;)
The Commentariat -- November 3, 2019
** Jason Leopold, et al., of BuzzFeed News: "BuzzFeed News sued the US government to see all the work that [Robert] Mueller's team kept secret. We have published the first installment.... Paul Manafort was pushing the unfounded conspiracy theory -- now part of the impeachment inquiry into ... Donald Trump -- that Ukraine hacked the Democratic National Committee's emails as early as 2016. The president's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, 'had to keep Trump out of the messaging related to Russia' in preparation for his testimony to Congress under oath. Top Trump campaign aide Rick Gates said the campaign was 'very happy' when a foreign government helped release the hacked DNC emails. These are some of the revelations that BuzzFeed News pried loose after pursuing five separate Freedom of Information Act lawsuits for all the subpoenas and search warrants that then-special counsel Robert Mueller's team executed, as well as all the emails, memos, letters, talking points, legal opinions, and interview transcripts it generated. The documents revealed Saturday, known as '302 reports,' are summaries of interviews with former White House official and Trump campaign manager Stephen Bannon, Cohen, Gates, and more." The article includes details & reproduces supporting documents for the matters mentioned above, as well as others.
Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "... Donald Trump and other top 2016 Trump campaign officials repeatedly privately discussed how the campaign could get access to stolen Democratic emails WikiLeaks had in 2016, according to newly released interview notes from Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation. CNN sued the Justice Department for access to Mueller's witness interview notes, and this weekend's release marks the first publicly available behind-the-scenes look at Mueller's investigative work outside of court proceedings and the report itself. Per a judge's order, the Justice Department will continue to release new tranches of the Mueller investigative notes monthly to CNN and Buzzfeed News, which also sued for them. A retelling of events from former Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates, who served alongside campaign chairman Paul Manafort, is the fullest detail revealed by the Justice Department yet on discussions within the Trump campaign as it pursued damaging information about its Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. '[Rick] Gates recalled a time on the campaign aircraft when candidate Trump said, "get the emails." [Michael] Flynn said he could use his intelligence sources to obtain the emails,' investigators wrote in a summary of Gates' April 2018 interview withMueller's team.... 'Flynn had the most Russia contacts of anyone on the campaign and was in the best position to ask for the emails if they were out there,' the investigators also wrote about Gates' interview. Gates described in an interview with Mueller investigators last year how several close advisers to Trump, Trump's family members and Trump himself considered how to get the stolen documents and pushed the effort, according to investigators' summary."
Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: It's been obvious for some time that the Ukraine scandal is not a stand-alone event (or series of events) but is an extension of the matters Mueller investigated. The documents BuzzFeed News & CNN have obtained provide additional confirmation of a story that dates back more than three years.
Zoe Tillman of BuzzFeed News: “In his July 2019 call with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky..., Donald Trump referenced a conspiracy theory that Ukraine was involved in hacking the Democratic National Committee in 2016, and asked for the 'favor' of help investigating it. Trump's own campaign was floating the theory that Ukraine, and not Russia, hacked the DNC as early as the summer of 2016, according to new documents obtained by BuzzFeed News from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. In an April 2018 interview with Mueller's office, Rick Gates -- who had served as Trump's deputy campaign chair in 2016 and was the longtime right-hand man of former campaign chair Paul Manafort -- told investigators that sometime after the campaign learned in June 2016 that WikiLeaks had the hacked DNC emails, Manafort had said that the hack was 'likely carried by the Ukrainians, not the Russians,' according to FBI notes. The idea that Ukraine, and not Russia, was involved in stealing emails from the DNC that were released by WikiLeaks in 2016 has long percolated in conservative circles and been pushed by Russian news outlets. It contradicts the US Intelligence Community's own findings that Russia was involved in hacking the DNC and orchestrating the release of documents through WikiLeaks."
Tom McCarthy of the Guardian: "... Republicans are trying out [an argument] which says that while Trump's conduct has not been irreproachable, neither has it been impeachable.... In fact, Trump's conduct, according to analysts interviewed by the Guardian, hews more closely than any previous conduct by any other president to what scholars conceive as a concrete example of impeachable behavior.... The reason Trump's alleged conduct is plainly impeachable, historians say, has to do with US impeachment precedent and with what the authors of the US constitution meant when they provisioned impeachment for 'high crimes and misdemeanors'.... The founders drafted the impeachment clause specifically with problematic foreign loyalties in mind, [historian Jeffrey] Engel said. 'Having just gone through the process of a divisive revolution, where it was literally neighbor against neighbor and sometimes even brother against brother split over loyalty,' Engel said, 'there was a great deal of concern about just simply making sure that the people who were in charge generally had America's best interests at heart....'... [Historian Frank Bowman says,] '... Trump is literally holding the independence of another country hostage to his own political interests.... What he was doing is endangering an American policy objective, the whole framework of containment of Russian expansionism, the bedrock of our policy in eastern Europe for the last 70 years....'"
