Is General Mc Caffrey part of the "Dark State"

NIMBY said:

Good to see you again.
I'm asking all reasonable conservatives what they're waiting for with a 'President Pence'.
I can assure you my more liberal friends aren't happy with me for saying those two words.

It's incredulous to me that regular GOPs don't see the practicality of a President Pence at this PMA.
PMA = Perilous Moment of Awareness.
Any one of these scandals from the current CinC would have impeached ANY of the previous 44 Presidents.
Let's get back to the Great Opportunity Party of Lincoln, TR, and IKE ...

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I haven't seen any criminal charges brought against President Trump. He was duly elected and entitled to hold office under our election rules. He was definitely a backlash candidate; he touched a chord with the millions of people who haven't fared so well under globalization and liberal policies. I don't consider him either a Republican nor a Democrat; he is not ideological that I can see. He is a populist. He is coarse and rude; but so is the MSM who go after him on a daily basis. He is a fighter, you have to give him that much. As far as having affairs, or talking to Russians; few people care about those things these days. It didn't bring down Bill Clinton and Hillary's camp talked to Russians as much as the Trump people did, so all of that is a wash IMO. As for his policies, some of them I like and some of them I don't, just as with any president. I do think he's stirred the pot more than Obama ever did. He is trying to get Washington to get some things done for a change.

And Obama is largely responsible for Trump even taking his own campaign seriously. I believe Trump got serious about it after that Washington Press Club dinner where Obama and his staff made a lot of very cruel jokes aimed at Trump, who was sitting right there. Trump didn't buckle, but after that dinner he got serious about making a run at the White House. Sometimes taunting your opponent backfires; it sure did for Obama. Handing the keys to the castle over to Trump and watching him be sworn in as President must have really stung Obama. He never imagined.....

DiAnna said:

Apparently Cambridge Analytica is taking credit for inventing the terms "deep state", "drain the swamp", "fake news" and other terminology than Trump used on the campaign trail. :lol:

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They might as well. Someone had to tell Trump what to say. Each one of those terms is meaningless when considered on it's own merits but they speak directly to some people, and it sounds more professional than the GOP is capable of.

Grand Mal said:

They might as well. Someone had to tell Trump what to say. Each one of those terms is meaningless when considered on it's own merits but they speak directly to some people, and it sounds more professional than the GOP is capable of.

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Betcha Cambridge Analytica gets a commission on MAGA hats. :mrgreen:

Trump supporters defined the “the deep state” very much like they define the “swamp,” which is very differently from how I define it. I think the two are the same to them.

I had thought the "swamp" was about self-dealing insiders who profited from their connections in government by pulling strings for their own private benefit or profit. But I now realize that's not what they meant at all, since they have no trouble with Trump officials who do just that. They meant "government officials who help people I don't like."

That's why it doesn't faze Trump supporters at all when he fills the government with lobbyists and corporate executives who'll directly benefit from their regulatory decisions, or when he relaxes or simply ignores ethics laws and regulations.

That's not the deep state to them. Instead, the deep state is government employees who write regulations to help poor people, or prevent discrimination, or make people use energy-efficient light bulbs. It doesn't matter whether those are civil service employees who'll never earn an extra dime due to the decisions they make. They're still the “the deep state.” Trump is absolutely clearing that deep state.

Waddy said:

I haven't seen any criminal charges brought against President Trump. He was duly elected and entitled to hold office under our election rules. He was definitely a backlash candidate; he touched a chord with the millions of people who haven't fared so well under globalization and liberal policies. I don't consider him either a Republican nor a Democrat; he is not ideological that I can see. He is a populist. He is coarse and rude; but so is the MSM who go after him on a daily basis. He is a fighter, you have to give him that much. As far as having affairs, or talking to Russians; few people care about those things these days. It didn't bring down Bill Clinton and Hillary's camp talked to Russians as much as the Trump people did, so all of that is a wash IMO. As for his policies, some of them I like and some of them I don't, just as with any president. I do think he's stirred the pot more than Obama ever did. He is trying to get Washington to get some things done for a change.

And Obama is largely responsible for Trump even taking his own campaign seriously. I believe Trump got serious about it after that Washington Press Club dinner where Obama and his staff made a lot of very cruel jokes aimed at Trump, who was sitting right there. Trump didn't buckle, but after that dinner he got serious about making a run at the White House. Sometimes taunting your opponent backfires; it sure did for Obama. Handing the keys to the castle over to Trump and watching him be sworn in as President must have really stung Obama. He never imagined.....

