Day: January 26, 2017

Closing Thought–26Jan17

It’s all that voter fraud!

If one wants to know what is on the mind of those Right wing dillies without having to brows the gambit of sites then pick one Right wing blog to follow and read…..once you have read that blog no need to go any further….why?  Because whatever you read is the talking point of the day in the world of the Alt Right and the sheeple follow.

Since Trump made his infamous statement that there were 3-5 million votes by those people not qualified to vote…..massive fraud and they all voted for Clinton (the odds are pretty staggering of this)…….this is a lame attempt to explain away the almost 3 million popular votes that went to Clinton…..

To further this pipe dream Trump is calling for a massive investigation into the “voter fraud”……

President Trump isn’t just doubling down on his claims that voter fraud cost him the popular vote, he says he plans to call for an investigation. In twotweets Wednesday morning, Trump wrote: “I will be asking for a major investigation into VOTER FRAUD, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and…even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!” Earlier this week, the president repeated his claim that 3 million to 5 million “illegals” voted, and he says that’s the only reason Hillary Clinton beat him in the popular vote by about 3 million ballots.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer backed up his boss. Trump “has believed that for a while based on studies and information he has,” said Spicer, per CNN. The problem is that no news service can find any such studies. The New York Times notes that a post on the discredited InfoWars website made the claim about millions of fraudulent voters in November, and Trump has appeared on the show with host Alex Jones. Spicer did reference a Pew study, but that study’s own author says there’s “zero evidence” of fraud in the 2016 vote. The Washington Post fact checker blog digs into the particulars and remains unswayed: “Spicer cited repeatedly debunked research,” it says, adding that “these studies do not support Trump’s Four-Pinocchio claims of ‘millions’ of people voting illegally.”

I know this will hit home to the “alt-ers” for the Tea Party and some in the GOP have been pushing this paradigm to try and limit who gets to vote.  Even though there is NO evidence of this massive fraud…even conservs think this is a bullshit issue.  Besides…yes there has been some voter fraud in the past but unfortunately most of it has been tied to the GOP and their people (please notice I said “most” not all)

But since he has called for an investigation and Comey is a brown nose bastard he will get it and maybe he should start the investigation a little closer to home….

When President Trump called for an investigation into voter fraud Wednesday morning, he tweeted that it would include people registered to vote in two states. He might want to have a talk with top adviser Steve Bannon: The Guardian reports that Bannon is still registered in both Florida and New York. Bannon voted for Trump in New York, listing his rented apartment in Manhattan for an address. However, state records in Florida show that he remains registered there, too, with his given address the home of Breitbart News friend Andy Badolato in Sarasota County. The newspaper points out that it’s not illegal to be registered in two states, only to vote in two states.

Remember that private email account that was so troublesome for Clinton?

I wondering whether it was really all that important as Trump made it seem……

Senior Trump administration staffers, including Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner, Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon, have active accounts on a Republican National Committee (RNC) email system, Newsweek has learned.

The system (rnchq.org) is the same one the George W. Bush administration was accused of using to evade transparency rules after claiming to have “lost” 22 million emails

But after then-candidate Donald Trump and the Republicans repeatedly called for “locking up” Hillary Clinton for handling government work with a private server while secretary of state, the new White House staff risks repeating the same mistake that dogged the Democrat’s presidential campaign. They also face a security challenge: The RNC email system, according to U.S. intelligence, was hacked during the 2016 race. “They better be careful after making such a huge ruckus over the private email over at the State Department,” says former Bush administration lawyer Richard Painter.

(Since this story was published, the RNC has deleted the emails of Bannon, Kushner and Conway. Newsweek is waiting for further comment.)

This will do nothing to change the tune…..there are large enough rugs on the White House under which it can be swept.

The Heart Of GOP’s Medicaid Plans

After decades of trying to screw up the Medicaid program the GOP may get its wish now that we have a president and the GOP has a strangle-hold on the Congress.

They, the GOP, wants to kill any and all provisions of the ACA…when they are done fucking that up they will turn to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid…..

Let’s start with their plans for Medicaid….”Block Grants”……

It’s called “block granting.” Right now, Medicaid, which was expanded under the 2010 health law to insure more people, covers almost 75 million adults and children. Because it is an entitlement, everyone who qualifies is guaranteed coverage and states and the federal government combine funds to cover the costs. Conservatives have long argued the program would be more efficient if states got a lump sum from the federal government and then managed the program as they saw fit. But others say that would mean less funding for the program —eventually translating into greater challenges in getting care for low-income people.

Block granting Medicaid is a centerpiece of health proposals supported by House Speaker Paul Ryan and Rep. Tom Price, Trump’s nominee to run the Department of Health and Human Services. This weekend, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway emphasized the strategy as key to the administration’s health policy.

Republican plans to transform Medicaid could help set debate on the role of government and entitlements. Here’s an explanation of how it could work.

Source: Everything You Need To Know About Block Grants — The Heart Of GOP’s Medicaid Plans | Kaiser Health News

It all sounds so idyllic…..but the GOP has never been one to really care about the health of others….plus this smells like something other than a “good deal”…..

