Blue Horseshoe

DeSantis Calls Out Trump For Refusing To Sign GOP Loyalty Pledge: ‘It’s Not Just About You’ .....Florida Governor Ron DeSantis slammed former President Donald Trump for refusing to sign the Republican Party’s “Beat Biden Pledge” in which candidates state that they will support whoever wins the party’s presidential primary.....DeSantis, who trails only Trump in the GOP primary race with all the candidates polling in the low single digits, made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Iowa late this week after the former president said that he would not sign the pledge.....“I mean, you can’t, on the one hand, say that the country’s going in such a bad direction, which we all believe, and then, on the other hand, say you’re just going to take your ball and go home,” DeSantis said. “I’m happy to do that. I’ve voted Republican my whole life......And even though I’m confident we’ll be the nominee, at the end of the day, you respect the judgment of how this works out, and you don’t take your ball and go home,” he continued. “It’s not just about you. It’s about a larger mission that we have to accomplish for Americans.....” .....Trump told Eric Bolling on Newsmax this week that one of the “problems” he has with the upcoming Republican debate was having to sign the pledge to get on stage.....“I wouldn’t sign the pledge,” ....Trump said. “Why would I sign a pledge? There are people on there that I wouldn’t have......I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president....So right there, there’s a problem right there. There’s a problem.”......The “Beat Biden Pledge” that the candidates have to sign states in-part: “Additionally, I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination for President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden.....I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party.....” .......The Daily Wire reached out to the Republican National Committee (RNC) to ask if Trump would be allowed to participate in the debates if he did not sign the pledge, and a spokesperson responded by pointing to a statement that chairwoman Ronna McDaniel made several weeks ago.....“Everybody has to sign the beat Biden pledge, everybody, it’s across the board, the rules aren’t changing, we’ve been very vocal with them...It’s not just the pledge, not just a piece of paper. Intent is going to be part of it, too. I think the debate committee is going to meet, and they don’t want somebody saying, ‘I’m blatantly lying.’ You have to say I’m going to support the nominee whomever the voters choose.....” https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-calls-out-trump-for-refusing-to-sign-gop-loyalty-pledge-its-not-just-about-you ******* I agree with Trump here on a specific point, but not in line for his own self motives. There's really a lot to despise about The Big Cheeto. And I clearly want him out of professional politics. I also would never want to see any of the current Democratic contenders take POTUS 2024. That being said, despite Trump doing this for his own political strategy ( i.e. he'd clearly sign it if it was to his advantage to do so), I don't agree with signing "oaths" to commit to support someone that you clearly don't want to support. There's no incentive for Trump to debate, because he'd get hit hard on all his scandals. Also since he's the presumptive favorite, it's not in the RNC's interests to have him debate, since each hit against him can be used later in the 2020 general election. However to disbar a former POTUS running again from debating is unsavory. The DNC did that with Tulsi Gabbard in 2020. Literally changed the rules to get rid of her. I don't agree with that and I don't agree with this. The American people deserve to hear from ALL contenders. Everyone should have their records, scandals and feet held to the fire in public and in the national daily media cycle. This is clearly disgusting coordinated gamesmanship between Ronna McDaniel and Donald Trump. This is so Trump won't have to debate and so the RNC and McDaniel can save some face in public. But none of it is actually good for the American people. David Pakman is an idiot. But the RNC and Trump have gone into the tedious corporate establishment politics zone so far here that they've actually made him seem reasonable. How exhausting and partisan do you have to get to allow Pakman to appear almost civil? That should be a litmus test on the pure chaos involved for 2024. The American people deserve better than that gutless lying coward in Joe Biden and this self absorbed imbecile in Donald Trump. Is there any greater advertisement than that to encourage all Americans to just stop paying their taxes? I mean this should disgust all Americans when they get their monthly paystub and see all the taxes taken out and realize it's going to be set on fire by one of these two grifter nimrods.

