Author: Kwotable

Trump’s nomination could spark fight over party platform – The Hill

Posted by | May 7, 2016 | , | 0 |

PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Nash, Getty Images Donald Trump’s position at the top of the GOP ticket could spark a major fight over the direction of the party’s platform. Trump has staked out issues that contradict with the party’s general philosophy—on abortion, trade, taxes and campaign finance to name a few—a reality that could prompt a battle at the convention if Team Trump and convention delegates come to a head. “The platform committee will be where the action is at,” said former Republican National Committee aide Doug Heye. “The platform committee will be where the action is at,” said former Republican National Committee aide Doug Heye. “The membership of the platform committee tends to be pretty conservative,” he added, noting that the potential conflict over the party platform would be the manifestation of the “existential crisis and operational chaos that Republicans face” now that Trump is the de-facto nominee. Part of the heat could stem from a critical mass of delegates loyal to Trumps main primary rival Ted Cruz, who had strong success winning delegate loyalties while hoping for a contested convention. While those delegates won’t have a chance to sweep in and hand Cruz the nomination since Cruz dropped out after losing Tuesday’s Indiana primary, the staunch conservatives that his team helped put on the floor will still be carrying his torch. “We still want Cruz delegates to go...

Read More

Trump says Britain would be better off outside EU

Posted by | May 6, 2016 | , | 0 |

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at The Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana May 2, 2016. Reuters/Aaron P. Bernstein Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday he thought Britain would be better off out of the European Union, the opposite stance to that taken by his likely rival Hillary Clinton and by many political leaders around the world. Britons will vote in a referendum on June 23 on whether to leave the 28-member EU, a momentous decision with trade, investment, defense and political ramifications that stretch far beyond Britain’s borders. “I would say that they’re better off without it personally, but I’m not making that as a recommendation – just my feeling,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News television, adding that he wanted Britons to make their own decision. “I think the migration has been a horrible thing for Europe. A lot of that was pushed by the EU,” he said, without providing any specifics. Initial reaction to Trump’s comments, which went further than what he had previously said on the subject, was muted in Britain where the focus was on the incoming results of local and regional elections. Given Trump’s controversial statements and his negative image in the eyes of many Europeans, including Britons, it is not clear whether his endorsement would be good, bad or...

Read More

Georgia’s Rising Star Battles the Bigotry of Its Past

Posted by | Mar 28, 2016 | | 0 |

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R.) Photo credit: AJC.COM   As the State of Georgia clings to its flawed, but familiar roots, it also battles for its soul, as it attempts to earn a spot on America’s list of forward-moving metropolises, with its renowned city of Atlanta. Atlanta-based Tyler Perry has added his voice to Hollywood’s chorus urging Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal to reject a bill that discriminates against the LGBT community, House Bill 757, also known as the “religious freedom bill.” A spokesperson for the studios said Friday: “At Tyler Perry Studios, we believe in inclusion and equality for all people.”   Corporations threaten to pull business from Georgia over religious freedom bill At least nine corporations, including Disney, have expressed concern over a controversial law on the desk of Georgia’s governor. Among other things, the law would allow faith-based businesses to deny employment or service to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. David Begnaud has more.   As of Friday, all of the following companies have spoken out against the bill: Viacom, 21st Century Fox, Lionsgate, CBS, Starz, AMC Networks (The Walking Dead is currently filmed in Georgia), Netflix, Time Warner, CBS, The Weinstein Company, Sony, Comcast/NBC Universal, MGM, STX Entertainment, and Open Road Films. Even the NFL has strongly suggested 757’s passage would take Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scheduled to open in 2017, out of consideration to host...

