The [Current Year] General Political/Salma Hayek discussion thread, part 4!!!

[T.Lex]

At the risk of re-railing this, I think it is about time to bring Nate Silver's fivethirtyeight assessment of the midterms.

Senate:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/senate/?ex_cid=midterms-header

Basically an 80% chance of Republicans keeping it. Decent chance even of improving.

House:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/house/?ex_cid=midterms-header

6/7 chance that the Dems take control there. I doubt the swing will be that significant, but it does look like there's a headwind to a Republican majority in the House.

While disappointing at a certain level, gridlock in that particular arm of the government may finally allow for Trump's oft-bragged-upon dealmaking if he finally doesn't have to worry about Republicans.

 

[mmpsteve]

At the risk of re-railing this, I think it is about time to bring Nate Silver's fivethirtyeight assessment of the midterms.

Senate:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/senate/?ex_cid=midterms-header

Basically an 80% chance of Republicans keeping it. Decent chance even of improving.

House:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-midterm-election-forecast/house/?ex_cid=midterms-header

6/7 chance that the Dems take control there. I doubt the swing will be that significant, but it does look like there's a headwind to a Republican majority in the House.

While disappointing at a certain level, gridlock in that particular arm of the government may finally allow for Trump's oft-bragged-upon dealmaking if he finally doesn't have to worry about Republicans.

And just what would dealmaking (compromise) look like with a hell-bent-on-socialism voting block. No thanks; I'd rather see nothing done.



.

 

[T.Lex]

And just what would dealmaking (compromise) look like with a hell-bent-on-socialism voting block. No thanks; I'd rather see nothing done.

Well, many times in my adult life, I've been thankful for gridlock. "Don't just do something, stand there."

I hate how the word "compromise" has become verboten in politics. It doesn't mean to compromise one's principles. It means to compromise on specific piece of legislation (or rule, or whatever) because something is better than nothing. If nothing is better than something in any given situation, then government shouldn't be involved at all!

The best ought not be the enemy of the good.

By the way - another 2 years of gridlock with a Dem majority in the House might make it MUCH easier for Trump to get re-elected, or for Pence to get elected.

 

[mmpsteve]

I agree. There used to be productive compromise in Congress, but that was before the "socialism at ANY cost era". It seems to be getting progressively more difficult to achieve rational compromise.

Well, many times in my adult life, I've been thankful for gridlock. "Don't just do something, stand there."

I hate how the word "compromise" has become verboten in politics. It doesn't mean to compromise one's principles. It means to compromise on specific piece of legislation (or rule, or whatever) because something is better than nothing. If nothing is better than something in any given situation, then government shouldn't be involved at all!

The best ought not be the enemy of the good.

By the way - another 2 years of gridlock with a Dem majority in the House might make it MUCH easier for Trump to get re-elected, or for Pence to get elected.

 

[Alpo]

The latest on Trump's re-election:

Melania isn't going to give Trump a chance at another 4 years. Leave Washington or it's D-I-V-O-R-C-E. While it sounds like idle gossip, I can see that the lady doesn't want to give up the real good years remaining of her life to the most caustic atmosphere outside of a volcanic vent.

 

[Trigger Time]

There was a tremendous amount of diversity at NASA in 1969. You had yer tall white men and yer not so tall white men. You had men with Texas accents, and then you had men who spoke American. You had men with crew cuts and you had men who were not blessed with scalp follicles. You had yer smokers and yer non-smokers. You had boys who were married and boys who were single. You had good lookin' lads and some stump ugly boys. You had yer engineers (God's gift to the planet) and everybody else.

That would be 2^7 possible permutations or 128 different possible fellas in that cluster. THAT is diversity fellas....although NASA attempted to exclude as many bald, ugly men with a southern drawl (who couldn't possibly be engineers....more likely Aggies) as could be gotten away with.


There were these females who may not have been tall, or white or possessing a Texas twang, but I'm not sure. They were in a separate building to keep all the boys focused on their slide rules. There were not many of them.

Is this an attempt to discredit what NASA accomplished or make me feel bad because minorities werent common or included in 1969? It didn't work sorry

 

[mmpsteve]

You may be right about that, and I wouldn't blame her one bit. Pence/Haley 2020

"Melania isn't going to give Trump a chance at another 4 years. Leave Washington or it's D-I-V-O-R-C-E"​

 

[Trigger Time]

You may be right about that, and I wouldn't blame her one bit. Pence/Haley 2020

Deffinately Pence Haley 2024

 

[T.Lex]

The latest on Trump's re-election:

Melania isn't going to give Trump a chance at another 4 years. Leave Washington or it's D-I-V-O-R-C-E. While it sounds like idle gossip, I can see that the lady doesn't want to give up the real good years remaining of her life to the most caustic atmosphere outside of a volcanic vent.

Wait.

