Riding Her Momentum, VP Harris Toys with Rolling Out Her Putrid Ideas
[guest post by JVW]
Now that Kamala Harris has spent the last twenty-four days avoiding having to stake out any positions on hot-button issues, buttressed along by a compliant media which is content to honor her vow of silence at least until the Democrats convene in Chicago next week, the current Vice-President apparently feels comfortable that she can tease out some of her dumbest ideas. Behold:
On Friday in North Carolina, Vice President Harris intends to announce a plan to prevent corporations in the food and grocery industries from unfairly jacking up prices on consumers, by imposing the first-ever federal ban on corporate price-gouging in these industries.
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) August 15, 2024
I’m not going to waste anybody’s time explaining why price controls, even those described as anti-“price gouging,” are such a horrible idea and what the quite foreseeable unforeseen consequences of this nonsense are. I know that most readers here (with a few notable exceptions) understand this fully. But for as ridiculous as the policy is, this likely represents moderately smart politics. Among the shrinking number of undecided voters, I would hazard a guess that a majority of them actually do believe that a “ban” on “price-gouging” is workable and wise. And this sort of cynical pandering is a way to deflect attention from the fact that inflation has run rampant during the Biden years. Sure, some of that is the inevitable supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, but it has become more and more clear even among progressives that the Democrats’ obsession with haphazardly throwing around fiat money has exacerbated the problem.
Perhaps Team Kamala is counting on the Council of Economic Advisors or even skittish Congressional Democrats to put the kibosh on price controls should she be elected, or at the very least to undermine them in such a way that they serve as nothing more than a harmless PR stunt designed to impress the mush-minds. But as we start to hear more policy prescriptions from the Democrat ticket, it will likely be quite difficult for them to restrain their inner Naderism and hostility to certain forms of capitalism. A competent and thoughtful Republican nominee could do a lot of damage pointing out the folly of these harebrained schemes, but alas, that’s not whom the GOP chose to nominate this year. So much the worse.
– JVW
Starting the new week off with a fresh post!
JVW (061960) — 8/14/2024 @ 10:20 pmWhy stop at food? Let’s freeze the price of everything! Then we can raise the minimum wage to $100 an hour. That’ll show those greedy capitalists! They have plenty of money. It’s time they started sharing it.
There will be no downsides to this. None.
norcal (ae882a) — 8/14/2024 @ 10:32 pmAs long as she is not a zombie like biden her voters don’t care they are voting against dump and j.d. what ever his last name is this week.
asset (0b2880) — 8/14/2024 @ 10:53 pmShades of Richard Nixon.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/14/2024 @ 11:28 pmThe party line has been that so-called “inflation” was really corporate greed, with big companies jacking up prices “because they could.”
That worldview denies the Invisible Hand and most all of capitalist economic theory. It’s all just “excess profits” that should be constrained by government and redistributed to the People.
Just read some Thomas Pikkety. The last 200 years has been an illusion.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/14/2024 @ 11:32 pmCalifornia has been preventing price gouging in gas prices for some time now.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/14/2024 @ 11:34 pmWhy stop at food? Let’s freeze the price of everything!
National rent control cannot be far behind.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/14/2024 @ 11:36 pmCrazy thing, if it wasn’t for Trump, she’d not be winning.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 8/14/2024 @ 11:42 pmEvidence of success? The only price gouging in California’s gasoline market is by the the state itself with its taxes-60 cents per gallon (which increases each year to keep up with inflation), plus sales taxes and the federal fuel tax of 18 cents per gallon. At $5 per gallon, $1.21 includes all taxes and fees paid by the customer, which is more than the refiners profit margin of $1.01 per gallon.
I’m not even sure what “price gouging” is-businesses should be able to take advantage of market fluctuations to enhance their profits, no matter the industry. One company’s “price gouging” is another company’s attempt to recoup its costs.
Rip Murdock (dbc1a6) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:10 amThe invisible hand has been cut off before. Affordable housing is a problem for both parties for different reason. Nobody in either donor class likes manufactured housing and trailer parks. I think bubba came from one. If the left will get on board (they want every to live in an apartment) with candidates. This is why I am a non-exploitive capitalist and not a socialist. Food affordability can be helped out.
asset (0b2880) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:39 amNo one wants to hear that inflation is primarily a monetary phenomenon that the fed must patiently address. So we get price controls or drill-baby-drill. Cutting subsidies (spending) is another option but, during an election year, you got to be kidding me.
