops pounced and delivered the swing states to Trump. Whether they had forewarning or not is a matter for Congress to investigate. If Jamie Raskin or his staff reads his social media, he likely will. Even if they did not, they are also the sin eaters for Trump's actions.
Whether it is loyalty to the Church or pandering to Catholic voters, Biden may not mention this or say the obvious, that Roe is part of the tapestry of civil rights law (which is not permissive, but rather prevents abuse of power by the states) instead of using the Cuomo pluralism explanation (which could be further excused by invoking Dignitatis Humanae, which would make the Trads throw another fit on Vatican II).
Reality may provide our moment of truth. Indiana v. Planned Parenthood has already shown that the last four GOP justices treat Roe in the same way as the four Democratic appointees, albeit for different reasons. We know this because Indiana was decided per curium ( from the bench) without hearing. Indiana protected Down's children. If they won't hear that case, Alabama has no shot. If June v. Gee, the Lousiana Trap Law case is decided the same way (reversing the 5th Circuit), the prospect that voting Republican means overturning Roe is simply a lie.
This will hurt NARAL but it may end the pro-life movement as it exists today unless both sides and the media ignore the truth. I will do my best not to let them.
The only alternative left to protect the unborn is what I have been saying all along, a living wage tax credit for each child to cover most, if not all, of the additional expense they bring, about $1000/month distributed with pay as an offset to an employer paid consumption tax. To sweeten the deal, this could eliminate income taxes for most families. This could be called pro-life socialism.
This could be a divisive moment or a unifying one. If Pence proposes it, he deserves to win where Ford lost. If he does not, it will show that on the GOP side, opposition to abortion is about sexism, not the unborn, and that their live for Trump is no accident. Likewise, if Biden et al don't seek this, it will show that their support of Roe is about sexual liberation and not the well being of families.
There is much more at stake than meets the eye. It is time for a Christian Left moment. If Pence and/or Biden don't step up, then we become the sin eaters for Trump.
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Links for 7/18/19
Links for 7/18/19
The visit was a perfect response to Unite the Right.
Hospitality is the essence of love at any time, especially if nothing is asked in return. The reforms and humility of Francis begin here. They are a total rejection of the modern culture of self-reliance, which demands reciprocity.
The flag of religion must be planted on a $1000 per month child tax credit and a $20 an hour minimum wage. Dare the GOP to join them and to drop the partisan silliness of repealing Roe and the collateral claims about religious power of employers, especially the Church, on the freedoms of its workers.
A competent governor would insist that federal funding of 57.5% make up the difference, if not 77.5%
Thiel needs to underwrite a primary challenge to Trump. Something like this. It is both the antidote for Trump and the myopia on both sides, which feeds off of problems rather than solutions.
The visit was a perfect response to Unite the Right.
Hospitality is the essence of love at any time, especially if nothing is asked in return. The reforms and humility of Francis begin here. They are a total rejection of the modern culture of self-reliance, which demands reciprocity.
The flag of religion must be planted on a $1000 per month child tax credit and a $20 an hour minimum wage. Dare the GOP to join them and to drop the partisan silliness of repealing Roe and the collateral claims about religious power of employers, especially the Church, on the freedoms of its workers.
A competent governor would insist that federal funding of 57.5% make up the difference, if not 77.5%
Thiel needs to underwrite a primary challenge to Trump. Something like this. It is both the antidote for Trump and the myopia on both sides, which feeds off of problems rather than solutions.
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
EWTN's voice is powerful, partisan and problematic
EWTN's voice is powerful, partisan and problematic
The problem with EWTN is that people cover them as if they were the official Catholic view, rather than fringe. They represent an older demographic as many younger Catholics avoid carrying on the faith until the time their children are baptized until they are confirmed way too late. With the departure of the Nuns, we have more Nones because Catholic schools are either a charter school for non-Catholics in the inner-city or an elite system for wealthier Catholics who don't like hearing about the evils of capitalism. The problem of elderly Catholics who watch both Fox News and EWTN is generational and that generation is dying off.
