I don't know what the special prosecutor is gonna tell us about Trump, but I'm gonna get me some snacks and kick off my shoes. I expect some entertainment...
edit: special counsellor
link?
Oh boy! Now the fun really starts!
:taz: :menacing:
my link is XM Radio ðŸ˜
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller will oversee the investigation into possible ties between President Trump's campaign and Russian officials. Seems a good choice.
Quote from: Cavebear on May 18, 2017, 02:18:22 AM
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller will oversee the investigation into possible ties between President Trump's campaign and Russian officials. Seems a good choice.
We can hope. But a political show trial is what it is ... now or in Stalin's Russia. Ironic? I am glad my candidate is enjoying time with his family. Why would anyone want the President-job?
Mueller is in bed with Hillary and Obama of course. He helped Hillary sell that uranium to Russia n 2009, and helped Obama get rid of Patreus. Any long term public official, is stained with contacts with both major parties. McCain, the real President since 2009 ... has now said Trump shouldn't be impeached.
I'm kind of hoping this drags on until right before the 2018 midterms, maybe after. House Republicans just dither away any chances at all for any form of redemption, get NONE of the things on their agenda accomplished, get sent packing home and let the Democratic party impeach Lumpy and see how his replacement fares with a Democratic congress.
And before anyone wants to tell me how evil democrats are I happen to be a card carrying tree hugging, bleeding heart progressive, liberal AND PROUD OF IT.. So FUCK OFF!
Quote from: Cavebear on May 18, 2017, 02:18:22 AM
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller will oversee the investigation into possible ties between President Trump's campaign and Russian officials. Seems a good choice.
He's popular inside the agency, and on both sides of the aisle. I'm certainly willing to step back and let the man work, and not pre-judge how he's going to do it. And according to everyone who knows him, he will not allow himself to be bullied by Asshole.
I've read comparisons between Trump and Nixon. They are false. Nixon understood the international world quite well. OK, he became a bit psychotic. But he knew the job and he respected government as an institution for good.
Trump came in psychotic and will leave that way.
Put another way, Nixon brought the inane Spiro Agnew into office with him for cynical RealPolitik campaign reasons and closeted him afterwards. Trump IS Spiro Agnew.
Quote from: Cavebear on May 31, 2017, 11:26:59 AM
I've read comparisons between Trump and Nixon. They are false. Nixon understood the international world quite well. OK, he became a bit psychotic. But he knew the job and he respected government as an institution for good.
Trump came in psychotic and will leave that way.
Put another way, Nixon brought the inane Spiro Agnew into office with him for cynical RealPolitik campaign reasons and closeted him afterwards. Trump IS Spiro Agnew.
I think that's nearly a slur against Spiro Agnew -- Agnew himself was a crook, but he was also a functioning politician who was able to get elected as a Republican governor in overwhelmingly Democratic Maryland, by running and for the most part governing as a moderate on segregation and race relations. So, crook, but not with as completely horrible a record as Asshole.
Nixon was a politician's politician, or everything wrong with politicians... Trump is just a moron.
I don't expect trump to get impeached, and frankly I think he is a better president than Pence so I hope he doesn't. But we have been saying this type of stupidity and douchery will hurt the republican party for years... and all it does is galvanize their supporters and polarize everyone else, so who knows. I have reached a point where I won't hold my breath waiting on that last straw to fall.
Quote from: Shiranu on May 31, 2017, 01:43:18 PM
I don't expect trump to get impeached, and frankly I think he is a better president than Pence so I hope he doesn't. But we have been saying this type of stupidity and douchery will hurt the republican party for years... and all it does is galvanize their supporters and polarize everyone else, so who knows. I have reached a point where I won't hold my breath waiting on that last straw to fall.
The only thing that makes Trump preferable to Pence is that Pence is politician enough and organized enough to get done the evil he wants to do, whereas Trump expects to be able to do it by
diktat and when he can't, he could conceivably lose interest and go on to some other vainglorious stupidity. So in some sense, his own arrogance and incompetence are our best protection from him.
Quote from: Shiranu on May 31, 2017, 01:43:18 PM
Nixon was a politician's politician, or everything wrong with politicians... Trump is just a moron.
