Pepe Escobar, in an allied article, compared Steve Bannon to Lenin, and characterised Tump's victory as a 'revolution'.
Apparently Escobar arrived here on earth from some other planet a few days ago. There's just not much else one can say about someone who has so little grasp of earth history.
Unfortunately here on Babble we're being fed a steady diet of news articles written by people who seem to think Trump is trying to lead a socialist revolution!
"There is no one left in the White House who has any idea what they're doing. At least nobody conservative..."
Looks like we need even more Republicans in charge!?! Damn those Democrats!! Hillary is the one really running things from her bunker at the centre of the earth!
Some people here will probably just absolve Trump for this and blame Hillary and the Democrats instead!
From what I can glean from skimming the article, Escobar thinks that Trump is "Leninist" in the sense of waging class-warfare on behalf of blue-collar workers, against elites.
Which is true, to some extent, but apart from his trade-protectionism, there is very little that is economic about Trump's class-warfare. It's basically the same anti-government, anti-bureaucrat schtick that Ronald Reagan was selling, with his "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help" jokes, to which Trump has added a more obvious infusion of racism.
And when exactly did "idenity politics" come to mean simple opposition to racism and bigotry? Insofar as it was a pejorative, I always assumed the phrase was meant to describe a situation where someone brings their race, gender, place-of-origin etc into a discussion where it doesn't really belong, eg. "How can you, a white person, sit there calmly sipping your cup of coffee and tell me, an African-American, that segregation wasn't so bad?" (The problem with the argument being that segregation was bad no matter the race of the people having the debate at the coffee shop.)
But now, simply saying that you don't like to see klansmen parading around on the streets qualifies as identity-politics.
"...['Mad Dog'] Mattis told reporters 'The president has made a decision. As he said, he wants to be the one to announce it to the American people.' According to reports, Mattis supports the plan of General John Nicholson, Commander of US Forces - Afghanistan, who said the US needs an additional 3,000-5,000 troops to be successful in the region."
A lawyer for former national security adviser Michael Flynn has told U.S. President Donald Trump's legal team that they will no longer communicate with them about special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference.
The decision could be a sign that Flynn is moving to co-operate with Mueller's investigation or negotiate a deal for himself.
The problem with being an asshole like Trump is that those around you are usually there for their own purposes, not loyalty to a respected boss.
Brushing aside attacks from Democrats, GOP negotiators agree on a late change in the tax bill that would reduce the top individual income rate even more than originally planned.
So the Senate Democrats now have 49 votes, which menas they need 2 more votes to stop the massive tax rip-off of the poor. Any chance Collins & Corker will defeat it?
So the Senate Democrats now have 49 votes, which menas they need 2 more votes to stop the massive tax rip-off of the poor. Any chance Collins & Corker will defeat it?
Odds are Jones won’t be seated till after the vote.
Another one for the, there's no difference between Republicans and Democrats file:
Last week, the NLRB issued a staggering five decisions overturning union-friendly rules that the agency had either enacted or strengthened under President Barack Obama. Stacked with a majority of Republican appointees, the board scrapped policies that helped smaller unions organize, bolstered the bargaining rights of franchise employees, and shielded workers from union-busting tactics.
"The fundamental purpose and function of this law is to redistribute income and wealth from the middle and the bottom of this country to the top. If you don't understand that you're not paying attention. They're cutting the profits tax from 35 percent to somewhere between twenty and twenty-two. A spectacular, huge cut in the tax that corporations have to pay..."
BAR: The 1% Will Earn The People's Hatred - by Glen Ford
"The rich rule, not because they are smart or even competent, but because there are no organized domestic forces strong enough to stop them -- not even a viable social-democratic opposition to temper their obscene excesses with the discipline of common decency.
The orgy of class thievery just completed on Capital Hill has alarmed and outraged three-quarters of the public, including much of Donald Trump's racist electoral base -- and the full import of the crime has not yet set in..."
