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-   -   The Trump Presidency – 2016 (https://forums.operationsports.com/fofc//showthread.php?t=92014)

kingfc22 08-27-2017 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuervo72 (Post 3172254)
That's the thing that gets me about the wall. So many billions for what benefit? Couldn't that money be used better, like say to safeguard against disasters? Or to provide some relief fund? The impact of such an event has to be more than anything a wall will prevent.


The guy is a massive narcissist who has his name in giant gold block letters on buildings everywhere. The wall is nothing more than a easy ploy to get votes and for him it's just another construction gig he can claim.

kingfc22 08-27-2017 03:18 PM

Build the wall or re-build Houston. Seems like the next "logical battle".

I don't think reality can escape cynicism or sarcasm at this point.

EagleFan 08-27-2017 04:37 PM

Maybe he should go to Houston. If he sees sparks flying from any downed wires he should walk up to them to see if they are really live. You never know, those sparks could be fake news.

JPhillips 08-27-2017 04:38 PM

All the TX legislators that voted against Sandy aid should have to publicly apologize as part of whatever aid package gets passed.

JPhillips 08-27-2017 10:23 PM

dola

WaPo is reporting that Trump had a pending deal for a tower in Moscow while he was running for President.

Logan 08-28-2017 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA (Post 3172149)
And his supporters are quite pleased. I haven't seen anything get this much positive response in several weeks honestly.

Arpaio is a long-standing hero, as long as he didn't ally himself with the Demonrats then just about anything is a pardonable offense for a whole lot of us.


Whatever happened to "the law is the law and breaking the law makes you a criminal, and fuck the criminals"?

Kodos 08-28-2017 09:52 AM

That only counts for laws he likes.

Marmel 08-28-2017 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logan (Post 3172411)
Whatever happened to "the law is the law and breaking the law makes you a criminal, and fuck the criminals"?


He is white and shares his delusional view of the world. There is no consistency, just delusion, which should be obvious to anybody subscribed to this forum for more than 6 months.

mckerney 08-28-2017 12:46 PM

Trump Reportedly Fed Up With Rex Tillerson: ‘Rex Just Doesn’t Get It’

JPhillips 08-28-2017 01:09 PM

Trump Associate Boasted That Moscow Business Deal ‘Will Get Donald Elected’

Chief Rum 08-28-2017 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3172285)
All the TX legislators that voted against Sandy aid should have to publicly apologize as part of whatever aid package gets passed.


As much as I agree with the direction your mind goes, I don't think it is right to put conditions on aid given to Americans in trouble.

But yea, any TX legislators who did that are assholes.

I fear to ask this of course (I don't really know), but were there any northeast area legislators who voted against Katrina aid? I can't think of a good political reason for anyone to vote against aid for people caught in situations like these, but our politicians in particular seem wont to further the divide in our country.

JPhillips 08-28-2017 03:24 PM

I agree that nothing should hold up aid, I just wish there was a price paid by the people that want aid for themselves, but not for others.

On another note, I don't think I've ever seen anything as tacky as the President using disaster photo ops for product placement opportunities.

Chief Rum 08-28-2017 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPhillips (Post 3172491)
I agree that nothing should hold up aid, I just wish there was a price paid by the people that want aid for themselves, but not for others.

On another note, I don't think I've ever seen anything as tacky as the President using disaster photo ops for product placement opportunities.


Really, there is no limit to his ability to be tacky.

It's funny--you could argue that Trump is more skilled at many things than any other President in history. It's just they are ALL terrible things. Tackiness. Spite. Lying. Male Chauvinism. White Pride. And so forth.

NobodyHere 08-28-2017 04:27 PM

Be prepared for some furious tweets

Japan warns North Korea missile headed toward northern Japan

mckerney 08-28-2017 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NobodyHere (Post 3172502)


I'm waiting for the US bombing North Korea over this at the peak of the outrage of his impending mishandling of Hurricane Harvey.

So basically we'll attack North Korea because Trump says something stupid praising the size of the storm after being asked about people dying and then announces he's tying relief aid to funding for his wall.

sabotai 08-28-2017 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Rum (Post 3172467)
I fear to ask this of course (I don't really know), but were there any northeast area legislators who voted against Katrina aid?


Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (2005; 109th Congress H.R. 3673) - GovTrack.us

Passed 97-0 in Senate, 410-11 in the House. All 11 NO votes were Republicans. From the North East, just 1 from NJ (fuck that guy). 2 from Texas - Ron Paul (of course) and Joe Barton, with Joe Barton still in the House (his district is near Dallas).

Edit: That's the one that I could find news articles about. Here's the first (since that's the second): https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bil...hr3645/details

No vote roll call on that one, though.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-...l/3645/actions

That says the bill passed the House by voice vote, and unanimous in the Senate

Chief Rum 08-28-2017 04:47 PM

It seems weird to vote against aid in situations like this. Unless something stupid was tied into the bill that has nothing to do with aid, of course. I don't see much political gain and I see a huge PR loss.

Kinda like voting against babies and puppies.

ISiddiqui 08-28-2017 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sabotai (Post 3172506)
just 1 from NJ (fuck that guy).