The bigger problem is that many bishops, especially in the Midwest, have latched onto Trump too because they like their power within the pro-life movement and the hope that a Republican President will one day overturn Roe. Since that would involve getting rid of every civil rights decision from Hernandez v. Texas to Perry v. Schwarzenegger, no federal Court will ever go there, although the USCCB and their staff wishes they would. Bush 43 and Trump 45 have appointed four justices, all of whom voted to sustain the overturn of civil rights protections for Down's and Female children in Indiana v. Planned Parenthood. The case was decided from the Bench (per curium) without hearing. If Down's children can't get a day in Court, Alabama certainly will not.
The biggest problem is that no one on the left or the right will cover anyone else, even if they speak the truth, because the truth is not as sexy as a Sexist President or Ray Arroyo. The same is true of economic coverage. In reality, the current recovery comes from continued higher rates on the top income at 37% (although dividends and capital gains are down to 20%), which keep more money out of the markets and the huge deficits negotiated by spending deals between Pelosi and McConnell that drove excess capital into Treasury Bonds rather than the stock market. Such spending increases Gross Domestic Product, not tax cuts for the rich. That fact is harder to explain, so it does not get covered.
There is no alternative because no one gives it ink. There is a mass of Republicans that loath Donald Trump, but loath losing more. All it takes is covering on brave voice, even if that voice is not yet funded. Four more years anyone?
The problem with EWTN is that people cover them as if they were the official Catholic view, rather than fringe. They represent an older demographic as many younger Catholics avoid carrying on the faith until the time their children are baptized until they are confirmed way too late. With the departure of the Nuns, we have more Nones because Catholic schools are either a charter school for non-Catholics in the inner-city or an elite system for wealthier Catholics who don't like hearing about the evils of capitalism. The problem of elderly Catholics who watch both Fox News and EWTN is generational and that generation is dying off.
The bigger problem is that many bishops, especially in the Midwest, have latched onto Trump too because they like their power within the pro-life movement and the hope that a Republican President will one day overturn Roe. Since that would involve getting rid of every civil rights decision from Hernandez v. Texas to Perry v. Schwarzenegger, no federal Court will ever go there, although the USCCB and their staff wishes they would. Bush 43 and Trump 45 have appointed four justices, all of whom voted to sustain the overturn of civil rights protections for Down's and Female children in Indiana v. Planned Parenthood. The case was decided from the Bench (per curium) without hearing. If Down's children can't get a day in Court, Alabama certainly will not.
The biggest problem is that no one on the left or the right will cover anyone else, even if they speak the truth, because the truth is not as sexy as a Sexist President or Ray Arroyo. The same is true of economic coverage. In reality, the current recovery comes from continued higher rates on the top income at 37% (although dividends and capital gains are down to 20%), which keep more money out of the markets and the huge deficits negotiated by spending deals between Pelosi and McConnell that drove excess capital into Treasury Bonds rather than the stock market. Such spending increases Gross Domestic Product, not tax cuts for the rich. That fact is harder to explain, so it does not get covered.
There is no alternative because no one gives it ink. There is a mass of Republicans that loath Donald Trump, but loath losing more. All it takes is covering on brave voice, even if that voice is not yet funded. Four more years anyone?
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Links for 7/16/19
Links
Rossello' needs to quit. He failed P.R. after Maria more than Trump. That is hard to do.
Democrats need to explain that repealing Roe kills all the Civil Rights presidents from Hernandez to Perry and that the Court has 8 pro-Roe justices. A pox on both sides for keeping this non-issue alive. Fight for a living wage tax credit instead. The free market will never provide one, so government must.
The media should ignore the rantings of both Trump and the back benchers. There is real need to cover. AOC staff is not one of those things. The border is, as well as why Pence is not invoking the 25th Amendment. Anything Trump does is on him. His career ends with Trump's anyway. Cover GOP primary challengers as well, which will create new ones.
The Vatican II objectors should be simply ignored. The older ones are dying off and the younger ones are as ignorant as Trump.
The problem in the U.K. is that it needs a Northern Ireland Office. Is there a Scotland or Midlands Office? A Welch Office?