Social Media Erupts After Skittles’ ‘Black Trans Lives Matter’ Packaging Goes Viral ......The candy packaging that Skittles advertises on its website features slogans such as “Joy Is Resistance” and “Black Trans Lives Matter.” Skittles, which is owned by Mars, partnered with GLAAD, a media monitoring organization that espouses radical gender theory, to reveal the packaging for Pride Month earlier this year.....This past June was the fourth year Skittles partnered with GLAAD “to support the LGBTQ+ community by amplifying and celebrating their stories,” according to its website. Skittles said it will “donate $1 for every Skittles Pride pack sold to GLAAD in support of their ongoing efforts to work through media to combat anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination...” ...On its website, Skittles also promoted a podcast called “Queery” hosted by Cameron Esposito, who focuses on LGBTQ topics and activism. ....“Stay tuned for a special Pride-themed miniseries of Queery where we dive deeper into queer storytelling and the artists that designed this year’s SKITTLES Pride Packs,” the candy brand says. ...For a short time in 2020, Skittles “gave up” the rainbow that famously dons its colorful packaging for a black and white package to “give the rainbow back” to the LGBTQ community for Pride Month. ....Conservatives ripped Skittles after images of packaging went viral on social media, saying the candy brand is targeting children with a pro-trans agenda. Skittles is a favorite brand among children and young adults, with over 75% of Gen Z adults holding a favorable impression of the brand, according to a Morning Consult survey released last year.... https://www.dailywire.com/news/social-media-erupts-after-skittles-black-trans-lives-matter-packaging-goes-viral

....On Friday he spoke with Chris Cuomo on “Cuomo Prime Time,” and further explained why he was in conversation with the Trump administration...."Your lead-ins are a little misleading. The Platinum Plan is not my plan. I came up with Contract With Black America [CWBA]. I didn’t run to work with any campaign. Both campaigns contacted me. Both campaigns wanted to talk to me about the Contract With Black America … I didn’t run to nobody, so that was real misleading to me. You said I ran over to the Trump team instead of the Biden team and that’s just not true. I’m willing to work with both teams. I’m just working with whoever is willing to work with me...I’m not trusting any of them. I’m just going by action. That’s all I’m going by. I’m not going by words, rhetoric, media spin — I’m not going by any of that. I’m not on nobody’s team. I’m not on team blue. I’m not on team red. I’m an independent person and I believe that’s what Black people need to do is become independent and we need to get something for our vote … I’m working with whoever’s in power. Whoever wins, they’ll hear from me..."

https://www.fftodayforums.com/forum/topic/515051-trump-indicted/?page=34&tab=comments#comment-7319225 Posted by @BuckSwope 08/02/23 at 06:55 AM "This is the spin- he was just innocently "holding out hope"? Thanks for the am laugh. Delusional? If not jail time, shouldn't believing you won an election you didn't should at least disqualify you from office." ********

There's a lot of missing context here. In terms of "preparation", a lot of the core problem is the person's geographic location. There are just some places in the US that will be hit, hit hard and hit three times over, and your odds of survival are close to zero. If you live near a major port, you are done. If you live near known and vetted silo locations, you are done. Live near a major military base, you are done. That being said, it's not a bad idea to casually put together efforts to maintain your household for "general emergencies" The middle of 2020 showed why it's a good idea to have food reserves on hand for your family. Also there are people with children and those kid have medical needs. So having extra medication might not be a bad idea, within some practical framework. Having an extra pair of eye glasses isn't a bad idea. A way to purify water, start a fire, make a temporary shelter, signal for rescue, a cutting device, etc, etc are all useful and valuable in a potential emergency. Sean Mooney, you've outed yourself, by your own choice, in public, as a teacher and/or educator. Probably in a public school. Well in the age of identity politics, what all of recorded human history has shown, that Marxist-Socialist regimes eventually purge those who risk exposing children to things like critical thinking and free thought and expression. If the world, and particularly the US, keeps on this same "woke" trajectory, you will eventually be purged. Don't believe it? Crack open a history book sometime. Also, if you observe how the "cleansing" happened in other regimes throughout time, to ensure the children of those teachers and educators wouldn't form a resistance ( pretty strong incentive to become a rebel, when you watched your parents be lined up against a wall when you are a child), those tyrants also "purify" the children as well. So if tyranny comes, they won't just put a bag over your head, but everyone you've ever loved in this life. Again, you don't have to believe me about it, just start reading what has happened before in history. You can laugh at @JustinCharge if you want. Mock him. But you know what? For whatever his good points or his flaws, I just don't see him executing teachers and educators for sport. However others won't think twice about gutting you like a fish just for being a teacher. It won't be the Conservatives and Republicans that get you, it will be the woke, the hard line activists, the "Marxists", the true extremists that love power enough to sacrifice your entire genetic legacy to do it. Laugh if you want. If you think you are safe enough to do it. Your profession is the most at risk in the near future. You can laugh at that too if you want. But it only means you couldn't be bothered to learn from history. So much for education right?

