leh-nerd skin-erd

Teamwork makes the dream....no, that’s not it. We’re all in this togeth.....no. Its Us against everyb...that won’t do. Well know this Mister, if you drive through Albany and or are in a southern state during the winter with the other old and cranky (but warm) geeezers, and IF I see you pumping gas and muttering about THE DAMN GAS TAX, we’re breaking it down and I’m going full on GO BILLS! I may even hit you with one of those high hand slaps and knuckle knocks before bringing it in for a quick but new-millennium-appropriate hug. You’re my people.

I don’t cast aspersions on grammar or threads started, but I’ve always felt the “shared values” crap was just that. My view of shared values is that when Obama was elected, for example, I went about my business living with a president I respected in part (took the time to run, and his candidacy and election likely provided millions of kids and people with a thought something akin to “finally”) while finding his term(s) to be one long wet blanket of gloom. Still, I acted like a citizen and complained privately and went on with my day. There is no value to share when someone like O says “F you” to me when the candidate I supported is elected. This thread got me involved, but if it’s not your thing that’s fine.

Ah, “now” is the time to reign it in. Not when an administration and family is accused of treasonous behavior. Not when a presidential candidate and president is accused of racism. Not when the details of Obama’s involvement in the failed attempt to unseat the President is known. Not when his hand selected VP shook down a foreign government for personal gain. It’s just getting started.

I disagree, though I would not have a few years ago. The Hunter story is about graft, corruption and pay for play. The fact that the guy has addiction issues, stripper issues and sleep with his dead brother’s wife issues are one thing, and should be left off the table..except... Hunter getting a cushy job, his father shaking down the Ukrainians and bragging about it like he’s Boss Tweed, combined with all the rest hits right to the point many disenchanted voters feel that Washington is all about—patronage and backwater deals. The game is played the way it’s played. Kavanaugh a serial rapist. Romney a serial chauvinist. Trump every version of a -phobe there is. Don Trump Jr part of the Russian collision tale. Ivanka is a feckless ...... You have your shot, take it. I agree you make it about Joe by talking about Hunter, but that’s the way it goes.

Of course people care, at least some people do. The only question is whether or not it swings voters into one column or another. You may not care about it, business as usual in Washington, but I’m thinking you were unTrumpian to begin with. I care, but my vote was decided long ago with some wiggle room in case something that bothered me came up. It’s not us that matter, really. It’ll be must see TV to see how Trump approaches Biden about Hunter at the debate, how Biden handles it and we go from there. It’s sad imo, but that’s the way the game is played.

Not an unhorrible plan.

Before ceding the point, Graham also said that the abhorrent treatment of Brett Kavanaugh changed his mind on the notion of judicial appointments. Nothing happens in a vacuum, each domino that falls potentially impacts another. Every rational American knows that this plays out exactly the way it played out regardless of which party is in power. The plan to destroy Kavanaugh provides Senator Graham with more than enough ammunition to upgrade his previously stated position.

Sure. W Bush is the Brad Pitt of politics.

This is Tibs. See Tibs run. Tibs has fun.

Seriously, do you people have any standards at all? GWB was exposed to the liberal Dem voter as a war criminal and president who sent young people to die for oil. Barracks trashed him quite effectively, though thereafter he and Shell-Belle closed up to him quite nicely. Apparently all was forgiven for the war for oil spectacle. DJT rolled over GWBs low energy brother Jeb “Paint Dry” Bush for the nomination and nary an R voter cared. The conservaworld had had enough Bush, as odd as that is to say out loud. Enough dynasties. Enough entitlement. Enough Hillary’s hubby was a President so of course she should be as well! I would not be remotely surprise to see W the Bush endorse Biden. It would make no difference at all. I’m just surprised you think the Drain the Swamp crowd would be moved by a major swamp move like that.

I was trying to be polite, but I think you missed it because you’re in the “Dick and Jane” crowd.

I would acknowledge that is the “Dick and Jane” version that appeals to a certain subset of the voting bloc.

I think Biden has no idea how to handle an opponent who followed his own debate strategy. I think Biden 4 to 8 years ago would have been up to the challenge, at least insofar as his bravado would carry him through. Watching him lose his temper at times, look befuddled at others as he tried to handle the onslaught was pathetic. For what it’s worth, I don’t like that style of debating. I didn’t like the Trump approach personally, thought Biden a total douche during the Ryan debate, but the game is played the way the game is played. If Biden can’t handle it he should be playing pinochle at the adult day care facility.

