Bits Bucket for March 7, 2016
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The Housing Bubble
Examining the home price boom and its effect on owners, lenders, regulators, realtors and the economy as a whole.
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Name:Ben Jones
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While the Democratic base has historically turned a blind eye to corruption, patronage, and graft, it appears that even some Democrats can no longer stomach being the tools of a corrupt and venal .1% in the financial sector.
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/271897-anti-establishment-mood-roils-democratic-primaries
The democratic race is long since over. It was over before March 1st, but after it is obviously just a charade. By March 16th anyone still supporting Bernie would have to be labeled objectively delusional. Good to see him driving turnout though, driving it down in November.
I can’t understand how any Republican who claims to be a Christian could pick Trump over Cruz. A vote for Trump is a vote against Christian principles.
Christian principles
There is nothing “Christian” about supporting Zionism.
Do you consider Cruz to be a Zionist?
Yes, his base is the 40% of Republican primary voters who consider themselves Evangelicals.
And I’m still waiting for someone to tell me the part of the Bible where Jesus talked about the Rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
^^TRUTH^^
The repub party is more like the Pharisees and Sadducees in late B.C.
I don’t think the Son of Man would side with any party in any race. Christians should follow suit.
Jesus has been back 14 times. Each time, Christians lock him up and he dies in prison.
He’s back again…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Cv5hZfOmk
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
That passage was not interpreted as “The Rapture” during Christendom’s first 1800 years. The Patriarchs of the East, of northern Africa, of Byzantium or Rome did not interpret it that way. Nether did Luther, Calvin, Zwingli or any of the reformers. The Rapture is an American evangelical innovation. Outside of the US it is almost unheard of.
Oh Lord. We have enough political discussions around here. Now we’re going to argue religion as well?
Politics is religion. Religion is political.
“It’s a vicious cycle.”
-Fat Bastard, The Spy Who Shagged Me.
….no, but feel free to start arguing Ray…
Religion isn’t political. There are millions of religious Americans, including evangelical Christians, whose faith is genuine, and who are good neighbors and fine people. How that translates to votes is as complicated as it is for any large group of people.
Goon makes the distinction between being Christian and being a Zionist, which is more to the point. I too recall Cruz making a show of being at a Zionist prayer breakfast last year. Fortunately he’s not going to win the nomination.
Donk,
It’s already been stated. Hitlery is un-electable.
“Politics is religion. Religion is political.”
That insight goes back AT LEAST as far as Machiavelli, and arguably centuries earlier to Roman times, helping to explain the demise of Jesus Christ.
Sure, Caesar was high priest of Jupiter and then Pontifex Maximus before he was deified.
Doesn’t change the fact that many look to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.
Also doesn’t change the fact that Cruz isn’t getting anywhere near the nomination. Trump is the next president.
If elected, would Trump be the first black swan president, or has it happened before?
Ray - ya got it all backwards. (see Bush/Cheney yrs to figure it out)
After trillions in “stimulus” lavished on Wall Street, where is the recovery for the 99%?
https://confoundedinterest23.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/us-labor-market-still-weak-after-trillions-in-stimulus-dude-wheres-my-recovery/
peak debt is haunting us now. people have loaded up on more debt during the phony recovery.
Deleveraging is soooo 2009.
I’m going to hijack this thread for a bit to share an observation:
Wordpress.com, the above article is brought to you by wordpress.com.
So, who is the hell is wordpress.com and how is it different that the MSM?
Wiki …
“WordPress.com is a blog web hosting service provider owned by Automattic, and powered by the open source WordPress software. This website provides free blog hosting for registered users and is financially supported via paid upgrades, “VIP” services and advertising.
The site opened to beta testers on August 8, 2005 and opened to the public on November 21, 2005. It was initially launched as an invitation-only service, although at one stage, accounts were also available to users of the Flock web browser. On October 13, 2012, there were over 56 million individual blogs with the service.”
56 million individual blogs. Zowie!
“Registration is not required to read or comment on blogs hosted on the site, except if chosen by the blog owner. Registration is required to own, or post in, a weblog. All the basic and original features of the site are free-to-use. However, some features (including CSS editor, domain mapping, Domain Registration, Removal of Ads, Website Redirection, Video Upload, and storage upgrades) are available as paid options.
“On WordPress.com sites, every day, over one million new articles and over two million comments are published. Some notable clients include CNN, CBS, BBC, Reuters, Sony, Fortune.com, and Volkswagen. It is estimated that more than 40% of internet bloggers use WordPress as their publishing platform.”
Now,… back to the original thread.
Wordpress has no editorial input into the content it presents.
Feel the Bern: Sanders calls out Hillary on “your friends” destroying the economy.
http://www.businessinsider.com/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-cnn-debate-2016-3
Despite or perhaps because of central banks lavishing trillions on their oligarch cohorts, the global economy is still heading towards another crisis and now the central banks are out of ammunition.
http://www.businessinsider.com/bank-for-international-settlements-bis-on-negative-interest-rates-and-monetary-policy-2016-3
Would a President Bernie cower and gesticulate impotently before this clown like he did after those BLM ratchets snatched his mike away at his own rally?
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/03/07/north-korea-threatens-to-reduce-us-to-ashes.html
Unfortunately, I think he would.
Are there any queers in the theater tonight?
Get em up against the wall.
There’s one in the spotlight, he don’t look right to me!
Get him up against the wall.
And that one looks Jewish!
And that one’s a coon!
Who let all this riff raff into the room?
There’s one smokin’ a joint!
And another with spots!
If I had my way, I’d have all of ya shot!
Zappa quotes Floyd. You sir, win.
hey there, John Smithy!
Realtors are liars.
You can say that again.
A man walks into a bar with an alligator on a leash and asks the bartender…
Do you serve Realtors here?
The bartender replies…
Of course we serve Realtors here.
The man says good, I’ll have a beer and give me a Realtor for my alligator.
And theyre not the only ones getting eaten alive by CraterGators.
The increasing likelihood of a Clinton general election victory has yet to sink in here on the blog.