David Axelrod, the "frontman" for Barack Obama, has a pretty impossible task here. He needs to "remove" Joe Biden AND Kamala Harris from getting the DNC ticket in 2024 POTUS and installing in Gavin Newsom as the new "contender" without damaging the Party overall and losing any more ground with clear voting blocks that are leaving Team Blue already. This is why Axelrod has to try to protect Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who was used as a "bagman" for Harvey Weinstein to pay off those accusing him of sexual assault and rape. It's a pretty toxic narrative when you consider the hard contrast is Casey DeSantis ( a mother and cancer survivor with no scandal) The new "narrative" is that Siebel Newsom was "raped" Is that true? We don't know. But it's currently politically expedient for Gavin Newsom in 2024 to say so. The problem, of course, is that the other "affairs" with Staffers, paid with tax dollars, in the Newsom Administration will come to light. Which negates Newsom's one true political value - To appeal to suburban women voters. What's part of the huge problem for Axelrod? By damaging Joe Biden, and to keep trying to crush him, but only so far, it all backfires if Newsom can't win the DNC ticket. It's very hard to push out the incumbent who is the sitting POTUS, even for someone who is a walking disaster zone like Biden. Neera Tanden now has operational control of the White House, and she's flushed out all Obama loyalists who wouldn't fall in line ( Ron Klain and Susan Rice to headline that effort) This is an impossible mission for Axelrod. Because even if he can get Biden off the ticket, the DNC and Team Blue has to justify why Kamala Harris won't ascend. She's a "black woman" and the first female VPOTUS in the age of "identity politics" And now Obama, the DCCC and DNC want to kick her to the curb for the Ken Doll archetype of "white privilege"? As @seafoam1 so aptly points out, these people are stupid. You have to reach untold levels of stupid to let this kind of chaos get this far for so long.

Jake Tapper questions 'odd' special counsel appointment of David Weiss: 'Maybe the whistleblowers were right' .....Jake Tapper says David Weiss special counsel pick shows 'maybe the whistleblowers were right' ......During a CNN segment, anchor Jake Tapper claimed some of the inconsistencies in the narrative for why David Weiss was named special counsel shows GOP questions may "have merit." Weiss, the federal prosecutor who faced backlash for a "sweetheart" plea deal for Hunter Biden that fell apart upon scrutiny, will now serve as a special counsel in the ongoing investigation into the president's son. Weiss was appointed as special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday, granting him broader authority when it comes to bringing charges.... ...."I think there are some legitimate questions about this whole situation," Tapper said on "CNN News Central." "First of all, I do think it’s fair to question why would U.S. Attorney Weiss be appointed to special counsel. Usually, a special counsel is an outside attorney. ....but it is odd.....The Justice Department and Weiss denied what the whistleblowers were saying, but this move makes it seem as though, well, maybe the whistleblowers were right. Maybe what they were alleging is true, and he didn’t have the ability to charge whatever he wanted to charge, and now he does. So I do have a lot of questions about that, and I do think some of the political questions being raised by Republicans have merit...." ....This was a sharp shift in Tapper's tone compared to the previous day when he said House Republicans finding Biden family members had been wired over $20 million from shady foreign entities was "sleazy" but not criminal during an interview with Comer....."So let's pause it for the sake of argument that Hunter Biden is sleazy and the president's relatives tried to profit off the Biden family brand, something CNN has reported on, what's new in this memo?" Tapper kicked off the interview before repeatedly saying he saw "no evidence" that President Biden did anything wrong.... ....Comer warned during the interview that multiple agencies appeared to be blocking the progress of the investigation...."The Biden attorneys are obstructing, they're intimidating witnesses, the DOJ will not cooperate with us, the FBI will not cooperate with us, the IRS will not cooperate with us," he told Tapper. "Thank God we had whistleblowers from the IRS testified to our committee that they were told to stand down by the DOJ." ....IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley claimed Weiss alleged to multiple witnesses that he was told by the DOJ he could not bring charges against Hunter in California and Washington D.C. Garland denied there being any interference in the probe.... https://www.foxnews.com/media/jake-tapper-questions-odd-special-counsel-appointment-david-weiss-maybe-whistleblowers-right

