Trump Thread

[Beskar]

Even if cheap, you'd literally give Trump your money, more money...

Cheap would be second hand, it would go to person I bought it from.

[Beskar]

Why does Trump seems to appoint the worst possible people into government? Such as recently appointing David Kautter, an expert in helping the rich avoid tax, to head the IRS. No, he is not there to reveal his secrets which keep him rich to crack down on it.

[Montmorency]

I would be delighted if Mueller were to give this speech before the joint Congress:

If my quality as [Special Counsel] must prevent me from explaining myself with entire independence on what has happened, then I must abdicate it this instant. And after having separated myself from my colleagues, who I esteem and honor (and it’s well-known that I am not prodigal in the sentiment) I will tell my country the necessary truths. The truth is the only weapon that remains in the hands of the intrepid defenders of freedom in order to bring down the perfidious agents of [treason]. He who seeks to debase, to divide, to paralyze the [investigation] is an enemy of the fatherland, whether he sits in this hall or is a foreigner (applause). Whether he acts by stupidity or perversity he is of the party of the tyrants who make war upon us. But this project of debasement exists in the very places where patriotism should reign, in the clubs that claim to be more than patriotic. War is made on the [investigation] in the persons of all the defenders of freedom. And what is most deplorable is that this cowardly system has partisans here.

For a long time the [Special Counsel] has put up with a war made on it by several members who are more envious than just. While it is busy day and night with the great interests of the Fatherland, written denunciations, presented with guile, are brought here...

*pounding hammer smiley*

@Beskar

Where's the pounding hammer smiley?

[Beskar]

*pounding hammer smiley*

@Beskar

Where's the pounding hammer smiley?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The Donald simply OOOOZES 'class' in everything he does.

Referencing Pocahantas to a group of Native Americans (The famous Marine Code Talkers of ww2 and Korea)? Wrong tribe and wrong attitude...but of course it was just supposed to be humorous.

But doing the whole ceremony under a picture of that most famous of 'Pro' Native American Presidents Andrew Jackson?!?! 'Class' does not begin to cover it.