A Florida Man Walked into a Fight at Madison Square Garden.... Marty Johnson of the Hill: "President Trump was welcomed into Madison Square Garden Saturday night with heavy booing from the crowd. The president [was] at the arena to watch the main fight of UFC 244.... In addition to the boos inside of MSG, protestors gathered outside of the arena prior to his arrival." Mrs. McC: Soon they'll be booing him in Palm Beach. ~~~
~~~ Okay, Not All That Bad. Jonathan Lemire of the AP: "Both loud boos and cheers could be heard as Trump, joined by his adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, as well as several congressional Republicans, took their seats ahead of the pay-per-view mixed martial arts match. The greeting, though split, was warmer than the reception Trump received earlier in the week, when he was roundly booed and faced a 'Lock him up!' chant at a World Series game he attended in Washington." Mrs. McC: A fun time was had by all. The headline event is called "BMF," which I gather stands for "Big Mother Fucker." One fighter was knocked out cold. So all very wholesome. Remember when the wingers were all upset when President Obama took Michelle to NYC for date night? They went to dinner at an upscale restaurant & saw a Broadway production of August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. So similar to attending an organized bloody brawl.
** Mike McIntire, et al., of the New York Times: "The New York Times examined [Donald] Trump's interactions with Twitter since he took office, reviewing each of his more than 11,000 tweets and the hundreds of accounts he has retweeted, tracking the ways he is exposed to information and replicating what he is likely to see on the platform.... The president spends significant time mingling with extremists, impostors and spies. Fake accounts tied to intelligence services in China, Iran and Russia had directed thousands of tweets at Mr. Trump.... Iranian operatives tweeted anti-Semitic tropes, saying that Mr. Trump was 'being controlled' by global Zionists, and that pulling out of the Iran nuclear treaty would benefit North Korea. Russian accounts tagged the president more than 30,000 times.... Mr. Trump has retweeted at least 145 unverified accounts that have pushed conspiracy or fringe content, including more than two dozen that have since been suspended by Twitter. Tinfoil-hat types and racists celebrate when Mr. Trump shares something they promote." ~~~
~~~ The Times has related stories here and here. Mrs. McC: Trump's Twitter activity is grounds for invoking the 25th Amendment. (The three stories linked here & immediately above were also linked yesterday, but they're worth perusing. ~~~
~~~ Mike McIntire & Nicholas Confessore of the New York Times home in on nine key takeaways from the Times' examination of Trumpertweets.
How to Immigrate for $100. Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed through new sections of President Trump's border wall in recent months by using commercially available power tools, opening gaps large enough for people and drug loads to pass through, according to U.S. agents and officials with knowledge of the damage. The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier's steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymit because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques. After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall -- and are attached only to a panel at the very top -- their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.... The smuggling crews have been using other techniques, such as building makeshift ladders to scale the barriers, especially in the popular smuggling areas in the San Diego area, according to nearly a dozen U.S. agents and current and former administration officials." Mediaite has a brief story here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: All together now: "We're shocked & nonplussed, Donnie's wall is a bust." ~~~
~~~ Update. Christian Vasquez of Politico: "After years of touting the impenetrability of a border wall..., Donald Trump said Saturday that 'you can cut through any wall' as reports surfaced of smugglers sawing through newly erected barriers with readily available power tools. 'We have a very powerful wall. But no matter how powerful, you can cut through anything, in all fairness. But we have a lot of people watching. You know cutting, cutting is one thing, but it's easily fixed. One of the reasons we did it the way we did it, it's very easily fixed. You put the chunk back in,' Trump told reporters at the White House.... Trump's statement is a far cry from years of campaigning that a border wall would be nearly impossible for smugglers to overcome. In a visit to one of the construction sites in September, Trump said the border wall is 'virtually impenetrable' and could not be climbed."
