TRUMP.

[Joel]

[Joel]

[Joel]

Cheney emerges as surprise Trump surrogate

The president-elect trashed his foreign policy during the campaign, but they've found common cause in Rex Tillerson.

During the campaign, Donald Trump trashed the hawkish foreign policy of the second Bush White House. But now he and his team are relying on the man most closely identified with that regime — Dick Cheney — to help ensure Rex Tillerson is confirmed next year as Trump's secretary of state.

As Republicans have voiced reservations about Tillerson’s relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Cheney — himself a former oil executive, a longtime Tillerson friend, and perhaps the country’s most famous foreign policy hawk — is serving as a bridge between the Trump team and skeptical Republican senators.

It’s a scenario no one could have possibly foreseen: that one of the key architects of the Iraq War, which Trump slammed on the campaign trail, is now being enlisted as an emissary for a man Trump wants to help steer his ship of state.

Rick Dearborn, the executive director of the Trump transition and a Senate veteran who served as chief of staff to Alabama senator Jeff Sessions for over a decade, is looking to leverage Cheney's influence with key GOP senators, according to a transition aide.

Another transition aide said Cheney's imprimatur may serve as "a good housekeeping seal of approval" with Republican skeptics. And indeed, Florida senator Marco Rubio received a call from the former vice president earlier this week. The goal: “To move Marco the right way,” according to a source familiar with the conversation. Rubio will cast a pivotal vote on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which must approve the nomination before it proceeds to the full Senate.

The former vice president is also in close contact with senior Trump aides. Cheney speaks frequently with the vice president-elect, Indiana governor Mike Pence, who himself serves as a liaison between the president-elect and Capitol Hill, and who has said he hopes to model his vice presidency on Cheney’s.

“Mike relishes the advice,” said a senior transition aide, who added that Cheney is “willing to do what he’s asked” and “wants to be helpful” to the incoming administration.” The aide denied, however, that Cheney's conversations were part of a coordinated effort between Trump Tower and Capitol Hill to push for Tillerson’s confirmation.

During the campaign, Trump accused the Bush administration of lying about the existence of weapons of mass destruction to embroil the country in the Iraq War. He argued that the move to topple Saddam Hussein “may have been the worst decision” in presidential history.

Cheney was a grudging supporter of the Republican nominee: He spoke out against Trump’s proposed ban on Muslim immigration and did not attend the Republican convention in Cleveland, and told associates privately that he was backing Trump in large measure to help his daughter Liz, who was a Republican candidate for Congress.

Cheney’s involvement in Tillerson’s selection and nomination is surprising for a candidate who railed against the Republican establishment on the campaign trail and was elected to office because of that posture. Yet his reliance on some of the marquee names in the GOP for advice and counsel as he fills his cabinet also marks the beginning of his integration into the Republican establishment as he prepares to move to Washington ahead of his inauguration next month.

Cheney’s words carry weight with the Republican hawks most skeptical of Trump’s quasi-isolationist view of the world. Rubio’s vote is a particular concern because the foreign relations panel is tightly divided between Republicans and Democrats — 10 Republicans, 9 Democrats — so one GOP defection could imperil the nomination. The Florida senator said Saturday that he does not want to see a “friend of Vladimir” at the State Department, a reference to an award of friendship the Kremlin bestowed on Tillerson in 2013.

“I think the pitch Cheney should make is that the Senate has traditionally supported the president’s cabinet nominees,” said a former GOP Senate aide.

Cheney came into the George W. Bush administration having served as chief of staff to Gerald Ford in the wake of the Watergate scandal and seen Congress slowly ship away at the power of the executive. The former VP believes presidents should have wide latitude in selecting cabinet nominees.

That view is likely to square with Trump’s expansive understanding of executive power. It also helps that Cabinet nominations have rarely been rejected by the Senate — it happened only three times in the 20th century.

It may also mark the beginning of a reconciliation of sorts between Trump and the establishment figures he positioned himself against during the campaign. In addition to Cheney, several prominent officials from both Bush administrations are publicly vouching for Tillerson, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a pair of ex-defense secretaries, Robert Gates and James Baker.

“Invariably, the people that know the nominees and have worked with them join hands and work to make sure they are confirmed,” said Spencer Abraham, the former Michigan senator who led the Bush administration’s Department of Energy.

Still, back at Trump Tower there are indications the integration is a work-in-progress. Indeed, the president-elect and his aides consider some Republican lawmakers’ initial aversion to Tillerson a symptom of the establishment’s fecklessness.

