To be a Republican today and NOT be embarrassed by the disastrous Republican National Convention on Day One, would mean that you are literally insane yourself!
The speeches by a group of truly disgraceful people promoted fear and hysteria, and tried to convince us that Joe Biden is a left wing terrorist out to destroy suburbia and the American way of life!
Anyone who follows politics KNOWS that Joe Biden is a decent human being, a man of compassion and empathy, certainly not perfect, but much more a man of character and integrity than we have seen in the past four years.
Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle were particularly off the wall, crazy and looney, and both seemed to be high on cocaine, when one looked in their evil eyes and saw them both screaming, and they were both overly loud and unhinged!
This is a couple, with Donald Trump Jr. divorced, and Guilfoyle being his girlfriend, but also, in the past, she was the wife for five years, ironically, of California Governor Gavin Newsom, 15 years ago.
It is now clear why Newsom removed himself from this marriage, and in a sense, this couple of Trump Jr and Guilfoyle are “meant” for each other, as two disgusting, despicable, excuses for human beings!
She used to be on Fox News Channel, so one gets the drift of how this crazy woman has disgraced herself yet again last night. And she insulted Puerto Rico, seemingly unaware that it is part of the United States!
Why the DNC’s Platform Will Guarantee a Loss If Democrats Don’t Do More: Democrats are simply not going to win votes if they see a crisis of this scale and respond with laughably small, do-nothing policy ideas. by Morris Pearl
https://commons.commondreams.org/t/why-the-dncs-platform-will-guarantee-a-loss-if-democrats-dont-do-more/81536
Nearly six months into the pandemic, the term “unprecedented†remains the only word to accurately describe the economic, health, and social challenges we currently face. In our country’s 200+ year history, we’ve never seen nearly half the country jobless, over 40 million people at risk of eviction, or at least 26 million going hungry, and we’ve never seen all of this happen at the same time that a lethal disease with no known treatment or cure is running rampant through our communities.
This year of unprecedented national pain and suffering is also a presidential election year. This means our leaders have the prime opportunity to offer Americans big, bold new ideas to guide our country in a better direction through the national party platform. However, thus far the Democrats have only proposed the same tired, age-old solutions for new problems hopelessly beyond the scale of yesterday’s policies. They’ve failed to meet the 2020 moment.
But with the election on the horizon, there’s still time to course-correct.
In the Democrats’ current 2020 platform, there’s a lot of talk about undoing the damage of the Trump administration, especially with regards to the economy, and returning things to their “historical norm.†The problem with that goal is that even before the Trump administration, the American economy wasn’t working for most. It was working fine for me, a former managing director at BlackRock. But for many Americans, going back to normal simply isn’t good enough.
Before the COVID-19 crisis hit, America marked a 50-year high in income inequality as a result of decades of stagnant wages for working folks and the meteoric wealth accumulation by the top 1 percent. A full 40 percent of the country didn’t even have $400 on hand for an emergency expense in the years before COVID-19, and a staggering 78 percent of workers were living paycheck to paycheck. Millions of low-income workers were already getting priced out of homes everywhere in the country, and most had to work two or more jobs just to be able to make rent. At least half the country was suffering before the pandemic in an allegedly “good†economic era. A lot of those people aren’t paying their rent or mortgages, or doing all of the other things that make money trickle up to business people and investors. The Democrats should not be advocating for a return to those times. Democrats should be fighting to entirely redefine what a “good economy†is and reimagining every policy that gets us there.
Reversing some of the most egregious legislation of the Trump administration, like the 2017 tax cuts that amounted to a $1.7 trillion giveaway to the top 1 percent, is a start. And the Democratic platform endorses this. But simply repealing whatever Trump has done is not a positive vision for the future. If ever there was a time to get behind big, bold economic policy ideas like the Green New Deal or a wealth tax, now is the time.
Beyond just undoing the damage of the Trump administration, there’s little in the Democratic platform that one could call big or bold. In the 2020 platform, after months of primary debates on new concepts like wealth taxes and old-but-good ideas like investors paying the same tax rates as people who work for a living, there’s barely a whisper about taxing the rich, and what’s there is vague to the point of meaninglessness.
In 2016, the Democrats pledged to tax the rich like never before, proposing over a trillion dollars in new tax hikes targeted at the top 1 percent. Four years later, our need to tax the rich has never been greater, but the party’s platform is somehow less progressive on it than before. How is the bottom half of the country, the half that was barely eking out a living before the pandemic completely devastated them, supposed to look at that and believe that this is a party that will stand up and fight for them?