I don't expect trump to get impeached, and frankly I think he is a better president than Pence so I hope he doesn't. But we have been saying this type of stupidity and douchery will hurt the republican party for years... and all it does is galvanize their supporters and polarize everyone else, so who knows. I have reached a point where I won't hold my breath waiting on that last straw to fall.
This is the problem for the Democrats. Any Republican, not just Trump, could go out on the street and shoot a Democrat, and not only not get arrested, but become more popular. This is not a good time for Democrats.
Quote from: trdsf on May 31, 2017, 02:07:02 PM
The only thing that makes Trump preferable to Pence is that Pence is politician enough and organized enough to get done the evil he wants to do, whereas Trump expects to be able to do it by diktat and when he can't, he could conceivably lose interest and go on to some other vainglorious stupidity. So in some sense, his own arrogance and incompetence are our best protection from him.
The best chance the rational world has is to keep Trump in office until 2018 and then throw the Republicans out. Trump won't even care about that. But then he will be even less meaningful 2018 to 2020 than he is now, if that is possible.
Quote from: Cavebear on June 07, 2017, 03:48:42 AM
The best chance the rational world has is to keep Trump in office until 2018 and then throw the Republicans out. Trump won't even care about that. But then he will be even less meaningful 2018 to 2020 than he is now, if that is possible.
I do hope (against hope) that our country is not so far gone that Trump will be re-elected in 2020. It would not surprise me at this point.
Quote from: Shiranu on May 31, 2017, 01:43:18 PM
Nixon was a politician's politician, or everything wrong with politicians... Trump is just a moron.
I don't expect trump to get impeached, and frankly I think he is a better president than Pence so I hope he doesn't. But we have been saying this type of stupidity and douchery will hurt the republican party for years... and all it does is galvanize their supporters and polarize everyone else, so who knows. I have reached a point where I won't hold my breath waiting on that last straw to fall.
Yeah, by the end of Bush's second(!) term I expected the Grand Old Potty to be in it's death throws. I guess it was just wishful thinking...
(http://www.airfarceone.net/glossaryq/af1grandoldpotty_gl.gif)
Quote from: trdsf on May 31, 2017, 02:07:02 PM
The only thing that makes Trump preferable to Pence is that Pence is politician enough and organized enough to get done the evil he wants to do, whereas Trump expects to be able to do it by diktat and when he can't, he could conceivably lose interest and go on to some other vainglorious stupidity. So in some sense, his own arrogance and incompetence are our best protection from him.
If Pence were president his main agenda would be the theocritization of America - and that may happen anyway, even with Chump in the office.
Quote from: Mike Cl on June 07, 2017, 01:33:21 PM
I do hope (against hope) that our country is not so far gone that Trump will be re-elected in 2020. It would not surprise me at this point.
The Ds lost the election, and several more previously. The Rs didn't win them, with or without Russian help. It is up to the Ds to lose it in 2018 and 2020. So far they are batting negative numbers.
Quote from: Mike Cl on June 07, 2017, 01:33:21 PM
I do hope (against hope) that our country is not so far gone that Trump will be re-elected in 2020. It would not surprise me at this point.
I was SO wrong about his chances of being elected in 2016. But there was the "who cares now" Clinton emails and the "OMG the Russians messed with us" benefits to the Trump campaign.
Could the 2018 election bring a Democratic Congress? Could Trump even be viable in 2020? I hope the first and gag at the second.
Our allies might accept a one-off bizarre election. But not 2.
Quote from: Cavebear on June 18, 2017, 06:48:01 AM
I was SO wrong about his chances of being elected in 2016. But there was the "who cares now" Clinton emails and the "OMG the Russians messed with us" benefits to the Trump campaign.
Could the 2018 election bring a Democratic Congress? Could Trump even be viable in 2020? I hope the first and gag at the second.
Our allies might accept a one-off bizarre election. But not 2.
The Democrats have lost how may governorships and legislatures? Been loosing since 1992 ... look to the Serpent in the Garden of Politics .. the Clinton crime family. Get rid of them and the Democrats might stand a chance. But you won't, because they are Deep State, they own the DNC, and the DNC owns you D bitches. The Clintons are Caligula ... squared!
