The New American Politics thread

[ResAlien]

This unraveling is the trainwreck of all trainwrecks. Legitimately what are the odds that he either does it live or a recording comes out of Trump just dropping N bombs talking about the president?

I saw in that same interview he may already be resigned to losing. I'm paraphrasing but he said something along the lines of "If this doesn't work out I go back to a very nice standard of life". We get three more months of this #### show. Fascinating.

Edit: one positive that should come from all of this is that we're shining a spotlight on how much awfulness is still left in America. There's a long way to go still and maybe some people had gotten complacent thinking common sense had taken a lead over fear and hatred.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by puffnstuff

Doesnt the 'death tax' start for an estate somewhere above 5 million dollars?

I know it's only wikipedia but:

If an asset is left to a spouse or a federally recognized charity, the tax usually does not apply. In addition, up to a certain amount varying year by year can be given by an individual, before and/or upon their death, without incurring federal gift or estate taxes: [2] $5,340,000 for estates of persons dying in 2014,[3] $5,430,000 for estates of persons dying in 2015,[4] and $5,450,000 (effectively $10.90 million per married couple) for estates of persons dying in 2016.[5] Because of these exemptions, only the largest 0.2% of estates in the US will have to pay any estate tax.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estate..._United_States

[station]

The numbers above are correct. There is currently a $5.4 million exemption before the tax kicks in which is a compromise that Obama made early on. That number is historically the highest it's ever been (it was $600k for ages, even under Reagan). While one could debate the overall concept of death taxes being fair or not, the idea that it destroys families is ludicrous. It's basically just a rich tax and doesn't affect the vast majority of people in the slightest.

[White Out 403]

How can anyone who watches Fox News take that org seriously?

Years ago they would grill anyone who would connect 9/11 and Al Qaeda to America. How dare you suggest that the CIA Training and funding of Bin Ladin then eventually the creation of Al Qaeda and their attacks on America. Treason!!

Now, you have Trump saying the same thing about Isis and Clinton/Obama and it's fair game. Fox is giving that weasel ex Mayor of NY a stage to defend him and say "o ya they def helped create isis'. What a despicable news organization.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by station

The numbers above are correct. There is currently a $5.4 million exemption before the tax kicks in which is a compromise that Obama made early on. That number is historically the highest it's ever been (it was $600k for ages, even under Reagan). While one could debate the overall concept of death taxes being fair or not, the idea that it destroys families is ludicrous. It's basically just a rich tax and doesn't affect the vast majority of people in the slightest.

That it is, and this is where the media needs to do its damn job. At his next presser they should be pushing hard for Trump to provide some of the examples he's seen of the death tax "destroying families".

[peter12]

By calling it the death tax, you are already doing the Republican's job for them. It used to be called the "estate tax" before Frank Luntz and Newt Gingrich brought the term to focus groups in the mid-1990s.

[Lanny_McDonald]

An interesting graphic from Politifact.



Trump flat out lies almost 80% of the time.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Back to the topic of Americans needing to be told things that they should already know:

Watching CNN a few minutes ago, and they were covering Trump's comments about Obama and Clinton being the founders of ISIS. I swear to god, the actual headline while the story was running was, "Trump says Obama founder of ISIS (He's Not)". The fact they had to add that last part in parentheses makes me want to get a gun of my own and thin out the stupid people population a little (I Don't Mean That).

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by New Era

An interesting graphic from Politifact.



Trump flat out lies almost 80% of the time.

This graphic tells me that if the sensible Republicans came out to the primaries and voted for Kasich, he would have given Hillary a real run for the presidency, maybe even winning it.

Also, Michelle Bachman was nuts.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

The fact they had to add that last part in parentheses makes me want to get a gun of my own and thin out the stupid people population a little (I Don't Mean That).

Don't worry, you're all good in leveling that threat. Now if you had suggested that against a candidate for President, well that would be a different story.

https://www.justice.gov/usam/crimina...n-other-secret

Suggesting 2nd amendment solutions against a political opponent does fall under this law by the way. The problem, sadly, is getting a court to apply the law.

[octothorp]

Originally Posted by station

The numbers above are correct. There is currently a $5.4 million exemption before the tax kicks in which is a compromise that Obama made early on. That number is historically the highest it's ever been (it was $600k for ages, even under Reagan). While one could debate the overall concept of death taxes being fair or not, the idea that it destroys families is ludicrous. It's basically just a rich tax and doesn't affect the vast majority of people in the slightest.

Oh yeah, it destroys families for sure. Just ask Trump about after his father's death, when in the bitter battle for the estate that followed, he froze the family of his older brother - killed by alcohol poisioning - out of the will, and when they sued, he responded by cancelling medical benefits for his nephew's newly born, cerebral palsy - afflicted son.

I mean, seriously, somebody ask just ask Trump about this whole incident, just so we can hear him blame it on Obama's death tax.

[Swift]

That chart begs the question... why are Republicans generally more inclined to make stuff up?

[Lanny_McDonald]

An amazing read about what is going on in the Middle East and how it fell apart.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...ands.html?_r=0

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by Cameron Swift

That chart begs the question... why are Republicans generally more inclined to make stuff up?

Because their base is less inclined to give a ####.

[Roast Beef]

I'm actually surprised that it's only 80 percent.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Cameron Swift

That chart begs the question... why are Republicans generally more inclined to make stuff up?

Multiple reasons, but the best explanation is they develop narratives on half truths that use specific metaphors to reach an intellectually lazy audience that will believe anything they are told so long as it confirms a bias they have long relied upon to guide their thinking.

[Senator Clay Davis]

I think many of us saw this coming, just not this soon. I do think he ultimately gets himself cut off because he hasn't shown he can even pretend that he wants to win.

More than 70 Republicans have signed an open letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus urging him to stop spending any money to help Donald Trump win in November and shift those contributions to Senate and House races.

The letter comes as a number of Republican senators and high-profile GOP national security officials have come forward saying they cannot vote for Trump.

“We believe that Donald Trump’s divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide, and only the immediate shift of all available RNC resources to vulnerable Senate and House races will prevent the GOP from drowning with a Trump-emblazoned anchor around its neck,” states a draft of the letter obtained by POLITICO. “This should not be a difficult decision, as Donald Trump’s chances of being elected president are evaporating by the day.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/0...#ixzz4H35lyAzd

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

I think many of us saw this coming, just not this soon. I do think he ultimately gets himself cut off because he hasn't shown he can even pretend that he wants to win.



http://www.politico.com/story/2016/0...#ixzz4H35lyAzd

From the article:

"Close to 20 of the co-signers are former RNC staffers, including Mindy Finn (former RNC chief digital strategist), Christine Iverson Gunderson (former RNC press secretary), Virginia Hume Onufer (former RNC deputy press secretary), Beth Miller (former RNC field communications division director), Heather Layman (former deputy press secretary), B. Jay Cooper (former RNC communications director under four chairmen) and Patrick Ruffini (former RNC ecampaign director)."

Why?

[GGG]

So when does CNN / other middle of the road infotainment sources pivot to start bashing Hillary to keep the Trump ratings bonaza going?

[Senator Clay Davis]

What ratings bonanza? That ship is already gone, they racked up the ratings in the primaries, hence why they've been so much harsher (i.e. fairer) towards him lately. They don't need him anymore, they milked what they could off of him.