The Rose Garden and White House happenings: Listening to voters’ concerns

"These are real polls. These are not polls where they do registered voters. No, you want to do voters that are going to vote. Registered voters. You want to do what is called likely voters. In other words, voters who are likely to vote. Not registered voters, many of whom have died, many of whom are not going to vote."

DaveSchmidt said:

"These are real polls. These are not polls where they do registered voters. No, you want to do voters that are going to vote. Registered voters. You want to do what is called likely voters. In other words, voters who are likely to vote. Not registered voters, many of whom have died, many of whom are not going to vote."

 Yup, you definitely don't want to poll those dead voters. I agree totally.

drummerboy said: 

Yup, you definitely don't want to poll those dead voters. I agree totally.

That’s the laugh line, but that’s not what’s wrong with what he said. What’s wrong is that he apparently thinks polls of registered voters are skewed because some people whose names are still on the rolls may be dead. As if polls of registered voters were conducted to find out what the names on the rolls would do.

Nah. I recognize there's a difference between polling likely vs registered voters, but to point out that one of the differences is because there may be dead people still on the rolls is pretty damn stupid.

Be careful of what you wish for....

mtierney said:

Be careful of what you wish for....

 Classy. 

“Far Left Radicals”

I suppose for fascists everyone that has any idea that benefits people over corporations is far left. 

mtierney said:

Be careful of what you wish for....

why?  Does everyone having good health coverage scare you?

what a mensch

If Biden can talk about his stuttering in the past tense, even mimicking how it it sounded, how do you explain his speech issues at 77?  Biden may very well have  had a stuttering problem in his youth, and overcame it. If he gave encouragement and confidence to a young boy, good for him.

mtierney said:

If Biden can talk about his stuttering in the past tense, even mimicking how it it sounded, how do you explain his speech issues at 77?  Biden may very well have  had a stuttering problem in his youth, and overcame it. If he gave encouragement and confidence to a young boy, good for him.

 Terrific. All the former “birthers” are now “stutter truthers”.

hoops said:

“Far Left Radicals”

I suppose for fascists everyone that has any idea that benefits people over corporations is far left. 

 I know it’s not the same. But for comparison purposes: Australia is governed by a very conservative party, with a majority of States being governed in similar style. It’s the stated policy of this federal Party to do away with our benefits system (inadequate as it is), and our universal health system. But they’ve maintained both since the ‘90s and probably will for another half-decade at least. 
Even in the middle of a pandemic, our free national breast cancer scanning program gave me a scan at the end of July; a free ultrasound and biopsy 4 days later; free consultation and planning re the cancer diagnosis 5 later (before my family doctor knew); a free-to-me consultation the next morning with my allergist re the required precautions and treatment in light of my pseudo-mastocytosis; free-to-me consultation with my family doctor 3 days later; free specialist consultation re lumpectomy, radiotherapy etc on Thursday; free mental health support for me and for my carer; free patient transport for future medical appointments; and more. My hospital stay (1day) is covered. If I can afford to contribute $5/day towards patient transport, it’s appreciated.  All my treatment for up to 4 years is covered (we’re not expecting longer, at this stage) Oh, and my hospital date is early October. In the public system because I don’t have any private insurance. And I’m not working. 

I really don’t understand why a modern civilised nation is so frightened of supporting its vulnerable citizens. Grateful citizens pay back the community through taxes and volunteerism, neighbourliness and economic participation.

mtierney said:

If Biden can talk about his stuttering in the past tense, even mimicking how it it sounded, how do you explain his speech issues at 77?  Biden may very well have  had a stuttering problem in his youth, and overcame it. If he gave encouragement and confidence to a young boy, good for him.

what speech issues?

"If" he gave encouragement? Do you doubt that too?

and would you call Trump's tendency to talk out of his arse a speech issue?

and read this to learn something about stuttering and it's possible lifelong effects.

mtierney said:

If Biden can talk about his stuttering in the past tense, even mimicking how it it sounded, how do you explain his speech issues at 77?  Biden may very well have  had a stuttering problem in his youth, and overcame it. If he gave encouragement and confidence to a young boy, good for him.

 I was going to respond but I have some looting to do, I am down on toilet paper

Great speech on stuttering by Joe:

I hope mtierney watches.

What a great speech !!!! Listen to what Joe had to say about stuttering.