Rossello' needs to quit. He failed P.R. after Maria more than Trump. That is hard to do.
Democrats need to explain that repealing Roe kills all the Civil Rights presidents from Hernandez to Perry and that the Court has 8 pro-Roe justices. A pox on both sides for keeping this non-issue alive. Fight for a living wage tax credit instead. The free market will never provide one, so government must.
The media should ignore the rantings of both Trump and the back benchers. There is real need to cover. AOC staff is not one of those things. The border is, as well as why Pence is not invoking the 25th Amendment. Anything Trump does is on him. His career ends with Trump's anyway. Cover GOP primary challengers as well, which will create new ones.
The Vatican II objectors should be simply ignored. The older ones are dying off and the younger ones are as ignorant as Trump.
The problem in the U.K. is that it needs a Northern Ireland Office. Is there a Scotland or Midlands Office? A Welch Office?
Monday, July 15, 2019
To overtake Senate, Democrats should focus on kitchen table issues
To overtake Senate, Democrats should focus on kitchen table issues
2020 will be like 1974. The smart move for some Republicans is to switch parties if they can get a no primary promise. Their internal polluting will say as much and Dem polling will source their messaging. The smart GOP money should be to primary Trump or for Mitch, Mitt and Chuck to visit him and give him the message that Goldwater gave to Trump.
On abortion, the GOP needs to give it up. No challenge to Roe will ever be heard (See Indiana v. Planned Parenthood.). The only pro-life play is a living wage level tax credit for children. It would take primarying Trump to do so, unless he steals the idea. He won't. Miller and Mulvaney would never let him. True leadership cannot be polled, but Trumpism does not believe in reality.
2020 will be like 1974. The smart move for some Republicans is to switch parties if they can get a no primary promise. Their internal polluting will say as much and Dem polling will source their messaging. The smart GOP money should be to primary Trump or for Mitch, Mitt and Chuck to visit him and give him the message that Goldwater gave to Trump.
On abortion, the GOP needs to give it up. No challenge to Roe will ever be heard (See Indiana v. Planned Parenthood.). The only pro-life play is a living wage level tax credit for children. It would take primarying Trump to do so, unless he steals the idea. He won't. Miller and Mulvaney would never let him. True leadership cannot be polled, but Trumpism does not believe in reality.
Friday, July 12, 2019
Newly elected, very blue Democrats put the party at risk
Newly elected, very blue Democrats put the party at risk
AOC is not the first back benched to realize her only power is celebrity. It fades and if she survives, her tone will moderate as her power increases. Millenials will also change their politics as they grow older, but will still stay to the left, especially on social issues. As for economic issues, she is the kind of Democratic Socialist the party needs.
AOC no more endangers the party than the TEA party caucus endangered the GOP. The only question is how well the leadership manages them. The GOP managed them badly. Pelosi knows what she is doing. The TEA Party back benchers had their three terms and found out that there would be no revolution and they had become caricatures of themselves.
Race became an issue because old people, like Trump, were stoked by Fox News and Rush. This is a temporary problem and why the Dems won. They will be a temporary problem for moderate conservatives, who may either come back to the GOP or move to the Clinton-Pelosi wing of the Democrats.
Fiscal issues are what drive parties. The Hastert Rule became an thing because moderate Democrats voted with Democrats in Clinton fiscal issues. The Hastert rule gave the TEAists their power. Without them, the economics of the GOP have even grown fuzzy. The fight over spending is now over. Top tax rates now hover between 37% and 39%.
TEA party extremism made spending too low and there is bipartisan agreement on increasing them and tweeking entitlements. The only real issue is whether non-wage income is taxed at 20% or 25%. The right answer is 27%. Once the children of the rich realizes that they are most at risk because of out of control debt, there will be agreement in raising taxes to appropriate levels.
As for abortion, it will soon become a non-issue. Once economic issues are settled at the top, wedge will go away. Indeed, with an 8 vote majority supporting Roe, it was going away anyway. The lie that this was ever an issue is about to be laid bare.