I don’t think we will see many great ideas over the next few months from either side. There will be a lot of hyperbole and accusations and not much hard honesty. Our electorate can’t handle the truth. They’re ok with sweet little lies.
Ultimately this election is going to be about old-fashioned likability. Younger and good humored vs older and angry. Whoever said whichever party drops their fossil candidate first has the edge was correct. Harris remains a weak candidate in my opinion….if we had a normal election. This ain’t normal. Trump is abnormal. His only chance was geriatric Joe and his shuffling, mumbling, and stumbling. Now Trump has to demonstrate that he knows something. He doesn’t. He only wants to entertain crowds by being weirdly outrageous. That keeps the base but those persuadable are tired of the act.
Harris can still self immolate in the debates or in a high-profile interview. But that may be her last hurdle.
AJ_Liberty (8f02b6) — 8/15/2024 @ 4:44 amDumb on stilts. Groceries are already a super-competitive low-margin business.
Paul Montagu (3a363e) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:18 amIt’d be smarter if she could put affordable care into the badly named Affordable Care Act.
Evidence of success?
Sarcasm, Rip. Every time prices get over $5 or so, the Democrats start another “investigation” of price gouging. When in fact the prices are the result of their own actions.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:17 amBTW, taxes are not all that drives the price up. The special blend CA requires is only made in CA, making them a captive market. Even without taxes this adds 50 cents to a dollar to the price, depending on demand.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:23 amAffordable housing is a problem for both parties for different reason
Mainly because of housing suppression by the regulatory state. Sure, putting up a 6-story apartment building in the middle of single-family houses gets unanimous local opposition, but even in a business district people complain. And government seems to be a complaint-enabler. Worse, some governments prefer state-run construction which is always more expensive and less satisfying.
The only thing that does not require a permit is doing nothing, so there is a lot of that.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:29 amWhoever said whichever party drops their fossil candidate first has the edge was correct.
That was Nikki, and she reminded everyone of it a few days ago.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:30 am@JVW… it’s not surprising.
VP Dome is a tyrant who’s not afraid to routinely abuse her powers.
Her VP pick, Gov. Stolen Valor is an absolute terror of a of COVIDIAN Tyrant.
There are ample evidence of this and its no surprise they’re advocating to “throw around” the weight of the government to pander an asinine solution.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:40 am@11
You need the whole kitchen sink approach to this, not to just rely on the feds.
The “drill, baby, drill” is about unlocking our oil/gas resources to drive down overall costs in the economy. Most people don’t realize how influential “oil” is… just about everything in our economy is impacted by the high prices of oil.
Then the elephant in the room is overall government spending. That’s the main driver of inflation. I suspect that we won’t ever see Congress get serious about this, unless we’re looking over the edge of the abyss (and maybe not even then!).
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:46 amI don’t get VP Dome??
Time123 (f28ba8) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:56 amI’m more interested in the “how” than the “what” being proposed. The “what” is stupid — sounds like Ted Kennedy circa 1979 complaining about Jimmy Carter conservatism. In most cases, voting against Kamela would be a no-brainer because her proposals are no-brain in evidence. Alas, MAGA wants its social conservatism imposed on everyone without much social consent, so we get — oh never mind…
I am curious what Kamela claims she can do to implement this stuff. Executive order? Regulation? A bill in congress? The EO is likely illegal but the only way to get something done quickly (until the Courts cancel it). The legislation approach means that we can ignore the proposal, because it will never happen. The regulation approach will be subject to court challenge and will take forever and won’t go into effect because inflation will likely abate because of the Fed and people spending money in cheaper places.
We have meme politics and gotcha politics and a political world where nothing said is intended to mean very much, but appeal to the feelies. Such governance as we get is often on auto-pilot and terribly status quo. People who support limited gvernment are ideologically better equipped to address the problems of bloated government and the bloated self-regard of our politicians. But neither MAGA or the Democrats want anything to do with limiting government. Leaving us old Reagan supporters with our yellowing political clippings and fading memories of how things could be.
