President Trump

[mattyt36]

9 hours ago, editor said:

It's funny how someone who campaigned with the slogan "Lock her up" now says it's unfair to indict someone during an election.

Well MAGA killed irony sometime around 2015. And boy has it sucked since.

[august948]

21 hours ago, editor said:

It's funny how someone who campaigned with the slogan "Lock her up" now says it's unfair to indict someone during an election.

And from here on out it will be completely legit to actually try to "lock her/him/them up" during an election instead of just blathering about it at political rallies.  Pandora, meet your new box.

We'll see how this turns out in the coming years.

[mattyt36]

22 hours ago, august948 said:

And from here on out it will be completely legit to actually try to "lock her/him/them up" during an election instead of just blathering about it at political rallies.  Pandora, meet your new box.

We'll see how this turns out in the coming years.

So once again we revert to the extortion.  Are you saying because a not insignificant amount of MAGA supporters have proven themselves to be violent fanatics, we can't prosecute the person responsible for the only time in American history we have not had a peaceful transfer of power?  The individual responsible for the only coup in American history?  Because a bunch of wingnuts will turn around and apply the law in bad faith for retributive purposes?  In other words, we're going to throw the entire American justice system out the window to keep a man-baby criminal out of prison?  Trump gets a lifetime free pass because he's supported by a bunch of authoritarian thugs?

Well, I'd say the source of the problem is once again pretty self-evident.  

Edited September 4, 2023 by mattyt36

[BeerNut]

So running for presidential election is now a "get out of jail free" card?

[mollusk]

IAOKIYAR

 

(It's all OK if you're a Republican) 🥷

[august948]

7 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

So once again we revert to the extortion.  Are you saying because a not insignificant amount of MAGA supporters have proven themselves to be violent fanatics, we can't prosecute the person responsible for the only time in American history we have not had a peaceful transfer of power?  The individual responsible for the only coup in American history?  Because a bunch of wingnuts will turn around and apply the law in bad faith for retributive purposes? .  

Not at all.  What I'm saying is if there is really a case, an actual legal case not media/political hyperbole case, they should have brought it well before now.  They've already got convictions on Jan 6 rioters. 

Not suggesting extortion...just making a prediction, one that applies to both sides.  Surely you're not going to tell us that Democratic led investigations are always good-faith and Republican led ones are always bad-faith?

Even if you are right and the timing of the prosecution and court date is just a 'coincidence', the optics will strongly suggest otherwise.  The ball is already in play now on this one and we'll see how it affects the election, as it surely will one way or the other.  Bookmark this discussion and come back to it after the next presidential election or two and we'll see how things go.

[mattyt36]

2 hours ago, august948 said:

Not at all.  What I'm saying is if there is really a case, an actual legal case not media/political hyperbole case, they should have brought it well before now.  

What part of the case exactly do you find "media/political hyperbole," and how exactly did you come to that opinion?

2 hours ago, august948 said:

Not suggesting extortion...just making a prediction, one that applies to both sides.  Surely you're not going to tell us that Democratic led investigations are always good-faith and Republican led ones are always bad-faith?

I swear, you guys project so much you fail to realize that what mainstream Democrats believe is that there should be NO political prosecutions and generally have no reason to suspect that there are as a matter of course otherwise . . . maybe, until, for example, a future National Security Advisor chants "Lock her up" at what appears to us as a modern-day Nuremberg rally.  The right-wing paranoia is so deep you don't realize you're the only ones talking about political prosecutions, civil war, etc., etc.--you think our world is as paranoid as yours.  The truth is, most of us are just trying to live our lives and do our jobs without being beholden to the deeply ingrained neuroses of the maybe 10% of the country that is batflurf harebrained MAGA and the 30% who are happy to enable them "to own the libs" or for other politically expedient reasons.  The other truth of the matter is that half of the country is interested in actually solving problems, too, and statements like "the Demorat radical leftist socialist communist agenda is killing babies and BTW don't drink Bud Light" kind of leave us scratching our heads as to whether the people we are talking to are indeed good-faith bargainers.

