Politics

[speedpimp]

Jared Kushner's security clearance lowered and his clearance is now lower than that of the White House calligrapher. (https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/28/politics/white-house-calligrapher-security-clearance/index.html)

[G'day Mate]

WITCH HUNT!

[Yw-slayer]

FAKE NEWS!!!???!?!?!?!?

[Tom Servo]

Saw this on Twitter and it does seem surprisingly accurate:

The President of the United States is basically a guy who calls into local sports radio. Everything Trump says makes sense when you just preface it with, "Donald from Queens, you're on the air."

[novicius]

:lol: :| :smh:

[neanderthal]

:lol: :| :smh:

Even in reverse order, you're correct.

[FaultyMario]

Trade wars are winnable?

Get that clown out of there ASAP.

[Crazed_Insanity]

We're trying dude!

[Tom Servo]

Jared Kushner may have pushed Trump to back the blockade of Qatar because the Qatari Minister of Finance refused to invest in his 666 Fifth Avenue property.

https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/03/weeks-before-blockade-qatar-denied-money-to-kushners-firm.html

[Fogelhund]

Trade wars are winnable?

Get that clown out of there ASAP.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-threatens-tax-on-cars-if-eu-retaliates-to-us-steel-and-aluminum-tariffs-2018-03-03?mod=industries_twitter_new&link=sfmw_tw

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If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S. They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!

[Fogelhund]

In the closed-door remarks, a recording of which was obtained by CNN, Trump also praised China's President Xi Jinping for recently consolidating power and extending his potential tenure, musing he wouldn't mind making such a maneuver himself.
"He's now president for life. President for life. No, he's great," Trump said. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot some day."

[Tom Servo]

Thankfully, I'm sure some sort of artery in his head will burst long before the 8 years are up.

[Crazed_Insanity]

If trump really succeeded in doing that, we'd all appreciate our 2nd amendment right.

[Tom Servo]

If Trump succeeded in doing that, we'd be way too far along for our 2nd amendment rights to help us.

[neanderthal]

If trump really succeeded in doing that, we'd all appreciate our 2nd amendment right.

:facepalm

You really don't understand how our government works to say that.

[Crazed_Insanity]

All I gotta say is that Chinese people could only combat tyrannical dicktators with Kung fu... our only way to bear our arms...

Unfortunately we cannot just buy or stockpile kung fu... so even with billions of us, we still couldn't fight off dicktators for thousands of years...

[Tom Servo]

Sam Nunberg is refusing to cooperate with a subpoena and may be risking jailtime for contempt of court. The real fun is that he's been running around talking to reporters and saying a lot of crazy shit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMsT1Igpl6E


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtOuh3yuCm0

As someone else said, this is like the OJ White Bronco Chase of the Mueller investigation.

[G'day Mate]

What's this guy got to hide?

[Tom Servo]

Long but good article on Steele, the dossier, other memos, and all the fun Russia was up to in the leadup to the election.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/12/christopher-steele-the-man-behind-the-trump-dossier

[FaultyMario]

What's this guy got to hide?

More like, this guy has no incentive to keep up with it.

[Freude am Fahren]

I'm getting a little sick of Putin.

He's apparently poisoned another opponent of sorts. A Russian (and his daughter!) that had been spying for the Brits that was turned back over to Britain in a trade that included that hot Russian spy here in the US a few years back.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/06/591136097/britain-warns-moscow-over-poisoning-of-ex-russian-double-agent

I say the Brits (or US, or jointly) should take out the woman in response (if one of them dies).


Between this and all the Russian meddling in the US (ignoring Trump, they are obviously kicking our ass via social media), a second cold war is pretty much already happening.

That reminds me, I need to catch up on The Americans

[G'day Mate]

Hot spy pics or it didn't happen ...

[Freude am Fahren]

https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/galleries/x701/347452.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

Why would anyone poison her? So sad. Wonder if 007 got a chance to sleep with her before hand.

Seriously, the mysterious poisoning technique is scary.

[Freude am Fahren]

Nobody's poisoned her. She's the spy that was traded for the spy that was poisoned.

[Yw-slayer]

A friend of ours was at A&E and treated the polonium victim from several years ago.

[Tom Servo]

Rumor has it dear leader plans to sign an executive order implementing steel and aluminum tariffs today. If you're in the market for a new car, you might want to get on that.

[George]

I wonder if that will affect bicycle prices as well.

[Tom Servo]

I'd have to imagine it would, unless you manage to find something that's almost entirely carbon (at which point you're paying out the nose anyway).

[FaultyMario]

I don't understand that mess he is creating. Is he just trying to inflate prices and shareholder returns in the short term, consequences be damned?

[FaultyMario]

My understanding is that China rapidly went from not producing to producing a lot of steel and aluminum, and though while the U.S. is not a big consumer of chinese steel the global price is pressured because of China's excess production, and a tariff would not effect the NA market of that product (because it consumes from itself) but it would boost revenue for american produducers of steel as the global market would shift because of the tariffs.

It really sounds like burning the house to save, I don't know, the hamster?

[neanderthal]

I don't understand that mess he is creating. Is he just trying to inflate prices and shareholder returns in the short term, consequences be damned?

Part of the chaos is deliberate, to hide and obfuscate the corruption and theft going on elsewhere.

I'm sure there was some rage tweeting that the news extensively covered when the Bears Ears park/ conservation area was reduced in size; which we now know was to profit oil and gas companies who wanted to drill/ whatever there.

[FaultyMario]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M3ZTfLoSj4

I guess.

[tigeraid]

So, forgive me, because I heard on CBC this morning that the main reason for the tariffs was to prevent buying "cheap overstock" steel from Russia and China. Initially it was thought the tariffs would affect Canada and Mexico but now they say it doesn't include us... So what's the problem exactly?

(There has to be a problem. Trump thought it up.)

[balki]

I'll jump on the Trump bandwagon (is there a name for it?) if he mends things with N.Korean

[G'day Mate]

North Korea are just singing the same song they've been singing over and over for decades

[Tom Servo]

Yeah, the possible negative to this is that N. Korea has been asking for *years* for talks with the west, but the US' policy has always been to ignore that, believing that it would give their government a legitimacy (or feeling thereof) that they don't have now. Changing that in the face of their nuclear tests and posturing could potentially be giving them what they want as a result of their saber-rattling, which might be counterproductive if we want them to get rid of any nuclear weapons.

Then again, I tend to err on the side of "it's better to talk", so we'll see.

[Tom Servo]

That payment that Michael Cohen supposedly made of his own volition and from his own pocket to Stormy Daniels? Negotiations and bank arrangements were all made from his trump.org email address and acting as "special counsel to Donald J. Trump."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-cohen-used-trump-org-email-stormy-daniels-arrangements-n855021

Only the best people. Really like smart and stuff.

[FaultyMario]

That payment that Michael Cohen supposedly made of his own volition and from his own pocket to Stormy Daniels? Negotiations and bank arrangements were all made from his trump.org email address and acting as "special counsel to Donald J. Trump."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-cohen-used-trump-org-email-stormy-daniels-arrangements-n855021

Only the best people. Really like smart and stuff.

A diagram of ineptitude. (http://dawm7kda6y2v0.cloudfront.net/uploads/2018/03/FABD9F42-AC19-426D-88F6-FD70A13EC540.png)

[drew]

:lol:

[Tom Servo]

Rex Tillerson just got fired a day after issuing a statement that Russia clearly was behind an attempt to assassinate a former spy in Britain. Also, Trump's personal assistant was apparently fired and escorted out over an unspecified "security issue".

Tillerson reportedly found out he was fired the same time the rest of us did, when he saw Trump's tweet.