Appalled (b6f01f) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:10 am@19
Search for “dome” in Urban dictionary.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:31 am😂
@20
What we’ve learned in the Biden/Harris administration is that you can advance an EO that’s favorable to their base, even if it gets overturned by the courts eventually as a ‘good thing’ because all of those months that it took to litigate that EO… the base “got something”, even temporarily.
Case example: The rent moratoriam and some of the school loans. Once the courts stopped it, there’s no mechanism to “recoup” the cost automatically. The injured party would have to go back into court to try doing so, if they have standing (which may end up being more expensive).
So, people should be terrified when President Dome has the power of the presidency to push her radical commie policies.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:35 amWere we expecting smart nuanced economic ideas from a ticket and a party for whom the private sector may as well be a hostile foreign country? Walz is a fan of socialism, as is Harris if the media was in the mood to coax the truth out of her. Those who vote for this are civic disasters.
lloyd (aa1852) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:36 amKind of gross to call her president blow job. Especially since Trumps sex crimes and infidelities never seemed to earn your ire. You really couldn’t find a better way to insult her than to call her slutty?
Time123 (996efa) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:38 amThis policy is horrible.
Limited resources have to be rationed somehow. If it can’t be price it becomes something else. If you think greed is driving prices up the better solution is to reduce barriers to competition. But neither party is much interested in market based solutions when they have a chance to throw red meat to their idiot bases.
Time123 (996efa) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:40 amHer VP pick, Gov. Stolen Valor is an absolute terror of a of COVIDIAN Tyrant.
This is the kind of Trumpian rhetoric that repels most people.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:46 amIt doesn’t really connect with me but a lot of my friends on Social media seem to love this kind of thing.
Time123 (996efa) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:50 amMAGA wants its social conservatism imposed on everyone without much social consen
I’m curious about this. While a lot of social conservatives join MAGA, Trump himself does not seem all that interested. He supported Obergefell, for instance. His new platform ignores gay marriage and abortion, two key elements of social conservatism. His main attraction is that he is not anti-Christian, something the Democrats struggle with.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:50 amIt doesn’t really connect with me but a lot of my friends on Social media seem to love this kind of thing.
The average IQ is 100.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:54 am@24
Nope. Perfect nickname for her who largely got onto the political scene with her, um, dome skills.
This was something that shocked me – – I have a few women on my life who works in the touch business world, and they resent her for that. Those women, were accused (either outright or subliminally) that they only got to were they at by “other” skills (which they resolutely objected).
So, next time when you hear or see a woman in the office who makes sure they they’re not alone with a male colleague, or tries to, its because of that insinuation.
So. No. It’s not gross. Its probably the most apt description since Orange Man Bad descriptor.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:59 am@24
The claims of treason, insurrection or trying to abuse the 14th Amendment repels me.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:00 amSays more about you than it does about her IMO. But if you think saying she got where she is because of who she slept with is a winning strategy you have the right to do that.
Time123 (996efa) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:06 amGov. Walz did tyrant things during the covid shutdown.
Gov. Walz did embellish / outright lied about his service.
VP Harris did get her political start by being the side chick of a very influential SF political figure.
VP Harris expouses communistic and Marxist principles… routinely.
But for political consumption… all of that is too wordy for the masses.
Politics is about “soundbites” and “snapshots”…. fit per tweet or tick tock post.
So, yes, we do devolve down to pithy nicknames:
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:06 amVP Dome™
Gov. Stolen Valor™
@32
Should I be heartbroken about this?
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:08 am@32 But if you want more substantive discussion… then this story should signal to the voters how economically illiterate she is.
Most people knows that price controls is intuitively counter-productive and GOP should be hammering Democrats to defend it.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:12 amI’d go with President Border Chaos and VP Lockdown Socialist, but guessing Time123 would object to that too.
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:22 amLook at this:
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/vance-walz-supports-taking-children-from-parents-who-oppose-gender-reassignment/
We could go with President/VP Kidnappers.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:26 amlloyd —
Go with Border Czar and her faithful sidekick Coach COVID
Appalled (b6f01f) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:35 amWhembly, I like you. I mean it. I really do. I disagree with you a lot, but I like you. So when I saw you making what was in my opinion a mistake that was out of character I said something and told you why I was. I’m not trying to control, I’m just sharing how it looks to me. You’re not supposed to be heartbroken and it’s far from the biggest deal in the world. Take my words as you like.
