Good morning gang. Touche' is a French fencing term, and I guess once again, I'm showing my age. When I was growing up we used it as a taunt to indicate revenge, like "I got you back". I do the best I can with the keys that are in front of me, and I will not jump through hoops to make it perfect for you guys who actually speak French. So you can say to me, touche', as you are correcting my French. As always, my apologies.

 

This Muslim President thing is just another contrived controversy by Democrats in a useless attempt, once again, to paint Republicans as bigots. Mitt Romney would have won the election in 2012 if he had not been a Mormon. Millions would not support him for the simple reason of religion. Dr. Carson would put this thing to bed, and would gain Trump style support, if he would simply say, "I will never vote for a Muslim... now let's move on".

 

All you guys get together... support and finance an openly Muslim candidate for President of the United States, and we all will watch what happens. I will then say... touche' to you. Because a vast majority of Democrats will never support him.

 

I find that really strange now that I am learning French. Like what the hell does it mean? Good argument, to touch? 

Lysistrata is half right, and so are you. Touché comes from toucher and indeed means "to touch". But in this usage its a short form for "well good answer, you got me there". Basically an expression given when someone gives a good comeback. (comeback has to be topical thou, not just a humerous one)

 

Good morning gang. Touche' is a French fencing term, and I guess once again, I'm showing my age. When I was growing up we used it as a taunt to indicate revenge, like "I got you back". I do the best I can with the keys that are in front of me, and I will not jump through hoops to make it perfect for you guys who actually speak French. So you can say to me, touche', as you are correcting my French. As always, my apologies.

I try to minimize my need to speak french, but I got this lovely keyboard in front of me that actually shows more then just the abc

Why does the news media keep asking about Muslims when we've got bigger problems? Like, say: police training, student debt, monopoly abuse in the healthcare industry, the deficit, Syria, Iran, Ukraine, rent increases, infrastructure deterioration, and wage stagnation. There's only one man who can save us now.

 

Looking at the latest polling data it is definitely clear that Trump has peaked and is falling back. I would expect the race proper to start now.

Looking at the latest polling data it is definitely clear that Trump has peaked and is falling back. I would expect the race proper to start now.

We can hope. When more pull out maybe someone can cobble enough support to start beating Trump in the polls, then he will really lose his mind. He's at war with Fox News right now because they won't report the crazy online polls that show him far ahead. It's a Republican primary, so they will only report legitimate polls from reliable polling companies. When Trump begins to fall, he will go full teenager on everyone and blow himself up, but that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Lys, will Boehner resignation affect the race?

Lys, will Boehner resignation affect the race?

It can have an effect on how people feel. Many Republicans feel he was a roadblock, much the same as Mitch McConnell. If we gave them the House and the Senate... then there should be 300 bills sitting on Obama's desk forcing him to either veto or sign them into law. I was looking forward to Obama breaking the veto record in a single Congress, but our leaders decided to play politics with the issues rather than do what we elected them to do. Eric Cantor found out the hard way.

 

Ted Cruz will get a bump for sure. He's been a warrior to get things done, and lets everyone know what's going on. He had the brass to call Mitch out for lying to him, right on the Senate floor, and no one has been after their heads more than Ted. He took his scalp and will nail it to his wall. I like Cruz a lot, he's a smart man and an outstanding speaker, but he tends to sound like a preacher sometimes and it hurts him with moderates. Right now Marco has my support. I like Carly, but she's got more work to do.

You think there's a chance a more right wing leadership can take over? Or in immediate term, the seat goes to a GOP establishment player?

You think there's a chance a more right wing leadership can take over? Or in immediate term, the seat goes to a GOP establishment player?

Kevin McCarthy is probably taking the gavel in the House, so I would say we will have much more action and considerable more pressure on McConnell to move the Senate to be more opposition to the Obama administration. If Mitch continues to play the coward, he will risk losing his position as majority leader as well. Republicans are pretty damn fed up with elected individuals that offer lip service, show up only to protect and enrich their own ass, and allow a lawless President to destroy the very foundation of the USA.

 

I now know how much Boehner was a tool by all the wailing and bawling coming from Democrats. It's pathetic. This has been going on since the 2010 mid-term election and just intensified after 2014, so the anti-establishment candidates for President are doing so well because of what has happened since those elections. Boehner is resigning because too much of his own party will no longer play his waiting game. Too many awful things are just happening out of thin air without Congress, or anyone, doing anything about it. It's high time to cut the purse strings and shut down all this corruption.