I don’t know if the likelihood for Hillary is increasing or not but as of now these are the Vegas odds:
Hillary 1/2
Donald 3/1
Cruz 14/1
Bernie 20/1
Rubio 25/1
Kasich 25/1
Biden 40/1
Bloomberg 50/1
http://www.paddypower.com/bet/politics/other-politics/us-politics?ev_oc_grp_ids=791149
That’s because of the increasing likelihood of a Clinton indictment.
Denial ain’t a river in Egypt. The scheme for Trump to serve as placeholder for Clinton continues according to plan.
Are you suggesting that when the Hill gets taken down by the Fed and Trump gets taken down by Priebus, that he’ll slide in as the Dem nomination? Can you imagine the rabble?
Only a sexist would vote for Hillary.
Hillaryous is unelectable.
Is there a reason anyone but the haters would vote for Hillary?
I don’t understand the popular support she appears to have.
Angry old white men are an underrepresented minority among American voters.
There’s alot more lead in ‘Merika’s urban drinking water than you realize.
You may have landed on the right explanation for Trump’s surprising primary success.
I don’t understand the popular support she appears to have.
Then you severely underestimate how stupid and amoral the ‘Murican electorate has become on our national descent into IDIOCRACY.
Incontinent, diabetic, can’t climb stairs, angry and unfit.
Gout, arthritis, glaucoma, and cankles. Don’t forget the cankles!
She’s as useful as a horse with three broken legs.
And the adult diapers.
FDR had two broken legs and was still pretty useful.
At what?
Helping FB’s sign 15-year amortized death pledges for a depreciating asset, of course!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Owners%27_Loan_Corporation
More failed government like SS and housing. In other words, he was useless.
Thanks for confirming.
What America needs is a President who uses deficit spending to create a massive Keynesian stimulus program.
Which candidate would be likely to do this?
Opinion: President Trump would send the national debt soaring
By Brett Arends
Published: Mar 7, 2016 9:32 a.m. ET
Three separate analyses show the true cost of his massive tax cuts
…
What China needs is an America President who uses deficit spending to create a massive Keynesian stimulus program.
It would be nice if money that was earned in the USA would stay in the USA but unfortunately for the USA it wouldn’t.
Which candidate would be likely to do this?
Does waging war count as Keynesian stimulus programs?
That’s the main one!
Then Rubio. Or maybe Cruz. They both seem to have an itch in their britches to bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran, and ISIS. Then probably a tie between Clinton and Trump, although who really knows what the f Trump will do, not even him.
Bernie would deficit spend the least, and it would be all bridges and roads, no boom-boom in the Middle East.
All of them?
Most certainly any of them who come from Congress. That’s what they do.
125 overdose deaths a day in Obama’s America:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/us/heroin-epidemic-increasingly-seeps-into-public-view.html
“This sucker could go down” — George W. Bush
Here’s a crowd of Obama voters waiting for the library to open at 12:59pm yesterday so they can shoot heroin in the bathroom and surf porn on the internets:
http://imgur.com/uMB5j3z
Washington Post — Psychologists and massage therapists are reporting ‘Trump anxiety’ among clients:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/how-do-we-know-america-is-anxious-about-a-president-trump-shrinks-and-massage-therapists/2016/03/03/e5b55a22-e0bb-11e5-846c-10191d1fc4ec_story.html
Sounds like the bed wetters are having a bad time with Trumpo. They can probably move to Canada. I’m sure if they convert to Islam they’ll get Canadian green cards on the spot.
Here I thought bed wetters were among Trump’s core constituents. I stand corrected.
Huffington Post real journalists provide a narrative titled Jim Webb, Donald Trump, and the Tragedy of American Whiteness:
http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/jim-webb-donald-trump-and_b_9390072.html
“When you are white, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto, you don’t know what it’s like to be poor” — Bernie Sanders, March 6, 2016
So Bernie thinks there are no poor whites?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhTxL4FzP-Y
So Bernie thinks there are no poor whites?
Yeah, that’s it. And Obama thinks that there are 57 states.
Yeah, I wondered about that quote, but if you read the exchange in context, Sanders is talking about himself, and saying something pretty reasonable. You can hate the guy’s policy platform but give him credit for speaking plainly. What he’s doing to Hillary is great to watch — this is just one of her smears.
Obama has to check with Jamie Dimon, and then he’ll tell you whether there are 57 states or not.
I think there’s a missed opportunity here for a little fundraising:
This is going to be a long election season, looks like. Plenty of websites profit from political ads, why not the Housing Bubble Blog?
A modest proposal, all in good fun: From now until the November election, five bucks for each post for or against a political candidate or party. Payable in advance, or it doesn’t go through. I don’t know if this is something our blogger would be up for, or if it would create more work than it’s worth, and of course there’d have to be some ground rules. Responses to a political post would count, even one liners like “Banana Republican” in response to a post about Marco Rubio, for example. Links to images count. No fair posting three or more articles or full articles in one comment or response to eat up bandwidth and overwhelm the blogger. No fair making a political post via veiled references. I’m sure there’s some things I’m not taking into account, but you get the idea.
I figure at the very least it would serve to raise a little money for the blog and maybe clean up the bits bucket somewhat. Again, it is not my intention nor my place to tell the blogger what to do, just a suggestion. However, should he decide to adopt this in some form within the next week, I’ll kick it off with a $100.00 two day retroactive contribution.
And all posts saying “vote Libertarian” shall remain free.
Ultimately, the rules are up to the blogger. I just think it might be a fun way to raise some $ for the blog and clean up the bits.
Well, since I’m on and off the blog, Ben, shoot me an email (I don’t post it in public) if you do a fundraiser and I’ll get the $ to ya right away so you can kick it off.
The chronically encopretic keyboard tapping narrative scripters at Salon can’t derail this crazy train:
http://www.salon.com/2016/03/07/too_loony_for_fox_news_fox_created_the_fact_free_gop_then_trump_stole_it_away/
Trigger warning!
