***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[rolaholic]

They think that being called a racist is worse than actually being racist

Speaking of Steve King,a little background/context on how he came into prominence...

@lhfang:
When GOP Congressman Walter Jones criticized big banks, Republican leadership raised big money to take him out. Re: Steve King: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

GOP leadership gave King a prime committee job writing immigration policy. Easiest punishment would be revoking it https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-cont...order-Security-Subcommittee-Updated-21517.pdf …

Walter Jones also lost his gig on the committee overseeing bank policy after he was too mean to big banks. Same prob won't happen to King.

Corporate welfare and tax breaks for the wealthy >>> everything according to the GOP

 

[IATT]

Bradd Jaffy‏Verified account  @BraddJaffy 2m2 minutes ago

Trump administration is considering even deeper EPA budgets, higher than the initial 25% cut, per @jonathanvswanhttps://www.axios.com/exclusive-even-deeper-cuts-being-discussed-for-epa-2314124510.html  …

 

[dragicon]

Bradd Jaffy‏Verified account @BraddJaffy 2m2 minutes ago
Trump administration is considering even deeper EPA budgets, higher than the initial 25% cut, per @jonathanvswanhttps://www.axios.com/exclusive-even-deeper-cuts-being-discussed-for-epa-2314124510.html …

What a pathetic human.

 

[gry60]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...-exxon-mobil-secretary-of-state-a7628611.html

New York says Secretary of State Rex Tillerson used an email alias to discuss climate change while he was Exxon Mobil’s chief executive: Wayne Tracker.

Mr Tillerson sent messages from the account to discuss the risks posed by climate change, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a court filing about his office’s fraud investigation of the company. Mr Tillerson, whose middle name is Wayne, used the Wayne Tracker account on the Exxon system from at least 2008 to 2015, Schneiderman said.

Remember that in 2014, Rex did this:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politic...s-against-frackers-when-hes-homeowner/358365/

The CEO of Exxon Stands Up for Homeowners Against Frackers (When He's the Homeowner)
Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, who bought his house with money made from oil drilling and fracking, filed a lawsuit and petitioned his Texas town council to block a water tower that would be used for fracking.

Don't you just love the hypocrisy?

 

[Mark Antony]

Ah **** that was Rex? I remember having a good laugh off that.

 

[EddieDoyers]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...-exxon-mobil-secretary-of-state-a7628611.html

New York says Secretary of State Rex Tillerson used an email alias to discuss climate change while he was Exxon Mobil’s chief executive: Wayne Tracker.

Mr Tillerson sent messages from the account to discuss the risks posed by climate change, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a court filing about his office’s fraud investigation of the company. Mr Tillerson, whose middle name is Wayne, used the Wayne Tracker account on the Exxon system from at least 2008 to 2015, Schneiderman said.

Remember that in 2014, Rex did this:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politic...s-against-frackers-when-hes-homeowner/358365/

The CEO of Exxon Stands Up for Homeowners Against Frackers (When He's the Homeowner)
Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson, who bought his house with money made from oil drilling and fracking, filed a lawsuit and petitioned his Texas town council to block a water tower that would be used for fracking.

Don't you just love the hypocrisy?

 

[Belgium]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/b...-exxon-mobil-secretary-of-state-a7628611.html
Remember that in 2014, Rex did this:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politic...s-against-frackers-when-hes-homeowner/358365/
Don't you just love the hypocrisy?

Shameless 

 

[frink85]

Wayne Tracker sounds like a hardened woodsman

 

[elpablo21]

 
Breitbart released an audio recording of Paul Ryan saying "I will not defend Donald Trump, not now, not ever"

tweetstorm coming?

 

[rillo561]

Carlos Danger was a better alias

 

[cards93]

Carlos danger and ron mexico are goat aliases

 

[gry60]

https://thinkprogress.org/white-house-analysis-26-million-uninsured-ff07a6e8d824#.o1pbxpvo0

An internal White House analysis concluded that House Republicans’ Obamacare replacement bill, called the American Health Care Act, will cause up to 26 million people to lose their insurance coverage over the next decade, according to a copy of the analysis obtained by Politico.
That’s even more dire than the estimate the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released on Monday afternoon. The CBO projected that up to 24 million people could lose their insurance over the next decade.

 

[gry60]

http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/03/world-prepares-to-move-on-without-us-on-trade-000361

Here’s what happens when the U.S. pulls out of a major trade deal: New Zealand seizes the opportunity to send more of its milk and cheese to China. Japanese consumers pay less for Australian beef than for American meat. Canadians talk about sending everything from farm products to banking services to Japan and India.

...

In the long run, U.S. companies could move jobs and factories abroad to take advantage of trade deals that make it cheaper to produce goods in other counties. And U.S. industries, particularly agriculture, could lose billions of dollars a year in export sales.

The White House said its message in Chile this week “will be to underscore the commitment of the Trump administration to engaging actively with all our Asia-Pacific partners and our intention to remain a key member of the Asia-Pacific community.” The Trump White House this week could feel out other countries' appetites for the bilateral trade deals it wants to pursue instead of multi-country pacts.

But that could backfire.