Biden yelled, interrupted, guffawed and generally dickwadded his way through the Biden-Eddie Munster VP debate several years ago. The fact that he was unable to play the game he played so well is on him and his debate prep team. As for Trump and his obvious fruit bigotry, well played. Apples everywhere are rightly outraged, of this I am sure.

It’s funny Deek, I totally missed that part of it. I was focused on the fact that the dem candidate for prez couldn’t recall the name of a former presidential candidate/current Senator AND what race he was in in a 24 hour period. I’m wondering if the enthusiastic stumpers for Biden like @transplantbillsfan support religious bigotry as well as racial intolerance?

I’ll be honest, I think Mitt Romney just about endorsed Barrack Obama when he ran against him. I’m 75% convinced he voted for him.

I’m thinking the term is photographic memory. It’s very interesting to see someone who is incredibly talented handle the questions thrown at her. The sad fact is that the senators trying to take her out have a paid research team doing all the heavy lifting and outline the points of attack, while the sens want to give the appearance of knowing case law, precedent and the like. It happens when either party is the opposition of course, but it’s either the worst sort of political theater or a really cool David Copperfield illusion depending on how you look at it.

There were more cars in my office parking lot today, and many people thought we were closed for the holiday.

I hate when you write out a great sign but realize you’re letters are too big for the page. it happened to Shakespeare too. Fact.

Thanks for the reply. I read it, considered your thoughts and rejected most of it. 1. The disenfranchising doesn’t come from harsh attacks ads (old as time, predictable as the rain, existed long before Trump caused a bunch of knots in the backside portion of liberal underwear), it comes in this case from post election activity with the intent to unseat the president and nullify the vote. -My bottom line is simple—when you say the president is a lying treasonous scumbag, that’s one thing. When you say that, a panel of sharks is installed with virtually unlimited power and resources, that’s another. When you say, do that, and allow 3 years unrestricted access to just about everything, when all is said and done, you better knock him out and take him away in cuffs. John Brennan—keeper of secrets and burier of the suddenly dead—said they had the goods on Trump. Mueller report ends with barely a whimper from a doddering old fool with nothing. 0. Zilch. The finger flippers don’t give a crap. They keep saying I’m the deplorable. 2. Trump on taxes. The IRS figures that stuff out. Get back to me on the tax evasion charges. I’ll wait. Now, as far as complaints by nitwits about taxes, that’s fair game and in my opinion doesn’t go in the finger flipper category. 3. Trump on spending. Again, fair game. Say what you want, vote accordingly. There was a time that mattered to me but since no political party seems intent in reconciling that particular issue, I don’t worry about it anymore. 4. Global respect. 3 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize based on peace keeping efforts across the globe. Reorganization of priorities as it relates to NATO. Strengthens alliance with Israel. No new war efforts on a global level. I suppose if global respect is earned by screwing up Benghazi and leaving Americans to die, well, I’m not down with that. I’ve long believed amour respect internationally stretched as far as our dollars are lined up. Be that as it may, if global respect from manscaped Frenchmen is a hit button issue, fair game. 5. Sophomoric attacks. Fair game, but only insofar as it takes an awful lot of hubris to completely and flatly disregard decades of political mudslinging and pretend that’s new to a Trump. They called him all sorts of names and implied all sorts of things early on, he simply supersized in reply. Hillary Clinton tossed the word racism around like her husband tossed clumpy albino salsa on interns. This argument is weak. 6. “Any deeper connections to Russia...I don’t know...but...”. Look, we’re having a conversation and I appreciate the dialogue, but if you’ll permit me the following, said in the voice of an old friend you’ve got a great relationship with and who tells you the truth when you need it: “Get the 🤬 outta here with that BS”. There’s nothing there, there never was, and the reason you don’t know is because you’ve been bamboozled and your subconscious has not accepted it yet. This is finger flipping territory. 7. 30 years of service was not Trump, it was Brett Kavanaugh. If you believe the attempt to destroy him in front of the nation was fair and just, you’re a finger flipper. If you think lining up to vote for Harris and Gropey Joe is a vote for civility and unity, you’re kidding yourself. 8. I am a lifelong R but did not support the Clinton investigation. I was a young man, viewed it as you did but as I look back now, I think Clinton is a classic predator. He’s also one of the dumbest smart guys on the planet, and got himself into a pickle with his, uh, pickle. I will point out, too, that all the fainting libs who stridently scream #ibelieveher seems extraordinarily cozy with the likes of a Bill Clinton and Joe Biden. 9. Joe Biden has moved far left based on his rhetoric and platform positions. He’s not Venezuela left but he’s moving there. 10. As I said earlier, the civil discourse argument is weak, soft and would require me to ignore decades of political hectoring to spend much time answering. I think what people really want is to watch their guys pummel the other guy with racist.homophobic.xenophobic.bigoted characterizations and pretend to be offended when he replies thereafter like some societal norm has been violated. It hasn’t, it wasn’t and it will be that way forever. DJT is just spectacularly good at telling someone who trashed him to F off. You’ve been civil, you seem to be consistently and I appreciate that. I’d appreciate you and lib voters demanding accountability on the bogus Russia case that jammed up 3 years of my candidates time, but since that doesn’t happen, I just recognize that’s the way the game has to be played.

