Trump II

[digitaldog]

So, how is Karl?

:~)

He's got a girlfriend! 

[Schewe]

Nice to see Trump's #DrainTheSwamp is going well. Oh, wait, the wife of US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin isn't supposed to brag about their wealth just before Trump tries to work with Congress on tax reform...does she think the wealthy are gonna get a huge tax break?

Steve Mnuchin's wife bashes a woman for being 'adorably out of touch' and paying less tax than her

Louise Linton, the wife of US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, posted a photo on Instagram that apparently got some unwelcome attention on Monday night.

The photo shows Linton and Mnuchin stepping off a government jet with the caption: "Great #daytrip to #Kentucky!"

Linton, a 36-year-old actress who married Mnuchin in an extravagant ceremony in June, tagged several high-end designers — like Tom Ford, Hermès, Roland Mouret, and Valentino — in her Instagram post.

The comments, however, were less than charitable.

One person wrote: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton replied:

"Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I'm pretty sure we paid more taxes toward our day 'trip' than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. You're adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know you're mad but deep down you're really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isn't going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and hunanity [sic] would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It's fab!"

Linton then made her Instagram account private.

The phrase "let them eat cake" comes to mind (also the 'C' word but my wife doesn't let me even think the whole word, just the letter 'C').

This goes back to the tone deaf approach the GOP seems to have towards people of "normal means". Really, they wanted to give wealthy people tax cuts and pay for it by cutting Medicaid?

I guess you have to give her a break because, well, she's just a 'B' grade actress that married a super rich but rather ugly Steven Mnuchin (seriously, look at him)



It's a typical problem of the nouveau riche, they can't help but rub "normal people's" noses in the fact that they have so much money, they literally have no idea what to do with it. It takes a couple of generations to understand that with great wealth come an obligation to go do something useful with it to help their fellow man. Some people learn in a single generation like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet both of whom have done more with their money than Mnuchin and his #BarbieDollWife likely will. But hey, Steve and Louise have great role models, right? Donny and Melania Trump.


Photograph: Melania Trump/Facebook

[Alan Klein]

Bannon opened his big mouth regarding NK saying war is out of the picture undermining Trump's strong position.  I think Generals Mattis and McMaster said he had to go to give some credibility back to Trump's position.   This may have been Kelly also trying to get the White House into order. 

I think the interesting question is whether Bannon gave Trump his political thinking or whether Trump had the main view of where he's going anyway.  We'll see soon enough. If Trump changes, then it was Bannon.  If it stays the same, then it's been Trump all along as Trump himself has been claiming.

Well,  to answer my own question,  it seems it was Bannon.  Although regarding Afghanistan he originally wanting to pull out too.  I think he's been captured by the dark side of the swamp.   Just like Bush and McCain and Hillary.   The left will never accept him and the right will start too leave him.   He should have pulled out and let the Afghans fight it out themselves just warning them that whoever wins better not support terrorists again like they did with Al Khaida.  Or we'll be back.

[Rob C]

Nice to see Trump's #DrainTheSwamp is going well. Oh, wait, the wife of US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin isn't supposed to brag about their wealth just before Trump tries to work with Congress on tax reform...does she think the wealthy are gonna get a huge tax break?

Steve Mnuchin's wife bashes a woman for being 'adorably out of touch' and paying less tax than her



The phrase "let them eat cake" comes to mind (also the 'C' word but my wife doesn't let me even think the whole word, just the letter 'C').

This goes back to the tone deaf approach the GOP seems to have towards people of "normal means". Really, they wanted to give wealthy people tax cuts and pay for it by cutting Medicaid?

I guess you have to give her a break because, well, she's just a 'B' grade actress that married a super rich but rather ugly Steven Mnuchin (seriously, look at him)



It's a typical problem of the nouveau riche, they can't help but rub "normal people's" noses in the fact that they have so much money, they literally have no idea what to do with it. It takes a couple of generations to understand that with great wealth come an obligation to go do something useful with it to help their fellow man. Some people learn in a single generation like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet both of whom have done more with their money than Mnuchin and his #BarbieDollWife likely will. But hey, Steve and Louise have great role models, right? Donny and Melania Trump.


Photograph: Melania Trump/Facebook

Oh well, the bed looks relatively large, so plenty of room to hide and get a bit of sleep! Unless, of course, a toe gets stubbed on those dreadful carvings castings before the flop into it. But it's nice to know there are a couple of Chanel 5 mists in the toolbox - always dependable!