Land speculation and founding of Memphis
Further information: History of Memphis, Tennessee
In 1794, Jackson formed a business with fellow lawyer and planter John Overton, overtly buying and selling land which had been reserved by treaty for the Cherokee and Chickasaw.[25] Theirs was a frank avowal; they, like many of their contemporaries, would deal with lands within Indian territory. Most of the transactions involved grants made under the 'land grab' act of 1783 that briefly opened to claim by North Carolinians all of the Indian lands in that state's transmontane west. He was one of the three original investors who founded Memphis, Tennessee, in 1819.
....
Creek Campaign & Treaty
...The campaign ended three weeks later with Red Eagle's surrender, although some Red Sticks such as McQueen fled to East Florida.[73] On June 8, Jackson accepted a commission as brigadier general in the United States Army, and 10 days later became a major general, in command of the Seventh Military Division.[74] Subsequently, Jackson, with Madison's approval, imposed the Treaty of Fort Jackson. The treaty required the Muscogee, including those who had not joined the Red Sticks, to surrender 23 million acres of land to the United States.[73] Though in ill-health from dysentery, Jackson turned his attention to defeating Spanish and British forces. Jackson accused the Spanish of arming the Red Sticks and of violating the terms of their neutrality by allowing British soldiers into the Floridas.[75] The first charge was true,[76] while the second ignored the fact that it was Jackson's threats to invade Florida which had caused them to seek British protection.[77] In the November 7 Battle of Pensacola, Jackson defeated British and Spanish forces in a short skirmish. The Spanish surrendered and the British fled. Weeks later, he learned that the British were planning an attack on New Orleans, which sat on the mouth of the Mississippi River and held immense strategic and commercial value. Jackson abandoned Pensacola to the Spanish
...
First Seminole War
Following the war[of 1812], Jackson remained in command of Army forces on the southern border of the U.S. He conducted official business from The Hermitage.[94] He signed treaties with the Cherokee and Chickasaw which gained for the United States large parts of Tennessee and Kentucky.[95] The treaty with the Chickasaw, finally agreed to later in the year, is commonly known as the Jackson Purchase.[26]
Several Native American tribes, which became known as the Seminole, straddled the border between the U.S. and Florida. The Seminole, in alliance with escaped slaves, frequently raided Georgia settlements before retreating back into Florida. These skirmishes continually escalated, and the conflict is now known as the First Seminole War.[96] In 1816, Jackson led a detachment into Florida which destroyed the Negro Fort, a community of escaped slaves and their descendants.[97] Jackson was ordered by President James Monroe in December 1817 to lead a campaign in Georgia against the Seminole and Creek Indians. Jackson was also charged with preventing Spanish Florida from becoming a refuge for runaway slaves, after Spain promised freedom to fugitive slaves. Critics later alleged that Jackson exceeded orders in his Florida actions. His orders from President Monroe were to "terminate the conflict."[98] Jackson believed the best way to do this was to seize Florida from Spain once and for all. Before departing, Jackson wrote to Monroe, "Let it be signified to me through any channel ... that the possession of the Floridas would be desirable to the United States, and in sixty days it will be accomplished."[99]
Jackson invaded Florida on March 15, 1818, capturing Pensacola. He crushed Seminole and Spanish resistance in the region and captured two British agents, Robert Ambrister and Alexander Arbuthnot. After a brief trial, Jackson executed both British agents, causing a diplomatic incident with the British. Jackson's actions polarized Monroe's cabinet, some of whom argued that Jackson had gone against Monroe's orders and violated the Constitution, since the United States had not declared war upon Spain. Yet Jackson was defended by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. Adams thought that Jackson's conquest of Florida would force Spain to finally sell the province, and Spain did indeed sell Florida to the United States in the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819. A congressional investigation exonerated Jackson, but Jackson was deeply angered by the criticism he received, particularly from Speaker of the House Henry Clay.
...
Indian Removal Policy (as President)
Throughout his eight years in office, Jackson made about 70 treaties with Native American tribes both in the South and the Northwest.[131] Jackson's presidency marked a new era in Indian-Anglo American relations initiating a policy of Indian removal.[129] Jackson himself sometimes participated in the treaty negotiating process with various Indian tribes, though other times he left the negotiations to his subordinates. The southern tribes included the Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole and the Cherokee. The northwest tribes include the Chippewa, Ottawa, and the Potawatomi.[132]
Relations between Indians and Americans increasingly grew tense and sometimes violent as a result of territorial conflicts.[129] Previous presidents had at times supported removal or attempts to "civilize" the Indians,[133] but generally let the problem play itself out with minimal intervention. There had developed a growing popular and political movement to deal with the issue, and out of this policy to relocate certain Indian populations. Jackson, never known for timidity, became an advocate for this relocation policy in what many historians consider the most controversial aspect of his presidency.[129]
In his First Annual Message to Congress, Jackson advocated land west of the Mississippi River be set aside for Indian tribes. On May 26, 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which Jackson signed into law two days later. The Act authorized the President to negotiate treaties to buy tribal lands in the east in exchange for lands farther west, outside of existing state borders.[131] The act specifically pertained to the Five Civilized Tribes in the South, the conditions being that they could either move west or stay and obey state law.[134]
Jackson, Eaton, and General Coffee negotiated with the Chickasaw, who quickly agreed to move.[135] Jackson put Eaton and Coffee in charge of negotiating with the Choctaw. Lacking Jackson's skills at negotiation, they frequently bribed to the chiefs in order to gain their submission. The tactics worked, and the chiefs agreed to move. The removal of the Choctaw took place in the winter of 1831 and 1832, and was wrought with misery and suffering.[136] The Seminole, despite the signing of the Treaty of Payne's Landing in 1832,[137] refused to move. In December 1835, this dispute began the Second Seminole War. The war lasted over six years, finally ending in 1842.[132] Members of the Creek Nation had signed the Treaty of Cusseta in 1832, agreeing to move their tribe.[138] However, the Creeks later resisted, leading to a second Creek War.[139] A common complaint was that the men who had signed the treaties did not represent the whole tribe.
The state of Georgia became involved in a contentious dispute with the Cherokee, culminating in the 1832 Supreme Court decision in Worcester v. Georgia. In that decision, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall, writing for the court, ruled that Georgia could not forbid whites from entering tribal lands, as it had attempted to do with two missionaries supposedly stirring up resistance amongst the tribespeople.[140] Jackson is frequently attributed the following response: "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it." The quote, apparently indicating Jackson's dismissive view of the courts, was attributed to Jackson by Horace Greeley, who cited as his source Representative George N. Briggs. Remini argues that Jackson did not say it because, while it "certainly sounds like Jackson...[t]here was nothing for him to enforce." This is because a writ of habeas corpus had never been issued for the missionaries.[141] The Court also did not ask federal marshals to carry out the decision, as had become standard.[142]
A group of Cherokees led by John Ridge negotiated the Treaty of New Echota. Ridge was not a widely recognized leader of the Cherokee, and this document was rejected by some as illegitimate.[143] Another faction, led by John Ross, unsuccessfully petitioned to protest the proposed removal.[144] The treaty was enforced by Jackson's successor, President Martin Van Buren, who sent 7,000 troops to carry out the relocation policy. Due to the infighting between political factions, many Cherokees thought their appeals were still being considered when the relocation began.[145] Subsequently, as many as 4,000 Cherokees died on the "Trail of Tears" in 1838.[146] More than 45,000 American Indians were relocated to the West during Jackson's administration, though a few Cherokees walked back afterwards or migrated to the high Smoky Mountains.[147] The Black Hawk War took place during Jackson's presidency in 1832 after a group of Indians crossed into U.S. territory.

