The Trump Presidency – 2016

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Nearly every one of those could be answered by saying "it helps corporate bottom lines" abortion being the exception.

At some point people have to realize that the Republican party as it currently stands isn't for people with household incomes under $250k right?

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

At least ISIS is honest about their intentions to destroy society and/or nations.
Democrats simply lie about it (or are delusional, which isn't exactly an upgrade).

Well, Hell... Republicans are just ISIS in training.

[Groundhog]

Is ISIS the new 'Hitler'?

[panerd]

Heh...

Logan Dobson on Twitter: "I'd like to think someone just woke up from a 15-year coma and the first thing they saw was this tweet https://t.co/8kMtV6z7fG"

Jake Sherman on Twitter: "NEW YORK (AP) - CNN has cut ties with Kathy Griffin after video depicting her holding President Donald Trump's severed head."

[Thomkal]

Trump pulls out of the Paris Climate Accords because its not a deal good enough for the US. Meanwhile in Antarctica just today:

Giant iceberg poised to snap off from Antarctica: scientists

[NobodyHere]

I was never enthusiastic about the US having to give billions of dollars to 3rd world countries who would probably embezzle half the dough anyways. I'd rather have that money spent here and have the embezzled money spent in the local economy.

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Trump pulls out of the Paris Climate Accords because its not a deal good enough for the US. Meanwhile in Antarctica just today:

Giant iceberg poised to snap off from Antarctica: scientists

God will take care of it.

[Easy Mac]

I feel like we've reached peak anti-intellectualism. The people who don't believe scientists, who studied their field for years, are the same people who hand over their money to mega church preachers, who have as much Divinity training as I do.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

I feel like we've reached peak anti-intellectualism. The people who don't believe scientists, who studied their field for years, are the same people who hand over their money to mega church preachers, who have as much Divinity training as I do.

It's a shame that we're at a point in time where nearly anyone can find out anything they want about absolutely anything with a few clicks of a mouse, and yet the perfect counter has already been thought up - just flood the internet with catchy, usually completely false, headline popping shit that preys on people's fear while also serving someone's agenda and it will drown out the facts.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Trump pulls out of the Paris Climate Accords because its not a deal good enough for the US. Meanwhile in Antarctica just today:

Giant iceberg poised to snap off from Antarctica: scientists

Don't sweat it, I'm sure the guy that blocked a bill a few months ago to continue to allow mining companies to dump waste into streams knows what he's doing.

[Edward64]

I heard part of Trump's speech live on the radio as I was driving around. I actually thought he did a great job of spelling out why he was pulling the US out of the accords.

But in the back of my mind, I was thinking, how many of these facts are wrong or out of context.

Looking forward to the analysis and rebuttals that are sure to come over the next couple days.

[Edward64]

Also looking forward to Comey testifying next week.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Also looking forward to Comey testifying next week.

Me too, but, I have this tiny bit of a nagging feeling in the back of my mind it's going to go like the Rachel Madow tax returns episode went. I hope it doesn't. I hope Comey's testimony carpet bombs this administration into the stone age, but, the pessimist in me is expecting a dud.

[Radii]

James Comey's fake Russian document handling baffles former officials - Business Insider

This story is going to guarantee the entire thing turns into partisan bickering over whether he is to be believed or not with no progress. The far right will say that nothing he says can be trusted, the far left will take every word as incontrovertible evidence that impeachment hearings should begin immediately, and we'll be in the same place we are now.

[JPhillips]

But we're now past whether or not belief really matters. Meuller will either deliver indictments or he won't, and that will be all that matters. Now that this is a criminal investigation, anything short of criminal activity will be cast as exoneration.

[kingfc22]

Rick Santorum, "Sad to be criticized by the left for something as obvious as solar (clouds & darkness) and wind (calm winds) are not reliable or consistent."

And I thought Trump was a fucking idiot.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Rick Santorum, "Sad to be criticized by the left for something as obvious as solar (clouds & darkness) and wind (calm winds) are not reliable or consistent."

And I thought Trump was a fucking idiot.

Well, we do have a total solar eclipse every 375 years give or take, so there is that. That makes Rick a cautious fucking idiot....

[BYU 14]

Dola, the comments on his twitter feed responding to that are priceless, I'll be laughing for the next 30 minutes...

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I heard part of Trump's speech live on the radio as I was driving around. I actually thought he did a great job of spelling out why he was pulling the US out of the accords.

I'm personally interested in how he's going to 'renegotiate' an accord which was wholly voluntary and the choice of the US ... if its self selected then obviously negotiations are basically talking to yourself? ...

