Politics

[mdwest]

 

[Wheels]

 

[Wheels]

Chris Pratt is on our side - stays publicly apolitical and vocally Christian.

Think the meme creator was depicting the expression, not the individual

 

[Sabattiboy]

I agree!
Many people hate Trump in the same way a lot of us hate Hillary Clinton.
The undecided "middle of the road" voters decide elections. A candidate must be palatable to those middle people to get their votes and be elected.

How many votes will they get for even a piece of student loan forgiveness?
How many votes will they get if they next forgive some credit card debt?
Do the recipients care where the cost falls? Not at all because america has managed to survive the subprime debacle and Covid. In their eyes nothing will take america down.
No, facts and history mean nothing.

Remember Bernie Madoff? There were people that invested in their future and he made off with it.
His wife demanded she get to keep the illicit gains because she needed it to support her lifestyle when he went to jail.
The others that spend every penny they get their hands on and live in debt as well are in the same place. Someone else will pay for their funeral.

 

[Newboomer]

A question or two I have asked myself and I think everyone should asked themselves too...

If ( and this is a huuuuuge "if") the Dems were running the country well and not corrupting the youth etc etc and were doing a good job, would you vote Republican because you identify as a Republican?
If you would vote Republican in this scenario then you're part of the problem as you put party above policy/country. That's called party politics.

Would you vote for / against an individual because of who he is but he has sound policies and doing a good job? If you would then that is identity politics and you're part of the problem.
We rightly blame those that voted against Trump because of identity and not on policy. But the flip side of that coin is elevating one candidate because of his personality which MIGHT / PROBABLY cost an election when there is an equally good candidate that would slam dunk that election (De Santis et al).

It should always always always be country first and party/personality second no matter who is in power. If the country is being run well and sound policies are adopted etc then who cares who is in charge.

Good thought and one that deserves much thought but--we don't have and haven't had a half bright dem since Harry Truman. Pretty hard to vote dem considering their abysmal track record for over 50 years.

 

[Woodcarver]

A question or two I have asked myself and I think everyone should asked themselves too...

If ( and this is a huuuuuge "if") the Dems were running the country well and not corrupting the youth etc etc and were doing a good job, would you vote Republican because you identify as a Republican?
If you would vote Republican in this scenario then you're part of the problem as you put party above policy/country. That's called party politics.

Would you vote for / against an individual because of who he is but he has sound policies and doing a good job? If you would then that is identity politics and you're part of the problem.
We rightly blame those that voted against Trump because of identity and not on policy. But the flip side of that coin is elevating one candidate because of his personality which MIGHT / PROBABLY cost an election when there is an equally good candidate that would slam dunk that election (De Santis et al).

It should always always always be country first and party/personality second no matter who is in power. If the country is being run well and sound policies are adopted etc then who cares who is in charge.

This might work in utopia, but in real world, pragmatic politics, we are a two party country politically. The ONLY time to vote for the individual is in the primary. Once the general election ballot is ready, if you don't vote for the party that has the platform closest to what you believe politically, you don't understand how politics work. It is a nose count, that's it. The name in front of the R or D on the ballot is irrelevant at this point. Which party has the most noses gets control of all the committees. It really is that simple.
As one who is fairly Libertarian in my thinking, I recognize the reality that a Libertarian controlled House, Senate or WH is a fairy tale. But the R platform is as close as I can get. The D platform is the polar opposite of the direction I think the country needs to go. So I register and vote as an R. And hold my nose as I cast a ballot for some of them with the R after their name.
This is looking at if from the perspective of country first. The platform of the party is the stated direction the party wants to lead the country in. The names will change, but the direction the party is pulling in remains the same. Party trumps person.

 

[Red Leg]

How many votes will they get for even a piece of student loan forgiveness?
How many votes will they get if they next forgive some credit card debt?
Do the recipients care where the cost falls? Not at all because america has managed to survive the subprime debacle and Covid. In their eyes nothing will take america down.
No, facts and history mean nothing.

Remember Bernie Madoff? There were people that invested in their future and he made off with it.
His wife demanded she get to keep the illicit gains because she needed it to support her lifestyle when he went to jail.
The others that spend every penny they get their hands on and live in debt as well are in the same place. Someone else will pay for their funeral.

