reggieandlee
reggieandlee's JournalBTRTN: Trump's Reign of Stain is Plainly in Ukraine
Born To Run The Numbers on Trump's horrific abuse of power in the Ukraine, but urges Democrats to think carefully about exactly when to ratify articles of impeachment:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/btrtn-trumps-reign-of-stain-is-plainly.html
Excerpts: "There are smoking guns, and then there is the murderer who openly admits to having pumped a dozen slugs into the bloody, lifeless body lying at his feet, and then looks around at all his cronies, shrugs, and says, 'Hey, I didn’t do nuttin’ wrong...'
"Taken in full, it means that Trump’s DoJ, Department of State, Executive Branch, and just about anybody in Trump’s toxic immediate proximity all knew that the President of the United States had committed an impeachable offense ...And only one lonely whistle-blower had the guts to do anything about it..."
"No, this was not the isolated rogue action of the terrified thug who happens to be President of the United States. It was the concerted effort of an army of morally bankrupt enablers, sycophants, and turn-a-blind-eye lackeys acting in coordinated stupidity, corrupt intent, and malevolent abuse of power. It took a village -- of village idiots, that is. And it raises that age old question: how many dim bulbs does it take to screw in a Ukrainian?
"...Republican Political Consultant Mike Murphy...made this startling assertion: 'I can tell you this... one Republican senator told me if it was a secret vote, 30 Republican senators would vote to impeach Trump.' If true – if half-true -- this is the definitive statement about the the moral cowardice of the Republican Party. But Murphy’s meta-message was clear… if the evidence of brutal corruption in the Ukraine matter did not cause these Republicans to vote their conscience, nothing will...All of which must should be weighed into the mix as Nancy Pelosi evaluates her next steps."
BTRTN: Trump's Reign of Stain is Plainly in Ukraine
Born To Run The Numbers on Trump's horrific abuse of power in the Ukraine, but urges Democrats to think carefully about exactly when to ratify articles of impeachment:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/btrtn-trumps-reign-of-stain-is-plainly.html
Excerpts: "There are smoking guns, and then there is the murderer who openly admits to having pumped a dozen slugs into the bloody, lifeless body lying at his feet, and then looks around at all his cronies, shrugs, and says, 'Hey, I didn’t do nuttin’ wrong...'
"Taken in full, it means that Trump’s DoJ, Department of State, Executive Branch, and just about anybody in Trump’s toxic immediate proximity all knew that the President of the United States had committed an impeachable offense ...And only one lonely whistle-blower had the guts to do anything about it..."
"No, this was not the isolated rogue action of the terrified thug who happens to be President of the United States. It was the concerted effort of an army of morally bankrupt enablers, sycophants, and turn-a-blind-eye lackeys acting in coordinated stupidity, corrupt intent, and malevolent abuse of power. It took a village -- of village idiots, that is. And it raises that age old question: how many dim bulbs does it take to screw in a Ukrainian?
"...Republican Political Consultant Mike Murphy...made this startling assertion: 'I can tell you this... one Republican senator told me if it was a secret vote, 30 Republican senators would vote to impeach Trump.' If true – if half-true -- this is the definitive statement about the the moral cowardice of the Republican Party. But Murphy’s meta-message was clear… if the evidence of brutal corruption in the Ukraine matter did not cause these Republicans to vote their conscience, nothing will...All of which must should be weighed into the mix as Nancy Pelosi evaluates her next steps."
BTRTN 2020 Vision: Will Biden's Campaign Die a Death of a Thousand Gaffes?
Born To Run The Numbers just posted the latest installment of its monthly "2020 Vision" feature, which provides an up-to-the minute snapshot of the Democratic Race:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/btrtn-2020-vision-will-bidens-campaign.html
Excerpts:
"The headlines...Joe Biden remains at the head of the field nationally, with slightly lower support levels than last month, while Elizabeth Warren continues to climb, and is now tied for second with Bernie Sanders..."
"The third Democratic debate featured only ten candidates... Joe Biden came out strong in the debate but faded into gaffe mode, raising questions once again about the long term sustainability of his campaign. But he scored early on both Warren and Sanders over their 'Medicare For All' plan, and came out on the sympathetic end of a clumsy Julian Castro attack on his age. But Beto O'Rourke's passionate plea to ban assault weapons was the most powerful moment of the night."