Infidelity, jackassery, and an addiction to tanning beds, and she stays, but she'd get a divorce because... she doesn't like him being in a city she can leave whenever she wants?

I'm not buying it. She could live in NYC or Miami or wherever. Put Baron in school somewhere else and say its to be with him.

Look, they may divorce, and he may not run, but I don't see her having ANY influence on his decisions. Any of them.

 

[Trigger Time]

Wheres this crap coming from? Of coarse hes gonna run

 

[Alpo]

Is this an attempt to discredit what NASA accomplished or make me feel bad because minorities werent common or included in 1969? It didn't work sorry

It identifies you as one with a humor deficiency.

And, probably not an engineer.....LOL

Or Elton John

Hint: Look at the post immediately above yours. I don't think many would comment on spending billions to retrieve a flag that deserves to stay where it is. Another moon exploration visit would be nice, however. But let's go find water and minerals. We already have a flag or two.

And I think it's gonna be a long long time
'Till touch down brings me round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a rocket man
Rocket man burning out his fuse up here alone

 

[nonobaddog]

Wait.

Infidelity, jackassery, and an addiction to tanning beds, and she stays, but she'd get a divorce because... she doesn't like him being in a city she can leave whenever she wants?

I'm not buying it. She could live in NYC or Miami or wherever. Put Baron in school somewhere else and say its to be with him.

Look, they may divorce, and he may not run, but I don't see her having ANY influence on his decisions. Any of them.

That isn't fair to use common sense when somebody is trying to start a silly rumor.

 

[Alpo]

Choices as first lady are rather limited. But I can see that you boys aboard the Trumpmobile are gonna ride it into the ditch with him.

 

[T.Lex]

Wheres this crap coming from? Of coarse hes gonna run

I still hope he decides not to. Pardon himself and step out. Good of the country. He's a family man. He's got his businesses to run. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Pence-Haley 2020 (although Pence would not be my preferred top line, he is next up).

 

[Alpo]

Will Pence ban man-buns? If so, he's got my vote.

 

[mmpsteve]

Just curious who would be your top line pick? And I was only being semi-serious about Haley. There may well exist a better dream ticket among conservatives; I just havn't really thought about it.

I still hope he decides not to. Pardon himself and step out. Good of the country. He's a family man. He's got his businesses to run. So long and thanks for all the fish.

Pence-Haley 2020 (although Pence would not be my preferred top line, he is next up).

 

[T.Lex]

Just curious who would be your top line pick? And I was only being semi-serious about Haley. There may well exist a better dream ticket among conservatives; I just havn't really thought about it.

Nikki Haley would be my best-case top line right now. I'd LOVE to see the Republican party be the first to elect a woman. And I think she's probably the best POTUS candidate that also has that... feature.

I'm a Lindsay Graham fan for the moment. But, you can't then have Haley.

But, for all realistic consideration, it'll be Pence. It needs to be Pence.

 

[Tombs]

I have no American Indian. My wife is 1/8.

The point is, Donald lost the bet. He'll welch on the bet for sure, because that's just who he is.

He didn't welch on the bet at all. She doesn't qualify legally as having American Indian genes, listen to his proposition on the requirements for that $1mil bet.

I have more American Indian in me than she does, by quite a large margin, and I don't qualify as an American Indian.

I personally think she should be in jail for defrauding all the people she has, by claiming minority privileges for herself, while being 99.91% european white. She's whiter than Richard Spencer, the 'leader' of the supposed 'alt-right' movement.
If I put african-american on my legal forms, I'd be in deep trouble, there's no reason why she shouldn't be.

 

[Alpo]

There is no legal qualification for "American Indian Genes".

She doesn't, and you don't qualify for revenue sharing with a tribe. That's not the same thing.

If you want to sue her, please feel free to waste your money.

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And all the while, NOT ONE COMMENT ON INGO about

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So sure, go ahead and worry about Pochahontas while the debt continues to increase. But deficits only mattered when a democrat was in power, right?

 

[Tombs]

There is no legal qualification for "American Indian Genes".

She doesn't, and you don't qualify for revenue sharing with a tribe. That's not the same thing.

If you want to sue her, please feel free to waste your money.

=======

And all the while, NOT ONE COMMENT ON INGO about

===========

So sure, go ahead and worry about Pochahontas while the debt continues to increase. But deficits only mattered when a democrat was in power, right?

I'm all for cutting all foreign aid to Israel to help reduce the deficit. I'm sure the tariffs are going to have a big impact on it as well.

Until all the trade deals are re-sorted, I'm not sure we can make very good predictions about where things will end up. It's a work in progress.

Also I want you to remember that debt alone isn't necessarily all that important for a nation. It's the ratio between debt and GDP+Growth that ultimately decides our financial condition. This is why I keep reminding people that China is in much worse shape than we are, and as long as we're staying ahead of them, we're not in bad shape, unless another nation surpasses China and presents a challenge to our economic dominance.