Quote from: Cavebear on June 18, 2017, 06:48:01 AM
I was SO wrong about his chances of being elected in 2016. But there was the "who cares now" Clinton emails and the "OMG the Russians messed with us" benefits to the Trump campaign.
Could the 2018 election bring a Democratic Congress? Could Trump even be viable in 2020? I hope the first and gag at the second.
Our allies might accept a one-off bizarre election. But not 2.
So far the Repub keep winning elections. That does not bode well for the country--at least to my eyes. Apparently the Democrats are too cowardly and stupid to make a successful run at the Repubs. They seem to just roll over and shrivel up in their campaigns. They take 'the high road'--whatever the fuck that means--and lose. I don't see them winning in 2018 or 2020. I have little hope for this country. It simply seems the racists and skinheads have won and are in control and will stay that way. Very sad........................
Quote from: Mike Cl on June 22, 2017, 10:44:39 AM
So far the Repub keep winning elections. That does not bode well for the country--at least to my eyes. Apparently the Democrats are too cowardly and stupid to make a successful run at the Repubs. They seem to just roll over and shrivel up in their campaigns. They take 'the high road'--whatever the fuck that means--and lose. I don't see them winning in 2018 or 2020. I have little hope for this country. It simply seems the racists and skinheads have won and are in control and will stay that way. Very sad........................
None of the seats that have been up are particularly fertile ground for Democrats. Georgia 6 has historically been taken by the GOP by no less than 25% margins, usually 30% and higher. Handel won by only 3.8%. Montana's seat is typically won by 10-15% margins; Gianforte won with barely 6%. And South Carolina 5, which was on no one's radar, and was won by the Republican with 20% margins in the last two elections, was taken with only 3.3%.
None of these are places that
should have been competitive, and yet all three of them were. It'll be much more interesting if some of the more closely split districts come up. I guarantee you that while the Repubs are publicly gloating, behind the scenes the RNC is looking at those numbers and going "Oh, shit..."
Quote from: trdsf on June 22, 2017, 12:37:39 PM
None of the seats that have been up are particularly fertile ground for Democrats. Georgia 6 has historically been taken by the GOP by no less than 25% margins, usually 30% and higher. Handel won by only 3.8%. Montana's seat is typically won by 10-15% margins; Gianforte won with barely 6%. And South Carolina 5, which was on no one's radar, and was won by the Republican with 20% margins in the last two elections, was taken with only 3.3%.
None of these are places that should have been competitive, and yet all three of them were. It'll be much more interesting if some of the more closely split districts come up. I guarantee you that while the Repubs are publicly gloating, behind the scenes the RNC is looking at those numbers and going "Oh, shit..."
By nature I am not a pessimistic person. But lately, I have become one. I understand your message. The seats were in repub districts and only an act of god can change that. Yet how much more of a disaster than trump for the last 150 days needs to happen for some things to change in that area? And I see that as a huge difference between the repubs and demos is that the repubs seem to plan and scheme on every level, top to bottom. And the demos don't. The repubs lie, cheat and steal in the open and the demos do nothing. I do not like our country's chances in the next two election cycles.
Demo is as demo does. Same for the Rethugs. So if Hitler rose from the dead and proceeded to release child porn all over the Internet ... people would rise up and say ... we can't have that! We have to vote for Hillary or Chelsea? Really ;-( Trump isn't Hitler ... but that doesn't work in his favor either ;-) Demos want the court to come in and save them from themselves ... bwahaha. I have seen stronger wet tissue paper.
The Georgia and SC congressional races were "safe districts" for the Repubs. And they barely escaped with wins by a couple percentage points. This bodes well for the Dems in future elections in closer contests.
Quote from: Mike Cl on June 22, 2017, 06:31:35 PM
By nature I am not a pessimistic person. But lately, I have become one. I understand your message. The seats were in repub districts and only an act of god can change that. Yet how much more of a disaster than trump for the last 150 days needs to happen for some things to change in that area? And I see that as a huge difference between the repubs and demos is that the repubs seem to plan and scheme on every level, top to bottom. And the demos don't. The repubs lie, cheat and steal in the open and the demos do nothing. I do not like our country's chances in the next two election cycles.
