tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-342395892024-03-18T13:28:19.855-05:00Michael-In-Norfolk - Coming Out in Mid-LifeThoughts on Life, Love, Politics, Hypocrisy and Coming Out in Mid-LifeMichael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.comBlogger31774125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-71190549648501631182024-03-18T08:55:00.004-05:002024-03-18T08:55:17.469-05:00More Monday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RHAdlk8l4psVsSZixlDhrkACpWTLlGQ6LwJi6DQ1vGRM5dX6EUtn70vqAZAKwYzVKAHfjxIQGuLlH_TnX9uLk6uL1OcQsy0wyKuphz2ZhCfKtvOpM7O2nHkRX5d3Ehyphenhyphen9iVf2mi8NZqSnr7_u3Dfngv8U7UDLCBrDoPHWXBPx9e2RQZcSt0s9nA/s1280/o55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1239" data-original-width="1280" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RHAdlk8l4psVsSZixlDhrkACpWTLlGQ6LwJi6DQ1vGRM5dX6EUtn70vqAZAKwYzVKAHfjxIQGuLlH_TnX9uLk6uL1OcQsy0wyKuphz2ZhCfKtvOpM7O2nHkRX5d3Ehyphenhyphen9iVf2mi8NZqSnr7_u3Dfngv8U7UDLCBrDoPHWXBPx9e2RQZcSt0s9nA/w546-h528/o55.png" width="546" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-64076346006278104562024-03-17T23:00:00.001-05:002024-03-17T23:00:00.140-05:00Monday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCr6i2MsIGB6lj-BsM1wXLq8GOKErisc7K8TbCGBe3w86KcS1Sf0EuSPweML03hUeyfE7xopEO7yqEu-LM4jDsP95UrX0ApRBk5fqamB4xxMjVZLYgL1VSRTG2eq0R-x6jrJ2O9zoau2dWIWDP5b66oTXUXtxkkIqaoEzxrT5Uee5-SEdPnHg6w/s664/o31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="664" data-original-width="540" height="603" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmCr6i2MsIGB6lj-BsM1wXLq8GOKErisc7K8TbCGBe3w86KcS1Sf0EuSPweML03hUeyfE7xopEO7yqEu-LM4jDsP95UrX0ApRBk5fqamB4xxMjVZLYgL1VSRTG2eq0R-x6jrJ2O9zoau2dWIWDP5b66oTXUXtxkkIqaoEzxrT5Uee5-SEdPnHg6w/w491-h603/o31.jpg" width="491" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-66003524104112361382024-03-17T07:37:00.000-05:002024-03-17T07:37:01.688-05:00More Sunday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1q-OE9gRcJs7nuiB_QFfuYoS6UwPA6GG6OkkiWvm_GxHJjWpeVOQEHlc4J_Rm2H88yB1ariGHwSX9O7S44Xr_suPZNZCtzyFG4wfSx8aPgRLChIQ_qw_wJ5uAcUnLxnYoJ5f6h8F1IzCBSsAI0fOp_cj9P3ehCchi9-VLd7kZZNLEB9MFajXFuA/s734/o31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1q-OE9gRcJs7nuiB_QFfuYoS6UwPA6GG6OkkiWvm_GxHJjWpeVOQEHlc4J_Rm2H88yB1ariGHwSX9O7S44Xr_suPZNZCtzyFG4wfSx8aPgRLChIQ_qw_wJ5uAcUnLxnYoJ5f6h8F1IzCBSsAI0fOp_cj9P3ehCchi9-VLd7kZZNLEB9MFajXFuA/w470-h640/o31.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-19020302785515742072024-03-17T07:28:00.005-05:002024-03-17T07:28:49.459-05:00Christofascists Attack Youngkin for Same Sex Marriage Approval<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7b18F8YiysvG54EtgxohUvJ-UtNrli5jZxAcxckgczVBg9Mok7MD8C3QK7T8PMnrgohMPfdLqI1XLqxEfaUy76wku15fRDLD-dj0KuE-GsHGD4OmGV40kFTiTToWDs9T97hHTG0wRTfKFMo1cXQyAU8on2v1cn4rRTs9k-5ZucjbjSd73uXXzLA/s400/Victoria%20Cobb%20-%20GOP%20boss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="400" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7b18F8YiysvG54EtgxohUvJ-UtNrli5jZxAcxckgczVBg9Mok7MD8C3QK7T8PMnrgohMPfdLqI1XLqxEfaUy76wku15fRDLD-dj0KuE-GsHGD4OmGV40kFTiTToWDs9T97hHTG0wRTfKFMo1cXQyAU8on2v1cn4rRTs9k-5ZucjbjSd73uXXzLA/w236-h212/Victoria%20Cobb%20-%20GOP%20boss.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>Polls show that 70% of Virginians support same sex marriage or "marriage equality" as some call it and in view of such overwhelming support, the Democrat controlled Virginia General Assembly passed a bill protecting the status of same sex marriage in Virginia should the "Christian" extremist controlled Supreme Court overturn the <i>Obergefell</i> decision from 2015. Faced with the overwhelming public support for marriage equality, GOP Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin signed the bill into law. In Christofascist circles one would think the sky was falling and the world ending over Youngkin's signing of a widely supported bill. Youngkin has faced spittle flecked condemnations and threats of political retribution by the Christofascist minority who truly care nothing about the beliefs or civil rights of others. As is ALWAYS the case with these extremists, the ONLY thing that counts is their beliefs and their desire to ride rough shod over the rights of others and to discriminate against others. (The ever viciously anti-LGBT Victoria Cobb of The Family Foundation is shown above). One example of the hyperventilating hissy fits can be found in the <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/voices/youngkin-sabotages-his-gop-future-with-same-sex-marriage-support.html">Christian Post</a>. Here are excerpts: <p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>If Virginia Governor Glenn
Youngkin (R) had his eyes on higher office, his decision Friday almost
certainly put those dreams out of reach.</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">
To the shock of voters across the Commonwealth, Youngkin, who campaigned as a
born-again Christian and spent many a Sunday in sanctuaries like Cornerstone
Chapel’s, committed the ultimate betrayal — <b>signing a same-sex marriage bill
that was not only completely unnecessary but a stinging rebuke of conservative
values.</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">The move, announced in
a Friday afternoon news dump to avoid attention, was called “<a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2912589/youngkin-signs-on-to-democrat-sponsored-gay-marriage-bill-but-emphasizes-religious-exemptions/" target="_blank">symbolic</a>” by even LGBT activists since the Supreme Court’s
Obergefell ruling and Congress’s Respect for Marriage Act already grant the
“rights” supposedly reaffirmed here. Youngkin’s decision was even more
astounding considering that he’d already panned the need for such legislation
two years ago.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">People had no reason to suspect
that the governor’s opinions had changed, since as recently as last Wednesday,
Youngkin hadn’t taken a public position on the proposal. And yet, in what local
reporters are calling a “surprising twist,” <b>the homegrown governor inked his
name to the law, which essentially <a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2024/02/21/bill-protecting-same-sex-marriage-in-virginia-heads-to-youngkins-desk/" target="_blank">says</a> that marriage licenses must be given to any two
people “seeking a ‘lawful marriage’ regardless of gender, race or sex and that
Virginia will recognize such marriages as valid.”</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">His office pathetically tried to
explain away the move as a defense of religious freedom. “The bill adds First
Amendment protections to the code of Virginia,” Youngkin spokesman Christian
Martinez claimed — apparently forgetting that the First Amendment already
applies to the state.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>While the governor’s staff cheered the bill’s
conscience rights for pastors, it offers no such shield for bakers,
photographers, teachers, web designers, adoption agencies, Christian schools,
and so many others</b>. A few throwaway sentences clarifying that ministers won’t
be forced to perform actual wedding ceremonies do nothing to resolve the hammer
this legislation takes to everyday people. . . . . <b>Thanks to Governor Younkin,
anyone who believes in marriage as human history defines it is a sitting duck —
a prime target for persecution, marginalization, and even civil action.</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>The most outrageous part of it all is that
Youngkin had no reason to consider this proposal in the first place.</b> He threw
away his conservative credentials for what is ultimately a Democratic messaging
bill.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">At the end of the day, whatever Youngkin thinks
he’s gained from this treason is nothing compared to what he’s lost with his
base: trust.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">“I voted for Glenn Youngkin,” Family Research
Council’s Meg Kilgannon told The Washington Stand, “but I didn’t vote for
this.”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Setting aside the religious arguments for a
moment, she explained, <b>“on a practical and political level, the signing of this
bill is a total fail.</b> The Democratic Party is seeking to define the rules of
engagement for GOP governors by creating this situation for Governor Youngkin.