[FaultyMario]

Not having a hawkish petroleum CEO in charge of foreign affairs must be a good thing, right?

[Tom Servo]

You'd think, but I can't tell if it's better or worse to swap him out for a tea party congressman from Kansas. Admittedly, one thing out of this that sounds uniformly positive is that with Pompeo now shifting to Sec. of State, his replacement at the CIA sounds like she might actually be someone qualified to be director.

[MR2 Fan]

most people think Rex Tillerson was pretty smart and acted like an adult, unlike the rest of the administration...I don't know enough about Mike Pompeo but this happening right before this supposed meeting with North Korea is worrying.

[FaultyMario]

I've long held that those populist astroturf movements would be clearly exposed in their lack of coherence or ineptitude (or both) if they were to be put in positions of power, because they lack the ideological directives to guide their policy decisions; with them, one doesn't find the logic behind opposing social expenditure because free market or favoring it because social justice, they just go with appears to be popular, but because popular choice is often contradictory, so there's no way they could execute a policy program that calculates political costs and reaches any sort of tangible goal.

I say in general, having the spotlight on a tea party-er will expose her for what she really is (and I'm putting a tenner on her being business-as-usual), so that will hopefully give the opposition enough ammunition to show the electorate they may campaign on change, but change they're not.

[MR2 Fan]

I've long held that those populist astroturf movements would be clearly exposed in their lack of coherence or ineptitude (or both) if they were to be put in positions of power, because they lack the ideological directives to guide their policy decisions; with them, one doesn't find the logic behind opposing social expenditure because free market or favoring it because social justice, they just go with appears to be popular, but because popular choice is often contradictory, so there's no way they could execute a policy program that calculates political costs and reaches any sort of tangible goal.

I say in general, having the spotlight on a tea party-er will expose her for what she really is (and I'm putting a tenner on her being business-as-usual), so that will hopefully give the opposition enough ammunition to show the electorate they may campaign on change, but change they're not.

It doesn't work, at least in the U.S., because the media spotlighted Trump constantly and how insane his speeches and ideas sounded....except he was elected. Even if there was some interference, it's damn scary that there's a large percentage of americans who are that stupid

[Crazed_Insanity]

People are mostly stupid and emotionally driven... and emotions can also cause relatively smart folks to act stupid... so...

Anyway, Trump must've broken historical records when it comes to firing of his top staffs? He probably still thinks that he's on his reality TV show?

I suppose Trump is a good representative of average Americans. ;) Democracy only works with smarter voters..., but the ironic thing was that founding fathers realizes the dangers of true democracy, hence developed the electoral college system...

So since he didn't win the popular vote, we can safely conclude that average Americans are not that stupid after all! Yeah!

I still think Trump only won because FBI meddled with our election.

[Tom Servo]

I've long held that those populist astroturf movements would be clearly exposed in their lack of coherence or ineptitude (or both) if they were to be put in positions of power, because they lack the ideological directives to guide their policy decisions; with them, one doesn't find the logic behind opposing social expenditure because free market or favoring it because social justice, they just go with appears to be popular, but because popular choice is often contradictory, so there's no way they could execute a policy program that calculates political costs and reaches any sort of tangible goal.

I say in general, having the spotlight on a tea party-er will expose her for what she really is (and I'm putting a tenner on her being business-as-usual), so that will hopefully give the opposition enough ammunition to show the electorate they may campaign on change, but change they're not.

Just because I get the impression that my post might not have been clear enough - the tea party congressman from Kansas is Mike Pompeo, who will now be Secretary of State. The "she" is Gina Haspel, who has been with the CIA since 1985 and has been serving as Deputy Director since 02/2017 and will be replacing Pompeo as the director of the CIA. That said, she allegedly ran a secret CIA prison in Thailand in 2002 that housed suspected al Qaeda members and engaged in waterboarding and other "no-longer-authorized" interrogation methods, with one of the prisoners losing his left eye while in their custody. On the flipside, that might be "not that bad" when compared to others in the CIA, who knows?

[Tom Servo]

And now, from at least what I'm reading, Pompeo is significantly more "in line" with Trump. Notably more hawkish on Iran and N. Korea and believes that the Iran nuclear deal should be abandoned. Haspel is notoriously pro-torture (as is Pompeo). She's more qualified than him to head the CIA to be sure, but she also sounds like a hell of a monster. I'm going to go with this being worse than having an oil exec at the head of the state department.

[FaultyMario]

No Tom, it was clear who each person was.

I was thinking of Betsy DeVos when I wrote that, who to me is the most representative token of Trump's presidency, because precisely she exposes the lack of coherence in a model of politics that needs good policies to serve as incentives for new voters. By appointing people like DeVos, people who design policy by instrumentation and not by idealization, the party ends up with shit incentives.

[Tom Servo]

Tillerson's undersecretary issued a statement for Tillerson on the firing which contradicted the official White House version, that he'd been told prior to issuing the statement on Russia being behind the nerve agent assassination attempt in Salisbury so it couldn't be in retaliation for that. Now that undersecretary has been fired as well.

[Freude am Fahren]

Crazy close race in Pennsylvania house race.

Dem leading by about 850 votes with about 3200 absentee ballots to be counted tomorrow (from mainly red counties).*

In those counties, the republican has been getting about 55% or so of votes. In order to win he needs 73% of remaining absentee ballots to win. Close as hell for one of like 500+ house seats, but one in an otherwise easily red seat.


*CNN numbers

[G'day Mate]

95 votes now

[edit] scratch that! I was wrong. Didn't see an update come through which jumped it to 850

[Freude am Fahren]

Yeah, it was down to 95 votes before Allegheny county absentee votes came in (that's the county with Pittsburgh, so big city=dem leaning), which added about 700 votes towards the dem.

Mind you, this is a house election, so district lines are a shithouse^2 normally. This seat, happens to be mostly suburbs and rural areas around Pittsburgh (doesn't even actually have the city proper).

It's going to mainly count on Washington county, who has just said they will count their 1195 ballots tonight.

Edit: Westmoreland county (1808 ballots, but closer spread so far) has also said they will count tonight now. We should have a winner tonight.

[G'day Mate]

I currently make it that the Republican needs 59% of 3,200 votes to win

[Tom Servo]

What in the fucking fuck is this fucking shit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/03/14/in-fundraising-speech-trump-says-he-made-up-facts-in-meeting-with-justin-trudeau/

[drew]

Imagine that, saying shit he knows fuck-all shit about.

Every time I read one of his transcripts, that scene from Scanners comes to mind.


What the fucking fuck.

[G'day Mate]

:smh:

[balki]

“It’s the bowling ball test. They take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and drop it on the hood of the car,” Trump said of Japan. “If the hood dents, the car doesn’t qualify. It’s horrible,” he said. It was unclear what he was talking about.
Whomever wrote that article is clearly not an automotive engineer, but you gearheads know about the classic bowling ball test, you know, the one were you find a nice car on craigslist and you drive over to see it with a 20' ladder and a bowling ball

[Tom Servo]

He's doubling down on it.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DYVTlEpV4AA4Fb2.jpg:large

That's how he knows.

[MR2 Fan]

It's like he lives in alternate version of reality

[Crazed_Insanity]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uWkMFVL7Vc

Oh com'on, give the guy a break. The official data is old from 2016 so probably fake... plus, the supposed trade surplus # doesn't really include two forgotten categories: 1) Lumber, 2) Timber, and 3) Energy! (need to view the video near the end to get my joke) ;)

Maybe we need a wall along canadian border too? We can just ask the canadians to cut down their own trees and saw them down to size themselves and use their own energy to nail the wood fences together and hang them?