They couldn't have brought in a picture of TR or Ike, just for an hour?

Amateurs.

[Montmorency]

The Donald simply OOOOZES 'class' in everything he does.

Referencing Pocahantas to a group of Native Americans (The famous Marine Code Talkers of ww2 and Korea)? Wrong tribe and wrong attitude...but of course it was just supposed to be humorous.

But doing the whole ceremony under a picture of that most famous of 'Pro' Native American Presidents Andrew Jackson?!?! 'Class' does not begin to cover it.




They couldn't have brought in a picture of TR or Ike, just for an hour?

Amateurs.

Ethnic slurs are funniest when the ethnics ain't around. Maybe they didn't look Indian to him.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Ethnic slurs are funniest when the ethnics ain't around. Maybe they didn't look Indian to him.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Cute video. But if you saw these blokes at the ceremony, you could have argued they were Native Americans straight out of "central casting."

[Hooahguy]

Tillerson might be out soon.

If the initial report is right, he will be replaced by CIA director Mike Pompeo, who is very hawkish. And then its said that the very hawkish Senator Tom Cotton would become head of the CIA.

So if this all plays out as they are saying it will, US foreign policy is about to become even more hawkish, especially towards Iran.

Here's a very interesting article on Cotton and his opposition to the Iran deal from October:

If one reads the speech closely, it is hard to escape the conclusion that Cotton’s actual goal is not attaining a better nuclear deal, but rather confronting Iran militarily and achieving regime change. Several passages in the speech clearly telegraph this objective, as do Cotton’s prior statements. The senator also so grossly misrepresents the JCPOA that one has to question whether he is more interested in improving the agreement or destroying it. Finally, Cotton’s own arguments contradict the notion that he seeks a better deal and instead imply that military force or regime change are the only viable options. Put simply: Cotton’s advocacy for a better nuclear agreement is a smokescreen for his true objective, which is putting the United States and Iran back on a path towards war.

[Montmorency]

John Kelly was Secretary of Homeland Security, transferred to White House Chief of Staff in replacement of Scaramucci/Priebus. No confirmed replacement for the Cabinet position yet.

If Tillerson resigns or is fired, the proposal is that CIA director Mike Pompeo (whose prior career is mostly defined by three terms as a Tea Party House Representative) replace him. The proposal includes as replacement for Pompeo in the CIA Senator Tom Cotton, a freshman Senator (formerly freshman Representative) from Arkansas and hard-right stalwart. Cotton worked closely with the Trump campaign during the transition and suggested Kelly as a candidate for Secretary of Homeland Security, being himself considered for Secretary of Defense.

My sense is that Trump wants to surround himself with a very limited pool of persons, regardless of context or qualifications.

Innuendo springs readily to mind.


