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U-S-A! The American Politics Thread. (Read 499880 times)

Falling Down

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#925 Re: Trump
December 08, 2018, 01:57:15 am
A big day today..
« Last Edit: December 08, 2018, 02:04:29 am by Falling Down »

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#926 Re: Trump
December 08, 2018, 09:02:03 am
A big day today..

Odd, isn’t it. It’s all across the US media, but no menton over here.

Still, a big difference between “could be charged” and “has been charged”.

The only other thing I wonder about, is if this has been dripped out now, does that mean Mueller has something much bigger coming or Xmas?

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#927 Re: Trump
December 08, 2018, 10:17:06 am
Mueller seems very assiduous about how information is released - so I’m half expecting something we had no idea about to come out in the big reveal.

Maybe this is a ‘let trumps team prepare for this’ ruse whilst keeping something else back.

There’s probably a load about his past tax payments/deals and the US has some pretty draconian racketeering rules iirc

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#928 Re: Trump
December 08, 2018, 01:23:34 pm
A big day today..

Indeed, and not the only one recently (see Flynn filing last week too). The most concrete thing from yesterday is that prosecutors fully believe Cohen's claim that he paid off Stormy Daniels at Trump's direction and in order to influence the election: they are saying that Trump did violate campaign finance laws. He won't be indicted for that however. More significant but as yet less concrete are the Russia aspects, which Mueller is beginning to sketch. However, I'm sure he knows much more than he has yet revealed. He's planning a very canny game.

In some ways this all feels frustratingly extraneous. He's been in blatant violation of the emolument clause since the day he was inaugurated ...

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#929 Re: Trump
December 08, 2018, 01:28:44 pm
"I don't like him. I don't know much about him, but I know he's a blowhard. And I'm not too excited about him being a leader,"  George Bush Sr

Asking this just out of curiosity, but why does something that George Bush Sr says carry any weight to you? It's just a phenomenon that's quite funny, how American democrats and liberal-minded British people are happy to dogpile onto Trump alongside powerful Republicans (namely Bush Jr and Sr) who were responsible for some quite nasty goings-on in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan that killed a good few hundred thousand people

Were they?

B Jnr wasn’t the sharpest tool and certainly played into the hands of the hawks, lusting for blood after that little incident in 2001.
But, remind me, what did Bush Snr do in Kuwait? Iraq? Afgan?

I mean, I saw the results of some unpleasant crap, carried out by the Iraqis, in Kuwait, during their occupation of it and heard some awful witness accounts from others that arrived before I did (Fighting was done, a few days earlier, when I got there).
During Desert Shield, I was in Turkey, counting heads, as the Kurdish refugees came in. I didn’t speak to any directly, but drank copiously with some of the Red Crecent guys and listened to their tales, secondhand. (Bearing in mind, drinking was Haram for most of those guys, but the shit they heard/dealt with was enough to waive that Surah for a while).

You often seem to present a very one dimensional view of the world. Granted I do too, sometimes, but thats usually just because I’m debating Pete (or someone) and don’t want to admit I half agree with him.

Your going to say something about it all “not being about the people” but all about the “Oil” or “Business interests” aren’t you?

Duh!

War and violence suck. Even bumping up against the edges, as I did, is deeply scaring and sickening, with knobs on.

But, everyone else (because Mr Mugabe won’t), close your eyes and, for a few moments, imagine the oil stops flowing...

Did you see it?

Almost every aspect of our lives ground to a halt.

Our societies couldn’t cope, they’d collapse.

We’re like a junky, without even the prospect of surviving cold turkey, more like a Vampire without blood.



PS: I don’t for one second, think this is a “good” thing. If we can’t end our fossil fuel dependence pronto, we’re dead anyway.

Almost to a person the American liberals I know were disgusted by the sanctification of H W over the last couple of weeks, and we don't need to turn to Kuwait to find reasons to criticize him. For example he is reviled in the LGBQT communities for his action/inaction during the AIDS crisis.

