The grand old party

[phonehome]

Actually there IS a federal minimum wage, it just has not been raised in years.

Some people who understand economics know that if people can't afford to buy things then they don't and the people who could have jobs making those things which never got bought will never get hired and even some of the people who already have those jobs will LOOSE those jobs.

NO ONE is ever going to hire someone to do something for which there is NO DEMAND

 

[chrisrobin]

Because some people actually understand economics.

Why should many be forced top work for less than a minimum wage when others have it all, and their profits are made off the backs of those poorly paid.
]I don't expect Trump to pay all his workers the minimum wage, I don't expect him to set an example to the rest of the nation in anything.
And ask yourself, who slaved away in the steel mils, in the coal mines and in the factories, yes, it was workless who are now out of well paid jobs scratching about for crumbs, existing rather than living.
Ask yourself how many investment bankers and those responsible for all the sub-prime bad debts that rocked the usa and the world, how many of them are sitting on a corner saying "brother can you spare a dime"
For a nation swimming in obscene amounts of money the first thing that should be a plied is a MINIMUM WAGE.
THAT'Ss WHAT CAPITALISM IS ABOUT - OR IS IT?

 

[malakos]

Why should many be forced top work for less than a minimum wage when others have it all, and their profits are made off the backs of those poorly paid.

The mere fact that you view this in terms of "should" demonstrates that you don't understand the pragmatic nature of economics.

The question is not whether people should be "forced" to work their asses off for a wage they can barely scrape by on, as in my experience most people would agree that, morally speaking, hard work should ideally translate to be able to at least live comfortably (this is the position laid out in the 1891 papal encyclical Rerum novarum).

The question is rather what would be the practical consequences of drastic reform of wage policies. Would a $15 federal minimum wage have a positive net impact on society or a negative net impact? This isn't simply a matter of how that in isolation would improve the lives of laborers, but also how business would respond to this development. To me, not being an expert in economics, though I agree with the ideal of all the citizenry being able to live comfortably, it remains to be seen whether stringent minimum wage policies would actually help accomplish this.

 

[TurkeyWithaSunburn]

Eric Cantor: “If You’ve Got That Anger Working for You, You’re Gonna Let It Be”

After seven years of pledging they could dismantle Obamacare, if only they had control of Congress and the White House, Republicans—at last in charge of both—have faced deep divisions over a replacement.

Asked if he feels partly responsible for their current predicament, Cantor is unequivocal. “Oh,” he says, “100 percent.”

He goes further: “To give the impression that if Republicans were in control of the House and Senate, that we could do that when Obama was still in office . . . .” His voice trails off and he shakes his head. “I never believed it.”

Former House Majority Leader admits he and the party were playing the base supporters as fools to win votes but didn't have any intention of following though or any alternative plan.

 

[Bardox]

John Boehner once said that we should not be judged by what bills we pass, but by the laws we repeal. Harry Reid once said that the way to tell if you are a successful member of congress is by winning re-election. Not passing laws, debating treaties, or fighting for your state/district. It's can you keep your ass in the seat. There are many members on both sides that have done nothing legislatively, but have been in the congress for multiple terms.

Few members of the US Congress (house or Senate) are there to actually change anything. They talk big during the campaign, but once they are in office, they are ground down by the bureaucracy to being just another cog in the machine. Trouble with the Dems is that most of them have few to no ideas, but plenty of Ideals and butt hurt feels that everyone must pay something for and if you suggest they shouldn't then you are clearly a [insert form of bigot]. The problem with the Repubs is that some of them have plenty of ideas, but most of them suck. Other republicans are RINOs who are only there to either promote their latest book preying on conservative voters OR they are idealogs out to destroy as much of the federal government as they legally can making as much money as the can while doing it.

The problem I see is an infectious crippling disease commonly referred to as Identity politics. My group are the good people and your group are the evil people. How will we fix a particular problem? By not giving in to evil. RESIST!... no matter how stupid it is.... The Republicans were guilty of this during Obama's admin and the Democrats have gleefully taken up the torch during the Trump Admin.