“Lawmakers are overall the reason we have the problems that we have, because they think that they’re the smartest people in the world and they sit in D.C. and talk to themselves, and if you don’t sit on the cocktail circuit there you don’t know anything about anything,” said a senior transition aide. “I think they’re intimidated by a guy like this — they don’t know him and he doesn’t owe them anything.”

I am not surprised

[Silver]

Cheney emerges as surprise Trump surrogate

I am not surprised

Do you mind if I borrow this link for my Traitor = Trump thread?

[Joel]

Sure, that's all I do myself

[Joel]

[Joel]

[Joel]

[larsenb]

Trump secures victory in Electoral College, as bid to flip electors flops

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/12 ... tests.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Published December 19, 2016 FoxNews.com

Electoral College convenes to ratify election results

Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote on Monday and secured his election as the 45th president of the United States, as the latest – and perhaps last – stop-Trump movement failed to gain traction in state capitals.

A fervent push by anti-Trump forces to persuade electors to defect had turned the normally mundane civic procedure into high drama.

But Trump easily surpassed the 270 electoral votes needed to win, as representatives tabbed to cast ballots in accordance with their states’ Nov. 8 decision mostly adhered to the election results. With several states still voting, Trump had 304 votes and Hillary Clinton had 169.

Texas put Trump over the top, despite two Republican electors casting protest votes.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence afterward tweeted "congratulations" to his running mate while saying he was "honored & humbled" to be officially elected the next vice president.

Republican National Committee Co-Chair Sharon Day urged Trump’s detractors to stop fighting his election, now that his victory is affirmed.

“This historic election is now officially over and I look forward to President-elect Trump taking the oath of office in January,” she said in a statement. “For the good of the country, Democrats must stop their cynical attempts to undermine the legitimacy of this election, which Donald Trump won decisively in the Electoral College with more votes than any Republican since 1988.”

Elector antics were few and far between throughout the day, with most the disruptions occurring on the Democratic side. A Democratic elector in Maine tried to vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders, but switched to Clinton after it was ruled improper. Another who tried to vote for Sanders in Minnesota was replaced; a Colorado elector who tried to back Ohio Gov. John Kasich likewise was replaced. One of the biggest deviations was in Washington state, where three electors voted for Colin Powell and one voted for “Faith Spotted Eagle;” the remaining eight went to Clinton, the state’s winner.

It marked the first time in four decades the state's electors broke from the popular vote. Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman vowed to work with the state attorney general and charge the four unfaithful electors with a violation of Washington state civil law. Such violations carry a fine up to $1,000.

With Trump’s win now secured, a joint session of Congress is scheduled for Jan. 6 to certify the results.

Trump’s clear Electoral College victory could serve to deter any further last-ditch efforts to effectively nullify his November win and prevent his inauguration, though the battle may shift next to his Cabinet picks.

Few expected the “faithless elector” push to imperil Trump’s victory on Monday.

Only one Republican elector – Texas’ Chris Suprun – publicly stated he would vote for an alternative candidate. (He backed Kasich, while another Texas elector used his ballot to vote for former congressman Ron Paul.) More than three dozen Republicans would have had to abandon Trump to complicate his path to the presidency.

But GOP electors still faced immense pressure -- with some even receiving threats -- from Trump foes in the run-up to Monday’s Electoral College vote. Those urging disorder in state capitals often cited Clinton’s popular-vote win, by roughly 2.6 million votes, over Trump in November.

Celebrities made public appeals to electors to use the arcane process to upend Trump’s victory, as some Democratic electors tried to persuade their Republican counterparts to defect. Reports that U.S. intelligence officials determined Russia interfered in the election to boost Trump – findings disputed by Trump himself – only fueled efforts to wield the Electoral College vote as a political circuit-breaker.

As electors met, thousands of protesters descended on state capitals Monday in one last push to convince Trump voters to change their minds.

In Arizona, dozens of protesters gathered outside the meeting site, marching around the Capitol mall and carrying signs that said, "Stop Trump." More than 200 demonstrators gathered at Pennsylvania's Capitol, chanting, "No treason, no Trump!"

Both states, and dozens of others, cast their electoral votes for Trump anyway.

In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant dismissed attempts to sway Republican electors.

"This idea … that we want to change the electors’ minds who have been dedicated to Donald Trump very early in the process I think is just misguided,” he said.

If nothing else, the furor over Monday’s proceedings has served to re-acquaint Americans with a process that few pay attention to every four years.

The Electoral College was devised at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. It was a compromise between those who wanted popular elections for president and those who wanted no public input.

The Electoral College has 538 members, with the number allocated to each state based on how many representatives it has in the House plus one for each senator. The District of Columbia gets three, despite the fact that the home to Congress has no vote in Congress.

