Playpen 5.14.25

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A double-header today because I couldn’t choose one.  First, is a cheap and easy “well, I told you so” about the big grift to come back in November.  

The second is a more interesting conversation.  Is the right going full commie?  

Or, if you prefer, do things like tax hike proposals and this suggest has the Reagan Revolution ended and, if so, are we looking at a new realignment of the two political parties and, if so, what will a new roughly 50/50 split look like ideologically, geographically and demographically? 

Discuss. 

76 thoughts on “Playpen 5.14.25”

  2. There is definitely a realignment going on, as the folks in power in the GOP try to recreate the FDR coalition.

    I have no idea where that goes, though, and I expect to remain politically homeless for the foreseeable future. Haley was the last gasp conservatives had in the GOP, that ship has now sailed.

    • I still wear my “Barred Permanently” t-shirt despite the fact that Haley jumped on board the Trump cult bandwagon. What I see from the far right is authoritarianism. Their arguments and support boil down to the end justifies the means. Throw American citizens in foreign prisons? Well, we’d only do that to the worst of the worst. Suspend habeas corpus? Well, the courts are being obstructive. And about those courts, we need to impeach judges who hand down the “wrong” decisions. Violate the Constitutional authority of Congress by making spending decisions contrary to lawful appropriations? Well, spending is out of control. Attacking universities and law firms? Well, they brought it on themselves. These are all autocratic authoritarian tactics 101. And Congress is happy to abdicate their duties and powers in order to let it happen. No one seems to care that Trump’s actions are unconstitutional and illegal. They call it necessary short term pain. It’s possible Trump was serious when he said we only needed to vote one more time.

      • It has been sad but enlightening to see how few people believe the things I believe about the fundamental nature of government. I didn’t realize how few of the people who I thought were on my team simply because we shared broad objectives. But it’s apparent that while we might have agreed we want to go to Topeka, their plan is to hitchhike there while want to take the bus. We might end up in the same place, but their plan might also get us all brutally murdered.

  3. Didn’t the previous administration plan on the same thing? Seems like I remember 400k being the mark for being “rich”.

    • When was the last time a republican proposed increasing income taxes on anyone?

      When was the last time a republican went out of his way to lobby for a federal government program designed to help poor people?

      Those could be among the salient points of today’s second subject.

      Persons living over the last six decades or so may have noticed a change in direction.

      • Trump has consistently been in favor of protecting federal entitlement programs so long as they’re the ones he perceives as being used by his base. Social Security and Medicare have been sacred cows under his reign.

        That’s probably smart when it comes to make politics, but those of us under 50 or so are eventually going to find those chickens coming home to roost.

          • I don’t think it’s much different, but I’m a classical liberal. For the folks that are most focused on making sure that only preferred groups get most of the government largesse, there is certainly a distinction.

            One tribe wants Medicare protected, the other side wants SS disability protected. But they all want large-scale redistribution in some form or fashion. They just disagree on who deserves it more.

        • I wouldn’t characterize things as “deserve.” Unless its the VA. I think we need to look at spending as an investment more than anything else. And we should invest in a way that is efficient.

      • When did it become the government’s responsibility to “help poor people”?

        • Probably about the same time we invented self-government. Kings certainly didn’t give a rat’s ass until the poors chopped one of their gd heads off in the town square.

        • IDK When did it become the government’s job to “help rich people?” We do an awful lot of that.

          • To paraphrase:

            “When a man buys a politician, that politician is supposed to stay bought.”

            – Roy L. Fuchs

    • My point was that the “other side” suggested it as well and it didn’t happen. Also suggested was taxing unrealized gains on real estate and 401k’s, etc. Wonk wonk. I’m guessing it was ostentatious blustering, pandering for the “poor people” vote. The current administration pandered to a broader (maybe the wrong term?) demographic and won. Nothing major will change and the machine will keep cruising along.
      I enjoy your segment here, by the way. Good fun.