"If the debate had ended after an hour, Biden would have won it hands down. When Julian Castro staged an inartful attack on Biden’s age ('are you forgetting what you just said two minutes ago?'), Biden survived it easily (the audience gasped), but the contretemps allowed other candidates an entry point on the delicate issue of Biden’s competence, which took up a fair amount of post-debate oxygen. And, Biden’s 'record player' reference was certainly one of the most replayed moments of the night..."
"It seems unlikely that this debate will shake up the polls in any meaningful way...But there was a signal shift in the debate, and that was Biden on the offensive, and attacking Warren directly, a first thus far. And the overarching question remains… is Biden built to last, or will his campaign die a death of a thousand gaffes? He has a huge reservoir of goodwill, for sure. But that might not be enough..."
BTRTN: Dem Debate #3... The Elusive God of Momentum Takes the Night Off
Born To Run the Numbers provides its analysis of the third Democratic Debate:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/btrtn-dem-debate-3-elusive-god-of.html
Excerpts:
"With Elizabeth Warren finally on the same stage with Joe Biden for the first time, people expected that the two would go toe-to-toe, eyeball-to-eyeball, dancing geek-to-geek, and that the 2020 narrative might be decisively shaped. By Friday, morning, would the charismatic, articulate, and folksy Warren finally displace Biden, if not immediately in polls, then most certainly in the liberal media tabloid romances pages that track the affections of the great god of Momentum? Ah, fickle god Momentum. If last night had been a prize fight, it would have been one of those brutal fifteen rounders that ends in a draw, blood everywhere, and no real change in the rankings. Much sound and fury, signifying nothing more than that this is going to be a long haul..."
"In truth, Elizabeth Warren missed her opportunity to capitalize on the momentum she brought into the debate. She receded into the background as other candidates seemed much more engaged, much more present, and even much more capable of connecting with the audience. All of Booker, Buttigieg, O’Rourke, and Klobuchar were in the game last night, fighting for every yard. Warren warmed up toward the end of the evening, but by then all but the most wonkish of policy nerds had begun channel surfing...
"I hesitate to provide a scorecard on this evening, because the bottom line is that very little in the polling will likely change as a result of last night. But here goes..."
BTRTN: Rats, Mazes, and Sharpies...Why Trump Had to Alter The Portrait of Dorian's Way
Born To Run The Numbers provides its forensic analysis of why Donald Trump had no choice but to take a sharpie to a weather map:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/rats-mazes-and-sharpieswhy-trump-had-to.html
Excerpts:"Today, I chose to reflect on what would seem, at face value, to be the stupidest episode thus far in a Presidency so committed to charting the dark depths of stupid that it evokes an image of a tiny submarine on a four year mission to map every inch of the Marianas Trench of Stupid. There are still those who remain perpetually befuddled by the Trump Presidency, in turn shocked and surprised by each new mind-bending eruption of toddler-grade impulse control and relentless fact evasion emanating from this White House. Sadly, however, such people are missing the point. It is as if they were applying adult standards of behavior, assuming a normative 50-watt intellect, and ascribing societally acceptable motivations in trying to understand the behavior of a white rat racing through a maze to find the pellet in a Psych 101 B.F. Skinner experiment..."
"No, people, there is no overarching political vision guiding the decisions of the Trump administration. There is no belief system about what must happen in order to 'make America great again.' There is no plan, no vision, no philosophy... there is no nothing. There is only a rat, trapped in a maze, repeating over and over the turns he has learned to make in order to get the pellet. The pellet is that Donald Trump stays out of jail. Drawing the appendage on a weather map was Trump’s only choice. He has to keep the base in line. He has learned how to do that: by lying, triggering wars with the media, and hiring ethically barren henchmen to do his bidding. Yes, folks, Donald Trump drew a phony appendage on a weather map as just one more perfectly logical step in the life of a man twisting our country like a wet rag all for one purpose.So that he can stay out of prison..."
