5 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

I hope people realize that most successful businessmen are psychopaths - their zero empathy goes a long way when it comes to predatory business practices.

Psychopaths or not, a career in business does not translate into a career in politics. Business is driven by profits and, by today’s neoliberal business standards at least, building shareholder value. Zero empathy, as you point out, is a definite asset. Politics, on the other hand, is public service, which, while having a budgetary aspect, has no profit motive. Empathy is a job requirement. There’s no reason a businessperson can’t be a decent president, but s/he needs to learn a whole new skill set. It may be easier to, what’s the expression, shove a camel through the eye of a needle ...

Edited January 29, 20197 yr by Cory1848

 

You might think that way but in reality he is not all that extreme. Loud and bombastic, most certainly, but remember he was a Democrat so he is not that far Right.

He was a Democrat when the Democrats ran New York state and city. Made it easier to get the zoning and permits he wanted for real estate deals.

 

Bookies are odds on for a Trump win in 2020 no matter who opposes him.

4 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Bookies are odds on for a Trump win in 2020 no matter who opposes him.

Absolute flat out lie.

Current odds give Trump a 29.2% chance of winning the 2020 election.*

Odds on = > 50%.

 

* Source, Betfair, the world's largest betting exchange and the most accurate reflector of the betting market's sentiment.

8 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Raising the minimum wage, joining the rest of the western nations in having a national healthcare program, extending public education for a further two years (includes public university or technical college education), rolling back the wealthy tax breaks to reduce both the deficit spending and reduce the income/wealth gap = extreme left? Yes, well then, I'm there and unless the established party powers recognize the justified frustration/anger in the working middle class then the madness continues. Individual #!, far out of his depth was the one promising change (well, of the two major party nominees).

 

I'm glad you wrote "extending public education a further 2 years, whether college or vocational training".  One problem Bernie had (has) is that every person who ever made a bad choice in their life was looking for him to bail them out. His universal healthcare initiative somehow got morphed into free college for all and student  loan forgiveness, which just ain't gonna happen. Free community college and voc. tech. education is a great idea. Giving a free ride for 4, 5, 6 years for a degree in Communications or Journalism or Elementary Education is just a waste of taxpayers money.

8 hours ago, Jingthing said:

They are and it's understood that a progressive elected president is going to have to compromise with congress. So why not start at the more purist position instead of starting at the compromise position. That's a mistake Obama may have made. He didn't even try to go for universal health care so the ultimate compromise was not as good as it might have been as he started too right wing to begin with. On the other hand, if he started very left, he might not have passed anything. That's politics and it's not going away. 

I accept your apology.

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I don't get where you're coming from with Bernie or bust. There are numerous progressive candidates including Harris and more will enter. So unless you're addicted to Bernie's man frump style, I don't get it. 

I want a progressive that can beat "trump." I think most of them can including Harris, Booker, and Klobuchar. But not Warren. I think she would lose. 

Then there is Beto. Is he really a progressive? Probably not and I hope he doesn't run because I think he was a fad that has already faded.

I think a lot of those candidates, certainly Warren, are seen as inauthentic band wagoners, at least for now. Let's see where their money comes from and if their message is determined by seeing which way the wind is blowing.

11 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I think this is a great idea if he runs. Helping reelect "trump" is a kind of treason. Most Starbucks customers are probably democrats. He should get the message soon, run and we'll boycott, and hopefully that should scare him away. If he doesn't want to elect "trump" he can try to get nominated as a democrat. Of course he wouldn't get nominated but who really cares? 

Seems to me what we need is an alternative to the far left Dems and the Republicans.  Seems what has developed is far left Dems who basically want the government to take over everything and create a socialist state and thus leaving more moderate Dems no choice in the matter. Politics should not be about powerful party politics but what the average American wants.  It will be interesting to see if he runs and what his platform will be. To deny the guy a voice before he even has a chance to present his ideas is shameful.  It also goes to show that many of those opposed to him running are really worried that many Dems who are not so far left might vote for the guy.  To them it is all about getting Trump out not voting for what the people might really want.

Off-topic post and reply removed. 

Both Republicans and Democrats are scared spitless of a viable third party. This would destroy the dichotomy which enables corporations to rule as long as the country remains divided.

 

And remember - I said viable!

17 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Nope. That's a myth that has been proven wrong. The main reason he won besides help from Putin was his white resentment massaging race baiting demagoguery. 

Hillary made trump president!!

I am sorry to disagree with you on this one. The only reason trump won was that his opponent was Hillary!

  Remember when we had this conversation during the primary? I said that if Hillary won the nomination the republicans will have a field day against her,

  To many skeletons in her closet. 

We can all be against trump, with good reason, and his use of the Russian assets to reveal the skeletons, real and imaginary . But the truth remains that most that was revealed wastrue. She was against the ropes constantly  . and trump played the "rope-a-dope" game. Between trump and the Comey letter to Congress,she never caught her breath, it was constant damage control.And

  Don't think we forgot the DNC's treatment of Bernie.