Scott Garrett and indeed fuck that guy. But he was voted out in 2016. He's Trump's nominee to be the Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank.

kingfc22 08-28-2017 06:06 PM

There is no low for this moron (re: pardoning Arpaio):

“In the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally,” Trump said during a press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. “You know, the hurricane was just starting.”

tarcone 08-28-2017 06:12 PM

Trump laid out a bunch of criminals that Clinton and Obama pardoned. Seems they did a lot worse things then Arpaio.
Did you guys have this outrage then? Or were you just saving it for Trump?

kingfc22 08-28-2017 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone (Post 3172519)
Trump laid out a bunch of criminals that Clinton and Obama pardoned. Seems they did a lot worse things then Arpaio.
Did you guys have this outrage then? Or were you just saving it for Trump?


I forget. It's always the fault of Obama or a Clinton.

Pardoning the racist not withstanding, he admitted he purposefully did it when he did it because of ratings. I'm sorry, but I don't believe Obama or a Clinton used a natural disaster affecting millions of Americans to play to core contingent of anti-anything other than white crowd.

Atocep 08-28-2017 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone (Post 3172519)
Trump laid out a bunch of criminals that Clinton and Obama pardoned. Seems they did a lot worse things then Arpaio.
Did you guys have this outrage then? Or were you just saving it for Trump?


Trump comparing Arpaio to people he feels other administrations shouldn't have pardoned and then calling him a Patriot despite the fact that he tried to frame a teenager for his assassination to help him in the polls, failed to investigate hundreds of sexual abuse claims, covered up evidence of sexual abuse, and refused to release the death totals of his concentration camp for people that aren't even necessarily guilty (just awaiting trial) is kind of sending mixed signals.

Every president pardons people that shouldn't be pardoned. It's an abused loophole in our government. However, I can't recall a president pardoning someone so controversial this early in his presidency and then defending the piece of shit.

I understand some love the tough on borders, old west persona guy that portrayed in the media. But Arpaio is a guy responsible for who knows how many innocent people dead, sexual abuse crimes investigated, and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars wasted. Blaming the other side for their failures isn't the way you justify pardoning a disgusting human being like this.

bbgunn 08-29-2017 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone (Post 3172519)
Trump laid out a bunch of criminals that Clinton and Obama pardoned. Seems they did a lot worse things then Arpaio.
Did you guys have this outrage then? Or were you just saving it for Trump?

What did they do that was worse than what Arpaio did? (I honestly don't know off the top of my head right now, that's why I'm asking.)

In any case, Arpaio is a scumbag and should have never been pardoned. In fact, considering everything he has done, being busted for disobeying court orders sounds like getting off easy.

RainMaker 08-29-2017 12:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone (Post 3172519)
Trump laid out a bunch of criminals that Clinton and Obama pardoned. Seems they did a lot worse things then Arpaio.
Did you guys have this outrage then? Or were you just saving it for Trump?


I didn't agree with all the pardons and commutations but they've been talked about when they happened. Not sure what they have to do with the current pardon. The excuse I keep hearing is that the guy I bashed for 8 years did the same thing I'm doing.

Either way, you don't get to claim to be for law and order anymore. Or claim to defend the constitution. The pardon shows little regard for both. Just showed he was full of shit in all those speeches and his supporters suckers for thinking he meant it.

SackAttack 08-29-2017 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone (Post 3172519)
Trump laid out a bunch of criminals that Clinton and Obama pardoned. Seems they did a lot worse things then Arpaio.
Did you guys have this outrage then? Or were you just saving it for Trump?


1) Federal courts told Joe Arpaio "knock it the fuck off because the shit you're doing is unconstitutional." More than once.

2) Joe Arpaio said "lol no" and kept on keepin' on. By the way, his "detain the brown people because they're probably illegal immigrants" thing resulted, at least once, in American citizens and legal residents being swept up in his net and detained without access to legal representation. But the Fourth Amendment isn't important because it hasn't anything to do with guns, amirite?

3) Joe Arpaio was, ultimately, convicted of criminal contempt of court - which is particularly odious in this context because as a lawman (never mind as an elected lawman), his first duty is to the rule of law and the Constitution, both of which he ignored whenever they inconvenienced his wet dream of repatriating all the illegals.

4) Trump pardoned him before sentencing, and without the usual review process from the Department of Justice, because he and Joe are of a piece when it comes to Latinos. Complained that it was a witch hunt and that Joe Arpaio was convicted "of doing his job."

Which is only true if you think his job is "fuck the Constitution, arrestin' brown people is what's important."

5) Pretty sure this list got posted upthread, but just in case here's a link to a bunch of the stuff Arpaio's been accused of over the years:

PhoenixNewTimes on Twitter: "We've been covering Joe Arpaio for more than 20 years. Here's a couple of things you should know about him... 1/many"

Again, this isn't "just doing his job" unless you have a serious chubby for sticking it to non-whites. This is a guy who took malicious glee in mistreatment of people suspected of being here illegally, and that attitude clearly either filtered down to his subordinates (for whom he's responsible), or else those were just the type of people he hired because they shared similar "values" to his own.

This is the dumpster fire Trump saw as worthy of the first use of his pardon power.

You can cherry pick a pardon or a commutation from virtually any modern President as being "bad," but please don't insult my intelligence and claim that because Clinton pardoned a campaign donor, or because Obama commuted the sentence of someone convicted of stealing classified information, or because George W. Bush commuted the sentence of someone convicted of outing an undercover espionage asset as political payback, that these are somehow morally equivalent to Trump pardoning someone charged with upholding the law and the Constitution for ignoring court orders to stop violating both.

tarcone 08-29-2017 08:49 AM

Interesting NY Post commentary concerning constitution and Manning and Arpaio:

In pardoning Arpaio, Trump repeats an Obama mistake | New York Post

digamma 08-29-2017 09:16 AM

There's a technical difference there that I think is important. Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, rather than pardoning her. Trump fully pardoned Arpaio. In the Manning case, Obama still acknowledges the guilt of Manning. Trump's and Arpaio's public statements indicate they don't acknowledge Arpaio's guilt (which is, incidentally, one of the federal criteria for granting a pardon).