Nearly all African Americans currently are not looking to harm anyone. The majority are working class citizens and just trying to get by and put a roof over their heads and put food on the table for their kids. "Nearly all" does not equal "All" though. Again, it appears any criticism of African Americans in general, you'll dismiss because you've made it all about you. I've seen you say over and over again that the "people you know don't do that" Well the world is bigger than just you and the people you know. You also engage in quite a bit of logical fallacy bombing when you become clearly intentionally obtuse over these subjects. Your stance seems to be - "Since you can't blame all of us, then you really can't blame any of us" The argument usually made by someone in your position is that you are defending your racial and cultural dignity. But to remove all practical context of the larger issues here, and to do it intentionally, is robbing the racial and cultural dignity of actual Asian American victims out there. But this is your free speech. This was your outlet to let everyone here know that you demand empathy, but choose to give none yourself. Where exactly is the overall dignity in that?

Not quite.

David Axelrod did a fluff piece on Nancy Pelosi. Greasing the wheel, so to speak. Gavin Newsom and Nancy Pelosi go hand in hand in politics. Everyone knows that. It's not a huge secret anywhere. The ONLY reason the majority of the MSM is even covering the Biden scandal and criticizing him now in public is because Axelrod ( as a front for Obama) wants Newsom to win the DNC ticket for 2024 POTUS. That's it. Otherwise these scandals would be buried. The DOJ is driven by public opinion. Public opinion is driven by what they see in the MSM and on Big Social Media. This is why the assassination attempt of SCOTUS Kavanaugh got little to no real coverage. It was wholly suppressed as much as possible by most of the MSM.

So activist radical leftists will point out, in current times, that the majority of the MSM going after Joe Biden right now, over the Hunter Biden laptop and financial scandals, is some kind of proof of life of "bi-partisan objectivity" But none of that is true. Last year, David Axelrod, Obama's right hand, pushed for Gavin Newsom to win the DNC ticket for POTUS 2024. There's a large cross section of establishment Democrats under Obama, who want Biden out and Newsom in. That's it, that's the only singular reason that Joe Biden is getting any scrutiny at all. The purpose is to make him a 'sin eater', i.e. all failures and all scandals will be thrown at him and blamed on him, while pushing him out, so the blood on their hands can try to look clean again. Won't work. When you keep attacking the working class, as Team Blue has done, then typically low information voters have all the incentive in the world to become high information oriented. When they do that, the activist radical leftist agenda and propaganda falls apart. This is what happens when a parasite tries to kill it's host. That's the problem with Team Blue right now. They are parasites who got too greedy. Couldn't just be enough to steal money hand over fist. Had to drive the working class into the ground while doing it. Keep it up my friend, keep up the good posting, the excellent thread topic starting, the thread support and the information you are bringing. Keep your foot on the gas pedal. Carry on, my brother.