The opposition use to be just be considered a opposing force of people who were just wrong. Now the opposition is made of monsters that must be destroyed and any who seek to "work across party lines" must also be destroyed as they are clearly traitors because they refuse to call Obama/Trump the second coming of Hitler!

 

[Klingsor]

The problem I see is an infectious crippling disease commonly referred to as Identity politics. My group are the good people and your group are the evil people. How will we fix a particular problem? By not giving in to evil. RESIST!... no matter how stupid it is.... The Republicans were guilty of this during Obama's admin and the Democrats have gleefully taken up the torch during the Trump Admin.

That's good in theory, but c'mon. I mean . . . TRUMP, for God's sake!

 

[b.c.]

Because some people actually understand economics.

You mean like Republicans do: "Nine of our last ten economic recessions occurred while a Republican was in the White House."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_recessions_in_the_United_States

Or trickle down economics:

Who the Hell is Still Buying Into the Scam of Trickle-Down Economics? | Forward Progressives

Stagnant wages imperil financial security | PBS NewsHour

 

[deleted15807]

Fox News continues from it's perch on Bullshit Mountain leading the country down even further just when you think the country has hit rock bottom we can trust Fox to dig a hole and sink even further.

Kid Rock could totally rock the Senate
​

What has happened to the Republican Party is the logical end game decades of lowest common denominator politics. This is no accident. Republican strategists worked for what we see now and they are reaping the harvest of their labors.

For decades -- since the 1960s -- Republicans catered to the racists, the haters, and the xenophobes in our midst. Richard Nixon's "southern strategy" was all about welcoming Wallace voters into the fold. Lee Atwater, Jesse Helms, and a host of others assiduously cultivated the worst elements in our society, figuring that they could cobble together a majority out of the reactionaries and revanchists. And, for a long time it worked.

The end result is Trump. His politics are the logical consequence of all of this odious appeal to racism and bigotry. But, in winning, Trump and his cohort have succeeded in purifying their party to the extent that it has now become a grotesque cult. And, sooner or later, they will pay the price for that. Trumpism may not be the wave of the future but the death rattle of a rancid past.

Former prominent GOP member George Will writes:
The GOP has become the party of the grotesque

 

[Industrialsize]

Tangled web connects Russian oligarch money to GOP campaigns

Party loyalty is often cited as the reason that GOP leaders have not been more outspoken in their criticism of President Donald Trump and his refusal to condemn Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. Yet there may be another reason that top Republicans have not been more vocal in their condemnation. Perhaps it's because they have their own links to the Russian oligarchy that they would prefer go unnoticed.

Donald Trump and the political action committees for Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Lindsey Graham, John Kasich and John McCain accepted $7.35 million in contributions from a Ukrainian-born oligarch who is the business partner of two of Russian president Vladimir Putin's favorite oligarchs and a Russian government bank.

During the 2015-2016 election season, Ukrainian-born billionaire Leonid "Len" Blavatnik contributed $6.35 million to leading Republican candidates and incumbent senators. Mitch McConnell was the top recipient of Blavatnik's donations, collecting $2.5 million for his GOP Senate Leadership Fund under the names of two of Blavatnik's holding companies, Access Industries and AI Altep Holdings, according to Federal Election Commission documents and OpenSecrets.org.

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/...connects-russian-oligarch-money-gop-campaigns

 

[Industrialsize]

Eating popcorn.....

 

[chicagosam]

Ron Johnson--another pride of Wisconsin along with Ryan, Priebus and Walker--stuck his foot in his mouth so far with John McCain he's able to walk with it coming out his backend. Support Tammy Baldwin.

 

[Industrialsize]

What will the GOP do as Neo-Nazis attempt to run for office as Republicans. Will they be welcomed into the party?

White supremacists are running for office as Republicans. Will the party stay silent?