The meeting could instead bring other countries closer to the idea of pursuing an 11-nation deal excluding the U.S. And additional nations could sign on. In addition to China, representatives from South Korea and Colombia, also not TPP members, will be here.

If there is a new deal, U.S. companies eager to take advantage of the potential trading bloc could move operations to Canada, Mexico or other TPP countries, said Dade, who helped write a recent analysis showing that U.S. losses from TPP are everyone else’s gains.

...

Meanwhile, U.S. agricultural exporters are already starting to see threats to their global market share.

America’s farm economy is suffering from dropping commodity prices and ballooning supply costs. The TPP represented a major opportunity for cattle ranchers, grain growers and wine producers to get more of their product to Asian markets hungry for well-marbled Texas beef or prized California chardonnay. The American Farm Bureau Federation estimated the deal would have boosted annual net farm income by $4.4 billion.

Dairy exporting powerhouse New Zealand by 2020 is already expecting to have entirely free trade on dairy products with a bloc of 10 Southeast Asian nations, creating an obstacle for U.S. producers to get into those markets.

 

[Belgium]

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/obamacare-uninsured-white-house-236019

 [h1]White House analysis of Obamacare repeal sees even deeper insurance losses than CBO[/h1]
The executive branch analysis forecast that 26 million people would lose coverage over the next decade, versus the 24 million CBO estimates.

A White House analysis of the GOP plan to repeal and replace Obamacare shows even steeper coverage losses than the projections by the Congressional Budget Office, according to a document viewed by POLITICO on Monday.

The preliminary analysis from the Office of Management and Budget forecast that 26 million people would lose coverage over the next decade, versus the 24 million CBO estimates. The White House has made efforts to discredit the forecasts from the nonpartisan CBO.

White House officials late Monday night disputed that the document is an analysis of the bill’s coverage effects. Instead, they say it was an attempt by the OMB to predict what CBO’s scorekeepers would conclude about the GOP repeal plan.

“This is not an analysis of the bill in any way whatsoever,” White House Communications Director Michael Dubke told POLITICO. “This is OMB trying to project what CBO’s score will be using CBO’s methodology.”

According to documents viewed by POLITICO, the OMB analysis intended to assess the coverage and spending outcomes of the legislation.

The analysis found that under the American Health Care Act, the coverage losses would include 17 million for Medicaid, 6 million in the individual market and 3 million in employer-based plans.

A total of 54 million individuals would be uninsured in 2026 under the GOP plan, according to this White House analysis. That’s nearly double the number projected under current law.

The White House and congressional Republicans have aggressively sought to undercut the CBO projection by pointing to how far off its coverage estimates for the Affordable Care Act ultimately proved. The nonpartisan budget office predicted that 21 million individuals would gain coverage through the exchange markets in 2016, but only about half that many actually enrolled.

Last week, several Republican senators, expressing doubt about CBO estimates, said  OMB was expected to issue its own estimates of the plan.

“We disagree strenuously with the report that was put out,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told reporters  Monday about the CBO after leaving a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. “It’s just not believable is what we would suggest.” Price, while serving as the House Budget Committee chairman, had a role in appointing the current head of the CBO, a conservative economist.

The House bill was already under attack from very conservative members who wanted it to go further as well as moderates worried about coverage erosion, particularly in Medicaid. The CBO number made the task of passing it even more challenging.

 

[Belgium]

Also, tomorrow is Election Day in the Netherlands, for those interested in European affairs. The polling has been pretty tight between the two top contenders; current prime minister Mark Rutte's party VVD and Geert Wilders' one-man party PVV. Wilders has been leading for most of the campaign process but prime minister Rutte's handling of the Turkey controversy seems to have boosted his party's polling in the final day(s) before the election. Polling earlier this week indicated that many voters were still undecided so the final debate and the response to the Turkey controversy probably be the biggest influence for the undecided.

On the other hand, the Green Left party is also expected to make big gains from its former position thanks to their candidate Jesse Klaver. A 30 year old young charismatic and progressive candidate who is polling especially well with the younger generation. He isn't a main contender for the top but is expected to significantly increase Green Left's seats.

 

[everysingletime]

Best of luck to you

 

[gry60]

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-acti...emocrats-offer-your-own-bill-to-fix-obamacare

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Tuesday that if Democrats don't like a House bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare, they should offer their own legislation.

"if you don't like this proposal, then what's your suggestion? What's your suggestion?" he asked during a weekly Senate GOP leadership news conference.

"I'm sensing that they're just sitting back on their hands and taking great glee, great joy, out of seeing this market place of their creation melting down and people being left high and dry," he added.

This the sound of a panicked man... Looks like he can't handle the majority.

And Democrats are mostly enjoying the **** show that's unfolding and that they warned about.

They're watching with glee as the people are finding out they've been lied to and manipulated by the GOP.

 

[Mark Antony]

Dems are missing an opportunity by not putting out the right fixes for the ACA. It should be easy, just just remove all the GOP sabotage for the past 7 years. They're still letting the GOP dictate things whether it works out or not. Get in front of the public while this **** show is brewing and sell.