2 hours ago, august948 said:

Even if you are right and the timing of the prosecution and court date is just a 'coincidence', the optics will strongly suggest otherwise.  The ball is already in play now on this one and we'll see how it affects the election, as it surely will one way or the other.  Bookmark this discussion and come back to it after the next presidential election or two and we'll see how things go.

Trump is not in jail yet.  Far from it.  You either believe in justice for all or not.  Since you haven't said otherwise (you seem to like a lot of exceptions for a very, very small number of people), I'll continue to think that you don't, or at least that there should be certain exceptions for politically convenient purposes. 

Did the average MAGA ever think when he was growing up that they'd proudly be able to say to their grandkids, "Yep, I am such a patriot I voted for coup plotter.  For me, it was really all about the suspicious timing of the case and the thought that, just, well people who had the same political opinion as me might go crazy and start a Civil War, and I of course wasn't going to get in their way.  In fact, when I was arguing with people who thought differently than I, I brought up that frequently.  I remember telling them 'Check this space in a couple of years, and you'll know what I mean!'"  Because that's really where we are.

[editor]

14 hours ago, august948 said:

What I'm saying is if there is really a case, an actual legal case not media/political hyperbole case, they should have brought it well before now. 

If that had happened, the cry would be "They're rushing through justice to keep him from running!" instead.

When all that matters is tribalism, the prosecutors can't satisfy anyone.

[mattyt36]

On 9/5/2023 at 8:35 AM, editor said:

If that had happened, the cry would be "They're rushing through justice to keep him from running!" instead.

When all that matters is tribalism, the prosecutors can't satisfy anyone.

Well, the DoJ said yesterday it would indict Hunter Biden in the coming weeks.  Guess he has a small window to file his papers to run for president so he can get off on the "Trump Rule of Justice."

[august948]

2 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

Well, the DoJ said yesterday it would indict Hunter Biden in the coming weeks.  Guess he has a small window to file his papers to run for president so he can get off on the "Trump Rule of Justice."

Wait, wasn't the Hunter Biden laptop thing all just a Russian hoax?

[mattyt36]

Well 40 years ago this would have made everything abundantly clear and provoke a unified American response, with the exception of a very small population of leftists.  Impossible now considering you have the leading faction of one of our two major political parties essentially aligned with autocrats who (*spoiler alert!*) don't have the U.S.'s best interests at heart.

North Korea’s Leader Arrives in Russia as Nations Seek Closer Military Ties - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Here is some of what the Russian leader said:

Donald J. Trump: Mr. Putin said the criminal cases against the former U.S. president show “the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.” The Russian leader said the cases amount to “persecution of one’s political rival for political motives” and lay bare “who is fighting us.” Mr. Trump has continued to express his admiration for Mr. Putin after leaving office, and called the Russian leader’s decision to invade Ukraine “pretty smart.”

OH THE IRONY . . . Putin talking about "persecution of one's political rival for political motives."  Translation: "Elect Trump and he will let me do whatever the flurf I want."

Elon Musk: The billionaire entrepreneur is an “active, talented businessman,” Mr. Putin said, noting that all around the world Mr. Musk is recognized as an “outstanding” person in private business. The description resembled the way the Russian leader first described Mr. Trump as a “brilliant and talented” individual when he launched his U.S. presidential run in 2015. Last week, Mr. Musk acknowledged that he had thwarted a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet in 2022 by refusing to let the Ukrainian military use his satellite network, Starlink, to guide its drones.

Well that should tell you all you need to know about Elon.

China: Western nations are trying to restrain China’s development because they see how the country, under Xi Jinping’s leadership, is developing by leaps and bounds, Mr. Putin said. “They are doing everything to slow the development of China, but this will not be possible,” he said, adding: “They are late. The train has left the station.” Mr. Putin has forged closer ties with Mr. Xi, in part to overcome Western sanctions, and the two leaders declared an enduring economic partnership after talks this year in Moscow.