"The Pentagon's aim, according to the defense strategy, is to ensure that the US remains 'the preeminent military power in the world,' able to 'ensure the balance of power remains in our favor,' 'advance an international order that is most conducive to our security and prosperity,' and 'preserve access to markets.' The thrust of the document is a demand for a vast buildup of the American war machine..."
US Imposes Authoritarian Model Without Help From Russia & China
"If you decide to challenge America's experiment in democracy it's going to be your worst day,' said the US Defense Secretary, as he unveiled America's Defense Strategy, which will now primarily focus on deterring Russia and China..."
Bahahaha. And here I was thinking this would be a good opportunity to build bridges with disenfranchised Trump voters xD
"Build bridges" is kind of a funny metaphor. When we build a bridge, it's to get from here to there, or from there to here, but nobody builds a bridge so that everyone can meet in the middle of it.
"...The elites' moral and intellectual vacuum produced Trump. They too are con artists. They are slicker than he at selling lies and more adept at disguising their greed through absurd ideologies such as neoliberalism and globalization but they belong to the same criminal class and share many of the pathologies that characterize Trump. The grotesque visage of Trump is the true face of politicians such as George W Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama..."
Trump voters are the real useful idiots. They fell for a con man,a grifter,a carnival barker,a fraud,a conspiracy theorist who lives in his own personal reality,a wannabe dictator veering the United States into a true bonafide fascist state, who is a raging racist with an IQ that could not possibly exceed 80.
He's a braggart,a pathological liar,a sociopath,a megalomaniac,an egotistical manchild who wants to scrap the 1st amendment because he can't handle criticism,he's a despicable loathsome deluded oaf. A truly stupid moron and an international punchline.
Fuck disenfranchised Trump voters. They made their beds,now they can sleep in them.
Trump voters voted for anything but the neoliberal globalist staus quo...people are desperate!
Well, SOME of them did, specifically in the Rust Belt, which is what pushed Trump over the line to victory in the Electoral College. But I think most of his support was just coming from typical Republican voters, motivated by the usual things that have been motivating Republican voters since the days of Barry Goldwater.
Trump voters voted for anything but the neoliberal globalist staus quo...people are desperate!
What do you feel they got for that vote, iyraste1313?
Are they now free from neoliberalism? Globalism? Rob Ford didn't live long enough to derail "the gravy train", but has Trump at least "drained the swamp"?
"US President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address, delivered Tuesday night, was a festival of reaction and political filth. The speech dragged on for more than 80 minutes, interrupted by ovations from the assembled members of the Senate and House of Representatives. It was filled with paeans to the police and military (which won particular support from the Democrats), fascistic attacks on immigrants, and invocations of religion, patriotism and the American flag, culminating in hails of 'USA!, USA!' during the closing section of the address..."
What do you feel they got for that vote, iyraste1313?
Of course they got nothing.....where is that expression...It´s the system stupid!...So why is there no talk about the system...what to replace it with!
Of course I am not a Trump supporter, except in the sense that he is showing up the total corruption of the system and the press!...and as the circus continues in DC...with growing sense of desperate confrontation between imperial forces...the system is breaking down...this time I don´t think the Central Banking system can pull magic out of a hat...the critical point may finally be approaching...I read elsewhere a recession? Give me a break! This is the bursting of a global bubble of historical proportions...which will sweep away the entire institutional structure of control...yielding chaos if people do not get it together...to do what....another thread is needed!
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has broken months of silence about his frequent premium-class flights at taxpayer expense, saying he needs to fly first class because of unpleasant interactions with other travelers.
“A job that’s been held by some of the nation’s top scientists is now occupied by a 31-year-old politics major from Princeton University.”
“More than a year into his term, Trump hasn’t identified a potential nominee for the key position held by prominent scientists in Republican and Democratic administrations alike… That means the job falls to Michael Kratsios, the deputy assistant in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. At least for now. Kratsios graduated from Princeton in 2008 with a political science degree and a focus on Hellenic studies.”
Some Democrats. With the excuse that medium sized banks in their states should be exempt from some of the requirements. Wrong thing to do, but just providing a fuller explanation.
