andym
andym's JournalIt's not that he didn't pay much tax that bothers them, it's that he was losing money like crazy
that's what destroys his narrative as the smart, wealthy businessman sacrificing himself to help the poor white working men of the Rust Belt, etc etc. That was one of his strongest appeals to the MAGAs.
He already addressed the not paying much in taxes in 2016, and people didn't care much, because it was just an example of how smart he was. It's that he is not rich, but rather deeply in debt (>$400M personal loan guarantee coming due) and is actually a cheap grifter using the presidency to try to save his ailing businesses. He is a loser to use one of his favorite words, and his it highlights his incompetence with Covid-19 and the resulting dire human and economic consequences.
The most damning part for his followers will be Trump not being who he said he is: instead a loser
He is not really their better, a superior being who loves their pathetic worship, but really an incompetent loser whose businesses were bleeding millions for years. This is a key component of his teflon. People forgive their perceived betters (think lords or leaders) any transgression.
It's not only that he has a huge personal debt of greater than $400M that he probably can't pay. It's what it tells them about the man: he is not competent-- can't plan, not a financial wizard. No wonder Covid-19 overran the country. No wonder the economy crashed (negative GDP means recession), and no wonder so many Americans died needlessly.
Trump is weak because he is incompetent-- that will lose him a few followers no doubt. Trump being superior to them is one thing that motivates some very strongly-- think a hierarchy with Trump on top. This destroys some of the narrative, It will eat away at the edges of their consciousness, and doubt will finally be created. For example, the pieces will fit together for them such as why he isn't financing his campaign now that there is a shortfall-- he doesn't have money.
Most of his other scandals contained elements that some of his "deplorable" supporters (mostly uneducated white males) could actually admire because they point to a "superior" male in their crude thinking: like sex with a porn star despite being married or a celebrity grabbing kitties. Moreover, he wasn't nobly sacrificing big bucks he normally made to help the common men of the rust belt-- the new narrative is that he was running as fast as he could from debt collectors who were anxious to collect ASAP. The tax leaks portray an inferior man, a loser in Trump's parlance-- true he managed to get away with playing games with his taxes so far, but that is as far as any potential positive will go, the negative reality of being an incompetent, a loser, far outweighs this.
The lesson here is to call Trump a loser, an incompetent because it will stick with some of his soon to be former fans and perhaps keep them home on election day.
Trump's fortune may be worth less than Elizabeth Holmes' is now. Sad.
She was once a "billionaire" too-- until her company's hoax products were uncovered by the press.
Now she is awaiting her trial for fraud:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/us-v-elizabeth-holmes-et-al#:~:text=Elizabeth%20Holmes%20and%20Ramesh%20%E2%80%9CSunny,nine%20counts%20of%20wire%20fraud.
Amid talk of civil war, America is already split - Trump Nation has seceded
Robert Reich
Sat, September 26, 2020, 10:00 PM PDT
https://www.yahoo.com/news/amid-talk-civil-war-america-050036417.html
What is America really fighting over in the upcoming election? Not any particular issue. Not even Democrats versus Republicans. The central fight is over Donald J Trump.
Before Trump, most Americans weren’t especially passionate about politics. But Trump’s MO has been to force people to become passionate about him – to take fierce sides for or against. And he considers himself president only of the former, whom he calls “my people”.
Trump came to office with no agenda except to feed his monstrous ego. He has never fueled his base. His base has fueled him. Its adoration sustains him.
So does the antipathy of his detractors. Presidents usually try to appease their critics. Trump has gone out of his way to offend them. “I do bring rage out,” he unapologetically told Bob Woodward in 2016. In this way, he has turned America into a gargantuan projection of his own pathological narcissism.
MORE AT LINK (worth reading)
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The basic argument is that to Trump and his followers think only states in which he has a majority matter, and the rest are enemies-- a horrible distortion of the United States.
Robert Reich is using hyperbole, but he is very perceptive here. In the end, Reich states that real civil war is unlikely but that if Trump loses, his fans will still consider him their rightful leader even if he loses, which he will never admit. That will be a big problem. I think that suggests that Trump will be a big problem for years to come and he himself has laid the groundwork for someone even worse: someone who has the brains to not only exploit Trump followers but intends to make the US a dictatorship.
What Reich does not talk about is how we got here: the groundwork was laid by propaganda and gas-lighting from talk radio, right wing internet sites like Breitbart, and Fox News, then compounded by the bubble chamber of tight-knit social networks. Something urgently needs to be done about them within the constraints of what is possible constitutionally.
Let's call it the PT Barnum court and for that matter the PT Barnum presidency
because there are and were so many voters who have been bamboozled by Trump promising them unrealistic things like the return of big beautiful coal, good-paying jobs, and fantastic health care to name a few. He conned himself into power and has so many of his supporters fooled, it's frightening.
Joe Biden is correct that Trump is like Goebbels telling lies so big some people believe they must be true. Although I think that Trump is as much like PT Barnum who apocryphally said a "sucker is born every minute." The thing about Barnum was that people enjoyed being fooled by him, by being suckers and some of that psychology comes into play with Trump voters. He is a populist PT Barnum who appeals to the worst of America from prejudice and xenophobia to greed, envy and promising defeat of imaginary elitist leftist enemies.
The worst part is that in exchange for power most of the GOP has supported Trump and his shenanigans to the detriment of the country and the GOP as well. The problem is that the GOP is quite the party of selfishness, so it's not surprising at all to see them act in their own perceived self-interest, even though in the end it might fracture their party forever and destroy the country.
Elizabeth Warren claims Trump is 'flirting with treason' and that Republicans are 'a party to it'
Stephen Proctor
Thu, September 24, 2020, 11:29 PM PDT
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/elizabeth-warren-claims-trump-flirting-treason-republicans-party-to-it-062906915.html
...
