'Trump University Graduates Outraged They Were Never Taught to Defraud Banks'
'NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—Graduates of Trump University are incensed that they were never taught that defrauding banks was a crucial strategy to building a real-estate empire, the grads have confirmed.'
'In interviews with Trump U. alumni, the former students expressed shock and dismay that such an important entrepreneurial skill was somehow omitted from the school’s curriculum.'
“If I had learned to defraud banks, my post-Trump University career would have played out very differently,” Tracy Klugian, class of 2006, said. “As it is, I’ve gone bankrupt four times.” (Satire, NewYorker)
Fern, thank you for sharing the satire of the Borowitz Report. I firmly believe that The Former Guy (also known as He Who Must Not Be Named to keep out of Facebook jail) will rue the day that he exposed his real estate grift by running for president.
Mary, I agree with you, finally, he'll tumble down with his marquees and lies, but I thought it would happen very early in his presidency. There was big trouble in our house long before he was elected. Popular vote or not, he was elected by our very incomplete and distorted democracy, to put it mildly (apologies to the many millions enslaved, exploited, and robbed of their homeland) and look at where we are now.
Fern, unfortunately far too many people have always believed (on a gut level) that the actors were truly like the characters that they portrayed in movies and on television. Think of how you felt when you saw an actor such as David Suchet (who played Agatha Christie’s Poirot for decades) on a talk show speaking with their true accent; the same applies to Marlin Brando as the Godfather. Viewers start watching for the entertainment value, but forget that the actor is speaking lines written by others, not words that reflect their true nature.
Clearly, there truth to what you have written for many adults, Mary, but I don't think it is the whole truth. Many of us go through the process of development and do not remain at the cognitive level you have too generally suggested for 'people'.
Fern, that’s true. However, Ronald Reagan used his movie persona to convince a lot people to vote for him even though Nancy was the “power behind the throne”. Look at Louisiana ‘s senator Kennedy with his folksy persona that masks his true Oxford college roots.
Borowitz!!! Always spot on. If you haven't read his latest book, it is a hoot. He highlights the moronic things high profile politicians have said since Reagan.
The excerpts are so nostalgic and inspiring. John McGain was a Republican but his heart wore the heart of an American. I remember (and may be you can confirm), when one of his supporters in a rally in 2008 shouted that check his name in response to his opponent BO, John reminded them that we are all Americans regardless of who they are or where they came from.
JM valued the American ideals of democracy and reminded everyone that no one is above the law. Despite his terminal disease, he had the honor to wish Americans last goodbye by writing a letter of what the country should aspire to be. This letter came from his heart.
This reminded me that when an elder plants trees at their sunset years while knowing they won't use, a responsible, humane society will be created. I hope you Americans will heed to the call of JM.
I welcome you to join me in building my underserved African communities.
Back in the late 90s, I even got a positive response from the McCain campaign regarding the need to give up a bit of GDP to combat global warming! Imagine the reaction from Republicans today!
I had very temporarily registered Republican in Ohio, and even convinced my wife to do so (!), in order to vote for McCain over Bush in the primary. My wife will never let me live this down! But I think we did the right thing.
We have always voted Democratic in the general elections but for many years my husband registered as a republican so that he could vote in their primary. We have had so many idiotic republicans in Michigan he always said that he needed to at least try to weed out the worst of them in the primaries.
Sorry if this sounds odd, but the two above posts have finally made me understand that in America you must register your party before you can vote. And if you're a registered Democrat but you prefer the Republican in your constituency, you can't vote for them unless you re-register? Is this correct? Where I come from, your politics is private and when you vote, nobody is supposed to know who you voted for. When you go to vote, the official finds your name and address on the list and marks it off, then gives you the ballot papers to fill in in a private booth, fold and place through a slot in a box beside the official desk where they can see you do it. And if your name hasn't been marked off, a few weeks later you get a Please Explain in the post, from the Electoral Commission.
Sorry if my post was misleading. In Michigan, you identify as one or the other ONLY for the primaries not the general elections. When we go into vote in the primaries we tell them which party's ballot we want. Then in the general election whoever won in their primary for both parties is on the ballot. That's why voting in both the primaries and general elections is so important.
Anne-Louise, It is my understanding you can only vote in a primary under a party designation. In the general election you can vote for yourself! Write-ins are allowed, as are any candidate you choose.
Anne-Louise, I know this can confusing, but I’ll take a try at explaining our party registration rules and at what point they may or may not apply.
First, we need to discern between types of elections - meaning Primary vs General. In the Primary Election, which always occurs before the General Election, the voters are deciding who the candidate will be that stands for for the political party in the General Election. In the 50 states/commonwealths (wish I could tell you the difference between these 2 entities, but alas, I cannot) that make up the United States many (not all) require that, in the Primary, ONLY political party members can vote. Moreover, many states ONLY (again, not all) allow voters to cast a ballot for those registered in the political party to which the voter belongs, i.e., Republicans for Republicans & Democrats for Democrats. Thus, the voter list carries party affiliation information so that the voter gets the correct ballot. And, just to confuse the issue, some states allow voters in primary elections to vote regardless of party affiliation.
