THE TRUMP PRESIDENCY

[Duchess]

So let me see if I understand this from the brief news reports I've heard today. Some guy on the committee investigating the Russian/Trump campaign potential connection went running over to the White House today and, without telling anyone on the committee, told Trump (who, along with his committee IS being investigated), the press and everyone that would listen that they might have found some tidbit of information that supports Trump's assertion that he was NOT being "wire tapped" but he was possibly under some sort of surveillance. So, he told one of the people being investigated likely classified information about the persons/group being investigated.

Is that about it?

Yup, that's about it. This was surprising to many people, it shouldn't have been though. Devin Nunes was part of the transition team yet, he's also on the committee investigating those on the transition team. He publicly discussed FISA approved surveillance and he attributed his information to an anonymous source. This was a complete breakdown of the oversight process. Why would a high ranking chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence immolate himself in front of his country? I'm more curious about THAT than I am the info he gave trump. I think Nunes was tricked but then I think, surely he's not that stupid to fall for an old spy trick.

[Carsman]

I tried my damndest to believe The Donald would start to come around to sanity after becoming POTUS!

It pains me now to have to say, I also feel he should be impeached! Every day, just when you think it can't get any worse, damn it sure does!

It's a shame the Democrats couldn't have come up with someone more appealing to "all the voter's" other than Hillary! (I know she got the majority vote, but not the needed states with electoral votes Trump won) Hillary would have been 4 more years of Obama, and many people didn't want that.

[Maggot]

Strong is the hatred Trump of here.

[username]

Strong is the hatred Trump of here.

I don't hate the guy; I just think he's way over his thick, blonde hair for this job (he's giving us blondes a bad name, matter of fact).

I also feel somewhat sorry for the angry, blue collar workers that came out in support of him. So far, besides wrecking the environment and getting tougher on immigration (especially from the middle east), I don't see how those people are or will benefit. They want a new health care law that will ultimately leave 24 million uninsured and cost older folks more and the wealthy less? Plus he wants to throw money cut from social services to the defense industry. Unless you work for a defense contractor (my brother) monetarily, the cuts will again hurt the poor while we make ourselves a bigger stick. I like having the biggest stick. But our defense spending (last time I checked)...Heh-heh. I decided to look up a 2016 pie chart and came across this:




Anyway, you CAN'T tell me that there's not a HUGE amount of waste in defense spending. HUGE!! I think if someone bothered to really dig in to that they could get a whole lot more out of the money that's already being spent as opposed to throwing more money at it.

Instead they want to do away with Planned Parenthood and Paul Ryan reminds us that Social Security/Medicaid will be bankrupt in 5-10 years or something. I believe that. And I believe that those programs need to be examined as well but "drain the swamp" to ME means looking at wasteful, special interest spending and cutting that (first). Maybe I'm delusional like Trump. "Wire tapping" to him means "any kind of surveillance".

If the new healthcare law does away with the pre-existing condition provision or the coverage for young adults until age 26 (or whatever it was moved to) I'ma be pissed. Otherwise several of his executive orders are personally beneficial. My husband has been SWIMMING in regulations the last few years. Some federally mandated, some coming down from BofA in an effort to avoid lawsuits. For example, at some point in the near future, new statements (including investment statements obviously) will include the broker's fees in LARGE TYPE on the front page of the god damn statement. They're in there now but BofA (or is it the regulatory agency?) is requiring that they be front page/center. For those that actually work hard for their clients (and possibly make them lots of money) it can still be jarring to get slapped in the face with that.

But Trump...

President Donald Trump will order a sweeping review of the Dodd-Frank Act rules enacted in response to the 2008 financial crisis, a White House official said, signing an executive action Friday designed to significantly scale back the regulatory system put in place in 2010.

Trump also will halt another of former President Barack Obama’s regulations, hated by the financial industry, that requires advisers on retirement accounts to work in the best interests of their clients. Trump’s order will give the new administration time to review the change, known as the fiduciary rule.