You are an outrage junkie. When Fox doesn’t do it for you any more, you move on to the liberal shriekers. What next? The ISIS sites?
I read almost every narrative I can get my hands on, with the exceptions of Buzzfeed, Gawker, or TMZ.
New York Times, Drudge, HuffPost, Washington Times (Moonies!), Salon, Fox, NPR, and even World Net Daily.
When I posted “have another narrative” you won’t have to wait long because I’ve got plenty more of them.
“News” does not exist. Just disaster porn and scripted outrage. And that’s what people want. If people wanted a snoozefest like PBS News Hour it wouldn’t have to be subsidized with taxpayer money and begging for donations.
Fact that people prefer rage over contemplation is not a good thing.
“News” does not exist. Just disaster porn and scripted outrage. And that’s what people want.
“Dirty Laundry”
I make my living off the evening news
Just give me something
Something I can use
People love it when you lose
They love dirty laundry
Well, I coulda been an actor
But I wound up here
I just have to look good
I don’t have to be clear
Come and whisper in my ear
Give us dirty laundry
Kick ‘em when they’re up
Kick ‘em when they’re down
Kick ‘em when they’re up
Kick ‘em when they’re down
Kick ‘em when they’re up
Kick ‘em when they’re down
Kick ‘em when they’re up
Kick ‘em all around
We got the bubble headed
Bleached blonde
Comes on at five
She can tell you ’bout the plane crash
With a gleam in her eye
It’s interesting when people die
Give us dirty laundry
Can we film the operation
Is the head dead yet
You know the boys in the newsroom
Got a running bet
Get the widow on the set
We need dirty laundry
[Instrumental Interlude]
You don’t really need to find out
What’s going on
You don’t really want to know
Just how far it’s gone
Just leave well enough alone
Eat your dirty laundry
Kick ‘em when they’re up
Kick ‘em when they’re down
Kick ‘em when they’re up
Kick ‘em when they’re down
Kick ‘em when they’re up
Kick ‘em when they’re down
Kick ‘em when they’re stiff
Kick ‘em all around
(Kick ‘em when they’re up)
(Kick ‘em when they’re down)
(Kick ‘em when they’re up)
(Kick ‘em when they’re down)
(Kick ‘em when they’re up)
(Kick ‘em when they’re down)
(Kick ‘em when they’re stiff)
(Kick ‘em all around)
Dirty little secrets
Dirty little lies
We got our dirty little fingers
In everybody’s pie
We love to cut you down to size
We love dirty laundry
We can do the Innuendo
We can dance and sing
When it’s said and done
We haven’t told you a thing
We all know that Crap is King
Give us dirty laundry
Amen and alas, Goonie.
Law Graduate Gets Her Day in Court, Suing Law School
Anna Alaburda’s case against the Thomas Jefferson School of Law, which she attended nearly a decade ago, is going to trial.
Coley Brown for The New York Times
By ELIZABETH OLSON
March 6, 2016
Nearly a decade has passed since an aspiring young lawyer in California, Anna Alaburda, graduated in the top tier of her class, passed the state bar exam and set out to use the law degree she had spent about $150,000 to acquire.
But on Monday, in a San Diego courtroom, she will tell a story that has become all too familiar among law students in the United States: Since graduating from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 2008, she has yet to find a full-time salaried job as a lawyer.
From there, though, her story has taken an unusual twist: Ms. Alaburda, 37, is the first former law student whose case against a law school, charging that it inflated the employment data for its graduates as a way to lure students to enroll, will go to trial.
Other disgruntled students have tried to do the same. In the last several years, 15 lawsuits have sought to hold various law schools accountable for publicly listing information critics say was used to pump up alumni job numbers by counting part-time waitress and other similar, full-time jobs as employment. Only one suit besides Ms. Alaburda’s remains active.
None of the other cases reached trial because judges in Illinois, Michigan and New York, where several cases were filed, generally concluded that law students had opted for legal education at their own peril, and were sophisticated enough to have known that employment as a lawyer was not guaranteed.
Student loan debt is up to $1.3 trillion under Obama and Democrat Party.
No “pentup demand” for $500,000 starter homes happening here.
Trump University scored a nice chunk of that filthy lucre.
Isn’t HBB the blog of personal responsibility?
Those students at Trump University should have been sophisticated enough to know that riches are not guaranteed. And it appears that the courts have agreed with the institutions.
Trump feeds on the people too stupid to figure out they’re being scammed. He’s gone from scamming the student loan system to scamming the great moron electorate.
Am I to be held responsible when this grifter is elected?
“Trump feeds on the people too stupid to figure out they’re being scammed.”
Are you talking about Trump U students, voters or both?
How many of them took out $150 - $200K loans based on fraudulent data??
good to see kids going to college, no matter what the cost they take on. Better then sitting on the porch all day with a 40.
Student loan debt is up to $1.3 trillion under Obama and Democrat Party.
President Clinton will announce “loan forgiveness” for the snowflakes and free sh*tters. Middle class taxpayers and the Fed’s printing press will cover the non-performing loans of “Hill’s” Wall Street financial donors. Same as it ever was.
In this case if the college faked or lied about success rates of students who invested in their product then I believe the students should have recourse. It’s false advertising.
And NAR telling everyone sales are at 5.4 million annualized when housing demand is at 20 year lows is what?
It’s false advertising.
Not just false advertising—there is a simpler term for it: fraud.
I agreed. NAR and fraud are synonymous.
In this case if the college faked or lied about success rates of students who invested in their product then I believe the students should have recourse. It’s false advertising.
What’s your point, Pollyanna? In 2008 an Alinsky disciple groomed and bankrolled by George Soros and Goldman Sachs masqueraded as a progressive reformer promising “hope and change” but once in office morphed into Bush Lite. Another Goldman Sachs puppet, Ted Cruz, is masquerading as a conservative but once in office will be a compliant Wall Street stooge and Obama Lite. Hillary, another Wall Street water carrier, is pretending to be a champion of the middle class. Once in office, she’ll be a clone of Bush and Obama. So if you want to sue someone for false advertising, get in line.