That way we can keep all the stupid americans out of their country. :D

In all seriousness, who really cares? We all know Trump is full of shit and we're talking about 3, no I meant 2, friendly countries here. I don't think it'll cause the end of the world when our stupid president got this one wrong.

If someday, President Trump says or tweets something right and inspiring, that should be on the news. Shit like this... I really don't know what is it good for? Yeah, we have a dumbass president. So what's new?

[FaultyMario]

Billi the funny train left the station like, two years ago.

[Tom Servo]

Not trying to respond directly because I'm trying to be better, but here's why we care:

Leaders of other countries now know that he just makes shit up. Leaders like Kim-Jong Un, who he's supposed to be meeting with in May. His credibility is shot, nothing he says can be taken seriously. That does not put us in a good position. His "charisma" works on his base, but other world leaders are not his base.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Leaders of other countries now know that he just makes shit up. Leaders like Kim-Jong Un, who he's supposed to be meeting with in May. His credibility is shot, nothing he says can be taken seriously. That does not put us in a good position. His "charisma" works on his base, but other world leaders are not his base.

I know you care, but my point is that this is really old news. World leaders know all that. We are not in a good position prior to him winning the White House. The reality is pretty gloomy, so rather than continue to wallow in his stupid comments and tweets, it'll do us, at least me, some good to ride in the funny train once in a while. Plus, Canada is a friendly country. Nothing can all of a sudden turn Canada into a hostile country no matter WTF Trump says.

Kim-Jong Un OTOH of course would be different. Trump was telling his former secretary of State to not waste time with that bozo..., then turn around decide to meet him and fire his secretary of state. Yeah, I have no clue what Trump is doing, and I'm sure nobody else around the world knows too, maybe Kim-Jong Un needs some crazy US president like that to properly check and balance things out? ;)

Worrying and whining about things we can't change is pointless. Media needs to help Mueller out more by reporting shit that can actually remove the guy from office. Otherwise, these stories are all just as good as his tweets. Don't do anything but to cause lots of upsets.

[21Kid]

What in the fucking fuck is this fucking shit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/03/14/in-fundraising-speech-trump-says-he-made-up-facts-in-meeting-with-justin-trudeau/

Honesty?

[Tom Servo]

Honesty?

Hah, I guess honesty about dishonesty is honesty.

[Tom Servo]

Not usually a fan of Now This, but this is a pretty entertaining video comparing Fox News' reaction to Obama saying he'd meet with Kim Jong-Un and Trump saying it.

https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/974450928714747906

[MR2 Fan]

Yep, it's a great example of the extreme hypocrisy that happens constantly on Fox "News"

[Crazed_Insanity]

Again, I have to say that Fox is pretty funny, probably funnier than Comedy Central!

[Tom Servo]

And now they've fired FBI director McCabe, two days before his retirement, potentially denying him pension after 21 years of working there.

[neanderthal]

Hopefully a member of Congress can employ him for two days. I understand that he only needs two days more to qualify.

[FaultyMario]

The F.B.I. expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and accountability, I have terminated the employment of Andrew McCabe effective immediately


Andrew McCabe FIRED, a great day for the hard working men and women of the FBI - A great day for Democracy. Sanctimonious James Comey was his boss and made McCabe look like a choirboy. He knew all about the lies and corruption going on at the highest levels of the FBI!

Oh, the fucking ironing!

[speedpimp]

Billi the funny train left the station like, two years ago.

But Billi/y is busy harvesting the crops at the funny farm.

[MR2 Fan]

so Cambridge Analytica is going down. Authorities gained a warrant to search their HQ and apparently found some very damaging stuff from thing I'm seeing via twitter

[Tom Servo]

Just watched the first of Channel 4's expose on that. Holy crap.

[drew]

This whole thing consistently out what-the-fuck's itself every week.

[FaultyMario]

Just watched the first of Channel 4's expose on that. Holy crap.

For a company priding itself in data gathering, how come they were duped by someone posing as a Sri Lankan lobbyist?

[Tom Servo]

https://www.channel4.com/news/exposed-undercover-secrets-of-donald-trump-data-firm-cambridge-analytica

The plot sickens.

[Cam]

I see Putin "won" his "election." Difficult to lose when your campaign slogan is, "Vote for me or I will have your family killed." :rolleyes:

[Crazed_Insanity]

For a company priding itself in data gathering, how come they were duped by someone posing as a Sri Lankan lobbyist?

Yeah, makes you wonder if they're for real or just pretending in order to make the sale...

If they're that hungry for new businesses... and had to reveal their corrupt secrets in order to win them over... for a company that sounds so much like some sort of fancy set of encyclopedia, they're not very smart at all.

Anyway, too bad we have no more Jon Stewart, but luckily we have Steve to help us cover this story in a funny way...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MeQz8OWXQ0

I think it's safe to say that CA wasn't the ultimate mastermind of meddling with elections. Those people on the videos are just too dumb...

I also wonder if this is the beginning of the end for FB.

[balki]

Yes, in the same way </insert controversy> was the beginning of the end of DJT

[21Kid]

This whole thing consistently out what-the-fuck's itself every week.
Yup... 😕

[Tom Servo]

McMaster out, Bolton in. Get ready for a couple of extra wars in Iran and N. Korea, everyone.

[FaultyMario]

Come on, Bob, we're counting on you!

[FaultyMario]

Nate, how do you feel about returning vets who fall on hard times (https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/25/us/us-veteran-deported-to-mexico/index.html)? Should there be some leniency on the associated punishment?

[Crazed_Insanity]

That's pretty lame. You don't make a country great that way.

[Fogelhund]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in Open Road, "Craigslist Finds" or here.... so... it's here for now.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/lgl/d/seeking-lead-attorney-for/6544195570.html

[neanderthal]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in Open Road, "Craigslist Finds" or here.... so... it's here for now.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/lgl/d/seeking-lead-attorney-for/6544195570.html

Classic.

[neanderthal]

That's pretty lame. You don't make a country great that way.

So, ... you think he's actually trying to make this country great?

Can you point to any one thing that would indicate that to be the case? Anything?

[George]

I wasn't sure whether to post this in Open Road, "Craigslist Finds" or here.... so... it's here for now.

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/lgl/d/seeking-lead-attorney-for/6544195570.html

:lol:

Very nice. I especially liked the part about compensation.

[Crazed_Insanity]

So, ... you think he's actually trying to make this country great?

Can you point to any one thing that would indicate that to be the case? Anything?

There are lots of things! But I'm not going to brag for him, I'll just let Newsweek tell you about how great he is...
http://www.newsweek.com/trumps-first-year-his-top-82-accomplishments-786130

Of all of his accomplishments, I particularly like this one:
Ended research into Y2K preparedness

Makes you wonder what W and Obama were thinking. If it weren't for President Trump, Federal government would be continuing such research until the year 3k probably. ;)

[Tom Servo]

Actually, that could potentially be bad, assuming that the same mitigation strategies may be even more necessary when we get to 2038, which is when the standard UNIX epoch time will overflow an int32.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Hmm..., I did not know that! Interesting.

https://computer.howstuffworks.com/question75.htm

But according to how stuff works, it's not really as big of a deal to fix than the y2k problem. Also, is this a unix problem or C language problem?

Anyway, supposedly PCs will suffer a Year 2116 problem. 64 bit Windows NT will suffer a Year 2184 problem.

Macs will face similar problems in the year 29,940!

Anyway, as long as we have Trump as president, we probably won't have to worry about these problems. We now have a year 2018 problem!!!