      • Uncle Got, that taxing unrealized gains concept would definitely cinch my sphincter submarine tight…I’m reminded of what one of my spiritual advisors, Doby, used to say,

        “ Day after day I’m more confused
        Yet I look for the light through the pourin’ rain
        You know that’s a game that I hate to lose
        And I’m feelin’ the strain, ain’t it a shame?

        Drift Away

        https://youtu.be/NIuyDWzctgY

        • Yeah man. The mere suggestion of it makes my skin crawl. On another note, I’m missing my buddy the Ranger today. I’m on the OBX. Went out with the “Phideaux” Monday, hooked up a triple of blackfin on the first drop and got them all in. On a “Greenstick” which I’d never seen and was super cool. We caught a sizable pile of Mahi as well. This morning I caught a couple of nice bluefish off the pier. If I could figure out how to post a pic I would. Sucks to be me today!

  4. 9/11 and Bush Jr losing control of the reaction ended the Reagan revolution. Obama giving cover to the extreme left and the Republicans feeble and ineffective response was the death of the party where a huge void in leadership was left. Trump is, at best, an independent populist who jumped into the vacuum and took over the party. Meanwhile the Dems coalition of aggrieved groups…real and imaginary…have splintered badly. So post Trump, Republicans will need to find new, young conservative leadership (which is not Abbott, Vance or Rubio) or watch Don Jr’s inauguration. Democrats are hopeless. Newsome will have to find a way to deal with Bernie/AOC destructive socialism which will be a huge anchor around his neck.

    Third parties are blocked out in our system but we’ll see some attempts. Elon has shown billionaires they can buy a candidate but still requires slotting them into one of the two parties. As Bloomberg found out, it can’t be yourself. Elon, Bezos, Zuch and/or other tech bros will probably try to place someone of their choosing and just need to buyout one of the parties. Or we could see one puppet from each party as America’s “choice”. That would effectively kill primaries…no idea how the electorate will react other than with greater disdain and indifference leaving an even bigger void for our first Chinese Tik-Tock influencer to be elected in 2032.

    • I would suggest that approximately a trillion dollars of debt added per year since its beginning has contributed to the end of the Reagan Revolution. People are seeing that we did not in fact get trickled upon and that the benefits went to a very few. Guess who is left with the bill?

          • Tell me you didn’t read the article without telling me you didn’t read the article. It’s even written by a man of the left.

          • I don’t have a subscription. The reader view gave me basically:

            Average Americans richer than average Europeans.

            I responded to that.

          • Sorry, thought it was unlocked.

            He goes to great lengths to negate the objection you raise. The TL;DR of it is that while there may be a small part of the GDP per capita disparity between Europe and the US due to income inequality, the vast majority of it is not explained by that factor, and the wealthier European countries (he uses Germany and the UK) show similar, if slightly smaller, measures of income disparity.

            FWIW, I’d highly recommend a subscription to the Dispatch if you’re interested in engaging in smart arguments from the right rather than just nitpicking from the dregs of twitter and the Trump administration.

          • I think there is sufficient free information on the internet, for now.

            I would be willing to be that no resident of Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the UK, or France, could find similar conditions in their nations as exists in rural Mississippi.

          • Very true in the viking countries where you pay almost 60% in taxes(but companies offset those taxes with “free stuff” to employees, like car allowance, gas cards, private health insurance, housing allowance, gym memberships, etc)…but at least you get very good services for those tax dollars…but it is cold as fuck to live there…and yes a brain surgeon in Copenhagen essentially makes the same as a school teacher or the garbage man…but a pint of beer costs almost $20….
            the further south in europe you go, you will definitely find rural Mississippi just with French or Italian accents… Naples says hold my beer Mississippi

      • True…we’ve moved into the “people voting for free stuff” era of our democracy.

        • The era of not paying for 37 trillion dollars worth of stuff worked out well.

          • I believe the DEMOCRATS have a patent on giving “away” “free” stuff…….LOL

  5. After I saw what USAID was paying out, I have no desire for anyone to pay taxes. I wish everyone could avoid it to the point it stops functioning and a reset happens.