However, once the candidates are selected in the Primary, a voter may vote in the General Election regardless of party affiliation. So no declaration of party membership by the voter, nor need to differentiate ballots handed to the voters. I hope this helps.
Yes, I start to see why things are in such a mess. This "system" is as inappropriate to the present day as is the wording of the Constitution. I'm very grateful to you and all the others of us who have taken the trouble to explain this to me. I think Karen Tumulty of WaPo must read LFAA, because she's got an opinion piece up today (which I've just read) headed "Who elects these clowns, exactly? As it turns out, almost none of us." Her article is embellished with a picture of Gaetz (he of the virile right eyebrow) and Boebert gazing adoringly at him. Ugh, what a way to start a day. Where's the coffee.
I seriously considered voting for McCain right up until he chose Sarah Palin as his VP. She was so clearly not up to the job! That failure of judgement, imposed upon him from the early stirrings of partisan extremists or not, was probably an early symptom of the brain cancer that killed him. He was a good man and a great American. Unlike so many other Republicans I could name. Such a sad story!
Obama, on the other hand, chose a VP very well indeed. Biden’s years as Vice President gave him the experience with the executive branch he needed to be able hit the ground confidently as President, in spite of all attempts by Trump to muck everything up.
Repubs gave a clue to their depravity in that primary race when Bush’s crowd savaged McCain with the worse lies and vitriol. One guy I heard on tv even laughed about it and said they would repent on Sunday.
Methodist was better than others, but I gave up and went to Unitarian. They mean it when they say that love is the doctrine of the church... BTW, Jesus is welcome there, the real one.
Matt, I did the same thing in that primary, also in Ohio. I have to say that I had qualms about it - McCain had a temper and flew off the handle sometimes, and politics aside, I didn’t think he had the temperament to be a fit president. But he would have been better than Bush, for sure. I too think we did the right thing.
I listened, and when I re-read excerpts from tonight's Letters, it still brought my eyes to misting.
God I can only hope enough people also have that reaction and vote, and vote hard.
'Trump University Graduates Outraged They Were Never Taught to Defraud Banks'
'NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—Graduates of Trump University are incensed that they were never taught that defrauding banks was a crucial strategy to building a real-estate empire, the grads have confirmed.'
'In interviews with Trump U. alumni, the former students expressed shock and dismay that such an important entrepreneurial skill was somehow omitted from the school’s curriculum.'
“If I had learned to defraud banks, my post-Trump University career would have played out very differently,” Tracy Klugian, class of 2006, said. “As it is, I’ve gone bankrupt four times.” (Satire, NewYorker)
Fern, thank you for sharing the satire of the Borowitz Report. I firmly believe that The Former Guy (also known as He Who Must Not Be Named to keep out of Facebook jail) will rue the day that he exposed his real estate grift by running for president.
Mary, I agree with you, finally, he'll tumble down with his marquees and lies, but I thought it would happen very early in his presidency. There was big trouble in our house long before he was elected. Popular vote or not, he was elected by our very incomplete and distorted democracy, to put it mildly (apologies to the many millions enslaved, exploited, and robbed of their homeland) and look at where we are now.
Fern, unfortunately far too many people have always believed (on a gut level) that the actors were truly like the characters that they portrayed in movies and on television. Think of how you felt when you saw an actor such as David Suchet (who played Agatha Christie’s Poirot for decades) on a talk show speaking with their true accent; the same applies to Marlin Brando as the Godfather. Viewers start watching for the entertainment value, but forget that the actor is speaking lines written by others, not words that reflect their true nature.
Clearly, there truth to what you have written for many adults, Mary, but I don't think it is the whole truth. Many of us go through the process of development and do not remain at the cognitive level you have too generally suggested for 'people'.
Fern, that’s true. However, Ronald Reagan used his movie persona to convince a lot people to vote for him even though Nancy was the “power behind the throne”. Look at Louisiana ‘s senator Kennedy with his folksy persona that masks his true Oxford college roots.
Borowitz!!! Always spot on. If you haven't read his latest book, it is a hoot. He highlights the moronic things high profile politicians have said since Reagan.
Spoiler alert. It's mostly Republicans.
Perfect!
Heh, yes thank you
😂🤣😂
The excerpts are so nostalgic and inspiring. John McGain was a Republican but his heart wore the heart of an American. I remember (and may be you can confirm), when one of his supporters in a rally in 2008 shouted that check his name in response to his opponent BO, John reminded them that we are all Americans regardless of who they are or where they came from.
JM valued the American ideals of democracy and reminded everyone that no one is above the law. Despite his terminal disease, he had the honor to wish Americans last goodbye by writing a letter of what the country should aspire to be. This letter came from his heart.
This reminded me that when an elder plants trees at their sunset years while knowing they won't use, a responsible, humane society will be created. I hope you Americans will heed to the call of JM.
I welcome you to join me in building my underserved African communities.