Victims, victims, victims. So many victims!
Victims, victims, victims. So many victims!
+1
Oh, heck, yeah, EVERYBODY’s a victim, lol.
Trumplings are blind victims of a scam artist.
If you take on mortgage debt at current massively inflated housing prices, you’ll enslave yourself for the rest of your life.
“Debt is bondage.”~ Suze Orman, May 11, 2013
Don’t Be A Debt Donkey®
Drudge Report links to a narrative on banning pork in Germany:
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/650246/Germany-bans-pork-cafes-schools-offending-Muslim-migrants
I had a pulled pork sandwich for dinner on Friday night at a bar in Castle Rock and it was delicious. Also recommend Rudy’s on 24 in Colorado Springs. It’s a chain based out of Texas. Bumper stickers that say “Infidel” seem to be rather popular in Colorado Springs, LOLZ.
The title of the article is misleading. It is not “Germany” (meaning the German government) that is banning pork; it is individual diners and day cares. Relevant quote:
—————-
“An increasing number of public canteens, child daycare centres and schools have stopped serving sausages, bacon and ham over religious considerations.
Now members of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party are fighting to keep pork on the menu, insisting the consumption of pork is part of German culture. ”
Mr Günther argued that tolerance also means “the appreciation and sufferance of other food cultures and lifestyles”. He argued that those who didn’t want to eat pork didn’t have to, adding: ”The consumption of pork belongs to our culture.”
—————-
Mr Günther is fighting an uphill battle. My guess is that each school is voluntarily removing pork in order to prevent the offended migrants (or their parents) from shooting the place up, as they did to Charlie Hebdo. And such people do not practice “sufferance and tolerance,” nor will they be satisfied with “you don’t have to eat it.”
And such people do not practice “sufferance and tolerance,” nor will they be satisfied with “you don’t have to eat it.”
The solution is to import even more of them.
At Rudy’s you can literally buy a KFC size bucket of freshly sliced pulled pork. You can smell the pork and brisket from the parking lot. And you’ll wait at least 10-30 minutes to buy your food unless you show up between 2-4pm.
freshly sliced pulled pork
Sliced or pulled, it can’t be both.
Irrelevant.
The pork gets pulled twice, as I pull it from the bucket and put it into my mouth. And for special snowflakes who can’t handle that Texas-sized flavor, Rudy’s even sells a weaker “Sissy Sauce” that’s more like the BBQ sauce you get with McDonalds chicken nuggets:
http://www.rudysbbq.com/page/menu
How does one “figuratively” buy a bucket of pork? Barter it for tindr favors later?
I literally invite you to buy that bucket of pork and eat it on the streets of Cologne, telling the international guests that the pork is delicious but they don’t have to eat if they don’t want to.
The statement Hillary made at the end of that debate last night was impressive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OeZMCg8LC4 - 256k -
I didn’t watch, but that’s just too funny right there, I don’t care who y’are.
“I didn’t watch,”
They cut away pretty quick, you could barely see Barnie Sanders trying (unsuccessfully) to lift his arms above his shoulders to wave to the crowd.
Clinton Cough Returns at Debate - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRY4Cmx0X_c - 167k - Cached - Similar pages
13 hours ago
Yep, you can see her in the background still coughing while Blooper closes things out in the foreground. Clinton News Network.
Did she happen to shout the statement out in a very hoarse tone of voice?
Constant yelling is taking a toll on HC’s voice.
Her own grandchildren are frightened to be in the same room with her.
To be fair, they did witness her devour one.
Will stupid people launch the political careers of Chelsea and her spawn?
Stupid people will certainly try.
What do you think the mindset will be when it comes to consumer spending if Trump, Hillary, or Bernie get elected? Do you think housing prices will go up, down, or stay similar?
With housing demand at 20 year lows and falling, what do you think?
Every election this happens, but ultimately, approximately 50% of the population are going to “win” and feel better than the <50% of the population that “lost” and are feeling worse.
Generally I would guess that people are going to slow down big decisions leading up to the election, but after the election, it won’t really matter who was voted into office.
‘Let’s do a little experiment. Now I realize that what people most remember about the recent Republican presidential debates is the vulgarity, the inanity, and the name-calling, but there have been a few moments of lucidity when history has been made, precedents have been set, and – yes – even reasons for optimism have been highlighted, although these may have been lost amid all the brouhaha.’
‘So on to our experiment. Which candidate said the following?’
“As president … there’s nothing that I would rather do to bring peace to Israel and its neighbors generally. And I think it serves no purpose to say that you have a good guy and a bad guy.”
“Now, I may not be successful in doing it. It’s probably the toughest negotiation anywhere in the world of any kind. OK? But it doesn’t help if I start saying, “I am very pro-Israel, very pro, more than anybody on this stage.” But it doesn’t do any good to start demeaning the neighbors, because I would love to do something with regard to negotiating peace, finally, for Israel and for their neighbors.”
“And I can’t do that as well – as a negotiator, I cannot do that as well if I’m taking … sides.”
‘Okay, I’m going to give you a few moments to contemplate the answer. I mean, here is a rare example of a Republican candidate speaking reasonably, rationally, in a statesman-like manner about one of the most controversial issues in American politics. Here is someone who is defying the bipartisan consensus on Israeli-American relations, which is that we must always give unstinting and unconditional support to the Jewish state. Here is an outright abrogation of the conditions of the so-called “special relationship,” that one-sided love affair that dictates Washington must kowtow to Tel Aviv and ignore the horrific conditions under which Palestinians have been condemned live.’
‘Okay, you’ve had enough time. So what’s the answer? Who would dare to step on the third rail of American politics and defy the Israel lobby?’
‘The answer has to be Donald Trump – doesn’t it? And indeed it is.’
‘He said it in Houston. He said it in Detroit. And the two other main contenders attacked him for it, both Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Of course they didn’t have any substantial or terribly convincing criticism – there can’t be any. How can one argue against evenhandedness? Cruz merely repeated his pledge to give Israel everything it wants, and more, while Rubio simply repeated the Israeli embassy’s talking points: Hamas, Hezbollah, terrorism, and of course “moral equivalence,” in short the usual nonsense – as if the Palestinians and their allies have no right to resist the occupation.’
