reggieandlee
reggieandlee's JournalBTRTN: Trump, Send Me Back To The Country I Came From, Too
Born to Run the Numbers on two weeks in which our President’s racist and xenophobic rhetoric appears to be a contributing factor in another sickening wave of gun violence:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/08/btrtn-trump-send-me-back-to-country-i.html
Excerpts: "I, too, came from a different country, President Trump. It was far, far from where I live today in the United States of America. I miss the country I was born and raised in. It was better than the one I live in now. Go ahead. Tell me that if I am unhappy living in the United States, I should leave it and go home to where I came from. Yeah, I may be an English-speaking WASP dripping in privilege, but, hey – why not? Go ahead… I dare you. Tell me to go home, too...
"I’m not saying the country I came from was perfect. Far from. It had flaws. Big flaws. Inequities. Injustice. Discrimination. Biases. Factions. Anger. Even hate. But it woke up every day with a fierce determination to become better.
"Here's the essential difference between America then and America now: Back then, we had racial injustice, the bloodshed of a senseless war on the other side of the world, and a criminal in the White House. But we acted. We protested ferociously. We did something about each of these problems. Today, Republican leaders fan the flames of racial bigotry and discrimination, we have the bloodshed of ever-recurring gun madness in the town next door, and we have a criminal in the White House. And yet in the country I live in today, we do nothing..."
"Perhaps it is time that we all take a moment to look at the mass shooter in the mirror. No, nobody is saying that we pulled the trigger. No, we didn’t do that. We didn’t do anything. And that is the problem with the country I live in.We are not each pushing -- each in our own way, and each as hard as we can -- to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice."
BTRTN July 2019 Month in Review: Will the Democrats Take the Plunge?
Born To Run The Numbers provides its review of the month of July, when the impeachment drumbeat grew ever louder, and Trump laid out his 2020 campaign strategy in all its divisive savagery. The Dems decided a good way to move forward was to attack Barack Obama(!), and Robert Mueller finally emerged from silence with, well, little more than a bunch of affirmative grunts.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/08/btrtn-july-2019-month-in-review-will.html
Excerpts:
"Trump’s approval rating held at 43% for the third straight month. Our 'Trumpometer' measure of economic strength under Trump since his Inaugural dropped from +20 last month to +12 on a tepid Q2 GDP growth rate. Throughout the month Trump revealed his 2020 race-baiting campaign strategy in a series of ugly attacks, first on 'The Squad,' four U.S. representatives who are women of color, then on U.S. representative Elijah Cummings and the city of Baltimore. The 'impeachment now' movement gained momentum...
"On the foreign policy front, Trump suffered more setbacks. Iran announced it would soon breach the uranium enrichment levels established in the 2015 deal that Trump unilaterally withdrew from, with the strategy that ramping up sanctions would tank the Iranian economy and force them back to the negotiating table weakened and willing to go further in concessions. That strategy not only shows no sign of working...
"Trump also signed off on a Budget agreement with the Dems that was largely viewed as a Pelosi win (and which the GOP could not pass without significant Democratic help). One remembers a Trump campaign promise that he would not only eliminate the deficit but the entire debt in an 8-year year – yes, eliminate the entire $20 trillion of debt. Ah, good old GOP orthodoxy – tough on the Russians, tough on the debt, tough, tough, tough. Where has that GOP gone? (The debt is now just under $22 trillion.)"
BTRTN July 2019 Month in Review: Will the Democrats Take the Plunge?
Born To Run The Numbers provides its review of the month of July, when the impeachment drumbeat grew ever louder, and Trump laid out his 2020 campaign strategy in all its divisive savagery. The Dems decided a good way to move forward was to attack Barack Obama(!), and Robert Mueller finally emerged from silence with, well, little more than a bunch of affirmative grunts.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/08/btrtn-july-2019-month-in-review-will.html
Excerpts:
"Trump’s approval rating held at 43% for the third straight month. Our 'Trumpometer' measure of economic strength under Trump since his Inaugural dropped from +20 last month to +12 on a tepid Q2 GDP growth rate. Throughout the month Trump revealed his 2020 race-baiting campaign strategy in a series of ugly attacks, first on 'The Squad,' four U.S. representatives who are women of color, then on U.S. representative Elijah Cummings and the city of Baltimore. The 'impeachment now' movement gained momentum...