Why does your wife have a problem with the "C" word? It's quite harmless unless you produce too much of it.

Oh - I forgot: Mr T doesn't want to stop making it. Sorry, now that I get it, she's right!

Rob

P.S. I may be a bit consevative but isn't there just a tiny touch, a mere soupçon of vulgarity in that bedroom scene? I mean, two Louis Vuitton pieces? Or are they Gucci playing bedtime hide-and-seek as well?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... comes to mind (also the 'C' word but my wife doesn't let me even think the whole word, just the letter 'C')...

Ah, that would explain your grumpiness

[Rob C]

Ah, that would explain your grumpiness

I was always advised to take my vitamins, Slobodan.

Rob

[Schewe]

P.S. I may be a bit consevative but isn't there just a tiny touch, a mere soupçon of vulgarity in that bedroom scene? I mean, two Louis Vuitton pieces? Or are they Gucci playing bedtime hide-and-seek as well?

I don't know...but the image is on her Facebook page so maybe you could ask and let us know what she says :~)

BTW, this just in, Louise Linton, Mnuchin's wife apologized...

"I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive," Linton said in a statement from her publicist.

Wow, considering the comment she posted to Jenni Miller, a mother of three from Oregon I'm thinking the apology should maybe have been, well, a bit more apologetic, ya know what I mean? It was more than "inappropriate and highly insensitive" it was mean and nasty but hey, she still has her money!

BTW, now that she's stuck her head up I thought it would be interesting to check out the jewels she wore to her fancy wedding...



Here's the story she had in Town & Country All the Jewels Louise Linton Wore to Her Wedding

On June 24, Scottish-born actress Louise Linton married Steven Mnuchin in Washington, D.C., where he currently serves as the Secretary of the Treasury. As befits the future wife of a former Goldman Sachs exec and Hollywood producer (his credits include American Sniper, Mad Max: Fury Road, and Wonder Woman), Linton had no shortage of cinematic pieces to wear for her big day. Below, she gave T&C an exclusive sneak peak inside her wedding jewelry box.

The engagement ring

"We were at Art Basel in Miami a few years ago and we walked past a jewelry store. We stopped to admire the shape of an oval engagement ring in the window. It’s quite an old-fashioned shape but I love it. Three years later he proposed to me with an oval ring just like the one we saw in the window."

Poor little rich snowflake, this has probably been a terribly traumatic experience...

[Schewe]

And now for something serious...

Trump nominee Sam Clovis: 'As far as we know' homosexuality's a choice, 'logical' LGBT protections could lead to legalization of pedophilia

(CNN)Sam Clovis, Donald Trump's pick to be chief scientist for the Department of Agriculture, has argued that homosexuality is a choice and that the sanctioning of same-sex marriage could lead to the legalization of pedophilia, a CNN KFile review of Clovis' writings, radio broadcasts, and speeches has found.

Clovis made the comments between 2012 and 2014 in his capacity as a talk radio host, political activist, and briefly as a candidate for US Senate in Iowa. His nomination has drawn criticism from Senate Democrats, who argue his lack of scientific background makes him unqualified for the USDA post overseeing science.

Clovis has repeatedly argued that the science on homosexuality is unsettled and that "LGBT behavior" is a choice. The American Psychological Association has said that while there is no scientific consensus on the causes of sexual orientation, "most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation."

Asked for comment on Clovis' beliefs surrounding the science of homosexuality, a USDA spokeswoman told CNN: "The Supreme Court settled the issue in 2015." The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Wait, what?

This is the guy Trump thinks would be a good nominee to to be chief scientist for the Department of Agriculture?

Come on man...can't we get some people who have half a friggin' clue in jobs where the safety and advancement of the American food industry is at stake?

From his wikipedia page:

Samuel H. Clovis Jr. (born Sept. 18, 1949) is a radio host, academic, and United States Air Force veteran who is the senior White House adviser to the United States Department of Agriculture. He was national co-chair of the Trump-Pence campaign in the 2016 presidential election. In July 2017, President Donald Trump said he would nominate Clovis as Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics in the United States Department of Agriculture.

Clovis was born in Salina, Kansas and grew up in Medora, Kansas. As a high school senior he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy. He graduated from Buhler High School and went on to attend the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs where he earned his bachelor's degree in political science. He served in the Air Force for 25 years from 1971 to 1996 as fighter pilot and instructor. During his time in the Air Force he also served in the Pentagon, the Middle East, and as commander of the 70th Fighter Squadron. He became a colonel and retired as the Inspector General of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Space Command.