When he signs a bill like this, it sets a precedent for other Republican
elected officials that it is okay to capitulate — maybe even necessary — to bow
to LGBTQ+ lobbying groups.”</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Conservatives, unfortunately,
have a lot of recent experience being stabbed in the back by Republicans.</b> From
Mike Pence <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/trump-vp-pick-mike-pence-evangelicals-225623" target="_blank">throwing Hoosiers under the bus</a> over religious freedom
in 2015 to South Dakota Governor <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/gov-noems-protrans-ties-spark-protests-2024-skepticism" target="_blank">Kristi Noem</a> (R) and Ohio Governor <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/news/ohio-governor-mike-dewine-vetoes-safe-act-girls-sports-protections" target="_blank">Mike DeWine</a> (R) killing bills to protect kids from
gender mutilation, GOP careers have been made and broken on the backs of
marriage and sexuality. More than a year after the vote, Republican members of
Congress are still being <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/news/lummis-and-gonzalez-are-latest-to-be-censured-over-samesex-marriage-vote" target="_blank">censured</a> by <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/commentary/senator-ernst-the-latest-to-face-blistering-backlash-over-marriage-" target="_blank">state parties</a> for siding with the far-Left’s same-sex
marriage law — the repercussions of which continue to this day as
double-crossing incumbents lose <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/news/thom-tillis-censured-by-state-gop-over-samesex-marriage-vote" target="_blank">critical campaign cash and endorsements</a>. The heat back home
has been so intense that <a href="https://washingtonstand.com/news/second-congressman-renounces-his-vote-for-disrespect-for-marriage-act" target="_blank">two congressmen</a> publicly recanted their vote.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">And yet, in this messy
aftermath, <b>Youngkin has made the fatal decision to embrace what his party’s
platform has rejected. </b>The man who stood in Pastor Gary Hamrick’s church
and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZfpJjkaC64" target="_blank">declared</a>,
“At the cornerstone of everything that we do is our faith in Him” <b>has proven to
be just another insincere, weak-kneed politician.</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">People want Republicans to
believe in marriage that “this ship has sailed,” Cobb shook her head. They tell
elected officials, “‘Don’t be on the [wrong] side of this. Just come along and
sign these bills.’ But <b>I think it’s going to matter in primaries,” she warned.
“I really do. . . . It’s the time to tell leaders like Glenn Youngkin that when
it comes to representing Republicans, cowards need not apply.</b></p><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-64205170148364813412024-03-17T06:28:00.003-05:002024-03-17T06:28:13.426-05:00Sunday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRR3OoL6WC2LKwlIkBEAOfBC2RXbVi_k_AYP0t-NUzPlUzxSbddUvOSiTGRibGREPapa2zLlkgQvGM7Mc3FandAhbOWJ3c6J8km8njMzmpG3SnExMom6i6ENWytSXajZzZ76NNU4rzhjtlF6-FNlAb6zBaMMbYZeHz9H8AcrY5asPpmq5pMRhiA/s1344/o32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="896" height="752" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRR3OoL6WC2LKwlIkBEAOfBC2RXbVi_k_AYP0t-NUzPlUzxSbddUvOSiTGRibGREPapa2zLlkgQvGM7Mc3FandAhbOWJ3c6J8km8njMzmpG3SnExMom6i6ENWytSXajZzZ76NNU4rzhjtlF6-FNlAb6zBaMMbYZeHz9H8AcrY5asPpmq5pMRhiA/w501-h752/o32.jpg" width="501" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-41824892098936898702024-03-16T07:39:00.003-05:002024-03-16T07:39:15.260-05:00More Saturday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg98eLqU57RoR9aM_QuPM4CHA8rd3e8JROqd-_tD1vumuJGoh4Zs9qTHhSwQ8cVh_bwH7rMx-Ch22bmkG6bYnpTBMHGHnwHr3UPTJe8Npe0tTm2Oig-Z1lLu0w90Ve_7DDOzlDbATRooZYq0wvbPSu4m2AlOznTYrLcHPP3YpZ0mAy8mOFzkH2g/s495/o36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="495" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAg98eLqU57RoR9aM_QuPM4CHA8rd3e8JROqd-_tD1vumuJGoh4Zs9qTHhSwQ8cVh_bwH7rMx-Ch22bmkG6bYnpTBMHGHnwHr3UPTJe8Npe0tTm2Oig-Z1lLu0w90Ve_7DDOzlDbATRooZYq0wvbPSu4m2AlOznTYrLcHPP3YpZ0mAy8mOFzkH2g/w536-h435/o36.jpg" width="536" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-38373787780885625082024-03-16T07:30:00.005-05:002024-03-16T07:30:59.770-05:00Social Security and Medicare Are on the Ballot in November<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/03/14/multimedia/14krugman1-fkgh/14krugman1-fkgh-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/03/14/multimedia/14krugman1-fkgh/14krugman1-fkgh-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp" width="320" /></a></div>For full disclosure, I receive Medicare and Social Security, yet because I am still working, I continue to pay withholding tax for both programs (as I have my entire my entire working career) as well as paying a monthly premium for Medicare. Thus, I have a vested interest in both programs not being slashed by Republicans who want to cut "entitlement" benefits so they can push ever more tax cuts for the obscenely wealthy and large corporations. I also find Republicans depicting both programs as handouts as if I haven't paid large amounts into both programs over the last 40+ years. As a column in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/opinion/trump-biden-social-security-medicare.html">New York Times</a> underscores, the reality is that both Medicare and Social Security are on the ballot in November, 2024, with the Biden administration seeking to shore up the financial basis for both programs through increased taxes on the wealthy - many of whom pay a much lower marginal tax rate than working class families - whereas Donald Trump and Republicans want to cut benefits under both programs. Older voters who all too often fall for the Republicans' diversions and smoke screens of "god, guns, and gays" and other culture war memes truly need to wake up and realize that Trump and Republicans who want to create a new Gilded Age for the super wealthy are NOT their friends and, in fact, see them as disposable trash. Likewise, those with aging parents need a wake up call if they do not want to find themselves forced to house their parents in the future. Here are column excerpts:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>A few days ago, the Biden
administration released its <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/11/us/biden-budget-proposal-2025" title="">budget proposal</a> for the 2025 fiscal year</b> (which begins in
October). Given that Republicans control the House, this budget isn’t going to
happen, so it serves mainly as a statement of principles and intent.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">But that doesn’t make the budget
irrelevant. <b>It clearly signaled Democrats’ vision for the future — in
particular, their belief that we can <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/briefing-room/2024/03/11/fact-sheet-the-presidents-budget-protects-and-strengthens-social-security-and-medicare/" target="_blank" title="">preserve the solvency</a> of Social Security and
Medicare by raising taxes on high incomes rather than by cutting benefits.</b> And
it draws a stark contrast with the vision of Donald Trump, who appeared to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/us/politics/trump-mentions-cutting-entitlements-and-biden-pounces.html" title="">say</a> during an interview with CNBC that he would seek to cut those
programs.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You might be tempted to
dismiss Biden’s assurances on safety net programs as boilerplate — don’t
Democrats always promise to protect Social Security and Medicare?</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But <b>Biden has staked
out a significantly stronger position than that of Barack Obama, who, as
president, all too often seemed to be in the intellectual thrall of those I
used to call the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2013/01/29/170574550/paul-krugmans-unconventional-thoughts-on-the-economy" target="_blank" title="">Very Serious People</a>, </b>opinion leaders who a decade
ago dominated inside-the-Beltway discourse and were obsessed with the need for
entitlement reform — which effectively meant cuts to Social Security and Medicare.