Democrats are simply not going to win votes if they see a crisis of this scale and respond with laughably small, do-nothing policy ideas. Millions of people are dying, getting kicked out of their homes, losing their health insurance, and struggling to eat. We are being faced with a historic moment to reenvision our economy, how it works, and more importantly, for who it works. It would be nice to see a 2020 party platform that reflects that.
[Morris Pearl currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Patriotic Millionaires, a group of 200 high-net-worth Americans who are committed to building a more prosperous, stable, and inclusive nation. The group focuses on promoting public policy solutions that encourage political equality, guarantee a sustaining wage for working Americans, and ensure that millionaires, billionaires, and corporations pay their fair share of taxes. Follow him on Twitter: @morris_pearl]
I’m pretty satisfied with the platform.
https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf
Yeah! My post worked! Whatever the tech problem was has been fixed!
These “Patriotic Millionaires” are those folks who are upset that the IRS doesn’t collect more taxes from The Rich.
One wonders why ~ instead of forming a 501.3c with website, social media sites, getting on tv, etc ~ they don’t just quietly actually, really donate what they think THEY should pay, and see what happens.
i wonder how many people will “Ditto” being satisfied with the Democrat’s Platform, without explaining why?
I am glad that whatever the technical problems were, they are resolved for all who contribute to this blog.
I must say that while the Democratic Party Platform is a good one, that the Common Dreams article that Jeffrey added also makes sense, and I also agree with Jeffrey that those who have wealth COULD voluntarily contribute more of their assets to support of the government and its programs!
Common Dreams is a unicorn progressive blog. They’re also known as the frustrati. Milt Shook has a great piece up on “purity†and politics that explains our anger with them.
http://pleasecutthecrap.com/pubs-need-to-stop-defining-progressive/
Princess Leia, I understand that about Common Dreams, but that does not mean that their ideas should be totally dismissed or ignored, but it depends upon circumstances whether to adopt what they promote.
The point is to have an open mind, that is all!
Our anger at them is why we sought out pragmatic progressive blogs when we initially got into blogging. A lot of our favorites have closed and moved on to Facebook and Twitter.
This is exactly what I’ve been thinking lately. 2020 feels like God is warning not to vote for Trump.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/2020/08/26/two-hurricanes-and-covid-19-is-god-angry-at-trump/
The Democratic party platform expresses our values and beliefs.
Ditto that, Rational Lefty.
Wow! This is shocking! Trump’s not doing so great in some of the rural parts of Virginia!
https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/08/26/new-poll-shows-southwest-virginia-is-expected-to-support-trump-less-in-2020-than-in-2016/
Here’s some more about that poll. It’s mostly good news for Democrats. Of course, standard disclaimer about not getting complacent, working our butts off until November 3, etc.
https://bluevirginia.us/2020/08/new-poll-joe-biden14-points-53-39-in-virginia-up-2-points-from-may-sen-mark-warner-21-points-55-34
Picture showing difference of Night one of DNC vs. Night one of RNC
https://bluevirginia.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/118285232_3909460725736210_7736167808165596366_n.jpg
Thanks for that, Pragmatic.
DNC – Not only a very diverse group, but also shows different places around America
RNC – Same old dull background behind everyone and mostly a lot of white men.
Of the blogs we enjoyed, which are now on social media, this one was our favorite. They are more active on Twitter than Facebook. https://twitter.com/winprogressive?lang=en
I already follow Winning Progressive on Twitter!
Melania’s fascist outfit at the RNC last night –
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/melania-trumps-military-style-rnc-173506000.html
That’s the first thing that popped into my mind as well when I saw it. Definitely military style. Looked like Nazi brown shirts or some uniform Fidel Castro would have worn.
Definitely sending out a message, just like her I Don’t Care jacket when she went to Puerto Rico.
In this break from Fashion News: Did You know that the 2020 Democratic Party’s Platform contains the word “debt” a total of 20 times, as follows in reference to:
re Mortgage Debt: 1 time
School Lunch: 1
Bankruptcy/Credit: 2
Veterans: 1
Foreign Aid: 1
Puerto Rico: 1
Student Loan: 13
Guess we know who the Dems are targeting with incentives to “Vote For Us,” eh?
Interestingly enough, not one of those 20 mentions of the term “debt” was about this nation’s $26.686 TRILLION national, sovereign debt. Imagine that.
Stay tuned for a similar report on the Republican Party’s Platform use of the term “debt.” And now here’s that update on Melania’s Storm Trooper boots…..