“When Donald Trump says that he is not necessarily going to accept the will of the voters, he’s flirting with treason,” Warren said in response. “He’s saying, peaceful transition of power doesn’t matter to him. All that matters to him, once again, is Donald Trump and whatever Donald Trump wants.”
Trump and Senate Republicans are making a hard push to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant following the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Trump has spoken openly about his desire for the Supreme Court to decide the election. If his nominee is appointed, there will be a 6-3 conservative majority on the court. Trump has been spreading unfounded conspiracies about mail-in voting fraud, something that even his own hand-picked FBI director, Christopher Wray, has said is not happening on a national scale. Some believe Trump is doing this to sow doubt about the results of the election before a single vote is even tallied, giving him an excuse to take the election to the Supreme Court. Republican senators have recently joined Trump in prematurely talking about the Supreme Court deciding the election.
“These Republicans senators, to enable him in that, to support him in that, and to start to talk about the Nov. 3 election as if this isn’t about voters getting their choice, but it’s about Supreme Court justices getting their choice,” Warren said, “means that they are a party to it.”
...
“Lindsey Graham has simply said, ‘Donald Trump has my proxy on this. Senate doesn’t need to look at it. If the president’s good, Lindsey Graham is good.’ Man, there’s a man with a spine,” Warren quipped, “a spine kept in a box somewhere else, because he certainly doesn’t have it to exercise for himself.”...
MORE AT LINK
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We need to hear this everyday and have these sentiments echoed by mainstream editorials etc.
Senatorial candidates should play on the honor theme in the South
especially against Graham and McConnell. Honor still has some meaning there culturally and these two especially are acting dishonorably with regard to the SC. McGrath and Harrison should promise they will always uphold their word, unlike their two dishonorable opponents.
Biden's best debate strategy
First Trump has really lowered expectations for Joe by claiming he is out of it-- so he goes in perfectly situated.
Here is a debate coach's advice:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/23/opinions/debate-advice-for-biden-graham/index.html
Debate coach: The best debate advice Joe Biden will ever get
Opinion by Todd Graham
Updated 6:26 AM ET, Wed September 23, 2020
.....
"There are two styles best suited for Biden. First, he should use humor. Contrary to what may be popular opinion, Joe Biden has always been witty. Using humor to attack, mock and belittle Trump's five weapons is an assertive and clever way to both defend against attacks and take the offensive in any debate against a norm-violating Trump. Literally, mock Trump's ridiculous arguments. Biden's already been doing this. He should continue that in the debates.
The same is true with being insulted or interrupted. Biden knows this will happen. He should have a few well-timed comebacks centered, not on specifics, but on the general notion of Trump's lies and interruptions.
The best part, and my second style tip for Biden: Quotes. Use Trump's own words against him during the debate. Quote him liberally. In Trump's fun house world, there's always a tweet or previous statement where he contradicts himself. After all, as he can remind Trump, "Those aren't my words. Those words were spoken by YOU." And if Biden isn't quoting Trump, then he should be quoting those close to Trump (Republicans, family members, etc.). Imagine using quotes from Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham -- both of whom turned from Trump skeptics to his supporters -- in a debate against Trump. Imagine using former members of Trump's own administration or estranged family in a debate against Trump.
The bonus of this strategy: Biden remains above it all. And Biden can use this endlessly. "Those were the words of your former defense secretary ... your former chief of staff ... your former national security adviser ... your biggest ally in the Senate..." Wouldn't that be fun! Using Republicans and allies is more persuasive than citing Democrats when criticizing Trump to his face. He cannot so easily dismiss them as "never Trumpers...""
--MORE AT THE LINK
Trump's new running mate? Amy Barrett (symbolically)
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/22/politics/amy-coney-barrett-trump-supreme-court/index.htmlJudge Amy Coney Barrett has emerged as President Donald Trump's overwhelming favorite to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to several people familiar with the deliberations, who say the President's view was solidified during a lengthy meeting at the White House on Monday....
"A source familiar with Trump's private conversations told CNN that one of his confidants on this issue told him that this pick is so important to not only his legacy but his re-election bid that she will effectively "be your new running mate." "
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I was predicting Lagoa, but it looks like the idea of a super motivated base is what trump wants.
GOP sees Supreme Court fight as a boost to vulnerable senators as McConnell presses for vote
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/republican-majority-strategy-vulnerable-senators/index.htmlBy Manu Raju, Alex Rogers and Ted Barrett, CNN
Updated 5:16 PM ET, Sat September 19, 202
" (CNN)Top Senate Republicans are privately arguing that it would boost their chances of holding the majority in November if their party makes a full-throated effort at confirming President Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court, according to multiple GOP sources, despite their past posture that such nominees should not be confirmed in a presidential election year.
Behind the scenes, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is calculating whether he has the votes to quickly confirm Trump's eventual nominee to the Supreme Court, focusing in large part on the party's most vulnerable Republicans facing voters in less than two months. The Kentucky Republican could only lose three senators of his 53-47 majority and still confirm the pick with a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence.
The argument, according to Senate GOP sources, is that getting behind Trump's pick will energize the Republican base and woo conservative-leaning voters who are uncertain about backing Trump and the GOP this fall. Opposing the nominee, they argue, will only cause a backlash from their party's supporters and might not be enough to win over Democratic voters who are already inclined to back their opponents.
But moving ahead on a nomination now could anger some voters who may recoil at the GOP's heavy-handed tactics, including in Democratic-leaning states where Republicans face voters in the fall. On balance, though, Republicans say that moving ahead now would be far more beneficial to keeping control of the narrowly divided chamber."
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Could cut boith ways in my opinion. But if McConnell and friends really believe this, they will push ahead full steam.
