US Politics Thread |OT| SAD TRUMP

[Kara]

TIL John Brennan voted for Gus Hall.

John Brennan, welcome to the #resistance.

[Mandark]

What continues to amaze me is how the US press continues to score own goals to embarrass their country on the world stage.

The foreign press knows that Trump hasn't read into everything so they just throw him softball questions:
- Did you call the Japanese PM?
- What did you have for dinner today?
- Do you think today's meeting was a success?

Like the Russian journalists today they're always very polite to the President.

Then the US press storms in: "COLLUSION, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, TRAITOR TRAITOR" and they start throwing questions at Trump that they can already guess the answer on.
Next they complain that Trump 'embarrasses' the US on the World Stage.

The media propped up the host of the Celebrity Apprentice in the first place, what did they think his answer was going to be?
It's just a continuous streak of self goals at this point.

even for a nintex post this is dumb and we should all take a moment to appreciate

[Pwnz]

Since when was broadcast TV permitted to air porn? I just saw an orange clown getting hate fucked on a grizzly bear rug.

[warcock]

This is kind of off topic given our great republic is currently under siege by ungodly treasonous forces internally and externally. By god how can any decent citizen of a republic tolerate getting their democratic process tampered with by a foreign power. How concerning. But of course whataboutisms aside, I've been stewing internally for awhile at what seemed to me by casual observation blatant hypocrisy of this great blue liberal bastion. Fuck all those pretentious cocksuckers in the Bay area, i'm talking about the state as a whole. Rent prices are fucking ridiculous and our state income tax pretty much slaughters other states, among other things. As if we need to hear this story again; left socially(talk, blah blah etc..), right fiscally but still i'm not against challenging my strongly held views in the face of evidence. So on a whim i google GINI coefficient by state(spare me the weaknesses of the metric) just to get a quick look at this last standing torchbearer of humanist values in the united states.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_Gini_coefficient

44   California   0.4899

The 44th most unequal state by gini coefficent. Hell those dirty texan hicks are slightly more equal. I noticed the more populous states are all pretty high, this is not an argument against policy. What exactly are we gonna secede from my fellow holier than thou pricks?  And with that i'm gonna go vape in this idyllic weather.

(To be honest i'm not sure about the generosity of state programs towards the poorer at this juncture, i know our medicaid(medi-cal) is decent compared to other states. I'm not sure if our high state income tax rate is spent judiciously to aid the more unfortunate, in which case i will partially retract my venom. By like 20 percent, no more)

[Kara]

We're gonna pass Prop 10 this fall and then our Democratic overlords will repeal it (in fact or in practice) because the real estate industry owns them.

[Kara]

Good thing I wasn't engaging the post in earnest then.

[Kara]

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm426

[warcock]

I sincerely doubt warcock was advocating for rent control.

I think probably detonating a nuke a mile under LA would be more likely to occur.

[Boredfrom]

McCain and the rest of #resistance republicans in congress are all talk tho

For sure, not saying they would do anything substantive policy or governing wise, the tax bill and the refusal to ever hold their own people accountable for obvious obstruction and malfeasance says that plenty, frankly, if they had a working moral compass they probably wouldn't be politicians. The best you are gonna get is rhetoric. Which isn't nothing(even if it is pretty close), so whatever, i'll take it, not saying I'm excusing the rest of their nonsense.

FTFY

[Great Rumbler]

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm426

It's fascinating to me that all these people who are so concerned about being able to use their speech [i.e. their money] don't actually want to own up to their own words.

[Mandark]

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm426

It's fascinating to me that all these people who are so concerned about being able to use their speech [i.e. their money] don't actually want to own up to their own words.

My favorite thing is when Charles Koch or Rebecca Mercer gets op-ed space to write about how they are The Real Victims Here.

[kingv]

I got offered a job in the San Francisco area a few years back. It was like a $40K raise, and I still didn't take it because it was an effective pay cut once I started checking out housing costs.

That place is fucking crazy.

[warcock]

I got offered a job in the San Francisco area a few years back. It was like a $40K raise, and I still didn't take it because it was an effective pay cut once I started checking out housing costs.

That place is fucking crazy.