Still its great to see the US aligning with Syria against such a serious threat

[AlexB]

Donald Trump: “At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us as a country?”

Even leaders of other countries are way ahead of you there Donald...
Nordic Leaders Troll Donald Trump With Their Version Of The Orb Pic

Newspapers on the decison?
https://www.thelocal.de/20170602/ear...act-withdrawal

[JPhillips]

Yeah, they aren't laughing at us, they're laughing at you.

[PilotMan]

You know, I sometimes imagine this is all one big game of EU4, and this particular move just ends up as one of those moves, where like 3 turns later, you're thinking about the fucking mess you just got yourself into, and wondering why you didn't save before you did it.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I heard part of Trump's speech live on the radio as I was driving around. I actually thought he did a great job of spelling out why he was pulling the US out of the accords.

But in the back of my mind, I was thinking, how many of these facts are wrong or out of context.

Looking forward to the analysis and rebuttals that are sure to come over the next couple days.

Almost all of them ... What else would you expect ? The guy thinks climate change is an invention by china to hinder the US.

https://news.vice.com/story/trump-wr...e-change-paris

(sorry, couldn't find a "big media" outlet quickly. But the facts/issues i am familiar with are spot on here ...)

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Well, we do have a total solar eclipse every 375 years give or take, so there is that. That makes Rick a cautious fucking idiot....

I'm not defending Santorum or his statement, but current solar tech is much more dependent on cloud cover than than your post implies.

It's also a net negative environmental impact, but if we can change pv cell composition one day we can change that.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I'm not defending Santorum or his statement, but current solar tech is much more dependent on cloud cover than than your post implies..

It does affect the efficiency but doesn't stop production at all - if it did I expect you wouldn't see so many solar farms in the UK.

4m homes in the UK will be powered purely by solar by 2020 .. Solar power in the United Kingdom - Wikipedia

[JPhillips]

I still think May will win, but polls in England are swinging hard to Corbyn. That Tory manifesto was an incredible self-inflicted wound.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I still think May will win, but polls in England are swinging hard to Corbyn. That Tory manifesto was an incredible self-inflicted wound.

I would love to see England vote away from the Conservatives but unfortunately I doubt it will happen, the situation there is much the same as here - the less right wing parties will split the vote between them and the Tories will get in I expect.

(which is a huge shame for the country as a whole - especially as the other parties have a huge amount of commonality in the main)

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

I'm not defending Santorum or his statement, but current solar tech is much more dependent on cloud cover than than your post implies.

It's also a net negative environmental impact, but if we can change pv cell composition one day we can change that.

Do you really think he was going this deep? I know Solar efficiency is about the heat on the panels as much as actual clear, sunny skies, so light without excessive heat is preferred. But for him to basically dismiss it as a viable alternative is foolish and short sighted IMO.

[PilotMan]

Was watching Charlie Rose early this morning and he had a former Intelligence director on there. He was talking about the middle east and the biggest threat right now that isn't really being talked about, and that's what happens as Syria gets tighter and tighter.

He mentioned that the US took out some Syrian fighters recently because they got too close to a training area for US fighters and allies. That Russia recently attacked US allies that got too close to their staging areas. This is going to continue to escalate and there's really no plan for what the next phase is.

It really has the seeds for something much bigger when its US and allies v. Russia/Syria assuming that the big battle Raqqa ends without any sort of plan, what's the next step, because this is how real wars start.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

It really has the seeds for something much bigger when its US and allies v. Russia/Syria assuming that the big battle Raqqa ends without any sort of plan, what's the next step, because this is how real wars start.

Has the real war ever really ended? It would be interesting to be able to read a history book written 200 years from now to describe the last 100+ years of history in that region. A century of shitty wars, rebellions, terrorist attacks, massacres, etc. all stemming largely from the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the actions taken by the Western powers following/during that fall.

[Jas_lov]

This morning's tweets wont help his travel ban case before SCOTUS.

[Groundhog]

POTUS saying courts are too "political". OK.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Has the real war ever really ended? It would be interesting to be able to read a history book written 200 years from now to describe the last 100+ years of history in that region. A century of shitty wars, rebellions, terrorist attacks, massacres, etc. all stemming largely from the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the actions taken by the Western powers following/during that fall.

Has the region ever not been at war? I would say there has been conflict for the entire history of man.

[Ben E Lou]

There's another mass shooting in ORL. Meanwhile, the President Of The United States is hate-Tweeting about the mayor of London, England. Great optics!