~~~ Jana Winter, et al., of Yahoo! News: "A Halloween party on Oct. 25 at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building featured candy, paper airplanes and -- concerning for some attendees -- a station where children were encouraged to help 'Build the Wall' with their own personalized bricks. Photos of the children's mural with the paper wall were provided to Yahoo News. The party, which took place inside the office building used by White House staff, included the families of executive-branch employees and VIP guests inside and outside government. Even though many of the attendees were members of ... Trump's administration, not everyone thought the Halloween game was a treat. 'Horrified. We were horrified,' said a person who was there...." Mrs. McC: Other than the fact that Trump's wall is a wasteful spending horror, I'm not sure what it has to do with Halloween. But the kids' paper wall is probably only slightly less effective than the real thing. And nice to know Trumpistas are indoctrinating Trump Youth. Do they get uniforms? Is there a special salute? ~~~
~~~ Judge Blocks Trump's Latest Cruel Scheme. Aimee Ortiz of the New York Times: "A federal judge on Saturday blocked the Trump administration from implementing a policy that would require immigrants to prove they have insurance or the financial resources for medical costs in order to obtain a visa. The ruling, by Judge Michael Simon of the Federal District Court in Portland, Ore., was the latest in a string of court decisions to derail administration initiatives that would limit the admission of certain legal immigrants into the United States. Judge Simon issued a nationwide temporary restraining order preventing the government from carrying out a proclamation by President Trump that would have gone into effect on Sunday." The AP story is here.
** Mike McIntire, et al., of the New York Times: "The New York Times examined [Donald] Trump's interactions with Twitter since he took office, reviewing each of his more than 11,000 tweets and the hundreds of accounts he has retweeted, tracking the ways he is exposed to information and replicating what he is likely to see on the platform. The result, including new data analysis and previously unreported details, offers the most comprehensive view yet of a virtual world in which the president spends significant time mingling with extremists, impostors and spies. Fake accounts tied to intelligence services in China, Iran and Russia had directed thousands of tweets at Mr. Trump, according to a Times analysis of propaganda accounts suspended by Twitter. Iranian operatives tweeted anti-Semitic tropes, saying that Mr. Trump was 'being controlled' by global Zionists, and that pulling out of the Iran nuclear treaty would benefit North Korea. Russian accounts tagged the president more than 30,000 times, including in supportive tweets about the Mexican border wall and his hectoring of black football players.... Mr. Trump has retweeted at least 145 unverified accounts that have pushed conspiracy or fringe content, including more than two dozen that have since been suspended by Twitter. Tinfoil-hat types and racists celebrate when Mr. Trump shares something they promote." ~~~
~~~ The Times has related stories here and here. Mrs. McC: Trump's Twitter activity is grounds for invoking the 25th Amendment.
Thomas Fuller & Coral Davenport of the New York Times: "... as wildfires burned across the state -- fires that scientists say have been made worse by a changing climate -- and as at least five large carmakers sided with President Trump's plan to roll back California's climate pollution standards, the state's status as the vanguard of environmental policy seemed at the very least diminished. The state's leaders found themselves both witnessing firsthand the effects of climate change and hamstrung to take actions to fight it. 'We're waging war against the most destructive fires in our state's history, and Trump is conducting a full-on assault against the antidote,' Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said in an interview. Mr. Trump has taken broad aim at efforts to fight global warming since his first days in office.... As Mr. Newsom sees it, there is a contradiction between Mr. Trump's willingness to help fire victims and his refusal to address the underlying reasons for the increasing ferocity of the fires.... Mr. Trump's quest to tear down rules that restrict the fossil fuel industry has homed in on California as a particular target. That's in part because of California's unique role as a beacon of the nation's climate change policies...."
"The White House Press Briefing Now Takes Place on Fox News." Bobby Lewis of Media Matters: "Since becoming White House press secretary on July 1, Stephanie Grisham has held zero press briefings. Instead, Grisham has found the time to grant interviews to some of ... Donald Trump's favorite current and former Fox News hosts.... Grisham's particular innovation is to move the entire office of White House press secretary into the world of Fox News and Fox-adjacent media.... Grisham treats her duties as press secretary as complaining to pro-Trump pundits about how unfair everyone else is to the president.... By shutting out the vast majority of cable networks and broadcast news to instead have friendly sit-downs with Trump's favorite former and current Fox News hosts, Grisham's media strategy seems aimed at reassuring the president while evading hard questions about a White House in perpetual crisis."