JPhillips 08-29-2017 09:42 AM

Manning spent years in prison before his sentence was commuted. Arpaio's pardon is specifically about making sure he isn't punished.

SackAttack 08-29-2017 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone (Post 3172634)
Interesting NY Post commentary concerning constitution and Manning and Arpaio:

In pardoning Arpaio, Trump repeats an Obama mistake | New York Post


Manning received, by far, the harshest sentence anyone convicted of violating the Espionage Act ever has.

Obama's commutation essentially acknowledged that in reducing the sentence while letting the conviction and its consequences stand (Manning will never be eligible for a security clearance again).

Arpaio is already back in court demanding that because the President pardoned him of the crime for which he was convicted, that the court should vacate the conviction entirely. That the court should give cover to his unconstitutional actions since the President already declared that he isn't gonna get punished for them.

What part of "these aren't remotely morally equivalent actions" do you and the rest of the Republican Apologists struggle with? Because I'm pretty sure at this point that the Party of Personal Accountability is anything but.

tarcone 08-29-2017 12:33 PM

Im just trying to figure out the differences of the cases. Im not apologizing for Trump. Im just going by what Im seeing and reading and trying to figure out the differences.
You guys here are very adamant that Trump screwed up. but anything Trump does, you guys jump on him. So Im trying to figure out if you have a legit beef, or you are just doing what you have done since the beginning.

I see you points and they make a lot of sense. Then I see stuff like the Post article and want to see what the differences in opinions are and why.

Im not apologizing for anyone. I want to know what is closest to the truth.

QuikSand 08-29-2017 12:44 PM

Setting all the rest aside, this fact pattern is really troubling to me:

-person in an official sworn-in capacity commits questionable acts
-courts rule that he violates the constitution in doing so, order him to stop
-he simply refuses to obey the courts
-courts declare him in contempt, their proper recourse
-executive branch official intervenes and waves off all consequences for acts and contempt

I don't think you have to be rabidly anti-Trump to think about this and find it very, very troubling for the entire concept of "rule of law." Does this effectively mean that friends of the current President are simply exempt from obeying the Constitution and any laws beneath it, full stop?

RainMaker 08-29-2017 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone (Post 3172659)
Im just trying to figure out the differences of the cases. Im not apologizing for Trump. Im just going by what Im seeing and reading and trying to figure out the differences.
You guys here are very adamant that Trump screwed up. but anything Trump does, you guys jump on him. So Im trying to figure out if you have a legit beef, or you are just doing what you have done since the beginning.

I see you points and they make a lot of sense. Then I see stuff like the Post article and want to see what the differences in opinions are and why.

Im not apologizing for anyone. I want to know what is closest to the truth.


One was a commutation, one was a pardon. I didn't agree with the commutation for what it's worth.

Kodos 08-29-2017 01:13 PM

Seems like we'd be better off removing this power from Presidents.

RainMaker 08-29-2017 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kodos (Post 3172664)
Seems like we'd be better off removing this power from Presidents.


Checks and balances. It's been abused on occasion but it's also a tool to keep a check on the judicial branch.

RainMaker 08-29-2017 01:18 PM

And remarkably there is a tweet for this occasion too. Good lord he tweeted a lot. Hasn't been occasion yet that you can't find a relevant tweet.



tarcone 08-29-2017 01:26 PM

Seems to me the whole check and balance aspect is getting abused by all 3 branches.

panerd 08-29-2017 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuikSand (Post 3172660)
Setting all the rest aside, this fact pattern is really troubling to me:

-person in an official sworn-in capacity commits questionable acts
-courts rule that he violates the constitution in doing so, order him to stop
-he simply refuses to obey the courts
-courts declare him in contempt, their proper recourse
-executive branch official intervenes and waves off all consequences for acts and contempt

I don't think you have to be rabidly anti-Trump to think about this and find it very, very troubling for the entire concept of "rule of law." Does this effectively mean that friends of the current President are simply exempt from obeying the Constitution and any laws beneath it, full stop?


Have to agree with you up until the last sentence. If I'm not mistaken you live in or around Washington DC. You know the answer to your question regardless of if it's Trump, Obama, Bush, Kennedy... George Washington right?

larrymcg421 08-29-2017 01:44 PM

Predictable.

BishopMVP 08-29-2017 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SackAttack (Post 3172596)
You can cherry pick a pardon or a commutation from virtually any modern President as being "bad," but please don't insult my intelligence and claim that because Clinton pardoned a campaign donor, or because Obama commuted the sentence of someone convicted of stealing classified information, or because George W. Bush commuted the sentence of someone convicted of outing an undercover espionage asset as political payback, that these are somehow morally equivalent to Trump pardoning someone charged with upholding the law and the Constitution for ignoring court orders to stop violating both.

All of these pardons suck, but the middle two are treason so idk where moral equivalency needs to come into the picture. I'd also point to Clinton's pardons of Puerto Rican terrorists before Rich, though that one was obviously shady for how it happened. But arguing about which pardon was slightly worse than other terrible pardons is missing the point. It'd be like arguing Vontaze Burfict shouldn't be suspended for a dirty hit because other players make dirty hits too.