President touts ‘Bidenomics’ though new poll shows just 34% approve his handling of the economy .....President Joe Biden made his pitch Wednesday to a skeptical public that the U.S. economy is thriving under what he now touts as “Bidenomics” -- even as a new poll showed that could be a hard sell as the foundation for his 2024 reelection campaign....In a major economic speech in Chicago, Biden said his administration’s efforts were sparking recovery after Republican policies had crushed America’s middle class. But the poll said only one in three U.S. adults approve of his economic leadership....That 34% figure is even lower than his overall approval rating of 41%, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.... ....Biden’s approval figures have barely moved for the past year and a half, a source of concern for a president pursuing a second term on his ability to govern and focus on workers. ....As he was departing Washington on Wednesday, Biden said he believes the U.S. will avoid the recession that many economic analysts have been expecting. Republican leaders such as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said last year that the high inflation under Biden’s watch meant that “we are in a recession...” https://apnews.com/article/biden-poll-economy-survey-jobs-inflation Bidenomics Spin vs. Economic Reality .....The annual inflation rate when Biden took office was 1.4 percent. In May, it was 4 percent, or nearly three times the rate he inherited and still double the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target rate. Here’s an actual fact: “Under the Biden Harris Administration Inflation Has Risen.” Of course, what the Biden team is attempting to take credit for is the decline in the inflation rate from its 9.1 percent peak in June of 2022. The Biden video goes on to claim that “inflation is less than half what it was last summer.” That claim is misleading for two reasons. First, inflation continues to increase, inflicting greater and greater pain on consumers. Only the rate at which inflation is increasing has slowed. Keep in mind that inflation is cumulative; much like compound interest, it just keeps adding up. After a large increase in the prior year, it is not particularly impressive that the current year increase will be lower, but that lower number comes on top of — or in addition to — the prior year’s number. For example, the 4 percent increase this May was on top of last May’s 8.3 percent increase for a two-year increase of nearly 13 percent. That’s nothing to boast about.... ......In fact, since Biden took office, inflation has increased by about 16 percent. If inflation slowed to zero through the rest of Biden’s presidency, that would still be the largest increase for any four-year presidential term since the 1980s — a fact that somehow didn’t make it into the Biden video. Second, the inflation rate slowed because the Federal Reserve dramatically increased interest rates, not because of any Biden economic policies. In reality, rather than slowing the current inflationary surge, Bidenomics was a primary cause. This surge began the very month Democrats passed Biden’s ironically named $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Prior to the bill’s passage, Larry Summers, the secretary of the Treasury under President Clinton, warned that it could “set off inflationary pressures of a kind we have not seen in a generation.....” .....That inflationary pressure compelled the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates at a historic pace over the past 15 months — from near zero to a 5 percent–5.25 percent range today. The consequences have been severe, leading to three of the four largest bank failures in our nation’s history, undermining the banking sector’s integrity, threatening our financial stability, and requiring federal intervention. Buying a home or a car, paying down credit cards, or getting a small-business loan are all more difficult, which puts additional economic pressure on Americans as interest rates rise....The Biden video’s final claim is that, “Wages are up, accounting for inflation, that’s real breathing room.” On its face, this claim is also not true. When Biden took office in January of 2021, real average hourly earnings — that is average hourly earnings adjusted for inflation — were $11.39. As of May 2023, that number had declined to $11.03. That simply doesn’t feel like breathing room for most Americans.....Inflation is a regressive tax that hurts families more the less money they have. The fact is that Americans, particularly working- and middle-class Americans, are poorer today than they were during the Trump administration, and Biden’s approval rating on the economy reflects that reality..... https://www.nationalreview.com/2023/07/bidenomics-spin-vs-economic-reality/

ICYMI: 58% OF AMERICANS NOW LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, COUNTING ON CREDIT CARDS TO MEET NEEDS .....A new CNBC survey released last week found 58% of all Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck while 70% of the nation said they feel stressed about their finances due to ongoing economic headwinds. Even as a growing share of consumers are leaning on credit cards to afford increasingly expensive necessities such as food and rent....Financially vulnerable Americans say a lack of savings or credit card debt is a problem and twice as likely to fear being laid off.....To cover the costs of everyday purchases and emergency expenses, more Americans are relying on credit cards, with overall utilization and balances continuing to rise over the last year.....Missing payments can negatively impact ones’ credit score and therefore their ability to qualify for a home or auto loan. It can also trigger a higher penalty interest rate.... https://www.consumerbankers.com/cba-media-center/media-releases/icymi-58-americans-now-living-paycheck-paycheck-counting-credit