Presidential Race 2020
James Crowley of Newsweek: "South Bend, Indiana Mayor ... candidate Pete Buttigieg said in a new interview that he believes the race for his party's nomination will be between Senator Elizabeth Warren and himself. In a clip from Showtime's The Circus, Buttigieg told co-host John Heilemann: 'I think this is getting to be a two-way. It's early to say, I'm not saying that it is a two-way. A world where we're getting somewhere is where it's coming down to the two of us.'... Buttigieg also told Heilemann that he's not worried about former Vice President Joe Biden in the race. 'Either he is the unstoppable front-runner,' he said, 'and we can all go home, or he is not.' The candidate then added: 'Anybody who's in this race is pure on the assumption that he's not.'" Mrs. McC: Buttigieg sounds a little boastful here, but he might be right.
Eric Loomis in LG&$: "Nancy Pelosi ... is not great a[t] national politics and tends to project her own most right-wing members onto the national stage as the voices the Democratic Party should follow. [Citing a Bloomberg] story: "'What works in San Francisco does not necessarily work in Michigan,' Pelosi said at a roundtable of Bloomberg News reporters and editors on Friday.... 'Remember November,' she said.... Pelosi was careful not to back any one candidate in the party's contentious presidential contest, but didn't hold back when asked about which ideas should -- and shouldn't -- form the party's case to American voters.... The speaker's concerns reflect those of many Democratic leaders and donors who believe that left-wing policies will alienate swing voters and lead to defeat.'... One can debate what the best strategy is on healthcare. But what Pelosi is doing is undermining two of the top candidates in the field -- the two candidates who she at least frames herself as being closest to -- in order to promote the desires of her most moderate members. What she should be doing is staying out of this and calling for a broad-based debate...." The Bloomberg report is here. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: For what it's worth, I think all, or at least most of, the Democratic candidates are taking the wrong tack on health coverage. By coming up with their own healthcare plans -- whatever the plans are -- the candidates are locking themselves into frameworks that are guaranteed not to pass Congress in the forms they espouse. The best "plan" doesn't require hiring experts to crunch numbers & develop long positions papers; instead, each candidate should swear allegiance to a goal of guaranteeing affordable universal healthcare, with a promise they'll get something through Congress that will meet that goal, as long as American voters elect Democratic majorities. Is it too late for me to get into the race? "Bea for President -- She's Not Trump" ~~~
~~~ Guess I was wrong; Elizabeth Warren explains her plan, and it makes so much sense:
Way Beyond the Beltway
Jim Gomez & Elaine Kurtenbach of the AP: "Leaders from fast-growing Southeast Asian economies, China and other regional powers vowed Sunday to transcend conflicts over trade policies and territorial disputes for the sake of stronger economies and regional stability.... Donald Trump skipped the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and instead sent his national security adviser, Robert O'Brien. Last year, Trump sent Vice President Mike Pence. Both now are busy campaigning back home, and analysts say their absence will leave roo for China to further raise its profile and clout in the region."
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Reader Comments (14)
Bea has my vote.
Only in part because I agree with her--most of the time.
This time around on healthcare. Surely some smart candidate advisors have also noticed the danger being run by those who lock themselves into a "plan" and are urging their candidates to speak more generally about what they intend to do on the issue, once elected.
I'd suggest instead of a grand plan, argument by contrast. This is what has been done to the ACA by the Pretender since he took office and here are the effects: shorter sign up periods, fewer covered, more covered by worse plans...leading to X number of deaths...
Reference to the plan should be made only to counter those who say some kind of universal coverage is not possible. The answer: Of course it is. Here's one way and there are many others...Take your pick and get behind it. The goal is more, better coverage for more people, not less and worse, which is the Republican way.
@Ken Winkes: I agree with your "amendments" to my "plan." You can be my campaign manager. Then you can pick whatever cabinet post you want. Or maybe ambassador to the E.U.? The post is definitely open, and the residence in Brussels has a brand-new, taxpayer-funded rehab, so you & your wife might like it. No side trips to Kiev required. Paris & Rome? -- oh, yeah. London? -- Brexit-dependent.
Ken Winkes: Man about to be something– something- big in Bea's kitchen cabinet and if he can actually whip up some fancy foods from time to time he might very well soar even higher. He and she get my votes any day.