To be elected president, the winner must get at least half plus one -- or 270 electoral votes. Most states give all their electoral votes to whichever candidate wins that state's popular vote. Maine and Nebraska award them by congressional district.

After a joint session of Congress certifies the results on Jan. 6, the next president will be sworn in on Jan. 20.

Trump already is nearly done naming his Cabinet appointees, as he prepares for confirmation hearings and the inauguration ceremonies, in addition to his first 100 days agenda.

Despite the transition process being well underway, Republican electors said they were deluged with emails, phone calls and letters urging them not to support the billionaire businessman in the days and weeks leading up to Monday’s proceedings. Many of the emails were part of coordinated campaigns.

"The letters are actually quite sad," said Lee Green, a Republican elector from North Carolina. "They honestly believe the propaganda. They believe our nation is being taken over by a dark and malevolent force."

Wirt A. Yerger Jr., a Republican elector in Mississippi, said, "I have gotten several thousand emails asking me not to vote for Trump. I threw them all away."

Arizona elector Robert Graham told Fox News on Saturday that the state’s 11 electors received hundreds of thousands of emails telling them not to vote for Trump and that he’s received information that some of the other 10 have been followed or have received a death threat.

“It’s out of hand when you have such … a small group of people that is pushing so hard against millions if not hundreds of millions of people who still appreciate this whole system,” said Graham, chairman of the Arizona Republican Party. “The Electoral College is part of the Constitution.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[larsenb]

Here is an excellent interview plucked from dconrad000's thread, featuring Dr. Steve Pieczenik, a former high level government official (Head of Dept. of State Psychological Warfare Group, etc., etc. ) who has a very hopeful view of Trump's coming Presidency and its far reaching implications.

He predicted that all of the ploys to prevent seating Trump will fail, including the much touted elector revolt, and that the current criminal cabal who has been running the government for decades is in almost freefall descent and disintegration.

The only other remaining option the cabal has is to create some major event (false flag, war, assassination, etc.) that would forestall Trumps being seated as President. Pieczenik doesn't see this in the offing.

He also says that anything Obama says or tries is being done mainly for his memoirs, and that Obama's presidency has essentially been over for the last 6 months.

We can only hope.

Interview was sometime last week, before today's casting of the elector vote.

In keeping with what Pieczenik is saying, you can already see various antagonists, even extreme antagonists, realigning with the new power structure and reality. Amazing to watch.

https://youtu.be/XYhnMgmezao" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Silver]

Today on Twitter we have another example of Trump insanity.
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!
5:21 PM - 19 Dec 2016

[Elizabeth]

It is hardly insane to express the truth and expose the dangerous violence of Islam.

Today on Twitter we have another example of Trump insanity.
Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
Today there were terror attacks in Turkey, Switzerland and Germany - and it is only getting worse. The civilized world must change thinking!
5:21 PM - 19 Dec 2016

[Silver]

It is hardly insane to express the truth and expose the dangerous violence of Islam.

But Elizabeth, that remark on Twitter by Trump seems to be an indication that the new administration will continue to fight Islam which hasn't worked so far. Doubling down on a flawed policy is not a winning plan. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Why don't we give peace a chance? Instead of treating the inhabitants of the Middle East less than human, why don't we let them determine their own destiny? Why don't we stop bombing their weddings and see if they'll stop attacking us? Why don't we stop creating conditions that make them flee their own countries and become refugees elsewhere? Why don't we stop being warmongers so they can live unmolested by Westerners? Why don't we stop taking weapons out of Libya only to send them to Syria so more innocent women and children will die?

Or, if we're going to go all in on a war, why don't we do it the Constitutional way and let those spineless traitors in Congress declare it?

Or, if we're going to go all in on a war, why don't we win it?

We couldn't beat the tiny, broke country of North Korea in the early 50's.
We couldn't beat the tiny, impoverished country of North Vietnam in the 60's and 70's.
We couldn't beat the backward Taliban in Afghanistan.
We couldn't beat Al-Qaeda in Iraq.
We couldn't beat ISIS in Syria.

Couldn't? Or didn't want to?

I'm tired of war.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1976/06/the- ... p?lang=eng" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The False Gods We Worship
We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan’s counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior’s teaching:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44–45.)

We forget that if we are righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us—and this is the special promise to the inhabitants of the land of the Americas (see 2 Ne. 1:7)—or he will fight our battles for us (Ex. 14:14; D&C 98:37, to name only two references of many).

[Elizabeth]

Yes, I believe Islamic countries should fight their own battles without Christian or non Islamic aid, and Islamic refugees stay in Islamic countries.

