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David Thornton's avatar

Presidents change the WH, yes, but they don’t demolish half of it, especially on a whim, without permits or any sort of approval and after promising not to.

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

The silence from the "don't tear down muh statues" crowd is deafening.

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

On the plus side, raising money to undo his additions won't be hard to raise from the rest of the country that's appalled at the vandalism.

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SGman's avatar

And: where's the money actually coming from? They state from donations (aka bribes), but that money hasn't actually been raised yet - so that means the Treasury is paying for it without any appropriation or authorization to do so.

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Steve Cheung's avatar

When everyone is a “Hitler”, then nobody is.

Insane and stupid hyperbole has a societal cost, and we are all paying it at this point.

It’s like when dumb righties mindlessly fling “communist” around. Although I guess “Stalin” would be a more apropos like-for-like comparo.

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SGman's avatar

The biggest voices I've seen re Platner is Bernie (not a Democrat) and his supporters (not Democrats).

It's also weird because he's literally a primary candidate, not even the establishment pick - that's Janet Mills.

But we'll have to see if this truly ends up as a Tea Party-type period for the Dems, running terrible candidates in winnable races.

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

I was hoping you would be correct -that influential democrats would not side with socialists and communists. Hakeem Jefferies, House minority leader, has now endorsed Mamdani as has Kathy Hochul. Hope for a governable nation is fading.

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SGman's avatar
1dEdited

Dunno where Mamdani comes into this talk about Platner, but - Mamdani is currently tacking very much towards regular liberal policy and decidedly non-Communist positions (which is already pissing off leftists, to my amusement). Compared to either Cuomo or Sliwa, it's kinda their only choice for an acceptable candidate.

And still: it's for the mayor of one city. That's little to do with a governable nation, as opposed to the Communist sitting in the Oval Office.

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

And you dare call others tribalists.

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SGman's avatar

Hey, I ain't voting for the guy (can't) - and I haven't argued in favor of his dumb ideas (like city owned grocery stores in food deserts or rent freezes).

The interesting thing is that Cuomo is harming any chance of the GOP candidate (Sliwa), as Mamdani is actually quite weak.

In regards to the NYC mayor, I've been saying and will continue to say - it's not of any real national importance. It tends to end up being a dead-end position, and if NYC voters end up dissatisfied they'll remove him in the next election.

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PJ Cummings's avatar

I enjoy your work, Steve. Thank you.

One thing though, and it’s small, but you seem to paint Joe Rogan with a similar brush as Tucker Carlson.

You can’t seriously describe Joe as a fire brand conservative, ruthlessly demonizing the Left. How much JRE have you listened to

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Patricia Gauthier's avatar

Steve Cheung’s comment, “ When everyone is a Hitler, then nobody is” sums up what you intended to be the main point. It is a bit hard to tell sometimes what your main point is Steve. No matter what you write about, you always manage to get your digs in for Trump and Republicans. But your comments about Jay Johnson’s violent words were not at all helpful when you threw Gilbert into the mix by your statement about him being one of three who are worthy of a bullet… What are you thinking?!!! Then you call Vance a liar and frame him as a lurking danger who could step into a presidential role. But you provide no examples of Vance’s lies, leaving the impression you want your readers to just be suspicious of Vance and other Republicans lurking in the midst. So, I guess we should just trust Democrats? Finally, let’s be fair: Jews were not the only people Hitler made “unhappy.” He exterminated 6 million non Jews such as gypsies, political opponents and Christians who helped Jews, hiding them, feeding them and getting them out of Germany. Neither Trump nor anyone in the present administration is Hitler and you know it.

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

Vance's lies and eager willingness to be deceitful isn't hard to encounter. Here's a solid sample from the state that he used to represent[1].

And for what it's worth, Vance may have been calling Trump a "Hitler" long before the rest of us here[2].

[1] https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/06/24/as-veep-former-ohio-u-s-sen-jd-vance-just-cant-stop-trolling-gaslighting-and-flip-flopping/

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlJoFcq_lRU

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SGman's avatar

Vance and RFK Jr., for two examples of current Trump admin members that have called him Hitler.

I can't recall any elected Dems doing so - but I could just not be recalling correctly.

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Patricia Gauthier's avatar

SGman: I never heard them say that and I follow these 2 closely.