‘Yet Trump stood his ground. He’s repeated his position in at least two debates, and – wonder of wonders! – has suffered not at all for it at the ballot box. He is the frontrunner by a country mile, and the only flack he’s gotten over it has been from the usual suspects – the neoconservatives, who hated him anyway and are among his loudest detractors.’
‘Of course some people did notice, the Israel lobby first of all. And in Israel itself, panic has set in. An interesting piece by Chemi Shalev, usually one of the more reasonable Zionists, notes that: “In their Super Tuesday speeches, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio tried to use an Israel hammer to bash Donald Trump. Cruz sneeringly lambasted him for saying he would remain “neutral” while Rubio trounced Trump for trying to stay “impartial”, as his audience booed accordingly. And Trump? Trump was racking up victories, amassing delegates and laughing all the way to the top of the Republican presidential field.”
“In this way, the New York billionaire is decimating the conventional wisdom, one of many, that in 2016, total and unconditional support for Israel is a prerequisite for any aspiring GOP candidate wishing to run for president.”
‘Appeasement, it seems, doesn’t work when it comes to dealing with the Israel lobby, but one tactic does work: undermining them with a direct and honest assault.’
‘As Shalev notes, southern evangelicals voted for Trump anyway, and in droves: they handed him victories in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, and elsewhere. As Shalev puts it: “The notion that the Republican Party is a monolithic bastion of support that will withstand the test of time is evaporating. The belief that any Republican president who will follow Obama will be better for Israel is eroding with each passing day. Faced with the Trump phenomenon, Netanyahu’s Fortress GOP strategy is collapsing like a house of cards.”
‘And, as Shalev points out, there is no going back: “Every time Cruz and Rubio try to hit Trump over the head with an Israel club and nothing happens, it is Israel’s weakness that is exposed. Every time Trump wins a party primary without challenge from his supporters, another nail is driven into the coffin of the unshakeable alliance between Israel and America’s deep right.”
“mean, here is a rare example of a Republican candidate speaking reasonably, rationally, in a statesman-like manner”
Donald trump is indeed a superb statesman with a squad of sexy strumpets.
Ben, here is a nice article from 2014 about how the Republicans changed convention rules to screw over Ron Paul.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2014/04/07/dramatic-little-known-gop-rule-change-takes-choice-of-presidential-candidate-away-from-rank-and-file-republicans-and-hands-it-to-party-elite/#294ec45b3d4c
Problem is, it may backfire in 2016 if Cruz or Rubio can’t get majorities (not just pluralities) of delegates in 8 states or territories.
He’s absolutely right, of course. It appears the people that have supported the “I don’t do nuance” Party might finally be seeing the light on Israel.
That 1996 neocon policy paper was titled “Securing the Realm.”
Realm? Seriously? Is this Game of Thrones?
Mr Goon, I have Mr Adelson and Mr Priebus on line 1. They’d like a word with you.
Trump Gives Supporters Permission to Be Violent With Protesters: If You Hurt Them I’ll Defend You in Court
Donald incites violence once again.
Physical violence at rallies for presidential contender Donald Trump have become a troubling trend — and perhaps it persists because the GOP front runner does nothing to stop it from happening.
This was reinforced Friday when Trump insinuated he even enjoys it. According to CBS New York, Trump told an audience in Michigan that a melee between a protester and rally-goers in New Hampshire was “really amazing to watch.”
Trump, who is currently the controversial front-runner, told his audience he was tired of “political correctness” when it came to handling frequent protests at his campaign events. When interrupted by another protester, he again seemed to encourage violence.
“Get him out,” Trump said according to CBS. “Try not to hurt him. If you do I’ll defend you in court.”
Then he said, “Are Trump rallies the most fun? We’re having a good time.”
Trump said a protester started “swinging and punching” when rally-goers “took him out.”
“It was really amazing to watch,” he said.
Trump was recently criticized for an incident this week in which a young African-American woman was roughly shoved, screamed at and called names by Trump supporters, including members of a white nationalist group.
Two other women also said they were attacked by Trump supporters at the rally. Police are investigating several instances of violence.
http://www.alternet.org/trump-gives-supporters-permission-be-violent-protesters-if-you-hurt-them-ill-defend-you-court
As messed up as that is, what the hell are people doing protesting at political rallies? Who do they expect to convince? Only zealots attend these things.
Who do they expect to convince?
I assume they see it as comparable to the actions of the Freedom Riders and other civil rights marchers who purposely put themselves in harm’s way to show the nation what was happening.
Has anyone fact checked whether it really was the protester who started the swinging?
You mean like something along the lines of a hate crime hoax, where they attack someone and then accused their victim of being the perp?
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/02/26/university-albany-students-who-claimed-to-be-victims-racist-attack-charged.html
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to these protesters that they may indeed find trouble while they’re out looking for it.
Alternet?
I love me some Soros sponsored propaganda
George Soros: Media Mogul
Published: 8/15/2011 4:59 PM ET
In fact, Soros funds nearly every major left-wing media source in the United States. Forty-five of those are financed through his support of the Media Consortium. That organization ”is a network of the country’s leading, progressive, independent media outlets.” The list is predictable - everything from Alternet to the Young Turks, who have since lost their MSNBC show.
A report by the Media Consortium detailed how progressives had created an ”echo chamber” of outlets ”in which a message pushes the larger public or the mainstream media to acknowledge, respond, and give airtime to progressive ideas because it is repeated many times.” According to the report called ”The Big Thaw,” ”if done well, the message within the echo chamber can become the accepted meme, impact political dynamics, shift public opinion and change public policy.”