[Tom Servo]

Ecuador cut off Julian Assange's internet access because he couldn't stop tweeting stupid shit that would anger other countries: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/28/597695729/ecuador-disconnects-julian-assange-from-the-internet

[FaultyMario]

<3

[neanderthal]

So Trump's starting a trade war with China? China is talking tariffs, and it looks like they're gonna hit Trump voters hard.

Cant say i'm sorry. Sounds cold blooded but tis what it is.

[tigeraid]

Yeah I thought it was pretty funny and smart, hitting specific materials that would MOSTLY affect right-wing "working class" consumers.

This could hurt the tech sector in the long run too, if PC parts end up going way up. You know, that one money-making sector left in America that isn't military. :/

[Tom Servo]

Great, as if video card prices weren't bad enough already with all these cryptocurrency goofballs buying up all the stock.

[MR2 Fan]

I've started to think that Putin still has a direct line to Trump, convinces Trump on what to do..and Trump in turn keeps making the WORST POSSIBLE choices for this country.

It's one thing to have certain opinions or situations where it can be argued about whether or not it's a good thing, but over and over again, it's clear whatever Trump does is the worst idea even if his sheep don't know any better, being fed b.s. constantly

[FaultyMario]

The "caravan" is the most inane ecample of how he is spaking to a group of ignoramus (ignoramii?).

[MR2 Fan]

He's going to be really surprised when he finds out it wasn't a Dodge brand vehicle!

[Crazed_Insanity]

if you're the POTUS, and your base is trumps base, just wondering how would you speak to them...

Caravan of Honduras asylum seeker is just too politically incorrect?

[MR2 Fan]

everyone south of the U.S. is just mexicans, right?

[Crazed_Insanity]

You talking to me?

I don't understand why you're asking me that question, if you were indeed talking to me.

[MR2 Fan]

You talking to me?

I don't understand why you're asking me that question, if you were indeed talking to me.

It was rhetorical

[Crazed_Insanity]

I was genuinely just wondering why is "Caravan of Honduras asylum seeker" offensive to Mario.

I also truly didn't know how to answer your rhetorical question. :p

Anyway, enough about trump.

I'm more worried about the rise of dicktators around the globe. Namely Putin and Xi.

Something must be not quite right social economically for these dicks to usurp power using various forms of propaganda(social media) to manipulate their supporters.

The bright side is there's at least still light at the end of the Trump tunnel, at most we'll have 8 years of him. Same cannot be said for Russia and Giiina.

[George]

I also truly didn't know how to answer your rhetorical question. :p

I believe the correct answer is "HELL YEAH!", just before pulling your sidearm and firing a couple rounds in the air for emphasis.

[MR2 Fan]

to further clarify for Billi, the average trump supporter probably thinks of every one south of the U.S. as mexicans, everyone from asia is chinese, everyone from africa is living in huts and have no electricity, and everyone in europe are weirdo socialists.

[George]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_CaZ4EAexQ

[G'day Mate]

The "caravan" is the most inane ecample of how he is spaking to a group of ignoramus (ignoramii?).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmVnr7rsWrE

[FaultyMario]

I'm curious to know what the briefing for dispatching the national guard to the Mexican border on the eve the eighth round of NAFTA negotiations reads like.

Why would the owner of the casino play his rest (https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2018/04/02/game-changer-in-nafta-as-trump-makes-mexican-border-a-potential-deal-breaker/#615ca9b1244c)?

I must be honest, it again feels like being Poland on the eve of WW2 but somehow it doesn't.

[FaultyMario]

Quote from the LA times


"What you've heard from the White House is the first I've heard," said Kurt M. Rauschenberg, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau, the Pentagon agency that oversees state National Guard organizations.

Deploying active-duty troops for domestic law enforcement is prohibited under a federal law known as the Posse Comitatus Act. In the past, however, the military has been used to aid the Border Patrol in a supporting role, without arrest authority.

Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama mobilized National Guard troops to help the Border Patrol monitor parts of the border; actual policing was left to border agents. Whether Trump envisioned a more dramatic militarization was not clear until the White House issued its statement hours later. The president often speaks before his staff has a chance to fully vet and plan how to put his ideas into effect.

Despite Trump's urgent language, the number of people apprehended crossing the border — generally considered a roughly accurate gauge of illegal crossings — has fallen sharply in recent years and is now at the lowest ebb since 1971, about one-fifth the level of the late 1990s, according to Border Patrol data.

[tigeraid]

Ironic, too, that Posse Comitatus is something that Alex Jones CONSTANTLY ranted about during the Bush and Obama years, what with his fear of a police state and the gub'ment rounding everyone up into FEMA camps... And now his best buddy Trump is about to do the same thing to "police (state) the border."

[FaultyMario]

https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/mexico-agrees-to-pay-for-trumps-psychiatric-care

[Tom Servo]

It's a cheap shot, but I liked this thing I found on Twitter: Who wore it better?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DaDvWqpU8AEDWfm.jpg:large

[drew]

:lol:

[MR2 Fan]

saw someone comment on fb that they've never seen Trump actually laugh. He does that stupid smirk when he thinks he's funny, but they're right, I've never seen him truly amused at anything to be able to laugh at it.

That also scares me.

[Freude am Fahren]

:lol:

I had to have some fun with that...

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3008&d=1523163295

[Tom Servo]

Couldn't decide if this belonged in the Religion thread or the Politics thread, but ultimately decided here, as it's mostly about the damage being done to evangelicals when they continue to ignore or even encourage Trump's behavior. It's very long, but it's very good.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/04/the-last-temptation/554066/

[Crazed_Insanity]

When we have this much political polarization, damages are happening on both sides. Each side just unconditionally supports their own 'damaged' candidate no matter what..., end result is making America more damaged again.

Evangelicals in the US are obviously not really following Christ anymore... and more focus on fighting Satan. Yes, they see liberals as more evil than having a president like Trump. That is just fucked up!

Lesser of the 2 evil is a stupid game Americans are forced to play on election day.

[Tom Servo]

Some commentary on Michael Cohen's offices being raided by the FBI: https://www.popehat.com/2018/04/09/the-search-of-trump-lawyer-michael-cohens-office-what-we-can-infer-immediately/

[MR2 Fan]

from @TeaPain on twitter (who is one of the best and most humorous commentators on this whole presidency, highly recommend following him if you use twitter)

"The Trump administration has taught America one thing. How to watch a porn star and pay attention to the storyline."

[Phil_SS]

:lol:

[Tom Servo]

Paul Ryan is announcing his retirement. Makes for one of the shortest speakerships in the past century.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Hopefully the end of the worst congress ever?

Thanks to Trump, we can make congress great again!

[George]

I heard his speech live on the radio this morning. I can't say I blame the guy. For those who didn't hear it, he said his father died when he was 16, the same age as his daughter now. He said he has been in the House for nearly 20 years and if he serves another term, his kids will have only known him as a weekend dad. It sounded like his kids are near college age now, so as a father, I can understand and respect his decision. I'm sure there was more to it than his family, but I thought it was a decent speech.

[FaultyMario]

Isn't there a unionist that's really galvanizing discontent in his district?

Ryan's just saving face.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yes, so he's saving private life Ryan. Public life is over.

[Tom Servo]

My personal favorite headline about it so far:

"Man Farts Up Entire Elevator Then Gets Off At Next Stop"

[Freude am Fahren]

This one's good too

Entitled Deadbeat Finally Breaks Out Of 20-Year Cycle Of Government Dependency (https://politics.theonion.com/entitled-deadbeat-finally-breaks-out-of-20-year-cycle-o-1825185530)

[Crazed_Insanity]

Actually, to be fair, Ryan is more preferable than Trump, right?