Do you see someone picking Boehner as runner? Or rather, why haven't I heared anything about such theory, its so obvious he goes into retirement?

Do you see someone picking Boehner as runner? Or rather, why haven't I heared anything about such theory, its so obvious he goes into retirement?

Boehner is done. Not even a consideration. It would be like Nancy Pelosi jumping in the race. Instant crash and burn.

for the guy (or 1 gal) getting him on the ticket? mkay. Guess nobody likes them bridges in the US.

for the guy (or 1 gal) getting him on the ticket? mkay. Guess nobody likes them bridges in the US.

He's not that well liked, and he cries all the time. We don't need a President who cries all the time, at least, in public.

 

for the guy (or 1 gal) getting him on the ticket? mkay. Guess nobody likes them bridges in the US.

He's not that well liked, and he cries all the time. We don't need a President who cries all the time, at least, in public.

 

really? guess those images never made it to europe . We just know him from occationally throwing a fit against "the man in the white house".

 

well politicians getting emotional is always a touchy subject, first ticket for someone to go "wait a minute, why is (s)he actually crying?"

All I have to say is that the republicans are IDiOTS, they are so backwards and make no sense to me.

All I have to say is that the republicans are IDiOTS, they are so backwards and make no sense to me.

Hmmm... maybe you can add a few specifics... then we can discuss the things you really didn't think through. Do you really think that calling me an idiot is the best way to get what you want?

 

I call Democrats the "Wouldn't it be nice" party. They live in the land of Oz.

Boehner's resignation was a shocking move, and there's been some talk of a possible scandal behind it. Maybe he did what Hilary should have, resign from political life rather than let all the dirty laundry out into the open. But Hilary has always been far more ambitious than him.

 

It's more likely that he resigned to delay a government shutdown. Basically, nuking Republican organization in Congress from orbit rather than damage the economy. If that's the case, then he really had no leadership left and needed to go, anyway. We're looking at a shutdown in December, which will poison voters against Republicans. They'd be better off laying low until the election is over, but no, we're looking at another 4 years of a democrat in the White House. All because of the Tea Party.

Boehner's resignation was a shocking move, and there's been some talk of a possible scandal behind it. Maybe he did what Hilary should have, resign from political life rather than let all the dirty laundry out into the open. But Hilary has always been far more ambitious than him.

 

It's more likely that he resigned to delay a government shutdown. Basically, nuking Republican organization in Congress from orbit rather than damage the economy. If that's the case, then he really had no leadership left and needed to go, anyway. We're looking at a shutdown in December, which will poison voters against Republicans. They'd be better off laying low until the election is over, but no, we're looking at another 4 years of a democrat in the White House. All because of the Tea Party.

So you're saying Obama would shut down the government to protect taxpayer funded abortions? It's already clearly illegal what Planned Parenthood is doing, and only lacks an FBI investigation before many of them go to prison. Isn't it amazing how completely in the dark most people are about the law? They have been hiding behind birth control and cancer screenings for decades. Can't we find another organization to fund that isn't an abortion mill?

 

This is the fault of an irresponsible, and complicit media. The Tea Party only wants a responsible, honest, and law abiding government under the US Constitution. I don't see how that is a bad thing... unless of course, you're a traitor.

 

Boehner's resignation was a shocking move, and there's been some talk of a possible scandal behind it. Maybe he did what Hilary should have, resign from political life rather than let all the dirty laundry out into the open. But Hilary has always been far more ambitious than him.

 

It's more likely that he resigned to delay a government shutdown. Basically, nuking Republican organization in Congress from orbit rather than damage the economy. If that's the case, then he really had no leadership left and needed to go, anyway. We're looking at a shutdown in December, which will poison voters against Republicans. They'd be better off laying low until the election is over, but no, we're looking at another 4 years of a democrat in the White House. All because of the Tea Party.

So you're saying Obama would shut down the government to protect taxpayer funded abortions? It's already clearly illegal what Planned Parenthood is doing, and only lacks an FBI investigation before many of them go to prison. Isn't it amazing how completely in the dark most people are about the law? They have been hiding behind birth control and cancer screenings for decades. Can't we find another organization to fund that isn't an abortion mill?

