Trump approval down to 33%, Republican Support is starting to crumble.

[Trassk]

You know I've noticed six threads all on top of each other starting with Trump. Is this really all you lot consider worthwhile politics?

[Xeones]

You know I've noticed six threads all on top of each other starting with Trump. Is this really all you lot consider worthwhile politics?

If the head of the most powerful military on the planet isn't note worthy what is?

[Kujako]

If the head of the most powerful military on the planet isn't note worthy what is?

Hillary's emails? Or perhaps Benghazi? Just guessing here...

[Ripster42]

Hillary's emails? Or perhaps Benghazi? Just guessing here...

It's trassk. He's not one of those people. He's probably just tired of seeing this over and over and over like the rest of us, except he's giving up in exasperation.

[Trassk]

It's trassk. He's not one of those people. He's probably just tired of seeing this over and over and over like the rest of us, except he's giving up in exasperation.

I just think theres more interesting things to discuss in politics then Stump a Dump Crump. It is boring to follow along a clown for so long.

[Poopymonster]

Hillary's emails? Or perhaps Benghazi? Just guessing here...

You forgot uranium and pizza sex rings.

Damn, that sounds like a novelty sex toy. Pizza sex rings.

[Breccia]

You forgot uranium and pizza sex rings.

Damn, that sounds like a novelty sex toy. Pizza sex rings.

By contrast, "Uranium Pizza" sounds like a fun band name. Maybe they can open for "McCain and the Women".

[Poopymonster]

By contrast, "Uranium Pizza" sounds like a fun band name. Maybe they can open for "McCain and the Women".

I could see Uranium Pizza opening for Mindless Self Indulgence to be honest.

[Breccia]

Another one bites the dust.

Trump aide Keith Schiller out at the White House

President Trump's longtime aide and head of Oval Office operations, Keith Schiller, is leaving the White House and Washington, CBS News confirms, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

Schiller plans to re-locate to Florida. Financial considerations and some friction with chief of staff John Kelly are at the heart of the decision. The precise timing of Schiller's departure is not yet finalized, but Schiller has informed Mr. Trump of his planned departure.

Schiller is one of Mr. Trump's closest friends among his employees, and their relationship long pre-dates Mr. Trump's candidacy. Schiller had universal walk-in privileges to the Oval Office before Kelly arrived. It was customary for Schiller to meet Mr. Trump at the residence each morning and walk with him to the Oval Office. He frequently traveled with Mr. Trump as well.

Schiller's planned departure comes just weeks after Kelly joined the White House. Kelly has tightened all access to the president in the Oval Office, and that included Schiller.

The news comes after some high-profile departures, even since Kelly joined the White House. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon departed on Aug. 18, and Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastain Gorka departed on Aug. 25.

If that name sounds familiar, it should. Besides being in multiple "this guy is planning to leave" articles in the last few days, Schiller was involved with firing the longtime Trump aide who organized hundreds of rallies, and also, he was the one who brought Comey's pink slip to the wrong time zone.

Keith Schiller was not only the head of security of Trump's businesses, but also his personal bodyguard in the past. And now, he's gone.

[Skroe]

Another one bites the dust.

Trump aide Keith Schiller out at the White House





If that name sounds familiar, it should. Besides being in multiple "this guy is planning to leave" articles in the last few days, Schiller was involved with firing the longtime Trump aide who organized hundreds of rallies, and also, he was the one who brought Comey's pink slip to the wrong time zone.

Keith Schiller was not only the head of security of Trump's businesses, but also his personal bodyguard in the past. And now, he's gone.

So yet again Sarah Huckabee Sanders was completely and utterly lying?!?! Say it ain't so!

[Breccia]

While an OP ED piece, this article cites a good number of objectively true statistics.

Trump's empty economic boasts

At the 2016 Democratic National Convention, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg got belly laughs with a quip about Donald Trump’s penchant for overstating his wealth and business success.

The “richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy,” Bloomberg said.

On this Labor Day, after eight months under the man who promised to be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created,” it is time to reframe Bloomberg’s joke.

The richest thing about President Trump these days is that so many people are still buying his lies about job creation and wage increases.


It is true that the economy added 1.07 million new jobs in Trump’s first six months in office. It is also true that the GDP expanded by 3 percent in the second quarter.

That is very close to the good news that 1.08 million jobs were created in President Obama’s last six months in office.

“Indeed, no matter how you slice it,” the Washington Post reported last month, “there isn't even one six-month period after mid-2013 during which Obama didn't see at least 1 million jobs created.

“One million jobs in six months is not unprecedented — it has become the norm since the recovery from the Great Recession really kicked in,” wrote Post reporter Aaron Blake.

Remember how candidate Trump disparaged Obama’s strong economic indicators by charging the Federal Reserve with creating a “false economy” under the Democrat.

Has anyone asked him if the Fed is still creating a false economy. If not, exactly when did it stop?

Candidate Trump also promised that he would produce 25 million jobs in 10 years with 4 percent GDP growth. Last week, before news of job growth lagging for the month of August, he went back on that promise by claiming that if he can sustain 3 percent growth it will result in “12 million new jobs.”

But even Trump’s crowing about 3 percent GDP growth is misleading.

There were eight quarters during Obama’s eight years in office during which GDP growth rose above 3 percent. In the third quarter of 2014, growth surged to 5.2 percent.

To be fair, Obama never saw an entire year with three percent GDP growth. But most economists doubt Trump will get there either, on an annual basis, especially if he can’t get tax cuts through Congress.

In fact, 78 percent of registered voters agree with the skeptical economists, telling a Fox News poll last week that Congress is not likely to pass any tax reform this year.

That pessimism extends across party lines: 79 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans agree that tax reform is unlikely.

