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[MetalSlimeHunt]

Let us not forget that this was the war where a standing US Fleet Admiral said "Before we're through with them, the Japanese language will be spoken only in hell."

Among some other concerning things. William Halsey was a concerning individual in general, really.

[misko27]

You can also call the bombers and tell them to abort at any point, so you can use them as a bargaining chip until the last minute.

This is a nice little tale... : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail_Safe_(1964_film)

Why cite such a ridiculous story when Dr. Strangelove already tells it better?

Anyway, on a topic that does not involve anyone dying quickly, Trump is making it harder for Republican Congress to pass their big tax cut. This is the unintentional effect, of course, because Trump rarely plans out how he screws his party: it just happens naturally.

[Il Palazzo]

You can also call the bombers and tell them to abort at any point, so you can use them as a bargaining chip until the last minute.

This is a nice little tale... : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail_Safe_(1964_film)

Why cite such a ridiculous story when Dr. Strangelove already tells it better?

You gotta be shitting me. For all the fun that Dr. S. is, it's nowhere near as good as Fail Safe. Unless your goal is really to stop worrying and love the bomb.

[smjjames]

You can also call the bombers and tell them to abort at any point, so you can use them as a bargaining chip until the last minute.

This is a nice little tale... : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail_Safe_(1964_film)

Why cite such a ridiculous story when Dr. Strangelove already tells it better?

Anyway, on a topic that does not involve anyone dying quickly, Trump is making it harder for Republican Congress to pass their big tax cut. This is the unintentional effect, of course, because Trump rarely plans out how he screws his party: it just happens naturally.

I wonder if he'd even notice whether it does or doesn't keep the 401(k) retirement stuff and just go and sign it.

Trump wanting it passed by years end doesn't help matters much either. Though I think Paul Ryan said that he wanted to do that as well. Didn't the Reagan tax reform (which this one doesn't seem to actually be) that the Republicans keep worshipping take at least a year to do?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The 1981 one took only a single month, the 1986 one took ten months. So they need to be on that level of legislative efficiency...probably not, unless the bill is total shit, which it probably will be.

Oh, and the 1981 bill caused a double-dip recession. So. You know.

[redwallzyl]

Its kind of hilarious that they actually think they can do all this stuff when they so far have utterly failed to do anything major. Welp we completely failed to accomplish anything with healthcare lets move on to something just as complex and divisive with absolutely no plan for what we want to do.

[smjjames]

Don't they have a rough outline for a tax reform idea? Which is more than can be said for the obamacare repeal. They also have more faultlines to deal with and it also looks like Sen. Rand Paul isn't cooperating with them on this one.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The outline is Trump's, which as we're seeing from the news is more of an obstacle than a help, since he's telling the Congressthralls that he wants something impossible and is going to demand at least part of the impossible in the bill before he signs it.

[RedKing]

Its kind of hilarious that they actually think they can do all this stuff when they so far have utterly failed to do anything major. Welp we completely failed to accomplish anything with healthcare lets move on to something just as complex and divisive with absolutely no plan for what we want to do.

That's actually why some think they can pull it off, because the GOP is increasingly desperate to pass something that they can point to as an achievement. Before long, they'll be introducing something like "S.173 The Pumpkin Spice Latte Act" (making pumpkin spice lattes the official drink of autumn) just so they can pass something.

Problem is, as they get increasingly desperate, unscrupulous folks introduce more and more bad shit into bills in the hopes of "Well, normally this wouldn't stand a chance in hell of passing, but maybe now..." which then causes the handful of Republicans who still have a spine (and/or brain cancer) to shoot it down. It's a vicious cycle.

And as noted, it doesn't help when you have Trump basically going, "Pass something, you morons! Why the fuck won't you pass my bills, you shitheads? What have you got against me, you low-energy losers? Why do you hate America? I'm going to back your opponent next year!"

How to Make Friends And Influence People: Trump Edition


EDIT: And on the tax reform in particular, he's lost a ton of credibility on fiscal discipline by adding to the budget deficit after campaigning as a deficit hawk. That's where he's losing the Rand Pauls of the world. Meanwhile, you have Mick Mulvaney, the OMB director and largely the author of Trump's budget arguing that they've given up trying to cut spending because it's Congress's fault. He tried to make the classic trickle-down growth argument, which is that "Ok, since we can't cut spending, we'll lower taxes and that'll spur tons of growth, which will increase revenue."

John Dickerson rightly called him out on his bullshit.

Republicans for a long time have talked about spending restraint. And so to now say, "Well, we're going to do it through growth," that's a big- that's no small deal. It's like Weight Watchers saying, "Well, we're going to give up the dieting part."

[smjjames]

Not to mention that we still have a debt ceiling coming up in... March? I think they managed to do something to extend the debt ceiling further so that they don't have to face that in December, or maybe they do, I'm not sure.

There is still going to be a major showdown over government funding (though they just did a budget?) on or by December 15th. Right around Christmas, which is gonna be lovely....

And Kid Rocks Senate thing was just a marketing stunt, for reals.

[TheDarkStar]

idk, in the slightly longer term it could be a win-win situation. Either the Republican economic policies fail, they get voted out because of an ongoing economic crisis, and we get sane(r) leaders, or by some miracle they make the economy better and we still get an improvement.

...although that's really just an optimistic way of saying "yeah, we're probably going to have economic problems for a while."

[Zangi]

Why not both?  The economy gets 'better', but rules for corporations and the likes become even more lax. 
Basically throwing the mission accomplished party and then promptly burying your head in your ass until the rot of the economy becomes too much to ignore, again.

[Loud Whispers]

Why not both?  The economy gets 'better', but rules for corporations and the likes become even more lax. 
Basically throwing the mission accomplished party and then promptly burying your head in your ass until the rot of the economy becomes too much to ignore, again.

Yep. It's entirely possible for the US economy to continue getting better while more Americans get poorer and living standards go down. I'll never understand why some people would rather have their countries' numbers go up than look after their peeps tbh

[RedKing]

Why not both?  The economy gets 'better', but rules for corporations and the likes become even more lax. 
Basically throwing the mission accomplished party and then promptly burying your head in your ass until the rot of the economy becomes too much to ignore, again.

Yep. It's entirely possible for the US economy to continue getting better while more Americans get poorer and living standards go down. I'll never understand why some people would rather have their countries' numbers go up than look after their peeps tbh

Because we have the best numbers, Euroscrubs.

[Max™]

Unfortunately none of our kids know how to count them anymore, but that's ok, we're gonna solve that by bringing back smallpox and polio to teach those little bastards a lesson: don't tread on me... or something.