Three days after he was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville—a speech that never occurred as the event descended into violence that left one woman dead and 19 others injured—Holocaust denier and far-right radical Augustus Sol Invictus announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

Wearing a suit and tie and standing outside Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)’s Washington office, Invictus filmed a shaky live-streamed announcement video in which he blamed liberal counterprotesters for the violence in the Virginia college town.

https://thinkprogress.org/white-nationalist-elections-fada471b0870/

 

[deleted15807]

What will the GOP do as Neo-Nazis attempt to run for office as Republicans. Will they be welcomed into the party?

White supremacists are running for office as Republicans. Will the party stay silent?

Three days after he was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville—a speech that never occurred as the event descended into violence that left one woman dead and 19 others injured—Holocaust denier and far-right radical Augustus Sol Invictus announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

Wearing a suit and tie and standing outside Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)’s Washington office, Invictus filmed a shaky live-streamed announcement video in which he blamed liberal counterprotesters for the violence in the Virginia college town.

https://thinkprogress.org/white-nationalist-elections-fada471b0870/

Of course they will remain silent. Whatever method keeps us in power and/or increases our power and ability to crush opposition is welcomed. We have "very fine people on both sides" said the president. Furthermore silence allows you to have your cake and eat it too.

 

[b.c.]

What will the GOP do as Neo-Nazis attempt to run for office as Republicans. Will they be welcomed into the party?

White supremacists are running for office as Republicans. Will the party stay silent?

Three days after he was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville—a speech that never occurred as the event descended into violence that left one woman dead and 19 others injured—Holocaust denier and far-right radical Augustus Sol Invictus announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

Wearing a suit and tie and standing outside Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)’s Washington office, Invictus filmed a shaky live-streamed announcement video in which he blamed liberal counterprotesters for the violence in the Virginia college town.

https://thinkprogress.org/white-nationalist-elections-fada471b0870/

Of course they will remain silent. Whatever method keeps us in power and/or increases our power and ability to crush opposition is welcomed. We have "very fine people on both sides" said the president. Furthermore silence allows you to have your cake and eat it too.

Not only will the vast majority of Republicans remain silent, but their SUPPORTERS will as WELL. After all, with FEW exceptions, they've pretty much remained silent SO far, haven't they?

We have "very fine people on both sides" said the president:

Video Shows Man Shooting At Crowd During Charlottesville Rally, With No Police Response

 

[malakos]

What will the GOP do as Neo-Nazis attempt to run for office as Republicans. Will they be welcomed into the party?

White supremacists are running for office as Republicans. Will the party stay silent?

Three days after he was scheduled to speak at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville—a speech that never occurred as the event descended into violence that left one woman dead and 19 others injured—Holocaust denier and far-right radical Augustus Sol Invictus announced that he is running for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

Wearing a suit and tie and standing outside Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)’s Washington office, Invictus filmed a shaky live-streamed announcement video in which he blamed liberal counterprotesters for the violence in the Virginia college town.

https://thinkprogress.org/white-nationalist-elections-fada471b0870/

Pluralization? Austin Gillespie was the only example I saw in the article of an individual with a current bid for office who has association with the White identitarian movement.

What will be done? Prevent him from winning. It shouldn't be difficult.

 

[Industrialsize]

Florida GOP panicking after electing attempted murderer for county secretary
By Matthew Chapman | September 8, 2017

The new secretary of the Broward County Republican Party once beat a young woman almost to death with a claw hammer.
Republicans have long branded themselves the party of upstanding moral character. And they still attempt to characterize themselves as such, despite electing a president who openly brags about sexually assaulting women.

But Trump is not an aberration. Republicans have elected reprehensible, hateful, and violent people all the way down to the local level. This is clearly evidenced by the Broward County Republican Party in Florida, which named an attempted murderer as its secretary.

