trump is serious!!!!!

[Joe Guy]

Trump has reached the point where he has become a caricature of himself. By the time election day comes only the certifiably stupid will be supporting him. The scary thing is that it might still be enough to get him the popular vote.

[Long Run]

Trump deserves lots of criticism for his record and words. However, there are many criticisms that Clinton is not qualified to make (one consequence of her many failings as a candidate) and will ultimately come back to hammer her. When she attacked him on his words/records re women, he turned that around on her very effectively given her odious record covering for Bill's womanizing and abuse, and leading attacks on his accusers. Even though she got in a nice zinger about Trump's business books ending at Chapter 11, having her attack his business record just highlights how she is unqualified since she's never run a business or had to make a payroll. Also, having her take up the Obama one-line style is going to remind people that they want their president to be a stand-up person, not a stand-up comedian (e.g., "ISIS is the JV" and other lines that have come back to zap Obama and make him seem un-presidential and in over his head). Clinton would be better to focus on her vision for the U.S., specific policies, and show that she is serious and thoughtful (and let that comparison with the Trump speak for itself), and have other people/PACs hammer on the many failings of Trump.

[Burning Petard]

Why is "running a business" such a great qualification for CEO of USofA? Harry Truman was a lousy businessman, but so was Bush 43. Lincoln did not do so hot as a business man. Saint Ronnie Reagan never met a payroll. For crying out loud he was even elected twice as president of a national labor union. Herbert Hoover was a very successful business man and Secretary of Commerce. If you read his entry at Wikipedia, it looks like the current GOP program is a re-run for all the Hoover policies that were so very wrong for the economic reality when Hoover became president.

Current politicians in the legislature constantly use a metaphor about household income and debt and tell us that should indicate that the national debt is a terrible thing. Complete deception about macro-economics and sovereign debt.

I hope, who ever heads the executive department of the USofA, they never actually attempt to put the nation 'on a sound business-like basis.' Take a good look at the national health system and what has been the result of turning it all over to the free market and running with all attention to the bottom line--cost and profit, not actual health of the nation. For significant portions of the population, actual life expectancy is getting worse.

(((((snailgate)))))

[Lord Jim]

So what does the "New and Improved" On Message, issues-oriented Donald Trump do on day one of this "new approach"?

Why, attack Hillary on her religion of course:

Donald Trump Goes Truther on Hillary Clinton’s Religion

Donald unveiled his newest strategy Tuesday, questioning whether Clinton is actually the devout Methodist she’s repeatedly claimed to be.

While his presidential campaign heads into dire financial straits, Donald Trump has found a new focus: questioning Hillary Clinton’s religion.

Speaking Tuesday morning to a private gathering of evangelical leaders in New York City, the presumptive Republican nominee said: “We don’t know anything about Hillary in terms of religion.”

“She’s been in the public eye for years and years, and yet there’s no—there’s nothing out there,” Trump continued.

On the contrary, Clinton has long spoken of her Methodist faith and how it has inspired her years of public service and liberal beliefs.

Nevertheless, he suggested Clinton’s supposed lack of religiosity [as opposed to the always pious and devout Donald Trump] would lead to policies that should terrify evangelicals. “It’s going to be an extension of Obama but it’s going to be worse,” he warned, “because with Obama you had your guard up. With Hillary you don’t, and it’s going to be worse.”

The event was closed to the press, but one of the attendees—Republican pastor and politician E.W. Jackson—posted a clip of Trump’s remarks online.

While praying for the country’s leaders is important, Trump told the religious crowd, it is even more critical to “pray to get everybody out to vote” for him in November. He also accused politicians like Clinton and Obama of “selling Christianity down the tube.”

Trump’s skepticism of Clinton’s Christianity comes as particularly odd considering the doubts many hold about the sincerity of his own faith. While pandering to evangelicals with a Liberty University speech, he infamously mispronounced a biblical reference as “Two Corinthians” instead of “Second Corinthians.”

Additionally, several times throughout Trump’s very public life, he’s been quoted as saying he doesn’t believe in heaven or hell—cornerstones of Christian theology; and has been described as “not a religious man.”