I am getting very worried about the midterms. According to Trafalgar, a friendly to conservatives polling group, Blake masters is losing to Kelly by two in Arizona, and Johnson is trailing to Barnes in Wisconsin. Another Trump pick, Mehmet Oz, is trailing a guy in a hoodie who can't string two sentences together in Pennsylvania. The senate could easily go from 50/50 to Democrats up by 3 or 4.

AZ US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

WI US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

Meanwhile the erstwhile leader of my party is still grousing about the last election and offering amusing, if extra-constitutional remedies.

Yes, he has a legitimate argument to make. So make it a positive about supporting candidates in the mid-term who can shine the bright light of republican led hearings, both houses, over the harm that was done. But no, he is entirely too self-centered to make that logical leap. Instead, we are on the verge of wasting the greatest political opportunity since Jimmy Carter.

 

[Doug3006]

I am getting very worried about the midterms. According to Trafalgar, a friendly to conservatives polling group, Blake masters is losing to Kelly by two in Arizona, and Johnson is trailing to Barnes in Wisconsin. Another Trump pick, Mehmet Oz, is trailing a guy in a hoodie who can't string two sentences together in Pennsylvania. The senate could easily go from 50/50 to Democrats up by 3 or 4.

AZ US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

WI US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

Meanwhile the erstwhile leader of my party is still grousing about the last election and offering amusing, if extra-constitutional remedies.

Yes, he has a legitimate argument to make. So make it a positive about supporting candidates in the mid-term who can shine the bright light of republican led hearings, both houses, over the harm that was done. But no, he is entirely too self-centered to make that logical leap. Instead, we are on the verge of wasting the greatest political opportunity since Jimmy Carter.

View attachment 485646

I think that being opposed to what the Dems are doing Is not enough. Republicans need to say what they will accomplish if given the power of government.

 

[wesheltonj]

I am getting very worried about the midterms. According to Trafalgar, a friendly to conservatives polling group, Blake masters is losing to Kelly by two in Arizona, and Johnson is trailing to Barnes in Wisconsin. Another Trump pick, Mehmet Oz, is trailing a guy in a hoodie who can't string two sentences together in Pennsylvania. The senate could easily go from 50/50 to Democrats up by 3 or 4.

AZ US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

WI US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

Meanwhile the erstwhile leader of my party is still grousing about the last election and offering amusing, if extra-constitutional remedies.

Yes, he has a legitimate argument to make. So make it a positive about supporting candidates in the mid-term who can shine the bright light of republican led hearings, both houses, over the harm that was done. But no, he is entirely too self-centered to make that logical leap. Instead, we are on the verge of wasting the greatest political opportunity since Jimmy Carter.

View attachment 485646

Never underestimate the Republicans ability to snatch defeat out of victory.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

If Trump is such a negative force for the Republican chances one wonders why the Dems are pushing so hard to prevent him running again. Do they know something we don't? This is a sincere question.

 

[fourfive8]

If Trump is such a negative force for the Republican chances one wonders why the Dems are pushing so hard to prevent him running again. Do they know something we don't? This is a sincere question.

Exactly! The obvious (and it is painfully obvious) escapes many who are blinded by a basic hatred of the man. They often camouflage and couch those feelings with qualifiers. It is scary simple- the Dems and some Repubs (RINOS) in the swamp, in power are afraid he'll go back to culling swamp critters- this time with more knowledge and a better list of who they are. No matter, just like those excusing or defending the 2020 election results, people will vote and get exactly what they deserve, dragging the rest of us along with them.

 

[Newboomer]

If Trump is such a negative force for the Republican chances one wonders why the Dems are pushing so hard to prevent him running again. Do they know something we don't? This is a sincere question.

They are scared shitless of the man. They know that if he is reelected he'll go after them with a vengeance because he won't have to worry about reelection. They fear for their careers and in some cases their freedom from prosecution.

 

[jpr9954]

I am getting very worried about the midterms. According to Trafalgar, a friendly to conservatives polling group, Blake masters is losing to Kelly by two in Arizona, and Johnson is trailing to Barnes in Wisconsin. Another Trump pick, Mehmet Oz, is trailing a guy in a hoodie who can't string two sentences together in Pennsylvania. The senate could easily go from 50/50 to Democrats up by 3 or 4.