Is it your impression that his words were taken out of context? He says voters don’t deserve to know. He then says “I’m not gonna play Trumps game.” Had DJT suggested a game of “Voters deserve to know!”? Was DJT the interviewer, was that it? It seems clear that unless Trump suggested playing a game, or unless DJT was the interviewer and caused Biden to “assert” something, the entire quote and stream of consciousness reveals Biden is a cranky geez who’s mind wanders mid-topic.

That ship, the one where people of otherwise good will presume to tell me that they would never participate in efforts to disenfranchise me and my vote, that ship has sailed. I watched it leave the dock, the people on board seeming to wave goodbye as they left, animated, energetic, passionate. At some point it occurred to me—they weren’t waving—they were giving me the finger. They did it when they laughed at the mockery of the Clinton email scam, where a Secretary of State treated her confidential email like a cheerleader on an overnight trip with her besties. They did it when Clinton and her liberal pals in the media lead off the first debate with Trump by characterizing him as a racist/sexist/xenophobic all the while screaming at the horrible things then candidate Trump might say. They did it when they actively supported the notion I’m both deplorable and irredeemable, apparently because I work for a living, pay my taxes, volunteer in my community and try to honor my family in the best way I can. They did it by supporting what amounted to a Ted Clancy* novel about a famous real estate investor raised a Russian spy who hid in plain sight, waiting for a time when one of the most unlikable people on the planet was to ascend to the throne, only to be undone at the last minute by the most unlikely candidate in Presidential history. They did it when, at the end of the absurdly comical “Your guy is a treasonous piece of **** and you are too for voting for him!” gambit, when all the dopey russiamaniacs were left with their collective liberal pud in their collective liberal hands, they lacked the courtesy, decency and self-awareness to even mutter a “Wow, we were lied to.”. They did it when they sat by and grinned knowingly as the hangman for the resistance set about destroying a man with 30 years exemplary service to his fellow man by impugning his reputation with sordid tales of gang rape and adolescent groping, and when that Man refused to capitulate, slink off into the corner and die, they celebrated the politics of personal destruction by elevating the hangman to VP status. They didn’t stop to question the irony of it all, the hangman who believed Biden’s accuser promoted to VP for a gut with 30 years of documented groping of woman and child. You say it’s political theater that one of the most powerful people in the country, herself the architect of an impeachment gambit, would set the wheels in motion to remove a sitting president “just cause”? I’d have agreed 4 years ago. The way I see it, one of the main reasons the libs and msm despise DJT is because DJT beat them at their own game. He outlasted Russia, he outlasted the Kavanaugh lynch mob, he outlasted Pelosi and Shiff on impeachment, and he most recently out-Bidened Biden in the debate. Odd, really, that decorum and civility were suddenly the rule of the day when just a few short years ago, a much more vigorous Biden interrupted Paul “Eddie Haskell” Ryan, and so many of the finger flippers raged about his performance. Anyway, we’re in an era where civility and common ground are increasingly difficult to find. To be completely honest I don’t care to meet there anyway. I’ll hang out with the other 60,000,000 people lots of the finger flippers feel have no redeeming value.

You may be a great Chef, Jim, but you are a bad man. A very, very bad man.

Also not on my bucket list.

We agree in principle, though to be fair, I said it was odd to me, not odd in general. My general feeling is that when someone feels as passionately about something (in this case, politics and DJT), a shameless power grab if the sort Pelosi is about would be met with....well, passion, not “meh”. In this case, a play of this nature made by other Washington elites with R on their business card would be just as troubling to me.