If democrats failed to gain more seats and we end up with more Trumpish congressmen, then we'll be totally fucked. Fingers crossed.

[neanderthal]

Ryan needs to be shamed everywhere he goes for the rest of his life with a fucking herald walking before him yelling "shame, ... shame, ... shame" and another reciting his litany of bullshit; Obamacare is bankrupting the economy, this tax cut restores money to the people, etc.


Before anyone tries to see him with rose tinted glasses, understand that this man has tried to fuck over the poor, and elderly for almost his entire political career. he is a photo op politician (remember him washing clean dishes?) more than anything.

Fuck him with a rusty running chainsaw. Him and McConnell, and Boenher.

[FaultyMario]

"But dammit he's taking us all down with him. We are well and truly fucked in November. Kevin [McCarthy] is already circling like a green fly circling shit trying to take Paul's [Ryan] job because nobody thinks he's sticking around for Nancy [Pelosi]. She's going to fuck up the cafeteria again too. God damn it, at least I'll probably lose too and won't have to put up with that shit." (https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a19747156/republican-congress-2018-blue-wave/)

[FaultyMario]

Ya ungrateful sonsobitches!

3013

[tigeraid]

http://scontent.fymq2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/30595015_2048648222122798_6375647364321896069_n.pn g?_nc_cat=0&oh=873bb536589a3ec2e3d3d61ec5151f79&oe=5B2EBEAD

[FaultyMario]

While on the subject of a billionaire being questioned by the recipients of his contributions... (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/technology/zuckerberg-elections-russia-data-privacy.html)

[Crazed_Insanity]

Fascist governments are springing up every where..., FB has been a great 'tool', but not the root cause.

Heard it from yesterday's NPR broadcast, global capitalism may be to blame...
https://www.npr.org/2018/04/11/601382482/how-globalized-capitalism-drives-worldwide-fear-and-discontentment

Russian's meddling might have resulted in Trump win, but Trump needed the minimum # of genuine American votes!

Scared and unhappy folks are actually embracing 'Hitler' types all over the world.

Hitler was great at feeding off of the crowd and then say stuffs they want to hear.

Trump clearly has the same talent..., which is why often times he sounds incoherent... because different folks at different places at different time might want different things... hence his message is different...

I can only hope that Trump isn't as evil as Hitler... and good thing we have term limits.

[FaultyMario]

Trump Judicial Nominee Refuses To Say If She Agrees With Desegregated Schools
President Donald Trump nominated Wendy Vitter to be a federal judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana. (https://twitter.com/civilrightsorg/status/984135758440263702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fent ry%2Ftrump-judicial-nominee-segregation-wendy-vitter_us_5acea330e4b064876776a93d&tfw_creator=rebeccashap&tfw_site=HuffPostPol)

[MR2 Fan]

With all due respect to Sterling Archer, Trump's motto should be: " I basically just lurch from one fireable offense to the next"

[Tom Servo]

Aaaaand now we're bombing Syria.

[SkylineObsession]

Fallout 5, here we come.

[The359]

And now he wants to go after the Post Office, the second largest employer in the United States, because he thinks we're making bad deals.

Hate to break it to him, but Amazon is helping keep the Post Office afloat. There is not a single thing he is going to do to fix our financial problems, the Post Office has been lobbying for ways to try and be more competitive for years for it all to just fall on deaf ears. We're restricted by regulations that don't allow us flexibility, and giving discounts (which we have always done) is the only way we can attract new partners.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Something has to be done about the post office. It's not working out regardless of how many people it employs.

Just sell it to Amazon (go private) completely or have it become fully a government entity again. I don't think the current 50/50 way is working out.

[Tom Servo]

He's been told numerous times that the Post Office makes money on the Amazon deal. As is, it could be renegotiated if he'd actually appoint enough people to the postal board so they could reach a quorum to actually vote on anything, but he hasn't done that.

In other news, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti appears to be ramping up a run for the white house. Between him and Zuckerberg, we are fucked come 2020.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Shouldn't he try to become governor first? When was the last time mayor became president? Unless our mayor is actually a billionaire as well? Speaking of...

I also wonder the recent FB ordeal was orchestrated so that Zuckerberg's chances of winning becomes dimmer...

[dodint]

NYT did a story on the people that actually had the conviction to follow through with their threat to leave America if Trump was elected, neat: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/14/style/moving-to-canada-jk-traveling-until-2020.html

[MR2 Fan]

It's funny reading tweets of Trump supporters (or russian bots,whatever they are, I see them and I block them) and it is starting to feel like they're on the Titanic and using a teaspoon trying to get the water out.

[Fogelhund]

What I find odd about the Syria bombings, is how little information there is, as to the result of the bombings. People dead, targets achieved.

Syria/Russians claim they took out 71 missiles... US claims none were taken out.

All I can think is... I wonder what the F actually happened?

[drew]

Trump is now demanding (filing, more accurately), that he and his other attorneys get first look at the Cohen cache to find those things that fall under "attorney-client", desperate much?


Newsflash, when your an "attoney's" only client, I'm not sure that makes him an attorney. I think today is the deadline for Cohen to provide his client list, which should be comically scant, thus pretty much negating the whole attorney-client thing.

Fuck this guy.

[Phil_SS]

I don't believe there are any rules around number of clients for attorney client privilege. But I could be wrong.

But Trump is certainly wrong about what constitutes attorney client privilege. As Comey iterated, he acts like a Mob boss and IMO a mob boss in the movies especially.

[MR2 Fan]

I mean, it's not like there's any possible problem with the information between Trump and Cohen right? I mean, no possibility of incriminating evidence, so why should he worry? lol

[dodint]

Yes, an attorney can have only one client and maintain privilege. That's not unusual or unethical. If the attorney is doing work for Trump that is pure business and not legal related then the privilege is lost (well, never existed) for those business documents. You can't hide information simply by calling it attorney work product. It's not the relationship between Cohen and Trump that matters, really. It's the nature of each individual document. You can check out the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.6: Confidentiality of Information, particularly the comments on the rule, if you want more specific information about how that is determined. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information.html

The way this raid works is also standard and well documented. The team that is doing the raiding is not the same team that would be bringing suit against Trump and his lawyer. They bring in legal professionals that are not affiliated with the case; this team comes in and takes the documents and determines what is privileged attorney work product. If it is privileged, it gets returned and is not turned over to the prosecutor. If it's not, it can be used as evidence in this action.

[Fogelhund]

So Cohen's other client is Hannity.

[MR2 Fan]

Yep, it's ALL starting to make sense

[Fogelhund]

Ode to Sean Hannity
by John Cleese

Aping urbanity
Oozing with vanity
Plump as a manatee
Faking humanity
Journalistic calamity
Intellectual inanity
Fox Noise insanity
You’re a profanity
Hannity

[MR2 Fan]

in other news, something that's been suspected for a long time

Goldman Sachs asks in biotech research report: 'Is curing patients a sustainable business model?'

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/goldman-asks-is-curing-patients-a-sustainable-business-model.html

[Cam]

Spotted in my YouTube suggested channels. What does this thumbnail say to you and what does it say about Fox News?

3018

[drew]

Exactly...

[balki]

I don't think I get it ... they have a boner for Trump (and much more so than they did for W), is that it?

[Cam]

In summary, when I look at it, I see a smug look on Trumps face, looking down at us; the camera angle is an upshot. Fox, all the while, is painting him as a patriot and someone to look up to. Again, the camera angle suggests he is higher than us, plus the red, white and blue/stars motif.

[MR2 Fan]

I don't think that's an official live stream anyway, just someone who is using the "fox news" name

[Crazed_Insanity]

Trump always had that smug look.