That mindset plays out in much of what the consortium’s members do. Alternet describes itself as an ”award-winning news magazine and online community that creates original journalism and amplifies the best of hundreds of other independent media sources.” It hates Tea Parties and complains about ”hatemongering” as the ”ugly side of Evangelical Christianity.” Each month, the site gets 1.5 million unique visitors to its unique view of the world.
http://www.frontierlandpost.com/soros-funding-of-leftist-media.html - 288k -
progressives had created an ”echo chamber” of outlets ”in which a message pushes the larger public or the mainstream media to acknowledge, respond, and give airtime to progressive ideas because it is repeated many times.”
But, but, that’s what you do, phony! How dare they copy your tactics?
Can you sue them for copyright infringement or something?
Part of having a healthy democracy is letting candidates address their supporters without disrupting them. The louts who are continually trying to interrupt such events and trample on the rights of others to hear their candidate shouldn’t be surprised if some roughness results.
stocks and home prices are rebounding. The punch bowl will be kept around till the election.
Are you sure?
Raleigh, NC Housing Prices Crater 16% YoY As Price Declines Widen Nationally
http://www.zillow.com/raleigh-nc-27613/home-values/
Yay punch!
Will there be cookies?
What is the prognostication on another interest rate hike?
With the good jobs numbers recently, I’m thinking they plan on raising it another tick.
they will keep you in suspense another 10 years with this game.
The suspense never ends. There’s a meeting every couple of months, always with some possibility of raising or lowering.
exactly dude they always want to remain in control.
They force you to overpay.
One of the problems when you become successful is that jealousy and envy inevitably follow. There are people… I categorize them as life’s losers… who get their sense of accomplishment and achievement from trying to stop others. As far as I’m concerned, if they had any real ability, they wouldn’t be fighting me, they’d be doing something constructive themselves.
What could be more constructive than preventing a bullying demagogue from fundamentally undermining the American spirit?
On topic story, mention of housing prices. “Real journalists”:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/07/revealed-30-year-economic-betrayal-dragging-down-generation-y-income
With 70 million boomers headed to the grave leaving 35 million excess empty houses(Not to mention the existing 25 million excess, empty and defaulted houses), It’s fair to say this article is just more pandering.
Arlington, VA Housing Prices Plunge 9% YoY On Collapsing Housing Demand
http://www.zillow.com/arlington-va-22207/home-values/
The millennial in the article pic has about $1000 of ink on his arms.
And probably has an iPhone 6 or the latest and greatest Galaxy too, with an unlimited data plan.
I think it’s funny, millenials are supposed to be sooo pooor, but when I pull out my $70 flip phone (with its $20 monthly plan) I get a lot of rolled eyes from them. The poor babies just can’t live without 24 hour access to fakebook or instaham. Of course the picture with tattoo man had to be posed: no one was checking their iPhone. Had that been real, half of them would have their nose stuck in the phone.
“Using the most recent US data, in the midst of the downturn in 2013, average under-30s had less income than those aged 65-79. This is the first time that has happened as far back as the data goes.”
And yet, where I live, they make up the vast majority of those eating out. I suppose it was always this way, but whose money are they spending when they move here and fill the restaurants and cafes (in areas with high walk scores)?
And where is all this “pensioner” money coming from? I know very few people who collect a pension other than Social Security. And when they do, it isn’t all that much, maybe a grand or two a month. In fact, most people I know in the 65-70 age group are still working, even the ones who sold their $25K house for $500K and downsized.
Rockstar, it’s the Guardian. “Pensioner” is Britspeak for olds, regardless of their source of retirement income. It doesn’t translate into American English well because almost nobody here collects pensions.
That’s a good point, Colorado. They didn’t compare Y-ers income of today to Y-ers income earlier, or maybe I didn’t see it. Just to the average, which is pulled up by the incomes of the olds.
I wonder if by “Several economists told the Guardian that policymakers should do more to even up the balance between young and old to avoid economic stagnation” that’ll mean forced retirement at some point.
I just noticed that while this bar is flooded with millenials, only a few actually look like they’re buying drinks. Maybe that’s my answer. They’re going out, just not spending money they don’t have.
I think that the word pensioner is used in the UK to refer to a retired person. Sometimes they use the acronym OAP for old age pensioner. Their version of Social Security is called the State Pension.
Dog climbing a 14,000+ foot mountain:
http://imgur.com/mm13lS0
“But how did you get the dog up there?”
Trumps personal strumpet. A fine strumpet indeed.
http://goo.gl/PA642E
Highly pneumatic. Double plus good!
More Latinos Seek Citizenship to Vote Against Trump
DENVER — Donald J. Trump’s harsh campaign rhetoric against Mexican immigrants has helped him win a substantial delegate lead in the Republican primary, but it is also mobilizing a different set of likely voters — six of them alone in the family of Hortensia Villegas.
A legal immigrant from Mexico, Ms. Villegas is a mother of two who has been living in the United States for nearly a decade but never felt compelled to become a citizen. But as Mr. Trump has surged toward the Republican nomination, Ms. Villegas — along with her sister, her parents and her husband’s parents — has joined a rush by many Latino immigrants to naturalize in time to vote in November.
“I want to vote so Donald Trump won’t win,” said Ms. Villegas, 32, one of several hundred legal residents, mostly Mexicans, who crowded one recent Saturday into a Denver union hall. Volunteers helped them fill out applications for citizenship, which this year are taking about five months for federal officials to approve. “He doesn’t like us,” she said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/us/trumps-rise-spurs-latino-immigrants-to-naturalize-to-vote-against-him.html?action=click&contentCollection=Television&module=MostPopularFB&version=Full®ion=Marginalia&src=me&pgtype=article
These folks have no pride in becoming US citizens. If they did, they would protect the process by which they can achieve citizenship to begin with.
“Are we a country, or are we not a country.”
-The Donald, paraphrased.
“Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!”
— Devo
Are we there yet?
They are probably too late. My wife naturalized early last year. The process, from applying, and it costs about $700 to apply (and you pay upfront, not after being approved), to the swearing in ceremony took about 8 months. 5 months? I don’t think so, especially if there is a sudden rush.
The election will just about 8 months from now, so maybe they’ll be able to get it done in time.