"On the foreign policy front, Trump suffered more setbacks. Iran announced it would soon breach the uranium enrichment levels established in the 2015 deal that Trump unilaterally withdrew from, with the strategy that ramping up sanctions would tank the Iranian economy and force them back to the negotiating table weakened and willing to go further in concessions. That strategy not only shows no sign of working...
"Trump also signed off on a Budget agreement with the Dems that was largely viewed as a Pelosi win (and which the GOP could not pass without significant Democratic help). One remembers a Trump campaign promise that he would not only eliminate the deficit but the entire debt in an 8-year year – yes, eliminate the entire $20 trillion of debt. Ah, good old GOP orthodoxy – tough on the Russians, tough on the debt, tough, tough, tough. Where has that GOP gone? (The debt is now just under $22 trillion.)"
BTRTN: Pinata Biden... VP Fights But Fails to Parry Onslaught. The Race is Opening Up.
Born to Run the Numbers provides its analysis of the Democratic Debates:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/08/pinata-biden-vp-fights-but-fails-to.html
Excerpts: "After two debates, we know this much: Joe Biden is not holding up well under the merciless incoming raining down on the reigning front runner. He was more assertive last night than in the prior debate, but there were too many instances in which he was halting, uncertain, or simply unable to find the words to counter effective charges. Biden was, at best, uneven, and that makes twice in a row. Were this trend to continue, it would be unsustainable...
"The good news for Biden? No single, strong, voice has emerged that shows the muscle to screw a rudder on the stern and steer a firm course through choppy seas. Kamala Harris faltered after her strong first debate. Cory Booker finally emerged as a powerful force, which could trigger his ascent into the top tier...
"Elizabeth Warren was roundly celebrated for a strong showing in the Wednesday night debate, but that entire evening placed the issue of radical vs. incremental change in stark relief. As strong as Warren was, she simply emerged as the champion of a radical strategy that may be inherently flawed in a party that simply and only wants a candidate who can beat Donald Trump...
"Pete Buttigieg turned in his usual solid performance, and is so well funded that his future in the race is solid. Julian Castro had a another strong performance. Amy Klobuchar seemed tougher and more involved in the second debate, but it is questionable whether she really punched through the din. Beto O’Rourke continues to fade, unable to break through decisively on any single issue...
"In short, it’s now more open than it was three months ago...
"Here’s how we score it: (provides rankings of individual candidate performances)...
BTRTN: Point/Counterpoint... Debating the Dems' Next Steps Following the Mueller Debacle
The brothers behind Born To Run The Numbers take diametrically opposite views on how the Dems should proceed following Robert Mueller's uncompelling House testimony. Read their two arguments, back to back, here:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/07/btrtn-pointcounterpoint-debating-dems.html
Excerpts from the argument favoring impeachment: "Nancy Pelosi keeps saying that the Democrats cannot act on impeachment until ...they are certain that the American people will support it. In so doing, Nancy Pelosi is essentially admitting to leading by polling. She is telling people that she is putting her finger up in the air to see which way the winds are blowing, abdicating the moral imperatives that leadership demand. Nancy Pelosi believes that articles impeachment passed in the House followed by a failure to acquit in the Senate will help Trump by 'exonerating' him. Yet, in that scenario, it is Senate Republicans 'exonerate' Trump. But by failing to pass articles of impeachment in the House, it is the Democrats who are exonerating Trump."
Excerpts from the argument opposing impeachment: "It’s time for the Democrats to bury the impeachment fantasy, follow the Pelosi script and get on with 2020. Impeachment is not the end game: getting rid of Donald Trump as quickly as possible is the end game. And the best way...is to vote him out in 2020. Not only will the impeachment folly give Trump a boost in his 2020 White House bid, but the Dems also risk losing the House. Does everyone understand why more than half of the Democrats in the House are not in favor of impeachment? Because they are worried that if they pursue impeachment, they put their seats at risk. And they have good reason to worry. The Dems flipped 39 seats in 2018. They won those seats by +5 percentage points on average. No wonder only six of those 39 new reps have come out for impeachment! Those seats could easily flip back..."
