President Trump

Chateau Vin · Post by **Chateau Vin** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 4:37 pm

JimHow wrote:I see they are now projecting Republican gains in the Senate this year.
Man, is the Democratic Party pathetic.

I don't see much change in the midterms. Dems might gain few house seats here and there, but not even close to majority. Senate will more or less remain the same...

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 4:41 pm

Well that’s bad then.
May Justice Kennedy live forever.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:08 pm

Chateau Vin wrote:
JimHow wrote:I see they are now projecting Republican gains in the Senate this year.
Man, is the Democratic Party pathetic.
I don't see much change in the midterms. Dems might gain few house seats here and there, but not even close to majority. Senate will more or less remain the same...

Where is that assessment coming from? The NYT has been promising a blue tidal wave.

Chateau Vin · Post by **Chateau Vin** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:15 pm

AKR wrote:
Chateau Vin wrote:
JimHow wrote:I see they are now projecting Republican gains in the Senate this year.
Man, is the Democratic Party pathetic.
I don't see much change in the midterms. Dems might gain few house seats here and there, but not even close to majority. Senate will more or less remain the same...
Where is that assessment coming from? The NYT has been promising a blue tidal wave.

Arv, that is my assessment based on my take and judgement about what I am seeing. And I hope to be proved wrong. I don't know the source of Jim's post...

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:30 pm

This morning’s NYT.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:49 pm

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/02/us/p ... v=top-news

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Mon Jun 04, 2018 8:09 am

Trump is bad, but I'm beginning to think that Guiliani is even worse.

Can't these people learn to think before opening their mouth?

Please imagine how this is seen from abroad: with amazement and sadness. The US was perceived (with a few serious exeptions) as occupying the moral high ground. But no longer.

Why is Trump working so hard to piss off America's longstanding allies???
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/ ... a-alliance

Alex R.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Jun 04, 2018 10:01 am

Alex, pissing off people, and not just allies, is a side effect of Trump's narcissism and greed. It’s not his primary goal, though it does titillate a significant chunk of his base. And with great power comes the ability to piss off a lot of people.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Mon Jun 04, 2018 10:48 am

AlexR wrote:Trump is bad, but I'm beginning to think that Guiliani is even worse.

Can't these people learn to think before opening their mouth?
...

It is a well thought out strategy, created by truly twisted individuals.
Giuliani is carrying out Trump's intent to the letter.
The American people are gradually being afflicted by Stockholm Syndrome as a result of this strategy.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 1:27 am

A good article in today's NYT on why the Republicans and Trump are surging:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/opin ... eft-region

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 2:07 am

One of McCAin's campaign advisors, Steve Schmidt, has come into his own as a commentator/critic during this presidency.
I thought his tweet today was quite good:
@SteveSchmidtSES
"TRUMP disgraced the Presidency and the United States at the G-7 summit. From his slovenly appearance to his unpreparedness, ignorance and arrogance, he beclowned himself. The Republican majority is filled with cowards who are servile supplicants to the most unfit POTUS ever."

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Mon Jun 11, 2018 9:18 pm

JimHow wrote:A good article in today's NYT on why the Republicans and Trump are surging:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/opin ... eft-region

Well there's also stuff like this, which is happening just a few miles from the White House.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a- ... 2aa2ea000b

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a- ... 2018/06/11

The other side of the aisle seems to think the solution to gangs using machetes to chop kids up is that they just need ESL classes, or alternative discipline rather than police intervention.

People are scared of the carnage they see on the news every day.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:03 am

Folks,
it is Singapore here.
Your POTUS and Mr Kim are over here with "historic"" meetings.

Now, can someone tell me why every politician in the land (here) is trying to get in a selfie with Mr Kim?
He's just another murderous dictator and his citizens regularly die from starvation or are murdered for not bowing enough on govt holidays.
Even worse, Singapore pays $US20M to host the event and even agrees to pay for freight for 2 containers of food he's brought over, not to mention his own toilet.

If this is diplomacy in 2018, it is pretty sick.

Claudius2 · Post by **Claudius2** » Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:10 am

Arvind,
to answer your question, if a country cannot operate on a rule of law, you have a disaster called anarchy.
To far too many in the left, the idea of law and order is the "tyranny of the patriarchy/elite/ruling class...(or whatever)".
The UK is a good example now, where the Mayor of London has ordered the police to focus on mean tweets on social media and not bother with theft reports.
I still have a few (elderly) relatives living in greater London who are shocked and embarrassed at what the UK is becoming and have privately told me that they will be relived to die.