Each side is looking down on the other side as worthless piece of deplorable shit despite the fact that we're all supposed to be Americans.

Will we ever be able to see eye to eye?

[Freude am Fahren]

Well, that isn't FNC's actual YouTube Channel, but the point is true nonetheless.

[drew]

McCabe now being "recommended" for indictment.

Let's just prosecute all opposers and "enemies"

#MAGA

[Tom Servo]

It's bizarre. They just did that leak of Comey's memos, and I'm not sure what they were hoping to accomplish in there. I don't see anything that helps Trump in them, unless he wanted the world to know that Putin told him that Russian prostitutes are the most beautiful.

[drew]

Chances are the leak was strategic. In that, only the things everyone already new about was released as a "look at this nothing burger. No new content here", all while holding back actual revelations.

It's all fucking stupid.

[Tom Servo]

See, you'd think it was strategic if it in any way helped, but it doesn't support any of Trump's accusations, chief of which being that he leaked classified documents. From what I gather, none of them are marked classified.

I guess that doesn't mean it wasn't strategic, just that the person coming up with the strategy should find a new line of work.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I'm beginning to think this investigation will go on another 4- 8 years while Trump stays in office...

Similar to Ken Starr investing Clinton, eventually amounts to nothing except rendering US government to be totally ineffective to do anything else other than in fighting...

All the while Putin and Xi will focus on how to make their countries great again.

[drew]

B, fair enough. I wouldn't put anything past these cunts anymore.

That being said, I do think that Rosenstein's "you're not a target" announcement was strategic. If DJT thinks he's not on the radar, he may not fire anyone, all while the investigation continues, and he is most definitely got the crosshairs on him.

[dodint]

Not to dive too deep into the minutia here; but 'target' and 'subject' have two different meanings in the context of these investigations.

I don't think DJT understands the difference so I won't bother diving into it, though. :lol:

[Leon]

Meantime in NZ, we have a pregnant unmarried Prime Minister, and there aren't legions of people lined up around the block to frown at her.

[Cam]

:lol:

[G'day Mate]

We elected an unwed female atheist a while back ...

[drew]

Not to dive too deep into the minutia here; but 'target' and 'subject' have two different meanings in the context of these investigations.

I don't think DJT understands the difference so I won't bother diving into it, though. :lol:

Oh, I know there is a difference, but I agree he probably doesn't.

[drew]

...and now: DJT considering "full" pardon of Jack Johnson (convicted in the Jim Crow era by an all-white jury, and also, he's dead). Reportedly per a suggestion by Sylvester Stallone.

Now, as batshit crazy as this is, it leads me to two hypotheses:
1: Stallone is a Trump supporter, which saddens me immensely. After all, all he wanted was something to eat.
2: Stallone is more intelligent than Trump, and he's playing him, to see if he's actually cracked enough to posthumously pardon someone, merely on a suggestion of a celebrity.

Either way, it's yet another step (jump) down the uncharted path of "rules don't apply anymore". I wonder how long until he gives him self a national holiday. Except that it's only observed by DC and corporation execs. Everybody else works for no pay.

[The359]

To be fair, there have been calls to pardon Johnson for a long time.

[21Kid]

I'm still surprised that they haven't found anything to pin on DJT yet...

But, it's not like Pence would be a better option. 😢

[Jason]

Pence could possibly be worse... The GOP loves him, whereas they "only" put up with Trump. Pence could probably push some very backwards stuff through.

[drew]

Pence is a fucking crackpot.

BUt, again, I don't think he'd be as bad, internationally, as DJT. We'd just be fucked backwards domestically.

[Tom Servo]

"I'm going with: mainstream French comedy that made more money than Black Panther in its home territories while utterly baffling Anglophone audiences."

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dbj329nWAAAoqRW.jpg

https://twitter.com/DonaldClarke63/status/988812652515418112

[Cam]

:lol:

[MR2 Fan]

so um...the korean war is over? I guess that collapse of NK's nuclear testing facility was worse than we thought.

Anyway, however it happens, let's hope this is truly real.

[Crazed_Insanity]

That is truly amazing if true.

History will also record this happened on Trump's watch too. Unbelievable! He'll end up making Korea great again!

Wonder if he can help reunite the North and South Americans together as well.

[Cam]

He'll end up making Korea great again!

:lol:

[Crazed_Insanity]

House of Rep Chaplain prayed a prayer that sounded too political for the Speaker..., so Speaker Ryan asked him to resign.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/us/politics/patrick-conroy-paul-ryan-house-chaplain.html

Initially members of congress thought the Padre's retiring and even congratulated him, but upon finding out he was ousted, congressmen were outraged.

To me, it's really a pretty fair minded prayer with no political leaning. Not sure what Paul Ryan was smoking.

Another interesting thing is that this happened weeks ago and is reported on multiple news sites, but you cannot find this piece of news on Fox's website.

Politics clearly trumps faith... for the conservatives as well.

[edit]Okay, Fox is on it now, but emphasizing that the dude is Catholic, invited muslims over to pray and doesn't perform pastoral duties well and left leaning...

So praying for congressional members to be fair to all Americans is left leaning... anyway, just glad Ryan has asked himself to resign too... and may God and the American people oust more like him.

[neanderthal]

Michelle Wolf nailed it at the WHCD. The press, and conservatives, hated being called on it.

So, they've manufactured outrage. Again.

What's interesting to me is that normally right wing talking points emanate from, ... um, ... let's call it "somewhere" and surface via Faux News. This time the outrage surfaced amongst the press and various pundits. And they all said the same thing; she was mean, and she criticised SHS appearance. Which, if you watched it, was not true. Imus was mean. Meaner in fact. And the Clinton's were sitting right there. Burning up the truth to make "the perfect smoky eye shadow" isn't a diss at SHS looks either.

The master propagandist, whoever they are, is back at it. The frequent parroting of these easily disprovable facts whilst obscuring what Trump did/ said just reinforces to me there is a large scale propaganda effort in the conservative world. It makes the offhand deplorables comment from Clinton seem more apt about more of the conservatives than ever. Even if it was originally meant to only describe the sexists, racists, Islamophobes etc. If this is their line in the sand, about decency, when Trump has said so many worse things, so many more times, about so many more people, then, well, fuck em.

[dodint]

*whistles*

[The359]

I think some people just don't understand the concept of a *roast*.

Trump literally had a Comedy Central roast all about him.

[Tom Servo]

After I'd heard Michelle Wolf had made fun of SHS appearance, I read the transcript of her routine and couldn't figure out what they were talking about. I definitely didn't think it was the "smoky eye" bit, as the whole point of that joke wasn't that smoky eyes were bad or that she looked bad, it was that she lies a lot. I'm unclear on how anybody could interpret that joke that way.

[Tom Servo]

Speaking of: https://twitter.com/michelleisawolf/status/990610206425042946


Why are you guys making this about Sarah’s looks? I said she burns facts and uses the ash to create a *perfect* smoky eye. I complimented her eye makeup and her ingenuity of materials.

[Freude am Fahren]

I know some people that thought she said "burns fat", but it's pretty clear she said facts. Especially days later with video of it.

[SportWagon]

It would seem there could be a difference between volunteering to be the object of a Celebrity Roast, and being the apparent object of an unofficial roast, for which you never volunteered, in a context where such a roast was never formally declared.

[Crazed_Insanity]

The most damning and dirtiest thing she said that night was probably her closing comment about Flint's dirty water.

Yeah, blame that on Trump and the worst congress ever that poor black community can only have poisoned water for years and years with no end in sight.