China is in the toilet, and reality will eventually catch up with the totalitarian Xi--we could do a lot to hasten such an event by leveraging our close economic and geopolitical ties with our allies versus throwing those relationships in the trash.

Doesn't seem to take many of what Lenin would call "useful idiots" to support this transparently anti-American platform--the political movement for which is equally transparently led by one Donald J. Trump.

Edited September 12, 2023 by mattyt36

[editor]

22 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

Well that should tell you all you need to know about Elon

Musk has a long history of being Russia-friendly.  When he started SpaceX, he wasn't going to build his own rockets.  According to Wikipedia, he tried to buy ICBMs from Russia so he could convert them into rockets.

More recently: Elon Musk Acknowledges Withholding Satellite Service to Thwart Ukrainian Attack [on Russian military] (New York Times)

[mattyt36]

20 minutes ago, editor said:

Musk has a long history of being Russia-friendly.  When he started SpaceX, he wasn't going to build his own rockets.  According to Wikipedia, he tried to buy ICBMs from Russia so he could convert them into rockets.

More recently: Elon Musk Acknowledges Withholding Satellite Service to Thwart Ukrainian Attack [on Russian military] (New York Times)

Don’t forget China!

No wonder he is such a hero of the modern-day tankies, all while calling himself a “free speech absolutist.” He’s either got some misfiring synapses that somehow allows him to rationalize these positions (when you’re ultra wealthy, I suppose you can rationalize anything with little effort) or thinks we’re all stupid.

[august948]

On 9/12/2023 at 11:16 AM, mattyt36 said:

Well 40 years ago this would have made everything abundantly clear and provoke a unified American response, with the exception of a very small population of leftists.  Impossible now considering you have the leading faction of one of our two major political parties essentially aligned with autocrats who (*spoiler alert!*) don't have the U.S.'s best interests at heart.

North Korea’s Leader Arrives in Russia as Nations Seek Closer Military Ties - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Here is some of what the Russian leader said:

Donald J. Trump: Mr. Putin said the criminal cases against the former U.S. president show “the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others about democracy.” The Russian leader said the cases amount to “persecution of one’s political rival for political motives” and lay bare “who is fighting us.” Mr. Trump has continued to express his admiration for Mr. Putin after leaving office, and called the Russian leader’s decision to invade Ukraine “pretty smart.”

OH THE IRONY . . . Putin talking about "persecution of one's political rival for political motives."  Translation: "Elect Trump and he will let me do whatever the flurf I want."

Elon Musk: The billionaire entrepreneur is an “active, talented businessman,” Mr. Putin said, noting that all around the world Mr. Musk is recognized as an “outstanding” person in private business. The description resembled the way the Russian leader first described Mr. Trump as a “brilliant and talented” individual when he launched his U.S. presidential run in 2015. Last week, Mr. Musk acknowledged that he had thwarted a Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Black Sea naval fleet in 2022 by refusing to let the Ukrainian military use his satellite network, Starlink, to guide its drones.

Well that should tell you all you need to know about Elon.

China: Western nations are trying to restrain China’s development because they see how the country, under Xi Jinping’s leadership, is developing by leaps and bounds, Mr. Putin said. “They are doing everything to slow the development of China, but this will not be possible,” he said, adding: “They are late. The train has left the station.” Mr. Putin has forged closer ties with Mr. Xi, in part to overcome Western sanctions, and the two leaders declared an enduring economic partnership after talks this year in Moscow.

China is in the toilet, and reality will eventually catch up with the totalitarian Xi--we could do a lot to hasten such an event by leveraging our close economic and geopolitical ties with our allies versus throwing those relationships in the trash.

Doesn't seem to take many of what Lenin would call "useful idiots" to support this transparently anti-American platform--the political movement for which is equally transparently led by one Donald J. Trump.

Are we taking Russian proclamations seriously now?

Relax, by the time the next US president is inaugurated Ukraine will have most, if not all of it's territory back and the ring around China will be ever tightening. 