    • We’ll be so much better off when China puts the world on their teat.

        • Have the taxpayers of w revolted at the lavish foreign bound gift? OR are they pretty sure they’re getting it back in spades?

    • USAID accounted for approximately 0.3% of federal spending in FY24. There are plenty of arguments against (as well as plenty for) USAID spending, but you could eliminate every penny and you and I wouldn’t notice as taxpayers.

      The main things you should be worrying about are Social Security, Medicare, and the defense budget. Those broad categories account for nearly 3/4 of where our tax money goes (well, not really, about 27% of it is borrowed; you could make the case that all of our tax money goes to mandatory spending and defense and we just borrow everything that funds the rest of what the federal government does).

  6. Derek nobody really gives a shit about you and your weekly low IQ attempt to provoke the GTP Faithful and feign relevance, if only in your mind.
    JP, This forum and whatever purpose it once served has been irretrievably damaged by this fucktard…for the sake of all that was good about what Bluto built on this platform please pull the plug on this asshole.

    • Would you like to offer anything on the topics under discussion?

      • Did I say…This forum and whatever purpose it once served has been irretrievably damaged by this fucktard…(meaning you)?

          • Maybe he’s on it as a way to vent the inner rage he’s built up listening to right wing propaganda, but that’s just a guess.

  7. TO MANEY PEOPLE LIVING OFF THE GOVERMENT WHO ARE ABLE TO WORK BUT DONT BECOUSE OF ALL THE FREE MONEY THE DEMORCATS GAVE OUT TO KEEP THEM AT HOME THEY NEED TO GO TO WORK AND PAY TAXES LIKE THE REST OF US.

  8. No offense to anyone. However, there are a million political blogs one can view, discuss and toss haymakers at people. I would hope Dawg fans could find one place to read about the puppies and not get into political fights with each other. Request the admin just consider this –

    • Evidently Derek would lose his last and only reason for living…

    • Here they get to do it on Wednesday and not every day by hijacking football posts.

      Or not at all. Your choice.

      • You serve no purpose except in your mind. Nobody talks politics in other threads and it’s not because of your weekly wank off in the playpen. That would not happen.If it’s up to me kill it now. But you won’t …without it you believe your existence is meaningless as no one would ever respond to your post. As they don’t now in other threads. Because you are an asshole. You know it … we all know it. Just leave and I bet no one will miss you.

  9. I can’t believe we didn’t do habeas corpus today. Shit is getting real folks. Trump’s guy actually called it a “privilege” in a front lawn interview, which is insane. The Magna Carta had it in 1215. Let’s all back down, smell the roses and get ready rumble.

    • Stephen Miller aka Dollar Store Goebbels is quite the ghoul isn’t he? As long as brown people are the ones suffering, MAGA and the GOP won’t give two shits. They either share in the sadism of Miller and the “Dear Leader” or just turn a blind eye to it citing “if they were here legally, this wouldn’t happen.”. They will cling to their piety hoping that will absolve them from their inaction in response to the lack of humanity and the lawlessness in how it’s happening. I never thought we’d ever see the day that we’d have high level government figures openly talking about the suspension of habeas corpus while smiling for cameras. But grievance, hate and fear are powerful agents and the Trump GOP have been terrifyingly effective at harnessing those forces to their advantage. Yes, the unchecked flow of people across the border is a security issue. Yes, there are individuals in that group who pose a real threat to others. I am 1000% behind removing those individuals from our nation. But the overwhelming majority of those folks are here to live a life in relative security and provide for the people they love. This administration has chosen to dehumanize these folks to justify the cruelty being employed as the solution to the problem.
      We pride ourselves on being a nation that values human life but to enact solutions that preserve that humanity would require a scalpel rather than the hatchet this administration loves to employ. A thoughtful, measured policy requires work and doesn’t keep the base or its opponents wound up and angry. To them, the ends justify the means. Even if that means eradicating the very things that are meant to protect us from an overzealous government. Owning the libs is just too satisfying for some.