(Btw, guess who investigated Clinton's pardon of Rich & found no wrongdoing? James Comey. Time is a flat circle.)

Kodos 08-29-2017 02:25 PM

Maybe the executive branch check on the judiciary should be checked by needing approval from congress. :)

RainMaker 08-29-2017 03:31 PM

Arpaio was a really bad guy. One of the most despicable people to hold some semblance of power in this country. He actually got off incredibly easy in the first place if you look through what he did. Decades of violating others constitutional rights. Torturing of inmates. Destroying evidence. Imprisoning reporters. Hiring people to target enemies (he hired a PI to go after the Judge's family in that case). Ignoring sexual assault cases that included children. Even if the people in that county didn't care about that stuff, they should care about him costing them millions upon millions of taxpayer dollars in lawsuits.

The only reason I can think of that someone would still support Arpaio is for his racist beliefs. He is certainly no conservative. And he was a shitty law enforcement official.

Also the Judge that Arpaio went after and called liberal is one of the most conservative judges in the country. Is a huge fan of Scalia.

SirFozzie 08-29-2017 07:20 PM

So, now you have the Defense Secretary saying "Don't mind what the President says, you guys can continue to serve for now" to transgender soldiers. Trump Twitter Tantrum incoming?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...udy/614711001/

JPhillips 08-29-2017 07:50 PM

As much as I hate Trump's poorly thought out transgender policy, it's a real problem when cabinet secretaries start ignoring the president's express wishes.

Groundhog 08-29-2017 07:55 PM

The real point should probably be whether Trump's wishes are legally binding. Does he have the authority to dictate something like that? I have no idea.

Thomkal 08-29-2017 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groundhog (Post 3172737)
The real point should probably be whether Trump's wishes are legally binding. Does he have the authority to dictate something like that? I have no idea.


There's two lawsuits already that should decide that.

JPhillips 08-29-2017 08:17 PM

Trump shouldn't make policy in the slapdash manner he does, but he has the authority to make the policy in this instance. If he doesn't the courts will decide. A former general deciding to ignore the president is really bad precedent.

Atocep 08-29-2017 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groundhog (Post 3172737)
The real point should probably be whether Trump's wishes are legally binding. Does he have the authority to dictate something like that? I have no idea.


He's the top of the military's chain of command so he does have the authority to implement policy. The question would be if it's constitutional and whether he can show it, in some way, is a detriment to military readiness.

Mattis not implementing it immediately isn't a big concern IMO. Mattis is basically saying instead of creating a clusterfuck by following the president's wishes immediately, lets allow this study to complete and take the best course of action to implement his policy.

Immediately discharging all transgender soldiers would cause a ton of problems and would be a danger to military readiness. That gives him the authority to make this call and is why he was put in the position he's in. If Trump doesn't like the calls he's making he can replace him.

digamma 08-29-2017 08:47 PM

I think this is a non-story, but I can't quite tell because both the Trump directive and the articles about Mattis's action are pretty poorly written.

As I read the Trump directive, Mattis had until February 21, 2018 to put together a plan to implement the transgender ban, and until then the current policy of allowing transgender individuals to serve would continue. The really confusing part is that the current policy (allowing transgender service) is directed to be revoked unless and until the SecDef makes a recommendation that the President accepts there would be adverse effects from transgender soldiers continuing to serve.

I think all Mattis said today was that there would be no change until a study is completed. There wasn't going to be a change until February anyway, so the real rubber will meet the road if Mattis refuses to put forward a plan at that time. So for today, Mattis just did what the Presidential directive already said: continued to allow transgender soldiers for the time being. And who knows where we'll be then...

QuikSand 08-30-2017 11:25 AM

You can't make this stuff up.

Former DeVry official hired to run Education Dept. enforcement unit: report | TheHill

digamma 08-30-2017 11:37 AM

Drain the...oh nevermind.

NobodyHere 08-30-2017 11:42 AM

Will somebody please punch Ted Cruz in the face?

K, thx

larrymcg421 08-30-2017 12:35 PM

PredictIt just opened a market for the 2020 Dem primaries...

Sanders - .19
Warren - .19
Harris - .16
Biden - .15
Booker - .13
Kaine - .06
Gillibrand - .05
Cuomo - .04
Klobuchar - .04
Zuckerberg - .03

Booker seems low. Sanders and Warren too high. Fuck Cuomo.

Thomkal 08-30-2017 01:15 PM

Televangelist Jim Bakker: Christians will start a civil war if Trump is impeached | TheHill

Thomkal 08-30-2017 01:16 PM

Before Hurricane Harvey, Trump canceled coastal flood protections | TheHill

PilotMan 08-30-2017 01:42 PM


Along that same line and closer to home for me:

KY Governor: Charlottesville Happened Because We Took the Bible Out of Schools – Friendly Atheist

Quote:

Bevin linked the removal of religious education in public schools to the efforts to take down Confederate monuments, saying that taking the Bible out of schools is also a “dangerous” attempt to “scrub history” because “when you go back a couple of hundred years, in most instances the only textbooks that were in our public schools were the Bible.”
“And it’s interesting,” he added, referring to the discussion of Charlottesville, “the more we’ve removed any sense of spiritual obligation or moral higher authority or absolute right and wrong, the more we’ve removed things that are biblically taught from society, the more we’ve seen the kind of mayhem that we were just discussing.