Obama’s 2014 fiscal year budget teased entitlement reform to the point that
even John Boehner, then the Republican House speaker, was prompted to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/us/politics/obama-budget-seeks-deal-in-mix-of-cuts-and-spending.html" title="">say</a> Obama “does deserve some credit for some incremental
entitlement reforms that he has outlined in his budget.”</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Biden is saying that none of
this is necessary. This is a significant move to the left — although it’s also
a move to the center, in the sense that voters never agreed with the elite
conventional wisdom that benefits must be cut and a majority consistently say
the rich <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/1714/taxes.aspx" target="_blank" title="">don’t pay enough</a> in taxes.</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">What explains this toughening up
of the Democratic position? For one thing, <b><u>entitlement programs look a lot more
fiscally sustainable than they used to.</u></b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">A decade ago, projections of
spending generally assumed that health care costs would continue their
historical pattern of rising much faster than G.D.P., making Medicare and other
health programs increasingly unaffordable. In fact, however, <b>Medicare costs, in
particular, have been rising <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/09/05/upshot/medicare-budget-threat-receded.html" title="">much less than expected</a>. . . . . cost reduction efforts in the
Affordable Care Act probably played a role.</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">We still have an aging
population, which means a rising ratio of retirees receiving benefits to workers
paying taxes; the Congressional Budget Office expects combined spending on
Social Security and Medicare to rise by about <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2023-06/59014-LTBO.pdf#page=4" target="_blank" title="">three percentage points of G.D.P.</a> over the next 20
years. But this cost rise, while not small, is moderate enough that it could be
offset with higher revenues.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>At the same time, the Very
Serious People have lost much of their influence. Their repeated predictions of
fiscal crisis kept not coming true. </b>The <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=1hBKJ" target="_blank" title="">inflation surge</a> of 2021-22 temporarily boosted the credibility of
critics of government spending, but this credibility evaporated when dire
warnings about <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/06/opinion/inflation-summer-stagflation-economy-recession.html" title="">persistent stagflation</a> proved utterly wrong.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">All of this has, I believe,
encouraged Biden and his officials to stake out a firm position opposing cuts
to America’s social safety net — indeed, calling for increased benefits, to be
paid for with increased taxes on corporations and high-income individuals.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>What about Trump? Here’s what he
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03/05/opinion/thepoint#trump-biden-medicare-social-security" title="">said</a>: “There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in
terms of cutting and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements.</b>”
If you have trouble parsing that, it’s not you; it’s him.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">And <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/us/politics/trump-mentions-cutting-entitlements-and-biden-pounces.html" title="">desperate follow-up attempts</a> by the Trump campaign to insist that
“cutting” didn’t actually mean, well, “cutting” weren’t convincing.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">Incidentally, <b>Social Security
sees <a href="https://www.crfb.org/press-releases/fact-sheet-how-much-waste-fraud-and-abuse-there-social-security" target="_blank" title="">very little fraud</a>, and if Medicare is very badly
managed, how has it become so effective at cost control?</b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">What that could mean in
practice, however, is that <b>if he[Trump] gets back to the White House, he’ll do for
Social Security and Medicare what he did in his almost successful attempt to
replace Obamacare: leave the drafting of legislation to right-wing ideologues
</b>who do understand how the programs work — and who want to gut them.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>One final point: Trump’s plan
for a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/us/politics/trump-2025-immigration-agenda.html" title="">draconian crackdown</a> on immigration would be a disaster on many
fronts, but one important consideration is that it would have a catastrophic
impact on the future finances of Social Security and Medicare.</b> Why? Because at
this point, <b><u>immigration is <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/59697" target="_blank" title="">crucial</a> for growth in the working-age population,
whose taxes support retirees.</u></b></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">So will Social Security and
Medicare be on the ballot this November? Definitely. <b><u>Biden has a clear plan to
preserve these programs; Trump, wittingly or unwittingly, would probably help
wreck them.</u></b></p><p></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-11968498767869421002024-03-16T06:57:00.001-05:002024-03-16T06:57:05.158-05:00Saturday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos3wuyGyBEYVR8ZL9wJf_EjIhZNtbdxoWnMSbPumdEkq_zeOK5OYSIEDjEJxwcliew3-jbKSpJ0xvbCNoV3WzbhIBgzyDjT3om_sSAHa8Jn9kzVLwEJRbL345tTmFpy2KxJStXy9BSzTkCIsMjBow5HAScKYYWCafQ3TwjVIpIe1Xp7BW6I_l-Q/s697/o36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="539" height="704" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhos3wuyGyBEYVR8ZL9wJf_EjIhZNtbdxoWnMSbPumdEkq_zeOK5OYSIEDjEJxwcliew3-jbKSpJ0xvbCNoV3WzbhIBgzyDjT3om_sSAHa8Jn9kzVLwEJRbL345tTmFpy2KxJStXy9BSzTkCIsMjBow5HAScKYYWCafQ3TwjVIpIe1Xp7BW6I_l-Q/w544-h704/o36.jpg" width="544" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-67892079840621949532024-03-15T06:48:00.003-05:002024-03-15T06:48:16.114-05:00More Friday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwKws_yko0cvXHBM_uHYpbk3ufsRS-iebv3eENZlI_z57vvgZZfx3ncUL4wp_tx57BSwp_mHmhc9tsyZUAfL7SScOkyNkNY5RlKoBIaKBKKQPsedIHbcp1Dzr8jiAkBoEkEOJ9TuNhDf1-DYIW2VcjQvlo8_2IGsIXfAMZC2u8F46ti8S-6htpQ/s719/o46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="719" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBwKws_yko0cvXHBM_uHYpbk3ufsRS-iebv3eENZlI_z57vvgZZfx3ncUL4wp_tx57BSwp_mHmhc9tsyZUAfL7SScOkyNkNY5RlKoBIaKBKKQPsedIHbcp1Dzr8jiAkBoEkEOJ9TuNhDf1-DYIW2VcjQvlo8_2IGsIXfAMZC2u8F46ti8S-6htpQ/w551-h344/o46.jpg" width="551" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-62425731713369120802024-03-15T05:23:00.003-05:002024-03-15T05:23:45.430-05:00Friday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOElMRx56ZcAWQlmvUeTadRLi3JOiIEKEnMq4n95Er9mndFWqUeeZrNEffRS9V_PKWBmq8TwVmRYZ5iIzfe13SFYDXSRO3TvuPZ16xKwWG2Gqvr5fg2c4IQUk4Jsnxz1st9cKzhzCODEzHCO4tErun6UzXPXkBkCGElX2Io_rRSA8hou7LM0pNug/s894/o46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="639" height="703" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOElMRx56ZcAWQlmvUeTadRLi3JOiIEKEnMq4n95Er9mndFWqUeeZrNEffRS9V_PKWBmq8TwVmRYZ5iIzfe13SFYDXSRO3TvuPZ16xKwWG2Gqvr5fg2c4IQUk4Jsnxz1st9cKzhzCODEzHCO4tErun6UzXPXkBkCGElX2Io_rRSA8hou7LM0pNug/w503-h703/o46.jpg" width="503" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-50582990300258402622024-03-14T06:48:00.002-05:002024-03-14T06:48:17.700-05:00More Thursday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXzYCi6Lnc0wE8EahhbpNaKCsHzvquLhZjB056ELWcd9I7ySlmbW7If9DwMVjLMP9WBG1z54VLGAsRhpDlloRa0hPilaFiyu6fGpyuobyZldhZ-zmForNwr6mbMZ7rmsunQzdV14D6FGwauHgn5Ob4OYrWxI9_UDOTuxaq08seO5vePmrEySoeQ/s972/c1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="800" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXzYCi6Lnc0wE8EahhbpNaKCsHzvquLhZjB056ELWcd9I7ySlmbW7If9DwMVjLMP9WBG1z54VLGAsRhpDlloRa0hPilaFiyu6fGpyuobyZldhZ-zmForNwr6mbMZ7rmsunQzdV14D6FGwauHgn5Ob4OYrWxI9_UDOTuxaq08seO5vePmrEySoeQ/w526-h640/c1.jpg" width="526" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-40837912816780790182024-03-14T06:43:00.004-05:002024-03-14T06:43:50.904-05:00Trump's RNC Purge and Obsession with "Loyalty"<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZe7xwws7fth7rSiCdp24e_aVlkGcdlfR8yP4NrRzp10fEE2nF9AGHQcZXpMXfELnbSJZ98nfoamZ83n8HVhRnTKs2DkxaVXJIgwTiAuQ8LbRcQkGainAmfuq2t_WYpUVvx4BSQ_TetoDGUEGYLsFrQLMutgJTrkPpHyOOKI9CONrHT-zTjrpNQ/s598/Trump%20Hitler5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="542" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZe7xwws7fth7rSiCdp24e_aVlkGcdlfR8yP4NrRzp10fEE2nF9AGHQcZXpMXfELnbSJZ98nfoamZ83n8HVhRnTKs2DkxaVXJIgwTiAuQ8LbRcQkGainAmfuq2t_WYpUVvx4BSQ_TetoDGUEGYLsFrQLMutgJTrkPpHyOOKI9CONrHT-zTjrpNQ/w230-h253/Trump%20Hitler5.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>With Donald Trump's now complete takeover of the Republican National Committee ("RNC") - Trump's daughter-in-law is now co-chair - that body has become an extension of Trump's campaign and Trump seems obsessed with using RNC funds to pay his legal fees rather than have the funds aid other Republicans in the states and up and down the party ticket. With Trump, it's always about Trump and no one else and he seemingly could care less for the larger GOP (or what's left of it outside of his personal cult). Of course, in addition to seeking to siphon off RNC funds, the purge at the RNC was also about putting individuals "loyal" to Trump in control. Trump expects a never ending worship service and seems to fantasize about Adolph Hitler - who Trump ignores as having brought ruin to Germany - and other dictators such as Hungary's Viktor Orban who Trump wants to emulate. The good news may be that Trump's obsession with "loyalty" and preference for sycophants and boot lickers could stymie some of Trump's electoral efforts and damage the larger GOP in November, 2024. A piece at <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/03/13/rnc-purge-his-obsession-with-loyalty-is-as-dumb-as-it-is-evil/">Salon</a> looks at the RNC purge and Trump's bizarre obsession with "loyalty." Here are highlights:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Donald Trump's infatuation with Adolf Hitler is
both well documented and profoundly disturbing. What's often overlooked is how
painfully stupid it is.</b> The <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/03/11/he-said-hitler-did-some-good-things-ex-chief-of-staff-says-praised-hitler-in/" target="_blank">latest round of stories</a> about this phenomenon underlines
why: Trump doesn't seem to understand that Nazi Germany<em> lost</em>
World War II. John Kelly, Trump's former White House chief of staff, <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/03/11/he-said-hitler-did-some-good-things-ex-chief-of-staff-says-praised-hitler-in/" target="_blank">told CNN</a> in a recent interview that <b>Trump praised
Hitler for doing "good things," including that the Nazi dictator had
"rebuilt the economy" and also the demonstrably false claim that
German generals were "loyal" to Hitler. </b></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Kelly pushed back against Trump on the latter
point, pointing out that German officers had conspired to assassinate Hitler on
several occasions. Kelly also noted that Trump had apparently "missed the
Holocaust," adding that it was <b>"pretty hard to understand how he
missed the 400,000 American GIs that were killed in the European theater."
Hitler's leadership wasn't exactly a win for Germans who supported him either.