  Don't think  we don't know that after Obama got the nomination a deal was made between Hillary and Obama that the Clintons would throw the Clinton political machine behind Obama in exchange for a cabinet position for Hillary to pad he resumate, and a turn at the presidency after Obama's term, to the exclusion of  Biden. Anyone who thinks Biden did not run because he did not want to be president is to put it mildly deluding him/herself. 

Hillary made trump president.

I think that Shultz (dude)needs to switch to decaf lol anyway I’m for Biden with a progressive vp Harris or Beto he would go far in restoring our reputation and repairing the damage Donald created with our allies get the ship of state back on course 

I am fairly certain Trump will not run again. The issues are mounting, and the Mueller report has not come out yet. No doubt there was collusion at the highest level. Many felonies were committed. And the NY attorney general has not released their finding yet, either. I believe Trump will be too toxic and radioactive, for the GOP to get behind him. Besides the fact that he is very unhinged. We will see.

 

Regardless, Schultz running as a independent would not be good. The dems need to win, even if Justin Bieber is their candidate. The extraordinarily destructive policies of the current day GOP need to be stopped.

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I am fairly certain Trump will not run again. The issues are mounting, and the Mueller report has not come out yet. No doubt there was collusion at the highest level. Many felonies were committed. And the NY attorney general has not released their finding yet, either. I believe Trump will be too toxic and radioactive, for the GOP to get behind him. Besides the fact that he is very unhinged. We will see.

 

Regardless, Schultz running as a independent would not be good. The dems need to win, even if Justin Bieber is their candidate. The extraordinarily destructive policies of the current day GOP need to be stopped.

I also don't think trump will run for the reasons you mentioner and some others. 

  I don't think trump ever wanted to be president, I think it was a business idea that went wrong. He said all the crazy things he said, thinking that he will lose and priming the base so it can be monetized later. Then  much to his surprise he won. Now he has to work, and he does not want to work, all he wants to do is make money, and stay out of jail (for himself and his children) .

  Look at him, not the makeup, but really look at him, he does not look good. Do you think he has six more years of that in him?

  IMO the only reason he might run for another term would be  to keep his children from going to jail.

18 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I also don't think trump will run for the reasons you mentioner and some others. 

  I don't think trump ever wanted to be president, I think it was a business idea that went wrong. He said all the crazy things he said, thinking that he will lose and priming the base so it can be monetized later. Then  much to his surprise he won. Now he has to work, and he does not want to work, all he wants to do is make money, and stay out of jail (for himself and his children) .

  Look at him, not the makeup, but really look at him, he does not look good. Do you think he has six more years of that in him?

  IMO the only reason he might run for another term would be  to keep his children from going to jail.

 

I agree. I do not think he is enjoying this job, the level of scrutiny it is bringing to him, his past, his business and his family, one iota. And I think he is getting tired of not getting his way. It is very hard for bully types to not get their way. With the dems controlling congress, it is only going to get harder for him. 

 

According to Michael Flynn, up until two weeks prior to the election, Trump was consoling Melania, who was very depressed at the thought of becoming first lady, and telling her don't worry, this will all be over in just two weeks. We are not going to win. Everyone knows that. 

 

And, I am not sure running another term would keep Don Jr. Eric, or Ivanka out of prison. It might actually up the stakes, rather than allowing all of this to just go away. And state offenses cannot be pardoned, so watch out for the New York attorney general, Donald. 

Edited January 30, 20197 yr by spidermike007

13 hours ago, Trouble said:

 To them it is all about getting Trump out not voting for what the people might really want.

Duh!  No sht Sherlock.  I for one want Trump out no matter what.  A trained monkey or a flaming pile of manure would do less damage to the country than Trump. 

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I am fairly certain Trump will not run again.

I don't share your optimism. He has already started planning his campaign.

 

He needs to be re-elected to protect himself and those close to him from indictment.

 

If he isn't president, he can't pardon anyone including himself.

If he isn't president, he loses the immunity from indictment.

If he isn't president, he can't run out the clock for offences with statutes of limitation.

If he isn't president, he can't appoint cronies to positions which influence legal outcomes for him and the Trump Organisation.

If he isn't president, he loses the power to intimidate senators who in turn may feel free to enact laws which negatively affect him and his interests.

 

The only way he won't run is if he gets iron-clad immunity for himself, his family, his assets and his secrecy. That is too much to ask and too tricky to arrange so is very unlikely to happen.

 

Sadly, Trump has to run and will run. I hope he doesn't win again.

5 hours ago, Tug said:

I think that Shultz (dude)needs to switch to decaf lol anyway I’m for Biden with a progressive vp Harris or Beto he would go far in restoring our reputation and repairing the damage Donald created with our allies get the ship of state back on course 

 Always loved Biden, but I am afraid hist time came and is now gone. IMO he is a tragic figure. 