He's pretty much mini-Trump in KY. Or as I call him, Dear Leader. The funny thing is, I think he's only on this religious march, because he knows it plays well here. His big effort to fight crime in bad areas of Louisville was to send people to the street corners to pray for people.

Thomkal 08-30-2017 02:12 PM

I'm surprised Bevin doesn't have a job in the Trump admin yet-he would seem to be a perfect fit. And don't let anything like the separation of church and state get in the way of your preaching governor.

BYU 14 08-30-2017 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PilotMan (Post 3172851)
His big effort to fight crime in bad areas of Louisville was to send people to the street corners to pray for people.


How is that working out for the crime rate?

Thomkal 08-30-2017 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BYU 14 (Post 3172865)
How is that working out for the crime rate?


they were too busy dodging bullets to have the time to pray.

JPhillips 08-30-2017 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PilotMan (Post 3172851)
Along that same line and closer to home for me:

KY Governor: Charlottesville Happened Because We Took the Bible Out of Schools – Friendly Atheist



He's pretty much mini-Trump in KY. Or as I call him, Dear Leader. The funny thing is, I think he's only on this religious march, because he knows it plays well here. His big effort to fight crime in bad areas of Louisville was to send people to the street corners to pray for people.


If only there was a way to check and see if the Klan was prevalent while school prayer was allowed.

larrymcg421 08-30-2017 04:45 PM

We didn't take the bible out of schools. We didn't take prayer out of schools. Anyone making such an argument is either lying or ignorant.

MrBug708 08-30-2017 04:58 PM


Jim Bakker Warns That All Six Of His Followers Will Start Civil War If Trump Impeached

EagleFan 08-30-2017 05:43 PM


So they will rise up if the anti-christ is impeached?

RainMaker 08-30-2017 06:37 PM


Must stand by the thrice married philanderer. Not hypocrites at all.

Thomkal 08-30-2017 07:10 PM


That's a funny link. You wouldn't think he'd have many followers left after what he's done, but that whole forgiveness thing and all...

Thomkal 08-30-2017 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EagleFan (Post 3172907)
So they will rise up if the anti-christ is impeached?


Yeah I think that's what so funny/ironic/sad about the whole thing. If Trump had been running as a D instead of an R, that's exactly what they would have called him. All these preachers who praised him would have villified him-and they never would have voted for him.

RainMaker 08-30-2017 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymcg421 (Post 3172824)
PredictIt just opened a market for the 2020 Dem primaries...

Sanders - .19
Warren - .19
Harris - .16
Biden - .15
Booker - .13
Kaine - .06
Gillibrand - .05
Cuomo - .04
Klobuchar - .04
Zuckerberg - .03

Booker seems low. Sanders and Warren too high. Fuck Cuomo.


I think Biden would be great if he was 4 years younger. Not a fan of Warren or Harris. I'd probably be for Kaine but he seems like a giant charisma vacuum.

Zuckerberg is really interesting to me. I think he's a smart guy who'd surround himself with smart people. Feels like he'd be a bit of a centrist. Has some skeletons and would be tough to appeal to the general population, but I like that he's young.

Maybe I'm in the minority and maybe it's ageist, but I feel like we should be looking for younger candidates. It's a stressful job, the mind starts to go as we get older, and it requires a ton of energy. I know there are plenty of people who can handle it but maybe we shouldn't be looking in that direction.

Groundhog 08-30-2017 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RainMaker (Post 3172921)
Maybe I'm in the minority and maybe it's ageist, but I feel like we should be looking for younger candidates. It's a stressful job, the mind starts to go as we get older, and it requires a ton of energy. I know there are plenty of people who can handle it but maybe we shouldn't be looking in that direction.


Younger people might be more inclined to give a shit about the not-so-distant future too, policy-wise.

JPhillips 08-30-2017 08:12 PM

Please no Zuckerberg.

tarcone 08-30-2017 08:32 PM

I dont think Sanders or Warren are the answers. Unless a loss it was the dems are shooting for.

Those 2 get the same voter turn out for Trump as the last election.

Surely they have someone young and charismatic like B Clinton or Obama.

larrymcg421 08-30-2017 08:33 PM

No Zuckerberg or Cuban. We don't need our own Trump. Also, fuck Cuomo.

JPhillips 08-30-2017 09:01 PM

I honestly thought all the Obama/Katrina stuff was the work of trolls or bots. I really didn't think anyone could actually make that argument with a straight face, but then a high school friend posted this is a Facebook thread:

Quote:

No they actually care, and unlike the last ones who were so busy on lavish vacation that they had to be pulled to actually make an appearance in Louisiana in the last catastrophe

PilotMan 08-30-2017 09:04 PM

I think it's clear that 'cult of personality' has done well in any regard. Obama had it, Trump has it, it's a new winning methodology. Who else?

Strong personalities, and leaders on the left would most likely do well, regardless of their political experience or motivations. People who can connect, ala Sanders, or Zuck or Cuban, hell, even the Rock could be a viable candidate. Doesn't mean they'd make good Presidents, but they could go deep. The playing field has changed. If they fail to recognize that they are set to lose again.

SackAttack 08-30-2017 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymcg421 (Post 3172824)
PredictIt just opened a market for the 2020 Dem primaries...

Sanders - .19
Warren - .19
Harris - .16
Biden - .15
Booker - .13
Kaine - .06
Gillibrand - .05
Cuomo - .04
Klobuchar - .04
Zuckerberg - .03

Booker seems low. Sanders and Warren too high. Fuck Cuomo.