The top official from Trump’s own denomination has denounced the candidate. “Donald Trump’s views are not in keeping with the policies adopted by our church by deliberative process,” Presbyterian Church leader Gradye Parsons said.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... igion.html

Of course we all know what Trumpty's religion is...

He's an Orthodox Trumpist....

He devoutly believes in the infallibility, omnipotence, and omniscience of Donald J. Trump and worships him as The One True God...He expresses his Faith regularly...

ETA:

Hillary's A MUSLIM!!! Here's The Proof:

[MajGenl.Meade]

While pandering to evangelicals with a Liberty University speech, he infamously mispronounced a biblical reference as “Two Corinthians” instead of “Second Corinthians.”

"Mispronounced"? Utter bullshit. That's not mispronouncing in the least. It's common practice amongst Christians to refer to Corinthians as 1 or 2 (rather than 1st or 2nd) just as we say 1 Kings and 2 Kings. And of course there are 1, 2 and 3 John.

Now, if we are going to refer to the "letter" then we always say such as "Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians"

Now the rest of what Trump says is utter bullshit but that (as it happens) was not the case here. The writer of the piece reveals amazing ignorance (or pandering to the ignorant).

[Lord Jim]

New anti-Trump movement grows to include hundreds of GOP delegates

A campaign to stop Donald Trump from becoming the Republican presidential nominee has the support of nearly 400 delegates to the GOP’s convention next month, according to organizers, quickly transforming what began as an idea tossed around on social media into a force that could derail a national campaign.

While organizers concede their plan could worsen internal party strife, they believe they are responding to deep-rooted concerns among conservatives about Trump, who is suffering from declining poll numbers after weeks of missteps and embarrassing headlines.

“Short-term, yes, there’s going to be chaos,” said Kendal Unruh, a co-founder of the group, Free the Delegates. “Long-term this saves the party and we win the election. Everything has to go through birthing pains to birth something great. We’re going to go through the trauma of the birthing pains, but the reward will be worth it.”

Unruh, of Colorado, said her cause is winning support from “the non-rabble rousers. The rule-following, churchgoing grandmas who aren’t out protesting in the streets. This is the way they push back.”

The campaign’s growing support came amid a significant shake-up in Trump’s campaign. On Monday, he fired his campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, one of his most loyal and vocal aides. The move was seen as an urgent attempt to ease GOP concerns over the campaign’s direction.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... story.html

[wesw]

I went to bible study for about six months , a couple of years ago, and 2 Corinthians , or two what ever, was said. I have heard TV preachers say it in the same way.

with his Scottish and german roots , and the Presbyterian formality, I can imagine that that was the way his mom mom said it.

thank goodness thet meade s bullshit radar is honest.

I may disagree with what he says, but I will defend, to the death, his right to say it.

jail Hillary.

[wesw]

I lost most of my faith in james comey when he said that he could see nothing that the FBI could have done differently in the events leading to the Orlando slaughter.

[Lord Jim]

Trump entered June with just $1.3 million in the bank, while Clinton sat on $42 million war chest

Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump loaned his campaign $2.2 million in May and collected $3.1 million in donations, ending the month with less than $1.3 million in the bank, according to new campaign finance filings.

The real estate mogul's meager cash flow spotlighted the urgent need for him to dramatically ramp up the fundraising he is doing in conjunction with the Republican National Committee, a task he has fitfully embraced.

Trump's small haul came as presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton continued to stockpile money: She raised more than $28 million in May and started June with $42 million in cash. Clinton brought in nearly a third of her campaign funds last month through the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with the Democratic National Committee and 32 state parties.

The billionaire developer has now loaned his campaign $45.7 million and given it $400,000 more, while collecting $17 million in contributions. In late May, Trump set up two joint fundraising committees with the RNC, a move that was supposed to help him and the party tap into a gusher of cash. But GOP fundraisers have said it has been difficult to line up donors to bundle checks from their friends and family.