Far from "rebuilding" the nation, Hitler left Germany in literal
ruins </b>with several of its cities reduced to rubble. <a href="https://www.nationalww2museum.org/students-teachers/student-resources/research-starters/research-starters-worldwide-deaths-world-war" target="_blank">Millions of German soldiers</a> died in six years of
devastating warfare, along with many civilians. Hitler ended by killing
himself in an underground bunker rather than risking capture by the Soviets, a
fact Trump also overlooks in mythologizing the man who started the deadliest
war in history. </p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Trump's rejection of
history isn't just about his apparent innate faith that fascism is more
efficient. It's also a manifestation of his limitless narcissism and his
obsessive belief that he is owed unquestioning loyalty </b>from the people around
him, although he'd happily throw every single one of them under the bus for a
nickel. He publicly indulged this fantasy late last week, when <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/03/11/donald-and-viktor-orbn-the-american-rights-most-disturbing-global-alliance-grows-desperate/" target="_blank">hosting Viktor Orbán</a> at Mar-a-Lago. Amid his
slobbering praise of the Hungarian prime minister, Trump said, "He’s a
non-controversial figure because he says this is the way it’s going to be, and
that’s the end of it. Right? He’s the boss."</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Trump may believe that
always watching your back and lashing out at anyone who questions you is
"strength," but it's really a sign of a weak and pathetic leader.
</b>That's evident in <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/03/12/absolute-bloodbath-nervous-as-trumpers-purge-rnc-staff-following-maga-takeover/" target="_blank">this week's startling purge</a> at the Republican National
Committee. As<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/11/bloodbath-at-rnc-trump-team-slashes-staff-at-committee-00146368" target="_blank"> Politico reports</a>, "more than 60 RNC staffers who work
across the political, communications and data departments will be let go."
This comes is after <b><u>Trump already pushed out the RNC leadership, replacing them
with perceived loyalists, including Lara Trump, his own daughter-in-law.</u></b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Mind you, the former
leadership of the RNC was already a bunch of Trump bootlickers.</b> <b>Former chair
Ronna McDaniel </b><a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/02/14/lara-takeover-of-the-rnc-turns-the-into-a-second-organization/" target="_blank">literally dropped "Romney"</a> from her surname to
appease Trump, who views her uncle, Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, as a mortal
enemy. <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/02/14/personal-slush-fund-lara-vows-every-penny-at-rnc-will-go-to-help/" target="_blank">Lara Trump's public statements</a>, along with <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/02/15/trump-is-out-of-money-fear-will-drain-rnc-funds-to-pay-his-own-legal-bills/" target="_blank">complaints</a> from other Republican sources, suggest that the
main source of this intra-GOP conflict is money. Trump's escalating legal costs
are straining his campaign coffers. <a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/08/30/rnc-cuts-off-and-makes-him-pay-for-his-own-lawyers-in-mar-a-lago-documents-mess-report_partner/" target="_blank">McDaniel had suggested</a> that she'd rather use RNC funds
in the normal fashion, to support Republican candidates, than to pay Trump's
lawyers. She<b> learned her lesson the hard way: Never get between Donald Trump
and someone else's money. </b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>There's good news here
for those who want to defeat Trump: His preference for sycophants means that he
shuts himself off from actual feedback and sensible advice.</u></b> <b>That's evident when
you look at his legal team, which is built around his hunger for flattery,
instead of competent lawyering </b>that might help him in court. During his first
civil trial for the sexual assault and defamation of E. Jean Carroll, Trump
reluctantly took his lawyer's advice to stay away from the courthouse. In the
second trial, he <a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/01/31/legal-analyst-calls-out-wacky-things-trumps-lawyer-tried-in-bid-for-a-do-over-in-carroll-case/" target="_blank">dumped that lawyer</a> and went with Alina Habba, who barely
even tries to win cases in court and endlessly indulges her client's desire to
throw tantrums and preen for the cameras. . . . <b>Trump's desire for ego-fluffing
over legal competence is proving expensive. </b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Trump surrounds himself
with losers</b> like Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis and the clown car full of pillow
pitchmen and conspiracy-mongers who tried to manage his coup attempt. These are
people who have been shut out of power through their own failures, and try to
glom onto it by becoming Trump's lackeys.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the most recent
episode of his Daily Blast podcast, <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/179751/media-whitewashes-trump-maga-threat" target="_blank">host Greg Sargent</a> made an interesting
observation about how misleading it is for reporters to quote anonymous
Trump campaign officials who claim that they're pushing Trump to
"pivot" to less fascist rhetoric. These articles convey the false
impression that maybe a second Trump term wouldn't be so bad, since he's
surrounded by reasonable people who will somehow restrain him. But they don't,
and they won't. On the contrary, his speeches are getting nastier by the day .
. . . <b>They know full well that their boss has a fragile ego. They're probably
too worried about being fired to ever say anything to him that isn't sniveling
agreement with every word. </b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Trump's tendency to
value toadyism over competence may be a blessing in some regards.</b> It's a big
reason his coup failed, and it consistently undermines his legal strategy.
Gutting the RNC staff is likely to damage the GOP's electoral chances this
fall. But none of this is a reason to be complacent. Sadly, there are talented
people working for Trump — not out of personal loyalty, since many of them hold
him in contempt, but because they believe in the fascist cause.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Trump's narcissism has
always been his Achilles heel. He prefers the illusion of power offered by
genuflecting yes-men over the hard work involved in gaining real power and
exercising it. That creates real opportunities for Joe Biden's campaign and
other Trump foes</b> to undermine the would-be despot's comeback by rattling his
ego and sowing division amid his ranks. <b><u>A thin skin and an unwillingness to
take advice from others, after all, are common traits of "strongman"
leaders that show how weak they really are. </u></b></span></p><p></p></blockquote>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-39564181506354434662024-03-14T05:18:00.003-05:002024-03-14T05:18:13.863-05:00Thursday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XjRQerp6GRTMzh-oFpqwtcyzfMNxHWfrGWigv7cvGLHZ7mWNZpR4SYJUKazo70GR7dfR6O5_hSbphzV1s2eWfz5GK18RAG7-G4JWheU8-JNc2dIhINIFuPUEOorxS5v0zmKxrwsDm3_XJYwIHRe6YGIpVmGKNOpuyBgHRuUqvAvPhuefgr3BzA/s1280/c1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1280" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-XjRQerp6GRTMzh-oFpqwtcyzfMNxHWfrGWigv7cvGLHZ7mWNZpR4SYJUKazo70GR7dfR6O5_hSbphzV1s2eWfz5GK18RAG7-G4JWheU8-JNc2dIhINIFuPUEOorxS5v0zmKxrwsDm3_XJYwIHRe6YGIpVmGKNOpuyBgHRuUqvAvPhuefgr3BzA/w513-h367/c1.jpg" width="513" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-72490131835966809472024-03-13T05:32:00.003-05:002024-03-13T05:32:49.457-05:00More Wednesday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBUf9bNE3dnGO5Hfet11Vu1GKDDiqLW9t2rJwxwD_J-wyQmd-tlps8n4Dstjwqp0D14oyIqyAFBInYfhU0uPjUsmQwgDGh8pq0A0gYRGwWuRED0wn0cvb2ZfBTqN3ig3kYe-YBOdEy4kG6BhU67VAase2KXAg6XBYtttTVR_a4_uTjrxRZtpTUg/s945/o45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="818" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGBUf9bNE3dnGO5Hfet11Vu1GKDDiqLW9t2rJwxwD_J-wyQmd-tlps8n4Dstjwqp0D14oyIqyAFBInYfhU0uPjUsmQwgDGh8pq0A0gYRGwWuRED0wn0cvb2ZfBTqN3ig3kYe-YBOdEy4kG6BhU67VAase2KXAg6XBYtttTVR_a4_uTjrxRZtpTUg/w509-h588/o45.jpg" width="509" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-44106157865457453462024-03-13T05:28:00.000-05:002024-03-13T05:28:00.502-05:00The GOP's "Trickle-down Economics" is a Scam<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid47tbXE2OpRZkYqiP-PsNCg8WcrQcirUWNJnj-3CqrL0CZHLRob0gljDdttn08iHUe0C6IKhuho4S2wIkFkwDDSOLBMLtgYirUPtqLWIgyJUymxnyq8iXF5S39WzeAeF5H4QqSYEqgL-6rTI3ILD5DGxirNQc_gemNYbN2AwFa-DhDPtwFCcgQ/s620/GOP%20tax%20cuts.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="620" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid47tbXE2OpRZkYqiP-PsNCg8WcrQcirUWNJnj-3CqrL0CZHLRob0gljDdttn08iHUe0C6IKhuho4S2wIkFkwDDSOLBMLtgYirUPtqLWIgyJUymxnyq8iXF5S39WzeAeF5H4QqSYEqgL-6rTI3ILD5DGxirNQc_gemNYbN2AwFa-DhDPtwFCcgQ/w275-h204/GOP%20tax%20cuts.jpeg" width="275" /></a></div>When not pandering to evangelicals and Christofascists on culture war issues or engaging in false claims of patriotism, for the past 40 plus years, Republicans have always defaulted to one agenda: tax cuts for the very wealthy and big corporations based on the claim that the "trickle-down" effect will be increased productivity and increased economic growth. Behind this smoke screen, the only real goal is for lower taxes on the rich, many of whom already pay an effective tax rate far less than average working Americans. As a column in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/12/supply-side-economics-scam/">Washington Post</a> lays out, the economic data does not support Republicans' trickle-down story line and only have the effect of making the rich even richer while the middle class and working class see their circumstances stagnate, if not deteriorate. Meanwhile the wealth of the very rich increases markedly and financial inequality soars. Adding insult to injury, Republicans also seek to slash "entitlements" such as Social Security and Medicare into which average citizens have paid all their working lives and seek to likewise slash safety regulations. Establishing a Christian extremist new Gilded Age is the GOP's bottom line agenda. How working Americans continue to fall for the :trickle -down" scam is dumbfounding. Here are column excerpts:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Like climate change
denial, the claimed economic benefits of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/23/tax-cuts-rich-trickle-down/?itid=lk_inline_manual_2" target="_blank">tax cuts for the rich</a> don’t hold up under scrutiny.</b> When
