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The GQP: Trumpist Death Cult


Hugo Stiglitz

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7 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

Yep.

I was a George Will/Ronald Reagan/Al Laffer conservative.  I genuinely thought that if you cut taxes for the upper classes, then they would spend and invest and the economic result of that would be a net positive for the entire economy and everyone in it.  I mean, it looks good on paper.

And we tried it.  Twice.  And it didn't work.  It didn't really increase economic activity.  It certainly didn't trickle down to people in the lower socio-economic classes.  It just further enriched the already wealthy.

I'm not going to sit her and tell you that, having run an experiment twice and watching it fail, that we should continue running the experiment to see if one day it will succeed.  That's stupid.  I'm not sold on the Elizabeth Warren model.  And I'm steadfastly opposed to the Bernie Sanders model.  But it is correct to say that the Laffer model is a complete and total failure.

And I don't even think that anybody actually even believes it anymore.  It's just a bunch of rich people who want lower taxes for themselves and a bunch of rubes who have been suckered.

And then there's something darker.  

I suppose I always knew that there were racists who made up part of the Republican base.  I didn't think it was very big.  But I knew they were there.  And I was plenty happy to accept their votes because, hey--they agree with me on taxes.  And, ultimately, I thought my view on taxes helped everyone.  So who cares if they're racists if they favor economic policies that helps everyone?

But in particular, me.

That was a pretty fucking craven calculus.  It was a morally culpable one, too.  I'll get to answer for that one day.

But as it turns out, I was wrong about that, too.  The GOP wasn't a conservative party with a small racist fringe.  It was a racist party with a small conservative fringe.[/b[  I wasn't using them to enact policies I support.  Because look at the GOP budgets since forever--they never enacted conservative policies.  They were using me to enact the racist policies that they support.  And they did promulgate plenty of those.

So not only was I craven, but I was also stupid.  So that feels real great.

And that's what's left of the Republican Party.  They're a racist party.  It's fundamental to their appeal.  And there are some people left who are like I was--"I'm not a racist, but I really like lower taxes."  Those people--and there are plenty of them--are either craven or stupid or both.

Just look at their immigration policy.  Hispanics are a group that trends religious/Catholic, family centric, and small business owner yet somehow, that doesn't fit into the Republican version of America.  Why not?  Oh, that's right.  They're racist.

Edited by Aqua Buddha
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I would love to see the Ds effectively run w GoLL's post re: taxes/trickle down. No more tax cuts for the rich. We've tried that and it didn't work. The Rs have been lying to you for 3 decades, etc.

I'm sure some/most Ds have that as their platform, but I'm talking about effectively pounding that message for the next 15 months.

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Just now, Lagunamadre said:

Can somebody explain this to me? The chairman of the FEC is made about the Republicans blocking her efforts on this investigation? How can repubs do this without controlling the House? 

I looked it up and it looks like there are 4 members on that commission.  1 D, 1 Indy, and 2 Rs.

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1 minute ago, Biff Tannen said:

I looked it up and it looks like there are 4 members on that commission.  1 D, 1 Indy, and 2 Rs.

And it takes a majority vote to get something done? Seems ineffective in our current system. I'm sure Bill Barr will come in to save the day. 

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28 minutes ago, Lagunamadre said:

And it takes a majority vote to get something done? Seems ineffective in our current system. I'm sure Bill Barr will come in to save the day. 

You need 4 votes because it's supposed to be a commision of 6.

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4 hours ago, WhatTheBuck said:

Surely that can't be real. Nobody can be that dumb. 

He's compared immigrants to animals and suggested electric fences along the border on the House floor (2006) and has a Confederate flag on his desk.

636038391000105663-Steve-King-Flag-2-.JP

But don't call me Shirley.  

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The idea that Yankees and liberal opinions are destroying the South, and in this case Texas, has long been at the core of conservative politics, for as William Faulkner once said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even the past.” For many, the Civil War might as well have been yesterday.

Republicans since the ’60s have run elections on hatred of the outsider, imagined hordes of freeloaders, or merely those who are different, working up fears of roving gangs of negro youth prowling the streets in search of mischief, along with invading Mexicans who want nothing more than to drive drunk and unlicensed and run over innocent white children. Another fear that seems rampant is women wanting to have a say over their own reproductive organs, and you might as well throw in negativity toward transgender folks who would like to use public restrooms: Hard-shell Republicans prefer they go pee-less

https://www.texasobserver.org/east-texas-trump-voters-lansdale/

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The GOP is now opening the door for Soviet era Communists.  You know, stinking red commies.  It basically means that everything conservatives ever stood for from 1945 until 2012 was pointless.  Reagan wasted his time.  The geopolitcal strategy of Containment was a complete waste.  Imagine all the lives we could've saved if we had known that a major political party was going to eventually just open the doors for former KGB era Soviets.  Damn.  Give us a head up next time, guys.  

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8 minutes ago, Chooky said:

The GOP is now opening the door for Soviet era Communists.  You know, stinking red commies.  It basically means that everything conservatives ever stood for from 1945 until 2012 was pointless.  Reagan wasted his time.  The geopolitcal strategy of Containment was a complete waste.  Imagine all the lives we could've saved if we had known that a major political party was going to eventually just open the doors for former KGB era Soviets.  Damn.  Give us a head up next time, guys.  

EDC51D8A-A774-407C-8E90-2846D75EE585_zps

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5 minutes ago, Chooky said:

The GOP is now opening the door for Soviet era Communists.  You know, stinking red commies.  It basically means that everything conservatives ever stood for from 1945 until 2012 was pointless.  Reagan wasted his time.  The geopolitcal strategy of Containment was a complete waste.  Imagine all the lives we could've saved if we had known that a major political party was going to eventually just open the doors for former KGB era Soviets.  Damn.  Give us a head up next time, guys.  