Bay salary differentials in most non-tech sectors(prolly even most lower end tech positions) don't compensate enough to make up for the excessive cost of living. But laughing at the homeless makes it worthwhile imo. 

[kingv]

I live somewhere very lame.... but cheap!

[recursivelyenumerable]

Frum, AFAICT from his production at The Atlantic, has been fairly consistent and always came across as sincere as a Never Trumper. But he's more of an ideologue, policy wonk and an editorialist than a "politician" so I guess this may explain that.

IIRC Frum had fallen out from the mainstream of US movement conservatism well before Trump

[benjipwns]

[benjipwns]

IIRC Frum had fallen out from the mainstream of US movement conservatism well before Trump

He hated Sarah Palin and the Tea Party, so I guess it depends on how much you consider that equal to conservatism as a whole. But he also loved Romney until he lost, then suddenly decided it was because Romney was too socially conservative.

I didn't really read him, but he always struck me as more foreign policy focused. He's always kinda been a neoconservative except that he started out that way, I think he still wants Iran, Syria, North Korea, etc. all invaded...doesn't particularly seem to care about economic policy or whatever. He made a big deal about coming out in favor of gay marriage but I don't really ever remember him as one of the popular/active/rabid opponents of it. Maybe that's my fault, even when I did read NRO, he was never one I read because it was him.

[benjipwns]

Boy, that combined with his Trump hatred really makes him look stupid now that they've repealed and replaced it.

[benjipwns]

btw, thanks recursive for seeing that powerful message that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said about me keeping up William F. Buckley's legacy, sometimes the best praise comes from the least expected places, and i never would have seen it

[agrajag]

*googles fecalith*

[Kara]

btw, thanks recursive for seeing that powerful message that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said about me keeping up William F. Buckley's legacy, sometimes the best praise comes from the least expected places, and i never would have seen it

She's also done an entertaining fish out of water routine about Palestine.

[Nola]

IIRC Frum had fallen out from the mainstream of US movement conservatism well before Trump

Nail in the coffin was in 2010 when he told conservatives they missed their chance to have any input on Obamacare.

Honestly the tolerance I do have for Frum, where it exists, mostly stems from his willingness to eventually concede the argument on healthcare policy  to liberals.

Frum, who spent a lot of time in his life overseas in a number of UHC countries, shared sympathies, like Nixon did(in one of his somewhat but still partisan and half-assed commendable ideas), who lost siblings at an early age, and both became the rare few prominent conservatives in the last 100 years to take an inventory of healthcare policy in this country and realize how absolutely abhorrent and on the wrong side of history the tribe they ascribed to was.

[benjipwns]

btw, thanks recursive for seeing that powerful message that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said about me keeping up William F. Buckley's legacy, sometimes the best praise comes from the least expected places, and i never would have seen it

She's also done an entertaining fish out of water routine about Palestine.

someone tweeted this at her, i wish it was real

[benjipwns]

guy running for D nomination in Michigan:

[benjipwns]

holy shit the Libertarian candidate is like six foot ten, his votes per square inch are going to be terrible

also lol the GOP candidates for Senate debated whether or not God wants them to run (back in 2012 the three GOP candidates all said that God wanted them in the Senate) and they spent half the debate accusing each other of being secretly pro-choice, BRILLIANT

[benjipwns]

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1018984818846109696

[VomKriege]

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1018984818846109696

Checkmate (((liberals))). Also deathcamps.

[benjipwns]

guess there a non giant Libertarian candidate too

of course they're sitting down in the debate!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

the giant is OUT OF CONTROL:

I will submit to the legislature a plan to raise the liability limits for companies handling these dangerous products.     In doing so, we will require a level of insurance coverage commensurate with the risk activity.

Appropriate mandated insurance liability will result in business handling these toxic substances being pushed by the marketplace to enact best practices for safe handling and maintenance of facilities – thus, reducing the risk of any disaster in the first place.

This is not a new idea.    Libertarians have long debated the value (or problems) with limited liability.   On balance, society has decided that unlimited liability is unwise and counter-productive.    But, thresholds which are too low allow bad actors to escape responsibility.