Democrats deride tax cuts for the wealthiest as a budget buster and a vehicle
for allowing the rich to get richer, <b>Republicans often reply: “<i>But look at
the growth and jobs!</i>” Actually, we have seen a steady stream of evidence
debunking this rationale.</b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;">The day after his State of
the Union address, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/candidates/joe-biden-2024/?itid=lk_inline_manual_4" target="_blank">President Biden</a> crowed about another 275,000 jobs added to
the economy in the month of February. “Three years ago, I inherited an economy
on the brink. Now, our economy is the envy of the world,” he said in a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/03/08/statement-from-president-joe-biden-on-the-february-jobs-report/" target="_blank">written statement</a>. “We added 275,000 jobs last month —
nearly 15 million since I took office.” He concluded, “Across the country, the
American people are writing the greatest comeback story never told. The days of
trickle-down are over.”</p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;">Last July, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/07/12/remarks-as-prepared-for-delivery-by-nec-director-lael-brainard-at-the-economic-club-of-new-york/" target="_blank">NEC Director Lael Brainard</a> laid out the overwhelming
evidence that <b><u>“trickle-down” economics — defined as “cutting taxes for big
businesses and those at the top” — has been a bust.</u></b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>“Economic inequality
increased, many communities suffered from sustained disinvestment, and earnings
growth for many Americans failed to keep pace with the cost of necessities</b> like
health care, housing, and education,” she said. “Investments in infrastructure
and vital industries stagnated.”</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>This isn’t new
evidence, either. </u></b>A 2020 paper by David Hope of the London School of
Economics and Julian Limberg of King’s College London examined “18 developed
countries — from Australia to the United States — over a 50-year period from
1965 to 2015 . . . . “The study compared countries that passed tax cuts in a
specific year, such as the U.S. in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan slashed
taxes on the wealthy, with those that didn’t, and then examined their economic
outcomes.”<b> It turns out that “per capita gross domestic product and
unemployment rates were nearly identical after five years in countries that
slashed taxes on the rich and in those that didn’t, the study found.”</b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>But there was one
significant difference: “The incomes of the rich grew much faster in countries
where tax rates were lowered.</u></b> Instead of trickling down to the middle class,
tax cuts for the rich may not accomplish much more than help the rich keep more
of their riches and exacerbate income inequality, the research indicates.”
Oops.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;">[W]hat about the huge tax
cuts passed by MAGA Republicans in 2017? Were those any different? <b>“Mr. Trump’s
tax cuts have lifted the fortunes of the ultra-rich,” the report found. “For
the first time in a century, the 400 richest American families paid lower taxes
in 2018 than people in the middle class, the economists found.”</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;">But economic growth made up for this handout, right?! Not so fast.
<b>Wages for average Americans did not keep up with the cost of living.</b> Worse,
“Even before the pandemic, income inequality<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tax-cuts-rich-50-years-no-trickle-down/" target="_blank"> had reached its highest point</a> in 50 years, according to
Census data</p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://academic.oup.com/ser/article/20/2/539/6500315" target="_blank">A
2022 update by Hope and Limberg reiterated</a>, “Our findings on the effects of
growth and unemployment provide evidence against supply side theories that
suggest lower taxes on the rich will induce labor supply responses from
high-income individuals (more hours of work, more effort, etc.) that boost
economic activity.” Instead, they confirmed <b>there is “strong evidence that
cutting taxes on the rich increases income inequality but has no effect on
growth or unemployment.”</b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;">Given that experience, Biden
entered office determined to deploy targeted investments (e.g., infrastructure,
chip manufacturing), tailored tax increases on rich individuals and
corporations that had been paying no taxes, cost controls on items such as
prescription drug prices, and expansion of the Affordable Care Act. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/02/13/immigration-economy-jobs-cbo-report/?itid=lk_inline_manual_19" target="_blank">Robust immigration</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-fossil-fuels-climate-change-biden-df27160fc81f28d21fbf1fc5575b77bc" target="_blank">energy production</a> further boosted growth. Biden also
canceled billions in student loan debt, freeing up consumer spending. The
result has been a record recovery from the pandemic and real wage growth
adjusted for inflation.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;"><b>The chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein,
told me after the State of the Union: “There’s a solid, empirical body of
research confirming this. Tax cuts for the rich just make them richer,
exacerbating both the deficit and economic inequality.”</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One type of tax credit
has worked<b> </b>spectacularly well. “The 2021 expansion of the Child Tax
Credit (CTC) led to a historic reduction in poverty in the United States,
particularly for children.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Biden now proposes a tax
increase for billionaires.</b> “There are 1,000 billionaires in America,” he told
the country during the State of the Union. “You know what the average federal
tax rate for these billionaires is? 8.2 percent!” He argued, “<b>No billionaire
should pay a lower tax rate than a teacher, a sanitation worker, a nurse!
That’s why I’ve proposed a minimum tax of 25 percent for billionaires. Just 25
percent.”</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;">There is no evidence that doing this would impair the economic
recovery Biden has presided over. It, however, would help pare down the deficit
(something Republicans used to pretend to care about).</p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;">Sold as a prosperity booster, <b><u>trickle-down tax cuts for the very
rich do <i>not</i> increase prosperity, growth or employment for the average
American. </u></b>This sop to the rich <i>does </i>increase the deficit and income
disparity. By contrast, restoring the child tax credit and enacting a billionaire’s
tax would continue to narrow the gulf between the very rich and everyone else.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Trickle-down economics is a scam.</b> Renewing tax cuts for the rich
that are due to expire at the end of 2025 would do about as much for you as a
degree from Trump University.</p><p></p></blockquote>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-53460032070929242552024-03-12T23:00:00.001-05:002024-03-12T23:00:00.133-05:00Wednesday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2EUG4tWBuh5pjAvL9qx-IfXJJUKqcruow7v5uJeCtIxADn4SMVZQ7k3O8Y2Hr6vKgXnPfxikhSbpdvRTJQdvucDi_1TE92TW2n5Htk_sXZ31y-0zZJjpxUd1GvkNWk4MLXJ5ZSh9E7O8mwUMgoIX4VU5KHEDRvQmyVcmJB9whYDGvV8mOq9uaA/s1115/o46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="750" height="732" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2EUG4tWBuh5pjAvL9qx-IfXJJUKqcruow7v5uJeCtIxADn4SMVZQ7k3O8Y2Hr6vKgXnPfxikhSbpdvRTJQdvucDi_1TE92TW2n5Htk_sXZ31y-0zZJjpxUd1GvkNWk4MLXJ5ZSh9E7O8mwUMgoIX4VU5KHEDRvQmyVcmJB9whYDGvV8mOq9uaA/w492-h732/o46.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-53720869649030476972024-03-12T06:59:00.003-05:002024-03-12T06:59:58.903-05:00More Tuesday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30gAAE8n1T6OX066F4RCKuLIXWjjo37eXEuqpiYchiA2Y3x4AfyXb3Ggn7J-QNjoWrUV43YSiO29VUkE6fa3JRwiDrZwpwTG6DB22hoaiqkzpxAr0LfvGwq_y9T4QKP2FZKZErOcLWSJZbUuJbhah1J7HWhIZZ9Sf8JR5oDwCJHSZvDSh8EYqMg/s1712/o36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1712" data-original-width="1280" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh30gAAE8n1T6OX066F4RCKuLIXWjjo37eXEuqpiYchiA2Y3x4AfyXb3Ggn7J-QNjoWrUV43YSiO29VUkE6fa3JRwiDrZwpwTG6DB22hoaiqkzpxAr0LfvGwq_y9T4QKP2FZKZErOcLWSJZbUuJbhah1J7HWhIZZ9Sf8JR5oDwCJHSZvDSh8EYqMg/w478-h640/o36.jpg" width="478" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-51320482809522336112024-03-12T06:48:00.004-05:002024-03-12T06:48:15.362-05:00Sex Trafficking, Racism and Republican Lies<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/03/13/multimedia/11krugman1-lcft/11krugman1-lcft-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://static01.nyt.com/images/2024/03/13/multimedia/11krugman1-lcft/11krugman1-lcft-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp" width="320" /></a></div>Republicans have been harping on the "bad economy" and making it sound like America's economy is headed towards collapse. Their problem is that the data continues to show the economy is actually doing well and, most upsetting to Republicans is the fact that no recessions has occurred and more of the public (e.g., those living outside of the Fox News bubble of disinformation) are realizing that the economy bears little resemblance to the GOP's tales of nightmare and woe. Hence the need to find a new vehicle to frighten the MAGA base and perhaps some moderates to embrace Trump's fascism, Enter Trump and self-prostituting figures like Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) who would have Americans believe that the nation is awash with crime perpetrated by undocumented migrants and sex trafficking of Americans. Never mind that overall migrants commit few crimes than American citizens despite a few sensational cases. The MAGA base is driven by fear and hatred towards others who don't look like them, worship as they do, and love differently than they do. Trump and Britt and others in the GOP want to ramp up the hatred and fear and hope uninformed Americans will fall for their lies. A piece in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/11/opinion/katie-britt-trump-immigration.html">New York Times</a> looks at this cynical and dangerous agenda. Here are highlights:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">On Thursday, <b>Katie Britt,</b> the
junior senator from Alabama, delivered the <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/transcript-republican-response-state-union-address-107912949" target="_blank" title="">Republican response</a> to the State of the Union