I just got back from Europe. At least now some Europeans are actually cracking down on violence, assault, theft, shake-downs and scams in the street.
Sometimes, reality is too hard to ignore, even if it hurts our feelings.

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Tue Jun 12, 2018 5:28 am

Gosh, this thread makes for very depressing reading.

The most charitable and neutral (i.e. objective) thing to say about Donald Trump is that he is "unfit for office".

As for diplomacy, I'm not sure that Trump understands the meaning of the word.

And Claudius is right to point out the atrocious track record of the number one North Korean.

Best regards,
Alex

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:37 pm

The US has a very charitable president...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/14/nyre ... &smtyp=cur

Alex R.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Thu Jun 14, 2018 4:05 pm

Claudius2 wrote:Arvind,
to answer your question, if a country cannot operate on a rule of law, you have a disaster called anarchy.
To far too many in the left, the idea of law and order is the "tyranny of the patriarchy/elite/ruling class...(or whatever)".
The UK is a good example now, where the Mayor of London has ordered the police to focus on mean tweets on social media and not bother with theft reports.
I still have a few (elderly) relatives living in greater London who are shocked and embarrassed at what the UK is becoming and have privately told me that they will be relived to die.

I just got back from Europe. At least now some Europeans are actually cracking down on violence, assault, theft, shake-downs and scams in the street.
Sometimes, reality is too hard to ignore, even if it hurts our feelings.

Urban crime is out of control.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 12:58 pm

One of the people in Washington who hardly gets noticed, but I think his pernicious influence on US democracy may be even greater than DJT, is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:20 pm

Now, the day before Father's Day, here's the sort of things the US government is getting up to - purposely separating children from their families and - this is fucking unbelievable - quoting the BIBLE to justify it!!!!
So much for the separation of Church and state, not to mention an extremely skewed sense of morality.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/arts ... ilies.html

God bless you Jeff Sessions. Because sons-of-bitches like you really need divine help.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/arts ... ilies.html

Alex R.

Racer Chris · Post by **Racer Chris** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:25 pm

AlexR wrote:
God bless you Jeff Sessions. Because sons-of-bitches like you really need divine help.
Alex R.

White House press secretary and daughter of the reverend (cough, cough) Mike Huckabee, Sarah Huckabee Sanders used the same sort of biblical reference to defend the policy during her press briefing yesterday.
They need to spend more time actually reading the bible than trying to defend the indefensible, with vague references that do nothing to justify their immoral behavior.

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 5:59 pm

http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/15/news/ec ... index.html

Well Trump HAS launched a trade war, hasn't he?

No good will come of this.

Another feather in Donal's cap...

AR

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Fri Jun 15, 2018 6:24 pm

Where do you begin?

I was amused today when it was reported that Michael Cohen would co-operate with the authorities, Trump said:

"He is not my lawyer... I haven't spoken to Michael in a long time."

Trump is such a scumbag he would throw anyone under the bus to save his sorry ass, even his family

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:13 am

To those who dismissed the comparisons to Hitler as impossible in the US, I recommend the following, written shortly after Trump's inauguration.

https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-tu ... efan-zweig

The parallels are increasing, not decreasing.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:37 am

If you have not seen the movie I highly recommend it, it is on Netflix:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPxz2OQeDh0

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 12:17 pm

Sorry, but I think comparisons to Hitler are BS. People are saying you shouldn't "normalize" Trump, but all this overwrought rhetoric is instead normalizing Nazi-ism.

He's a very skilled troll though. What's new about him is that he actively tries to and enjoys driving his enemies crazy. What's not new is the U.S. government doing terrible shit. It is normally covered over with a thick layer of smarm and hypocrisy though. It's that ceremonial role of the president that has been removed.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 12:33 pm

I don’t think anyone is saying he is Das Fuhrer.
He’s more in the Il Duce stage, I would say.

marcs · Post by **marcs** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 12:58 pm

speaking of Italians, the recent global figure he is most similar to is Berlusconi.

But he is a very American figure and continues downward trends that have been evident in American politics for a long time. To the extent that people insist on seeing him as un-American, a foreign inexplicable departure from "our democracy", we won't fix what is actually going on. I view him as more an advanced symptom than the source of the disease.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 1:28 pm

“Let’s deport without due process.”

