I'm reading the Style section of today's Globe and Mail, and so far it looks like this may be the only section that you can read end to end without once encountering the name Donald Trump. I'm gonna read it three or four times back to front, every article on every page, for that reason alone.
So Jeanne Beker's got an interview with Jessica Mulroney, who is the wife of Ben Mulroney, who is the son of former PM Brian Mulroney. Jessica makes her living as a fashion consultant. One of the people consulting her is Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau, wife of Justin Trudeau, spawn of Lyin' Brian's arch nemesis, Pierre Trudeau!
Is it a small world or what!?
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Drumpf for dummies
As a business genius, Donald Trump is, like Conrad Black or Edgar Bronfman Jr., one of those guys whose net worth would be substantially higher today had he just stuck his inheritance into blue chips and left it alone. But no, some guys have to take over the world.
It's an ego thing.
The opinion makers at Canada's newspaper of record are treating me to endless denunciations of Donald Trump's ego today. Yup, it's pretty much wall-to-wall Drumpfobia. Margaret Wente has done passed out at the possibility of President Trump and needs you to pass the smelling salts. Doug Saunders posits Trump outside "acceptable society and basic morality." Tabatha Southey sees Nazis.
Acceptable society and basic morality are of course what guides the civilized political establishment in Washington. Those are the responsible adults who have presided over the destruction of America's middle class. Where was the outrage when the supreme court hammered the last nail into the coffin of American democracy with the Citizens United decision?
Where was the horrified hyperventilating when the Koch boys announced they planned to spend 900 millions meddling in the 2016 election?
Saunders says the Trump phenomenon was predicted in a 2009 book.
It was also predicted in a 2006 movie.
The think tank here at Falling Downs doesn't necessarily see the rise of Trump as a bad thing. Sure the guy's a loudmouth and an egomaniac, but you'd have to be to get noticed in an election process that's pretty much become the plaything of the plutocrats.
And the fact that he's getting noticed tells me American democracy is not quite dead yet. There's a great big swath of middle America that's sick to death of shitty health care, homeless veterans, ninety-million working age citizens excluded from the workforce, serial wars on random Muslim countries, and the manifold further outrages foisted on them by their political establishment.
When Leonard Cohen promised "democracy is coming to the USA" he couldn't have imagined Donald Trump would be bringing it, and Wente is right; it won't be pretty.
But it's long overdue.
It's an ego thing.
The opinion makers at Canada's newspaper of record are treating me to endless denunciations of Donald Trump's ego today. Yup, it's pretty much wall-to-wall Drumpfobia. Margaret Wente has done passed out at the possibility of President Trump and needs you to pass the smelling salts. Doug Saunders posits Trump outside "acceptable society and basic morality." Tabatha Southey sees Nazis.
Acceptable society and basic morality are of course what guides the civilized political establishment in Washington. Those are the responsible adults who have presided over the destruction of America's middle class. Where was the outrage when the supreme court hammered the last nail into the coffin of American democracy with the Citizens United decision?
Where was the horrified hyperventilating when the Koch boys announced they planned to spend 900 millions meddling in the 2016 election?
Saunders says the Trump phenomenon was predicted in a 2009 book.
It was also predicted in a 2006 movie.
The think tank here at Falling Downs doesn't necessarily see the rise of Trump as a bad thing. Sure the guy's a loudmouth and an egomaniac, but you'd have to be to get noticed in an election process that's pretty much become the plaything of the plutocrats.
And the fact that he's getting noticed tells me American democracy is not quite dead yet. There's a great big swath of middle America that's sick to death of shitty health care, homeless veterans, ninety-million working age citizens excluded from the workforce, serial wars on random Muslim countries, and the manifold further outrages foisted on them by their political establishment.
When Leonard Cohen promised "democracy is coming to the USA" he couldn't have imagined Donald Trump would be bringing it, and Wente is right; it won't be pretty.
But it's long overdue.
Dropping the ball(s) on gender parity
It's Saturday, and you know what that means - I hit the road bright and early and head into town to fetch my Saturday edition of Canada's newspaper of record. That's a purchase that's up to $4.75 now, and I've taken to berating the Korean guy with a "holy shit! there better be some good news in here for that kinda money!" as I hand him a fiver.
