And Let's not forget about the other Deplorables

[rareboy]

They're expanding "The Weekend" which is Alicia Menendez, Symone Sanders-Townsend and Steele. Because minorities are fine in groups, just not as the sole anchor?

My opinion on MSNBC? Too much Trump, not enough news. Most of my Democratic friends have tuned out the news because they are sick of that ugly Oopma Loompa face and the lies that come out of it. That, of course, is what autocrats want.

If MSNBC wants to rebuild their viewership, they need to go all-in. That's why the Reid firing was a mistake. Like her or not, Reid was stridently liberal and not shy about her opinions, which is what a certain segment of the liberal base wants to hear. She also covered a lot of issues for the black community that other networks don't cover.

The reason that Maddow's show is working is that she is showing what activists are doing. Every night, she starts with historical footage and she talks about what happened in the past, what progressives can do to resist what is happening now and she puts Democratic politicians on the hot seat when they need to be called out. She did that with Jeffries last night and it was overdue.

And this sums it up:

 

[Norri]

I feel a story that seems to be flying under the radar is actually a plus for congressional deplorables, unlike past tax cutting bills republicans have offered up for the first time no one is saying not to worry tax cuts pay for themselves. For the first time republicans believe you have to pay for tax cuts with cuts in spending, a radical and realistic reversal.

They appear to wish to pay for this largely thru cuts to Medicade and if all that did was rob the poor of healthcare they would be fine but a large portion of Medicade goes to nursing homes with middle class grannies residing there and sending grandma home is real bad politics.

 

[KaraBulut]

I feel a story that seems to be flying under the radar is actually a plus for congressional deplorables, unlike past tax cutting bills republicans have offered up for the first time no one is saying not to worry tax cuts pay for themselves. For the first time republicans believe you have to pay for tax cuts with cuts in spending, a radical and realistic reversal.

They appear to wish to pay for this largely thru cuts to Medicade and if all that did was rob the poor of healthcare they would be fine but a large portion of Medicade goes to nursing homes with middle class grannies residing there and sending grandma home is real bad politics.

Well.. it's actually the law. A little history...

Both parties are supposed to offset increases in entitlements or offset decreases in revenue with decreases in discretionary spending. The credit for that was part of a bipartisan budget deal that George HW Bush signed into law in 1990. It probably was part of why Bush was not re-elected in 1992. It also played a big part in the balanced budgets during the Clinton Administration. Congress was serious about deficits, Bush took one for the team and both sides benefited in the years leading up to 2000.

The law is the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 and the section that applies is called PAYGO.

When the budget started showing surpluses during the Clinton years, Congress started changing the rules and they weakened the PAYGO requirements.

And here's what happened:


The pattern is this: Republicans cut taxes (revenue) and Democrats won't raise taxes because they are afraid they won't be re-elected.

The explosion in 2018-2020 happened for two reasons:

1. Decreased revenue from the 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations that reduced net revenue by $1.7 TRILLON dollars between 2017 and 2026.
2. Expenditures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, how did Republicans reduce revenues in the 2017 bill without balancing the budget? The 1990 law was written to address a 10 year budget cycle. The 2017 tax bill expired the individual tax cuts in 2025 which is 8 years instead of 10! The corporate tax cuts are permanent. Then they passed the budget with Republican votes under reconciliation which requires only 50 Senators to vote "yea".

The Republicans have been told that they have two options to fix the deficit:

1. They can increase revenues by 40% (read: increase taxes and bolster staffing at the IRS)
2. They can slash Medicare and Medicaid by 30%

Long-Term Financial Implications of Current Federal Budget Policies — Penn Wharton Budget Model

Under current law, we project that national debt will rise to 225% of GDP by 2050 and continue to rise thereafter. Changing demographics will reduce future economic growth.

budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu

Guess which option they are going to choose?

 

[KaraBulut]

Capri pants are not for everyone.

 

[NotHardUp1]

As expected, they're eating their own:

https://nypost.com/2025/02/17/us-ne...agon-nominees-iran-views-spill-into-the-open/

 

[cityboy-stl]

 

[rareboy]

 

[rareboy]

Unsurprised.

'All Blacks Are Foreign to My People': Texas Prosecutor Exposed As Operator of Anonymous White Supremacist X Account, In Damning Report

The individual behind an anonymous X account rife with white supremacist and anti-immigration posts has been identified as an Immigration and Customs

atlantablackstar.com

 

[rareboy]

Minnesota police officer, Nicholas Martell, has pled guilty to sending images of his genitalia to his friend’s 13 year old daughter, after he asked him to assist her with mental health because she had depression & was being bullied at school.

 

[Norri]

It’s almost impossible for me to believe that major cuts to Medicaid will occur because as I mentioned above so much of its budget goes to nursing homes and in house care. I understand that for republicans screwing the poor is a party sport but in this care their aim is poor.

If they follow thru with their plan a majority of nursing homes will be forced to close. This isn’t money going to foreign countries or lazy federal employees it’s money that keeps middle class grannies out of their children’s homes. If they are headed back home someone will have to stay home with them in many cases. The disruption to many white peoples lives will be overwhelming and yet elected politicians are considering it.