And what the hell is going on in Whitefish?

Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, is from this Montana town of ~7000.
The better part of federal contracts for Puerto Rico reconstruction were arbitrarily awarded to what is apparently a shell company based here.
Vagabond and wannabe-privateer Erik Prince (founder of the company formerly known as Blackwater, and brother to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos) seems to be backing efforts there to establish a privatized spook agency.
Neo-fascist Richard Spencer has maintained a residence there for some years.

Hopefully the authority of the United States of America still reaches those parts.

[Hooahguy]

So Flynn has pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI about meetings with the Russian ambassador during the election.

This bit is pretty interesting too:

“A very senior member of the Presidential transition team directed Flynn to contact officials from foreign governments, including Russia, to learn where each government stood on the resolution and to influence those governments to delay the vote or defeat the resolution,” sad a written statement of facts signed by Flynn and prosecutors.

I wonder who will be going down next.

[Montmorency]

And obstruction.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[HopAlongBunny]

Flynn has plead guilty to false statements and is cooperating with Mueller's investigation.
Whether this actually leads to anything against Trump is an open question, but it does indicate that those close to the president are beginning to look to self preservation:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42192080

For giggles I Googled "Flynn Framed"; yes the denial machine is in full operation

[drone]

I wonder who will be going down next.

The "very senior member" is reportedly Jared Kushner...

[Hooahguy]

I was hoping it would be Trump himself, but perhaps Kushner will turn on his father in law. All this makes the passage of the dumpster fire of a tax bill a bit better.

And hey, Trump might have just admitted to obstruction of justice.

Trump’s Saturday tweet seems to indicate that he knew Flynn had lied to the FBI when he made his comments to Comey. That could play into a case of obstruction of justice against him, as many were quick to point out.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The more I see the demonstrated political skills of this administration and its campaign team...some now officially criminal...the more I think the ONLY Hillary could have managed a defeat against this crew.

[Hooahguy]

The more I see the demonstrated political skills of this administration and its campaign team...some now officially criminal...the more I think the ONLY Hillary could have managed a defeat against this crew.

That and the political immaturity of the left. The reason Republicans win is because their supporters fall in line no matter what because of the R by the name of the candidate.

[Montmorency]

Beyond the presidential race, there's something to be said of ideological clarity and consistency.

The Democratic Party offers wishy-washy incrementalism that coddles moneyed interests.

The Republican Party offers a truly RADICAL platform.

Revolution, no matter its contents or injustices, is inherently sexier than incrementalism.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Beyond the presidential race, there's something to be said of ideological clarity and consistency.

The Democratic Party offers wishy-washy incrementalism that coddles moneyed interests.

The Republican Party offers a truly RADICAL platform.

Revolution, no matter its contents or injustices, is inherently sexier than incrementalism.

With the electorate's mood over the last decade or so, I have to agree with you completely. I was sorta stunned by how many Trump supporters second choice, when polled, was Sanders. Business as usual was not their...pardon me...cup of tea.

[rory_20_uk]

That and the political immaturity of the left. The reason Republicans win is because their supporters fall in line no matter what because of the R by the name of the candidate.

The terms Left and Right are so muddied to be nonsensical.

It is however true many people would rather vote for a Republican who is a 30-something man who screwed a 14 year old than contemplate voting for a Democrat.

It is not "immature" to engage one's brain when voting - it is one facet that democracy pre-supposes.

[Hooahguy]

The terms Left and Right are so muddied to be nonsensical.

It is however true many people would rather vote for a Republican who is a 30-something man who screwed a 14 year old than contemplate voting for a Democrat.

It is not "immature" to engage one's brain when voting - it is one facet that democracy pre-supposes.

True, the terms left and right are very generalized but as a whole the left shows much more of a "I'm going to take my ball and go home" mentality if they don't like everything about the candidate, even if the opposing candidate would be much worse. I heard so many people who identify as liberal/left railing about how they wouldnt vote for Hillary since she was so horrible. And yet now are complaining about the changes Trump is making. She might not have been the preferred candidate for many, but after seeing everything done over the past year I would be shocked if most of those wouldnt prefer Hillary elected over Trump. Engage your brain all you want when you vote, but if your vote isnt advancing your agenda in some way, did you really engage your brain at all?