Much of Wall Street’s patience with Trump is based on his repeated promise to cut taxes.

So, what happens if that promise proves hollow?

At the moment, even the long heralded promise Trump made to cut the 35 percent corporate tax rate to 15 percent – a pledge he repeated as recently as April – has now reportedly been softened to a 20 or 25 percent rate in talks between White House officials and Congress.

Is that enough of a tax cut to generate new jobs for workers?

The New York Times quoted Michael Linden, policy director at the Roosevelt Institute, as saying that cutting corporate taxes will “have no effect on ordinary workers…Taxation of corporations falls entirely on the owners of capital, and not at all on workers and consumers.”

As for Trump’s promise to cut taxes for working people, the Times reported last week that Gary Cohn, the president’s chief economic advisor, and Steven Mnuchin, his Treasury secretary, are considering leaving it at the current level of 39.6 percent.

Trump’s campaign boasts about his singular ability to pump up the economy — boasts made in tandem with dismissals of all that Obama did to get the country out of the Great Recession — call to mind an earlier empty promise made by another Republican.

During the 2012 presidential election, GOP nominee Mitt Romney promised he would get unemployment to 6 percent or lower by the end of his first term.

Obama succeeded in getting unemployment down to 5 percent by the end of 2015.

Yet to this day Republicans refuse to tip their hat to Obama’s record, which also includes saving the auto industry and generating consistent economic growth.

Bill Clinton won the presidency 25 years ago with the campaign theme articulated by James Carville – “It’s the economy, stupid.” Trump is turning that slogan on its head. He is betting that stupid people won’t see through his boasts and falsehoods about the economy.

You can be assured that if failed tax reform and a government shutdown send the economy on a tumble, Trump will revert to talking about Obama’s economy.

Bolded for this citation. Trump did promise 4% growth and 25 million new jobs when campaigning. He walked it back last month. Also, 1 million jobs in six months won't do it.

- - - Updated - - -

Pessimism abounds on Trump tax reform effort

Tax lobbyists and Wall Street rate the prospects of tax reform as very low.

One veteran tax lobbyist, a former member of the Senate Finance Committee staff, said the chances of a broad tax reform package similar to the 1986 rewrite of the code are “zero.”

Another K Street tax specialist put the odds at “less than one in four,” citing the lack of a detailed plan from the administration and the cluttered agenda.

The September schedule is packed, and includes measures to keep the government funded and raise the debt ceiling.
After September, Congress will need to deal with the appropriations process for 2018, among other issues that will cut into the energy that can be put into tax reform.

“I don’t think markets are expecting anything. There was some expectation soon after the election but I think all of that has been wrung out of market expectation,” said Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “There’s no evidence that investors or anyone else are expecting any kind of tax reform or tax relief.”

The article continues at length, but the basic ideas are
1) Congress has a ton to do in September, so making a tax plan quickly seems risky
2) A GOP tax plan getting 60 votes seems like a stretch, especially with no consensus on how much the GOP wants to cut taxes for the rich and/or businesses
3) There are still rumors Cohn will resign.

[Ripster42]

It's incredibly weird that the debt ceiling still hasn't been raised. They were literally warned months ago that it needed to happen and they chose to waste time trying to kill people by denying them healthcare.

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

Don't rely on younger people or republicans to grow spines. You'll just be disappointed in the end.

[Breccia]

It's incredibly weird that the debt ceiling still hasn't been raised.

I respectfully disagree. 52 is a dangerous number, and everyone knows it. The GOP knows that any debt ceiling vote will likely have to be clean, and as such, is of little benefit to them to do it early.

The Democrats won't shut the government down over a clean debt ceiling rise, but anything else gets blamed on the GOP and they know it.

[Flarelaine]

Russia is having serious buyer's remorse right now. All that work and what do they have to show for it? They have to close 3 more offices this weekend.

Do not think of their investment being control of America. Consider paralysis and you will see it was money well spent.

[Breccia]

Do not think of their investment being control of America. Consider paralysis and you will see it was money well spent.

Still losing consolates, still getting new sanctions. Still loudly protesting both. Even if paralysis was their goal, it's not working.

[Lenonis]

Because Trump does not have an Internet browser on his phone and doesn’t use a computer, he relies on hard copies of news articles.

(Quoting Breccia's quote...)

I realize this is small potatoes compared to everything else, but seriously...how on earth did we in 2016 elect someone who doesn't use a computer or a mobile phone to the degree that most do?

I mean...it's kinda weird to have a Luddite as president don't ya think?

[Breccia]

I mean...it's kinda weird to have a Luddite as president don't ya think?

Are you talking about coal? Or "goddam steam"?

[Flarelaine]

Still losing consolates, still getting new sanctions. Still loudly protesting both. Even if paralysis was their goal, it's not working.

Congress can pull itself together for some effort, but not like they could with a competent president. Also, those are recent developments; until the middle of summer it looked like the paralysis was complete and America is still tearing itself apart. The divisions Trump brought to light will heal slowly and not without ugly scars.

[Breccia]

Schumer and Pelosi leave meeting with Ryan, McConnell, and Trump proclaiming a bipartisan Harvey relief bill, debt ceiling raise, and 3 months funding of the government via continuing resolution.

WH and Ryan suspiciously silent. McConnell will talk about it next week.

From the speed at which this was done, my read is the GOP knows they had way too much to do all at once, and punted two of the things three months down the line. In doing so, to get the Democrats on board, they had to basically allow the same budget -- the one with no Wall funding, no PP defunding, and a bunch of other stuff Trump doesn't want -- to run through Dec 15.

Expect to see details soon, but the way Schumer and Pelosi came out smiling and announcing the deal, while Ryan and Trump aren't, says a lot so far. At least McConnell is a realist.