There are more basic issues of how money is a symptom, not the cause of the imbalance of power in society. That is where AOC and her Squad have it right and they are now the yeast for that to change. The Future is Calling.
AOC is not the first back benched to realize her only power is celebrity. It fades and if she survives, her tone will moderate as her power increases. Millenials will also change their politics as they grow older, but will still stay to the left, especially on social issues. As for economic issues, she is the kind of Democratic Socialist the party needs.
AOC no more endangers the party than the TEA party caucus endangered the GOP. The only question is how well the leadership manages them. The GOP managed them badly. Pelosi knows what she is doing. The TEA Party back benchers had their three terms and found out that there would be no revolution and they had become caricatures of themselves.
Race became an issue because old people, like Trump, were stoked by Fox News and Rush. This is a temporary problem and why the Dems won. They will be a temporary problem for moderate conservatives, who may either come back to the GOP or move to the Clinton-Pelosi wing of the Democrats.
Fiscal issues are what drive parties. The Hastert Rule became an thing because moderate Democrats voted with Democrats in Clinton fiscal issues. The Hastert rule gave the TEAists their power. Without them, the economics of the GOP have even grown fuzzy. The fight over spending is now over. Top tax rates now hover between 37% and 39%.
TEA party extremism made spending too low and there is bipartisan agreement on increasing them and tweeking entitlements. The only real issue is whether non-wage income is taxed at 20% or 25%. The right answer is 27%. Once the children of the rich realizes that they are most at risk because of out of control debt, there will be agreement in raising taxes to appropriate levels.
As for abortion, it will soon become a non-issue. Once economic issues are settled at the top, wedge will go away. Indeed, with an 8 vote majority supporting Roe, it was going away anyway. The lie that this was ever an issue is about to be laid bare.
There are more basic issues of how money is a symptom, not the cause of the imbalance of power in society. That is where AOC and her Squad have it right and they are now the yeast for that to change. The Future is Calling.
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Links for 7/11/19
Links for 7/11/19
Harris still has the best child tax credit (aside from mine) and Warren has the wrong funding vehicle. A wealth tax is better to fund debt repayment, as is offering income tax prepayment. The best way to fund a higher CTC is a consumption tax paid by employers (called a subtraction VAT) and to distribute that credit with payroll. Harris is rising the fastest right now and both of them, plus Biden, need to explain the Roe cases will no longer be heard, why not and why this is a good thing. Of course, a GOP candidate (like me) saying so would be stronger. There is only one anti-Roe justice. The last GOP justices consider Roe settled law. Hearing such a case makes renewing Plessy a real possibility. The only way to protect the unborn is that huge expansion in the CTC that me and Harris support.
Gravel should run GOP. He would have a much better chance and Trump would have to join and show his decline on Fox News. He and Williamson will be gone soon enough. It is part of the process, as is back benches being the yeast for reform as they get seniority. This is why ideas that care new are best put forth by presidential candidates running against a weak shoe-in. Environmental change, like Laudato Si', is a long term project.
The bishops have little street cred, largely because women are not ordained and because they are essentially supporting a return to Plessy. This includes trying to keep the power over marriage equality with the states.
Theologians tend to get marriage equality wrong because they must, in the end, agree with the bishops. Thompson is a hypocrite, by the way. Firing secularly married gay workers and not straight workers in such unions is pure bigotry. His actions, including inartfully using Tabor, is all sour grapes. Again, no one trusts them.
The reason workers have become slaves is that lower tax rates on CEOs give them incentive to seek economic rent. Shareholders don't get any more than normal ROI, so labor cuts really all go to ExComm. All Democratic contenders need to stress thus. AOC knows and Warren may say it. Harris won't. I do. Again, this message is stronger out of the mouth of a GOP candidate.
Serial killers should be in church run facilities in most cases unless they are unreachable sociopaths. Then they need to be put down by government for the protection of the vulnerable monks and guards. Theologians should say this. They won't. I do.