There's a bigger game afoot now, one that's going to dominate the coming decades.   Also one that is bigger than any US president, Trump or otherwise.  Politicians say all kinds of flurf, but when push comes to shove US dominance will be the agenda.

2 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

Don’t forget China!

No wonder he is such a hero of the modern-day tankies, all while calling himself a “free speech absolutist.” He’s either got some misfiring synapses that somehow allows him to rationalize these positions (when you’re ultra wealthy, I suppose you can rationalize anything with little effort) or thinks we’re all stupid.

Is Musk Derangement Syndrome a thing now?  Asking for a friend.

[mattyt36]

13 minutes ago, august948 said:

Are we taking Russian proclamations seriously now?

You would've been a real hoot in the 1930s.

14 minutes ago, august948 said:

There's a bigger game afoot now, one that's going to dominate the coming decades.   Also one that is bigger than any US president, Trump or otherwise.  Politicians say all kinds of flurf, but when push comes to shove US dominance will be the agenda.

What on earth do you mean, Augie?  Asking for a friend.

[august948]

3 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

You would've been a real hoot in the 1930s.

What on earth do you mean, Augie?  Asking for a friend.

I'm a real hoot all the time, brother.😜

Cold war 2.0.  The US has four strategic enemies, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.  There are others that don't like us that much, Venezuela comes to mind, but the rest are all bark and no bite.  Iran and North Korea are a pain the the nether regions, but they are only regional powers at best. 

That leaves us with Russia and China.  Until early March 2022, we thought the Russians were still a great power (so do they, btw, which is the root of this problem).  They had a couple of weeks window to overrun Ukraine and establish a puppet government and failed spectacularly.  At that point we realized, institutionally, that the Russians are a paper tiger and have been grinding them down ever since.  That will continue into the near future until they are no longer any more than a regional power.  This is the unspoken reason why we've been drip feeding them weapons instead of rushing them in.  We need maximum grind on their military age population and the massive stockpiles of soviet-era munitions.  They are already in a demographic decline and we're helping that along.

On the other side of the planet, we've been building up a ring of allies and bases to strangle China, if necessary.  China's also got a major demographic issue.  One of two things will happen there.  Either they'll strike out at Taiwan, run wild for a few months and then get crushed by blockade and sanctions or they'll slowly rot on the vine as we pull our trade away from them.  They have to have imports and exports in order to survive.

[mattyt36]

I've obviously been entirely ineffectual--maybe someone else can explain to him that none of the above aligns with the foreign policy platform of the person he has "no choice" but to vote for?

4 hours ago, august948 said:

I'm a real hoot all the time, brother.😜

Indeed.

[august948]

13 hours ago, mattyt36 said:

I've obviously been entirely ineffectual--maybe someone else can explain to him that none of the above aligns with the foreign policy platform of the person he has "no choice" but to vote for?

Indeed.

....no you just missed my point entirely.

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

The Epstein Lolita Island Fall Collection.

[hindesky]

If you prefer a pedophile being your president then the orange makeup wearing clown is your man.

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

[august948]

35 minutes ago, hindesky said:

More joke than nightmare, but also very unrealistic.  The Dems had the most diverse set of candidates in history for 2020 and chose the old white guy.  Would be fun to see, though.  Neither of them are likely to forget who Hamas is or confuse Mexico with Egypt.

[Twinsanity02]

I hate to knock one of the holy words of modern speech which is repeated ad nauseum, but diversity is a bad word to describe the rich tapestry of American life. The word is related to divorce, diverge, divide. in other words to separate.   Much better to speak of E Publius Unum.  I realize the word is hopelessly lost, much like the word decimate which means one tenth and now has replaced devastate. 

[Twinsanity02]

On 8/31/2023 at 10:22 AM, Ross said:

If Trump had not committed crimes, he would not be indicted. It's really that simple. I would hope that any politician that did what he did would be indicted and tried.

Guilty until proven innocent? A bit hysterical no?

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

[hindesky]

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