I like Biden. Too old by the time 2020 rolls around.

Sanders/Warren will have the age thing as well, but they also violate my "ideologues in the Senate, moderates on the ticket" rule for how you Get Shit Done (tm). Politically speaking, you want someone in the White House who'll sign what you send him/her, but you want your firebrand ideologues in Congress where they can shape that legislation. In reverse, you wind up with a central polarizing figure and a Congress that isn't all that attached to your policy goals. Warren and Sanders might excite the base but they'd be polarizing enough that it's a legit question whether they'd attract the middle.

Kamala Harris and Cory Booker might be able to reactivate the Obama coalition, but you can bet the GOP would hang the 'freshman Senator' label around their necks, remind everybody how little Senatorial experience Obama had when he ran for President and generally scaremonger about "another racial minority feeling entitled to the Presidency without putting in the work," or a dog whistle to that effect.

Kaine is probably bland enough to fit the 'personable moderate who's friendly to your party's legislation' mold.

Gillibrand and Klobuchar are both young enough, female enough, and liberal enough to get the base excited. I don't know enough about either to know whether they can attract moderates/independents.

As far as celebrity longshots go I think you probably need a certain bombasticism to make that work. Dwayne Johnson is charismatic enough, telegenic enough, and has the name recognition to do that, I think. Not sure there are any other left-of-center celebs mulling a run who have that mix. Zuckerberg's got the young, rich, technocrat thing going for him but I don't know if that translates into "can generate enough excitement to win the nomination."

RainMaker 08-30-2017 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymcg421 (Post 3172931)
No Zuckerberg or Cuban. We don't need our own Trump. Also, fuck Cuomo.


Why not? I'm about putting the smartest people in power. Whether they're Democrat or Republican. I think Zuckerberg and Cuban are smart. Trump is not.

larrymcg421 08-30-2017 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RainMaker (Post 3172953)
Why not? I'm about putting the smartest people in power. Whether they're Democrat or Republican. I think Zuckerberg and Cuban are smart. Trump is not.


I don't think business success necessarily translates to political skill. Zuckerberg especially seems like he'd be a terrible politician.

jeff061 08-30-2017 11:51 PM

Zuckerberg has the charisma and personality of a wet towel, he wouldn't get far.

albionmoonlight 08-31-2017 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymcg421 (Post 3172824)
PredictIt just opened a market for the 2020 Dem primaries...

Sanders - .19
Warren - .19
Harris - .16
Biden - .15
Booker - .13
Kaine - .06
Gillibrand - .05
Cuomo - .04
Klobuchar - .04
Zuckerberg - .03

Booker seems low. Sanders and Warren too high. Fuck Cuomo.


I bought some Kaine. Don't know if he'll win the nomination, but he seems like he's going to have his generic white guy moment in the sun and bump up into the top tier at some point.

albionmoonlight 08-31-2017 07:56 AM

Trump pardoned Arpaio. He did this for three reasons. First, he wanted to. Trump does not seem to have a large core of political beliefs, but whatever that core is, Arpaio embodies it. Second, it was an easy way to strengthen support with GOP voters. Finally, he wanted to send the message that his pardon power is politically unchecked. He pardoned Arpaio, and the GOP leaders in Congress nodded along and said "Great Job, Dear Leader!"

This sends the message to anyone involved in Russian shenanigans, "Hey, don't cut any deals for immunity. I'll pardon everyone at the end anyway, so you can get out of this without admitting any guilt."

Tactically, it was a smart move.

Which is why Mueller's counter move is so potentially powerful:




I would love to be the fly on the wall when someone has to explain to Trump that he can't pardon anyone for state crimes.

Also, I don't think that I'll be playing chess against Robert Mueller anytime soon.

Kodos 08-31-2017 08:24 AM

Yep. LOVE this move by Mueller.

SackAttack 08-31-2017 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight (Post 3172975)
Trump pardoned Arpaio. He did this for three reasons. First, he wanted to. Trump does not seem to have a large core of political beliefs, but whatever that core is, Arpaio embodies it. Second, it was an easy way to strengthen support with GOP voters. Finally, he wanted to send the message that his pardon power is politically unchecked. He pardoned Arpaio, and the GOP leaders in Congress nodded along and said "Great Job, Dear Leader!"


They didn't say "Great Job, Dear Leader," though. Several Republicans have been public in saying "whoa hey no this should not have happened." Some have been more mealy-mouthed, like "I wouldn't have done this but yeah he has the right to do it," but virtually nobody has been like "woo Arpaio pardon party go!"

Quote:

This sends the message to anyone involved in Russian shenanigans, "Hey, don't cut any deals for immunity. I'll pardon everyone at the end anyway, so you can get out of this without admitting any guilt."

'Cept that isn't how pardons work. Burdick says that the issuance of a pardon carries with it the imputation of guilt, and accepting the pardon carries with it an "acceptance" of guilt.

A more accurate statement would be "I'll pardon everyone at the end anyway so there won't be any consequences for you."

Quote:

Tactically, it was a smart move.

Which is why Mueller's counter move is so potentially powerful:




I would love to be the fly on the wall when someone has to explain to Trump that he can't pardon anyone for state crimes.

Also, I don't think that I'll be playing chess against Robert Mueller anytime soon.