"US President Donald Trump has ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, according to Trump's tweet Tuesday morning. TILLERSON WILL BE REPLACED BY CIA DIRECTOR MIKE POMPEO. 'He will do a fantastic job...'
Unfortunately here on Babble we're being fed a steady diet of news articles written by people who seem to think Trump is trying to lead a socialist revolution!
Some people here will probably just absolve Trump for this and blame Hillary and the Democrats instead!
Looks like we need even more Republicans in charge!?! Damn those Democrats!! Hillary is the one really running things from her bunker at the centre of the earth!
From what I can glean from skimming the article, Escobar thinks that Trump is "Leninist" in the sense of waging class-warfare on behalf of blue-collar workers, against elites.
Which is true, to some extent, but apart from his trade-protectionism, there is very little that is economic about Trump's class-warfare. It's basically the same anti-government, anti-bureaucrat schtick that Ronald Reagan was selling, with his "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help" jokes, to which Trump has added a more obvious infusion of racism.
And when exactly did "idenity politics" come to mean simple opposition to racism and bigotry? Insofar as it was a pejorative, I always assumed the phrase was meant to describe a situation where someone brings their race, gender, place-of-origin etc into a discussion where it doesn't really belong, eg. "How can you, a white person, sit there calmly sipping your cup of coffee and tell me, an African-American, that segregation wasn't so bad?" (The problem with the argument being that segregation was bad no matter the race of the people having the debate at the coffee shop.)
But now, simply saying that you don't like to see klansmen parading around on the streets qualifies as identity-politics.
Sorry, the above post was in reply to # 202, not 203, which is the one I mistakenly quoted.
Trump Is Just Six Votes Away From Impeachment
https://twitter.com/Newsweek/status/898668356466753537
"And Republicans are deserting him fast..."
Trump Set To Announce Afghan Strategy
https://on.rt.com/8kwg
"...['Mad Dog'] Mattis told reporters 'The president has made a decision. As he said, he wants to be the one to announce it to the American people.' According to reports, Mattis supports the plan of General John Nicholson, Commander of US Forces - Afghanistan, who said the US needs an additional 3,000-5,000 troops to be successful in the region."
Steve Bannon the leaker:
http://www.cbc.ca/1.4253381
On the face of it this is good news. The question is what does it mean?
How hard is it to get six more (assuming that the others are really there)? If Trump could not drive them away by now what will it take?
Perhaps the answer will come from the FBI, and I suspect it would take a bombshell there but that might do it.
And then, still, what does this mean? Another far right Republican Teaparty president -- only a more polite and competent one able to do more damage?
CrossTalk: Trump & His Generals (and vid)
https://www.rt.com/shows/crosstalk/403140-trump-administration-on-religon/
"Today the president is surrounded by men in uniform. Some are calling this a soft coup..."
Who Rules America? - by James Petras
http://petras.lahaine.org/b2-img/PetrasWhoRulesAmerica.pdf
"We can identify some of the key competing and interlocking directorates of the power elite:
1. Free marketers, with the ubiquitous presence of the 'Israel First' crowd.
2. National capitalists, linked to rightwing ideologues.
3. Generals, linked to the national security and the Pentagon apparatus, as well as the defence industry.
4. Business elites, linked to global capital.
This essay attempts to define the power wielders and evaluate their range of power and its impact..."
The wrong scandal cost Tom Price his job
http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/29/opinions/tom-price-failure-ford-vox-opinio...
Trump's Asia Visit: Growing US Economic Isolation To Fuel Military Push
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/11/13/trum-n13.html
"Far-reaching changes in the structure of the world economy have undermined the once unchallengeable dominance of US imperialism..."
'Tobacco at a cancer summit': Trump coal push savaged at climate conference
The US administration’s attempt to portray fossil fuels as vital to reducing poverty and saving US jobs is ridiculed in Bonn
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/13/bonn-climate-summit-...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/shep-smith-uranium-one-debunk
dp
Michael Flynn's lawyers break with Trump's legal team
The problem with being an asshole like Trump is that those around you are usually there for their own purposes, not loyalty to a respected boss.