 

This is the fault of an irresponsible, and complicit media. The Tea Party only wants a responsible, honest, and law abiding government under the US Constitution. I don't see how that is a bad thing... unless of course, you're a traitor.

 

You'll be using that "socialist" word again soon. Please don't distort words from their accepted definitions. That's how cashiers who have pissall power and no political leanings get called Nazis. Scare words mean fuckall to this argument.

 

The Constitution was intended to be a living document, as shown by the mechanism for amending it. While it definitely was not specific enough, the founders did their best with the understanding that they had. A major reason Southern states have much longer constitutions is that they recognized this drawback and had the time to address it after the Civil War.

 

Over the years, accepted tradition has had different branches of the government interpreting the document to varying degrees. While the Supreme Court's role was not written into the Constitution, it has precedence in English Common Law and was accepted by the founders in the nation's early years.

 

On abortion itself, it's a viable contraceptive method that has been accepted by society at large. This was reflected in the Supreme Court decision. Any argument against it almost always requires a call to religion or religious logic, which the founders specifically separated from the government in an amendment. Life does not begin at conception, and determining anything after that requires far more expertise than either of us have. I'm willing to trust that government officials have consulted enough scientists and ethicsists (NOT religious leaders) to come up with a viable answer.

 

Planned Parenthood is the widest available network of free clinics in the United States. While their founders had horrible ideas founded in their eras, many companies have had horrible ties over the years (like Ford's direct support of the Nazis and dozens of companies that profited from slavery). They have severed their culture from the past and now serve the community to the best of their ability.

 

I have served volunteer security at Planned Parenthood to keep nutjobs from attacking women that only want to protect their health. No one has a right to stop a necessary medical procedures. Childbirth can easily result in the mother's death, and should not be forced onto unwilling women no matter how much you enjoy religious grandstanding.

Please don't assume things about people you don't really know. I'm Agnostic, and don't give a shit about any religious argument about abortion. It's not a form of birth control... aka "a contraceptive method". Those things are used to prevent a pregnancy... not to terminate one. Abortion is a medical procedure to end the life of a baby in the womb. That is pure science, and has nothing to do with anyone's God.

 

I don't care if any women chooses to abort their children, and I don't care why they want to do it. I only care that taxpayers are not paying for it. The law says they can do it, and it also says that Federal funds are prohibited from doing the dirty deed.

 

Yes, the Constitution is a living document. It can be amended. Where things go horribly wrong is when people want to say that it says what it doesn't, and then call it law. What is not specifically addressed in the document is left up to the states. Supreme Court Justices are charged with interpretation of the Constitution. They cannot create new laws by their interpretations. This is the core of many problems we are now experiencing. We have too many people wanting to change the Constitution without amending it. Let's hold a new Constitutional Convention... and see what happens!

I apologize if I assumed you had religious reasons for the abortion debate. As I said, it's nearly impossible to attack abortion in total without resorting to religion. I will treat it as a public healthcare debate, instead.

 

We've had arguments about public healthcare before. Considering the fact that the Constitution itself enshrines a right to life (for citizens, when their life starts), it's hard to understand why someone considers some form of public healthcare unconstitutional when capitalism itself is not even mentioned in the document (note, I support capitalism for most endeavors). Most of Planned Parenthood's services are centered on public health. This includes pap smears, mammograms, and yes, contraception, which prevent far more costly diseases. Cancer caught early is cheaper to eradicate than cancer caught late. STD and pregnancy prevention is far less expensive than miscarriage and medication. Life's beginning has been discussed by people far more specialized than I on such things, and been determined to be X months before normal birth.

 

The main reason U.S. healthcare is fucked is that no one can afford prevention, and only seek help when things have gone so far that it takes dozens of trained professionals to cure them.

 

A lot of conservatives have this myth that everyone can and should be a rockstar CEO making hundreds of thousands of dollars who has no worry about healthcare costs. We need people at the bottom, often more than the people at the top. I've met dozens of idiot MBAs who are just salesmen with a fancy degree. Good ones go into finance or understand that productivity requires loyalty to their workers, as well as their executives.