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SGman's avatar

Both said so during the 2016 election campaign. Just go search for "Vance called Trump Hitler" or "RFK Jr called Trump Hitler" and you'll find it.

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Steve Berman's avatar

I’m reporting and quoting what other people said.

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Patricia Gauthier's avatar

Oh yes… I know that. I thought you meant they were now doing so. I remember Vance admitting he was against Trump in 2016. But by the time he met Trump in 2021, he had said Trump had done a good job and he had changed his mind. That’s OK- many have. However, he is not Trump and does not have the business skills, nor geographical breadth of world population diversity, nor skill with diverse U.S.populations as Trump, the NY tycoon. Vance went from school to marines to government. But he is very smart and so far bold and loyal. So we’ll see how he develops. As for RFK, he is a lifelong Democrat whose party kicked him to the curb. He turned to Trump to form a coalition and is doing the best he can in the swamp. So whatever he said before about Trump does not concern me.

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

"does not have the business skills"

We're calling underperforming the S&P 500 "business skills" now?

Talk about the the soft bigotry of low expectations!

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Patricia Gauthier's avatar

You should read “ Under Siege” if you want to learn about his business skills and much more. It is a very well written book.

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

That needs clarification. What / who is underperforming the S&P 500?

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

And another data point - the DJT stock (Truth Social) has been trading nearer to its 52 week low for most of the past year (including recent months) than it's been trading near its post-election high[1].

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/DJT

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

From 2021:

"The result is that the oft-repeated, long-false claim that Trump would have been richer if he’d just stuck his inheritance in the S&P 500 has—finally—turned into truth. As of today, Trump would be an estimated $400 million richer if he had just put his father’s money in the index."[1]

I'm not sure where he's at now - whether the grifting is outpacing the AI bubble that's undergirding the market right now...

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2021/10/11/its-official-trump-would-be-richer-if-he-had-just-invested-his-inheritance-into-the-sp500/

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

Thanks. I don't doubt it. That was long a contention of Vanguard founder, John Bogle. But it does show Trump is successfully growing the national economy.

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SGman's avatar

And this counters the original statement how, exactly?

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Patricia Gauthier's avatar

I already stated my complaint in my response to Steve.

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SGman's avatar

Yes, you've made it obvious that your entire complaint is that Steve is not being tribal.

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SGman's avatar

So your complaint is the Steve is calling balls and strikes and not being tribal?

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

Just as the slandering of Ron DeSantis began almost as soon as the 2020 election was over, so it is with J. D. Vance. I'm just surprised Steve is leading the charge.

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Steve Berman's avatar

Who, me? I’m just reporting it. Hitler was evil. I don’t throw that around on others.

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

I don't believe you would call anyone Hitler, but you did call Vance a world-class liar. There are too many classes of non-truths that do not qualify as lies. Forgetting exact details, changing one's opinion, repeating a false report that one believed, etc.

In one of your posts (or maybe in a comment) you repeated the Charlottesville Hoax, probably because you believed it sounded to you like something Trump might say. In a comment to me about another of your posts shortly before the 2024 election, you said you would eat your hat if Trump carried Georgia. I'll bet you did not eat your hat.

I would not call you a liar because of either of those statements or even if you denied making them. I would just assume you forgot.

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

Where does accusing Haitian immigrants in Springfield of eating neighbors' cats and dogs fall on your spectrum of "non-truths"?

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

Repeating a report he heard from his constituents.

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Chris J. Karr's avatar

So, Vance cannot fail - he can only be failed. :-)

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Steve Berman's avatar

..that Vance absolutely knew was false. Repeating a lie makes you a participant in the lie, a liar. There are many examples of Vance lying and dissembling. He’s a politician, and a smart man. I would like him personally no doubt. But he is a liar.

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Curtis Stinespring's avatar

Maybe but not a world-class liar like Clinton, Obama, Biden and Mayorkas.

I believe it could be true. I believed my dad when he said all the stray dogs disappeared when a large number of Laotian illegals moved into close-by neighborhoods in Habersham County. I do not know much about Haitians except that the Dominican Republic considered them undesirable enough to build a wall along its border with Haiti.

I understand that slander of any potential Republican presidential nominees with ties to Trump will continue through the 2028 election.

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