This is Trump’s America. This is why all of us here, except the troll, will be voting Trump out in November.
http://progressiveerupts.blogspot.com/2020/08/this-17-year-old-who-is-not-old-enough.html
All of that the troll listed are issues that are of concern to the poor and middle class.
Seconded, Former Republican. Those are things that matter to a wide variety of average, ordinary Americans.
Any attempt to compare this year’s Democratic and Republican Parties’ Platforms hits a speed bump when it is realized that the Republicans have no new Platform for 2020, and are using their one from 2016; apparently as published four years ago.
That being the case, here’s the breakdown on the use of the word “debt” in the 2020 née 2016 Republican Party Platform:
re Student Loan Debt: 3 [vs 13 by the Democrats]
Medical Expense Debt: 1 [vs 2]
National Debt: 4 [vs 0]
Total: 8 [vs 20]
So, four years ago, the Republicans talked about America’s National, Sovereign Debt; and, presumably, are still talking about it today. But isn’t there an almost delicious irony to the fact that their 2016 Platform contained the following statements?
“The President and the Democratic party have abandoned their promise of being accountable to the American people. They have nearly doubled the size of the national debt.”
“Our national debt is a burden on our economy and families. The huge increase in the national debt demanded by and incurred during the current Administration has placed a significant burden on
future generations. We must impose firm caps on future debt, accelerate the repayment of the trillions we now owe in order to reaffirm our principles of responsible and limited government, and remove the burdens we are placing on future generations. A strong economy is one key to debt reduction, but spending restraint is a necessary component that must be vigorously pursued.”
“It is long past time for just tinkering around the edges of a bloated and unresponsive bureaucratic state. Its poorly managed programs, some begun generations ago, are ill-suited to meet present needs and future requirements. Its credit card budgets impose massive indebtedness on every American today and on children yet unborn.”
And the very best comment of all:
“The federal fiscal burden threatens the security, liberty, and independence of our nation. The current Administration’s refusal to work with Republicans took our national debt from $10 trillion to nearly $19 trillion today. Left unchecked, it will hit $30 trillion by 2026.”
Change the names to protect the guilty, and change the date the national debt will hit $30 trillion to 2021 or 2022, at the very latest, and You have some items the Democrats could have easily included in their 2020 Platform. Were they so inclined.
But we must all remember what happened last year just before Congress’s Summer Break, and the Debt Ceiling Limit Deal fashioned by Pelosi, Schumer, and Trump that put off any discussion of broaching or raising the Debt Ceiling Limit until the summer 2021, long after Election 2020.
So, as delightfully ironic as those quotes from the 2020 née 2016 Republican Party Platform are, no Democrat could legitimately presume to use them, i would suspect.
After all; what self-respecting Candidate [especially for re-election] wants to have to be bothered about Deficits and the Debt during a campaign; especially this campaign? And who in SwampLand wants any Voters to even have to think about it, what with everything else they have on their minds?
So the question becomes: Who does an American ~ who is deeply concerned about this nation’s $26.7 TRILLION National Sovereign Debt ~ who does this American vote for in November [assuming there is an election]?
Fact check regarding the deficit.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/jul/29/tweets/republican-presidents-democrats-contribute-deficit/
It is the Poor and the Middle Class that will be hit and hurt the hardest when The Debt [and all the Unfunded Liabilities in addition to The Debt] comes due.
Thank you for truthful info, Rustbelt.
Interrupting the discussion of deficits to announce that Hurricane Laura is nearly a Cat 5.Winds are up to 150 mph. If Laura reaches 157 mph or greater, it will be a Category 5 hurricane. A Category 5 hurricane has never hit the coast of Louisiana.
Politifact is correct. The troll is wrong. It is very much true that deficits grew under Republican presidents and shrunk under Democratic presidents. Therefore, Democrats, not Republicans, are the true party of fiscal responsibility.
Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the hurricane.
The programs that ReThuglicans want to get rid of are programs that help the poor and middle class – Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, etc. This is why it is extremely important that we vote ReThuglicans out. We have to save those programs from ReThuglicans.
The 17-year-old shooter in Kenosha was at a Trump rally.
http://www.dailykos.com/2020/8/26/1972595/Kenosha-shooter-was-photographed-sitting-in-front-row-of-Trump-rally
I had trouble getting the link to work. Here’s the corrected link –
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/26/1972595/-Kenosha-shooter-was-photographed-sitting-in-front-row-of-Trump-rally
Trump is failing his latest test: Hurricane Laura
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/8/26/1972618/-Trump-is-Failing-His-Latest-Test-Hurricane-Laura