Day: January 15, 2019

Get Down To Business

Closing Thought–15Jan19

The Congress could get into the fray by passing a bill to re0open the government

We all know about the government shutdown that the president and the Congress have given the country….800,000 employees are on furlough…no cash coming in until the deadlock is broken.

No matter which side of the political aisle you stand on this situation is silly but the government could pass a bill to re-open the government and wait for the presidential veto that they could override.

The House has new Dems and they are in the majority abd they will pass a bill and then it will go to the Senate where it will die because McConnell refuses to consider any bill to re-open the government……and instead he pushes some bill that would protect Israel.

Really Israel is more important that the employees that keeps this country moving?

The Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives (along with a dozen fed-up Republicans) has passed multiple bills to reopen all or parts of the government immediately. While these bills could become law with a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate, notwithstanding any potential Trump veto, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has repeatedly blocked attempts to even give them a vote on the senate floor, calling them a waste of time.

While McConnell believes debating legislation to fund TSA screeners, border security agents, and the federal court system to be unnecessary, he has supported further debate about the Middle East. For the third consecutive week, the Senate is scheduled to spend Monday considering S. 1, the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act of 2019.

https://thinkprogress.org/trump-shutdown-smashes-record-for-longest-ever-mcconnells-senate-will-argue-about-israel-b43abf20f25f/
 
Seriously?
 
F*ck Israel…..F*ck McConnell……F*ck Trump
 
Time for these spineless douche bags to go to work.  Apparently Israeli money has bought the GOP and tells them what and when to do.
 
These old farts are not making any points with the public……but then this 100 old farts are owned by lobbyists and Israel….they care NOTHING for the people they are suppose to serve.
 
But when will the voting public realize just how useless these people are to the functioning of the country?
 
They need to be voted out and bring in some fresh blood that cares more about the country less about their standing with Israel.
 
In closing the president has made his thoughts known:

The conservative Daily Caller has printed an anonymous op-ed from a writer described as “senior official in the White House,” and the author makes some controversial statements about the ongoing government shutdown, including:

  • “For the sake of our nation, I hope it lasts a very long time, till the government is changed and can never return to its previous form.”
  • “Due to the lack of funding, many federal agencies are now operating more effectively from the top down on a fraction of their workforce, with only select essential personnel serving national security tasks.”
  • “We do not want most employees to return, because we are working better without them.”

The author says he or she is one of the federal workers currently working without a paycheck, but sees the sacrifice as worth it if the shutdown leads to a leaner government. The vast majority of federal employees—the author estimates 80%—are good-for-nothing clock-punchers or, worse, “saboteurs” out to wreck the Trump presidency, the author argues. The rest are “exceptional patriots.” President Trump himself endorsed the column on Twitter on Tuesday morning. “Worth the read,” he wrote. Read the column in full here

I have about enough of this d/bag that you elected….the country will be so much better when he has gone the way of the do-do……period!
 
What a great bunch of d/bags.

AOC: The Way Forward?

Let me say from the onset that these freshman women are a breath of fresh air….AOC, Rashida and Ilhan…..they are showing my guts and intelligence than most of the men in the House put together….I wish them luck.

AOC–Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez

This freshman Congresswoman is making news since coming to DC and making news she is stealing the thunder from the tired leadership of the Democratic Party, Schumer and Pelosi and the media is in tow trying to make her tow the line.

Rising liberal star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is hitting back at fellow Democrats who reportedly are concerned about her confrontational style.

AOC has taken Congress and the political world by storm ever since her upset primary win over a member of party leadership last year — bringing a new impetus to liberal proposals like the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all. She’s also been widely covered in the media, with a sharp focus on her Twitter account where she often calls out opponents and promotes her favorite causes.

It’s not hard to explain her appeal to supporters. She’s young, charismatic, persuasive, and quick-witted, and she advocates passionately for a wide array of progressive priorities that have been continuously neglected by the federal government. She also started as an underdog in her primary campaign against Rep. Joe Crowley, a high-ranking and powerful Democrat who few professional observers thought was vulnerable.