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

There's another mass shooting in ORL. Meanwhile, the President Of The United States is hate-Tweeting about the mayor of London, England. Great optics!

If there's ever been a case for the white house to take away his Twitter privileges it's been over the last 24 hours.

[JPhillips]

This Qatar thing is crazy. The Saudis, and others, have closed borders with Qatar. The same Qatar that hosts a massive U.S. military base.

[tarcone]

This is turning biblical real quick

[whomario]

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Great optics!

For supporters at least, it ain't half bad.

For the rest, honestly, I'm not sure Trump gives two shits what they think. (2/3rds of one maybe, but not two full ones). Which, conveniently, also fits pretty well with his supporters feelings.

[digamma]

Yeah, great optics. We'll keep letting our own die while building up a boogie man of another color. America first, after all.

[PilotMan]

Honestly stolen from the comments section at Deadspin.

You know how every president ages like shit during their term? This is going to be the administration where we all age like shit.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Has the region ever not been at war? I would say there has been conflict for the entire history of man.

Huh? There was a long period during Ottoman rule where the Middle East was relatively at peace. The warfare involving the Ottoman Empire from the mid-1500s to the 1800s involved the parts of the Empire in Europe or bordering Russia.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

There's another mass shooting in ORL. Meanwhile, the President Of The United States is hate-Tweeting about the mayor of London, England. Great optics!

Looking like this was a workplace incident where the shooter was fired in April. Looks like he committed suicide after the shooting. So if the shooter was a white male, likely Trump doesn't care too much politically.

Multiple fatalities reported in workplace shooting in Orlando, Florida - AOL News

[nol]

Originally Posted by whomario

The crazy thing about this is that you can tell the administration views it as an easy political point just because it has the word 'Paris' in it. They have to know full well with this "Pittsburgh not Paris" stuff that people in Pittsburgh do in fact care about global warming, but to the base "backing out of the Paris accord" conjures up the image of antagonizing some effeminate globalist Frenchman to show how tough and strong America is.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Huh? There was a long period during Ottoman rule where the Middle East was relatively at peace. The warfare involving the Ottoman Empire from the mid-1500s to the 1800s involved the parts of the Empire in Europe or bordering Russia.

Except this was the decline of the empire. And there was great unrest within the empire. Rebels took over large parts of the empire and kept the taxes from the weak government.
There were revolts throughout this time period.

And the Ottomans invaded central Europe in the late 1600s. Thus, Europe and then Russia saw an opportunity and attacked.

I dont think it was as peaceful as you think.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by tarcone

Except this was the decline of the empire. And there was great unrest within the empire. Rebels took over large parts of the empire and kept the taxes from the weak government.
There were revolts throughout this time period.

And the Ottomans invaded central Europe in the late 1600s. Thus, Europe and then Russia saw an opportunity and attacked.

I dont think it was as peaceful as you think.

How many of those Ottoman rebellions were based in the Middle East? The vast majority were in Southeastern Europe (mostly Serbia) or Anatolia.

And if we are discussion internal revolts or uprisings, how is this any different from any other area? I mean it's roughly akin to asking if France has ever not been at war.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

And if we are discussion internal revolts or uprisings, how is this any different from any other area? I mean it's roughly akin to asking if France has ever not been at war.

Definitely. Plenty of conflict in Europe. Hell, the IRA/UK stuff fills out a lot of years post WW2 all by itself. Balkan Wars of the 90s, Russia invading Georgia, the list goes on and on. As a species we humans have always been fighting and always will be. Limiting the damage/loss of life is key. We are actually doing much better in that regard. Compared to say, Europe from 1914-1918.

[PilotMan]

This seems to fit.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

For supporters at least, it ain't half bad.

For the rest, honestly, I'm not sure Trump gives two shits what they think. (2/3rds of one maybe, but not two full ones). Which, conveniently, also fits pretty well with his supporters feelings.

The guy who has a temper tantrum on Twitter every other day doesn't give two shits what they think? Come on.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

The guy who has a temper tantrum on Twitter every other day doesn't give two shits what they think? Come on.

Yeah, timing-wise, it's quite likely this morning's "TRAVEL BAN" (in all caps!) outburst was triggered by criticism from Morning Joe. "Desire to be liked/respected by the overwhelming majority of people" is a personality trait that typically isn't all that strong in politicians, but Trump really does seem to live for the approval of the masses, and he lashes out when he perceives that he's being criticized. Some of his *supporters* don't give a crap about the opposition's opinions of them, but Trump himself sure seems to care.