address. <b>Her overwrought performance has been widely mocked; that’s OK for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/10/arts/television/saturday-night-live-scarlett-johansson.html" title="">late-night TV</a>, but I’m not going to join in that chorus.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>What I want to do instead is
focus on the centerpiece of Britt’s remarks, a deeply misleading <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/10/us/politics/katie-britt-sotu-response-border.html" title="">story about sex trafficking</a> that she used to attack President
Biden.</b> Her use of the story — which turns out to have involved events in Mexico
way back when George W. Bush was president — wasn’t technically a lie, since
she didn’t explicitly say that it happened in the United States on Biden’s
watch. </p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">That’s a clear attempt to
mislead — the moral equivalent of a lie — and <b>the careful wording actually
suggests that she knew she was being misleading, and wanted an escape hatch if
someone called her bluff.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>To really understand the
significance of her de facto lie, however, we need to put it in political
context.</u></b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Over the past few
months, <b><u>there’s been a palpable shift in Republican rhetoric away from attacks
on the Biden economy and toward dire warnings about “migrant crime.”</u></b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>This shift has in part been
forced by the fact that the Biden economy is actually doing very well</b> these
days, with <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/fredgraph.png?g=1hBKJ" target="_blank" title="">inflation receding</a> while <a href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE" target="_blank" title="">unemployment</a>
remains near a 50-year low. In political terms, the narrative of a bad economy
seems to be fading.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">If I were a Republican
strategist, I’d be especially worried about the changing tone of news coverage.<b>
The San Francisco Fed maintains a <a href="https://www.frbsf.org/research-and-insights/data-and-indicators/daily-news-sentiment-index/" target="_blank" title="">daily index</a> of “news sentiment.” </b>In the summer of
2023, although the economy was arguably already performing pretty well, this
index was roughly as low as it was in the depths of the Great Recession. Since
then, however, <b>it has shot up to levels roughly comparable to those that
prevailed on the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Republicans, then, need a new
issue.</u></b> And there really does seem to have been a <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/southwest-land-border-encounters" target="_blank" title="">surge</a> in illegal attempts to cross our southern
border. So there are strategic reasons for Donald Trump and his party to hype
the dangers of migrant crime — and for <b>Trump and his allies to maximize the
fear factor by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/07/briefing/republican-border-bill-ukraine.html" title="">blocking</a> bipartisan legislation that would have helped secure the
border.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">My guess, however, is that
<b>Trump’s rants about migrant crime aren’t purely strategic. He has a history of
being obsessed with alleged crimes by dark-skinned people</b>, going all the way
back to his demand, after the arrests of the Central Park Five, who were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/nyregion/central-park-five-trump.html" title="">eventually exonerated</a>, to reinstate the death penalty. And his
claims about the dangers posed by migrants are so extreme that they may well be
self-defeating.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The other day, for
example, he <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?534136-1/donald-trump-campaigns-rome-georgia" target="_blank" title="">declared</a>, “I will stop the killing, I will stop
the bloodshed, I will end the agony of our people, the plunder of our cities,
the sacking of our towns, the violation of our citizens and the conquest of our
country.” <b>Which towns and cities, exactly, have been sacked and plundered?</b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Yes, figuring out how
best to secure our borders is a real issue, but the data just <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/opinion/trump-biden.html" title="">doesn’t
show</a> that there’s a crisis of migrant crime.</b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">So what do you do when the
numbers don’t support your <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/04/opinion/trump-biden.html" title="">dystopian
fantasies</a>? You zero in on the most horrific individual stories.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">Without question, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/uga-nursing-student-death.html" title="">the
killing of Laken Riley</a>, for which an undocumented immigrant has been
charged, is devastating. But in a country as big as ours, it’s almost always possible
to find examples of unspeakable tragedies involving individual members of
whatever group you name. </p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Based on the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/08/1237103158/immigrants-are-less-likely-to-commit-crimes-than-us-born-americans-studies-find" target="_blank" title="">available evidence</a>, however, immigrants are less
likely than native-born Americans to commit crimes.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>In any case, the migrant crime
wave — the “plunder of our cities” Trump seems to endlessly decry — is a myth.</b>
But it may be a myth Trump believes in, and the possibility that in this
instance he may actually be sincere is alarming.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">Why? Because if Trump really
believes migrants are an existential threat, <b>if he wins in November, as
president he might go through with his plan to engage in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/11/us/politics/trump-2025-immigration-agenda.html" title="">sweeping raids and mass deportations</a>, very likely catching up many
people who simply look as if they might be undocumented immigrants.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">So don’t wave away Britt’s
remarks as a mere example of bad acting. They may be the harbinger of<b> a reign
of terror that will wreak havoc in America.</b></p><p></p></blockquote>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-15955950176532083622024-03-12T05:25:00.004-05:002024-03-12T05:25:55.888-05:00Tuesday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySFWpZS2YHD0s9xvljO4gHTHEn5xCZLmNasQ4DrW0pCtjwRvI-MS6MuVwkK3gfRRvDrMHP-1mCMx7OSZ6hSJg6U_-E1wq_1Aij4IapTUoIm9-fpL2GdlrX2nuqpHp7gYdbxtucFW4mFV5TnZWxItvdIaz4RSIuBPhPcoxqvkBOmHpiNOc0lFyqw/s640/o47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="444" height="764" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySFWpZS2YHD0s9xvljO4gHTHEn5xCZLmNasQ4DrW0pCtjwRvI-MS6MuVwkK3gfRRvDrMHP-1mCMx7OSZ6hSJg6U_-E1wq_1Aij4IapTUoIm9-fpL2GdlrX2nuqpHp7gYdbxtucFW4mFV5TnZWxItvdIaz4RSIuBPhPcoxqvkBOmHpiNOc0lFyqw/w530-h764/o47.png" width="530" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-82432427675683866852024-03-11T20:23:00.002-05:002024-03-11T20:23:44.076-05:00More Monday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BgB7jLlS5_-MZw9cCiXMS5aojumqZkua2dpRKOQ3arkdAJawyinVKblf45H81cgKt3tj48ABczdLZcGCrbbW8WWmDP7i06aUPf9swmuOGhGauI3g1aLk3GrKkLHf2bCPl9I4c8mGolZYXZUk5j3Yl56O8ydpXQqY6Sgr12a9klyUF8fnrXjn-w/s1432/o41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="1164" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BgB7jLlS5_-MZw9cCiXMS5aojumqZkua2dpRKOQ3arkdAJawyinVKblf45H81cgKt3tj48ABczdLZcGCrbbW8WWmDP7i06aUPf9swmuOGhGauI3g1aLk3GrKkLHf2bCPl9I4c8mGolZYXZUk5j3Yl56O8ydpXQqY6Sgr12a9klyUF8fnrXjn-w/w520-h640/o41.jpg" width="520" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-17314497218538664222024-03-11T20:02:00.004-05:002024-03-11T20:02:37.629-05:00The GOP’s Increased Radicalization<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkJh82UTANcUjS9t7Wub_o899JTmR7eL1bDzMPe3sEu12Ozl5ILxEzpETL5Qwew0I5j0ttbRgr4GBzdZNl9yZiqJVczgKOU2txlKVnuBjGCNVX31tPJMgTSRSC82J2AJ9_5-9DgJo-WxJTAItktPcdaIXRZ4q5ELZFAHAD3XjRXvfqrI9YQzEvg/s900/Trump%20-%20Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkJh82UTANcUjS9t7Wub_o899JTmR7eL1bDzMPe3sEu12Ozl5ILxEzpETL5Qwew0I5j0ttbRgr4GBzdZNl9yZiqJVczgKOU2txlKVnuBjGCNVX31tPJMgTSRSC82J2AJ9_5-9DgJo-WxJTAItktPcdaIXRZ4q5ELZFAHAD3XjRXvfqrI9YQzEvg/w240-h320/Trump%20-%20Johnson.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Much of the mainstream media bloviates about "polarization" and blames it for causing governmental gridlock. In the process, these "journalists" engage in false equivalency and act as if today's Republican Party is still the party of Ronald Reagan. That party is long dead and gone and what remains is a radical, racist, homophobic, fascist loving party that worships a cult leader, namely Donald Trump. The differences between today's Republicans and Democrats is shockingly stark if one but bothers to make the comparison. Democrats are far more moderate, "let's get things done" in their mindset and in tune with the majority of Americans. Republicans, instead, are all about obstruction and performances that will garner them interviews on Fox News and similar propaganda outlets. Between now and November, 2024, the media needs to full report on the extremism and radicalization of the GOP and end the pretense that the two parties are equivalent. A column in the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/03/10/republican-party-radical-trump-polarization/">Washington Post</a> makes this argument. Here are excerpts:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>The notion that the
United States is “polarized”</b> into two conflicting, equally stubborn and extreme
camps infects much of the mainstream news coverage and everyday chatter about
politics. . . . . Such mealy-mouthed language <b>masks a stark dichotomy:
Democrats have to move to the center to get bipartisan support; Republicans
have become radicalized and unmovable.</b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b><u>This is not
“polarization.” It is the authoritarian capture of much of the GOP by a
right-wing movement bent on sowing chaos.</u></b> Turkey, Hungary and other countries
with autocratic strongmen are not polarized; democratic forces try their best
to prevent their country’s ruin and collapse into total dictatorship. Our
political scene, sadly, has come to resemble the global authoritarian assault
on democracy.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[I]t’s fashionable . .