I'm not sure I agree that it was a tactically sound move, because it has the effect of ratcheting up the heat with Mueller's counter.

And if, say, the President is suddenly facing impeachment (ha ha ha that'll happen but bear with me) the Supreme Court could, in theory, rule that the impeachment exception to the pardon power applies not just to prohibiting the President from pardoning people who have been impeached, but from pardoning people who might otherwise have a material effect on his or her own impeachment proceedings (again, ha ha ha that'll happen but bear with me).

So if that's the trump card up his sleeve (pun absolutely intended), timing could matter on when he plays it.

SirFozzie 08-31-2017 10:32 AM

"Oh my god. It's the most rain ever! It's a disaster quite possibly worse than Katrina! What are we going to do?"

"Take a billion from the disaster relief fund put it towards a useless wall!"

Seriously, the optics on this are something out of Snively Whiplash

President Donald Trump is promising billions to help Texas rebuild from Hurricane Harvey, but his Republican allies in the House are looking at cutting almost $1 billion from disaster accounts to help finance the president’s border wall.

The pending reduction to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief account is part of a spending bill that the House is scheduled to consider next week when Congress returns from its August recess. The $876 million cut, part of the 1,305-page measure’s homeland security section, pays for roughly half the cost of Trump’s down payment on a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

It seems sure that GOP leaders will move to reverse the disaster aid cut next week. The optics are politically bad and there’s only $2.3 billion remaining in disaster coffers.


https://www.apnews.com/83e6782d48e04...um=AP_Politics

digamma 08-31-2017 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight (Post 3172972)
I bought some Kaine. Don't know if he'll win the nomination, but he seems like he's going to have his generic white guy moment in the sun and bump up into the top tier at some point.


I personally really like Kaine, but I'd offer you a gentleman's wager he doesn't ever get to the top tier. I think the VP debate and his general absence from that campaign showed him as fairly weak nationally, and I just don't see him gaining much traction.

Thomkal 08-31-2017 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by digamma (Post 3173006)
I personally really like Kaine, but I'd offer you a gentleman's wager he doesn't ever get to the top tier. I think the VP debate and his general absence from that campaign showed him as fairly weak nationally, and I just don't see him gaining much traction.


I think he will have too much Clinton stigma attached to ever make him a serious candidate again.

whomario 08-31-2017 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirFozzie (Post 3173003)
"Oh my god. It's the most rain ever! It's a disaster quite possibly worse than Katrina! What are we going to do?"

"Take a billion from the disaster relief fund put it towards a useless wall!"

Seriously, the optics on this are something out of Snively Whiplash

President Donald Trump is promising billions to help Texas rebuild from Hurricane Harvey, but his Republican allies in the House are looking at cutting almost $1 billion from disaster accounts to help finance the president’s border wall.

The pending reduction to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief account is part of a spending bill that the House is scheduled to consider next week when Congress returns from its August recess. The $876 million cut, part of the 1,305-page measure’s homeland security section, pays for roughly half the cost of Trump’s down payment on a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

It seems sure that GOP leaders will move to reverse the disaster aid cut next week. The optics are politically bad and there’s only $2.3 billion remaining in disaster coffers.


https://www.apnews.com/83e6782d48e04...um=AP_Politics


Gotta save money to loose money. Wait, that's not how that one goes ... Coincidentily this may be the one chance for the battle against man-made climate change, appeal to people on an economical level: Spend money now to save a lot more money to clean up the mess later.

larrymcg421 08-31-2017 01:01 PM

I'm all in on Booker. I think he's the best all around candidate the Dems have. I could be sold on Gillibrand, Klobuchar, and maybe Harris. But above all else, fuck Cuomo.

ISiddiqui 08-31-2017 01:23 PM

I mean, I like Booker, but he's kind of Obama 2.0, right? It's going to be difficult to get the nomination, when you have this faction of Democrats who are going off the deep left end and aren't going to like how cozy Booker is to Wall Street. Booker does have charisma though.

Kodos 08-31-2017 01:29 PM

Hopefully the Bernie crowd will realize an imperfect candidate is better than the utter disaster candidate next time.

larrymcg421 08-31-2017 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3173045)
I mean, I like Booker, but he's kind of Obama 2.0, right? It's going to be difficult to get the nomination, when you have this faction of Democrats who are going off the deep left end and aren't going to like how cozy Booker is to Wall Street. Booker does have charisma though.


Last election proved the Bernie coalition isn't enough, even when they have the perfect candidate to run their message against. And I think his charisma can help overcome some of those concerns as well.

stevew 08-31-2017 01:54 PM

Gabbard can't even get .01?

ISiddiqui 08-31-2017 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymcg421 (Post 3173057)
Last election proved the Bernie coalition isn't enough, even when they have the perfect candidate to run their message against. And I think his charisma can help overcome some of those concerns as well.


If it's 1 on 1, yeah, the Bernie folks don't have enough, but if you have a whole host of candidates, that's when the craziness can occur (ask the GOP). So, in essense, Booker needs to work on getting some of the suggested candidates back him before the primaries start, so it's just like him vs. Harris and Gillibrand (who is so physically resemblent of Clinton, she'll likely get no votes just on that basis) or something.

albionmoonlight 08-31-2017 02:01 PM

I think that it is silly to criticize a President for immediate tele-optics after a disaster. As much as I dislike Trump, he's no better or worse because he went to Texas and didn't get his people to find a displaced family for him to hug.

That said, people did jump on him for going to Texas and not "meeting the victims."