Now on to something I have been pondering about forever–-there are few people that reach the age of Fatty that don't need reading glasses and I happen to know Fatty doesn't do contacts so I wondered how in the world he can tweet like he does and read from a teleprompter ( maybe everything is in caps?) but now here comes some info that appears to answer that question:
"You’ve probably never seen him tweet in public...
That’s because he doesn’t like to wear the reading glasses he needs to see his iPhone screen. Instead, the president dictates tweets to Dan Scavino, the White House social media director. Sometimes, Mr. Scavino prints out suggested tweets in extra-large fonts for Mr. Trump to sign off on."
Now why wouldn't he like to wear his glasses? Ah, gee, I'm scratching my head––-will someone help me with this?
Ukraine's Unlikely President Promising a New Style of Politics Gets a Taste of Trump's Swamp: Joshua Yaffa
Long piece from the New Yorker that is most interesting and informative:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/04/how-trumps-emissaries-put-pressure-on-ukraines-new-president
@PD regarding glasses:
One reason Drumpf might go off script so often in his speeches (besides the fact that the guy doesn't read) is that the teleprompter is probably spinning 64 point font, which is about three words per page. The poor sods who control the rate of the teleprompter feed are probably fired immediately after. The reason he doesn't wear glasses is the same reason he paints his face orange and tows around his supermodel wife. If he wore glasses he'd look more ridiculous than Rick Perry trying to look smart.
@ Bea
If the democratic candidates didn't have their own health care plans what would they talk about to distinguish themselves from each other? None of the candidates have specific plans to address reduction of fossil fuel use, but they are all for working on climate change. But if any one of them mentions a cultural convenience we (collectively) would have to give up to meet an environmental goal you will witness a political suicide. Without the individual plans and breakable promises choosing candidates would be like shopping the boxed cereal isle in the grocery store - 25 choices for the same thing - or minor differences that don't add up to much.
I see it as a long distance foot race; at the beginning and middle of the race all the runners are trying to stay together in a pack playing the attrition game, testing each other's endurance, financing their campaigns as much as possible by honing in on ideas that resonate with voters but staying away from big promises. When there is a breakaway runner the calculus changes. The big ideas come out and there are attacks on the lead runner. Elizabeth has made her breakaway attack, now we'll see who has the juice to keep up.
@Periscope: Presidents don't make laws; Congress does. Presidential candidates should have legislative policy goals, but it is mostly the makeup of the Congress that will determine the nature of the laws that are written. Sure, real presidents (as opposed to Trump) often send over proposed bills, and generally Congress has to write bills a president will sign (or bills that are so popular with Congress that they'll be able to override a veto).
The presidential campaign season is more like a beauty contest than a legislative food fight. If you think I'm wrong, regard President* Trump. He had (and has) zero plans, yet in 2016 he fairly easily beat far more able legislators, candidates with concrete proposals & the ability to talk more-or-less intelligently (for Republicans) about them.
The campaign season is an opportunity for Americans to decide not who has the best policies, but who has the best "vision," who might best be able to cajole Congress into coming close to realizing that vision, & who presents that vision in an appealing way; that is, who can we abide seeing on the teevee for the next four years. This is how candidates distinguish themselves from one another.
@ Bea
A presidential candidate policy/plan statement is a "vision", with enough detail to test the ideas. Most political candidates (president or congress) will be asked at some point by the news media or their opponent how they intend to pay for their "vision", and taxpayers want to know where their money goes. We've grown accustomed to blowing of the handwaving that usually follows, but when someone does the math it does make one sit up and listen. Of course congress makes the laws.
Mrs. McC: Other than the fact that Trump's wall is a wasteful spending horror, I'm not sure what it has to do with Halloween.
You are forgetting about the snakes, alligators and the electricity. All pretty scary.
Let's talk a little more about "vision" vs. plans, which I see as a continuum, with plans being vision fleshed out with details.
Have to agree with Bea here if the Pretender (and even Obama before him) are our yardsticks.
First, consider the American electorate, which has become increasingly impatient with more of the same stew that has not delivered what they wish. Not all want the same thing, of course, but disappointment with and anger over the past, whether it be our economics, a useless foreign war, perceptions surrounding the changing times which would include everything from the decreasing political clout of traditional religions to the browning of America, require first of all a fresh face as part of the vision. Both Obama and the Pretender held that advantage.