I completely agree that this position is economically illiterate and likely aimed more at assuring her idiot base that she will use her to office not only to make their lives better but to punish the big companies they feel have wronged them.
Time123 (f28ba8) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:47 am@36, No objection to that. I think they’re clunky and boring but no objections.
Time123 (f28ba8) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:48 am@38, Coach Covid made me laugh. I like that one. Srgnt Covid would also be a good one and evoke how strict and ham fisted he was.
Time123 (f28ba8) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:49 amPerformance EOs aren’t limited to Biden/Harris. Trump’s EOs regarding citizenship status questions on the census, bans on transgenders in the military, banning sanctuary cities from receiving federal funding, cancelling DACA, the initial travel ban on Muslim countries, etc. were all blocked to one extent or another.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:55 amIt’s funny how fascist, racist, etc. pejoratives get thrown around we ease when MAGA is the target and no one bats an eye, but when it’s Harris-Walz people bow up.
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:02 amJust following Trump’s lead. Not surprised.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:03 am*with ease
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:04 am@40 Yes, clunky and boring which is why some folks go with other labels to get you all excited and worked up.
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:04 amLloyd, You have a really low bar for “blow up”. Also, what do you think about Aphreal’s suggestion of Coach Covid or my idea of Srgnt Covid?
Come on man, you can’t fairly complain that no one wants to make fun of Harris / Walz and ignore our doing so in the same thread.
Time123 (f28ba8) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:05 amNope. Perfect nickname for her who largely got onto the political scene with her, um, dome skills.
Heading pretty deep into incel territory here. Men who deride women for giving blowjobs never get any.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:10 amI’d go with the Neighborly Ninnies.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:16 amlloyd,
You can be funny, and even nasty, and be linked to the substance of the policies you hate. Whembly’s are just personal attacks. For example:
BORDER CZAR: Hey Coach! I need some sidekick help!
COACH: I just checked the oil on you car just 5 minutes ago! Is the antifreeze low?
BORDER CZAR: No, no. That media is saying to be a border Czar I actually have to go to the border!
COACH: Why do you care? You never talk to the media.
BORDER CZAR: But it’s messing up my vibes…
etc..
Appalled (b6f01f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:17 amMy bad. Since you seem to know everything going on in California, I assumed you were familiar with their gas price gouging and transparency law, which has been in effect for just a year.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:19 amSo, they made their fraud official?
I have a new term to use: “Tax gouging.”
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:22 amBTW, the actual taxes+fees take on the $4.49 July price is $1.41 according to that link.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:27 amMore government price controls:
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:27 am@47 OMG BORRRING! I’m going with Hairy-Balz and you guys can just suck it.
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:28 amI used a different source for the $5 per gallon calculation.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:28 amStill, California gas prices are high due to excessive regulation and non-tariff barriers to out-of-state gas. Price regulation there does not mean anything for freer markets. Why did the price of fresh fish rise 9.3% in 2022 and double since 2000?
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:32 am@55, that’s actually not bad.
Time123 (fbfc2e) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:33 amBTW, I used a Walzism on my local Nextdoor feed. Discussing HOAs, I suggested that the weed police were just neighbors being neighborly.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:34 am@55, that’s actually not bad.
Well, it beats Weiner-Spitzer.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:35 am@56: As I thought. In any event it’s worse since the $1.04 retained by the industry includes all costs (refineries, transportation, slalaries, benefits, station costs, overhead and all taxes incurred on operations). Profit seems far less than $1.04.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:48 amI’m looking forward to Trump using VP Dome at the debate.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 10:07 amIts probably the most apt description since Orange Man Bad descriptor.
As much as I liked “Roy Cohn’s slicked up boy toy” at the time, I now prefer “Donnie Two Inch” because it can mean anything the listener wants it to mean.
nk (1b34ef) — 8/15/2024 @ 10:46 amCandidate pu**y grabber doesn’t have much of a “leg” to stand on. (according to Stormy).
JRH (489761) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:09 pm#64
A better woman would not have deigned to notice something so insignificant.
Appalled (88a1a3) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:24 pmJVW, this is in fact terrible policy. It’s in the same vein as “Exempt tips from taxes” that somehow is now both of our candidates preferred plan. Populist tripe is where our country is at right now.
Nate (be5ee2) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:24 pmNate speaks Truth.