But as with any health program….there is someone waiting to rape the people/states out of their money.

Does VA Have A Future?

Before I begin I want to say good-bye to Mary Tyler Moore R.I.P.  She was there whenever you turned on the TV now she leaves us for a better place…Good-bye Mary we will miss you.

There have been hints that the VA could go through some changes and even a hint of those that want it privatized…..then there is Marco Rubio……

Rubio was an outspoken voice against a couple of Trump’s choices for the cabinet and in the end it was all bullsh*t he rolled over and did what he was told….just like those spineless twats, McCain and Graham, all their tough talk was just that…talk….they played to the cameras for all those gutless words will make a good campaign ad if needed…..political theater at its best.

Enough about the cowards….Rubio is offering up a bill to help the VA get its sh*t together……this has redeemed him in my eyes a bit…….

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has brought back his proposal to reform the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Last week, Rubio reintroduced his “VA Accountability First and Appeals Modernization Act.” Back in July, Rubio teamed up with then U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., who was serving as the chairman of the U.S. House Veterans Affairs Committee, to bring out the bill last summer.

Source: Marco Rubio brings back his proposal to reform the VA

About time for someone to concentrate of fixing the VA….my problem is that it should start with seeing that the vets asking for help gets it and at a time no longer than 3 months…..fix the rest of the crap later…the vets should be the number one priority.  PERIOD!

This is a good start and maybe there will be some support, bi-partisan support, for this bill.

Strangest Show on Earth

Since Pres, Trump started naming names for his new cabinet I have been wry…..to me he has too many Goldman-Sachs CEOs and too many generals waiting their turn at the wheel.

As we start the Trump presidency, events just keep getting more bizarre. At his first and last press conference as president-elect, Donald Trump boasted about his divestment plan in which he was “sort of, kind of” turning over the management of his business enterprises to his two adult sons. He displayed a table full of documents which were supposed to indicate the extent of his divestment, but the documents were not made available for the press to examine.

Furthermore, in spite of claiming that he was stepping away from his business enterprises, Trump was still boasting being offered a $2 billion deal from a Dubai businessman. While Trump assured us that he turned the deal down, the obvious question is why he was discussing it in the first place.

Source: The Trump Cabinet: Strangest Show on Earth

None of his choices, so far, indicate a clean break with the status quo that has been in control for decades….yes, I know it is early and we need to give them time to get down to business….as it looks right now it is a more neocon cabinet than the one set forth by GW.

Syria: Will Peace Prevail?

The situation in Syria has been a smudge on the fabric of humanity for years now.  The Syrian Army with the help of Iran and Russia has been making headway against those in opposition to the Assad regime….while the war on ISIS has had its ups and downs but for the most part it is going well but not good….

There have been NO bright spots for the most part….the refugees are suffering…..civilians are dying….and bombs continue to fall….but recently a small flicker of hope came out of Syria…..that flicker is a peace process to end this thing….and how many know there is a peace talk going on?

Anyway…….

The Syrian peace talks arranged by Russia, Turkey and Iran that opened today in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, show that President Bashar al-Assad is winning the six-year-old war, but his final victory may be a long way off. Several participants in the conference have good reasons to fight on and Isis has recently made important advances.

Representatives of some of the rebel armed groups sat on one side of a round table, while the Syrian government delegation sat on the other, but the rebels said there would be no face to face talks. The most positive likely outcome of the meeting would be a reinforcement of the shaky ceasefire that began on 29 December and has been only partly effective. The US is not taking part in the talks, in contrast to previous abortive negotiations, but has sent its ambassador to Kazakhstan indicating that it does not oppose them.

Source: Syria peace talks begin in Kazakhstan with Russia taking centre stage – The Unz Review

If you get your news from American media then you know very little of this attempt…..why/  For one the US is not part of this process……we have an observer for what that is worth…..

My friends at the International Crisis Group (ICG) has issued a report on what is at stake with these negotiations……

Here in Astana, the spotlight is on the talks between the Syrian government and members of the armed opposition, but this is largely theatrics. Indeed, among the diplomats, journalists and analysts waiting in the hotel lobby and pub, there is a growing sense that we are also part of the show. The more substantive event involves trilateral discussions among Russia, Turkey and Iran, yet little has been revealed about their content.

The very fact that Russia, Turkey, and Iran are driving the talks – with limited participation from the U.S. as an observer, and none at all from Saudi Arabia – reflects the extent to which the centre of gravity in the Syrian war has shifted. This is the result of military progress by the regime and its backers, declining U.S. influence (for the moment at least) in the conflict’s central power struggle, and Riyadh’s stepping back from a role in Syria (due to its Yemeni quagmire and the weakening of its preferred rebel partners).

Source: What’s at Stake in the Syrian Peace Talks in Astana? | Crisis Group

This is a monumental attempt that could have long lasting effects…it will be a difficult and delicate process but if sides are willing then peace is possible….as it is today….the US would have very little to do with peace…….that is sad.