The entire purpose here is to do two things.  1) Make it less likely that companies involved in serious environmental problems do not simply declare bankruptcy and walk away; and 2) put appropriate insured resources in place to cover the costs of cleanup.

[benjipwns]

here's the guy running for the Senate because the Lord told him to:
https://johnjamesforsenate.com/

Compared to his RINO Communist opponent from his unbiased Facebook page:

[benjipwns]

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/16/putin-russia-trump-2016-pearl-harbor-219015

Putin’s Attack on the U.S. Is Our Pearl Harbor
Make no mistake: Hacking the 2016 election was an act of war. It’s time we responded accordingly.

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise conventional attack against the U.S. Pacific Fleet moored at Pearl Harbor. The Japanese operation was part of a larger strategy: cripple the United States — in capability, naval manpower and mentality — so that we would be prevented from interfering as Japan continued military operations throughout Southeast Asia. Almost 3,500 Americans were killed or wounded; eight U.S. battleships were damaged and four were sunk; and more than 300 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. To this day, the wreckage of the USS Arizona is a monument to loss of life and totality of destruction. The attack happened without a declaration of war and without explicit warning, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded the next day.

On September 11, 2001, the Islamist terrorist group Al Qaeda conducted four coordinated unconventional attacks against our nation. Its leader, Osama bin Laden, chose targets linked to the U.S. government and American economic power as part of his larger strategy: bring “holy war” to the American homeland for what bin Laden alleged were aggressions against Muslims in the Middle East. Nearly 3,000 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured in attacks that caused at least $10 billion in damages. The memorials in Manhattan, at the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, remind us of the loss and of the hollowness we felt watching the Twin Towers fall. The attack happened without a declaration of war and without explicit warning, and President George W. Bush responded the next day.

Many think of Pearl Harbor and September 11th in terms of the overwhelming devastation the attacks caused rather than the critical transformation they sparked. Yet both attacks were earth-shaking events that forced a forward leap in our strategic thinking about the defense of the American homeland and the projection of American power. As the smoke still rose over the wreckage of our fleet, and as the dust settled over Manhattan and the Pentagon, we went to war. We acted because Japan and Al Qaeda had underestimated us. We went to war knowing we must fight back, but uncertain how we would win. We acted because we had renewed political will, a newfound clarity toward an enemy and its objectives, and because we understood the cost of failing to rise to the challenge. We were tested in ways we never expected, and the cost was unthinkably high, but we acted because we had to.

In 2016, our country was targeted by an attack that had different operational objectives and a different overarching strategy, but its aim was every bit as much to devastate the American homeland as Pearl Harbor or 9/11. The destruction may not send pillars of smoke into the sky or come with an 11-digit price tag, and there’s no body count or casualty statistics—but the damage done has ravaged our institutions and shaken our belief in our immovability. But two years on, we still haven’t put any boats or men in the proverbial water.

...

When Japan attacked, and when Al Qaeda attacked, they wanted to be known as the enemy of America, and they wanted it to be known that they had brought the fight to us. Revanchist Russia has a new formula: giving their domestic audience a clear enemy, but denying one to us by muddling our thinking, our judgment and our leadership.

So far, this attack has been met by relative silence at the top, by at least two consecutive presidents who have failed to find the right formula for dealing with a calculating foe like Putin. This silence propagates fear, division, unrest and diminishing trust—and it is every bit as crippling as Putin could have hoped.

Trump may think of the European Union as America’s primary foe, but the Kremlin identifies the United States as its primary adversary. It is using asymmetric means to attack our society and our alliances, and to attack the citizens of the West. More details of this are being exposed daily, and our intelligence, military and national security communities are getting louder and louder in signaling their alarm. For now, our civilian leadership is shrugging this off, even acquiescing, which leaves every individual to defend themselves against the assault of information levied by a foreign attacker. This should not be the way we defend our people and our homeland.

This is our Pearl Harbor, our 9/11. In the past, we have risen to the defense of our values, our ideologies and our institutions. It’s time for another fight. The ball — as Putin said — is in our court.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Trurl]

You know you're a 90s kid when your 9/11 is 9/11

[Bulleta©™®]

I'm going to some anti-Trump thing on Thursday, pretty crazy that there is even one here in Wyoming.
Got a funny flyer thing in the mail about a 'conservative values' plus 'fresh perspective' candidate. Oxymoron much?