AZ US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

WI US Sen General – Aug 2022 – Trafalgar Group

www.thetrafalgargroup.org

Meanwhile the erstwhile leader of my party is still grousing about the last election and offering amusing, if extra-constitutional remedies.

Yes, he has a legitimate argument to make. So make it a positive about supporting candidates in the mid-term who can shine the bright light of republican led hearings, both houses, over the harm that was done. But no, he is entirely too self-centered to make that logical leap. Instead, we are on the verge of wasting the greatest political opportunity since Jimmy Carter.

View attachment 485646

I have been seeing numerous stories in the mainstream media about how the Dems have outraised the Republicans, how they may take the Senate, and how they may even keep the House. I wonder how much of this is preparing the battlefield. By that I mean to convince us that that their use of election fraud, ballot stuffing, etc. is just a myth and that people really like Biden and the Democrats.

I am hearing too many similar stories on these topics in the mainstream media. While I tend to be a skeptic of conspiracy theories, sometimes they do turn out to be real.

 

[Red Leg]

I have been seeing numerous stories in the mainstream media about how the Dems have outraised the Republicans, how they may take the Senate, and how they may even keep the House. I wonder how much of this is preparing the battlefield. By that I mean to convince us that that their use of election fraud, ballot stuffing, etc. is just a myth and that people really like Biden and the Democrats.

I am hearing too many similar stories on these topics in the mainstream media. While I tend to be a skeptic of conspiracy theories, sometimes they do turn out to be real.

I will have to disagree with you in part. I have no doubt that the MSM will continue to maintain a fairly non-critical light on the President. That is hardly anything new when a democrat is in office.

I would suggest two other things are worth considering. Trafalgar is not some front for the Democrat party. When it is wrong, which it is rarely, it is more often wrong in favor of a Republican candidate than a Democrat. In other words they represent real polling data. Right now a stroke recovering thug in a hoodie who can't put two sentences together coherently is leading Oz by nearly 10 points in Pennsylvania. Who needs to cheat?

Secondly, mid-terms are essentially state elections. My conspiracy foil hat isn't big enough to encompass that large an effort by anyone to go after that many elections in some nefarious way. No, we have the opportunity to not retake the house and lose the senate and will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Ronald Reagan spoke no wiser words than "speak no evil of a fellow Republican." I am absolutely certain Donald J. Trump cost the Republican party both senate seats in the 2020 Georgia election - and thus the senate. His opining that the system was so crooked that one's vote wouldn't count encouraged many of his followers to not vote in the final election. As a result, both Democrats barely squeaked by.

A party representing 35% of the population isn't a meaningful power in the land. The swamp busting crowd had best figure out how to work together with traditional conservatives who are comfortable getting things done through the existing bureaucracy. That doesn't mean government can't clean house, it doesn't mean departments can't be reorganized, and it surely doesn't mean the regulatory structure can't be cut thus enabling the shrinking of bureaucratic oversight. But to believe that anyone will somehow eliminate the bureaucracy that runs the government is delusional. Empower that broader coalition and the party is large enough to win national elections.

I am certain that if we don't do it, we will consign our country to a truly bleak future. If Trump can't contribute to building that coalition then I wish he would just go away.

 

[Brent in Az]

The Republicans running in the mid terms are not hammering on Biden's failures, long enough, or, loud enough.

There has to be enough spread to cover the Democrats election rigging.

If the Democrats stay in power, this country is doomed. They are salivating over the thought of a continuing dictatorship.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I will have to disagree with you in part. I have no doubt that the MSM will continue to maintain a fairly non-critical light on the President. That is hardly anything new when a democrat is in office.

I would suggest two other things are worth considering. Trafalgar is not some front for the Democrat party. When it is wrong, which it is rarely, it is more often wrong in favor of a Republican candidate than a Democrat. In other words they represent real polling data. Right now a stroke recovering thug in a hoodie who can't put two sentences together coherently is leading Oz by nearly 10 points in Pennsylvania. Who needs to cheat?