What is being said in the Rose Garden? 

God, this SUCKS!

— Sally Mann Romano (@MannRomano) August 22, 2020

basil said:

 I was going to respond but I have some looting to do, I am down on toilet paper

 Looting is no joke.

The trees were pretty too, but if you want roses, they need a lot of sun.  New design looks nice to me (even though goodness knows i have no time at all for the current occupants of the White House).  If AV or maintenance equipment or people with wheelchairs/walkers/canes need access, the paved path(s) will be useful.

The note on stuttering linked by drummerboy above

"and read this to learn something about stuttering and it's possible lifelong effects"

is very short, and enlightening.  In particular, it points out stuttering is not always repetition of a sound, it can be a hesitation at the beginning of a word that's causing a stall, and on-the-fly choice of a different word.  Pretty demanding stuff in public speaking, imo.  Highly recommended, esp. for anyone who thinks B "had a stuttering problem in his youth" - mtierney, that's you, pls read the article.

mtierney said:

basil said:

 I was going to respond but I have some looting to do, I am down on toilet paper

 Looting is no joke.

With all our current economic problems, and all of Trump thuggish behavior, and all of the damage done to the US standing in the world, and all of the incompetence of handling this virus, to focus on looting and hunter biden and bidens speech is a total joke. And it is a very cynical joke too, because with looting you are trying to divert attention away from BLM and police violence, with hunter biden you are trying to divert attention away from the utter corruption in Trumps GOP, and with Biden's so-called speech issues you are trying to divert attention away from the fact that Trump is totally incapable of being Commander-in-Chief. 

People might minimize looting as long as the stuff being taken, or being destroyed, isn’t from their home or business. As long as they do not have to replace, repair or clean up their messes. I heard it said that insurance will cover damages. The cost for such protection doesn’t come cheap. Many small businesses cannot afford to rebuild, even with insurance. Insurance doesn’t “insure” employees and customers will return to decimated areas.

For more than 90 consecutive nights, Portland has been at war with itself. Organizers of protests, who are intending to seek recognition for their causes peacefully, need to make an effort to disassociate from the gangsters who prey on the opportunity to wreck havoc. To observers, they seem to be united.

All across this country, our cities have been held hostage in 2020. Covid-19 has disrupted our way of life, where we work, where we learn, and has killed over 150,000 Americans. More lives will also continue to be lost from the virus, addictions, suicides, poverty, homelessness, etc.

The  White House making  the Rose Garden accessible to the handicapped is a good thing.

mtierney said:

The  White House making  the Rose Garden accessible to the handicapped is a good thing.

Gaslighting the Rose Garden makeover now?

If the only goal was to make it "accessible to the handicapped", they would have put in pavers and called it a day.  Or maybe there's something about getting rid of trees and colorful flowers in the Americans With Disabilities Act that most of us are unfamiliar with.

Shocking news.

President’s Sister Describes Trump as Liar With ‘No Principles’ in Recordings

mtierney said:

People might minimize looting as long as the stuff being taken, or being destroyed, isn’t from their home or business. As long as they do not have to replace, repair or clean up their messes. I heard it said that insurance will cover damages. The cost for such protection doesn’t come cheap. Many small businesses cannot afford to rebuild, even with insurance. Insurance doesn’t “insure” employees and customers will return to decimated areas.

For more than 90 consecutive nights, Portland has been at war with itself. Organizers of protests, who are intending to seek recognition for their causes peacefully, need to make an effort to disassociate from the gangsters who prey on the opportunity to wreck havoc. To observers, they seem to be united.

All across this country, our cities have been held hostage in 2020. Covid-19 has disrupted our way of life, where we work, where we learn, and has killed over 150,000 Americans. More lives will also continue to be lost from the virus, addictions, suicides, poverty, homelessness, etc.

The  White House making  the Rose Garden accessible to the handicapped is a good thing.

 I do pity you, being locked in this delusional state, with such dystopian visions.  Suffice to say, what you seem to believe is probably exaggerated by a factor of 100.  If you have any interest in putting your mind to rest, stop reading right wing propaganda and try to find some unbiased sources to learn what is really happening in Portland and other cities around the country.  It would probably be a lot better for you, and perhaps bring you some peace of mind.

it might put your mind at ease a bit to realize how low the bar is for the Portland PD to declare a "riot" or a "civil disturbance".