[dodint]

After I'd heard Michelle Wolf had made fun of SHS appearance, I read the transcript of her routine and couldn't figure out what they were talking about. I definitely didn't think it was the "smoky eye" bit, as the whole point of that joke wasn't that smoky eyes were bad or that she looked bad, it was that she lies a lot. I'm unclear on how anybody could interpret that joke that way.

She was being compared to a character in The Handmaid's Tale that is apparently both unsightly and boorish.

[Freude am Fahren]

I took that part entirely as a comment on her actions, and their roles in the show/administration, not at all her looks, but I haven't see the show.

[drew]

Seriously, who gives a fuck? She's a comedian, big shocker.

Don't want shit like this to happen, don't have comedians "host".

People are blowing this shit way out of proportion. If the organizers were in any way competent, they'd have never invited her.

I agree with most making the statement that it should be about the actual journalists that put their lives in danger (and/or DIE) to bring true news to the world. The press secretary does not qualify in that regard.

[neanderthal]

After I'd heard Michelle Wolf had made fun of SHS appearance, I read the transcript of her routine and couldn't figure out what they were talking about. I definitely didn't think it was the "smoky eye" bit, as the whole point of that joke wasn't that smoky eyes were bad or that she looked bad, it was that she lies a lot. I'm unclear on how anybody could interpret that joke that way.

Right?

But the consistent and insistent response that her looks were under fire is what leads me to think there is a master propagandist in the background. They *all* said the same thing; she was mean/ crossed the line, she criticised SHS looks.

[neanderthal]

She was being compared to a character in The Handmaid's Tale that is apparently both unsightly and boorish.


I took that part entirely as a comment on her actions, and their roles in the show/administration, not at all her looks, but I haven't see the show.

Me too.
That character is also a person who does everything her bosses tell her to do, including swaying public opinion. (https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/29/michelle-wolf-sarah-huckabee-sanders-handmaids-tale-character/)


Specifically, Wolf compared Sanders to character Aunt Lydia, played by Ann Dowd. Several commenters are quick to jump to conclusions this was a direct appearance-driven comparison, but is mostly not the case. After all, Aunt Lydia does her job- shows up everyday, repeats the things her bosses have told her to, and does her best to sway and paint public opinion on every single subject.

[neanderthal]

The most damning and dirtiest thing she said that night was probably her closing comment about Flint's dirty water.

Yeah, blame that on Trump and the worst congress ever that poor black community can only have poisoned water for years and years with no end in sight.

Why do I click on "view text?" :angry:

Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and Congress.

Flint is completely in their purview to fix. That you don't seem to understand this is troubling, but not surprising really.

By the way, Puerto Rico is completely in their purview too.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, it's easy to shift the blame to the opposition, but I just think there's a bipartisan or perhaps even popular support to ignore the poor.

We get more outraged at stores for not having enough transgender bathrooms or scold racist starbucks for not allowing black non-patrons for using their bathrooms...

I dunno, maybe it is better to rewrite stories of how neo-nazi white nationalists are trying to poison black people in Flint in order to get more attention. Likewise, report that there aren't enough functioning transgender bathrooms in Puerto Rico perhaps will do the trick.

[Tom Servo]

Well, like climate change, long-term, slow moving problems tend to be less noticeable than immediate, quick ones. It's easy to notice that transgender people can't use the bathroom associated with their gender, and it's easy to figure out the solution to that. It's easy to notice a bunch of neo-nazis, and it's easy to know that the solution is to tell them to fuck off (1981 DK et. al.). It's harder to see the disenfranchisement of poor people until it's so bad that it's a lot more difficult of a problem to figure out. It's harder to see change in the climate until we're so entrenched in our current energy structure that it's difficult to divorce oneself from it.

That said, I don't think it's universal that people want to ignore the poor. I think Prop H and Prop HHH out here in Los Angeles showed that there is popular support to try to help, it's just that none of us feel qualified or that we have the resources individually to make a dent in what's become such a massive problem. On the other side, every time the city/county propose a place to build housing for the homeless, everyone who lives nearby loses their shit and demands it not be built, so you may still be right that it's popular to ignore the poor.

[Crazed_Insanity]

I'm sure it's not a conscious 'popular trend' to ignore the poor, but it's just something easy to dismiss for most I guess.

Yeah, speaking of homeless shelters, when it moves closer to your neighborhood, people all of a sudden become more 'conservative' and NIMBYish. But considering we have sky high property values, can we really blame our neighbors? Plus, there's no guarantee homeless will actually move in to these shelters... could end up a waste of tax dollars. I don't really trust our politicians know what they're doing.

We 'liberal' Californians, or maybe politicians, do tend to help the poor a bit too much with our tax dollars which end up enabling the poor to stay poor... or perhaps encourage folks to just pretend to be poor. CA spent the most on the poor and, after adjusting to standard of living, we are also the poverty capitol of the USA.

These extreme political and economical polarizations will eventually cause us to collapse if not fixed or stabilized soon. CA can't be blamed for lack of trying, but it does seem that we're making it worse for whatever reasons...

I think instead of labeling which party a politician is, we probably need to have labels that more appropriately show whether or not politicians are competent for the job! Competency and trustworthiness over political ideology should the the litmus test! If we do that, we wouldn't have Trump nor Hillary as candidates.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Ran across this interesting video:

Exposing Liberal Hypocrisy and Conservative Close-Mindedness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFfWv0EnHQw

We all really need to learn to NOT look down at our political oppositions in order to get things to work. Should we degenerate further or is it time for us to depolarize ourselves a bit?

[MR2 Fan]

screw your liberal stuff, I'm a progressive

[Crazed_Insanity]

Whatever you are isn't relevant, what's important is that we don't automatically see people we disagree with as somebody beneath us.

[drew]

What really fucks me off now, this Blankenship piece of shit in WV. HE SERVED TIME IN PRISON, is a convicted felon, and yet, can run for office. All the while, convicted felons can't even vote. Double standard much?

Right from his Wiki page: "Donald Leon Blankenship is an American politician, former business executive, convicted criminal and candidate for the United States Senate from West Virginia"

China People. Fuck this guy. In all honesty, I'm surprised DJT isn't rallying for him. He went all in on Roy Moore.

[Crazed_Insanity]

What do you mean by China people?

[dodint]

drew, why do you hate democracy?

[Crazed_Insanity]

I just need to know why he wants somebody like me to fuck that guy. Is he good looking?

[Yw-slayer]

So, I'm Malaysian.

[FaultyMario]

What Is Wrong With Malaysia? (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/07/opinion/malaysia-election-najib-razak.html)

[dodint]

What really fucks me off now, this Blankenship piece of shit in WV. HE SERVED TIME IN PRISON, is a convicted felon, and yet, can run for office. All the while, convicted felons can't even vote. Double standard much?

Right from his Wiki page: "Donald Leon Blankenship is an American politician, former business executive, convicted criminal and candidate for the United States Senate from West Virginia"

China People. Fuck this guy. In all honesty, I'm surprised DJT isn't rallying for him. He went all in on Roy Moore.

He came in a distant third, ya Nancy.

[Yw-slayer]

Now the rebuilding starts!!!!!!

[Crazed_Insanity]

China people pulled thru!!!

[drew]

He came in a distant third, ya Nancy.

Good. My faith in humanity is restored, a little.

[Yw-slayer]

China people pulled thru!!!

No. MALAYSIANS pulled through!!!!

[dodint]

Good. My faith in humanity is restored, a little.

Oh, lets not kid ourselves. ;)

[Crazed_Insanity]

Yeah, can't really count on people, just have faith in China!

[Yw-slayer]

Hidup Rakyat!