“My wife naturalized early last year.”
Congrats to your wife.
Who is smarter, the racist Walmart crowd or the educated people of the world?
Who is Trump fooling?
the internet is dividing us all.
Then step up and get that education like we told you before.
How is the ice today?
You have to want the education first kiddo.
I paid off my student loans long ago.
All that wasted money and no education. Why?
Poor donks. Poor poor donks.
http://goo.gl/MJ6m9l
I loved Brad Pitt in Fight Club.
Trump 2016!
The new logic.
Vote for a billionaire who buys politicians (admits it), because politicians dont do what the people want and instead work for Wall St/
is this the American, hillbilly logic?
Donald Trump is your next US president my friend.
I’d rather vote for the buyer than the bought.
Even if you’re thrown in as a bonus?
cut out the middleman?
The sheeple of Europe voted for globalists and multiculturalism, and now they’re getting what they voted for good and hard.
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7577/sweden-migrants-sexual-assault
A new Donald Trump ad scorches Marco Rubio for his corruption. The Republican base, unlike their Democrat counterparts, detests political corruption so this is going to rock Rubio.
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-marco-rubio-florida-ad-2016-3
Even better, this:
Some Rubio advisors suggest he should get out before Florida, lol.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/07/politics/marco-rubio-campaign-weighs-getting-out/index.html
Makes sense, though. If he gets beaten in his home state, he’s done in politics and will never fulfill his gubernatorial ambitions. It’s kind of a crap shoot for him right now.
So my question for Marquito is, do ya feel lucky? Do ya, punk?
Kind of interesting that some of his advisors should leak this to CNN. His campaign spokesperson threw a real hissy, too. Must have been blind-sided.
Ana Navarro really is every bit as stoopit as Roger Stone said she was. Clearly, she doesn’t understand the difference between a campaign consultant and someone who is purely an advisor. A consultant doesn’t want the candidate to withdraw, because then they don’t make any money. An advisor, on the other hand, could be a donor like Norman Braman, who sees trouble ahead for his candidate and doesn’t want his career to end.
What was he doing when he got arrested.in that Miami park?
Downlows gonna downlow
‘Muricans say they don’t like immigration, yet they keep voting for open-borders candidates.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-07/americans-really-don-t-like-immigration-new-survey-finds
Remember when Reagan gave amnesty to 3 mill? yikes!
or those weapons he sold to the Muslims illegally. yikes!
or His 10.8 percent after Reagan enacted his much-touted tax cut?
the myth is still alive
Remember when Bill Clinton molested a Whitehouse intern?
Imagine what he’d do if given another opportunity.
You memory is faulty. That never happened.
Irrelevant. Your memory is faulty.
Never understood the conservative veneration of “St. Ronnie.” He was a corporate statist to his core.
Testify, brothah!
I’ve said this before, the pubs have basically put in place this sh*t-show. Trump correctly pointed out the role of John Roberts in Obamacare. Mitt Romney was the father of Obamacare. The Bushes have embroiled the US in the Middle East, war without end, amen. Republicans brought us the repeal of Glass-Steagall. Brought us NAFTA, even though Billy-boy signed it, which he did with great alacrity.
I’m delighted Trump took a wrecking ball to the party, although to be fair, in the end it was Romney and the neocons who really did it. Had they coalesced behind Trump, the phoenix might have risen from the ashes. This is the next best thing, though.
Burn baby burn!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_sY2rjxq6M
Oligopoly media outlets are all calling for Draghi to “unleash the Kraken” with (drum roll) moar stimulus on Thursday. Because lavishing trillions in printing press money on oligarchs has done so much for the real economy.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-03-07/here-s-how-draghi-can-free-up-900-billion-of-debt-for-qe-chart
At least one UK man didn’t much appreciate his encounter with fundamental transformation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/12186645/UK-man-raped-by-Libyan-cadets-sues-MoD-for-negligence.html
Those refugees are some rapey mofos.
The holes in pension funds are becoming harder and harder to paper over.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/07/bhs-warns-over-13bn-in-unpaid-debts-if-it-goes-out-of-business/
It would be helpful if the expected return on investments weren’t perpetually so close to zero!
Flint voters elect successive corrupt Democrat municipal administrations (redundant, I realize), then are subjected to bad goverance and cover-ups. Now they’re filing a class-action lawsuit over lead in their drinking water. Can I file a class-action lawsuits against all registered Democrats in the greater Flint area for aiding and abetting corruption, graft, and swindles on taxpayers? Can I sue their parents for breeding imbeciles?
https://www.rt.com/usa/334841-flint-water-class-action-lawsuit/
Can I file a class-action lawsuits against all registered Democrats in the greater Flint area for aiding and abetting corruption, graft, and swindles on taxpayers? Can I sue their parents for breeding imbeciles?
Give it a try and let us know how it works out.
Irrelevant.
“Seven families from Flint, Michigan filed a class-action lawsuit Monday”
Who did they vote for in the Flint City Council election?
All-Dem Flint City Council Includes Convicted Murderer, Gun-Wielding Felon
Dan Joseph | January 21, 2016 12:28pm ET
While the left has been bending over backwards to blame the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan solely on Republican Governor Rick Snyder and absolve local leaders and the Obama Administration’s EPA from responsibility for the catastrophe, it might be instructive to examine the past actions of some of the individuals who currently serve on the all-Democrat Flint City Council.
Apparently, some of their backgrounds are usual for those elected to public office.
Wantwaz Davis, elected to the council in 2013, served 19 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 1991. The conviction was never publicly reported during Davis’s campaign.
His victim, Kenneth S. Morris, 27, died after being shot three times — once each in the hip, abdomen and mouth, according to The Flint Journal archives.
Councilman Eric Mays pleaded guilty to felonious assault in 1987 and served a year of probation. Mays said a man had been threatening his life before Mays threatened him with a gun.
Two other members of the council filed for bankruptcy prior to being elected to office.