 

[Mr.Guy]

Carlos danger, ron mexico, and Timid Tebow are goat aliases

fixed

 

[Belgium]

Best of luck to you

Well I'm in the country below the Dutch thankfully. We don't have a Geert Wilders type (yet), at least not one that hasn't marginalized himself years ago. Our closest equivalent, Filip De Winter, played a major role in the marginalization of our far-right nationalist party Vlaams Blok in the mid 2000s. The party was indicted on racism charges and sanctioning discrimination and barred from government activities.

Forced to start a new party, which took on the name Vlaams Belang, the far-right nationalist party has been trying to crawl back up the ladder under new management but De Winter keeps dragging them back down again with controversial actions or statements. De Winter himself was one of the founding members of the newer Vlaams Belang and served as chairman for a time but due to his controversial nature, the party is now managed by a younger and far less controversial figure.

Whereas De Winter represents unapologetic racism, the new management is much more moderate, relatively speaking.

Unfortunately for Vlaams Belang, De Winter and his habitual crossing the line throughout the past decade is a permanent stain on their party and the first thing associated with the party. Until they kick him out or start fresh, they'll likely be relegated to marginalization and minimal political power for a long time.

I expected Wilders to win for most of the campaign but seeing the response to Rutte's handling of the Turkey controversy and the final debate, I think the VVD may swing some undecided voters their way and come out on top. Either way, I imagine it'll be a messy situation. Like us, the Dutch have a multi-party system so the VVD or PVV will have to form a coalition to establish the government. Wilders' PVV is literally a one-man party so the only person at the negotiation table is him. There's no other PVV members to negotiate with. Other parties have strongly condemned forming a coalition with Wilders so that presents a tricky situation.

If the PVV wins, Wilders will have a lot of trouble forming a coalition so he can govern. He has said the other parties will be forced to cooperate or the people will turn against them for not listening to the voters.

On the other hand, the same principle could also apply if Rutte's VVD wins. If Rutte forms a coalition with the other parties and does not include the PVV at the negotiation table, that could also result in mass protest from PVV voters as they would see it as shutting out the #2 party the public voted for.

So there's a lot of ways the Dutch election can go.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Well surprise, ******* surprise, some people hated universal care just because a black man was offering it.......

 

[dathbgboy]

Dems are missing an opportunity by not putting out the right fixes for the ACA. It should be easy, just just remove all the GOP sabotage for the past 7 years. They're still letting the GOP dictate things whether it works out or not. Get in front of the public while this **** show is brewing and sell.

The leadership don't get it and most are falling in line. That would be the smart and tactical thing to do. For every crazy bill being passed through the house, u present a counter or even post what your counter would be via social media. As much as we don't want it to be, social media plays a vital role in politics today.

 

[gry60]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...ns-clinic-pro-life-choice-state-a7628556.html

Federal dollars comprise nearly half of the Planned Parenthood's annual billion-dollar budget, and although government funds don't pay for abortions, the organisation is reimbursed by Medicaid for non-abortion services that it says the vast majority of clients receive. Missouri is planning to reject federal funding just to keep some of it away from Planned Parenthood, and Iowa is also considering giving up millions in federal Medicaid dollars to create a state-run family planning programme that excludes abortion providers.

US House Republicans' health care bill would freeze funding to Planned Parenthood for one year. House Speaker Paul Ryan has suggested other clinics will pick up the slack.

“It ends funding to Planned Parenthood and sends money to community centres,” Ryan said last week.

Democrats argue that other clinics are already overloaded and wouldn't be able to meet increased demand.

After Texas state funding was cut off to abortion providers in 2011, 82 family planning clinics closed in the state, a third of which were Planned Parenthood affiliates. A state report later found that 30,000 fewer women were served through a Texas women's health programme after the changes. Planned Parenthood now has 35 clinics in Texas and served more than 126,000 individual patients last year, including those seeking abortions. The state has provided no estimates of low-income women served by other clinics.

Asked whether the Heidi Group would meet the patient targets in her contract, Everett said her own goal was to serve 70,000 women.

However, “it's not as easy as it looks because we are not Planned Parenthood. We are working with private physicians and providers,” Everett said after leaving a committee hearing this week at the Texas Capitol. She said the clinics she is working with are busy seeing 40 to 50 women a day. “They don't have time to go out and do some of the things that we would really like to help them do. But we're there if they want to. And we're there when the need it. And we're in their offices and we're helping them.”

 

[rolaholic]

Of course that slimey POS Newt Gingrich wants to abolish the CBO all of a sudden, one of the only objective and nonpartisan organizations in DC

The GOP sure loved referencing the CBO when it was convenient for pushing their anti-Obamacare agenda but now that they've joined the chorus of people and organizations ******** on Trump/Ryancare, it's views are corrupt and fake news!

 

[gry60]

IRS strips tax-exempt status from Richard Spencer's white nationalist nonprofit

On Monday, Spencer said an IRS error led him to believe his group was not required to file federal tax returns, and said he would appeal the loss of his tax-exempt status.

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t want to make a comment because I don’t understand this stuff,” Spencer said in a telephone interview. “It’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s not good. We’ll figure it out.”