In any case, we shall see what we shall see.
What a freak!
Who is worse - Trump or Pence?
God’s Plan for Mike Pence
Will the vice president—and the religious right—be rewarded for their embrace of Donald Trump?
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/gods-plan-for-mike-...
In 72 hours, Donald Trump undermined everything the Republican Party once stood for
The Republican Party can no longer claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility, strong foreign policy, or family values
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-roy-moore-rex-tillerson-senate...
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/freedom-caucus-paul-ryan-shutdown-truce-282072
https://twitter.com/AprilDRyan/status/940975335499292672
How to be royally screwed by your one percenters government, but we know all about that in Canada as well, don't we!
Why the GOP Tax Bill Is So Unpopular
The public seems to be against the plan precisely because they know what’s in it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/republican-tax-bill...
‘If It Doesn’t Work, Blame Us’
Brushing aside attacks from Democrats, GOP negotiators agree on a late change in the tax bill that would reduce the top individual income rate even more than originally planned.
So the Senate Democrats now have 49 votes, which menas they need 2 more votes to stop the massive tax rip-off of the poor. Any chance Collins & Corker will defeat it?
Odds are Jones won’t be seated till after the vote.
'Netanyahu is Calling Shots As US Beats Drums of War vs Iran' - Ex CIA Veteran
https://on.rt.com/8uvt
"I think that Netanyahu is calling the shots." - Ray McGovern
Why did RT.com leave out the "I think that" part of the quote?
Sen McCain is heading home.
Cutting Dems out on infrastructure could cost key votes
http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/365188-cutting-dems-out-on-infr...
Another one for the, there's no difference between Republicans and Democrats file:
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2017/12/donald_trump_s_union_busting_appointees_just_incinerated_obama_s_labor_legacy.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_fb_top
Republican Tax Bill Is A Monstrosity - by Richard Wolff
https://youtu.be/DE_cPhs7ylI
"The fundamental purpose and function of this law is to redistribute income and wealth from the middle and the bottom of this country to the top. If you don't understand that you're not paying attention. They're cutting the profits tax from 35 percent to somewhere between twenty and twenty-two. A spectacular, huge cut in the tax that corporations have to pay..."
BAR: The 1% Will Earn The People's Hatred - by Glen Ford
https://blackagendareport.com/1-will-earn-peoples-hatred
"The rich rule, not because they are smart or even competent, but because there are no organized domestic forces strong enough to stop them -- not even a viable social-democratic opposition to temper their obscene excesses with the discipline of common decency.
Bahahaha. And here I was thinking this would be a good opportunity to build bridges with disenfranchised Trump voters xD
Or is that not the goal...?
Pentagon Unveils Strategy For Military Confrontation With Russia and China
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/01/20/ndst-j20.html
"The Pentagon's aim, according to the defense strategy, is to ensure that the US remains 'the preeminent military power in the world,' able to 'ensure the balance of power remains in our favor,' 'advance an international order that is most conducive to our security and prosperity,' and 'preserve access to markets.' The thrust of the document is a demand for a vast buildup of the American war machine..."
US Imposes Authoritarian Model Without Help From Russia & China
https://youtu.be/_emVIFBcLpg
"If you decide to challenge America's experiment in democracy it's going to be your worst day,' said the US Defense Secretary, as he unveiled America's Defense Strategy, which will now primarily focus on deterring Russia and China..."
Canada supports.
"Build bridges" is kind of a funny metaphor. When we build a bridge, it's to get from here to there, or from there to here, but nobody builds a bridge so that everyone can meet in the middle of it.
The Useful Idiocy of Donald Trump - by Chris Hedges
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/48686.htm
"...The elites' moral and intellectual vacuum produced Trump. They too are con artists. They are slicker than he at selling lies and more adept at disguising their greed through absurd ideologies such as neoliberalism and globalization but they belong to the same criminal class and share many of the pathologies that characterize Trump. The grotesque visage of Trump is the true face of politicians such as George W Bush, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama..."