Ha Ha! Wouldn't want advisers working in the best interest of their clients.


https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/artic...dodd-frank

And what did he do during the campaign? Drag Hillary through the mud for any and all connections she had to Wall Street. Really Donald? For shame.

[HairOfTheDog]

You bad.

I'm having trouble having any sympathy for those who didn't know their insurance was Obamacare, "it's horrible, it sucks. I want to keep my ACA plan". Hahaha.

This "tryan" healthcare is never going to pass, no way, no how. I firmly believe that but if I have to come back and eat crow, I will.

No crow dinner for you.

President Trump met with the conservative Freedom Caucus wing of the Republican Congress this week to negotiate their votes on the Trump/Ryan American Health Care bill.

At today's press briefing, Sean Spicer said that the bill would be voted on tonight and it would pass the House, period. When asked by a reporter, he said there was no Plan B.

Well...........they did not have enough 'yes' votes in queue to go to vote and get passage. So, the vote has been postponed.

I actually agree with the Freedom Caucus on this one. The bill is shit. It forces people to continue paying for coverage items they don't need (like senior males buying policies that include maternity care) and it raises premiums and deductibles for the most vulnerable, while giving big tax breaks to the wealthy.

[HairOfTheDog]

I don't hate Trump and think it's weird that some of his devotees associate objective analyses and opinions regarding his presidential actions with 'hatred' when those analyses and opinions are not positive.

The fact is that Trump's vague and vociferous campaign promises are off to a bad start: the travel/immigration ban is on hold for the second time, the healthcare repeal and replace plan has been delayed (by Republicans) because the replacement plan is shitty and short-sighted, Mexico is not paying for The Wall, Trump has not drained the swamp of lobbyists -- he's instead populated his administration with lobbyists, etc...

And, speaking of lobbyists, the conservative billionaire Koch Brothers very much opposed the Trump/Ryan healthcare bill and offered up millions to campaign against it yesterday, calling it Obamacare 2.0.

So far, I'm not seeing Trump as the great 'Negotiator In Chief", as Kellyanne Conway likes to call him.

Hopefully, Trump (and/or those who whisper in his ear) are learning from these early failures and will get better at governing and putting Americans' interests first, instead of trying to rush things through for personal political gain (and relying on threats and juvenile insults to get their way).

[username]

The Obama Care repeal and replace put forth...WTH? Here again, as I understand it, the CBO says it will cost more over within the next two years, far fewer people will be covered and I haven't heard any solid assurances that the aspects of the program that most people liked (the removal of the life time cap, raising the age limit for having your older kids on your policy and the stipulation that the insurance companies can't deny based on pre-existing conditions).

A lot of Republicans know they're putting forth a shit bill and the ONLY reason for doing so is they've been telling their constituents for years that they'd repeal Obama care the first chance they had. But the vote was put off another week because enough Republicans feel uncomfortable voting for a shit sandwich; regardless of what they told their constituents.

What a mess.

[Duchess]

Strong is the hatred Trump of here.

I feel a few things but hate isn't one of them. Didn't we just have this conversation a week or so ago? I did feel a tiny bit gleeful thinking that trump supporters would be stuck with trumpcare but I keep tamping that down because that's just plain mean spirited so now I think that everyone should get what they deserve, that sounds so much more fair minded.

[Duchess]

No crow dinner for you.

I still have concerns, maybe more now than ever before now that I have a better understanding of this Republican party. This is not a group of people that care about their fellow man, no siree bob. I've had moments where I think they are only doing this because they've spent the past several years slinging snot and whining about it. Now that they are up to the plate they barely have a clue as to what to do.

This bill only has a 17% approval rating and a President with a 37% approval rating is going to force a vote on it this morning.

These lawmakers are discussing taking away maternity coverage. Do you see anything remarkable about it?

[HairOfTheDog]

Well, in attempt to win over the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, Trump and Ryan have removed the mandate for insurance companies to cover the "10 Essential Health Benefits" in all healthcare plans.



