May 2017 - Page 2 of 9

Sanford: Trump Has ‘Unearthed Some Demons’

May 26, 2017 Buck Banks

“Respectfully, I’d submit that the president has unearthed some demons. I’ve talked to a number of people about it back home. They say, ‘Well, look, if the president can say whatever, why can’t I say whatever?’ He’s given them license… There is a total weirdness out there.”

— Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC), quoted by the Washington Post.

How Republicans ‘Normalize’ Violent Behavior

May 26, 2017 Buck Banks

“Every time something like Montana happens, Republicans adjust their standards and put an emphasis on team loyalty. They normalize and accept previously unacceptable behavior.”

— Conservative former talk show host Charlie Sykes, quoted by the Washington Post.

Boehner Doesn’t Want to Be President

May 26, 2017 Buck Banks

“I don’t want to be president. I drink red wine. I smoke cigarettes. I golf. I cut my own grass. I iron my own clothes. And I’m not willing to give all that up to be president.”

— Former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by RigZone.

Cruz Failed to Disclose Campaign Loan from Goldman Sachs

May 26, 2017 Buck Banks

$1.1 million

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “improperly accounted for loans he received from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc. during his 2012 campaign, saying the funds were his own personal contributions to the Senate race,” Bloomberg reports. “The finding, released on the FEC website, marked a rare instance of agreement among the agency’s five commissioners, who voted unanimously that the $1.1 million of loans from the banks should have been disclosed to voters.”

Trump’s GOP Condones Violence Against Reporters

May 25, 2017 Buck Banks

“Of course not. It’s not appropriate behavior. Unless the reporter deserved it.”

— Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), quoted by the AP, when asked if assaulting a reporter is appropriate behavior, following U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte’s (R-MT) assault on a reporter on the eve of a special election in Montana.

Tourism Down 16 Percent Since Trump’s Election

May 25, 2017 Buck Banks

16%

The US tourism business is in trouble — and President Trump may be to blame, reports Business Insider. America’s share of international tourism has dropped 16% in March, compared to the same month in 2016, according to Foursquare data released Wednesday.

Obama Draws Huge Crowd in Berlin

May 25, 2017 Buck Banks

100,000

“Barack Obama received a rock-star welcome in Berlin as he appeared at a public debate Thursday with Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he praised as one of his ‘favorite partners’ during his presidency,” the AP reports. The Guardian estimated the crowd at “up to 100,000 people.”

HUD Sec Carson Thinks Poverty Is a ‘State of Mind’

May 25, 2017 Buck Banks

“I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind.”

— HUD Secretary Ben Carson, quoted by the Washington Post.

Majority Say Trump Is Abusing His Office

May 25, 2017May 31, 2017 Buck Banks

A new Quinnipiac poll finds American voters believe that President Trump is abusing the powers of his office by a 54% to 43% margin. He also has a dismal 37% to 55% approval rating.

Meanwhile, voter opinions of most of Trump’s personal qualities remain negative:

59% say he is not honest
57% say he does not have good leadership skills
56% say he does not care about average Americans
65% say that he is not level-headed
64% say that he is a strong person
62% say that he does not share their values

Majority Wants to Keep Medicare

May 24, 2017May 25, 2017 Buck Banks

54%

A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 54% of Republicans oppose cutting Medicaid. A Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll shows that 42% of Trump voters — and 51% of people who approve of Trump — say Medicaid “is somewhat or very important to them and their families.” Just 24% of Trump voters and 20% of people who approve of Trump want to decrease spending on Medicaid, while majorities of both want to keep it the same and many more want to increase it.

“Respectfully, I’d submit that the president has unearthed some demons. I’ve talked to a number of people about it back home. They say, ‘Well, look, if the president can say whatever, why can’t I say whatever?’ He’s given them license… There is a total weirdness out there.”

— Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC), quoted by the Washington Post.

“Every time something like Montana happens, Republicans adjust their standards and put an emphasis on team loyalty. They normalize and accept previously unacceptable behavior.”

— Conservative former talk show host Charlie Sykes, quoted by the Washington Post.

“I don’t want to be president. I drink red wine. I smoke cigarettes. I golf. I cut my own grass. I iron my own clothes. And I’m not willing to give all that up to be president.”

— Former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by RigZone.

$1.1 million

“Of course not. It’s not appropriate behavior. Unless the reporter deserved it.”

— Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), quoted by the AP, when asked if assaulting a reporter is appropriate behavior, following U.S. House candidate Greg Gianforte’s (R-MT) assault on a reporter on the eve of a special election in Montana.

16%

The US tourism business is in trouble — and President Trump may be to blame, reports Business Insider. America’s share of international tourism has dropped 16% in March, compared to the same month in 2016, according to Foursquare data released Wednesday.

100,000

“Barack Obama received a rock-star welcome in Berlin as he appeared at a public debate Thursday with Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he praised as one of his ‘favorite partners’ during his presidency,” the AP reports. The Guardian estimated the crowd at “up to 100,000 people.”

“I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind.”

— HUD Secretary Ben Carson, quoted by the Washington Post.

54%

Poetic Justice

Verbatim

“We are done, Americans are done with endless conflict in the Middle East, spending trillions of dollars, American lives… this is insane and we have to call it for what it is.”

— Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), on CNN.

44%

— Former President Bill Clinton, quoted by Deadline, in his July 4th message.

Numerati

$4,600

11

30%

A new American Research Group poll finds just 30% of Americans say they approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president and 67% say they disapprove.

61% to 35%

81

A Reuters analysis of Trump’s public comments from June 23 through July 6 (13 days) — when a string of left-wing Democratic candidates won their party’s primaries in New York — found he invoked communism 81 times.