Time123 (fbfc2e) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:29 pmIt is almost impossible to remember a time when the country was being lied to about the president’s health..
The Age of The Adults-In-The-Room
Definitely a better place.
BuDuh (7c46a5) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:33 pmAfter 25 days Harris finally takes questions!!
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:36 pmBiden Bummed To Realize That All He Had To Do To Stay In Race Was Not Show Up To Debate And Never Speak To Reporters Ever
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:39 pmCrazy thing, if it wasn’t for Trump, she’d not be winning.
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 8/15/2024 @ 12:51 pm#68 Brush up on your history. Google JFK, Woodrow Wilson and Grover Cleveland. Some would also say Reagan, but I am not part of that some. Plus there is the documented drug abuse courtesy of Ronnie Jackson during Trump’s presidency.
Appalled (1d7a29) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:06 pm@44
Bruh…giving nicknames to politicians didn’t start with Trump.
whembly (1e0f6a) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:12 pm> Bruh…giving nicknames to politicians didn’t start with Trump.
I think we’d be hard pressed to find a major party presidential candidate who used nicknames the way Trump did, before Trump did it, though.
aphrael (9c2ac5) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:16 pm@48 Heading pretty deep into incel territory here. Men who deride women for giving blowjobs never get any.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:10 am
whembly (1e0f6a) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:16 pmLOL…I showed this to my wife.
And she said, “Kevin gets me.”
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:19 pmThis is a good example of why I could never use the blocking script on you, Appalled.
BuDuh (7c46a5) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:24 pm@71 “Crazy thing, if it wasn’t for Trump, she’d not be winning”
Klink, who wouldn’t vote for Cruz or DeSantis or Paul either, keeps peddling his moby schtick.
lloyd (241faf) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:36 pmAfter 25 days Harris finally takes questions!!
The “interview” with Walz sounds so ridiculously scripted and manipulative. Apparently Tim Walz talks about how difficult it was to lose his father to cancer at age 19, and then Kamala Harris follows up by talking about how losing her mother to cancer at age 40-something just wrecked her entire world. Because in this stupid age sharing your sob stories somehow safeguards you from close scrutiny of your record or your ideas. We’re running a “vibes” election this time around, don’t you know.
JVW (293b7e) — 8/15/2024 @ 1:45 pmBiden Bummed To Realize That All He Had To Do To Stay In Race Was Not Show Up To Debate And Never Speak To Reporters Ever
Trump bummed to realize that his insistence on an early debate allowed Biden to weasel out. If that debate had happened in mid-September, the Democrats would be SOL.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 2:19 pm@72: Also, Nixon’s drinking.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 2:20 pmThe number of voters who will sit still for a discussion of economics or national security is minimal. They want to be entertained, or at least hear that someone else is going to get it in the shorts.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 2:23 pmKlink, who wouldn’t vote for Cruz or DeSantis or Paul either, keeps peddling his moby schtick.
Trump is the worst candidate I have ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of poor candidates.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 2:25 pmI’m voting for Trump for one reason: judges. On that, he’s been the best president in many decades.
lloyd (162d65) — 8/15/2024 @ 2:28 pmI wouldn’t vote for Harris if the alternative were Cruz/desantis/rand Paul.
Time123 (479a85) — 8/15/2024 @ 2:41 pmI’m voting for Trump for one reason: judges. On that, he’s been the best president in many decades.
lloyd (162d65) — 8/15/2024 @ 2:28 pm
He appointed some good judges. However, I’m not so sure he will continue to do so. I don’t think he likes it that some of the judges he appointed rejected his bogus election lawsuits.
I suspect he will emphasize personal loyalty if he is in a position to nominate judges again. And, if the Senate is Republican, GOP Senators will be too afraid of him to push back.
norcal (a4d271) — 8/15/2024 @ 3:20 pmNasty nicknames is a Trump hallmark.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 3:46 pmWhat’s worse is Trump’s idea to “exempt Social Security benefits from taxes,” as these taxes are used to shore up the SS Trust Fund. In 2019 this amounted to $36.5B for the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) trust funds. The forgone taxes would need to be replaced by something.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 4:05 pmMy brother passed away last night, not exactly from pancreatic cancer, but from complications from surgery which he had over a year ago. The situation was never really stabilized. He had a procedure to remove stents near the pancreas August 6. He spent a long time in the hospital in 2023 starting sometime after the operation as blood was spilling into the cavity but that time he eventually got out..