. . to blame both political parties. </span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The bipartisan border
compromise . . . . was sunk by <i>Republicans</i>. <i>Republicans</i> in the
House overwhelmingly opposed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,
commonly known as the “Bipartisan” Infrastructure Bill (which President Biden
modified to get bipartisan support); <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/29/chips-house-republicans-votes" target="_blank">almost every Republican voted against the Chips Act</a>, they
all <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1582491715772071936?lang=en" target="_blank">voted against the Inflation Reduction Act</a>, and <a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/202256" target="_blank">some even voted
against the Pact Act</a>, which <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3967/text" target="_blank">would have helped veterans</a>.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>The assertion that
hyper-partisanship, chaos and nihilism (e.g., threatening to shut down the
government, egging on a default and refusing to even vote on Ukraine aide) is
equally divided amounts to an outright fabrication — or utter cluelessness.</b></span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;"><b>That’s the same tommyrot one
hears from No Labels. </b><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/02/politics/no-labels-biden-trump/index.html" target="_blank">CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere reported</a> that No Labels has
resorted to “accusing Biden of having politically toxic positions he does not
actually hold.” Well, if you are asking for millions to run a quixotic third-party
race, it <i>sounds</i> better to make him out to be just as extreme as Trump;
alas, <b>it is just not true. . . . To cook up an equivalence, you have to <i>misrepresent</i>
Biden’s record.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;">Biden has actually stood up to the far left in his own party when
it lionizes Hamas or demands Medicare-for-all. The left blasts him for being
too accommodating, too courteous to Republicans and too hands-off with a
listless Justice Department. <b>Biden remains in step with the vast majority of
Democrats.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>The party’s center-left
orientation was evident throughout the primaries.</b> On Super Tuesday, California
voters chose moderate Rep. Adam Schiff (D) over progressive Rep. Katie Porter
(D) as one of two candidates to run to fill the Senate seat opened by Dianne
Feinstein’s death. In Texas, moderate Rep. Colin Allred won the Senate
Democratic primary by a mile and avoided a runoff.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Meanwhile, Republicans
nominated for North Carolina governor not a “fiery outsider,”</b> as the <a href="https://www.threads.net/@aguinz/post/C4LvC8lJ_gD" target="_blank">New
York Times</a> would have us believe (the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/06/us/politics/north-carolina-governor-mark-robinson.html" target="_blank">headline </a>was subsequently changed), <b>but <a href="https://twitter.com/voxdotcom/status/1765527706324574643" target="_blank">Mark
Robinson</a>, who called transgender and gay people <a href="https://www.cbs17.com/news/capitol-report/republicans-stand-by-lt-gov-robinson-following-calls-for-his-resignation-over-transgender-homosexuality-comments/" target="_blank">“filth”</a> and said gay people are <a href="https://www.advocate.com/politics/2021/11/22/straight-people-are-superior-says-nc-lt-gov-mark-robinson" target="_blank">equivalent </a>to “what the cows leave behind” (also “maggots”
and “flies”). He has made a series of shocking an inflammatory comments about
women and Jews </b>(even <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2023/10/mark-robinson-lieutenant-governor-north-carolina-republican-candidate-hitler/" target="_blank">quoting Hitler</a>), remains a staunch election denier and
wants to ban all abortions (a view about <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-poll-roe-dobbs-ban-opinion-fcfdfc5a799ac3be617d99999e92eabe#:~:text=Overall%2C%20about%20two%2Dthirds%20of,it%20should%20always%20be%20illegal.&text=By%2024%20weeks%20of%20pregnancy,should%20generally%20not%20allow%20abortions." target="_blank">90 percent of Americans reject</a>). Hate speech of the type
Trump and Robinson utter would be disqualifying in the Democratic Party.</span></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;">Congress has also fallen under
the grip of a right-wing bastion that cannot govern itself.<b> The GOP speaker of
the House is a Christian nationalist who thinks he was chosen by God and takes
direction from the Bible, not the Constitution. No Democrat compares to the
likes of Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) or Lauren
Boebert (R-Colo.).</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;">Worst of all, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/06/super-tuesday-republican-house-majority/?itid=lk_inline_manual_21" target="_blank">Republicans are on the verge of nominating someone literally
out on bail</a>, who <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/extremists-react-trump-dinner-ye-and-nick-fuentes" target="_blank">dines with neo-Nazis</a>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/12/18/poisoning-blood-trumps-ugliest-moments-immigrants/?itid=lk_inline_manual_21" target="_blank">talks about blood purity</a> and invites Russian President
Vladimir Putin to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/02/11/trump-nato-russia-invade/?itid=lk_inline_manual_21" target="_blank">attack NATO</a>. Virtually every elected Republican has fallen
in behind him — <i>the</i> most extreme, racist candidate since the Civil War.
(Even Sen. Barry Goldwater knew Moscow was the enemy.)</p><p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Responsible reporting should not cover for Republicans. The MAGA
Republican Party has become shockingly irrational and radicalized, fully
embracing totalitarianism, white nationalism and radical isolationism.</u></b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">America is divided not
by some free-floating condition of “polarization” but by one party going off
the deep end. And <b>that’s a threat to all of us.</b></span></p><p></p></blockquote><p>
</p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p></p><p>
</p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" style="text-align: justify;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p></p><p></p><p class="wpds-c-cydrxm" data-el="text" data-testid="drop-cap-letter" style="text-align: justify;"><b><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p></p><p>
<br /></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-77461489498005672392024-03-11T05:23:00.003-05:002024-03-11T05:23:12.963-05:00Monday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCF9koIDVvScK144RHueueZc3FoSrNjREmJB1mZG6RrRCjJnvWQZ1rHS9XoobfBY08-S5bd4N5j_xxOAnkbW9B7UfhNMfERi0GG6-8HEJDbRG9c6B9fr6KhyphenhyphenMNTaiUxWiNdz62l0MBvaVDsQPXIZk9HlKBfhDpFDHEBhmt7ThqZa9Udrhh2BBs4A/s1080/o45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1080" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCF9koIDVvScK144RHueueZc3FoSrNjREmJB1mZG6RrRCjJnvWQZ1rHS9XoobfBY08-S5bd4N5j_xxOAnkbW9B7UfhNMfERi0GG6-8HEJDbRG9c6B9fr6KhyphenhyphenMNTaiUxWiNdz62l0MBvaVDsQPXIZk9HlKBfhDpFDHEBhmt7ThqZa9Udrhh2BBs4A/w533-h415/o45.jpg" width="533" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-60321698462519090172024-03-10T08:48:00.003-05:002024-03-10T08:48:26.321-05:00More Sunday Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTQftvK767lXFbgdoKzL-BpG0xQFHwJ0_n4XKmqEeMKolaN-lpJ9ibqRPtOK-CdtwCAkaHjyNNOlash3s-JT924D_-e_A-WSWa0ctG6WGhnEXeHuaGOftRPXBqJ9T8vFxrgqyGVD_eXujwhnwvBU4Ken79Zh8KD4fMqj1o1GTAyQIiRkGzj3WgA/s700/o40.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="400" height="854" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTQftvK767lXFbgdoKzL-BpG0xQFHwJ0_n4XKmqEeMKolaN-lpJ9ibqRPtOK-CdtwCAkaHjyNNOlash3s-JT924D_-e_A-WSWa0ctG6WGhnEXeHuaGOftRPXBqJ9T8vFxrgqyGVD_eXujwhnwvBU4Ken79Zh8KD4fMqj1o1GTAyQIiRkGzj3WgA/w489-h854/o40.jpeg" width="489" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-47889692534652330572024-03-10T08:45:00.004-05:002024-03-10T08:45:48.474-05:00Why Haley Voters Should Support Biden<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_2BJlGlWDR-43snpaJpyiyLH7tRjeQ1tLTam_slpEzU6jTNaKIFHeppMczrifCH8ET6CRa4aXN8haUWrmTeH78uVJcICh5iagYDB6OkznaasDXyEwvW9tAIVztfPMZqPLSrxjH0OCOemCyJYVqERaPXUn4aoHyb_CIGTSrSdBtODEtwy1atPMQ/s1800/biden%203-11-2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_2BJlGlWDR-43snpaJpyiyLH7tRjeQ1tLTam_slpEzU6jTNaKIFHeppMczrifCH8ET6CRa4aXN8haUWrmTeH78uVJcICh5iagYDB6OkznaasDXyEwvW9tAIVztfPMZqPLSrxjH0OCOemCyJYVqERaPXUn4aoHyb_CIGTSrSdBtODEtwy1atPMQ/w227-h227/biden%203-11-2021.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>With a Biden-Trump rematch pretty much lined up regardless of how many voters feel, the choice in November 2024 will be a choice between democracy vs. autocracy and fascism, the rule of law vs. corruption and weaponized law enforcement, decency vs. hate and prejudice, the protection of the rights of all Americans vs. special rights for selected elements of the population (evangelicals/Christofascists and white supremacists), and maintaining America's alliances vs. throwing allies at the mercy of Vladimir Putin and China. Frighteningly, far too many Republicans are all too ready to discard democracy, abdicate America's leadership role in the world, and welcome political violence and open immorality. That said, there remain some moral and decent Republicans - admittedly a dying breed - who even if not in alignment with Democrats on numerous issues are nonetheless at odds with much of the MAGA agenda. Many such Republicans (Reagan Republicans, if you will) voted for Nikki Haley rather than Trump in the GOP primaries. A lengthy column in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/10/opinion/haley-voters-support-biden.html">New York Times</a> makes the case of why these Republicans need to back Joe Biden in November. Here are excerpts:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">Last Wednesday, a day before he
delivered a rousing State of the Union address,<b> Joe Biden issued <a href="https://twitter.com/ammarmufasa/status/1765396245365788942?s=20" target="_blank" title="">an invitation</a> to the roughly 30 percent of
Republican primary voters who had voted for Nikki Haley in the G.O.P. presidential
primaries </b>before she dropped out. <b><u>The message was simple: Donald Trump doesn’t
want you, but we do. </u></b>After all, Trump <a href="https://x.com/JoeBiden/status/1765396693036523717?s=20" target="_blank" title="">said on Truth Social</a> that anyone who made a “contribution” to
Haley would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.” Biden, by contrast,
acknowledged differences of opinion with Haley voters but argued that <b><u>agreement
on democracy, decency, the rule of law and support for NATO should unite Haley
voters against Trump.</u></b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">Is Biden correct? Is there an
argument that could persuade a meaningful number of Haley conservatives to vote
for Biden? In ordinary times the answer would be no. It still may be no. <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/" target="_blank" title="">Negative polarization</a> is the dominant fact of
American political life. . . . . They’re going to do it only as a last resort,
when they truly understand and feel the same way about the Republican Party
that Ronald Reagan felt when he departed the Democratic Party: <a href="https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894529_1894528_1894518,00.html" target="_blank" title="">He didn’t leave the party. The party left him</a>.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">Now, however,<b> it’s the G.O.P.