Amid criticism from fellow Republicans about his tone and provocative statements, Trump suggested over the weekend that he would "just keep funding my own campaign" if GOP leaders did not rally behind his candidacy. But it is unclear whether he could access the hundreds of millions needed to finance a national campaign. He suggested in May that to do so, he would have to "sell a couple of buildings."

Trump's limited cash meant that he spent just $6.7 million in May, down from $9.4 million in April. Nearly $1 million went to purchase hats and other campaign merchandise, while $838,000 was spent on travel. The campaign spent just $150,000 on media buys.[This is a campaign that spends more on hats than it does on staff, campaign infrastructure, and advertising... ]

Clinton's spending also ratcheted down last month after an intense buildup through the Democratic primaries. After shelling out nearly $29 million in March and almost $24 million in April, her presidential campaign committee spent just $13.7 million in May. The bulk of the money went to pay for the 683 staffers on payroll for the month, a cost of $3.8 million. The campaign spent $1.6 million on ad production and air time and $1.6 million on travel.

Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont pulled in $15.7 million in May, even as his hopes of beating out Clinton for the Democratic nomination were dwindling. His campaign spent $13 million for the month and entered June with $9.2 million.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... aw2&wpmm=1

A tape of Trump lyingly claiming (does he make claims any other way?) that he has "spent 55 million dollars so far on my campaign" has been replayed repeatedly on the news channels today, when of course the reality is he has loaned his campaign 45 million dollars...

(Oh well, 45 million, 55 million, loaned, spent, what's the difference?)

Given what we know about Trump and his rapaciousness, if and when he actually does start raising some campaign contributions where do you suppose he will rank re-reimbursing himself for his loan on his campaign spending priority list?

If you answered, "right at the tippy top" pick any prize from the top shelf...

So average people who contribute to Trump's campaign in the belief that they are investing in something that they think will be good for them, will stand a very good chance of instead just putting money into Trumpty's pocket....

Pretty much the same model as the "Trump University" scam...

But when it comes to figuring out ways to line his own pockets, Trump is nothing if not creative and thorough. The campaign scam doesn't stop there:

Trump's campaign spends $6 million with Trump companies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is one of the wealthiest people to ever run for president, but his campaign appears to be flat broke. What's more, fundraising reports show he's used about $6 million in campaign money to pay his own companies and family members.

The billionaire businessman's financial woes were enough to inspire the mocking Twitter hashtag "TrumpSoPoor" on Tuesday and, far more seriously, give already reluctant donors a fresh batch of reasons to withhold their money.

Trump's campaign expenses are hardly inspiring confidence among people whose money he's pursuing. The spending includes a $423,000 May payment to Mar-a-Lago, the private club in Florida that serves as his vacation home, and enough Trump-branded bottled water to fill a bathtub.

Democratic rival Hillary Clinton ribbed Trump on Tuesday, tweeting to followers: "What is Trump spending his meager campaign resources on? Why, himself, of course."

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/9f741223 ... -companies

Just in the month of May alone:

In May more than $1.1 million — 1 in 6 dollars that Donald Trump spent — went to his own businesses, his family or himself, according to an ABC News analysis of new campaign finance records.

This includes a $423,000 payment to his Mar-a-Lago resort and $349,000 to Tag Air, which operates his planes and helicopters. He also paid $125,000 to Trump Restaurants LLC and $65,000 to two of his Florida golf courses.

In total, $1,100,513 of the $6,735,026 he spent in May (16 percent) went to his own businesses, family or personal accounts.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-ca ... d=40021286

So to review:

Trump loans his campaign 45 million...

Of the money he loans, he kicks back about 16% to enrich his businesses, subsidize his lifestyle, and make payments to family members...

But because he's entitled to have the loan paid back, instead of actually spending any money in reality he winds up making a 6 million dollar profit...(all thanks to Trump-Chump campaign contributors)

And that's just based on the numbers so far...

Pretty sweet scheme...

[RayThom]

Additionally, several times throughout Trump’s very public life, he’s been quoted as saying he doesn’t believe in heaven or hell—cornerstones of Christian theology; and has been described as “not a religious man.”