Also ignore Billi kthxbai

[drew]

Oh, lets not kid ourselves. ;)

You're right. Fuck people.


What's the over/under we'll be bombing Iran by July 4 (or ON July 4)?

Colossal fucking idiot.

[FaultyMario]

You. can't. make. this. up.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DdFd-rfUwAA2MVJ.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

Make the whole world great again! What an awesome president we have here!

[FaultyMario]

do you not see how that conflicts with his whole "trade war" posture?

[FaultyMario]

"When I had a conversation with Kelly, I asked her to publicly apologize and she said she would," Meghan McCain, a co-host on ABC's "The View," said Sunday. "I have not spoken to her since and I assume that it will never come."

During a closed-door White House meeting last week Sadler said that Sen. McCain's opposition to President Donald Trump's nomination of Gina Haspel as CIA director "doesn't matter, he's dying anyway." The comment was leaked to the media.

http://d1nao0k9edgivc.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Gotham-TV-series-Two-Face.jpg

[Crazed_Insanity]

do you not see how that conflicts with his whole "trade war" posture?
The guy has a history of sticking to a consistent policy? Don't you know him by now?

[Tom Servo]

Trump doesn't decompress with his wife or family, he does with Hannity.

https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/sean-hannity-donald-trump-late-night-calls.html

[G'day Mate]

Read about half of that. These White House insights are fascinating.

[Tom Servo]

So, there was this a couple of days ago...

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DdFd-rfUwAA2MVJ.jpg:large

At first just seemed weird to me because it seemed off-brand for "America First!" Then it got more troubling - ZTE were penalized by the commerce department for selling equipment with US made parts (namely things like Qualcomm and Intel chips that have export restrictions due to security features embedded in them) to Iran and North Korea. Then they were sanctioned because they didn't take the steps they agreed to when penalized (such as firing the people involved with exporting to Iran and North Korea), and the commerce department then banned ZTE's importing of US-made parts (the aforementioned chipsets and things like Corning-made glass for screens). This would basically be a death sentence for ZTE, as they can't make competitive cell phones without those parts.

Then, three days before this tweet, China agreed to loan the Trump organization $500 million to help build a resort in Indonesia. Trump then directs the commerce department to drop the ban and allow ZTE to continue business as normal.

I'm sure it's a coincidence.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Money talks.
Trump tweets.
Anything new?
Surprise me!

[Tom Servo]

I figure the most notable thing is that Trump has gone hardline against Iran enough that you'd think half a billion wouldn't be enough for him to be like "Exporting sensitive security mechanisms to Iran? Sure!"

I mean, basically the entire world pressuring him into not withdrawing from the nuclear deal wasn't enough because of how bad Iran is, but giving them keys to strong encryption apparently isn't much of an issue.

[FaultyMario]

Trump doesn't decompress with his wife or family, he does with Hannity.

https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/05/sean-hannity-donald-trump-late-night-calls.html

Nor does he visit her at the hospital after kidney surgery.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Trump was hardline against NK too... even scoffed at former sect of state for being diplomatic.

The dude shoots from the hip and you can't ever predict which way he shoots his covfefe...

But in a world with more and more dictators rising up, maybe it's good to have a unpredictable America. Warning to all dictators around the world... you think you can act crazy? Let US show you what crazy really is!!! Maybe this will scare them straight. So far it has worked for NK.

[Freude am Fahren]

Nor does he visit her at the hospital after kidney surgery.

He did actually.

[Crazed_Insanity]

It's would be AMAZING for the president to not visit his wife in hospital without any sort of national emergency.

I'm not sure if even his most hardcore supporters can justify that.

With that said, if Sean is sick in bed, Trump probably would personally stay by his bed side to take care of him. :D

[Tom Servo]

So far it has worked for NK.

That still remains to be seen.

[Crazed_Insanity]

That's true.

It'll definitely be difficult to predict what 2 madmen will do.

[G'day Mate]

He did actually.

Two days in a row apparently!

[Tom Servo]

Speaking of NK, they've reportedly cancelled talks with South Korea and are telling the US that they will cancel that as well unless joint military exercises with South Korea are called off and if this will be a "one-sided nuclear disarmament talk".

Makes you wonder what they got in exchange for the three "prisoners", they suddenly don't seem to be quite as forthcoming as they were a short time ago. It's almost like negotiating with the dictator of a country that enjoys kidnapping people isn't a great idea.

[drew]

Un, and Xi are playing him, and he doesn't see it. At the very least, he DOES see it, and he thinks he's better at it.

Neither situation is good for anyone.

[Tom Servo]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DdUhkfzVAAEEMqT.jpg

He's claiming fake news over something he literally tweeted three days ago.

[Tom Servo]

Source of Michael Cohen's leaked financial statements with AT&T, Novartis, and a Russian oligarch talks to Ronan Farrow for the New Yorker - came forward because at least three suspicious activity reports had been filed by First Republic bank about Michael Cohen, which they are legally obligated to report to the Treasury Department which is then legally obligated to keep in its database accessible to law enforcement, but only one of those reports was in the Treasury database prompting him to believe that they other two may have been removed.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/missing-files-motivated-the-leak-of-michael-cohens-financial-records

[Jason]

God, I wish these investigations would hurry up. The trickle feed is killing me.

[neanderthal]

God, I wish these investigations would hurry up. The trickle feed is killing me.

You n me both.


Republicans won't do shit as long as they control the House and Senate. Even with a metaphorical smoking gun.

And to think of the outcry there would have been if ANY of this transpired under Obama. From the same republicans.

[MR2 Fan]

And to think of the outcry there would have been if ANY of this transpired under Obama. From the same republicans.

Yep, we'd hear the sounds of thousands of republican pundits, commentators and supporters having simultaneous aneurysms

[drew]

You n me both.


Republicans won't do shit as long as they control the House and Senate. Even with a metaphorical smoking gun.

And to think of the outcry there would have been if ANY of this transpired under Obama. From the same republicans.

They won't do shit because most are likely wrapped up in it. Wait for the Cambridge shit to come out. I don't think it's a power thing, per se, right now. Otherwise they'd be passing all sorts of shit. They may be doing that, yes, with a bunch of smaller things, but they got their prize legislature passed with the tax cut. I don't really think they give a shit beyond that.

[FaultyMario]

So Donald wants Mexico to be a filter (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/16/trump-mexico-asylum-immigration-547919) against those "animals (https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-compares-illegal-immigrants-to-animals/2018/05/16/3442ddf2-5948-11e8-9889-07bcc1327f4b_video.html?utm_term=.a68d19b5a16d)" seeking asylum in the U.S.?


Officials from the Trump administration and the Mexican government will meet Thursday and Friday to discuss a possible “safe third country” agreement, according to two sources, one from the Homeland Security Department and one from the Mexican government.

Under such a pact, migrants would be required to seek asylum in Mexico if they passed through that country en route to the U.S. The U.S. and Canada inked a similar deal in 2002.

Not only is that part of a genocide campaign in its first stages (http://www.genocidewatch.org/genocide/8stagesofgenocide.html) (according to international standards), but it goes against Mexican foreign doctrine (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrada_Doctrine).

[FaultyMario]

You yanks can't afford to reelect these fascist demagogues.

[Crazed_Insanity]

To be fair, most yanks didn't want him in the 1st place!

It'll be interesting to see if he can win another term, he shouldn't be able to..., but if Democrats offer another candidate not attractive to the 'angry white males', then we'll probably be stuck with this 'animal' in the white house for another term.

[FaultyMario]

63 million voters are no minority.

Milo Yiannopoulos, Richard Spencer, Aaron Schlossberg and all of those Starbucks Cash Register-mules are no coincidence.