He also holds an MBA from Golden Gate University and attended the national security program at Georgetown University and earned a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Alabama.

Well, he DOES have a Ph.D in public administration...I'll bet that helped a lot in his role as a radio show host!

[texshooter]

Christie would have been a better USDA choice for the job, but Clovis beat him to it.   

Sorry, I had to go there.

[James Clark]

Well, he DOES have a Ph.D in public administration...I'll bet that helped a lot in his role as a radio show host!

All other things aside, I find it generaly very disturbing that the Republican party seems to be drawing so many of its public servants from the depths of talk radio.  It doesn't speak well of the voters, IMO, that they prefer to elect bomb-throwing ideologues that have no grounding in the actual application of policy or governance, and gain following/popularity by playing to the red meat base of the party. 

[Peter McLennan]

There are no racial problems in the USA. There are only made-up "problems," as the left desperately needs to perpetuate victimhood in order to have something to whine about.

Sometimes, Slobodan, you've said stuff that was relevant, even challenging, for "The Loonie Left", as you call us. 
However with this, you've lost all credibility. That is just hopeless, blind idiocy.

I'm a little late with this. I've been away, photographing, so I'm a little behind the curve of hopeless, blind idiocy here.

[texshooter]

The insanity continues.

ESPN pulls announcer from the football game because his name is Robert Lee (Asian not Confederate).

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/aug/22/espn-pulls-announcer-robert-lee-university-virgini/

[scyth]

The insanity continues.

ESPN pulls announcer from the football game because his name is Robert Lee (Asian not Confederate).

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/aug/22/espn-pulls-announcer-robert-lee-university-virgini/

it is high time to rein in the alt left mob mentality that is spreading like an bubonic plague online ...

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

...  However with this, you've lost all credibility. That is just hopeless, blind idiocy.

Cite me one law in the U.S. that racially discriminates.

[James Clark]

You opined that there's no racial problem, not that discrimination isn't codified.

I mean...  This isn't even debatable. 

http://people.terry.uga.edu/mustard/sentencing.pdf
-Highlighting racial and gender disparity in sentencing

http://fortune.com/2014/11/04/hiring-racial-bias/
-Harder to get an interview with a "black" name

http://news.stanford.edu/2016/06/28/stanford-researchers-develop-new-statistical-test-shows-racial-profiling-police-traffic-stops/
-Blacks and hispanics MORE likely to be searched at traffic stops, but LESS likely to have drugs.

I can do this all day...

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... I can do this all day...

I bet you can, but that doesn't prove anything. It just lists things that you interpret one way, and I another. That is, there is a perfectly viable explanation for each of those, other than "systemic" racism or discrimination.

[James Clark]

I bet you can, but that doesn't prove anything. It just lists things that you interpret one way, and I another. That is, there is a perfectly viable explanation for each of those, other than "systemic" racism or discrimination.

I'm gobsmacked.  Seriously.  Your position is really, "I know there's no problem, so any proof to the contrary is invalid." You kidding me?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I'm gobsmacked.  Seriously.  Your position is really, "I know there's no problem, so any proof to the contrary is invalid." You kidding me?

There is no "proof to the contrary," just your opinion.

[James Clark]

There is no "proof to the contrary," just your opinion.

On what then, do you base your "opinion" that these unequal outcomes are not evidence of a racial bias? Because it's not my opinion that these unequal outcomes exist - it's fact.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... http://fortune.com/2014/11/04/hiring-racial-bias/
-Harder to get an interview with a "black" name...

Ok, foreign sounding names. Let's see:

http://money.cnn.com/2014/12/01/pf/jobs/foreign-names-jobs-discrimination/index.html?sr=limoney120114foreignname1140story

"Foreign name? Expect a tougher job hunt"

From the article:

Here's a list of the worst call-back rates, representing the number of applications migrants have to send relative to those without an immigrant background:
...
Men from former Yugoslavia in Switzerland 2.5
...
Blacks in the U.S. 2
...

Seems that I would be more "racially" discriminated in Switzerland than blacks in the U.S.

Have you ever heard me whine how I am racially discriminated against?

The explanation is simpler: human psychology. If you study the psychology of influence, you will find that it is a common human trait that we like more those who are like us. It is just human.