[warcock]

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1018984818846109696

Checkmate (((liberals))). Also deathcamps.

Well i mean it does make MAD a whole lot less likely. I get the feeling its one of the few things that keeps old wealthy white men up thats not related to natural decay. Nuclear arms race with canada. 

[VomKriege]

If you don't get him out of office by 2020, I think your country is in serious shit.

As for Frum yeah he's very much a globalist who believes in democracy and free trade. I don't know if he's still much in Good  Intentioned Wars but he still thinks exporting those is the oath to a better world. Alsor paroted some dumb shit about Muslims and Israeli deflections because right wing.

[kingv]

here's the guy running for the Senate because the Lord told him to:
https://johnjamesforsenate.com/

Compared to his RINO Communist opponent from his unbiased Facebook page:
(Image removed from quote.)

Why is he wearing a flight jacket with no rank o it, no insignia, and no name tag?

Is he like pretending to be in the military?

[Mandark]

He flew Army helicopters in the Iraq War apparently. I think there are rules about not appearing in military uniform in a campaign for civilian political office.

[kingv]

That makes sense. I vaguely remember something about that from my time.

So it looks like Maria Butina somehow got Press Credentials at Libertarianfest in 2015, and then Donald Trump serendipitously called on her, which was the first time he publically stayed that to everyone else that he wanted to drop sanctions.

I somehow feel like this want not serendipity. Someone arranged t. We see you Shostakovich and Benjipwns. You’re not slick. 

[Broseidon]

Ah yes a 100% pro-life soldier

[Nintex]

John James is the best, will attack the swamp with his attack helicopter with President Trump

https://www.facebook.com/JohnJamesMI/videos/468417706953131/

If you have a chance to vote for this man, please do.

We're looking at presidential material IMO

[Nintex]

 


https://twitter.com/business/status/1019288402385137664

 

[Nintex]

https://twitter.com/AP_Politics/status/1019290319790247936

 

[Nintex]

I don't understand what he's doing at all

I'm waiting for Trump to show up while Democrats are losing their minds over this.

[Phoenix Dark]

btw, thanks recursive for seeing that powerful message that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said about me keeping up William F. Buckley's legacy, sometimes the best praise comes from the least expected places, and i never would have seen it

She's also done an entertaining fish out of water routine about Palestine.

someone tweeted this at her, i wish it was real
(Image removed from quote.)

Maybe it is real. She doesn't seem to have a grasp on the issues, so perhaps someone could convince her to hold up that sign. 

[agrajag]

https://twitter.com/AP_Politics/status/1019290319790247936

 

What a shame he didn't get an opportunity to confront Mr. Putin about it.

[Tripon]

The whole point of the summit was to restart Russian-U.S. relationships and ensure people that Russia wouldn't fuck around with the election again. Trump couldn't even do that.

[Nintex]

Trump's defense is that he said this:

"I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia," Trump said. "I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be."

But meant to say:

"I have President Putin; he just said it's not Russia," Trump said. "I will say this: I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be."

In this context, both sentences make no sense but this is Trump.

[Kara]

btw, thanks recursive for seeing that powerful message that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said about me keeping up William F. Buckley's legacy, sometimes the best praise comes from the least expected places, and i never would have seen it

She's also done an entertaining fish out of water routine about Palestine.

someone tweeted this at her, i wish it was real
(Image removed from quote.)

I agree, you do wish food insecurity in Venezuela was the result of socialism.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Old benji for obvious reasons, new and improved fellow communist benji because the Bolivarian revolution is incomplete and the social democratic PSUV hasn't gone far enough in combating the power of the national and comprador bourgeoisie.

[close]

[benjipwns]

It's apparently actually a picture of like a Wal-Mart in Florida/Texas before a hurricane hits or something.

[Flannel Boy]

btw, thanks recursive for seeing that powerful message that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said about me keeping up William F. Buckley's legacy, sometimes the best praise comes from the least expected places, and i never would have seen it

She's also done an entertaining fish out of water routine about Palestine.

someone tweeted this at her, i wish it was real
(Image removed from quote.)