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#933 Re: Trump
December 12, 2018, 01:22:02 pm
None of the participants of that meeting come out of the footage looking better....

Except Pence. Who possibly is a waxwork.

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#934 Re: Trump
December 13, 2018, 08:56:41 pm
This Maria Butina thing seems significant. I don't recall a Russain who has been overtly involved in trying to influnce the election getting this close to the Trumps (unless you count Putin I suppose!). Also strange she has fessed up to so much, surely that wouldn't have happened unless her handlers back home told her it was ok to do so? I'm hoping it means the Russians have decided to pull the plug on Trump but I don't think we'd be that lucky.

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#935 Re: Trump
December 13, 2018, 09:07:14 pm
This Maria Butina thing seems significant. I don't recall a Russain who has been overtly involved in trying to influnce the election getting this close to the Trumps (unless you count Putin I suppose!). Also strange she has fessed up to so much, surely that wouldn't have happened unless her handlers back home told her it was ok to do so? I'm hoping it means the Russians have decided to pull the plug on Trump but I don't think we'd be that lucky.

There’s probably every bit as much capital in destabilising the US, as controlling Trump (who actually seems to be achieving little).

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#936 Re: Trump
December 13, 2018, 09:50:15 pm
Yup it’s win win for Russia. Whatever their level of actual involvement.


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#937 Re: Trump
December 13, 2018, 11:16:01 pm
I get that but why now? If they really have something on him they could put the hurt on him anytime they wanted with the same divisive results, so why not let him carry on sowing chaos for a bit longer. He might not be able to lift sanctions but he is making NATO weaker, probably putting a break on the Chinese economy and leaving the Russians to do as they please in Syria so still useful 

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#938 Re: Trump
December 14, 2018, 06:36:21 pm
Lifted from the Washington Post comments section.
"Is this the fake news? Or Trump double-talk fantasy?
Caught in a "witch hunt", no escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see
It’s just Bob Mueller, he needs no sympathy
Because he’s a tough cop, tough bro, no reality TV show
Any way Cohen blows doesn't really matter to me, to me

Ivanka.... we let the Saudi prince kill a man!
Put a rope around his neck, garroted, bone-saw, now he's dead.
Melania, our Whitehouse had just begun
But now I've gone and thrown it all away!
Jared, ooh, didn't mean to make you cry,
If I'm not back again this time tomorrow
Sell everything & Jr. Don, as if nothing really matters

Too late, my time has come
"Impeach" sends shivers down my spine, I'm hating all the time
Goodbye, fellow accessories,
I've got to go Gotta leave you all behind and face the Mueller
Ivanka, ooh, (Any way collusion blows)
I don't wanna be indicted
I sometimes wish I'd never even run at all!

Oh can't carry on, have to shut it down!
Government doesn't matter, Nothing does at all
Nothing really matters, but meeeee...."

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#939 Re: Trump
December 18, 2018, 05:59:12 pm
Ummmm...
Sounds like the Judge very nearly said “Treason”:

https://wapo.st/2R9lL2S

And lovely news about the Strumpet’s charity. Great to see them admit to the wrong doing...

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#940 Re: Trump
December 18, 2018, 06:29:23 pm
Ummmm...
Sounds like the Judge very nearly said “Treason”:

https://wapo.st/2R9lL2S

And lovely news about the Strumpet’s charity. Great to see them admit to the wrong doing...

On the Trump con law podcast they make some convincing arguments about why Trump can't be guilty of treason (because of how treason is defined in the constitution)

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#941 Re: Trump
December 18, 2018, 07:04:39 pm
17 concurrent criminal investigations into 45's business, political and personal affairs. 

The Trump charity dissolved with immediate effect after charges of illegality.

Flynn's sentencing postponed + being accused of Treason (Wrongly as you can only commit treason with an enemy who is legally at war with the US) by the judge.

Roger Stone settling out of court in a defamation case.

Cohen and David Pecker both collaborating with the FBI and the SDNY.

