With 80 days left before election, Trump campaign chairman resigns

Paul Manafort, campaign chairman for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has resigned just two months after taking the helm.

He has come under fire for his ties to Russian interests and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

But he has denied any wrongdoing and it is not yet clear why he left.

The team was overhauled earlier this week with the addition of a new campaign chief executive and a new campaign manager.

Mr Trump, who arrived in Louisiana on Friday to meet flood victims, has come under pressure in recent weeks after a series of controversial remarks and falling poll numbers.

Mr Manafort's lobbying connections to pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine are certainly a distraction for Mr Trump's presidential campaign - but unlikely to be the main reason for his departure.

In spite of Mr Manafort's efforts to impose discipline on the Republican nominee, Mr Trump continues to do badly in the polls and has reportedly bristled at efforts to bring him under control.

After all, "being Trump" is how he won the nomination in the first place.

His new team now faces the task of allowing him to be himself while making sure he stays on message - attacking his Democratic rival Hilary Clinton instead of sparking controversy with his own verbal missteps.

Original Quill wrote:**shakes head**

Manafort is proof that Republicans view politics as a profit-making enterprise.  They have no conscience.  They distract with faux social issues, while pursuing the money.  Eventually, and inevitably, the social issues got so big that the tail ended up wagging the dog.

That doesn't excuse the craziness of Trump.  But Trump is evidence of what they wrought, not paying attention to the social issues they were letting loose.

The whole party deserves to go down.

Jules wrote:

Original Quill wrote:**shakes head**

Manafort is proof that Republicans view politics as a profit-making enterprise.  They have no conscience.  They distract with faux social issues, while pursuing the money.  Eventually, and inevitably, the social issues got so big that the tail ended up wagging the dog.

That doesn't excuse the craziness of Trump.  But Trump is evidence of what they wrought, not paying attention to the social issues they were letting loose.

The whole party deserves to go down.

Wow did you draw this cartoon? Cos it totally captures the essence of your post.

USA Today wrote:NBA moving 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte due to anti-LGBT bill

In an unprecedented and monumental decision, the NBA will move the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, N.C. to another state because of North Carolina’s controversial anti-LGBT law called House Bill 2.

“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2,” the league said in a statement Thursday.

It is an issue NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league have wrestled with since North Carolina lawmakers passed House Bill 2. The law, which was passed during a special session in March, bans local municipalities from enacting non-discriminatory ordinances designed to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The league said Charlotte will play host to the 2019 All-Star Game “provided there is an appropriate resolution to this matter.”

The NBA’s decision to relocate – a new site for 2017 has not been determined – was met with support from individuals, businesses and advocacy groups and disappointment in state leaders.

Because of the political and social divide over the issue, not everyone backed the NBA’s decision, including Gov. Pat McCrory who blamed “the sports and entertainment elite, Attorney General Roy Cooper and the liberal media.”

Gov. Pat McCrory wrote:“American families should be on notice that the selective corporate elite are imposing their political will on communities in which they do business, thus bypassing the democratic and legal process,” he said in a statement.

Jason Collins, the first openly gay NBA player, released this statement:

Jason Collins wrote:"As a member of the NBA family and as a gay man, I’m extremely proud to see the NBA take initiative and move the All-Star Game from North Carolina. Their decision is an extremely poignant one and shows that discrimination of any kind is not welcome in sports and is not acceptable in any part of our society. The NBA has set the best kind of example and precedent moving forward for all to follow."

Cyd Zeigler of Outsports told USA TODAY Sports, “The NBA set an example for other leagues to follow. This is a stark contrast to how the NFL has handled its issues, such as the Super Bowl in Houston or its owner meeting in Charlotte. The NFL prints money essentially, but doesn’t prioritize LGBT inclusion. The NBA, with its corporate culture and leadership, took a major stand against discrimination.”

North Carolina general assembly representative and executive director of Equality NC Chris Sgro fought to repeal the bill or change the law. He feared the NBA would relocate if the state did not make significant changes to the law.

“The alarm bells have been going off for three months now at the incredibly economic harm of HB 2 and the NBA has expressed its concern over the safety, security and comfort of all fans,” Sgro told USA TODAY Sports. “We understand that concern, and I just cannot believe that Gov. McCrory is so negligent as to let to the city of Charlotte and state of North Carolina to lose the NBA All-Star Game.”

The All-Star Game was expected to generate $100 million of revenue for the state, according to Athlete Ally, and since the law was passed, the state has lost $329 million in business, according to Equality NC.

San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “Enter the real world I would say to some states. I agree with the league and ... everybody else who pulled out.”

The NBA expressed its disappointment and concern about the bill in March, and Silver was consistent in his message: if the law wasn’t changed, he had a difficult time envisioning the All-Star Game in a state where all fans didn’t feel included.

Three months ago at the Associated Press Sports Editors meeting, Silver said, “We’ve been, I think, crystal clear a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event.”

Silver had hoped the league could help effect change by working with state government and private businesses.

The state’s general assembly had a chance to revise or repeal the bill before adjourning for the year but did not make changes that could have appeased the NBA. The league had received assurances from the city of Charlotte and local businesses that all fans would be welcome. But that wasn’t enough.

As recently as July 12, Silver said, “The question for us becomes in this situation, given the controversy, given the amount of discussion, given how hardened the views are there, is this the place we should be in February 2017 as the epicenter of global basketball where we can go and celebrate our game and our values?”

The league found its answer.

Contributing: Scott Gleeson, Tonya Maxwell, Asheville Citizen-Times
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter at @JeffZillgitt.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/allstar/2016/07/21/nba-to-move-all-star-game-charlotte-anti-lgbt-bill/87395090/

Original Quill wrote:

Jules wrote:


Wow did you draw this cartoon? Cos it totally captures the essence of your post.

  Brilliant minds think alike.

This is a part of my book, Why Elephants Lie.  Republicans and conservatives generally represent special interests, while Democrats and progressives represent the general interest.  The two are not just different brands, but different products.

But the game of politics is common to both.  In politics, the currency is votes, not money.  So the challenge for Republicans becomes, How do you convince someone whose interests you are working against, to give you their vote?

The answer is, you lie to the electorate.  Deception takes many forms, but all they need to do is get the electorate to turn their heads away from predominately economic interests, where the Republican/conservative (RW) is taking his unfair share.  The RW'r uses distraction, trying to get the electorate all riled up about something that is far away from their economic interests: look over there, don't look over here!

The best distractions are wars, race, and social issues like abortion, gay marriage, gun control, abuse of power and sundry quasi-religious issues.  They are all issues that don't cost anything, but have the color and intensity to get the public all excited and motivated.  Occasionally, you have to resort to anti-democratic maneuvers--like voter suppression--to skew the vote.  

Now look how the RW attacks HRC.  Benghazi, emails, feminism...all issues that have had no adverse consequence, but about which they can rail away as if it mattered.  They are distracting--nothing productive, just distractions.  Very typical of conservative tactics.