  10. Habeas corpus is a constitutional right. It’s enshrined in Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, which states that “the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it”.
    It it protected under the Constitution, the Constitution applys to US Citizins (ONLY). Over the last 4 years President Autopen, Mayorkus and whoever was running the show allowed an estimated 20 mill potential terrorist accross the border. That constitutes an invasion. If you have any questions about who was coming in look up Laken Riley. You people should get your information from somewhere besides Derek and his sources.

    • If it only applies to U.S. citizens then why are they discussing suspending it? What would be the point? Why suspend our rights in order to prosecute those who have no rights here?

      • Because Democrats/liberals are trying to bestow the Constitutional privilige afforded to US Citizens on the illegal criminals as a way to block our Government from sending them back to wherever the fuck they came from. This is encouraged by the under informed who get their propaganda spoon fed to them by legacy media / local TV news and Radio. These low IQ emotionalist are tweaked by dumbshits like Derek and anarchist / activist in black robes who keep claiming these illegal criminals have the same rights as US Citizens as a way to block the mandate to remove them given to Trump and his administration through the last election.
        “The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it”
        President Autopen and his puppet masters allowed over 20 million people, (the invasion that triggers Habius Corpus) many flown in from prisons and mental institutions that were emptied out in these third world countries to invade the US. (Think Mariel boatlift and Laken Riley.) The liberal mind is so emotionally manipulated to hate anything that resembles Freedom and Patriotism (think Derek) they can be whipped into a frenzy by presenting MS-13 gang member/human trafficer / wife beaters as victim’s to slow down his return to El Salvador. You also have the Congressman from Maryland getting wall to wall favorable coverage for going to visit his “constituent”at the brand new prison down there. Also, recently the NJ Mayor and his people tried to break through security at the ICE detention facility as a way to slow down the return what they planned to be future democrat voters.

        • Seems like more than a few of those “activists/anarchists are GOP appointees”. I think most folks are okay (at least in principle)with the idea of people who are here illegally being removed. Problem is that “mistakes” have been made, like student visas being revoked suddenly causing their status to be “illegal” or folks who are here legally being rounded up and held for weeks at a time without so much as an opportunity to prove otherwise.

          • If you don’t know how politicians and judges are leveraged look up P Diddy, Epstein, Bill Clinton Prince Andrew, Bill Gates, everybody in HollyWood and everybody in DC. Nobody gets on TV and speaks for the Entertainment Industry or either Political party without being controlled by pictures of a live boy or a dead girl until Trump. (He is the most investigated man in the history of the world. If he was leveraged we would have know it along time ago. Whether you admit it or not our entire DOJ (all the way down) is leveraged and was weaponized to go after Trump. Wanting to send him to jail for 475 years and bankrupt him to take his campaign cash. Just because you don’t understand what is happening doesnt mean it isnt.

    • Where did you get that 20 million number? Every source I checked had that number around 11 million. That’s probably still too many, but far from the number you’ve been led to believe. My understanding of an invasion is one of a mass movement of state actors into another sovereign nation seeking to achieve political ends via militaristic means. See Russia and Ukraine. Also, they don’t appear to be all “crossing the border” either. Many of those folks enter legally and overstay their visas. None of this constitutes an invasion from my limited understanding. What happened to Laken Riley was was beyond tragic and yes, had that man that committed that heinous act not been here, her young life wouldn’t have met a violent end. Individuals that commit crimes and are here outside the law should be removed. But, the chances of what happened to her are more likely to come at the hands of one of her fellow countrymen than someone who emigrated here outside the law. Her death was a political prop used by Trump and the GOP to continue to use fear of “the other” to win political favor.