Butina and the NRA.

All this coupled with the Deutsche Bank raids and European mafia roll-up a couple of weeks back.

Tick Tock....

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#942 Re: Trump
December 18, 2018, 07:38:55 pm
Ummmm...
Sounds like the Judge very nearly said “Treason”:

https://wapo.st/2R9lL2S

And lovely news about the Strumpet’s charity. Great to see them admit to the wrong doing...

On the Trump con law podcast they make some convincing arguments about why Trump can't be guilty of treason (because of how treason is defined in the constitution)

Yes, and the Judge knew that, which is why he only “almost” said it.

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#943 Re: Trump
December 21, 2018, 12:16:59 am

Oldmanmatt

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#944 Re: Trump
December 21, 2018, 07:48:30 am
Ten minute read.

Forbes, surely, has one of the best intelligence networks in private hands.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2018/12/16/mueller-exposes-putins-hold-over-trump/#1643ca1348f6

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#945 Re: Trump
December 23, 2018, 10:00:39 am
Absolutely terrifying, the safety of the planet is in the undersized hands of a spoilt old man with the intellect and behavioural traits of a spoilt six-year-old at Christmas. 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/23/donald-trump-government-shutdown-syria-mattis-mcgurk-yemen

Bell pointed out that under the US command and control system, there is no institutional brake on Trump ordering a nuclear launch.
“The world must also come to grips with the fact that we have placed an inordinate amount of faith in the ability of individual leaders to behave rationally. By choice or miscalculation, President Trump and President Putin could end the world today and there’s little any of us could do to stop them. What’s worse is that’s the way we designed it.”


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#946 Re: Trump
December 23, 2018, 10:13:40 am
Absolutely terrifying, the safety of the planet is in the undersized hands of a spoilt old man with the intellect and behavioural traits of a spoilt six-year-old at Christmas. 
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/dec/23/donald-trump-government-shutdown-syria-mattis-mcgurk-yemen

Bell pointed out that under the US command and control system, there is no institutional brake on Trump ordering a nuclear launch.
“The world must also come to grips with the fact that we have placed an inordinate amount of faith in the ability of individual leaders to behave rationally. By choice or miscalculation, President Trump and President Putin could end the world today and there’s little any of us could do to stop them. What’s worse is that’s the way we designed it.”


Now, I’d normally comment, but some people reckon I’m too alarmist...





Seriously, we’re fine. It’s not as if Putin is going to order his flunky to do that, is it?

Now would be a good time to start learning Russian.

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#947 Re: Trump
December 23, 2018, 11:02:40 am
You're probably at greater risk of dying from a chronic illness associated with the stress of continually being across all the things in the world that could go wrong, than from a nuclear attack..

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#948 Re: Trump
December 24, 2018, 12:00:36 pm
You need to read Black Swan... big terrible events being unlikely doesn't mean they can't happen and when you mulitply probability by consequence they become pretty important considerations. The Cuban missle crisis was real and there is no way we should have someone like Trump, especially as he gradully boots out the remaining adults from his close advisors, in charge of the US arsenal.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Swan:_The_Impact_of_the_Highly_Improbable

His effects on the markets have led directly to an emrgency treasury intervention being reported today.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/dec/24/us-markets-mnuchin-to-convene-crisis-team-amid-white-house-chaos

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#949 Re: Trump
December 24, 2018, 12:42:04 pm
Isn’t there a story about a relatively junior Soviet officer, who essentially saved the world by not launching a retaliatory strike to an American first strike, that all their equipment was telling them was inbound? He waited to see if the first detonation actually happened, instead of following protocol. I belive I and most of you, were about four minutes from not existing any longer?
I’ll google it.
Anyway, did anyone read this, last summer? Because, it might be a more likely scenario than you realise, because the insults thrown at Trump, are actually just accurate descriptions of him and his cronies:

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/27/this-guy-doesnt-know-anything-the-inside-story-of-trumps-shambolic-transition-team?CMP=fb_gu

 

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