by Lowell
Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Saturday, December 3. Also see President Obama’s weekly address, which “highlighted the 21st Century Cures Act, a bill in Congress that could help us find a cure for Alzheimer’s, end cancer as we know it, and help those who are seeking treatment for opioid addiction.”
- Trump speaks with Taiwan’s president in major break with U.S. policy on China (The only question is whether Trump will start a war and/or major international incident BEFORE or AFTER his inauguration. What a disaster.)
- Trump’s demagogic illogic strikes again (“His attacks on the media and flag burners are assaults on the Constitution, which a president is sworn to defend.”)
- NYT standards editor defines ‘alt-right’: It’s ‘anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and anti-feminist’ (Uh guys? It might have been helpful to do this, publicly, BEFORE THE F***ING ELECTION!)
- Welcome to the post-truth presidency (This may be THE most disturbing aspect of Trump and Trumpism — zero respect for facts, evidence, reason, logic, science, rationality itself.)
- Little-known law could help Trump and Cabinet avoid millions in taxes (America becomes a combo kleptocracy/autocracy/”post-fact” idiocracy. Great…)
- Trump’s proposed tax ‘reform’ is hardly reform at all (“It’s a tax cut for those who need it the least.”)
- China blasts ‘petty’ Taiwan call with Trump
- Bull in a China shop: Trump risks diplomatic blowup in Asia (A big question is whether this was a conscious strategic decision, in which case one could argue over whether it’s the right approach or not, or whether Trump is simply a complete incompetent. I vote for the latter.)
- Cooper hammers Kellyanne Conway on Trump’s Taiwan flub: Obama ‘never spoke to the president of Taiwan’
- Dean’s drop-out reshapes DNC chair fight (“Once thought to be the favorite, Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison faces resistance.”)
- Clinton allies plot anti-Trump movement (“‘We’re going to throw everything at him that he threw at us,’ said one longtime Democratic operative.”)
- Sarah Palin: Trump’s Carrier deal is ‘crony capitalism’ (Wow, even freakin’ Sarah Palin gets it! So where are other supposed “conservatives” with all of Trump’s anti-conservative heresies, such as cozying up to Russia and doling out taxpayer dollars to bribe a corporation to keep a handful of jobs in the U.S.?)
- Trump inherits Obama boom (Exactly, and voters in their infinite wisdom of course rewarded Dems for the great job they’ve done the past 8 years. Oh wait… For more on the topic of voters NOT voting rationally or in their self interests, by the way, I recommend you read Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government)
- Duterte Says Trump Endorses His Violent Antidrug Campaign (Totally insane if true.)
- Former Bush spokesman on Trump’s Taiwan call: ‘China will go nuts’
- Trump’s education pick says reform can ‘advance God’s Kingdom’ (Uhhhhh…no, that is NOT the function of the U.S. government, to promote – or oppose/hinder – religion.)
- At His Rally, Trump Certainly Didn’t Sound Like He Wants to Unite America (Nope. Nor will he. Time for Dems to commit to resistance against this madman.)
- Trump’s unusual phone call is great for his business, dangerous for America (Trump: screwing America, making his own business great again – or so he hopes.)
- GOP voters suddenly less enthusiastic about repeal of Obamacare since election of Donald Trump (“Republican support for a complete repeal of the health care law has plummeted double digits since Trump won”)
- No more reader-in-chief: After Obama, Trump the nonreader amounts a real national loss (“It’s not just Obama — JFK, Nixon, even George W. Bush valued books. We all lose when the president isn’t a reader”)
- Comstock praises passage of 21st Century Cures Act; Kaine says he’ll support it
- Longtime Hillary Clinton staffer mulls lieutenant governor run in Virginia (“Parkhomenko has never sought public office before” That is 100% untrue; in fact, Parkhomenko ran for Virginia House of Delegates in 2009, losing to Patrick Hope.)
- Tipping hat to Trump, Republican Reeves kicks off bid for Va. lieutenant governor
- Va. delegate kicks off bid for lieutenant governor by comparing himself to Trump (“’Donald Trump . . . [ is] a job creator, and so am I,’ says GOP Del. Glenn R. Davis Jr.” Yeah, right.)
- Three – maybe four – Republicans want to be Virginia’s next governor
- Gubernatorial hopefuls strut their stuff for the Chamber of Commerce
- Republican candidates focus on economy, regulations
- Op/Ed: Political Games in 22nd Senatorial District Election (“With less than 24 hours before the 22nd Senatorial District Convention, between Lynchburg attorney Mark Peake and Goochland County Supervisor Ken Peterson, the Peake campaign has decided to turn its attention to the rules of the convention.”)
- David Bowers, Mike Hamlar considering bids for lieutenant governor (Hard to see Bowers winning the nomination after this incident, but I guess you never know, given how crazy politics are these days…)
- Republicans, Democrats to pick nominees for Garrett’s state Senate seat (Unfortunately, this is a 57%-40% Gillespie district, so almost certainly not winnable for Dems.)
- Virginia health official warns of hepatitis C ‘tidal wave’
- Report expects lackluster economic growth in Virginia
- Breezy today as cool and tranquil weather dominates the weekend
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