According to Boing Boing, which picked up the story from the Miami Herald:

Before 28-year-old Trump supporter Rupert Tarsey was the freshly minted secretary of the Broward County GOP, he was Rupert Ditsworth, a student at the exclusive, high-priced LA Harvard-Westlake School, where he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor after taking a fellow student out in car, then hitting her over the head more than 40 times with a claw hammer and then choking her and dragging her out of the car, leaving her by the road with her skull split open.

His victim survived the attack. The 6’2″ Tarsey said the attack was self-defense.

Panicked GOP officials are trying to oust him, but he is refusing to resign.

While this story is sensational, it is not remotely unique. Republicans who represent their state and local parties all over the country have engaged in behavior that demonstrates a complete lack of moral compass.

Last year, Republicans in Austin, Texas, elected a man named Robert Morrow as head of the Travis County GOP. Morrow briefly gained national infamy for anointing himself “the face of the Re-pube-licking Party,” referring to Hillary Clinton and Rick Perry as “rampaging bisexual adulterers” and repeatedly spamming the N-word on Twitter. Travis County Republican officials finally managed to fire him after he illegally filed to run for president.

https://shareblue.com/florida-gop-panicking-after-electing-attempted-murderer-for-county-secretary/

 

[deleted15807]

Sometimes a little reflection is needed.......

30 YEARS OF CONSERVATIVE NONSENSE, AN EXPLAINER

Neither side of a political debate holds a monopoly on the truth. Liberals are often wrong. However, somewhere along the line, conservatives stopped being careful and grew too dismissive of what they do not want to hear.
​

And nowadays conservatives have an entire media "alternative facts" empire with Fox and Breitbart. The never have to hear anything that doesn't fit the conservative religion. In almost every instance the disinformation spouted leads straight back to the "alternative facts" universe where you can even argue over the size of a crowd.

 

[b.c.]

Sometimes a little reflection is needed.......

30 YEARS OF CONSERVATIVE NONSENSE, AN EXPLAINER

Neither side of a political debate holds a monopoly on the truth. Liberals are often wrong. However, somewhere along the line, conservatives stopped being careful and grew too dismissive of what they do not want to hear.
​

And nowadays conservatives have an entire media "alternative facts" empire with Fox and Breitbart. The never have to hear anything that doesn't fit the conservative religion. In almost every instance the disinformation spouted leads straight back to the "alternative facts" universe where you can even argue over the size of a crowd.

Thnx for linking us to yet another excellent primer on asshole Republican style piss-on-you economics.

 

[deleted15807]

The GOP base is already laying blame for natural disasters, though one can argue human caused climate change gave them a big boost, on "the Left"....

The storm surge has already washed up Jim Bakker, whose televangelism never quite recovered from his sex scandal and prison sentence for fraud. After Hurricane Harvey, he declared that “this flood is from God,” punishment for the former mayor of Houston attempting to subpoena ministers’ sermons.

--

Likewise, Pastor Kevin Swanson has said the path of Hurricane Irma would be altered by God if the Supreme Court quickly made abortion and gay marriage illegal, “before Irma does her damage,” as Right Wing Watchnoted.

--

Radio preacher Rick Wiles, likewise, said Houston is underwater because it “boasted of its LGBT devotion.” And Ann Coulter — bless her — suggested it might have something to do with the city’s former mayor being a lesbian. “I don’t believe Hurricane Harvey is God’s punishment for Houston electing a lesbian mayor,” she tweeted. “But that is more credible than ‘climate change.’ ”

Did lesbians cause Hurricanes Irma and Harvey? God knows.​

 

[malakos]

And Ann Coulter — bless her — suggested it might have something to do with the city’s former mayor being a lesbian. “I don’t believe Hurricane Harvey is God’s punishment for Houston electing a lesbian mayor,” she tweeted. “But that is more credible than ‘climate change.’ ”

Whoever wrote that either has reading comprehension issues or is being deceptive. Notice that word that I enlarged?

The point was, strictly, making a dig at attributing the disaster to climate change (no, I don't take a hard stance against that idea as Ms. Coulter does, but I am a proponent of giving people an honest reading).