I also believe the black race should stay in Africa which is a large and beautiful continent which was given to them for their inheritance, and no one should have children if they themselves cannot provide the necessities of life.

[quote="Elizabeth”] It is hardly insane to express the truth and expose the dangerous violence of Islam.

But Elizabeth, that remark on Twitter by Trump seems to be an indication that the new administration will continue to fight Islam which hasn't worked so far. Doubling down on a flawed policy is not a winning plan. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. [/quote][/quote][/quote]

[Joel]

[Sirocco]

Yes, I believe Islamic countries should fight their own battles without Christian or non Islamic aid, and Islamic refugees stay in Islamic countries.

I also believe the black race should stay in Africa which is a large and beautiful continent which was given to them for their inheritance, and no one should have children if they themselves cannot provide the necessities of life.

[quote="Elizabeth”] It is hardly insane to express the truth and expose the dangerous violence of Islam.

But Elizabeth, that remark on Twitter by Trump seems to be an indication that the new administration will continue to fight Islam which hasn't worked so far. Doubling down on a flawed policy is not a winning plan. Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

[/quote][/quote][/quote][/quote][/quote]

Technically Africa was most successful, in terms of worldly success, when whites ruled there.
And it was kind of white people's decision to bring them everywhere because we liked free labour lol.

I personally have no love, or even like of Islam, and would be more then happy to see them all leave, they are the only group who actively resists assimilation into western values.

[larsenb]

Does anyone know what Glen Beck is up to lately? Has he endorsed Trump yet, or what? And where on earth are the two Bush's. You think they would be commenting on the election in some negative or positive fashion . . . at least on world events and how Trump might impact them.

They all seem to have gone to ground . . . or have they?

Paul Watson and Alex Jones give an update on what Glen Beck is up to . . . . and it ain't good, but true to form. Here is a video where they show how Beck seems to have reverted to type:

At: https://youtu.be/lTLMP7b9obc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and . . . .

The segment covering Beck goes from 4:50 to 10:15 minutes. Beck has apparently made an alliance with Samantha Bee, the far-left comedy central "comedian", in their efforts to combat Trump

Watson says Beck "is the guy that who stabs authentic grass root political movements in the back", citing his over-the-top condemnation of those supporting Ron Paul, as well as similar activities in other situations. He said the same nasty things about 9/11 truth seekers.

Glenn Beck 1.JPG (57.81 KiB) Viewed 2831 times

and

Glenn Beck 2.JPG (36.48 KiB) Viewed 2831 times

[Elizabeth]

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=42658694&nid=14 ... auguration" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"SALT LAKE CITY — The Mormon Tabernacle Choir announced Thursday morning that it will sing at the presidential inauguration for the United State's 45th president.
The inauguration ceremony for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice president-elect Michael Pence is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2017, in Washington D.C., when Trump will take the oath of office as the 45th president of the United States.
This invitation will make it the sixth time the 360-member choir has sung at a presidential inauguration in recent years. They sang at the swearing-in ceremonies in 1989 for George H. W. Bush, in 1969 for Richard M. Nixon, in 1965 for Lyndon B. Johnson and at inaugural parades in 1981 for Ronald W. Reagan, in 1989 for George H. W. Bush and in 2001 for George W. Bush, according to a news release from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In 1965, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sang for President Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration. 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
When the choir sang its signature song “Battle Hymn of the Republic” during the inaugural parade for President Reagan in 1981, he dubbed the choir “America’s Choir.” And President George H. W. Bush called the choir “a national treasure” during his swearing-in ceremony in front of the Capitol in 1989.
“The Mormon Tabernacle Choir has a great tradition of performing at the inaugurals of U.S. presidents," Mormon Tabernacle Choir President Ron Jarrett, said in the news release. "Singing the music of America is one of the things we do best. We are honoured to be able to serve our country by providing music for the inauguration of our next president."
President George Herbert Walker Bush kept the tradition going with the invitation to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to perform at his 1989 inauguration. All rights reserved
Along with singing at several presidential inaugurations, the choir has also performed at other events for five additional U.S. presidents, the LDS Church reported. They sang in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for Jimmy Carter in 1978 and John F. Kennedy in 1963. They also performed at the Kennedy Centre for Gerald Ford in 1974 and at the White House for Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 and for William Taft in 1911.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's last inauguration appearance was in 2001 for President George W. Bush. "

[Joel]

Trump Surrogate Wishes Death on Obama, Says Michelle Should Live in Africa With Apes

A Buffalo politician said in an interview Friday that he wanted Barack Obama to die of mad cow disease, that Michelle Obama was once a man, and that she should go live in Africa with gorillas.