More Americans turning to credit cards to cover basic expenses as inflation rages .....A growing number of Americans are relying on credit cards to pay for basic expenses as relentless inflation erodes more households' purchasing power. ....New data released by the Census Bureau this week found that more than 35% of households used credit cards or loans in December to assist with spending needs in the past week. That marks an increase from 32% in November and just 21% in April 2021, according to the Household Pulse Survey. The rise in credit card usage is somewhat concerning because interest rates are astronomically high right now. The average credit card APR, or annual percentage rate, set a new record high of 19.14% last week, according to a Bankrate.com database that goes back to 1985. The previous record was 19% in July 1991.... .....If people are carrying debt to compensate for steeper prices, they could end up paying more for items in the long run. For instance, if you owe $5,000 in debt – which the average American does – current APR levels would mean it would take about 191 months and $6,546 in interest to pay off the debt making the minimum payments.....By comparison, the 16.3% average rate at the beginning of the year would mean paying about $5,517 in interest and getting out of debt after 185 months. ..."Credit card rates are much higher than most other forms of debt," Bankrate.com analyst Ted Rossman said. "We’re talking three, four or even five times higher than most people are paying for mortgages, car loans and student loans. Paying off your credit card debt should be a top priority, especially with interest rates at record highs....." https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/more-americans-turning-credit-cards-cover-basic-expenses-inflation-rages

‘Bidenomics’ is a record of failure .....With the 2024 campaign gearing up, the president is presenting more of a public relations blitz attacking his predecessors than a serious examination of his own economic record. In one speech, Biden derisively repeated the “trickle-down” straw man 15 times, which exceeded his combined mentions of his own record on inflation, wages and the stock market. Perhaps distraction was the president’s best option, given the public’s 36% approval rating of an economic record dominated by soaring federal debt, surging inflation and stagnant real incomes....Start with the runaway spending and bailouts enacted by a unified Democratic government that will cost $5 trillion over the decade. Annual budget deficits — less than $1 trillion before the pandemic — are now projected to approach $3 trillion within a decade.... .....In reality, he let $2 trillion in pandemic spending expire on schedule, and then added $300 billion in new spending of his own, leaving the yearly deficit nearly 40% above pre-pandemic levels. Equally disingenuous is the claim that the president’s new budget proposes $2.5 trillion in 10-year deficit reduction — which was measured by simply not counting trillions in proposed tax cut extensions.....Disregarding warnings from liberal economists like Lawrence Summers, this spending spree played a key role in driving prices upward by more than 16% in the 30 months since the president took office, at a cost of more than $10,000 for the typical household..... .....Even as the inflation rate normalizes, it will not undo the recent price increases that have rendered many goods and services unaffordable for many families. This inflation exceeded wage growth and caused families to fall further behind. Since Biden took office, hourly compensation (adjusted for inflation) has fallen by 5%. When incomes cannot keep pace with inflation and families are falling behind, few other economic variables matter. The president frames his economic agenda as obsessively focused on building the middle class. Yet it’s the middle class that has been slammed by rising inflation and declining incomes.The president highlights the 13 million new jobs added since he took office. However, most were the natural job returns after the pandemic lockdowns were lifted. And the additional progress toward the current 3.7% unemployment rate — while impressive — is driven by the inflationary overheating of the economy. One cannot take credit for the faster job growth without also owning the inflation that the same policies brought..... Steep inflation, declining real incomes, a falling stock market and deepening inequality. Not usually cause for a presidential victory lap.....Many of these policies are designed to aggressively raise labor costs and to shield favored industries from competition. This has hampered American competitiveness, worsened inflation, angered our trading partners and risked retaliation against America’s export industries. The supposedly “pro-investment” policies have taken the form of aggressive industrial policies to pick winners and losers, further limit competition and spend massively on corporate welfare....All in all, Bidenomics relies on vast subsidies and regulations to shield favored industries from competition, at the expense of consumers and taxpayers. It’s a spoils system for big labor and politically connected industries.... https://nypost.com/2023/06/29/bidenomics-is-a-record-of-failure/