Read More

The giant super PAC backing Jeb Bush has spent very little fighting Donald Trump – Washington Post

Posted by | Feb 20, 2016 | | 0 |

The day Jeb Bush formally announced his candidacy for the presidency, he led in Real Clear Politics’ average of national polls — a position that he would hold for about a month until the unexpected surge of Donald Trump left him in the dust. Among the many bulwarks that were supposed to protect Bush’s candidacy on its path to the nomination was the massive financial power of Right to Rise, a super PAC backing Bush’s candidacy run by Mike Murphy, a longtime Bush adviser. Right to Rise has raised nearly $120 million to try and get Bush elected, a massive sum that could be spent to try and keep others from moving ahead of him in the polls. As it stands on Saturday, with South Carolina headed to the polls to determine whether or not Bush can keep his long-shot campaign going, he is in sixth place nationally, having dropped 12.4 percentage points from his peak in the polling average. Trump, on the other hand, has been in the lead almost without exception since July of last year — and has been the target of far less spending by Right to Rise than other Bush competitors. ProPublica has been compiling data on Right to Rise’s spending, and, as the outlet’s Derek Willis noted on Twitter, only a tiny fraction of that has been spent in direct opposition to Trump. An outside...

Read More

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Is America’s Richest Welfare Recipient

Posted by | Feb 8, 2016 | , , | 0 |

This article was originally published on September 6, 2016 and in recognition of the despicable treatment McConnell demonstrated toward Elizabeth Warren this week, we felt it appropriate to republish it. UNITED STATES – MAY 21: Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., conducts a news conference in the Capitol after the senate luncheons where he addressed issues including the Oklahoma tornado. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) The man who makes his living from the government by doing nothing at a base salary of $193,400/year thinks business in America is not doing well because too many Americans feel “they’re doing too good with food stamps, Social Security and all the rest.” McConnell would definitely know a thing or two about that. McConnell’s penchant for intended laziness is well documented, starting with this infamous moment, as documented below, when he committed to making his main goal for two years the assurance that President Obama not win a second term (which, of course, he didn’t accomplish) – watch below: McConnell Admits Zika Bill Is A Little Dirty Mitch McConnell argued that the Zika bill needs to have unrelated items attached to it — in this case targeting Planned Parenthood, preserving the Confederate flag and other items — because that’s how legislation passes. But McConnell is worse than a ‘Do-Nothing’ Senate Leader, his focus on nothing but politics can be directly attributed to the lack of...

Read More

Lady Liberty Stands Tall in the Face of Serial Abuser, Donald Trump

Posted by | Jan 28, 2016 | , , , | 0 |

IMAGE CREDIT: BUSINESS INSIDER Editorial board note: this article was originally published on November 24, 2016 and we felt it still has meaning today. Those of us who immigrated to the United States, or whose parents did so, understand the meaning and comfort provided by the Statue of Liberty. It is a beacon of hope and faith that it can all get better. Who couldn’t look at that beautiful face, with her welcoming eyes, and not feel as though you have found home? I think we all know what it feels like to find your home, and Lady Liberty has guided us home for decades. But even the gracious lady seems to have reservations about the way America’s new leader, Donald Trump, would guide her people. To be fair, it is not her job to command what Americans do, but rather, where they go. Let’s just hope that Lady Liberty isn’t ashamed by the fact that she convinced so many new Americans to walk on her...

Read More

Mike Pence Excited to Be the Next Big Dick Cheney

Posted by | Jan 25, 2016 | , , , | 0 |

IMAGE CREDIT: TOWLEROAD Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said his vice-presidential role model would be Dick Cheney. “I frankly hold Dick Cheney in very high regard in his role as vice president,” Pence said when asked in an interview with ABC that aired before the election on who his vice-presidential role model would be. Donald Trump’s running mate and now vice president -elect asserted that he would be “a very active vice president” like Cheney, who served under President George W. Bush. And when one reflects on just the kind of relationship and the level of power Dick Cheney had as vice president, one can’t forget that before Cheney, discussion about the vice presidency focused on how to make the office stronger, more effective. Not any more. “Vice President Cheney has been the most powerful vice president that we’ve ever had,” said Joel Goldstein, author of The Modern American Vice Presidency. When you couple these two pieces of information with the fact that John Kasich, who was offered the job, was told he would basically be the president, it all becomes crystal clear why Pence sold his conservative soul: he thinks he is going to be the next...

Read More

Right Now in Politics and Business