Maybe it is real. She doesn't seem to have a grasp on the issues, so perhaps someone could convince her to hold up that sign. 

The amount of food at the grocery store is so low because everyone has two kitchens.

[benjipwns]

Maybe it is real. She doesn't seem to have a grasp on the issues, so perhaps someone could convince her to hold up that sign. 

are you referring to this "gotcha" attack that was a pre-planned neoliberal corporate media setup to make her look bad?

“Well, I think the numbers you just talked about is part of the problem, right?” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We look at these figures and we say, ‘Oh, unemployment is low, everything is fine, right?'”

“Unemployment is low because everyone has two jobs,” she said. “Unemployment is low because people are working 60, 70, 80 hours a week and can barely feed their family.”

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1018874752126148616

[benjipwns]

i liked that it was surprisingly hard to find that clip/quote because of all the search results/news stories/blogs/tweets/etc. instead being about her saying Palestine is occupied by Israel or whatever

[Nintex]

i liked that it was surprisingly hard to find that clip/quote because of all the search results/news stories/blogs/tweets/etc. instead being about her saying Palestine is occupied by Israel or whatever

That was a doozy. She said something weird about Israel and Palestine and then she admitted: "I don't know anything about this"
Conservatives jumped on to say: "DURR this Female Woman doesn't know ANYTHING!"
and then the Libruls responded with: "DOES IT MATTER? HAVE YOU SEEN WHO IS PRESIDENT?"

Both parties are now perfectly 'fine' running someone who doesn't know much if it gets them a 'win'.

[Flannel Boy]

Maybe it is real. She doesn't seem to have a grasp on the issues, so perhaps someone could convince her to hold up that sign. 

are you referring to this "gotcha" attack that was a pre-planned neoliberal corporate media setup to make her look bad?

“Well, I think the numbers you just talked about is part of the problem, right?” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We look at these figures and we say, ‘Oh, unemployment is low, everything is fine, right?'”

“Unemployment is low because everyone has two jobs,” she said. “Unemployment is low because people are working 60, 70, 80 hours a week and can barely feed their family.”

https://twitter.com/bennyjohnson/status/1018874752126148616

Even if her claims were true, wouldn't they have the exact opposite effect?

i liked that it was surprisingly hard to find that clip/quote because of all the search results/news stories/blogs/tweets/etc. instead being about her saying Palestine is occupied by Israel or whatever

Her false claims are being ignored and her true claims are being attacked. Sounds like American politics.

[studyguy]

Say that you believe Russia while in front of Putin.
Say it again on Hannity.

'I MEANT RUSSIA DID IT ACTUALLY' the next day.
 

https://twitter.com/KFaulders/status/1019295378204741637

[Joe Molotov]

I don't understand what he's doing at all

Neither does he.

[studyguy]

https://twitter.com/ABCPolitics/status/1019295902463188992

 


https://twitter.com/Kevinliptakcnn/status/1019301029312172032
Spelled collusion wrong man, come on.
 

[TakingBackSunday]

https://twitter.com/gelles/status/1019302113598427136


this man is dumber than shit

[agrajag]

at least he didn't write it on his hand

[Kara]

It's apparently actually a picture of like a Wal-Mart in Florida/Texas before a hurricane hits or something.

~50% of births in Texas are paid for with Medicaid iirc.

[Nintex]

Say that you believe Russia while in front of Putin.
Say it again on Hannity.

'I MEANT RUSSIA DID IT ACTUALLY' the next day.
 

https://twitter.com/KFaulders/status/1019295378204741637

To be fair this sentence makes more sense:
"I don't see any reason why I wouldn't be - but I really do want to see the server"

Compared to this sentence:
"I don't see any reason why I would be - but I really do want to see the server"

So I'm giving Trump the benefit about the doubt about his spelling error. However that doesn't change anything about what he said so I'm not sure why he thinks this is the magic bullet that solves the issue.
Because that's what the press did for him, when they couldn't help themselves and ran headlines like these:
https://twitter.com/AP_Politics/status/1019288509755150336

https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1019306392157638656

So when you only look at these headlines and not Trump's actual statement you will think that he somehow backtracked and apologized.