I'm trying to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but three elections out of three that are closer than they've been in years (decades, even) is a hopeful trend.
Quote from: trdsf on June 23, 2017, 10:48:18 AM
I'm trying to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but three elections out of three that are closer than they've been in years (decades, even) is a hopeful trend.
Okay--I'll go along with you on this.
I have seen political majorities come and go for decades. But what I notice more lately is that the Republican majorities are increasingly due to gerrymandering and State Legislature rules playing around with voter registration and voting place accessibility. It won't last. Things are changing and digging one's heels into the sand fighting the pull won't prevent it for much longer.
Quote from: Cavebear on June 29, 2017, 05:04:33 AM
I have seen political majorities come and go for decades. But what I notice more lately is that the Republican majorities are increasingly due to gerrymandering and State Legislature rules playing around with voter registration and voting place accessibility. It won't last. Things are changing and digging one's heels into the sand fighting the pull won't prevent it for much longer.
We've been victims of terrible gerrymandering here in Ohio -- the GOP statewide pulled only 58% of the vote, but got 75% of the seats. In Pennsylvania in 2012, the GOP
lost the statewide vote 48.8% to the Democrats' 50.3% -- and still came away with 13 of the available 18 seats (72%). Those seats have been held since then, despite the Pennsylvania GOP never recording a higher percentage than 55% statewide.
Nationally last year, the GOP got 49.1% and the Democrats 48% -- or, to break it down to only D and R votes, 50.6% to 49.4%. And yet they came away with 55% of the seats (and obviously, all votes for Libertarian, Socialist, etc. go unrepresented). That's unfortunately a long-term trend -- I'll put up some historical numbers after I get home tonight. Suffice to say that this is not representative democracy.
I am not especially optimistic about the current SCOTUS taking on gerrymandering this fall (http://www.scotusblog.com/2017/06/todays-orders-court-tackle-partisan-gerrymandering/), although it's possible we could be pleasantly surprised. I think we're starting to see some of the moderating drift most justices take the longer they're on the court, particularly in Roberts and Kennedy -- a process that might have been accelerated by the profoundly unethical way Gorsuch was put on the court.
Roberts has been more of a wildcard than I would have predicted when he was named to the court. I think he has an eye on how history will judge him, so I believe he moderates himself on purpose. Kennedy is the senior Justice -- approved by the Senate
during an election year by an outgoing president, Senator Yertle, so fuck you -- and he's always been very independent. I mean, who would have thought a Reagan appointee would be the man to legalize marriage equality nationwide?
Quote from: Mike Cl on June 22, 2017, 10:44:39 AM
So far the Repub keep winning elections. That does not bode well for the country--at least to my eyes. Apparently the Democrats are too cowardly and stupid to make a successful run at the Repubs. They seem to just roll over and shrivel up in their campaigns. They take 'the high road'--whatever the fuck that means--and lose. I don't see them winning in 2018 or 2020. I have little hope for this country. It simply seems the racists and skinheads have won and are in control and will stay that way. Very sad........................
US elections have always been a pendulum, and almost always the loser of presidential election two years prior ends up winning midterm elections, at least in one chamber.
To me, Dems need to focus on state legislatures... win there and you'll win congressional and presidential elections.
Oh yeah, if Democrats force Clinton on us again in 2020, I personally will vote for Trump.
Quote from: Sylar on June 29, 2017, 06:37:52 PM
US elections have always been a pendulum, and almost always the loser of presidential election two years prior ends up winning midterm elections, at least in one chamber.
To me, Dems need to focus on state legislatures... win there and you'll win congressional and presidential elections.
Oh yeah, if Democrats force Clinton on us again in 2020, I personally will vote for Trump.
I keep trying to tell Democrats that they don't find major candidates just sitting by the telephone waiting for a call. They have to start in the cities then the States etc. No one listens...
On the other hand, I would vote for about any town mayor or talented sleaze over Trump in 2020.