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First, Trump was fuming at that dinner and it showed on his face.
Second, it’s clear that you have been fooled by Trump’s populist talk. Too bad he doesn’t do the populist walk. He has followed the Republican play book — filet mignon tax cuts for the rich, masked with Raisin Bran tax cuts for workers, so they can cynically call them “middle class tax cuts,” coupled with regulation protection cuts that serve the corporate elite. Trump is playing pure GOP by attacking the ACA. Trump is already on board with cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Trump’s populism is phony populism and you bought it.

McCaffrey sounds like a patriot to my ears. Glad to hear him speak up for the nation and against our deplorable demagogue.

DiAnna said:

Apparently Cambridge Analytica is taking credit for inventing the terms "deep state", "drain the swamp", "fake news" and other terminology than Trump used on the campaign trail. :lol:

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I know you are just trying to be funny...trying too hard, maybe...but the fact is, I've heard the term, "deep state", years before C.A. was formed.

Grand Mal said:

Considering that the 'dark state' is just a fantasy created to give low-functioning trumpophiles words to say that make them think they're privy to esoteric knowledge, and the General is actually flesh-and-blood, the only answer is 'no'.

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Chucky Schumer stays you are wrong:

MTAtech said:

First, Trump was fuming at that dinner and it showed on his face.
Second, it’s clear that you have been fooled by Trump’s populist talk. Too bad he doesn’t do the populist walk. He has followed the Republican play book — filet mignon tax cuts for the rich, masked with Raisin Bran tax cuts for workers, so they can cynically call them “middle class tax cuts,” coupled with regulation protection cuts that serve the corporate elite. Trump is playing pure GOP by attacking the ACA. Trump is already on board with cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Trump’s populism is phony populism and you bought it.

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Yeah, you could tell he was angry, but he didn't fold the tent; which is what they were taunting him trying to embarrass him into doing. He did the opposite and pulled off a political miracle. His revenge must have been sweet. The MSM meltdown on election night says it all. As far as tax cuts going to the rich; Since the "rich" pay 70%+ of ALL taxes ANY tax cut will cut their taxes more. It's simple math. Our tax cut is less because we MAKE less. There's less to cut.

Waddy said:

Yeah, you could tell he was angry, but he didn't fold the tent; which is what they were taunting him trying to embarrass him into doing. He did the opposite and pulled off a political miracle. His revenge must have been sweet. The MSM meltdown on election night says it all. As far as tax cuts going to the rich; Since the "rich" pay 70%+ of ALL taxes ANY tax cut will cut their taxes more. It's simple math. Our tax cut is less because we MAKE less. There's less to cut.

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The bolded area is just false. It isn't straight-line. The wealthy benefited from the tax-cuts not only in dollars but percent decreases. Why do you feel a need to shill for the rich? Don't they have expensive lobbyists, lawyers and accounts for that purpose?

MTAtech said:

The bolded area is just false. It isn't straight-line. The wealthy benefited from the tax-cuts not only in dollars but percent decreases. Why do you feel a need to shill for the rich? Don't they have expensive lobbyists, lawyers and accounts for that purpose?

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the top quintile will pay about $69,000 in income and estate taxes in 2019 under current law, while the middle quintile will pay just $3,700. So the top group will pay 8 percent less than they otherwise would, while the middle group will get a much larger 23 percent cut.......middle-income groups would get by far the largest cuts as a percentage of current income taxes. For example, households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 would get a 24 percent cut in 2019, while those over $1 million would get just a 6 percent cut.

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It also depends on how you figure the tax cut; some analysts include both income and payroll taxes in figuring the percentages.

Mycroft said:

I know you are just trying to be funny...trying too hard, maybe...but the fact is, I've heard the term, "deep state", years before C.A. was formed.

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Not trying to be funny at all. Apparently the CEO of Cambridge Analytica was caught on tape saying as much.

haymarket said:

McCaffrey sounds like a patriot to my ears. Glad to hear him speak up for the nation and against our deplorable demagogue.

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Tell you what man, there is no reasonable argument from either the extreme left or extreme right for why we don’t need a ‘President Pence’ ASAP. Every single person in this Nation knows this if they’re paying attention and are honorable.

So, it’s term-limited Gov. Kasich for me as Vice-President; leave Ryan as Speaker since we obviously could do worse with this House ...

apdst said:

He's been retired for 20 years, so he's basically a civilian running his mouth.

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Who would you want as President right now, those who have served their nation honorably like yourself, or the current temporary CinC? I would take your GOP Senator Kennedy in a heartbeat ...