      I grew up and live in a part of the state with a large Latino population. They started coming here 30 years ago and began working in the local plants taking the jobs our sons of the soil wouldn’t take, cheaply. Yes, there have been issues with gangs and criminal activity. But that’s not uncommon in places with people living at or below the poverty line. Most of the people I’ve encountered in that community are good, hard working folks just looking for a better life for themselves and their kids. The second and third generations of these folks are now realizing the American Dream. The kids are now going to college and entering the workforce with the same kind of work ethic their parents modeled for them and it’s pretty awesome to see. They’re investing into their communities and starting businesses. In fact, I’ve yet to see a Latino ever panhandling in my neck of the woods. As far as my sources are concerned, I’ve posted them below.

      https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/22/what-we-know-about-unauthorized-immigrants-living-in-the-us/

      https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/illegal-immigrant-incarceration-rates-2010-2023#methodology

    • How many “potential terrorists” crossed the border AFTER Trump ordered the Immigration Bill to come to a halt?

      If you really believed what you say, you would have been appalled that Trump stood in the way or resolving the issue.

  11. Well from the initial line of your previous post… “Stephen Miller aka Dollar Store Goebbels is quite the ghoul isn’t he? As long as brown people are the ones suffering, MAGA and the GOP won’t give two shits.”
    Anything after that from you tells me you are just trying to bitch about Trump. So I will get to the bottom line You and and the rest of the yella dog Democrats lost the election along with your new bedfellows the blue haired cat owning them / theys …CNN hasn’t told you yet but you and the boys at the raquet club who put the “brown ones” to work cleaning their pools don’t have a clue about whats going on yet…and by citing the Cato and Pew “Think” tanks shows you are not aware of the influence our deep rooted Government Bureacracies have on the reports that help you justify your position. (you should do a dive on The Mockingbird media)
    Little background for you…and you dont have to believe it because you probably havn’t heard it at the Club Gatherings. First you should look up “the beast of Jekyll Island” then do a deep dive in every neverending war in shit hole countries that keep us paying taxes to the FED to feed the Military Industrial Complex. The USA is the Biggest Business in the World (by a lot) Trump has executed a hostile takeover and like any good businessman he is auditing the books (Doge) and eliminating entrenched and hostile bureaucracies. I would suggest you go back to his initial inaugeration in 2017 where he tells America exactly what he is going to do.
    “Return America from the people seated behind me, back to the American Citizen”. and if you don’t like that it doesn’t matter… never heard you say one word while this Country was run in the ground the last 4 years.

    • What will the annual deficit be in 2027?

      Why did the annual deficit go up in each and every year of Trump 1?

    • Maybe I was a little snarky in the beginning of my response. I apologize for any offense I may have caused. The man literally stood in front of reporters stating that the administration’s goal was to suspend habeas corpus for folks being rounded up. Miller is also the architect of the first Trump administration’s family separation policy. So, if the brown shirt fits. Again the cruelty is the point with him. Show me how these folks have been treated in a humane way? Whisked away in a van and put on a plane to a hell hole in El Salvador without so much as the opportunity to plead your case before a judge? You can choose to see it however you want. Totally fine. I say that as someone who voted for Trump in 2016. You have me mistaken for someone else if you somehow believe that I belong to some elitist cabal who hates Trump just because he’s a republican. I’m well versed in conservative talk show talking points and believed a few of them myself for a while. Other than my chosen house of worship, I belong to no “cubs”. I’m one of the poors and the sophisticates of the world would rather avoid associating with the likes of me. If a McCain republican had run for president, I would’ve probably voted for them. Instead they decided to go with the guy who was sitting under two federal indictments. To your point about Trump’s legal woes. When the DOJ asks for their documents back, return them…ALL of them instead of telling your attorney to sign off stating you did while knowing you kept a few back. I know, that damn weaponized DOJ persecuting Trump for not doing what he’d been asked to do by the feds. That damn Obama got him again. Also, when you lie repeatedly about losing an election and the crowd that you called to the capitol starts a riot that involves assaulting cops and destroying federal property it’s all Biden right? I don’t not like Trump because he’s a republican. I don’t like Trump because he’s wholeheartedly unfit for office and probably should be awaiting sentencing for his crimes. Instead, he’s in the oval office. Truth hurts and that is the truth of the matter no matter how much I don’t like it. See, that’s how democratic republics work.