The way it works currently is that everybody with insurance coverage pays for those benefits even though no one will likely use them all. Those who elect not to secure healthcare insurance help to pay for those services through the annual individual tax for non-coverage.

That allows insurance companies to stay profitable and everyone to have more expansive coverage when they need it. Without the essentials requirement, a lot of insurance companies won't cover all of the essentials in their packages and people will have to pay out of pocket for those services or just avoid seeking care. Removal of the essentials requirement is also expected to reduce the federal budget deficit.

Whether that major revision will allow Trump and Ryan to get the Freedom Caucus votes they need to pass the shitty bill in the House remains to be seen. And, even if it does, it may drive some moderate Republicans to turn from 'yes' votes to 'no' votes.

It will be interesting to see whether Trump can get the net votes he needs in the next few hours. If not, he says he's moving on and leaving Obamacare in place, leaving conservative Republicans holding the bag with their conservative constituents to whom they've promised for 7 years that they would push to repeal and replace Obamacare. If so, the bill moves to the Senate where the fight continues.

[Duchess]

I saw that referred to as buying car insurance that doesn't cover accidents.

What is so wrong about working together, Democrats & Republicans, and drafting something that helps ALL Americans. Why can't they get past their petty differences and work for the people. I'm so sick of seeing/hearing myself say that.

[Maggot]

Replacing a shitty healthcare system with a shitty healthcare system sounds about right. Both are new taxes at any rate. But as with any entitlement law once passed its hard to replace or even fix. Everyone knows this. I would think that in the future a person could get many insurance policies for various problems for cheaper rates like say a pregnancy insurance or a physiological policy or maybe even an internal medicine policy. But giving an insurance policy to people for free is a cockamainy way to do business.

[HairOfTheDog]

What is so wrong about working together, Democrats & Republicans, and drafting something that helps ALL Americans. Why can't they get past their petty differences and work for the people. I'm so sick of seeing/hearing myself say that.[/i][/size]

You're right, that's how it should be.

But, the ideological divide between the two parties is so wide that, in my opinion, it's become a matter of 'winning politically' rather than compromising and working for the best interest of Americans.

I think single-payer (essentially Medicare for all) is the way to go, personally. Higher taxes for everyone, but savings in terms of having to purchase private healthcare insurance and pay high deductibles and premiums. If some people want private coverage, they can purchase it at their own cost.

[Maggot]

What is so wrong about working together, Democrats & Republicans, and drafting something that helps ALL Americans. Why can't they get past their petty differences and work for the people. I'm so sick of seeing/hearing myself say that.[/i][/size]

You're right, that's how it should be.

But, the ideological divide between the two parties is so wide that, in my opinion, it's become a matter of 'winning politically' rather than compromising and working for the best interest of Americans.

I think single-payer (essentially Medicare for all) is the way to go, personally. Higher taxes for everyone, but savings in terms of having to purchase private healthcare insurance and pay high deductibles and premiums. If some people want private coverage, they can purchase it at their own cost.

That would work if they could also pay less for medicaid/medicare too.

[Duchess]

What is Devin Nunes up to, just what the fuckity fuck? He just canceled an open hearing without informing others.

[Maggot]

NSA has the Obama surveillance files on Trump. This will be a closed meeting.

[Duchess]

I don't think you understand who Nunes is.

[Maggot]

Of coarse I do................. them bitches were mean!!!

[HairOfTheDog]

That would work if they could also pay less for medicaid/medicare too.

It would also take a lot of financial burden off businesses required to provide their employees with healthcare insurance.

Businesses wouldn't have to worry about cutting hours and reducing their workforce to remain profitable with a single-payer system, which could reduce the unemployment rate even further.

[HairOfTheDog]

I just heard Trump and Ryan were unable to negotiate/secure the number of votes needed to pass the American Health Care Act bill in the House.

The bill has been pulled.

This is a huge failure for President Trump and the Republican party. Repealing and replacing Obamacare has been their central platform for 7 years, but they were unable to unite and come up with a viable alternative.