Beyond that, it seems vague promises are enough. Better and cheaper health care for everyone, a booming economy, with specific promises to revive the coal industry and American manufacturing by doing new and re-doing old trade deals. In each case, there were no details to devil the Pretender. Nor it turns out were they necessary.
And I would add, I believe Bush II handed victory to Obama by conveniently crashing the economy in the months immediately prior to the 2008 election, just as Clinton's silly, even reprehensible, behavior--along with one SCOTUS vote-- gave the victory to Bush II.
Neither of those large factors was part of any plan.
I love plans, and therefore like Warren and Sanders, but I'm only one vote and that in an already Blue state.
Periscope: the American voters' ignorance of where their "hard earned tax dollars" (actually, easily acquired debt) is a major factor that keeps their representatives in their seats for more than one term. Everybody stands for value and fiscal responsibility, but almost nobody cares enough to really inform themselves. Politicians know that they can get burned for strange expenses (like the IL congresscritter who decorated his office like Downton Abbey), yet at the same time get cheered for pissing away trillions in tax cuts.
One reason there is so little accountability is BECAUSE AMERICAN VOTERS DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO COUNT and have no sense of proportion!!!
And because about 40% of the electorate has hardwired their brains to believe that D = tax and spend, R=small government fiscal responsibility. Then they ignore the spreadsheets, secure in their faith.
Sorry for the shouting.
I think we are talking past each other because we are comparing the way that republicans choose presidential candidates versus the way that democrats choose. They are very different. Republicans fall in line, democrats get in a circle. The new GOP evaluates candidates based on how their speech and legacy aligns with the conservative directives:
God above man
Man above nature
The strong above the weak
The rich above the poor
Employer above employee
Adults above children
Western culture above all other cultures
America above all other countries
Men above women
Whites above people of color
Christians above non-Christians
Straights above gays
And most importantly, an individual's right to get wealth by any means, above (and often to the exclusion of) any communal or collective benefit.
As long as most of these boxes are checked they only have to pull one party lever on election day. The democrats have a very different checklist, and the collective benefits are things we (I'm assuming most readers of RC are Dems or independent) consider and debate regarding the role of government in achieving the candidate's "vision".
Bea brought up the comparison with the OM not having a plan. I made my initial point in response to her comment (in text) about Warren's plan reveal. Apples and oranges (no pun intended). Other than that, I agree with everything everyone has said.
@Periscope: @Patrick is absolutely right about voter innumeracy, & the example he provides is perfect: Aaron Schock shocked voters, but he wasted less $$ on his office decor (and other inappropriate expenditures) than Trump does every time he goes to play golf at Mar-a-Lago. And that's not even looking at the trillions of debt Trump's tax cut for billionaires & corporations will likely cost ordinary taxpayers in interest payments. (It would be pretty easy to restructure the tax code to force the same billionaires & corporations to make those interest payments. But Republicans).
And @Ken Winkes provided another great example in Trump's promise to bring back King Coal. In fairness to Trump, he made idiotic efforts to do so, but -- unsurprisingly -- he failed. One of his biggest coal magnate beneficiaries -- Murray Energy -- just went bankrupt (probably reserving plenty of $$ for Murray himself), and Murray, the biggest privately-owned U.S. coal company, ain't alone. Conversely, Hillary really did have a practical, well-thought-out plan to help displaced coal miners, and they didn't want to hear it -- they voted for Trump & excoriated Hillary for not saving the coal industry as Trump would do (ha ha). That is, Hillary had a plan; Trump didn't; and the would-be beneficiaries of Hillary's plan voted for Trump. Now the miners are worried they won't even get their pensions (and their worries are not unreasonable). And they'll vote for Trump again.
@Patrick: People in general, and Americans in particular, are very bad at identifying dangers. They act terrified of terrorists, but the fact is you're hundreds of times more likely to be killed by your spouse than by an Islamic Terrorist™, even if you're single. Owning a gun is much more dangerous than not.
To the last contributor: Please find another handle for this site. A regular contributor uses "Patrick," and using the same avatar causes confusion. At least, I'm confused. Thank you.
Also, I'm not quite sure how your comment responds to earlier remarks by Patrick, but that's okay. What I don't see is how an unmarried person can be killed by a spouse. Isn't that unpossible, what with unmarried persons, by definition, having no spouses.