BTRTN: Point/Counterpoint: Debating the Dems' Next Steps Following the Mueller Debacle
The brothers behind Born To Run The Numbers take diametrically opposite views on how the Dems should proceed following Robert Mueller's uncompelling House testimony. Read their two arguments, back to back, here:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/07/btrtn-pointcounterpoint-debating-dems.html
Excerpts from the argument favoring impeachment: "Nancy Pelosi keeps saying that the Democrats cannot act on impeachment until ...they are certain that the American people will support it. In so doing, Nancy Pelosi is essentially admitting to leading by polling. She is telling people that she is putting her finger up in the air to see which way the winds are blowing, abdicating the moral imperatives that leadership demand. Nancy Pelosi believes that articles impeachment passed in the House followed by a failure to acquit in the Senate will help Trump by 'exonerating' him. Yet, in that scenario, it is Senate Republicans 'exonerate' Trump. But by failing to pass articles of impeachment in the House, it is the Democrats who are exonerating Trump."
Excerpts from the argument opposing impeachment: "It’s time for the Democrats to bury the impeachment fantasy, follow the Pelosi script and get on with 2020. Impeachment is not the end game: getting rid of Donald Trump as quickly as possible is the end game. And the best way...is to vote him out in 2020. Not only will the impeachment folly give Trump a boost in his 2020 White House bid, but the Dems also risk losing the House. Does everyone understand why more than half of the Democrats in the House are not in favor of impeachment? Because they are worried that if they pursue impeachment, they put their seats at risk. And they have good reason to worry. The Dems flipped 39 seats in 2018. They won those seats by +5 percentage points on average. No wonder only six of those 39 new reps have come out for impeachment! Those seats could easily flip back..."
BTRTN: Swalwell Ends Well. Others Should Follow.
Born to Run the Numbers applauds Swalwell for dropping out, encourages certain candidates to pursue Senate seats, and others to simply get out of the way.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/07/swalwell-ends-well-others-should-follow.html
Excerpts: "Maybe Eric Swalwell decided that defeating Donald Trump is so important to the future of this nation that he wanted to get out of the way and let the party focus on the truly serious candidates. Maybe he did not want to contribute to the carnival atmosphere and reality tv trappings of two dozen candidates screeching for attention, many of whom appear to be engaged in vanity exercises...
"Let’s start with four candidates who could be doing their party and their country a great service by opting out of the Presidential race and aiming for the U.S. Senate. There’s both Julián Castro and Beto O’Rourke in Texas, John Hickenlooper in Colorado, and Montana Governor Steve Bullock – and all are in a position to seriously challenge a vulnerable Republican for a Senate seat in 2020...
"Three seats in the Senate could easily be the difference between a progressive Supreme Court Justice and yet another Brett Kavanaugh. Three seats in the Senate save Roe v. Wade. Three seats in the Senate can help solve healthcare. It is time to get focused on the big picture. The 2020 election is not just about defeating Donald Trump. It is regaining control of government. Trump is just one particularly ugly piece of the picture...
"There you have it, de Blasio, Moulton, Ryan, Gillibrand, Inslee, Gabbard, Delaney, Bennet, Messam, Sestak, Williamson, and Yang.
All you are doing right now is adding to the carnival atmosphere that makes the most important election of our lifetime look like a game show with an applause-o-meter and a buzzer. You are making this campaign look like a reality tv show, which, unfortunately for you, may be named The Biggest Loser..."
BTRTN: Trump, Tanks, and Migrants...What Does the Fourth of July Really Mean?
Born To Run The Numbers on the crisis at the border, a vanity wank in D.C., and a citizenry that is acquiescing to it all... calling into question whether we, the people, understand the meaning of the holiday we are celebrating.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/07/trump-tanks-and-migrants-what-does.html
Excerpts: "I suspect that many of those watching the fireworks will not be giving thought to why we commemorate this day, when patriots put their lives on the line to found a nation that dared to articulate heroic aspirations, and then had the character to live up to them. I can understand celebrating with the rockets’ red glare for them. But not for what we have become...