GOP elevated and fell lockstep behind a loudmouth conman with the instincts of a wrestling promoter. They should never be given the benefit of the doubt or taken seriously again, nor should Republican voters ever be referred to as conservatives. Theirs is an unpatriotic self-enrichment that cares not one whit about our democracy.  

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9 minutes ago, Degenerate Gardner said:

GOP elevated and fell lockstep behind a loudmouth conman with the instincts of a wrestling promoter. They should never be given the benefit of the doubt or taken seriously again, nor should Republican voters ever be referred to as conservatives. Theirs is an unpatriotic self-enrichment that cares not one whit about our democracy.  

Yeah, I can't help but laugh when I see posters who voted for Trump saying things on this board as if they think they're serious people who anyone else takes seriously.   I just block 'em at this point.  I don't know why anyone even bothers responding to people like Onboard beyond, "you voted for Trump," which says it all.   It's like if Lyndon Larouche voters showed up.  You're a total joke, not even worth the effort of a passing thought. 

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He's compared immigrants to animals and suggested electric fences along the border on the House floor (2006) and has a Confederate flag on his desk.
636038391000105663-Steve-King-Flag-2-.JPG?width=540&height=405&fit=crop
But don't call me Shirley.  

Live free or Die sign is a nice touch. Should have an asterisk.
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58 minutes ago, Mojo Hand said:

Yeah, I can't help but laugh when I see posters who voted for Trump saying things on this board as if they think they're serious people who anyone else takes seriously.

I’m telling you, these motherfuckers are walking, breathing examples of the Dunning-Kruger effect.

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On 8/16/2019 at 2:35 PM, WhatTheBuck said:

Okay, it was akin to saying "some Jews" have hypnotized the world. Israel is a political entity. Not all Jews were in favor of its creation because of how it was created. Not all Jews - Israeli, American, or otherwise -- support the right-wing policies of the Netanyahu government. Don't confuse the government with the religion. 

I don’t think you can fault people for taking him at his word. 

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8 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:


Yeah that’s worth a donation

Like I said- she’s a better candidate than Beto against Cornyn and maybe better, period.

Better how?

She lost her district by over 8000 and he lost it by just over 3000. So 5000 or so voters split their ticket.

If MJ does not do a much better job campaigning this time on a much bigger scale, she could lose a state race by 500,000. It could be more like the last governor's race than the Senate race.

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Better how?
She lost her district by over 8000 and he lost it by just over 3000. So 5000 or so voters split their ticket.
If MJ does not do a much better job campaigning this time on a much bigger scale, she could lose a state race by 500,000. It could be more like the last governor's race than the Senate race.

Are you joking? She over-performed by like 12% in a 64-36 R district and they had heavier turnout then the Presidential year. She flipped like 1/8 of the Republican voters AND turned the D base out.
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59 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:


Are you joking? She over-performed by like 12% in a 64-36 R district and they had heavier turnout then the Presidential year. She flipped like 1/8 of the Republican voters AND turned the D base out.

For the most part it was Beto who flipped the voters and turned out the base as shown by his better numbers.

People did not walk up to vote thinking "I am such a big supporter of MJ that I think I will vote for Beto too"

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9 hours ago, cactusflinthead said:

The idea that Yankees and liberal opinions are destroying the South, and in this case Texas, has long been at the core of conservative politics, for as William Faulkner once said, “The past is never dead. It’s not even the past.” For many, the Civil War might as well have been yesterday.

Republicans since the ’60s have run elections on hatred of the outsider, imagined hordes of freeloaders, or merely those who are different, working up fears of roving gangs of negro youth prowling the streets in search of mischief, along with invading Mexicans who want nothing more than to drive drunk and unlicensed and run over innocent white children. Another fear that seems rampant is women wanting to have a say over their own reproductive organs, and you might as well throw in negativity toward transgender folks who would like to use public restrooms: Hard-shell Republicans prefer they go pee-less

https://www.texasobserver.org/east-texas-trump-voters-lansdale/

Texas Government: “Hey!  All you companies in California, the Pacific Northwest, Florida, and New England, you need to come to Texas where it’s much friendlier for businesses than those other states!”

Texas Republicans: “Hey, what the fuck man, you brought your employees from those states as well and they are voting, that wasn’t part of the bargain!”

Edited by atomheartbevo
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For the most part it was Beto who flipped the voters and turned out the base as shown by his better numbers.
People did not walk up to vote thinking "I am such a big supporter of MJ that I think I will vote for Beto too"

Yeah, Ray, no.
Hager crushed it and as often as not the Beto people were following her lead in 31. Their campaigns worked extremely tightly and coordinated to a greater extent than Beto’s team did with TDP (that’s a good thing). Beto’s campaign was very well done statewide, but anybody who says she rode his coattails in TX-31 doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.
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2 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:


Yeah, Ray, no.
Hager crushed it and as often as not the Beto people were following her lead in 31. Their campaigns worked extremely tightly and coordinated to a greater extent than Beto’s team did with TDP (that’s a good thing). Beto’s campaign was very well done statewide, but anybody who says she rode his coattails in TX-31 doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.

My point was not that she rode his coattails but that she is nowhere near as good a campaigner and will lose the Senate race by significantly worse than he did. 

That is unless the presidential ticket has long coattails she can ride.

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  • Hugo Stiglitz changed the title to The GQP: Trumpist Death Cult


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