Western New York newspaper ArtVoice asked a series of Buffalo politicians and public figures what their wish list for 2017 was. Former Republican gubernatoral candidate and chairman of the Donald Trump New York campaign Carl Paladino responded that he wanted Obama’s death.

“Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford [sic],” he wrote them. “He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarret [sic], who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady [sic] cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her.”



Paladino was then asked who he wished would “go away” in 2017. “Michelle Obama. I’d like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla,” he said.

Paladino confirmed to The Buffalo News that he made the comments, explaining that he didn’t care for the president. “Yeah, I’m not politically correct. They asked what I want and I told them,” he said.

[freedomforall]

Military leaders getting behind Trump?

[Elizabeth]

"After tweets, news articles, and even petitions questioned the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's participation in the inaugural celebration, Church spokesman Eric Hawkins made an announcement in response.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, dubbed "America's Choir" by Ronald Reagan during his first inauguration, will sing at Donald Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, the president-elect's team and the choir announced Thursday morning. Trump's polarizing campaign and history, however, left the LDS Church trying to balance strong reactions of pride in the choir's participation in a meaningful act of American pageantry and patriotism with a backlash of anger that it might be seen as a statement of support for the controversial president-elect.

“Response to the announcement has been mixed, with people expressing both opposition and support," church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement. "The choir's participation continues its long tradition of performing for U.S. presidents of both parties at inaugurations and in other settings, and is not an implied support of party affiliations or politics. It is a demonstration of our support for freedom, civility and the peaceful transition of power.”


http://www.ldsliving.com/Church-Respond ... dium=email" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Elizabeth]

http://eaglerising.com/39601/california ... house-win/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


"Whenever conservatives or libertarians talk about secession, liberals call them right wing extremists who obviously want to relive the Civil War. Some might even say that talk of secession is just code for a return to slavery.

But when it’s liberals who want to secede, it’s totally different.

There’s a group in California called The Yes California Independence Campaign – or just Yes California – who think it might actually be possible this time.

The secession movement in California has been around a long time, but Donald Trump’s win has made enough people in the state angry enough that seceding might be doable. As many have pointed out, if it weren’t for California, Donald Trump would have won the national popular vote. Hillary’s margin of victory in the west coast state was the largest victory margin since 1936.

The pro-secession group filed paperwork last month for a ballot measure in 2018. People would vote on whether or not to remove language in the state constitution that currently binds California to the United States. The Los Angeles Daily News reported:

If its ballot measure succeeds, Yes California would pursue a 2019 vote to declare the state’s independence. At least half of the state’s voters would have to cast ballots and 55 percent would have to choose independence for California to become its own nation, according to document Yes California filed with the Attorney General’s office."

[Joel]

Carl Paladino Apologizes for Controversial Obama Comments; I’m Not a Racist, I Was ‘Wired Up’


Buffalo politician Carl Paladino is walking things back from his remarks wishing death on President Obama and saying that Michelle Obama should live with apes in Africa.

Paladino has been taking flak ever since his remarks were published by Artvoice last week, drawing condemnation fromDonald Trump‘s team, his family, and various public figures. Paladino sent a response to this to WBEN, and in a live reading, the statement said he “never intended to hurt the minority community who I spent years trying to help out of the cycle of poverty in our inner cities. To them I apologize.”

Paladino said that he filled out the Artvoice survey in an emotional state of mind, where he was “wired up” after watching Obama’s response to the devastation of Aleppo.

“Your survey questions provided me with the spark to vent and write deprecating humor about a bad President for whom the main stream media continues to seek an undeserved legacy. I wanted to say something as sarcastic and hurtful as possible about the people so responsible for the hurt and suffering of so many others. I was wired up, primed to be human and make a mistake. I could not have made a worse choice in the words I used to express my feelings.”

Paladino also said that he intended to share his survey answers with only his friends, but he accidentally replied to Artvoice instead of forwarding his answers. He announced that he wouldn’t give up his seat on the Buffalo School Board despite pressure from the “rabid hordes of attacking parasites we now call activist progressives.”

“I’ve spent years dedicated to the mission to defeat the thought that the liberal progressive elitist establishment can continue to hold our minority children captive in the cycle of poverty simply to provide their voting base. I don’t intend to yield to the fanatics among my adversaries. I certainly am not a racist.”

Listen above, via WBEN.

[larsenb]

Trump wishes Happy New Year to his enemies and everybody else:

TrmpHNY.JPG (23.72 KiB) Viewed 2381 times

[Joel]

This book has great reviews on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/1540743225/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;