Hallelujah! Let us rejoice in the Lord. Donald has often confessed that he has seen The Light. It's our christian duty to forgive and move on to another day. That said, I'd vote for him but I think there's something seriously wrong with him. He's a very odd christian.

[Econoline]

Fundraiser For Orlando Victims Raised More In A Week Than Trump’s Campaign Did In A Whole Month

In a little over a week, 112,302 people (as of this writing) have raised $5,696,411 for the victims of the Orlando massacre. This is, by far, the largest fundraiser that GoFundMe has ever held. On the other hand, for the entire month of May, Donald Trump’s YUUUUGE campaign of hate and racism raised a whole whopping….$1.3 million.

Funny…you’d think that Trump’s millions of rabidly racist fans would be throwing gobs of money at him. After all, Donald Trump is going to “make America great again” by getting rid of all of Those People. But according to reports filed Monday night with the FEC, Trump’s campaign is, at the moment, dead in the water:

Mr. Trump began June with just $1.3 million in cash on hand, a figure more typical for a campaign for the House of Representatives than the White House. He trailed Hillary Clinton, who raised more than $28 million in May, by more than $41 million, according to reports filed late Monday night with the Federal Election Commission.

He has a staff of around 70 people — compared with nearly 700 for Mrs. Clinton — suggesting only the barest effort toward preparing to contest swing states this fall.

While most Americans are not fans of money in politics, until we can rebuild our campaign finance laws it’s a cold hard fact that campaigns can’t run without a lot of money. And even after we manage to get unlimited corporate spending out, campaigns will still have to spend a lot of money on the all-important ground game. There’s only so many people you can get to work full time on a campaign for free and a presidential campaign is a massive undertaking.

But not only has Trump been unable or unwilling to raise much money, as noted above, he doesn’t even have a staff, either. Rachel Maddow explained last night that Trump has one person, ONE, in charge of 11 southern states, including the absolutely critical swing states of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. With that kind of hardcore dedication to winning, how could Trump possibly lose?

[Bicycle Bill]

... he doesn’t even have a staff, either.  Rachel Maddow explained last night that Trump has one person, ONE, in charge of 11 southern states, including the absolutely critical swing states of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.  With that kind of hardcore dedication to winning, how could Trump possibly lose?

Because he has spear-carriers and flag-wavers like wesw who are gladly working and spreading the message for free?

-"BB"-

[Big RR]

Now, if we are going to refer to the "letter" then we always say such as "Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians"

when I was a kid we called it Paul's second epistle to the Corinthians.

and Meade, I know we have attended the churches of very different denominations, but I have never heard it referred to as "two Corinthians" (or two Kings or chronicles for that matter), the ordinals First and Second were always used(to me calling these books one or two is like saying Malcom the tenth-- ); however, I guess some denominations use that nomenclature for the numbered biblical books. I wonder if Trump knew that.

[Burning Petard]

The bible talks I have listened to have always used 'first, second' whatever. Now that Trump has trumpeted that Clinton is not a real Methodist, I await the evidence that he his a devout Presbyterian, as he declared to the WSJ. I expect that to come out the same day as his income tax reports for the last ten years.

But he did speak truthfully when he announced that he knows how to profit from debt.

(((((snailgate)))))

[Big RR]

According to the book of Trump, Chapter 11.

[Scooter]

[Long Run]

Now, if we are going to refer to the "letter" then we always say such as "Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians"

when I was a kid we called it Paul's second epistle to the Corinthians.

Or simply Corinthians II. Or as you suggest, Second Corinthians. Never heard II Corinthians, but then there's a lot I haven't heard -- just visit the movie quote thread!

[MajGenl.Meade]

It's not often heard formally from the pulpit, although I've heard Alistair Begg use it - "turn back to 1 Corinthians;17 for a moment". (And I've never heard anyone say "1 Chronicles"). But in small groups and in conferences, referring to 1 Peter or 3 John or 2 Corinthians when giving verse cites is absolutely as common as... well, as common as very common things.

Q Where was that verse again?
A 1 John 7

[Scooter]

[Scooter]

Trump is in Scotland today, rejoicing over the referendum results. Can anyone say "idiot".