Secondly, mid-terms are essentially state elections. My conspiracy foil hat isn't big enough to encompass that large an effort by anyone to go after that many elections in some nefarious way. No, we have the opportunity to not retake the house and lose the senate and will have no one to blame but ourselves.

Ronald Reagan spoke no wiser words than "speak no evil of a fellow Republican." I am absolutely certain Donald J. Trump cost the Republican party both senate seats in the 2020 Georgia election - and thus the senate. His opining that the system was so crooked that one's vote wouldn't count encouraged many of his followers to not vote in the final election. As a result, both Democrats barely squeaked by.

A party representing 35% of the population isn't a meaningful power in the land. The swamp busting crowd had best figure out how to work together with traditional conservatives who are comfortable getting things done through the existing bureaucracy. That doesn't mean government can't clean house, it doesn't mean departments can't be reorganized, and it surely doesn't mean the regulatory structure can't be cut thus enabling the shrinking of bureaucratic oversight. But to believe that anyone will somehow eliminate the bureaucracy that runs the government is delusional. Empower that broader coalition and the party is large enough to win national elections.

I am certain that if we don't do it, we will consign our country to a truly bleak future. If Trump can't contribute to building that coalition then I wish he would just go away.

Agreed, but how do you do it? Is it all down to what Trump says? If he announced before end September that he wasn't running in 2024 that would do it, yes? What if De Santis announced his intention to run regardless?

 

[Brent in Az]

Here's a sample of the Democrat inspired utopia.

Commiefornia.

 

[Tanner Lee]

Here's a sample of the Democrat inspired utopia.

Commiefornia.
View attachment 485673

We will see how long that lasts, bet as we get closer to that time it will be overturned in court.

Who knows that’s to long off from now

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Gas prices might be going back up.........​

Emergency Declared After BP Refinery Fire​

An emergency has been declared by the United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) following the unanticipated shutdown of the BP Whiting refinery as a result of a fire on August 24.

By execution of the emergency declaration, motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance to the emergency in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, in direct support of relief efforts related to the shortages of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel due to the fire at the BP Whiting refinery, are granted relief from “49 CFR § 395.3, maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles, subject to … restrictions and conditions”, FMCSA noted.

The emergency declaration is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the end of the emergency or until September 10, whichever is earlier, FMCSA outlined, adding that it intends to continually review the status of this emergency declaration and may take action to extend, modify or terminate the emergency declaration if conditions warrant.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation announced … as part of the federal government’s response to the shutdown of the BP Whiting refinery, that the USDOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is taking steps to create more flexibility for motor carriers and drivers,” USDOT said in a government statement.

“FMCSA is issuing a temporary hours of service exemption that applies to those transporting gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other refined petroleum products to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin,” USDOT added.

“USDOT’s top priority is safety, and while current circumstances dictate providing industry flexibility, FMCSA has notified and will work closely with its state and industry partners to monitor driver work hours and conditions for the duration of the exemption,” USDOT continued.

Commenting on the Whiting refinery incident, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said on Twitter, “due to a recent BP oil refinery fire in Whiting, Indiana, our administration is taking proactive steps to increase gas supply and reduce barriers so Illinoians have access to the fuel they need”.

“This coordinated effort will reduce the chances of disruptions and keep the people and business of our state moving,” Pritzker added in the statement.

In a statement shared on Twitter, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said, “I am taking action to help address Michigan’s fuel needs after a fire and power outage at a BP refinery in Indiana”.

“The impacts of the outage at the Whiting facility will be widespread across our region, and I am taking proactive steps to help Michiganders get the fuel they need to drive their cars and help businesses keep their products moving”.

Located in northwest Indiana, the Whiting refinery is the largest in the Midwest and BP’s largest anywhere in the world, according to the company’s website. The site is able to process around 440,000 barrels of crude oil every day and produces a wide range of liquid fuels, along with seven percent of all asphalt in the United States, BP’s site notes.

Whiting reached an important milestone back in August 2020 by bringing its new naphtha hydrotreater processing unit online in August 2020, the company’s site highlights. BP invested more than $300 million over the three-year construction period of the unit, which removes sulfur from gasoline and improves the facility’s ability to produce cleaner-burning fuels.

 

[Wheels]