The election between Roy Moore and Doug Jones in Alabama is a perfect example of this. Alabama is one of the most pro-life states in the country. Doug Jones, the Democrat, is pro-choice. I would be shocked if he won, as I have heard people are going to hold their nose and vote for Moore just because he is pro-life. But Jones couldnt be pro-life, as that would put him at odds with the Democrats as a whole. If Democrats want to start winning locally again they need to drop the purity tests and run candidates who would win in their area depending on their values, not the ones who would win in already heavily blue areas.

[Montmorency]

Engage your brain all you want when you vote, but if your vote isnt advancing your agenda in some way, did you really engage your brain at all?

This is important. Voting is not a civic duty - civic participation is a civic duty. There should be no such thing as a "symbolic" vote.

[Hooahguy]

Robert Mueller has given a subpoena Deutsche Bank for Trump's financial records.
Link

The new revelation makes it clear that Mueller and his team are investigating the president’s financial transactions. It is not clear whether Mueller is interested in the bank accounts because they are connected to the Russia probe or if he is investigating another matter.

Considering that the bank has already been fined for a Russian money laundering scheme earlier this year, I am intrigued

Wonder what Donny is going to say about this. Didnt he say something a while back how looking into his finances was a red line or something?

[CrossLOPER]

Wonder what Donny is going to say about this.

"Fake news."

[Montmorency]

Erik Prince, Oliver North, and the private security/intelligence operations thing again.

“Pompeo can’t trust the CIA bureaucracy, so we need to create this thing that reports just directly to him,” said a former senior U.S. intelligence official with firsthand knowledge of the proposals, in describing White House discussions. “It is a direct-action arm, totally off the books,” this person said, meaning the intelligence collected would not be shared with the rest of the CIA or the larger intelligence community. “The whole point is this is supposed to report to the president and Pompeo directly.”

According to two former senior intelligence officials, Pompeo has embraced the plan and has lobbied the White House to approve the contract. Asked for comment, a CIA spokesperson said, “You have been provided wildly inaccurate information by people peddling an agenda.”

Michael Barry, who was recently named the National Security Council’s Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, worked closely with Erik Prince on a CIA assassination program during the Bush administration.
[...]
According to two people who have worked extensively with Prince in recent years, Prince has been contacting former Blackwater personnel who worked on a post-9/11 era CIA assassination program targeting Al Qaeda operatives. That program, which the Bush White House prohibited the CIA from disclosing to congressional intelligence committees, was revealed to Congress in 2009 by CIA Director Leon Panetta. The CIA says the program did not result in any assassinations.

In some ways, these plans mirror operations Prince led during the Bush-Cheney administration. When Prince was running Blackwater, he and a former CIA paramilitary officer, Enrique Prado, set up a global network of foreign operatives, offering their “deniability” as a “big plus” for potential Blackwater customers, according to internal company communications obtained by The Intercept.

Prince has long admired Oliver North and viewed his role in Iran-Contra as heroic, said the Prince associate. In 2007, Prince testified defiantly before Congress following the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, in which Blackwater operatives gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians, including women and children. Shortly after his testimony, Prince’s longtime friend, the conservative California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, praised the Blackwater chief. “Prince,” Rohrabacher said, “is on his way to being an American hero just like Ollie North was.”

[Rohrabacher? Mark that.]

North, a Marine lieutenant colonel on the Reagan National Security Council, oversaw a scheme to divert proceeds from illicit arms sales to Iran to Contra death squads in Nicaragua. The resulting scandal became known as the Iran-Contra affair, and North was convicted of three felonies, though these convictions were later thrown out.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

On November 30, Prince testified behind closed doors before the House Intelligence Committee about his January trip to the Seychelles to meet with Mohammad bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, and a Russian fund manager close to Vladimir Putin. According to the Washington Post, Prince presented himself as an unofficial envoy of President-elect Trump. The Intercept reported last week that the fund manager was Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. Prince repeatedly said that he did not remember the identity of the Russian, but on Thursday, in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Prince admitted that he did in fact meet with Dmitriev.

Come the on, this should never even be up for discussion.