Can't say if the news is particularly good or bad, as I'm only into the business section so far, but it didn't take long to find five dollars worth of irony. Tavia Grant and David Parkinson have a feature story called Work in Progress; The global struggle for gender parity about the shocking lack of women in economics, if you can imagine such a thing in this enlightened era. Their expose begins on page B1 and continues on B3.
In between, B2 features a quarter page advert from the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards congratulating one Daniel Dubois on his ascension to the Canadian championship of said awards. Young Daniel will be off to the World Finals in Bangkok shortly!
Good luck Dan!
There's a picture of Dan with the six runners up. Every last one is a dude!
WTF? If I was the title sponsor I'd cut them another cheque just to get my logo OUT of their ads!
Can't say if the news is particularly good or bad, as I'm only into the business section so far, but it didn't take long to find five dollars worth of irony. Tavia Grant and David Parkinson have a feature story called Work in Progress; The global struggle for gender parity about the shocking lack of women in economics, if you can imagine such a thing in this enlightened era. Their expose begins on page B1 and continues on B3.
In between, B2 features a quarter page advert from the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards congratulating one Daniel Dubois on his ascension to the Canadian championship of said awards. Young Daniel will be off to the World Finals in Bangkok shortly!
Good luck Dan!
There's a picture of Dan with the six runners up. Every last one is a dude!
WTF? If I was the title sponsor I'd cut them another cheque just to get my logo OUT of their ads!
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Donald Trump, the Prince of Peace?
It's not hard to see why the Washington war camp have their knickers in a knot over Trump. In the event that America had a President who could get along with Putin and at the same time be neutral on the Jewish State file... hell, who knows what might happen?
Ya, Trump's a flakey condo promoter who has missed way more than he's hit out of the park in his business career. But what he is definitely not is a bumboy for the AIPAC crowd. That's why the Washington elite are so rattled by the success of his campaign.
It's always been our view here at the Falling Downs think tank that the Jewish State would be willing and able to make peace with her neighbours in about two weeks or less were it not for the blank cheque support the Likudniks were guaranteed by the Washington establishment.
The reason you're seeing a tsunami of anti-Trump propaganda these days is because the Israel-firsters in DC are hearing the death rattle.
Donald Trump is the first presidential candidate in the modern era not in thrall to AIPAC money.
Ya, Trump's a flakey condo promoter who has missed way more than he's hit out of the park in his business career. But what he is definitely not is a bumboy for the AIPAC crowd. That's why the Washington elite are so rattled by the success of his campaign.
It's always been our view here at the Falling Downs think tank that the Jewish State would be willing and able to make peace with her neighbours in about two weeks or less were it not for the blank cheque support the Likudniks were guaranteed by the Washington establishment.
The reason you're seeing a tsunami of anti-Trump propaganda these days is because the Israel-firsters in DC are hearing the death rattle.
Donald Trump is the first presidential candidate in the modern era not in thrall to AIPAC money.
GOP warmongers circle the wagons to block Trump
It was D (for desperation) Day among the GOP establishment today.
There was the Mittster warning America that security and prosperity would fly out the window with a Trump nomination. Romney doesn't get the fact that, from the point of view of street-level folks, America's security and prosperity has already been squandered by the perpetual-war establishment types.
Then, to prove that they're just as clueless as Romney, seventy-some charter members of that establishment posted an open letter on the War On the Rocks website. Yup, a president who could get along with Putin and be neutral on the Israel - Palestine conflict would be bad news indeed. That this clique of war cheerleaders feels threatened by Trump tells me he must be doing something right. A "Dump Trump" plea signed by the likes of Daniel Blumenthal, Michael Chertoff, Eliot Cohen, Robert Kagan and a few dozen like-minded Washington insiders isn't going to make much of an impression on the millions of regular folks who have begun to realize that the trillions pissed away on unnecessary wars at the urging of these people has only made America poorer and less secure.