 

Taxation has been fought hard and long from the Whiskey Rebellion onward, but there are cases when it is necessary. The tax burden for most U.S. citizens is the lowest it's been for the last thirty years (including the vaunted Reagan years). Corporate welfare is causing the deficits, not public welfare. Public welfare is nothing compared to the tax breaks and incentives given to corporations. Just because it's done before tax collection, does not make it any better. We've talked about truly flat taxes, as well.

 

Looking at the latest polling data it is definitely clear that Trump has peaked and is falling back. I would expect the race proper to start now.

We can hope. When more pull out maybe someone can cobble enough support to start beating Trump in the polls, then he will really lose his mind. He's at war with Fox News right now because they won't report the crazy online polls that show him far ahead. It's a Republican primary, so they will only report legitimate polls from reliable polling companies. When Trump begins to fall, he will go full teenager on everyone and blow himself up, but that's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

Trump is already falling and he can only go further down.  He is actually trying to become much more maturer now (I have noticed in recent interviews) where he is actually giving specifics (e.g. his tax plan which will be a disaster to the deficit).  He is now forced to give specifics because his opponents are gaining ground on substance, while he is still Mr. Entertainer.  In the end, Trump will not be the GOP nominee, and I could see this going to a conventional, establishment Republican like Bush or Fiorina. Trump could conceivably be even more of an asshole to run as an independent and screw it up for the GOP. Clearly he did raise his hand saying he would do this in the first debate.

 

 

Boehner's resignation was a shocking move, and there's been some talk of a possible scandal behind it. Maybe he did what Hilary should have, resign from political life rather than let all the dirty laundry out into the open. But Hilary has always been far more ambitious than him.

 

It's more likely that he resigned to delay a government shutdown. Basically, nuking Republican organization in Congress from orbit rather than damage the economy. If that's the case, then he really had no leadership left and needed to go, anyway. We're looking at a shutdown in December, which will poison voters against Republicans. They'd be better off laying low until the election is over, but no, we're looking at another 4 years of a democrat in the White House. All because of the Tea Party.

 

I don't see it shocking.  It was expected. He just decided not to publicize his intentions until Friday's press conference.  Remember when he said "fears of leadership turmoil"?  He was implying that he lost the Republican leadership in the House.  He failed his base and he failed the institution. Boehner did not appear to be a strong leader, but who really knows what goes on behind closed doors?   However, if the Republicans shut down the Government they will again lose ground with the majority of US voters who are centrists. Neither party wants to make the meaningful cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits by paying out less and charging higher premiums respectively to those who can afford it, which is a necessary step to cure our red ink free fall.

 

 

3T

I agree with you Trip... but I don't see Bush getting traction. The Bush name is a negative too big, and everyone wants something new. I can see Fiorina and Rubio running away with it. They are too sharp, and too politically savvy to make any major mistakes. Carson is okay, but he's too nice. He'll get lost in the mess somewhere. Trump stepped in a huge pile of shit calling Marco a clown at the Values Voter Summit, and I think people are getting a little fatigued with the name calling inside our own tent.

 

If Trump was not such a celebrity, he would have been toast already. His tax plan is not big and bold enough. It's just the same shit with different numbers, and it will never fly in Congress. We can't afford to take chances on the revenues. We need some form of consumption tax, maybe phased in, as we phase out income tax over a period of years. You never hear anything, about anyone, ever evading their sales tax.

 

It's hard for the media to take down Trump... they created him. He is infamous for being a jerk, so they can't pull a Mel Gibson on the guy. Whatever he says, people expect that from him, and it's why they like him. I believe the people will get tired of Donald. It will probably take a public exchange with Clooney or something. That would be too funny.

If Trump was not such a celebrity, he would have been toast already. His tax plan is not big and bold enough. It's just the same shit with different numbers, and it will never fly in Congress. We can't afford to take chances on the revenues. We need some form of consumption tax, maybe phased in, as we phase out income tax over a period of years. You never hear anything, about anyone, ever evading their sales tax

I'll write more when I have some more time but just on this point you might want to look up MTIC fraud.

 

 

I'll write more when I have some more time but just on this point you might want to look up MTIC fraud.

 

Haven't you guys been dealing with the VAT tax for a while now? I would be very interested in your opinion. We have State sales tax, and it works pretty smooth. Shouldn't be hard to add a Federal tax on purchasing goods, and get rid of the IRS altogether. We have to make money to live, and anything that makes that inconvenient has to go.