NIMBY said:

Tell you what man, there is no reasonable argument from either the extreme left or extreme right for why we don’t need a ‘President Pence’ ASAP. Every single person in this Nation knows this if they’re paying attention and are honorable.

So, it’s term-limited Gov. Kasich for me as Vice-President; leave Ryan as Speaker since we obviously could do worse with this House ...

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You have to stop with that "President Pence" crap, it doesn't sound any better the more you post it! :stop:

Rexedgar said:

You have to stop with that "President Pence" crap, it doesn't sound any better the more you post it! :stop:

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Keep promoting your President Trump then. Stop bitching about your President Trump since all I get from the extreme left is all bitch and no action.

I will not be silenced or intimidated by either extreme over calling for a ‘President Pence’, ASAP. Take your moronic nonsense to the proper forum and we can ‘discuss’ further ...

NIMBY said:

Tell you what man, there is no reasonable argument from either the extreme left or extreme right for why we don’t need a ‘President Pence’ ASAP. Every single person in this Nation knows this if they’re paying attention and are honorable.

So, it’s term-limited Gov. Kasich for me as Vice-President; leave Ryan as Speaker since we obviously could do worse with this House ...

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Please give me your thoughts on this: if Donald Trump was elected illegitimately because of Russian assistance - among other things - Pence was elected by that same vote . So why would Pence be any more legitimate than Trump?

haymarket said:

Please give me your thoughts on this: if Donald Trump was elected illegitimately because of Russian assistance - among other things - Pence was elected by that same vote . So why would Pence be any more legitimate than Trump?

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That answer will have to wait......

Waddy said:

It also depends on how you figure the tax cut; some analysts include both income and payroll taxes in figuring the percentages.

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It doesn't matter. The payroll tax rates remain the same. The reality, no matter how you try to slice it, gives 83 percent of its tax cuts to the top 1%. The top 1% don't earn 83% of income. Thus, the top 1% get a disproportionate amount of the GOP tax cuts.

MTAtech said:

It doesn't matter. The payroll tax rates remain the same. The reality, no matter how you try to slice it, gives 83 percent of its tax cuts to the top 1%. The top 1% don't earn 83% of income. Thus, the top 1% get a disproportionate amount of the GOP tax cuts.

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"The TPC has an expert team, but it presents data on who benefits from tax cuts in a selective way. In its study of the Senate bill, for example, TPC’s main distribution table shows that the top quintile of households would receive average tax cuts of $5,740 in 2019, while the middle quintile would receive only $850. It also notes that the former see a boost to their after-tax income of 2.2 percent, compared with 1.4 percent for the latter. The rich would get much bigger cuts!

To put those cuts in proper context, you need to dig on TPC’s website and do some math. It turns out that the top quintile will pay about $69,000 in income and estate taxes in 2019 under current law, while the middle quintile will pay just $3,700. So the top group will pay 8 percent less than they otherwise would, while the middle group will get a much larger 23 percent cut.

The JCT also publishes slanted distributional tables. For 2019, the JCT shows that the Senate bill would cut taxes 7 to 9 percent across income groups, except those earning over $1 million would get a 5 percent cut. So the cuts seem fairly equal, although a bit smaller at the top.

Those results are skewed, however, because the JCT includes both income and payroll taxes in the denominator in calculating the percentage cuts, even though Congress is not changing payroll taxes. A much better way to calculate income-tax cuts is as a percentage of current income taxes paid, but neither TPC nor JCT show the results that way.

So I recalculated the JCT results, and found that middle-income groups would get by far the largest cuts as a percentage of current income taxes. For example, households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 would get a 24 percent cut in 2019, while those over $1 million would get just a 6 percent cut.
https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/12/gop-tax-reform-favors-middle-class-not-rich/

What a demonstration in sleight of hand in post #45. It also doesn't pass the smell test. It just isn't true that "households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 would get a 24 percent cut in 2019." We know that from looking at workers' pay checks that show a few dollars in savings.

NIMBY said:

Who would you want as President right now, those who have served their nation honorably like yourself, or the current temporary CinC? I would take your GOP Senator Kennedy in a heartbeat ...

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Not Hillary Clinton. I wanted Ted Cruz, but he didn't win the primary. The past 8 years: Newt Gingrich. The next 8 years: Ted Cruz.

But, that isn't reality.

Hawkeye10 said:

Is Dark State the same thing as Deep State cause I get the feeling that maybe I am not keepin up.......

IDK I mean I have seen this guy around but I have not made a study of him.

I know that he likes being on TV more than I like.

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In the sense that they are both retarded lies embraced by people who are mad at reality, yes.