"A father and his 23-month old daughter lie face down in the mud of the Rio Grande, their reward for believing the words on the Statue of Liberty. Your tired? Your poor? Your huddled masses, yearning to be free? Yes, the United States of America does huddled masses, all right. We lock up innocent people in overcrowded cages for months and expect them to drink water from toilets. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? For most people, the foundation of happiness is the love and bonds of family. And here we are, a country that rips children from the arms of their mothers, separates families, and fails to provide adequate care for the children whose lives we have damaged irreparably...
"Think about what we did to Oscar Alberto Martinez and Angie Valeria Martinez. They are not to be viewed merely as innocent bystanders or as unintended collateral damage. Our country made an active effort to shut them out. Our brutal policy caused their deaths. Now, they are people who risked all for freedom. They died while actually taking action. They had guts. They had courage. They were signers of their own declaration of independence, and they, too, knew the risks. We let them to die in the Rio Grande, just so many huddled masses, yearning to be free..."
BTRTN: Trump, Tanks, and Migrants...What Does the Fourth of July Really Mean?
Born To Run The Numbers on the crisis at the border, a vanity wank in D.C., and a citizenry that is acquiescing to it all... calling into question whether we, the people, understand the meaning of the holiday we are celebrating.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/07/trump-tanks-and-migrants-what-does.html
Excerpts: "I suspect that many of those watching the fireworks will not be giving thought to why we commemorate this day, when patriots put their lives on the line to found a nation that dared to articulate heroic aspirations, and then had the character to live up to them. I can understand celebrating with the rockets’ red glare for them. But not for what we have become...
"A father and his 23-month old daughter lie face down in the mud of the Rio Grande, their reward for believing the words on the Statue of Liberty. Your tired? Your poor? Your huddled masses, yearning to be free? Yes, the United States of America does huddled masses, all right. We lock up innocent people in overcrowded cages for months and expect them to drink water from toilets. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? For most people, the foundation of happiness is the love and bonds of family. And here we are, a country that rips children from the arms of their mothers, separates families, and fails to provide adequate care for the children whose lives we have damaged irreparably...
"Think about what we did to Oscar Alberto Martinez and Angie Valeria Martinez. They are not to be viewed merely as innocent bystanders or as unintended collateral damage. Our country made an active effort to shut them out. Our brutal policy caused their deaths. Now, they are people who risked all for freedom. They died while actually taking action. They had guts. They had courage. They were signers of their own declaration of independence, and they, too, knew the risks. We let them to die in the Rio Grande, just so many huddled masses, yearning to be free..."
BTRTN June 2019 in Review: Trump Should Beware the I's of June
Born To Run The Numbers provides their review of the month of June, emphasizing the peril Trump faces from the three "i"s -- immigration, Iran, and impeachment.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2019/07/btrtn-june-2019-month-in-review-trump.html
Excerpts: "Three major news items stood out – Iran, immigration and impeachment -- each personified by a singular image: the downing of a U.S. drone by Iran; the heartrending and harrowing image of a man and his 2-year old daughter dead on the banks of the Rio Grande; the stunning announcement that Robert Mueller will testify public before Congress on July 17, giving voice to his report, and breathing oxygen into the calls for impeachment. Iran, immigration, impeachment...Trump should beware the I’s of June...
"Perhaps most threatening for Trump are rumblings in the economy, his re-election ace in the hole. Trump... will/should be running on the strength of the U.S. economy. But with only 75,000 jobs created in May, and the inversion of the bond yield curve, Trump is in his own race against the clock to get re-elected before the bottom drops out on the longest expansion in decades. An untimely economic slowdown was disastrous for George H.W. Bush, and it would be even more so for Trump...
"For all the chaos of the Trump Administration, the one constant has been his approval rating. He started his presidency in the high 40% range, but shortly thereafter his approval rating had dropped to the mid-40’s. He hit a monthly low of 38% in August 2017 and ended that year at 39%. From there, each and every month has been in the 40-45% range; the last seven months have been stuck in the even narrower range of 41-43%. Such are our times. Perhaps this single statistic, the approval rating, is most indicative of our divided nation, because nothing Trump does changes anyone’s mind at all. This variance of a point or two month to month is in margin of error territory. And so, we report that Trump’s approval rating for the month of June, 2019, was unchanged at 43%."
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