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Deutschmeister's avatar

"Retribution." And there you have it. The magic word spoken, for all to hear. That is the official GOP agenda now, lacking any countermanding messaging.

It should be an automatic disqualifier for any serious, legitimate aspirant for public office. I cannot remember another time when a major party candidate dared to speak so openly of wanting to tear down and destroy the loyal opposition -- not because it is right, rather simply because Trump can get away with it. It was jarring to watch the news yesterday and see lowlights of Trump's speech, calling for a party platform of grievance, anger, and destruction, at the expense of any semblance of a positive message and plan for all Americans, and then see Biden at the Pettus bridge, striving for unity and inclusion. One nation, two extremes of ideology. One builds a newer, better bridge. The other blows it up for the fun of it, with no plan to replace it.

How anyone can align with the GOP in such an obviously imbalanced either-or choice is beyond my ability to comprehend. But then we've learned: it's about the cruelty. Somehow. Their mothers must be so proud.

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Eric73's avatar

Retribution? I couldn't agree more, Donnie. I've got some serious retribution on my mind. In fact, it's on my bucket list to make a pilgrimage to your mortuary on the 18th hole so I can piss on your grave.

LOCK. HIM. UP.

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Mike S's avatar

Went to a town hall forum with my Congresswoman on Saturday, very red Midwest small town. To her credit, she regularly takes the time to do these and face the people. I got to pose a question, something like this: "Several months ago Trump suggested suspending the Constitution to reinstall him as President. Can you comment on how this reflects on his fitness as a GOP candidate?"

Got some growls from the faithful, and a generic "everyone will have to make up their own minds and I believe there will be many good candidates" talking point from my rep. I persisted a bit with a follow-up "how is it consistent with your oath of office to defend and support the Constitution that you won't comment on this attack on our Constitution by an ex-President"?

Struck a nerve - she yelled back that she honors her oath of office every day. Still had nothing to say about the leader of her party shitting on that same oath. All fear, no shame.

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M. Trosino's avatar

"All fear, no shame."

Maybe you should trademark that. It just might catch on in some circles. If it doesn't, it should, because that's pretty much it in a nutshell for a majority of these schmoes.

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Sheri Smith's avatar

Trump left out the line “I am your hemorrhoid.”

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Brent_in_FL's avatar

The perfect complement to Kennedy's "I am a jelly donut."

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M. Trosino's avatar

There are no longer *any* disqualifiers for GOP candidates for public office, automatic or otherwise. Except, perhaps, a fealty to the concepts of truth and the rule of law. Oh, yeah...and a sense of common good for the country, along with common sense itself.

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Mike Lew's avatar

Saying naughty things about 45 seems to be a disqualifier. :)

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R Mercer's avatar

It is not a disqualifier per se, it just makes it next to impossible to actually win.

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Liberal Cynic's avatar

You make a cogent, well thought out case against ever voting Republican.

But Biden wants to tax corporations at 25%, so...checkmate, atheist.

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Jane in NC's avatar

Republicans want to tax every American at 30%. Tilt.

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E. A. Bare's avatar

Personally I think corporations should be paying taxes back at the pre Bush tax cut levels, dividends and capital gains should be taxed as ordinary income, and folks accumulating more than a million dollars a year should pay at least 25% tax on that.

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Liberal Cynic's avatar

I wasn't making an argument for any particular level of corporate taxation.

I was mocking Republicans that will vote for anyone, even Trump, with an R next to his name because Democrats want to do X.

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Mar 6, 2023
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knowltok's avatar

I'm all for taxing all of their compensation as income, but the problem with stock options is that the day they get them, they aren't worth anything (usually). Stock is trading at $100 per share. Exec gets 1,000 options to buy the stock at $100 per share. Worth nothing directly on day one. A year later, when the stock is trading at $110 per share they are worth $10 x 1,000 = $10,000. If the stock price is at $100 or less, they are still worthless.

Now that's overly simplistic, and certainly having options is worth more than not having options, but the stock price has to go up for them to get value.

Point is, tax the eventual return on exercising them as normal income with all the other taxes (SS, medicare, etc.), but trying to tax them up front is fairly problematic.

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Bart Harley Jarvis's avatar

No need for name calling; however, I’m not familiar with the ‘Checkmate Atheist’ denomination.

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CW Stanford's avatar

Thanks for this question. I was looking up and down the page for comments by someone called "athiest."

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Bart Harley Jarvis's avatar

Thanks, just amusing myself this a.m.

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Terry Mc Kenna's avatar

Sorry but your message is not clear. Are you stating that taxing corporations at 25% is a deal breaker for you? And please don't tell me that corps don't pay taxes, that we do.

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R Mercer's avatar

I read it as sarcasm, based upon the OP's post history.

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Liberal Cynic's avatar

Mercer gets me.

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Craig Sharon's avatar

False equivalence?

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Liberal Cynic's avatar

Nope, mockery of people that will vote for any terrible Republican because they can't fathom voting for a Democrat, ever.

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Mike Lew's avatar

I stand corrected. :)

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Mike Lew's avatar

The false equivalence is folks who aren't being sarcastic. :)

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Mike Lew's avatar

The House is investigating weaponizing the federal government, so we're good. Right? :)

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KMD's avatar

Retribution. Like the MAGA asshat said, “When do we get to use our guns?”

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JF's avatar

The WWJD>MAGA crowd is more than a little ironic. Or paradoxical. “Christian” values?

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suzc's avatar

Not Christians. Dominionists. Nothing to do with Christ.

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JF's avatar

Yes, thank you. A new vocabulary & glossary is required. Also “Christian Nationalists” is a qualifier.

Basically, they use religion as a weapon. Which is pretty typical across the globe.

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suzc's avatar

A retired minister friend once told me "The worst thing that happened to Christ wasn't the crucifixion but that a religion was named for him."

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JF's avatar

Good point; ruined the guy’s reputation. Which is a universal problem with all the world’s major religions.

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knowltok's avatar

I'm reminded of a road I occasionally drive on. One of the driveways has a gate across it. Most driveways on this particular road don't. The gate has a WWJD sign on it.

My mind really can't get past the thought, "Probably not have a gate on his driveway."

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JF's avatar

Lol! I had a similar thought when I drove past a gated community called Harmony Heights. “Harmony” would assume no need for gates, according to my vocabulary.

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rlritt's avatar

I think its harmony inside, disharmony outside.

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JF's avatar

Yup, that tracks.

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