The aspiring dictator always seeks to subsume the instruments of state, and finally replace them as instruments of the party (or the household). Slap it down.

I feel like there must be some Roman aphorism applicable here.

[Hooahguy]

I had no idea about this development, thanks for posting.

It really is a scary thing to discuss, and the even more terrifying thing is that a good portion of the country will be totally okay with it because its Trump.

[spmetla]

I feel like there must be some Roman aphorism applicable here.

Does this suffice?

Nam si violandum est jus, regnandi gratia violandum est: aliis rebus pietatem colas
"If you must break the law, do it only to seize power: in all other cases observe it" - Julius Caesar.

[Kralizec]

With the electorate's mood over the last decade or so, I have to agree with you completely. I was sorta stunned by how many Trump supporters second choice, when polled, was Sanders. Business as usual was not their...pardon me...cup of tea.

It's baffling how those people look to Trump as a champion of the downtrodden, and keep doing so. Trump blasted the ACA, praised the healthcare system of Australia and possibly others, yet he has only supported initiatives that would be a huge step back from that perspective.

Republican congressmen may think of him as a burden, but my guess is that the 'swamp' is actually pleased with him. He could dismantle ACA, demolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, pass sweeping tax cuts that largely benefit the rich and scores of other things that the Republican establishment likes. Meanwhile, his base keeps supporting him because they can always be distracted by tweets about black athletes or Crooked Hillary

[Seamus Fermanagh]

It's baffling how those people look to Trump as a champion of the downtrodden, and keep doing so. Trump blasted the ACA, praised the healthcare system of Australia and possibly others, yet he has only supported initiatives that would be a huge step back from that perspective.

Republican congressmen may think of him as a burden, but my guess is that the 'swamp' is actually pleased with him. He could dismantle ACA, demolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, pass sweeping tax cuts that largely benefit the rich and scores of other things that the Republican establishment likes. Meanwhile, his base keeps supporting him because they can always be distracted by tweets about black athletes or Crooked Hillary

The GOP base, most of whom are NOT rich but advocate/adhere to "country mouse" values were staunchly against the ACA. The Tax Reform bill is likely to be popular as well, at least among the GOP base.

The GOP establishment Pols have trouble with Trump because of his asshat behaviors. They are deeply worried that, while picking up points with Trump base for supporting some of the policies on immigration and the like, Trump will undercut all their support with an asinine tweet just before the vote is taken -- Trump loves inflammatory messages and none of the GOP establishment want to pay the price for Trump's outrage de jour.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

And what an amateur hour this administration is with Trump as tweeter in chief.

After a numbing list of "didn't quite get it done" legislative efforts, Trump's administration finally gets a success on a piece of legislation that was part of Trump's stated agenda, following which the Stock Market stays above 24k for the first time in history and revised growth figures top 3% for the third straight quarter and unemployment drops another tenth of a point....

Does the administration make a concerted effort to show off this economic success? To let the GOP enjoy the achievement and reinforce that things are getting better under their leadership?

Not at all. Instead they bury their own success in a furor over acknowledging the Israeli capital is Jerusalem.

AMATEUR HOUR in DC

[Montmorency]

And what an amateur hour this administration is with Trump as tweeter in chief.

After a numbing list of "didn't quite get it done" legislative efforts, Trump's administration finally gets a success on a piece of legislation that was part of Trump's stated agenda, following which the Stock Market stays above 24k for the first time in history and revised growth figures top 3% for the third straight quarter and unemployment drops another tenth of a point....

Does the administration make a concerted effort to show off this economic success? To let the GOP enjoy the achievement and reinforce that things are getting better under their leadership?

Not at all. Instead they bury their own success in a furor over acknowledging the Israeli capital is Jerusalem.

AMATEUR HOUR in DC

The Tax Bill isn't done yet.

This is a big problem. The Senate bill brings the normal corporate rate down to 20 percent — while leaving the alternative minimum rate at … 20 percent. The legislation would still allow corporations to claim a wide variety of tax credits and deductions — it just renders all them completely worthless. Companies can either take no deductions, and pay a 20 percent rate — or take lots of deductions … and pay a 20 percent rate.

I'd prefer to discuss it once it either fails or is signed into law.