Riot vs. unlawful assembly, what's the difference?

There, a civil disturbance is defined as "an unlawful assembly that constitutes a clear and present danger of riot, disorder, interference with traffic upon the public streets or when another immediate threat to public safety, peace or order appears."

A riot is defined as "six or more persons engaging in tumultuous and violent conduct and thereby intentionally or recklessly creating a grave risk of causing public alarm, excluding persons who are engaged in passive resistance."

So the next time you hear that Portland law enforcement declared a "riot", picture six or ten people, not hundreds or thousands.

And also know that the typical Portland night now includes hours of peaceful demonstrations, and when those folks go home, a different set of agitators representing groups other than BLM.  And the "rioters" are also alleged to include the police, who often escalate the violence.

Portland police are no better than the feds, activists say 

Some observers are concerned that the national conversation about federal overreach in Portland has overshadowed the Portland Police Bureau’s brutality against protesters

and notably, when armed right wing agitators showed up, the police didn't declare a riot despite the violence it provoked.  "Riot" appears to be a term they use only for BLM protestors.

Portland police stand by as Proud Boys and far-right militias flash guns and brawl with antifa counterprotesters

Police said they did not stop the violence, although the event met the criteria to be declared a riot, because too few officers were available to respond and they deemed it too dangerous to intervene. Officers were tired from responding to a much smaller and less volatile protest that was declared a riot the night before, the bureau said in a statement, and incident commanders also had concerns that officers would be targeted by the crowd.

The decision not to intervene was a striking contrast to police tactics at several left-leaning Black Lives Matter protests in recent weeks. Officers have consistently declared unlawful assemblies and riots at nighttime protests that have devolved into property damage and projectiles thrown at police. Although those events have involved significant property damage at times, they have not involved firearms or rampant brawling among demonstrators.

Other shocking news:

Mr. Trump is expected to speak every night in the 10 p.m. hour

Republicans Rush to Finalize Convention (‘Apprentice’ Producers Are Helping)

Trump's sister talking about Donald Trump in private family conversations that she did not know were recorded.

What in indictment:

Maryanne Trump Barry was serving as a federal judge when she heard her brother, President Trump, suggest on Fox News, “maybe I’ll have to put her at the border” amid a wave of refugees entering the United States. At the time, children were being separated from their parents and put in cramped quarters while court hearings dragged on.

“All he wants to do is appeal to his base,” Barry said in a conversation secretly recorded by her niece, Mary L. Trump. “He has no principles. None. None. And his base, I mean my God, if you were a religious person, you want to help people. Not do this.”

Barry, 83, was aghast at how her 74-year-old brother operated as president. “His goddamned tweet and lying, oh my God,” she said. “I’m talking too freely, but you know. The change of stories. The lack of preparation. The lying. Holy ****.”

Lamenting “what they’re doing with kids at the border,” she guessed her brother “hasn’t read my immigration opinions” in court cases. In one case, she berated a judge for failing to treat an asylum applicant respectfully.

“What has he read?” Mary Trump asked her aunt.

“No. He doesn’t read,” Barry responded.

At one point Barry said to her niece, “It’s the phoniness of it all. It’s the phoniness and this cruelty. Donald is cruel.”

Barry told how she tried to help her brother get into college. “He was a brat,” Barry said, explaining that “I did his homework for him” and “I drove him around New York City to try to get him into college.”

Then Barry dropped what Mary considered a bombshell: “He went to Fordham for one year [actually two years] and then he got into University of Pennsylvania because he had somebody take the exams.”

“No way!” Mary responded. “He had somebody take his entrance exams?”

“SATs or whatever. . . . That’s what I believe,” Barry said. “I even remember the name.”

mtierney said:

People might minimize looting as long as the stuff being taken, or being destroyed, isn’t from their home or business. As long as they do not have to replace, repair or clean up their messes. I heard it said that insurance will cover damages. The cost for such protection doesn’t come cheap. Many small businesses cannot afford to rebuild, even with insurance. Insurance doesn’t “insure” employees and customers will return to decimated areas.

It's people like you that minimize police murders as long as it isn't their family that is being killed. Do you think the family of George Floyd is worried about insurance payments? Or Breonna Taylor's family? Or these thousands of other families? How would you feel if cops came in and killed one of your family members, and every time you tried to get justice, they changed the subject to the increasing number of parking tickets in your town?