The surgery was considered risky but the surgeon was considered the best for this type of surgery. With a 2% death rate on the operating table. The problem was messing up the blood vessels. Surgeries don’t need to be approved by the FDA and you get good results and bad results from that.
Everything depends on the quality of the thinking. All through the medical treatment in fact. Last time they resolved this by doing something they had previously ruled out.
Everything depends on the quality of the thinking. All through the medical treatment, Last time they resolved this by doing something they had previously ruled out.
This is to tell you that I will be missing from this forum most of next week, but I am OK..
Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 8/15/2024 @ 4:16 pmMy condolences, Sammy. God bless his memory. Long life to you and all your and your brother’s loved ones.
nk (e8d7c4) — 8/15/2024 @ 4:33 pmI’m sorry to hear about your brother’s demise, Sammy.
norcal (a4d271) — 8/15/2024 @ 4:34 pmWhat’s worse is Trump’s idea to “exempt Social Security benefits from taxes,” as these taxes are used to shore up the SS Trust Fund. In 2019 this amounted to $36.5B for the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability Insurance (DI) trust funds. The forgone taxes would need to be replaced by something.
I would be more convinced if the taxes on SS benefits went ENTIRELY to the SS Trust fund. Only half do now. Perhaps that would get some old folks’ attention.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:12 pmCondolences, Sammy. Pancreatic cancer is hard to treat and sometimes the choice is between terrible and less-terrible.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:14 pmMy condolences, Sammy.
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:36 pmOh, no, Sammy, that’s terrible news. My condolences, and may your family heal and find peace.
aphrael (9c2ac5) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:39 pm@87
Sure… so his opponents calling him Orange Cheeto, insurrectionist, Donald Dump and so one.
It’s a poo-flinging contest.
Unfortunately both sides are wallowing in it.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:44 pmNone of which connote sexual acts.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:46 pm@89 Sammy Finkelman (e4ef09) — 8/15/2024 @ 4:16 pm
Sammy… you have my sincere condolences.
May God bless you and your family in these times.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:46 pm> Unfortunately both sides are wallowing in it.
Prior to 2016 you’d have seen people online wallowing in this sort of nonsense but you would not have seen a *presidential candidate* engaging in it.
The shift to it being an acceptable thing for candidates to do started with Trump, who just did it and paid no price for it.
aphrael (9c2ac5) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:47 pmBut hey, whatever gets you….. you know.
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:47 pm@97
And?
What makes nickname work if there’s an element of truth.
‘Tis why you and other are reacting in such a way.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:48 pmI’m reacting that way because it is disgusting to refer to anyone in those terms. It just shows, like Trump, an inability to argue the issues without vulgarity. But if that’s all you got……..
Rip Murdock (d2a2a8) — 8/15/2024 @ 5:54 pmI am so sorry for your loss, Sammy. May the memory of the righteous be a blessing.
DRJ (56b5a2) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:02 pm@99
Maybe in modern times, we don’t expect our candidates to fling poo like this. But, historically, it’s always been du jour in politics. It gave rise to the phrase “yellow” journalism. Politician dueled over these kinds of things.
You still haven’t fully understood “how” Trump happened. And I’m not just talking about the rabid, die-hard MAGA-ites.
The times between… maybe Nixon to GWB, the GOP presidents often refrain from personally flinging poo, instead relied on allies to fight those dirty PR campaigns.
It really came to head during GWB years, as he would simply turn the other cheek…much to the dismay of many of his supporters. Things were really nasty at that time.
McCain sorta stood up to himself, but he simply got walloped from the Obama machine. Then the quintessential milquetoast politician that is Mitt Romney, staying within the four corners of the Marquis of Queensbury’s rules couldn’t handle the nastiness flung his way during his campaign. (throw grandma off the cliff and “binders of woman” as a pejorative)
The very basic reason why Trump was/is a thing, is that he “fights”. I’ll conceded that most of the time, it’s aggravating and self-defeating. But, there are times that it works to his favor that voters/supporters recognize. When he ran for 2016, he faced massive poo flung in his direction and he simply turned it right back at the poo-flinger ten-fold.