Councilwoman Jackie Poplar filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in federal bankruptcy court, a year before first being elected to the City Council. She repaid nearly $21,000 to her creditors over six years. Poplar claimed that the debt was primarily a result of expenditures following her mother’s death and was largely due to funeral expenses.
Councilwoman Monica Galloway, elected in 2013, and her husband, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 1999, according to federal court records.
There is no law that prohibits convicted murderers or those convicted of assault from serving on the Flint City Council. However, Michigan state law does ban felons convicted of fraud from serving in public office.
Of course, the personal problems that these current members of the council have dealt with does not necessarily mean that they cannot serve effectively and in ways that benefit their constituents. But, given the myriad of major financial–and now environmental–problems that the city has faced over the last decade, perhaps voters would be wise to take a closer look into the backgrounds of those who are seeking local office in Flint.
Hillary is repaying unions for their support by throwing American workers under the bus with her oligarch-crafted trade deals.
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2016/03/ohio_lost_112500_jobs_due_to_t.html
More debasement of the currency to levitate our central bank Ponzi markets and asset bubbles on the way.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/07/draghi-may-have-to-throw-money-out-of-a-helicopter/
when fiat currency becomes the substitute for real wealth u know the system has delusional.
Michael Moore rips “Wall Street’s paid candidate” Hillary Clinton.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2016/03/07/michael-moore-rips-hillary-clinton-during-dem-debate/
Palestinians sueing Sheldon Adelson and other neocon oligarchs. Zero chance of success, but as futile gestures go it’s impressive.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/03/palestinians-sue-pro-israel-tycoons-345bn-160307191923877.html
Sheldon Adelson
I’ve never been to Las Vegas. It’s the only large western city I’ve never been to besides San Francisco. This Adelson is creepy and evil. And he owns Hillary Clinton too, in case you forgot to check all those receipts and see who’s paying for what…
https://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/49c7t3/revealed_the_30year_economic_betrayal_dragging/
An interesting read:
The Root of Trump’s Strength
http://www.mauldineconomics.com/this-week-in-geopolitics
With all due respect, what’s so interesting about it? Not like the same stuff hasn’t been said over and over, ad nauseum. Maybe he just says it better and with more authority than some of the booger-eating bluenoses on this blog, for example.
Speaking of boogers, Ted Cruz had a little snack during the debate:
http://usuncut.com/news/ted-cruz-ate-a-booger-oh-my-god/
So glad someone else saw that. After Trump all but unzipped and fished it out on national TV, I was afraid that one would go unremarked.
“…his debating style—pugnacious, insulting, unapologetic and frequently preposterously wrong—is not fundamentally different from the lower-middle class style of arguing.
It is the very lack of polish that endears him to his followers (and makes him seem like a man from outer space to the upper-middle class). His occasional cursing and threats are part of the entire package. Trump maneuvered himself into the position of a man who, though he may be rich, thinks and feels like the lower-middle class. More important, he shows that they are not invisible to him—not because he speaks to them, but because he speaks like them.”
Seems on target. Especially the part about upper-middle-class people, who are most of whom I regularly speak with.
OMG, BEB right on cue.
OMG, NOT MORE ACNMS!
Darn! Thank you.
My position from the outset has been that white males who are not from the liberal East Coast intelligentsia are dispensable in this society. They have nothing to do and nowhere to go. They have bulls’-eyes on their backs.
If you want your sons to survive in this economy, vote for Mr. Trump. He is the only one who gets it: the rest of them are on the other side of the .01% divide.
Best Regards, Jane
If you want your sons drafted and shipped off to a war in a foreign land, vote for Trump.
UNDER CONTRACT
WIFE PROMOTED
22% toward housing… PITI lower than rent
Thank you Phony for the second opinion and process details
Forward
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE
Congrats on decision and promotion. We would probably buy in your situation as well, except I have a personal rule to never buy property at a business cycle peak.
PITI lower than rent
Mafia is, 3,2,1 ” but what are your losses?”
I have been looking at Boise, ID. Then spend 2 mos on the beach in the winter in Belize.
“but what are your losses?”
Incalculable
Congrats! If we’re all wrong and housing goes to the moon, your story will be a ray of sunshine.
It doesn’t have to go to the moon, and it doesn’t have to crash…. I will be in this joint for at least 15 years, and I suspect it’ll lose $30k in the next leg down… I have no meaningful predictions/timelines beyond that. I can’t rent anything like it…
I do believe the BIG FED has forever altered the landscape. I’m not saying I like this, but denying it is not productive.
Show the math.
What’s a little fundamental transformation misunderstanding between friends?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3479646/Migrant-s-child-sex-attack-blamed-cultural-differences-Somalian-claimed-misunderstood-boundaries-given-community-order.html
That’s not a transformation at all over there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Savile_sexual_abuse_scandal
Please help yourself to another cultural relativist narrative:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotherham_child_sexual_exploitation_scandal
I understand there are also “cultural misunderstandings” about child sex abuse on U.S. bases in Afghanistan.
Are MUSLIM countries generally OK with child sex abuse?
Oh they don’t limit it to children, by any means.
Green Beret facing ouster for beating molester
U.S. soldier who refused to ignore child abuse is fighting to save his Army career
By Gretel C. Kovach | 6:12 p.m. Oct. 17, 2015 | Updated, 1:58 p.m. | Oct. 21, 2015
Sgt. First Class Charles Martland, a Green Beret, is set to be involuntarily discharged Nov. 1 because he attacked an Afghan police commander in 2011 who allegedly raped a boy.
During the last Afghan civil war, rival strongmen fought military battles over boys they desired, wrecking neighborhoods and lives with their violent lust.
Some of those warlords later became U.S. allies in the fight against the Taliban, making the custom of bacha bazi — “boy play” — their dirty secret of the international counterinsurgency campaign.
…
Who would you rather team up with? Homosexual child molesters, the Taliban, or neither?
I have to tell you folks, I was the kid in my family who pulled off Santa’s mask when I was two years old. And then I told my sisters he was a fraud as soon as I was old enough to talk.
Trump is not Santa Claus; Trump is a fraud.