Trump voters are the real useful idiots. They fell for a con man,a grifter,a carnival barker,a fraud,a conspiracy theorist who lives in his own personal reality,a wannabe dictator veering the United States into a true bonafide fascist state, who is a raging racist with an IQ that could not possibly exceed 80.
He's a braggart,a pathological liar,a sociopath,a megalomaniac,an egotistical manchild who wants to scrap the 1st amendment because he can't handle criticism,he's a despicable loathsome deluded oaf. A truly stupid moron and an international punchline.
Fuck disenfranchised Trump voters. They made their beds,now they can sleep in them.
you miss the point entirely! Trump voters voted for anything but the neoliberal globalist staus quo...people are desperate!
The system is failing...even these so called morons can see that! So what to do! Where is the analysis as to what to do?
Why are not people here scramblñing now to develop a strategy?
Trump voters voted for anything but the neoliberal globalist staus quo...people are desperate!
Well, SOME of them did, specifically in the Rust Belt, which is what pushed Trump over the line to victory in the Electoral College. But I think most of his support was just coming from typical Republican voters, motivated by the usual things that have been motivating Republican voters since the days of Barry Goldwater.
What do you feel they got for that vote, iyraste1313?
Are they now free from neoliberalism? Globalism? Rob Ford didn't live long enough to derail "the gravy train", but has Trump at least "drained the swamp"?
Trump's State of the Union Address: A Spectacle of Reaction and Militarism
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/01/31/sotu-j31.html
"US President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address, delivered Tuesday night, was a festival of reaction and political filth. The speech dragged on for more than 80 minutes, interrupted by ovations from the assembled members of the Senate and House of Representatives. It was filled with paeans to the police and military (which won particular support from the Democrats), fascistic attacks on immigrants, and invocations of religion, patriotism and the American flag, culminating in hails of 'USA!, USA!' during the closing section of the address..."
President Trump: 2018 State of the Union Address
https://youtu.be/ATFwMO9CebA
What do you feel they got for that vote, iyraste1313?
Of course they got nothing.....where is that expression...It´s the system stupid!...So why is there no talk about the system...what to replace it with!
Of course I am not a Trump supporter, except in the sense that he is showing up the total corruption of the system and the press!...and as the circus continues in DC...with growing sense of desperate confrontation between imperial forces...the system is breaking down...this time I don´t think the Central Banking system can pull magic out of a hat...the critical point may finally be approaching...I read elsewhere a recession? Give me a break! This is the bursting of a global bubble of historical proportions...which will sweep away the entire institutional structure of control...yielding chaos if people do not get it together...to do what....another thread is needed!
The Jimmy Dore Show
https://youtu.be/ft8M0bsuhrc
US Pressuring NATO To Spend More on Bombs & Military Hardware
https://patribotics.blog/2018/01/02/trump-russia-collusion-why-muellers-...
The Jimmy Dore Show
https://youtu.be/piacn4-ieLo
"People focus hatred on Trump - ignore causes."
http://time.com/5158661/scott-pruitt-first-class/
https://politicalwire.com/2018/02/15/trumps-top-science-adviser-political-science-degree/
Chomsky on Telesur on Trump
https://videosenglish.telesurtv.net/video/703692/special-show-703692/
"From the point of view of US power, he's harming it. But from the point of view of US elites, he's given them everything they want."
The Jimmy Dore Show
https://youtu.be/on-4ZA_Tkhw
"Democrats join Trump in deregulating Wall St more."
Funny how there's always bi-partisan agreement on certain things...
Some Democrats. With the excuse that medium sized banks in their states should be exempt from some of the requirements. Wrong thing to do, but just providing a fuller explanation.
Breaking: Trump Ousts US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-ousts-u-s-secretary-of-state-rex-till...
"US President Donald Trump has ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, according to Trump's tweet Tuesday morning. TILLERSON WILL BE REPLACED BY CIA DIRECTOR MIKE POMPEO. 'He will do a fantastic job...'
It's official: US foreign policy by CIA.
Tillerson's ousting comes a day after he publicly blamed Russia for the nerve agent attack in Britain .
Hmm.
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