But the fascination of her critics needs a bit more explanation. Conservative critics have been obsessed with attacking and smearing her, efforts that included a series of laughably half-baked attempts to tear her down by pointing out her high school nickname, an amateur music video she appeared in, and the location of her parents’ home that she had been open about. (It’s not clear to what extent these conservatives realize that these attacks have only elevated her further, whether that is part of their intent, and if so, whether this will end up backfiring.)

Politico has covered her rise……

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is already making enemies in the House Democratic Caucus — and some of its members are mounting an operation to bring the anti-establishment, democratic socialist with 2.2 million Twitter followers into the fold.

The effort, described by nearly 20 lawmakers and aides, is part carrot, part stick: Some lawmakers with ties to Ocasio-Cortez are hoping to coax her into using her star power to unite Democrats and turn her fire on Republicans. Others simultaneously warn Ocasio-Cortez is destined for a lonely, ineffectual career in Congress if she continues to treat her own party as the enemy.

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/11/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-democrats-establisment-1093728

Did you read the full article?

The old farts in the DNC are running scared because of this young woman. These old farts will do everything they must to keep the “old guard” in charge

Gee she is a Twitter star….really? I can remember when a candidate was a Twitter star I believe that turned out pretty good.

What are these old farts in the DNC afraid of from her?

Her tweets do appear to be having an effect on lawmakers, as Politico reported that some Democrats have withheld their criticism of Ocasio-Cortez in case she goes after them on the social media platform The perfect example of the spinelessness of some of the Dems.

She has got the MSM and her old fart fellows in Congress trying as hard as they can to lessen her effect on the population.

Ainsley Earhardt, the co-host of President Donald Trump’s favorite morning show falsely claimed to New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin and her “Fox & Friends” viewers that newly-elected Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress, wants to “tax 70 percent of your paycheck.”

Monday, on “Fox & Friends,” Earhardt asked Goodwin why he thinks Ocasio-Cortez has such wide support within the Democratic Party. “When you hear they’re going to tax 70 percent of your paycheck – if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets her way – how do they have so much support?” she asked Goodwin.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/fox-news-goes-newly-elected-rep-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-socialist-agenda/

It is refreshing to see a Dem with a spine and fresh ideas…..the old white dudes in the DNC will  not push the youngsters away….they are here and they are loud….hopefully they have their day.

Personally I hope she is the future of the Democratic Party….reps with spine…reps with guts……reps with fresh ideas….who could be afraid of that?

Spineless old farts…that’s who!

But in the mean time….conserv men are batcrap crazy over AOC….they are fixated on her and as long as they are her political clout goes up….

Conservatives’ bizarre, escalating obsession with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) reached a new level this week when The Daily Caller published fake revenge porn of the new congresswoman.

“Here’s The Photo Some People Described As A Nude Selfie Of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” the Caller’s original headline read, before it was changed and the site posted a “we regret the error” message on Twitter. For the record, the photo is not of Ocasio-Cortez, despite what “some people” have said.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/conservatives-afraid-alexandria-ocasio-cortez_us_5c38cb74e4b05cb31c421cc3

AOC is doing more for the Dem Party than the old men have done in a couple decades…and that is why old politicos dislike her so much…..she has what they lost….A SPINE!

To the DNC…..AOC is the future embrace it or be left on the corner like so much litter.

Which Celebrity?

We are so far away from 2020 that it seems silly to even mention it….that was until the Dems are starting to look for the “special” person that will bring some energy to the party….a party that is dominated by old farts that have old farts ideas….they, Dems, are looking for that personality they can build cult around.

We could say Warren, since she has announced, is the front runner…..not a vote generator from me….she talks like a progressive but she has caved on too many issues for me.

Cory Booker is one name that pops up….personally I say no….he is a media whore meaning he is more concerned about being on the tube than the policies.

The one name that the Dems are looking to with the help of mainstream media is Beto O’Rourke….he does not excite me…..he is from Texas and is as conservative as a Democrat can be without changing parties….not progressive enough.