The other “good” thing that he “fights” is the Kavanaugh hearing whereby he stood by Justice Kavanaugh , when if it were any other GOP president, I doubt that person would’ve dug in. To certain extent, same could be said of Trump’s pick of Justice Barrett on the rapid nomination process before the 2020 election.
I get that we want a world whereby our politicians would “rise above” the poo-flinging exercise.
But that’s not reality, especially during out inter-connected society with social media being the catalyst of news consumption.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:04 pm@102
See @104.
Never pegged you being so thin skinned.
Duly noted. Imma have fun with ya.
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:06 pmSorry, but I was raised to treat people with respect, no matter what. I doubt you would find any post that I wrote using any name but Trump-no Orange Man Bad, etc.
But if you want to be the name-calling third grader here, be my guest.
Rip Murdock (dbc1a6) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:19 pmWhembly, all you need to do is look at how many times Rip lectured nk for inappropriate vulgarity.
LOL!
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:19 pm“Trump-no Orange Man Bad” is not third grade “name-calling.”
Hahahahahaha!!!
Is this making any sense?
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:22 pmI have a comment explaining my 6:22 but it is stuck in moderation. I am not sure why.
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:25 pm@106
LOL!
whembly (477db6) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:26 pmIt had to do with grammar and hyphens and semi-colons.
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:26 pm“Loving” vulgarity is not being vulgar. Got it. I guess that is how you were raised, Rip.
Look in the mirror, bud, I think your halo has faded.
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:33 pmSo many people don’t love Donnie!
SO UNFAIR!
nk (e65ff5) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:39 pmSome real respect there.
Probably hyperbole? Go ahead. That is a good excuse. Give is a shot!
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:39 pmHe is such a sensitive child and so misunderstood!
nk (e65ff5) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:41 pmThe very basic reason why Trump was/is a thing, is that he “fights”. I’ll conceded that most of the time, it’s aggravating and self-defeating.
Yosemite Sam never won a single cartoon.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:43 pmComplete and total respect, like mama teaches.
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:46 pmI’m sure that Rip will show the same respect to Harris that he showed to Haley.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:57 pmHere is a winner, although it isn’t the usual vulgar appreciation Rip shows:
LOL!!!
Enough fun for the night. 😃
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 6:58 pmRip, your average of 614 comments on every thread that play comment cop makes it very easy to spot your hypocrisy. Well.. except for you. You don’t seem to notice.
Later.
BuDuh (3299b7) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:02 pmplay comment cop
Heh! That was from the guy who immediately preceding posted a comment Rip made on 11/29/2021.
SO HOLIER THAN THOU!
nk (e65ff5) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:23 pmAs Rip will tell you, *I* am the comment cop, so STOP. If you don’t, I’ll say “STOP” again!
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:29 pmnk (e65ff5) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:23 pm
How is that even possible? How much devotion is needed to collect and cross-reference mean things people say about Donnie?
nk (a2fa86) — 8/15/2024 @ 7:42 pmHow much devotion is needed to collect and cross-reference mean things people say about Donnie?
Don’t worry. Trump has a building full of minions doing that now.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:05 pmNot yet at least, but in the fullness of time…
Colonel Klink (ret) (96f56a) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:47 pmVery sorry to hear about your brother, Sammy. Here’s wishing you and your family comfort and warm memories.
JVW (03ae6d) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:47 pmSammy, very sorry to hear about your brother. Your family is in my prayers.
Dustin (17fa6d) — 8/15/2024 @ 8:48 pm@Sammy I’m sorry about your brother.
Nic (120c94) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:28 pmBest wishes to your family Sammy. RIP to your brother.
NJRob (5fdc89) — 8/15/2024 @ 9:29 pmTrump was given a huge chance by Elon Musk to speak to all of America rather than to another arena of 50,000 of his biggest fans.
Musk tried to prompt Trump to have a substantive conversation about immigration, the economy and Trump was too dumb to take the prompts, instead Trump rehashed yesterdays stale rally points.
He needs to pick up 100,000s of undecided voters in swing states to win, and I’ve seen nothing that shows me Trump knows how to reach those voters other than as a repellant.
Trump’s go to red meat lines at his rallies seem to be losing him votes.
I could be wrong. Maybe out of those 50,000 rally attendees, 10% are new voters and 5% are undecided. Nah- Trump is preaching to the choir and turning undecided voters into Harris voters
steveg (d5ec14) — 8/15/2024 @ 10:26 pmSammy, I’m very sorry to hear about your brother. Will pray for you and your family.