Back in the late 90s, I even got a positive response from the McCain campaign regarding the need to give up a bit of GDP to combat global warming! Imagine the reaction from Republicans today!
I had very temporarily registered Republican in Ohio, and even convinced my wife to do so (!), in order to vote for McCain over Bush in the primary. My wife will never let me live this down! But I think we did the right thing.
We have always voted Democratic in the general elections but for many years my husband registered as a republican so that he could vote in their primary. We have had so many idiotic republicans in Michigan he always said that he needed to at least try to weed out the worst of them in the primaries.
Sorry if this sounds odd, but the two above posts have finally made me understand that in America you must register your party before you can vote. And if you're a registered Democrat but you prefer the Republican in your constituency, you can't vote for them unless you re-register? Is this correct? Where I come from, your politics is private and when you vote, nobody is supposed to know who you voted for. When you go to vote, the official finds your name and address on the list and marks it off, then gives you the ballot papers to fill in in a private booth, fold and place through a slot in a box beside the official desk where they can see you do it. And if your name hasn't been marked off, a few weeks later you get a Please Explain in the post, from the Electoral Commission.
Sorry if my post was misleading. In Michigan, you identify as one or the other ONLY for the primaries not the general elections. When we go into vote in the primaries we tell them which party's ballot we want. Then in the general election whoever won in their primary for both parties is on the ballot. That's why voting in both the primaries and general elections is so important.
Thanks, Colette.
Exactly
Anne-Louise, It is my understanding you can only vote in a primary under a party designation. In the general election you can vote for yourself! Write-ins are allowed, as are any candidate you choose.
In my state, write-in votes only count if the candidate has declared him/herself as a write-in candidate .
In Virginia you can vote in a Democratic primary even if you are a Republican, and vice versa.
often have to sign a loyalty oath
Anne-Louise, I know this can confusing, but I’ll take a try at explaining our party registration rules and at what point they may or may not apply.
First, we need to discern between types of elections - meaning Primary vs General. In the Primary Election, which always occurs before the General Election, the voters are deciding who the candidate will be that stands for for the political party in the General Election. In the 50 states/commonwealths (wish I could tell you the difference between these 2 entities, but alas, I cannot) that make up the United States many (not all) require that, in the Primary, ONLY political party members can vote. Moreover, many states ONLY (again, not all) allow voters to cast a ballot for those registered in the political party to which the voter belongs, i.e., Republicans for Republicans & Democrats for Democrats. Thus, the voter list carries party affiliation information so that the voter gets the correct ballot. And, just to confuse the issue, some states allow voters in primary elections to vote regardless of party affiliation.
However, once the candidates are selected in the Primary, a voter may vote in the General Election regardless of party affiliation. So no declaration of party membership by the voter, nor need to differentiate ballots handed to the voters. I hope this helps.
Yes, I start to see why things are in such a mess. This "system" is as inappropriate to the present day as is the wording of the Constitution. I'm very grateful to you and all the others of us who have taken the trouble to explain this to me. I think Karen Tumulty of WaPo must read LFAA, because she's got an opinion piece up today (which I've just read) headed "Who elects these clowns, exactly? As it turns out, almost none of us." Her article is embellished with a picture of Gaetz (he of the virile right eyebrow) and Boebert gazing adoringly at him. Ugh, what a way to start a day. Where's the coffee.
Not all states are the same. In MT you do not have to declare a party to vote in any election
I'm still independent here in Minnesota just in case I need to cross over in the primaries.
In Oregon, our Independents can't vote in the primaries. There's work afoot to get that changed.
Nice approach to getting good responsible leaders
I seriously considered voting for McCain right up until he chose Sarah Palin as his VP. She was so clearly not up to the job! That failure of judgement, imposed upon him from the early stirrings of partisan extremists or not, was probably an early symptom of the brain cancer that killed him. He was a good man and a great American. Unlike so many other Republicans I could name. Such a sad story!
Obama, on the other hand, chose a VP very well indeed. Biden’s years as Vice President gave him the experience with the executive branch he needed to be able hit the ground confidently as President, in spite of all attempts by Trump to muck everything up.
...not unlike Kennedy's choice of LBJ! (who ended up enacting a substantial number of JFK's priorities)
Repubs gave a clue to their depravity in that primary race when Bush’s crowd savaged McCain with the worse lies and vitriol. One guy I heard on tv even laughed about it and said they would repent on Sunday.
Repent on Sunday shows how off their understanding of Jesus teachings
Methodist was better than others, but I gave up and went to Unitarian. They mean it when they say that love is the doctrine of the church... BTW, Jesus is welcome there, the real one.
Exactly !
Two great stories, Matt! Thanks for sharing.
Matt, I did the same thing in that primary, also in Ohio. I have to say that I had qualms about it - McCain had a temper and flew off the handle sometimes, and politics aside, I didn’t think he had the temperament to be a fit president. But he would have been better than Bush, for sure. I too think we did the right thing.
Me too. Hit me hard. He did not pull one punch. Nada!
Yes, indeed.