Harris still has the best child tax credit (aside from mine) and Warren has the wrong funding vehicle. A wealth tax is better to fund debt repayment, as is offering income tax prepayment. The best way to fund a higher CTC is a consumption tax paid by employers (called a subtraction VAT) and to distribute that credit with payroll. Harris is rising the fastest right now and both of them, plus Biden, need to explain the Roe cases will no longer be heard, why not and why this is a good thing. Of course, a GOP candidate (like me) saying so would be stronger. There is only one anti-Roe justice. The last GOP justices consider Roe settled law. Hearing such a case makes renewing Plessy a real possibility. The only way to protect the unborn is that huge expansion in the CTC that me and Harris support.
Gravel should run GOP. He would have a much better chance and Trump would have to join and show his decline on Fox News. He and Williamson will be gone soon enough. It is part of the process, as is back benches being the yeast for reform as they get seniority. This is why ideas that care new are best put forth by presidential candidates running against a weak shoe-in. Environmental change, like Laudato Si', is a long term project.
The bishops have little street cred, largely because women are not ordained and because they are essentially supporting a return to Plessy. This includes trying to keep the power over marriage equality with the states.
Theologians tend to get marriage equality wrong because they must, in the end, agree with the bishops. Thompson is a hypocrite, by the way. Firing secularly married gay workers and not straight workers in such unions is pure bigotry. His actions, including inartfully using Tabor, is all sour grapes. Again, no one trusts them.
The reason workers have become slaves is that lower tax rates on CEOs give them incentive to seek economic rent. Shareholders don't get any more than normal ROI, so labor cuts really all go to ExComm. All Democratic contenders need to stress thus. AOC knows and Warren may say it. Harris won't. I do. Again, this message is stronger out of the mouth of a GOP candidate.
Serial killers should be in church run facilities in most cases unless they are unreachable sociopaths. Then they need to be put down by government for the protection of the vulnerable monks and guards. Theologians should say this. They won't. I do.
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Francis' theological vision includes dialogue, humility
Francis' theological vision includes dialogue, humility
The Good News proclaiming the Kingdom of God is as much a challenge now as when Jesus first proclaimed it. The Kingdom is not a prize to be won at the end of life nor the establishment of a Catholic state dominated by the hierarchy. It is a radical reliance on God and in our lives and in others. Those others are not the clergy, They are the immigrant, the hungry, the naked and the detainees. That is where Christ is to be found, even as they rely on Christ and on us for those basic needs that make them human.
When we rely on ourselves and the hierarchy in managing our sinfulness, we ignore the Kingdom. This is what Francis proclaims in word and deed and it vexed his own Curia. To hear and see this we must be born again with new eyes, ears and hearts. This has nothing to do with receiving the sacraments or accepting Jesus as our personal savior. Instead, we must act as savior by seeking him in the despised. This is a fleshy theology found in action, not in study.
The Good News proclaiming the Kingdom of God is as much a challenge now as when Jesus first proclaimed it. The Kingdom is not a prize to be won at the end of life nor the establishment of a Catholic state dominated by the hierarchy. It is a radical reliance on God and in our lives and in others. Those others are not the clergy, They are the immigrant, the hungry, the naked and the detainees. That is where Christ is to be found, even as they rely on Christ and on us for those basic needs that make them human.
When we rely on ourselves and the hierarchy in managing our sinfulness, we ignore the Kingdom. This is what Francis proclaims in word and deed and it vexed his own Curia. To hear and see this we must be born again with new eyes, ears and hearts. This has nothing to do with receiving the sacraments or accepting Jesus as our personal savior. Instead, we must act as savior by seeking him in the despised. This is a fleshy theology found in action, not in study.
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Links for 7/9/19
Links for 7/9/19
The opinions of Rhode Island, Black people and White people have no impact on the legality of abortion nor on why women have abortions. Eight of the nine justices (2 by W, 2 by Trump) won't hear a other challenge to Roe. Saying that a vote for Trump would get Roe back before the Court was a lie, as I said at Georgetown. Catholic Trump voters got an incompetent capitalist who will do nothing for the unborn. The only abortion issues are a $1000 per month per child refundable tax that only I will enact and how the pro-life movement is a scam unless it supports such a credit.