I could go on but I shall let someone else do the work….

Just before the new year, Steve Phillips, senior fellow at liberal think tank Center for American Progress, filed paperwork to launch a Super PAC to support New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker’s anticipated 2020 run. The announcement raises a number of red flags, including about the choice to rely on Super PACs at a time when voters are increasingly skeptical of large campaign donations. But perhaps the most concerning issue is that Phillips’s involvement with Booker’s campaign may represent the further deprioritization of ideology among Democratic politicians.

Let me explain.

The dominant lens through which Philips understands politics is demographic. He is the author of “Brown is the New White,” a New York Times best-seller about how America’s growing nonwhite population is the key to the Democratic Party’s success. Phillips believes that Democrats should prioritize mobilizing nonvoting Americans of color (which it should). But he also argues that Democrats should not “waste money” appealing to white swing voters, derisively rejecting “conventional wisdom” that advocates for “empathy for the anxiety of moderate white voters.” According to Philips, because there is a “ceiling” of white support, courting white voters offers diminishing returns.

https://theintercept.com/2019/01/07/democratic-ideology/

All in all the old angry white guy in Congress is being replaced….the sooner the better…..

https://johnpavlovitz.com/2019/01/04/the-extinction-of-the-white-american-dinosaur/

I hope the trend toward progressive ideas will continue and we can finally have programs that benefit the nation not the donors.

At the time of this draft there are 3 announced Dems and a bunch thinking it over…..more to come.

I think we have had enough of the stodgy old farts in the Dem Party….time we find some energy ……..we need candidates that look to the future and not be satisfied with the past.

That Election Tampering Thing

OMG!

There has been story after story, news report after news report about how Russia had tampered with the 2016 election.  There is even been a few stories that accuse China of something similar.

For about 2 years we Americans could not escape the news of tampering….the finger pointing…the whispers and the ink that has been wasted on the whole tampering thing.

I have written that Russia is not alone in this tampering thing…..the US has been doing so for decades upon decades…..we have made sure that the “right kind” of candidate wins any given election.

That is right…the US has pissed away billions trying to change elections….

The U.S. military state overthrows democratically-elected governments that it deems to be a threat to corporate interests.

“There is plenty of evidence that the United States is the most depraved and dangerous “meddler” in the affairs of other nations that history has ever known.”

Dan Kovalik is a labor and human rights lawyer, but most of all he is an anti-imperialist and an author of three books. Kovalik’s first two books tackled the specific US war drives against Russia and Iran. His third installment, The Plot to Control the World: How the US Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World, addresses the broad scope of US election meddling abroad. The book provides much needed political and ideological life support to an anti-war movement in the U.S that has been rendered nearly invisible to the naked eye.

https://theantimedia.com/us-spent-billions-change-elections-around-world/

Just remember about pointing…..there is one finger pointing away and 4 pointing back at you.

But if you are not sure about others tampering around the world then I have a couple of posts for you…..enjoy!

https://lobotero.com/2018/04/09/its-all-about-election-tampering/

https://lobotero.com/2018/08/17/when-is-tampering-tampering/

Syria! Whatcha Gonna Do?

I have watched the saga around the Syrian conflict go from devastation to a draw down to a slow down to a not leaving any time soon.

Bolton threatens Syria (Syria is not alone in the threats)…..something these warmongers do almost daily….

a State Department official said “(w)e have no timeline for our military forces to withdraw from” the country. Delay may turn out to be not at all.

On Sunday, a senior Iraqi parliamentarian said

“(t)he  Americans have built a military base in Erbil (in) the Iraqi Kurdistan region to use…against Iraq’s neighboring countries, in particular Iran and Syria.”

Iraqi media said the Pentagon has 14 military bases in the country – along with a reported 18 in Syria. The US is highly unlikely to abandon them, especially ones considered most strategically important.

An earlier report indicated the Pentagon intends establishing a permanent base along the Iraqi border with Syria. Turkey reportedly established one or more military bases in northwestern Aleppo.