Time123 (8a5ae0) — 8/16/2024 @ 3:44 amsteveg, you are not wrong. It adoration he seeks. Luckily for him, Harris is no better, preaching to her own choir. Unluckily for him, the media will carry its own message in support of Harris and they have far more experience at manipulating the Center.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/16/2024 @ 6:21 am@104, Whembly, everyone knows that. Trump ‘fights’ on twitter and his aggrieved base delights in seeing someone give voice to their hurt feelings.
Time123 (46d0f4) — 8/16/2024 @ 6:32 amI believe that the reason Trump asked for an early debate is that the phony-baloney primary had not convinced the oddsmakers — the big donors and party organizers — that he could beat Biden in the general election. And it still left him where he was because the Democrats pulled Biden out.
nk (494385) — 8/16/2024 @ 6:34 amThe Republicans can raise the finger, but they cannot hide behind it.
People see that the Democrats chose not to foist an infirm old man on America, while the Republicans still peddle their threadbare retread.
nk (494385) — 8/16/2024 @ 6:41 am@134 Trump did not ask for an early debate. The Democrats laid down all the terms — number of debates, dates, format, networks — and he went along, because he’s a dictator.
Had Biden adopted the Harris bunker strategy of no debates and no interviews, he’d still be in the race and folks like nk and Time123 would still be supporting him.
lloyd (e2e6a0) — 8/16/2024 @ 7:16 amLloyd, You keep confusing “voting for the least bad candidate” with “support”. Why? What have I ever said that makes your think I view a Harris presidency as a /good/ thing? Was it on this thread when I said her policy was horrible and she was throwing Red meat to her idiot base? Was it when I said I wouldn’t vote for her if any of the other GOp candidates you listed were the nominee?
I make plenty of comments that you can disagree with, why do you keep disagreeing with things I haven’t actually said?
Time123 (e56ee2) — 8/16/2024 @ 7:26 am@137 If you vote for a candidate, you support that candidate. Everyone votes for a least bad candidate in this election. I didn’t vote for Trump in the primary. That doesn’t change the truth captured in my comment.
Not only would you vote for and support Biden, you would think he was mentally fit because the bubble media told you so. Sorry, that’s just the truth.
lloyd (e2e6a0) — 8/16/2024 @ 7:33 amHere your definition of support includes voting for a candidate when:
-disliking them on a personal level.
-disliking most of their policies.
-disliking their governing philosophy.
-hoping that they are mostly unsuccessful in implementing their agenda.
That’s a weird definition of support.
Here you accurately separate ‘vote for’ and ‘support’.
Seems like you haven’t really worked out a consistent position. Which provides an answer to my initial question. You’re disagreeing with things I didn’t actually say because you’re confused.
Time123 (46d0f4) — 8/16/2024 @ 7:55 amSo, lloyd, your vote is a grudging one for the least bad candidate, but Time is expressing heartfelt agreement with his vote? This deserves mocking.
Kevin M (a9545f) — 8/16/2024 @ 7:56 amLloyd, Thank you for taking the time to answer.
Time123 (46d0f4) — 8/16/2024 @ 7:56 am@140 I’m voting for and therefore supporting Trump. Time123 is voting for and therefore supporting Biden/Harris. Better? Thought that was clear in my comment, but I’ll take the L on lucidity. Mock away if that gets your rocks off.
lloyd (961fee) — 8/16/2024 @ 8:18 amWe just got through a candidate in Biden about whom the truth was concealed and the bubble media went along with it. Instead of the lesson learned being that knowing the full truth about a candidate is a good thing for the country, what we’ve apparently learned is to not let the any truth get out at all. No interviews, no debates, no direct engagement with voters. This and the anointment/coronation without a single vote is very Soviet-esque. But it’s working… so thumbs up! It wouldn’t be working if people weren’t okay with it, and the fact that so many seem okay with it should frighten the hell out of us.
lloyd (961fee) — 8/16/2024 @ 8:30 am@142, guess we just disagree that voting for a candidate automatically means supporting that candidate and their goals. Once she prevents Trump from being president by lawfully winning the election I hope she fails at most of what she wants to do and have no problem saying so.
Time123 (a69ea6) — 8/16/2024 @ 9:45 am