      You can google to cite other, more “reputable” sources if you’d like. I did and I saw others that gave similar numbers. But feel free to source your info from something other than Trump spouting off numbers in a speech. I’ll make a deal with you. You stop watching Newsmax/OAN/Fox or whatever QAnon brained sources of news you consume and I’ll find other uncompromised sources of info outside of the culprits you listed and we’ll reconvene.

      Who exactly are “these people seated behind me”? In my view, I’m no better or deserving of anything than any other man regardless of where they are from. I just want to live my life in relative security and peace and be afforded the opportunity to build a life for myself and my family. I believe these folks especially those that have been contributing to their communities deserve the same.

      As a Christian, I believe The Gospel demands we extend care and compassion to those less fortunate. To the widow, the orphan and the alien. That means extending hospitality and compassion to those in need. It also demands that we treat others with the dignity and humanity afforded to them solely because they bear the image of God. The words and actions of this administration reflect exactly zero of those ideals. No matter how many photo ops in front of churches and how many Bibles the man hocks for profit. He’s the antithesis of The Gospel.

      • You don’t like Trump, Hey I get it 98% of the coverage on him is horrible. You do not understand or care to understand the depth of corruption our Goverment has been in for well over a 100 years. (Look up Smedley Butler). You havn’t looked up the Fed / or Blackrock/state street (and most importaintly Vanguard) to see what and who are behind them. (Just for giggles see how many media companies Blackrock and Larry Fink own controlling interest in). I’m in the energy busines and as such I’ve had a front row seat at how politicians get picked and then controlled and how media manipulates the sheep into thinking they are the ones picking the elected. I’m not going to change your mind about Trump because in the land of CNN, Stacy Abrams and Kemp the good people of Georgia (where I grew up) have been mushroomized for years. All I can say is I believe we are coming into a better America with Trump where the game is not fixed. Where a guy with a good idea isn’t taken out by special interest who control the game. Where our currency is backed by Gold and our Goverments representatives actually represent the people and are not corrupt. Where we are not printing money out of thin air and charging the tax payers interest. If Trump wasn’t a threat to that system why have they tried so hard to kill him?
        And no Derek I still don’t give a shit about your opinion.

        • Nor any regard for facts, reality or the common damn sense God gave a mule.

          Who had the largest (by far) year of printing money in history of the US?

          Oh never mind, I’m sure the vast ______ conspiracy made it falsely appear that he did it.

        • I don’t share your optimism at all. John Maxwell talks about something called the Law of the Lid. The basic explanation of the law is this…An organization’s success is predicated on the ability of its leadership. Donald Trump is the antithesis to competent leadership. He’s a manipulative and dishonest individual. He literally bankrupted TWO casinos. I’ve watched a man whose ego is so fragile he bristles at any hint of criticism and accountability like a petulant child. Dozens of his former staffers have all said he’s uniquely unequipped to serve in the highest office. What do these people have to gain by lying about the man? They’ve all sacrificed their own political careers and suffered death threats from his batshit followers? Why would anyone endure any of that for a lie? I know your immediate answer will be that they were part of “the establishment” and that testimony should be dismissed. He blames others at every turn when things go wrong. He cuddles up to autocrats and despots like they were the star quarterback of a high school team. He’s not ending corruption. He’s actively engaging in it. Let’s check his meme coin scam he’s currently running. The man is offering access to the Whitehouse in exchange for the highest investors. He’s accepting $400 million planes from states that are knowingly harboring terrorists. He’s making deals with a Saudi monarch who murdered and dismembered a journalist. The man is a malignant narcissist who cares nothing about the law, this nation or it’s people. It’s all anger, revenge and self interest. Every decision he makes is for his own benefit. Self absorbed men incapable of accepting criticism and accepting responsibility of their actions are entirely unfit and incapable of leading. If we survive the next 4 years, it will be despite Trump and his gaggle of lackeys actions, not because them.

  12. Go away troll, educate yourself then you can participate in an informed discussion. In the meantime nobody gives a shit about your opinion.

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