Empire certainly did not help the British. Their ban on slave grown cotton hurt the economy but not taxing the rich caused the suffering. This is the lesson for today. The same is true for China, although their big problem is that peasant workers in factories get peasant benefits rather than those given to the urban class.
P.R. needs to throw out the current Governor and his party. He is clueless.
Francis is radical as Jesus was. Self reliance is not the Road to Heaven.
The opinions of Rhode Island, Black people and White people have no impact on the legality of abortion nor on why women have abortions. Eight of the nine justices (2 by W, 2 by Trump) won't hear a other challenge to Roe. Saying that a vote for Trump would get Roe back before the Court was a lie, as I said at Georgetown. Catholic Trump voters got an incompetent capitalist who will do nothing for the unborn. The only abortion issues are a $1000 per month per child refundable tax that only I will enact and how the pro-life movement is a scam unless it supports such a credit.
Empire certainly did not help the British. Their ban on slave grown cotton hurt the economy but not taxing the rich caused the suffering. This is the lesson for today. The same is true for China, although their big problem is that peasant workers in factories get peasant benefits rather than those given to the urban class.
P.R. needs to throw out the current Governor and his party. He is clueless.
Francis is radical as Jesus was. Self reliance is not the Road to Heaven.
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Kamala Harris has big problems in her way to the nomination
Kamala Harris has big problems in her way to the nomination
I just threw my hat in the ring in the other party. I am as much about policy as Warren and likely have an easier road to the GOP nomination, since my main opponent is an idiot and a traitor and I will sever ties with the NRLC.
Still, Harris is not to be faulted for going after an extremist nominee. The Knights are not the Church. MSW even did a good piece on their leader, who is more Republican Catholic than Catholic Republican. Don't attack her appeal to demography while whining about your own. It is her job to keep reactionary appointees off the bench, or at least raise the alarm.
Roe, Perry and Brown are settled law. The Knights think otherwise, which is fringe, and won't induct those who disagree with them. It is a valid concern.
I just threw my hat in the ring in the other party. I am as much about policy as Warren and likely have an easier road to the GOP nomination, since my main opponent is an idiot and a traitor and I will sever ties with the NRLC.
Still, Harris is not to be faulted for going after an extremist nominee. The Knights are not the Church. MSW even did a good piece on their leader, who is more Republican Catholic than Catholic Republican. Don't attack her appeal to demography while whining about your own. It is her job to keep reactionary appointees off the bench, or at least raise the alarm.
Roe, Perry and Brown are settled law. The Knights think otherwise, which is fringe, and won't induct those who disagree with them. It is a valid concern.
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
This Fourth, may American optimism and Christian hope prevail
This Fourth, may American optimism and Christian hope prevail
Gettysburg was about war satisfying Divine revenge for slavery. Undocumented migrants often work in such conditions while asylees need not. Racism was the key to slavery, then and now.
It is a happy coincidence that the Mueller Grand Jury finishes its work today or Friday. May they give us a reason to celebrate the 4th by the end of the day. Trump will get his eternal reward sometime in the future (as a Sister from junior high would say, sooner than later), as well as his handlers and the employees who go along with the process. The GOP will likely find their destruction even sooner. The American people are better than this on migration.
Gettysburg was about war satisfying Divine revenge for slavery. Undocumented migrants often work in such conditions while asylees need not. Racism was the key to slavery, then and now.
It is a happy coincidence that the Mueller Grand Jury finishes its work today or Friday. May they give us a reason to celebrate the 4th by the end of the day. Trump will get his eternal reward sometime in the future (as a Sister from junior high would say, sooner than later), as well as his handlers and the employees who go along with the process. The GOP will likely find their destruction even sooner. The American people are better than this on migration.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Links for 7/2/2019
Links for 7/2/2019
If Milano helps him reform his Bot Army, it is not a bad play. They seem to be going to Harris and Warren.
Roberts votes with the law, not expedience. On most cases, they all do. First Things has always been fringe. It should be ignored. Ejection would imply that someone cares enough to do so. Nope.
Once Trump is in jail and his assets seized, no one will care either. Chaput and Paprocky are the Catholic equivalents of public fringe.