If that’s where the US has gone, then our own kristallnacht is not far down the road.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 1:42 pm

Agree. He is not Hitler. But he is on that path. And to claim the comparisons are BS is exactly the sort of head-in-sand reaction that allows us to proceed further down that path. We need to call him out and make the comparison.

Authoritarian.
Racist.
Circumventing the constitution.
Deligitimizing the press.
Internment camps.
Eliminating due process.

First they came for the Muslims, and I did nothing
For I was not a Muslim.

Then they came for the press, and I did nothing.
For I was not a member of the press.

Then they came for the South American asylum-seekers and their children.

Internment camps...

AlexR · Post by **AlexR** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 3:09 pm

I agree that Trump is very American. Quintessentially American, in fact.
Wheeler-dealer-blusterer-chip on his shoulder-chauvinistic-jingoistic-anti-intellectual

Fortunately though, he represents only *one face* of the US.

Alex R.

* in the original sense of the word

Comte Flaneur · Post by **Comte Flaneur** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 9:48 pm

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... e-migrants

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:04 pm

That’s an excellent article Ian. Part of "Never forget" and "Never again" is recognition of and resistance to any serious movement in that direction. Pointing it out doesn’t normalize Fascism unless there is no there there. You can’t look at the facts of what this administration is doing and what they have written and deny that there has been serious movement towards a Fascist-style government. It’s time to be frank and direct.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:02 pm

Voters demand results to the immigration crisis.

This isn't some unique US sentiment.

Look at Australia, UK, Bavaria, Italy, Greece, Austria-Hungary, and more.

Even China has an internal / houkou residency system to manage where their own people live/work.

The left side of the aisle doesn't seem to have solutions (globally) beyond amnesty & uncontrolled borders.

If democratic processes can't solve problems, citizens will look to a Strong Man on a Horse.

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:05 pm

Ha ha, AKR.

How did we EVER survive before Trump.

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:24 pm

JimHow wrote:Ha ha, AKR.

How did we EVER survive before Trump.

If people were satisfied with the status quo, how did DJT get elected?

Look at Brexit...is that the result of UK subjects being happy?

To me, its not even Trump the man.

If it wasn't him, someone else would have tapped into the sentiment that the West is failing

JimHow · Post by **JimHow** » Mon Jun 25, 2018 11:27 pm

The West is failing?
I haven't seen it this good in Lewiston since the early 70s.
Our unemployment rate when Barack Hussein left was about 2.3%, same as it is today.
I've noticed ZERO change in my life since that great equalizer DJT took office, other than his screaming and hollering about them vile immigrants.

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 3:35 am

Hitler also came to power due to dissatisfaction among the populace. But things were actually really bad in Germany back then. Here in the US, Trump's propaganda machine had to convince people things were really bad. They were quite successful. It’s remarkable how successful they remain despite all of the evidence to the contrary.

That’s another thing that worries me. We’re not in a "fool me once" situation with an effective media and a discerning electorate. Trump supporters keep gorging on his lies. Their vision is so clouded with (what, partisan bias? racism? ignorance bred of laziness? tribalism? tax cut infatuation?) that they can’t see their hands in front of their faces. I wonder how many laid off Harley workers will blame their plight on f*cking Obama or Hillary?

AKR · Post by **AKR** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 4:23 am

I mean who should voters believe? media who tell them their lives are great and they should renew the status quo? or their own damn lying eyes?

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 11:33 am

A discussion of how Trump got elected is a somewhat different topic than what he’s doing with his power. The media I saw didn’t tell voters their lives were great during the campaign. They bought into the terrible economy bs Trump put out. Not to mention the criminal Hillary bs that was actually applicable to Trump.

Sure the Ds ran a shitty campaign. And there was frustration at the snails pace of wage increases which made it a lot easier for Trump to sell his song and dance. Plenty of people voted against their own economic interests. That’s understandable given the slow recovery from the recession (thank you Mitch McConnell!). I'm just afraid that the workers who were so happy with their $3 tax cut won’t realize what their own damn lying eyes have wrought and will keep voting for Rs that support this disaster.

jal · Post by **jal** » Tue Jun 26, 2018 12:17 pm

I am very uncomfortable with a discussion that compares this to the holocaust
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-cri ... ge=1&pos=1