BTRTN: Rats, Mazes, and Sharpies...Why Trump Had to Alter The Portrait of Dorian's Way
Born To Run The Numbers provides its forensic analysis of why Donald Trump had no choice but to take a sharpie to a weather map:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/rats-mazes-and-sharpieswhy-trump-had-to.html
Excerpts:"Today, I chose to reflect on what would seem, at face value, to be the stupidest episode thus far in a Presidency so committed to charting the dark depths of stupid that it evokes an image of a tiny submarine on a four year mission to map every inch of the Marianas Trench of Stupid. There are still those who remain perpetually befuddled by the Trump Presidency, in turn shocked and surprised by each new mind-bending eruption of toddler-grade impulse control and relentless fact evasion emanating from this White House. Sadly, however, such people are missing the point. It is as if they were applying adult standards of behavior, assuming a normative 50-watt intellect, and ascribing societally acceptable motivations in trying to understand the behavior of a white rat racing through a maze to find the pellet in a Psych 101 B.F. Skinner experiment..."
"No, people, there is no overarching political vision guiding the decisions of the Trump administration. There is no belief system about what must happen in order to 'make America great again.' There is no plan, no vision, no philosophy... there is no nothing. There is only a rat, trapped in a maze, repeating over and over the turns he has learned to make in order to get the pellet. The pellet is that Donald Trump stays out of jail. Drawing the appendage on a weather map was Trump’s only choice. He has to keep the base in line. He has learned how to do that: by lying, triggering wars with the media, and hiring ethically barren henchmen to do his bidding. Yes, folks, Donald Trump drew a phony appendage on a weather map as just one more perfectly logical step in the life of a man twisting our country like a wet rag all for one purpose.So that he can stay out of prison..."
BTRTN August 2019 Month in Review: Trump's China Syndrome: Be-VIX'ED, Bothered and Bewildered
Born To Run The Numbers provides its monthly review for August, a month in which Trump baffled many with his gyrations on trade, guns, the G-7, hurricanes, and Greenland. Wow.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/btrtn-august-2019-month-in-review.html
Excerpt:
"It is not often that one concludes that Donald Trump is vexed. But it is hard to avoid that conclusion after an erratic August in which Trump flip-flopped like a fish on the two big issues of the month, China and gun violence. You may be familiar with the “VIX,” the Chicago Board Options Exchange’s measure of stock market’s expected volatility. If Trump had his own VIX index of personal volatility, it would have been off the charts. Despite attempts to position his confounding statements as “smart negotiating” to keep his foes “off-balance,” he has indeed appeared to be both bothered and bewildered about the best path forward, particularly on China.
It has never been quite clear what Trump has been up to in China, in terms of strategy. Obviously, China, the second largest economy in the world, has been a currency manipulator and technology thief, and deserving of a comeuppance of some sort. But of what sort has bedeviled U.S. presidents for some time. To the extent that Trump was choosing amongst strategies, which is highly unlikely, he has chosen a perilous one – the “trade war.” Why the first-term president, a re-election underdog, thought he could outlast a counterpart with a Job For Life, emanating from a culture famous for the “long play,” is beyond logic. Particularly since China, a foe on trade, is a potential ally that Trump needs in his battle to wrest nuclear capability from North Korea."
BTRTN August 2019 Month in Review: Trump's China Syndrome: Be-VIX'ED, Bothered and Bewildered
Born To Run The Numbers provides its monthly review for August, a month in which Trump baffled many with his gyrations on trade, guns, the G-7, hurricanes, and Greenland. Wow.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/09/btrtn-august-2019-month-in-review.html
Excerpt:
"It is not often that one concludes that Donald Trump is vexed. But it is hard to avoid that conclusion after an erratic August in which Trump flip-flopped like a fish on the two big issues of the month, China and gun violence. You may be familiar with the “VIX,” the Chicago Board Options Exchange’s measure of stock market’s expected volatility. If Trump had his own VIX index of personal volatility, it would have been off the charts. Despite attempts to position his confounding statements as “smart negotiating” to keep his foes “off-balance,” he has indeed appeared to be both bothered and bewildered about the best path forward, particularly on China.
It has never been quite clear what Trump has been up to in China, in terms of strategy. Obviously, China, the second largest economy in the world, has been a currency manipulator and technology thief, and deserving of a comeuppance of some sort. But of what sort has bedeviled U.S. presidents for some time. To the extent that Trump was choosing amongst strategies, which is highly unlikely, he has chosen a perilous one – the “trade war.” Why the first-term president, a re-election underdog, thought he could outlast a counterpart with a Job For Life, emanating from a culture famous for the “long play,” is beyond logic. Particularly since China, a foe on trade, is a potential ally that Trump needs in his battle to wrest nuclear capability from North Korea."
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