They got marriage, Will & Grace and equal tax treatment. We all got sexual privacy.
Wealth is about power over others. It is not that they own green paper, it is that they own us at work, politically and financially. Worldwide even more so. We need a revolution bigger than Bernie.
Trump needs to be primaries by a libertarian cooperative socialist who will tell the truth about Roe. Otherwise, he may win.
Harris has a learning curve. She has time to learn, which means debates and better staff. She is better than Trump any day of the week and better than most but Warren and that theoretical Trump challenger. Too bad policy chops are not the criteria for election. http://xianleft.blogspot.com/2019/06/2020-agenda-to-primary-mrs-donnie.html?m=1 Give me ink and prove me wrong.
The rules will shrink the field on their own. What we need is a three way GOP debate to show how Trump's decline and ignorance.
Luther could not have said it better than the Pope. Ironic?
If Milano helps him reform his Bot Army, it is not a bad play. They seem to be going to Harris and Warren.
Roberts votes with the law, not expedience. On most cases, they all do. First Things has always been fringe. It should be ignored. Ejection would imply that someone cares enough to do so. Nope.
Once Trump is in jail and his assets seized, no one will care either. Chaput and Paprocky are the Catholic equivalents of public fringe.
They got marriage, Will & Grace and equal tax treatment. We all got sexual privacy.
Wealth is about power over others. It is not that they own green paper, it is that they own us at work, politically and financially. Worldwide even more so. We need a revolution bigger than Bernie.
Trump needs to be primaries by a libertarian cooperative socialist who will tell the truth about Roe. Otherwise, he may win.
Harris has a learning curve. She has time to learn, which means debates and better staff. She is better than Trump any day of the week and better than most but Warren and that theoretical Trump challenger. Too bad policy chops are not the criteria for election. http://xianleft.blogspot.com/2019/06/2020-agenda-to-primary-mrs-donnie.html?m=1 Give me ink and prove me wrong.
The rules will shrink the field on their own. What we need is a three way GOP debate to show how Trump's decline and ignorance.
Luther could not have said it better than the Pope. Ironic?
Monday, July 1, 2019
Supreme Court rulings carry lessons for the left
Supreme Court rulings carry lessons for the left
The citizenship question stops the right wing from shooting itself in the foot, because they would lose the most in funding with non-response and labor force if migrants fled.
Remedying racial gerrymandering can still be done, although people can always claim that a racial gerrymander is political. Ignoring such issues seems to be a pattern under Roberts.Of course, most judicial maps and affirmative action measures could be better done, so let us not judge too quickly. For larger states, proportional representation solves the problem and encourages everyone to vote. It is why everyone votes in Puerto Rico.
Roe is about state power to discriminate against minorities. On that basis, it was rightly decided. Individual rights are never to be subject to the whim of the majority. The discussion must end there. On abortion, 8 justices agree if Indiana v. Planned Parenthood is any indication.
This indicates that ENDA may require legislative passage. Roberts is not likely to go with adding sexual identity to sex in the Civil Rights Act from the bench, but one of the new Justices might. Congress will act in 2021, if not sooner, if 4 Senators shift parties for Schumer.
The citizenship question stops the right wing from shooting itself in the foot, because they would lose the most in funding with non-response and labor force if migrants fled.
Remedying racial gerrymandering can still be done, although people can always claim that a racial gerrymander is political. Ignoring such issues seems to be a pattern under Roberts.Of course, most judicial maps and affirmative action measures could be better done, so let us not judge too quickly. For larger states, proportional representation solves the problem and encourages everyone to vote. It is why everyone votes in Puerto Rico.
Roe is about state power to discriminate against minorities. On that basis, it was rightly decided. Individual rights are never to be subject to the whim of the majority. The discussion must end there. On abortion, 8 justices agree if Indiana v. Planned Parenthood is any indication.
This indicates that ENDA may require legislative passage. Roberts is not likely to go with adding sexual identity to sex in the Civil Rights Act from the bench, but one of the new Justices might. Congress will act in 2021, if not sooner, if 4 Senators shift parties for Schumer.
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