In fact, it's these war cheerleaders who have brought America down. Bill Kristol gave the game away when he revealed that the GOP elite would be better served by having Hillary in the White House. Unlike Trump, Hillary is a reliable advocate for senseless military interventions and endless weapon sales to all sides in virtually every conflict. What that should tell the Republican rank and file is that their party has long since been hijacked by the military-industrial complex.
It's no wonder the elite feels threatened by a candidate who is bringing democracy back to the party.
There was the Mittster warning America that security and prosperity would fly out the window with a Trump nomination. Romney doesn't get the fact that, from the point of view of street-level folks, America's security and prosperity has already been squandered by the perpetual-war establishment types.
Then, to prove that they're just as clueless as Romney, seventy-some charter members of that establishment posted an open letter on the War On the Rocks website. Yup, a president who could get along with Putin and be neutral on the Israel - Palestine conflict would be bad news indeed. That this clique of war cheerleaders feels threatened by Trump tells me he must be doing something right. A "Dump Trump" plea signed by the likes of Daniel Blumenthal, Michael Chertoff, Eliot Cohen, Robert Kagan and a few dozen like-minded Washington insiders isn't going to make much of an impression on the millions of regular folks who have begun to realize that the trillions pissed away on unnecessary wars at the urging of these people has only made America poorer and less secure.
In fact, it's these war cheerleaders who have brought America down. Bill Kristol gave the game away when he revealed that the GOP elite would be better served by having Hillary in the White House. Unlike Trump, Hillary is a reliable advocate for senseless military interventions and endless weapon sales to all sides in virtually every conflict. What that should tell the Republican rank and file is that their party has long since been hijacked by the military-industrial complex.
It's no wonder the elite feels threatened by a candidate who is bringing democracy back to the party.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
What would President Trump's foreign policy look like?
Trump has been a little thin on details about what his foreign policy might look like, but he's dropped a couple of powerful clues.
He's claimed that he'll be able to get along with Putin.
He's promised to be neutral on Israel.
Hey, if America had a president who was neutral on Israel and could get along with Putin, you could probably cut defense spending by at least 50%!
That Middle East nightmare that the American taxpayer has been subsidizing for generations would no longer be the American taxpayer's problem!
Nor would containing Putin's alleged plans for world domination...
That's why the Beltway Establishment is shitting bricks.
The military industrial complex that's been steering foreign policy for fifty years will have lost their milk cow.
And instead of perpetually financing perpetual war and perpetually fattening up the warmongers, the American taxpayer will instead be able to afford housing, education, and health care!
He's claimed that he'll be able to get along with Putin.
He's promised to be neutral on Israel.
Hey, if America had a president who was neutral on Israel and could get along with Putin, you could probably cut defense spending by at least 50%!
That Middle East nightmare that the American taxpayer has been subsidizing for generations would no longer be the American taxpayer's problem!
Nor would containing Putin's alleged plans for world domination...
That's why the Beltway Establishment is shitting bricks.
The military industrial complex that's been steering foreign policy for fifty years will have lost their milk cow.
And instead of perpetually financing perpetual war and perpetually fattening up the warmongers, the American taxpayer will instead be able to afford housing, education, and health care!
About that bogus CNN/ORC poll
CNN is giving headline prominence to a CNN/ORC poll that shows that either Dem candidate would beat Trump in a national election.
Really?
Oh really! Not only that, but Rubio would beat both Clinton and Bernie if Rubio were the GOP candidate, and if the candidate were Cruz, he'd show better than Trump...
Really!
Really?...
Yes, really, according to those CNN headlines.
It's not till you get to the last paragraph in the story that you realize that these national headlines are based on a sample of 1001 people, of which 920 were registered voters.
You post this kind of inflammatory headline based on a random sample of 920 voters?
Really?
Get outta here!
Shame on you, CNN!
Really?
Oh really! Not only that, but Rubio would beat both Clinton and Bernie if Rubio were the GOP candidate, and if the candidate were Cruz, he'd show better than Trump...
Really!
Really?...
Yes, really, according to those CNN headlines.
It's not till you get to the last paragraph in the story that you realize that these national headlines are based on a sample of 1001 people, of which 920 were registered voters.
You post this kind of inflammatory headline based on a random sample of 920 voters?
Really?
Get outta here!
Shame on you, CNN!
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