And, then, wouldn't you know it? Look what VP Pence is doing? Make sure to get his good side, OK? The man looks positively G.W. Bush-like there in Texas in his boots and jeans.




If you ask Pence about Trump leaving before his term expires, he will get indignant at you even asking the question and indicate that he remains 100% behind the President.

Because, really, what else is he going to say?

larrymcg421 08-31-2017 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevew (Post 3173066)
Gabbard can't even get .01?


She's not worth .000001

I would vote for Manchin over her.

JPhillips 08-31-2017 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymcg421 (Post 3173079)
She's not worth .000001

I would vote for Manchin over her.


Absolutely.

RainMaker 08-31-2017 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight (Post 3172975)
Trump pardoned Arpaio. He did this for three reasons. First, he wanted to. Trump does not seem to have a large core of political beliefs, but whatever that core is, Arpaio embodies it. Second, it was an easy way to strengthen support with GOP voters. Finally, he wanted to send the message that his pardon power is politically unchecked. He pardoned Arpaio, and the GOP leaders in Congress nodded along and said "Great Job, Dear Leader!"

This sends the message to anyone involved in Russian shenanigans, "Hey, don't cut any deals for immunity. I'll pardon everyone at the end anyway, so you can get out of this without admitting any guilt."

Tactically, it was a smart move.

Which is why Mueller's counter move is so potentially powerful:




I would love to be the fly on the wall when someone has to explain to Trump that he can't pardon anyone for state crimes.

Also, I don't think that I'll be playing chess against Robert Mueller anytime soon.


I don't know how any of this plays out but Manafort always seemed like the scummiest of the bunch and had a lot of shady people in his pockets.

My guess is Manafort and Flynn get brought up on some kind of charges. Maybe a couple lesser known people as well. They get pardoned on the federal charges.

NobodyHere 08-31-2017 08:46 PM

Bernie Sanders — We Shall Overcome (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube

Bernie Sanders once recorded a folk album.

I just wanted everyone to remember that.

Edward64 08-31-2017 09:18 PM

I get its not as easy as Trump said it would be and Mexico is certainly not paying for it (and Winter has already come!) but I'm glad to see any progress with the wall.

Trump Wall Moves Forward With Firms Tapped for Designs - NBC News
Quote:

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security took a critical step Thursday toward building the wall promised by President Donald Trump along the U.S. southern border.

Officials of Customs and Border Protection announced they've awarded contracts to four companies that will build different prototypes — individual examples of what the wall should look like. Once those sections are evaluated, the government will decide which design is best for building hundreds of miles of new barrier along the border with Mexico.

The four companies each proposed concrete walls. DHS expects to announce contracts for four non-concrete wall prototypes next week.

The announced Thursday are: Caddell Construction of Montgomery, Ala.; Fisher Industries of Tempe, Ariz.; Texas Sterling Construction Co., of Houston, Texas; and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction of Philadelphia, Pa.

"This is the first new initiative that adds to our bigger plans," said Ronald Vitiello, acting deputy commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The prototypes will be 30 feet long and up to 30 feet high. Construction of the prototypes is expected to begin in the coming weeks, and the review process will take between 30 and 60 days, Vitiello said
:
:
Each of the contracts is between $400,000 to $500,000 and is included in the 2017 budget. Funding beyond that is expected to be a partisan battle when Congress returns next week.

BishopMVP 08-31-2017 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui (Post 3173045)
I mean, I like Booker, but he's kind of Obama 2.0, right? It's going to be difficult to get the nomination, when you have this faction of Democrats who are going off the deep left end and aren't going to like how cozy Booker is to Wall Street. Booker does have charisma though.

With the shift in the electorate & the very expanded nomination process/campaign schedule, charisma & energy are the two most important things.
Quote:

Originally Posted by larrymcg421 (Post 3172824)
PredictIt just opened a market for the 2020 Dem primaries...

Sanders - .19
Warren - .19
Harris - .16
Biden - .15
Booker - .13
Kaine - .06
Gillibrand - .05
Cuomo - .04
Klobuchar - .04
Zuckerberg - .03

Booker seems low. Sanders and Warren too high. Fuck Cuomo.

That said, even while I've been advocating for Booker for awhile, 3 years is an awfully long time for something to happen (remember how Giuliani looked like a lock at times?), so I'm not sure .13 is too low a price for him. I definitely agree .19 is too high for others, Warren in particular. I assume there's no Field option in this one, and I think Cuban would have a better chance as celeb du jour than Zuckerberg.
Quote:

Originally Posted by NobodyHere (Post 3173139)
Bernie Sanders — We Shall Overcome (OFFICIAL VIDEO) - YouTube

Bernie Sanders once recorded a folk album.

I just wanted everyone to remember that.

Better than Jill Stein's.

Jas_lov 08-31-2017 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edward64 (Post 3173147)
I get its not as easy as Trump said it would be and Mexico is certainly not paying for it (and Winter has already come!) but I'm glad to see any progress with the wall.

Trump Wall Moves Forward With Firms Tapped for Designs - NBC News


Wall probably won't do much if it even gets funding. And it just opens the door for a Dem to run on tearing the whole thing down in 2020.

JPhillips 08-31-2017 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BishopMVP (Post 3173148)
Better than Jill Stein's.


To really appreciate it, you need to listen to the original Russian version.

Chief Rum 08-31-2017 09:55 PM

Booker is so charismatic, even I like him.


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