It’s easy for me to say this because I have no relative in a nursing home but I hope they follow thru……please God allow them to be this stupid it’s the quickest way to put republicans in their place.

 

[rareboy]

I am waiting for the carve-outs for red states.

Or again, that TrumpCo. will use this to 'personally' dispense alms to the deserving white elderly poor.

Because you can be sure that tRump, Musk and the GQP are seeing this as a way to move black women out of the workplace so that they have to stay home.

For that matter, they may also see this as a way to move white women out of the workplace as well.

What I know for sure is that TrumpCo., MuskCo. and the GQP have no fucking idea of demographics.

 

[rareboy]

Of course Trump would secure the release for the Tates and bring them to Florida.

Influencer Tate brothers, who face human trafficking charges in Romania, arrive in the US

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have arrived in the U.S. from Romania after authorities lifted travel restrictions on the siblings, who have millions of online followers.

apnews.com

 

[KaraBulut]

Of course Trump would secure the release for the Tates and bring them to Florida.

Influencer Tate brothers, who face human trafficking charges in Romania, arrive in the US

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have arrived in the U.S. from Romania after authorities lifted travel restrictions on the siblings, who have millions of online followers.

apnews.com

On the day after Trump announced the $5 million Gold Card scam.

They'll fit in with the narco-terrorists and Russian oligarchs living in Miami Beach.

 

[Norri]

I am waiting for the carve-outs for red states.

Or again, that TrumpCo. will use this to 'personally' dispense alms to the deserving white elderly poor.

There won’t be any carve-outs in this case first of all he needs the cuts to support his tax cuts and second he need to find a reason to pay some but not others.

I recall President Obama in his healthcare law threatened to withhold Medicaid funds from those states which refused to expand their Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act and in the SCOTUS decision upholding the law John Roberts said you can’t do that. The blackmailing of states wasn’t allowed there and I don’t know if it’s on point with the Trump threats but I’m thinking blue states should sue.

 

[rareboy]

There won’t be any carve-outs in this case first of all he needs the cuts to support his tax cuts and second he need to find a reason to pay some but not others.

I recall President Obama in his healthcare law threatened to withhold Medicaid funds from those states which refused to expand their Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act and in the SCOTUS decision upholding the law John Roberts said you can’t do that. The blackmailing of states wasn’t allowed there and I don’t know if it’s on point with the Trump threats but I’m thinking blue states should sue.

But he doesn't need the cuts. If Congress gives him the 4+trillion in debt limit, none of the cuts are even needed. It is all theatre.

And of course the blue states will sue. The whole US government is going to be paralyzed by lawsuits in another month or so the way it is going at this point.

You are still hanging onto the idea that the SC and Congress would stand against blackmailing of states? I like your optimism and share a bit of it if Trump dies really soon, but otherwise, the Roberts Court is so corrupt that they will also enable Trump to favour some states over others on some pretext. This court would easily have one interpretation and ruling for Obama and another for the man about to take the US back to a slaveholder Republic.

Perhaps, as he threatened the Governor of Maine, it will be withholding funds because of trans athletes?

 

[Norri]

As we sit here today the Senate has no intention of raising the debt limit before the tax cuts are passed and several republican reps are on record as saying the cuts have to be paid for for whatever that’s worth. If they pass the Medicaid cuts and nursing homes begin to close we won’t need the court or congress to stop this. Honestly if the public were demanding cuts and the feds didn’t want to cut this is exactly the kind of cut that public would get because it would shut them up.

Until the SCOTUS does what you describe and basically takes out the word ‘untied’ from the United States in a legal sense I will continue to give them the benefit of the doubt although their presidential immunity ruling does make it hard, but then I expect that to be the first reversal of their ‘precedents’.

Also a ruling like that would hasten the day when a ruling of theirs is ignored, that is their ultimate fear.

 

[KaraBulut]

There won’t be any carve-outs in this case first of all he needs the cuts to support his tax cuts and second he need to find a reason to pay some but not others.

I recall President Obama in his healthcare law threatened to withhold Medicaid funds from those states which refused to expand their Medicaid rolls under the Affordable Care Act and in the SCOTUS decision upholding the law John Roberts said you can’t do that. The blackmailing of states wasn’t allowed there and I don’t know if it’s on point with the Trump threats but I’m thinking blue states should sue.

You are right on the reasoning that the cuts must be across-the-board.

The case was National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. The ACA as passed by Congress did say that States that did not expand Medicaid could lose all Federal support for their State program. That was ruled unconstitutional, as Congress can expand Medicaid for all States but it cannot punish States that refuse the expansion, as that would violate the Tenth Amendment.

In the end, it didn't really matter since 41 of the 51 States/Territories have chosen to expand Medicaid and accept the additional Federal funds. Guess where most of the 10 States that didn't expand are located?

 

[rareboy]

 

[rareboy]

Oh look. The Epstein files have been released.

 

[rareboy]

The Tampa Bay Young Republicans.