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Algernon Moncrieff

Algernon Moncrieff's Journal
Algernon Moncrieff's Journal
January 13, 2019

MSNBC: What is Trump prepared to offer in exchange for a border wall?

LINK

Of course, Trump could try a more conventional approach to negotiating, in which he offered something tangible that Democrats want in exchange for what he wants. In fact, some on the right are concerned the president may eventually do exactly that. The New York Times published a quote the other day that stood out for me:

“I’ve always thought it created a danger that he would trade almost anything in order to get the wall – I think that’s still a potential danger,” said Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that argues for less immigration. “I’m still worried about that now.”


From a conservative perspective, those concerns are well grounded. Democrats really don’t want to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on a giant, ineffective border wall, so if Trump were try to come up with an offer designed to entice them, he’d have to propose something that would be (a) enormous; and (b) wildly unpopular among Republicans.

And this got me thinking: what exactly would it take? What would a borderline-desperate president put on the table to sway Democrats?


We offered Wall for Clean DACA in 2017 and he balked. I doubt he has anything else we want.
January 8, 2019

WaPo: How would you narrow the 2020 Democratic field?

Democratic voters have no shortage of choices as the 2020 presidential primaries draw nearer. More than three dozen politicians, former officials and political outsiders have considered throwing their hats into the ring, with at least 20 likely to commit by the first primary debate in 2019.

They all bring different visions of what the party needs. Is it generational change, a history-making barrier breaker, a centrist with a proven ability to win Trump voters or a military veteran?

But the decision is not up to them. For the voters who will decide, here is a quick guide to help with understanding the choices ahead.


Article includes fun interactive chart
January 4, 2019

This $100 Million Noah's Ark Theme Park Is a Boring, Homophobic Mess

[link:https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/neg9yq/this-dollar100-million-noahs-ark-theme-park-is-a-boring-homophobic-mess
|Vice]

THE PRE-FLOOD WORLD

Content-wise, this area has massive potential. It shows what the world was like before the flood, which was apparently lots of people vs. dinosaur gladiator battles, human sacrifices, and people getting eaten by sharks.

But, unfortunately, with the exception of three dioramas, all of that is depicted using a bunch of pictures and text on boards stuck to the wall.

IS IT FUN ENOUGH TO CONVERT YOU TO A CREATIONIST BELIEF SYSTEM? No. I can’t imagine it would’ve taken a massive chunk out of their overall budget to make this section a dark ride or a haunted house or something.
January 2, 2019

The Dollar Store Backlash Has Begun

Citylab via MSN Money

As Lawrence Brown, a community health expert at Baltimore’s Morgan State University, tweeted in response to the ILSR report, dollar stores function as “subprime groceries.” And recently some local governments have started pushing back on these retailers, rejecting development at the neighborhood level or devising ordinances that seek to limit their spread in certain areas.

Such moves can be divisive—detractors point to the dire need such stores are meeting in retail-starved areas. But the rise of dollar stores represents a deeper problem, one rooted in the history of housing segregation. Addressing that issue requires questioning the host of complicated assumptions that have led to the present conditions—and the myriad ways residents in so-called food deserts have responded to them.

The “food desert” paradox

Ashanté Reese, an assistant professor at Spelman College, lives on Atlanta’s Westside, within two miles of a pair of dollar stores. Her zip code was particularly hard hit in the recession, suffering a 50 percent foreclosure rate. Those demographics are now changing, but the residents for a long time included elderly folks and people on fixed incomes—the exact kind of shoppers dollar-store executives have said they are targeting.

There’s also a traditional supermarket, a Kroger, which is where Reese shops. But the one near her house isn’t as nice as the one 15 minutes away, she says. The one in a whiter, more affluent neighborhood regularly advertises grains, nuts, seafood, olives, and wine.

January 1, 2019

4Warned is 4Armed

Here is what is being posted at 4Chan re: Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren has announced a run for the presidency. Now is the time to move.

Go to the New York Times comment sections. Go to Reddit. Go to Twitter. Pose as a concerned Democrat and criticize her for being white. Criticize her for being a woman. Do whatever it takes to further divide the left and prevent them from unifying behind a candidate for 2020.

If we can manufacture another Bernie/Hillary split, they'll get crushed in the general election.


It's the primaries, so I get that there are going to be some frank exchanges of opinion among the DUers. Let's keep in mind that, no matter who we support in the runup to 2020, the ultimate goal is to rid this nation of a corrupt president who threatens our democracy.

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