The two party system is broken but unfortunately we are trapped in it. A third party candidate can only be a spoiler at this point. 

9 minutes ago, Briggsy said:

I don't share your optimism. He has already started planning his campaign.

 

He needs to be re-elected to protect himself and those close to him from indictment.

 

If he isn't president, he can't pardon anyone including himself.

If he isn't president, he loses the immunity from indictment.

If he isn't president, he can't run out the clock for offences with statutes of limitation.

If he isn't president, he can't appoint cronies to positions which influence legal outcomes for him and the Trump Organisation.

If he isn't president, he loses the power to intimidate senators who in turn may feel free to enact laws which negatively affect him and his interests.

 

The only way he won't run is if he gets iron-clad immunity for himself, his family, his assets and his secrecy. That is too much to ask and too tricky to arrange so is very unlikely to happen.

 

Sadly, Trump has to run and will run. I hope he doesn't win again.

 I can't find anything wrong with what you said, other that he is old and might not have it in him. Other than that, he is trapped in the presidency, If he loves his children, and everyone says he does, their only protection is a president trump. Unless as you said a deal can be made, which IMO is the only way out because the world is also trapped in a trump presidency, and if he can hold the federal employees hostage to get his wall, what else can he hold hostage to keep his children and himself out of jail? At this point this is a high stakes poker game. 

5 hours ago, Tug said:

I think that Shultz (dude)needs to switch to decaf lol anyway I’m for Biden with a progressive vp Harris or Beto he would go far in restoring our reputation and repairing the damage Donald created with our allies get the ship of state back on course 

Agree that Biden's probably the best choice.  I tend to believe he's about the only one who can beat Trump with near certainty.  And near certainty is what we need right now.  Harris would be a good choice for VP.  But I wonder if Biden can reach across the aisle and bring someone over like a Flake or Kasich?  Probably can't happen, but who knows. 

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

 Always loved Biden, but I am afraid hist time came and is now gone. IMO he is a tragic figure. 

The two party system is broken but unfortunately we are trapped in it. A third party candidate can only be a spoiler at this point. 

Yeah, definitely tragic. 

I think that Schultz has very little chance of winning. But then again, so many people had said something similar regarding Trump initially ????

9 minutes ago, JemJem said:

I think that Schultz has very little chance of winning. But then again, so many people had said something similar regarding Trump initially ????

True but he was a black swan and black swans by definition are very, very rare.

It's not even so much who he is and personally I don't find him very impressive, but the fact that if he runs, he intends to run outside the two party system. 

Edited January 30, 20197 yr by Jingthing

Trump is right.  Schultz doesn't have the guts to run.  Wimp.

Edited January 30, 20197 yr by Kelsall

Just now, Kelsall said:

Trump is right.  Schultz doesn't have the guts to run.

???? That wins the award for the most transparent post of the decade.

3 hours ago, Briggsy said:

I don't share your optimism. He has already started planning his campaign.

 

He needs to be re-elected to protect himself and those close to him from indictment.

 

If he isn't president, he can't pardon anyone including himself.

If he isn't president, he loses the immunity from indictment.

If he isn't president, he can't run out the clock for offences with statutes of limitation.

If he isn't president, he can't appoint cronies to positions which influence legal outcomes for him and the Trump Organisation.

If he isn't president, he loses the power to intimidate senators who in turn may feel free to enact laws which negatively affect him and his interests.

 

The only way he won't run is if he gets iron-clad immunity for himself, his family, his assets and his secrecy. That is too much to ask and too tricky to arrange so is very unlikely to happen.

 

Sadly, Trump has to run and will run. I hope he doesn't win again.

Trump will run and he will win...again.

On 1/29/2019 at 4:54 AM, from the home of CC said:

I hope people realize that most successful businessmen are psychopaths - their zero empathy goes a long way when it comes to predatory business practices.

Only have to look at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, for a shining example.

 

 

Edited January 30, 20197 yr by Basil B

On 1/29/2019 at 12:32 PM, JAG said:

No need to boycott them here - at B150 for a mug of (at best mediocre) coffee I'm surprised anyone can afford to go there ..

7/11 coffee is better than Thailand Starbucks................

Troll posts and replies removed.

 

A humorous (coffee) roasting of spoiler maybe Schultz.

His rollout isn't exactly impressive.

Who exactly wants him to run?

"trump" and "trump" fans -- what more d'ya need to know?
 

Quote

 

Howard Schultz brings a whole latte trouble

Howard Schultz has brought a whole latte trouble on himself.

The former Starbucks magnate has provoked boycott threats, heckling and Twitter attacks with his threat to mount an independent presidential run that critics say could get President Trump reelected. Just about everybody this side of Tucker Carlson believes we do not need another old, white, insult-doling, super-caffeinated billionaire who is stingy with charity and believes he alone can fix the nation’s problems.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/howard-schultz-brings-a-whole-latte-trouble/2019/01/30/6d45a1ee-24cb-11e9-ad53-824486280311_story.html