We all have some Tragedy fatigue. We need to keep on. Trumpism is the test of our time. The Republican party has become a strong man party with no platform but “Whatever he says.” The “Leftist” keyword of the trolls is a classic tactic of authoritarian movements back to Mussolini, along with “Enemy of the people”. Sowing mistrust of journalism fertilizes the field for propaganda, and Fox thrives. The catastrophic handling of the pandemic creates an environment ripe for upheaval. Lets live up to our forebears and defeat dystopia.
President Donald Trump has outraged Democrats and offended ethics lawyers this week by parading a number of his top officials in front of cameras during the Republican National Convention — a possibly illegal breach of historic norms.
But the furor over the precedent-busting encomiums to Trump by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and others have obscured another way his presidency has broken with the past: just how many of his onetime aides no longer support him.
At least 19 former top Trump administration officials in total have broken publicly with their former boss in one form or another, according to a POLITICO count, and several have already lent their names to various Republicans-for-Biden efforts.
Not all of them have said they will vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden — former national security adviser John Bolton, for instance, says he will pull the lever for an unspecified third person.
It amounts to a never-before-seen wave of defections of people who have denounced him or his policies or criticized his character in other ways.
But the potential pool of opposition within the president’s ranks is much larger, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former senior Trump officials.
✁
But it’s not just the president’s flat poll numbers, which currently place him an average of roughly seven percentage points behind Biden, that factors into the critics’ assessments.
The lack of trademark Trump rallies has also put a severe damper on his campaign, which relied on the massive events to drive free and largely unfiltered local media coverage, to stoke Trump’s loyal base of supporters, to inspire them to volunteer and donate — and to siphon up their personal data.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is poised to endorse nearly two dozen freshmen House Democrats for reelection, triggering a revolt within the right-leaning organization and drawing fierce pushback from the group’s powerful GOP donors.
The decision represents a sharp departure for the traditionally conservative Chamber, which has spent over $100 million backing Republican candidates during the past decade, and it threatens to further complicate the party’s prospects in the November election while driving a split in the business community.
Chamber leaders — including President Suzanne Clark, Chief Executive Officer Tom Donohue and Executive Vice President Neil Bradley — have been pushing the proposal ahead of a Thursday committee vote to finalize a slate of 2020 endorsements.
But the group’s donors and members are up in arms, with some threatening to pull funding and others openly venting their frustration. Some are raising the prospect that Chamber board members will quit in the weeks to come.
There is particular concern the Democrats in question do not have the pro-business record an endorsement would convey. State Chamber of Oklahoma President Chad Warmington wrote a letter Tuesday to national Chamber leaders fervently opposing the proposal to back Rep. Kendra Horn, perhaps the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country.
✁
The internal fight is just the latest headache for the Chamber, which for decades was regarded as a giant in the lobbying world. The group has recently generated headlines for its frosty relationship with the White House and alleged lavish spending on private jets.
TV is a vast wonderland. There’s not enough time to even watch really good shows, and most of them require an investment of many or all episodes in order to understand them. I’d rather go to the living room and just play the piano most of the time.
Cheapskate0 over 3 years ago
So why didn’t she sign up for Joe, too?
It would seem she’d get along better with him than Hunny Bunny.
RobinHood over 3 years ago
If someone else is suffering enough oh to write it down
When every single word makes sense
Then it’s easier to have those songs around
The kick inside is in the line that finally gets to you
And it feels so good to hurt so bad
And suffer just enough to sing
Sad Songs say so much
Bernie Taupin/Elton John
William Robbins Premium Member over 3 years ago
We all have some Tragedy fatigue. We need to keep on. Trumpism is the test of our time. The Republican party has become a strong man party with no platform but “Whatever he says.” The “Leftist” keyword of the trolls is a classic tactic of authoritarian movements back to Mussolini, along with “Enemy of the people”. Sowing mistrust of journalism fertilizes the field for propaganda, and Fox thrives. The catastrophic handling of the pandemic creates an environment ripe for upheaval. Lets live up to our forebears and defeat dystopia.
Silly Season over 3 years ago
President Donald Trump has outraged Democrats and offended ethics lawyers this week by parading a number of his top officials in front of cameras during the Republican National Convention — a possibly illegal breach of historic norms.
But the furor over the precedent-busting encomiums to Trump by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, White House adviser Kellyanne Conway and others have obscured another way his presidency has broken with the past: just how many of his onetime aides no longer support him.
At least 19 former top Trump administration officials in total have broken publicly with their former boss in one form or another, according to a POLITICO count, and several have already lent their names to various Republicans-for-Biden efforts.
Not all of them have said they will vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden — former national security adviser John Bolton, for instance, says he will pull the lever for an unspecified third person.
It amounts to a never-before-seen wave of defections of people who have denounced him or his policies or criticized his character in other ways.
But the potential pool of opposition within the president’s ranks is much larger, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former senior Trump officials.
✁But it’s not just the president’s flat poll numbers, which currently place him an average of roughly seven percentage points behind Biden, that factors into the critics’ assessments.
The lack of trademark Trump rallies has also put a severe damper on his campaign, which relied on the massive events to drive free and largely unfiltered local media coverage, to stoke Trump’s loyal base of supporters, to inspire them to volunteer and donate — and to siphon up their personal data.
~
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/27/former-trump-officials-lose-403926
Silly Season over 3 years ago
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is poised to endorse nearly two dozen freshmen House Democrats for reelection, triggering a revolt within the right-leaning organization and drawing fierce pushback from the group’s powerful GOP donors.
The decision represents a sharp departure for the traditionally conservative Chamber, which has spent over $100 million backing Republican candidates during the past decade, and it threatens to further complicate the party’s prospects in the November election while driving a split in the business community.
Chamber leaders — including President Suzanne Clark, Chief Executive Officer Tom Donohue and Executive Vice President Neil Bradley — have been pushing the proposal ahead of a Thursday committee vote to finalize a slate of 2020 endorsements.
But the group’s donors and members are up in arms, with some threatening to pull funding and others openly venting their frustration. Some are raising the prospect that Chamber board members will quit in the weeks to come.
There is particular concern the Democrats in question do not have the pro-business record an endorsement would convey. State Chamber of Oklahoma President Chad Warmington wrote a letter Tuesday to national Chamber leaders fervently opposing the proposal to back Rep. Kendra Horn, perhaps the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country.
✁The internal fight is just the latest headache for the Chamber, which for decades was regarded as a giant in the lobbying world. The group has recently generated headlines for its frosty relationship with the White House and alleged lavish spending on private jets.
~
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/27/chamber-of-commerce-turmoil-402837
Bookworm over 3 years ago
Before Trump’s Presidency: “Cheer up. Things could be worse.”
Under Trump’s Presidency: “You’re right. Things got worse.”
mauser7 over 3 years ago
“It was the best of times, It was the worst of times”. It was true then. It’s still true now.
Kip W over 3 years ago
TV is a vast wonderland. There’s not enough time to even watch really good shows, and most of them require an investment of many or all episodes in order to understand them. I’d rather go to the living room and just play the piano most of the time.
Bruce1253 over 3 years ago
Events just are. WE decide what our reaction to them is going to be and how or if they will effect us.
RobinHood over 3 years ago
Be happy, fall in love. Live to the best of your abilities.
Live
Never be cruel, always be kind, remember love is wise,
hate is folly
Live
Your story will be told at the end
Live, til then, but
Take your time