On Saturday, a senior Trump regime official said US forces may remain indefinitely at the (illegally established) al-Tanf base in southeastern Syria near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders

https://www.globalresearch.ca/bolton-threatens-syria-us-troop-withdrawal-on-hold-permanent-us-military-base-on-syria-iraqi-border/5664843

This conflict has never been an easy one to follow…Obama made it murky and then Trump came in and it became damn near bleak.

So may I ask….what the Hell is the US Syria policy?

Does anyone know for certain just what US policy is in Syria? And by “anyone,” we include the folks in the White House and the State Department.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan abruptly canceled a scheduled sitdown with National Security Advisor John Bolton, then went on live TV to berate him. His gripe: Bolton had suggested the US won’t totally withdraw its forces from Syria until the safety of its Kurdish allies is assured, mostly from Turkish attack.

It’s just the latest whirl in the policy merry-go-round that’s spun ever since President Trump dropped his surprise announcement of a Syria withdrawal “as quickly as possible.”

https://nypost.com/2019/01/08/does-anybody-know-what-americas-syria-policy-is/

Just thought I would ask.

Trump has said that Syria is nothing more than “sand and death”…..but according to Neocon thought….we should never underestimate the importance of Syria….

When Donald Trump described Syria last week as a place of “sand and death”, without “vast wealth”, it would have helped him to first check his remarks with a contemporary historian.

That person might have been able to tell the US president that during a significant period of the last century, as it still is today, Syria was the centrepiece of competition between leaders in the Levant and Egypt, so that whoever controlled the country could pretend to a degree of regional dominance.

As Patrick Seale wrote in his classic book The Struggle for Syria, the nation’s “centrality derives from the fact that it lies at the heart of the Arab-Asian power system where, for good or ill, it affects every political relationship in the region”. With Mr Trump saying that his aim in the Middle East is to contain Iran, it made no sense for him to describe Syria dismissively. Without a strategy towards Syria, it is unlikely the US will succeed in curbing Iran.

https://www.thenational.ae/opinion/comment/history-proves-syria-s-strategic-importance-should-not-be-underestimated-1.811201

It all comes down to Syria is nothing but a spot to confront Iran….not the devastation….not the death….not the refugees….none of that matters to the US as long as they can stick to Iran.

How sad is that?

But Bolton has flexed his tiny muscles and overrules Trump on the Syrian draw down….

National Security Advisor John Bolton has in effect overruled President Donald Trump’s troop withdrawal decision. This will have fateful consequences for America’s national interests, and none of them are good. Speaking in Israel, Bolton stated that two conditions must be met before a withdrawal of U.S. troops, and the conditions amount to a recipe for indefinitely prolonging the deployment. One is that the United States must “make sure ISIS is defeated and is not able to revive itself and become a threat again”—an objective that is impossible for the two thousand U.S. troops in Syria to achieve. With the mini-state of ISIS largely gone, whatever threat the group poses is a matter not of military control of a patch of Syria—a patch of “sand and death”, as Trump put it —but instead of ideology, politics, fear, and hatred that cannot be described on a battle map.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/syria-policy-hawks%E2%80%99-talons-sink-deeper-trump-41017

Apparently Trump is too ignorant to realize the insubordination of Bolton…..will Trump realize his brain fart?

https://theweek.com/articles/816140/shameful-insubordination-john-bolton

But guess what……generals said when asked about Bolton’s turn around on Syria…”We do not take orders from Bolton”…….

After days of back and forth over U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pullout American troops from Syria, a U.S. military official said Friday the process of withdrawal has begun, declining to comment on specific timetables or movements.

Col. Sean Ryan, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, said “the process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria” has started.

“Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific timelines, locations or troops movements,” the Baghdad-based official said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.

https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/01/11/us_official_says_troop_withdrawal_from_syria_has_started_114098.html

I see that our Syrian policy is as murky as always.  None have been able to answer the one question…..just what is the US Syrian policy?

Can you?