westslope wrote:

Child of an alcoholic, keep myself on a tight leash. Been sick for a week and I never drink when sick, so been a while. I have half a growler of Russian Imperial Stout just sitting in the fridge waiting for me to feel better.

But you seemed confused about what American voters should do about trade wars that keep our exports (namely whiskey) from flowing overseas. It's simple economics: less export means more domestic supply, and cheaper booze. If you're stuck with the results of an election for four years that seems as rational an approach as any.

But explaining it ruins the joke, so just replace all this verbiage with a simple whoosh and pour yourself some alternative rotgut from somewhere else in North America. Our neighbors deserve your patronage no less than we.

 westslope wrote:
 
I have a drinking problem - when I'm stressed the last thing I want is a drink. On the bright side, I have enough of a bourbon and American rye stockpile to get me through to 2024.

 westslope wrote:
 

I think that was a rhetorical answer/question thing...in any event a rhetorical suggestion...something like that. I doubt Lazy8 was trying to get an inside scoop.
 Ambiguity in rhetoric. Whoda thunkit...?

 Lazy8 wrote:
 
Nope.  I go days and weeks without taking a drink (alcohol).

You?

westslope wrote:
 
Drink heavily?

 steeler wrote:
 

you are hitting on a lot delicate (in terms of properly defining) points that seem to elude his supporters, as well as those who attempt to oppose him with more rhetoric, instead of reasoned arguments of why he is bad for the country. Accordingly, I don't think trump is the problem, as much as those who both support and oppose him.

 black321 wrote:
 

As I said earlier today in Breaking News, I think there is a race-to-the bottom mentality taking hold when we think about Trump, politicians in general, and the state of our democratic institutions, including government.  I think what I would label a lowest-common-denominator approach and acceptance is an insidious cancer.

Trump, to me, is the proverbial gasoline poured on a fire.  Yes, there already was distrust within the population for many of our democratic institutions, government itself being foremost.  Throughout his candidacy and his presidency, Trump has continually stoked those fires.  Those in the media are enemies of the people.  Those who were at or near the top of the FBI were traitors.  Republicans who disagreed with him were "establishment" politicians feeding off the government trough. The existence of a "deep state" operating within the federal government at the expense of the American people was essentially acknowledged by the President. There is much, much more I could cite, but you get the idea.

So what would a post-Trump presidency look like?  Are his tactics destined to become the new normal? What bothers me is this seeming acceptance that the tactics employed by Trump just accelerated the pace of us getting to where we were destined to reach all along — the bottom.  What is ironic is his supporters believe that he is restoring American greatness and shoring up a sagging democracy.   The bedrock institutions of our democracy have been severely damaged. I believe there will be lasting damage from his presidency and I fear that.  

 
             

Tariff wars taking a hit on U.S. distillers

We stopped drinking Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey early last year.     In the interim, we have discovered some lovely Canadian Rye Whiskies and may never go back to sour mash/bourbon.  

American voters know what to do.  Or maybe they don't.  

As is usual, my guess is the truth lies somewhere in between.   I see Trump as pretty bad, but so far not the worst thing to hit the country.  WMD?  

 westslope wrote:
 
America will never stop playing the racist ethnic cleanser card.  We were founded on it and you can bet the powers in control love our racism as much as we love our 2nd amendment.  It's not fixable, at least not in our lifetime.  We need a revolution of the worst kind.  I do think the millenials were on the right track after the Florida shooting, sadly they alienated our generation instead of seeing how long we've been trying to fight the same fight, that they felt was theirs.  And so the cycle will continue for now.

 kcar wrote:

Donnie has said he has no problem with releasing The Report. So why is Mitch blocking it?

 westslope wrote:

 haresfur wrote:
 
You might be right.  The yield curve has inverted so if he gets too tough on trade with China Trump increases the probability of the US economy going into a recession.   That would be a very negative for Team Trump and other Republicans in the next set of elections.

In the meantime, Trump and associates continue to face a large number of investigations by politicians and state attorneys.  

 haresfur wrote:
 
And for his blinkered supporters...

 R_P wrote:
 
Bail-out or political interference depends on your perspective

 westslope wrote:
 
You are missing the fact that he can keep on doing what he is doing, for now. That is a victory for him.

The Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election

Trump feels that he is exonerated.    The report apparently concludes that there was no "collusion".   

I do not understand how Trump, his supporters and other Republicans can view this as a victory.    Did not the investigation uncover all kinds of criminal activity on the part of close Trump collaborators?     

Does not Rudy Gugiliani when commenting on the Mueller report, for example, make the president and the Republican Party look terrible every time he opens his mouth?

I fail to see any upside in all of this for Team Trump.   What am I missing?  

 R_P wrote:
 

I do not know exactly.  Prior to WW I perhaps?   Certainly prior to WW II as WW II did in the Brits.  

 westslope wrote:
 
No idea. When was the last time Canada or Australia did that?