that is sprinting away from Reagan — and from Haley Republicans — as fast as
MAGA can carry it. </b>The right is not just mad at Republican dissenters for
defying Trump; it has such profound policy<em> </em>disagreements with Reagan
and Haley Republicans that it’s hard to imagine the two factions coexisting for
much longer. . . . .<b> for the foreseeable future traditional conservatives will
face a choice: conform or leave.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">It’s likely that most people
will conform. But they ought to leave. If a political party is a shared
enterprise for advancing policies and ideas with the hope of achieving concrete
outcomes, then <b><u>there are key ways in which a second Biden term would be a
better fit for Reagan Republicans than Round 2 of Trump.</u></b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Take national security.</b> Even
apart from his self-evident disregard for democracy, Trump’s weakness in the
Ukraine conflict and his hostility to American alliances may represent the most
dangerous aspects of a second term, with potential world-historic consequences
similar to those of American isolationism before World War II.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Biden’s continuing support for
NATO, by contrast, has made America stronger. </b>The accession of Finland and
Sweden to NATO has added their potent militaries to the Western alliance. The
strategic Baltic Sea is now a “<a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/nato-lake-what-sweden-and-finland-will-change-in-the-baltics-russia-ukraine-war/" target="_blank" title="">NATO lake</a>.” <b>Biden was smart to start his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/03/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery-2/" target="_blank" title="">State of the Union address</a> by contrasting Reagan’s
demand to Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall with Trump’s
invitation to Vladimir Putin’s Russia to “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/10/politics/trump-russia-nato/index.html" target="_blank" title="">do whatever the hell they want</a>” to NATO countries
who “don’t pay.”</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">There is no fiscal conservative
in the race. <b><u>Trump had a <a href="https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/national-deficit/" target="_blank" title="">higher deficit</a> each successive year he was in
office,</u></b> for example. But Biden’s economic stewardship has been sound. Inflation
is easing, the stock market has <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/06/stock-market-today-live-updates.html" target="_blank" title="">reached record highs</a>, unemployment is <a href="https://www.bls.gov/charts/employment-situation/civilian-unemployment-rate.htm" target="_blank" title="">below 4 percent</a>, and the median net worth of the
American family increased <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/19/fed-survey-of-consumer-finances-net-worth-surged-in-pandemic-era.html?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email" target="_blank" title="">by 37 percent</a> between 2019 and 2022, even
controlling for inflation.</p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Last year, The Economist
published a comprehensive economic analysis demonstrating that “on a whole
range of measures <a href="https://www.economist.com/briefing/2023/04/13/from-strength-to-strength" target="_blank" title="">American dominance</a> remains striking. And relative
to its rich-world peers its lead is increasing.”</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Let’s also look at the rule of
law. </u></b>Trump took office promising to end “American carnage,” but it skyrocketed
on his watch. Between 2019 and 2020, America experienced the “<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/10/27/what-we-know-about-the-increase-in-u-s-murders-in-2020/" target="_blank" title="">largest single-year increase</a>” in the murder rate
in “more than a century.” Under Biden, by contrast, in 2023, “The number of
murders in U.S. cities fell by more than 12 percent,” a number that would
represent “the biggest national decline on record . . . . <b>Violent crime “is
near its lowest level in 50 years.”</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Moreover, the Biden
administration didn’t defund the police, but MAGA might.</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/1765404826144522538" target="_blank" title="">Last Wednesday</a>, the House speaker, Mike Johnson, promised to “cut
3 percent from D.O.J., 7 percent from the ATF, 6 percent from the F.B.I., and
10 percent from the E.P.A.,” and, he said, “that’s just a start.”</p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>The most fraught issue for many
conservatives considering crossing the aisle is abortion.</b> That’s certainly the
most difficult issue for me. But while Trump nominated the justices who helped
reverse Roe v. Wade, he also failed on the most important metric of all: the
number of abortions performed in America. Although Barack Obama was very much a
pro-choice president, the abortion rate <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1363/psrh.12215" target="_blank" title="">decreased by a remarkable 28 percent</a> during his
two terms, . . . By contrast, <b>there were 56,080 more abortions by the end of
Trump’s presidency in 2020 than there had been in 2016, and the abortion rate
rose for three consecutive years, in 2018, 2019 and 2020.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">Compounding the problem for
anti-abortion conservatives, the MAGA-dominated G.O.P. has been an electoral
disaster. . . . . <b>The MAGA ethos of corruption and cruelty is a poor fit for a
movement that’s supposed to be dedicated to loving the most vulnerable among
us.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">I raise these issues not to
argue that Reagan Republicans have a true home in a Biden-led Democratic Party.
. . . But <b>Reagan (and Haley) Republicans also have such profound differences
with MAGA that it is genuinely debatable which party now better advances their
preferred policies.</b></p><p></p><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;">But here’s what’s not debatable:
While the ideological alignments of the two parties are in a state of flux,
<b>only one party is nominating a man who’s been impeached twice, indicted in four
criminal cases, found liable for systemic financial fraud, and found liable for
sexual abuse and<em> </em>for defaming his victim.</b> He is a man who inspired and
gave at least tacit support to a violent assault on the Capitol in an effort to
overturn an American election.</p><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><p class="css-at9mc1" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Reagan conservatives don’t just
need reasons to vote against Trump. They also plainly need reasons to vote for
Joe Biden. In 2024, we have two presidential records to compare. </b>And this time
it’s the Democrat who can say that he’s tougher on Russia and better on crime,
and overseeing an economy that’s the envy of the world. That’s a case for
conservatives. The question is whether it’s a case they’re willing to hear.</p><p></p></blockquote><p>
<br /></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34239589.post-84520153993804111232024-03-10T08:13:00.002-05:002024-03-10T08:13:56.092-05:00Sunday Morning Male Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtsDC7k2FcOGbpydZlrZmfGsIH5Soi5FmOLQQkTU6YOJT56dJtG0PlnHiNuqv5E9LIkMK_tjZxL42MEP815eTUpgaenJDMxKLIWtMAAEBNktt4Du3xfr6HbUV_hl6p0nuRXC8Et7CSyOUJRUJscZ1T7QKSejCVVXoN9JK6KH6T7erpv_Oey7qww/s767/o47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYtsDC7k2FcOGbpydZlrZmfGsIH5Soi5FmOLQQkTU6YOJT56dJtG0PlnHiNuqv5E9LIkMK_tjZxL42MEP815eTUpgaenJDMxKLIWtMAAEBNktt4Du3xfr6HbUV_hl6p0nuRXC8Et7CSyOUJRUJscZ1T7QKSejCVVXoN9JK6KH6T7erpv_Oey7qww/w534-h640/o47.png" width="534" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Michael-in-Norfolkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06330888799107186550noreply@blogger.com0