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41 minutes ago, Notts1874 said:

He has just tweeted that. Putting the stock market before people. Utter utter *****.

 

We're going to be totally ****ed, so I'd like to give a special thanks to the Tories for sending me back here to be such a full-fledged part of it all. 🖕🏻

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I P Knightley
2 hours ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

If a few Americans die, then that would be a sacrifice that Donald Trump is willing to make. He has 1 priority and 1 alone. He wants re-elected.

I realise that there's no point trying to get inside his head but I wonder whether he thinks that the virus will attack only people who wouldn't have voted for him. I'm sure he'd manage to think that way.

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35 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

I realise that there's no point trying to get inside his head but I wonder whether he thinks that the virus will attack only people who wouldn't have voted for him. I'm sure he'd manage to think that way.

 

Getting into his head shouldn't be a problem there is a lot of empty unused space there.

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This disaster may fully reveal Trump as the idiot he is. No amount of outright lying or bluster will make this go away. And those two qualities are all he has.

An excerpt from a BBC article published just a few hours ago.

 

Coronavirus: What this crisis reveals about US - and its president

 

Quote

In emergencies of this immense magnitude, it soon becomes evident whether a sitting president is equal to the moment. Will lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who have been in a form of legislative lockdown for years now, a paralysis borne of partisanship, rise to the challenge? And what of the man who now sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, who has cloaked himself in the mantle of "wartime president"?

 

Of the three questions, the last one is the least interesting, largely because Donald Trump's response has been so predictable. He has not changed. He has not grown. He has not admitted errors. He has shown little humility.

 

Instead, all the hallmarks of his presidency have been on agitated display. The ridiculous boasts - he has awarded himself a 10 out of 10 for his handling of the crisis. The politicisation of what should be the apolitical - he toured the Centers for Disease Control wearing a campaign cap emblazoned with the slogan "Keep America Great."

 

The mind-bending truth-twisting - he now claims to have fully appreciated the scale of the pandemic early on, despite dismissing and downplaying the threat for weeks. The attacks on the "fake news" media, including a particularly vicious assault on a White House reporter who asked what was his message to frightened Americans: "I tell them you are a terrible reporter."

 

His pettiness and peevishness - mocking Senator Mitt Romney, the only Republican who voted at the end of the impeachment trial for his removal from office, for going into isolation.

 

His continued attacks on government institutions in the forefront of confronting the crisis - "the Deep State Department" is how he described the State Department from his presidential podium the morning after it issued its most extreme travel advisory urging Americans to refrain from all international travel.

 

His obsession with ratings, or in this instance, confirmed case numbers - he stopped a cruise ship docking on the West Coast, noting: "I like the numbers where they are. I don't need to have the numbers double because of one ship that wasn't our fault." His compulsion for hype - declaring the combination of hydroxycholoroquine and azithromycin "one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine," even as medical officials warn against offering false hope.

 

His lack of empathy. Rather than soothing words for relatives of those who have died, or words of encouragement and appreciation for those in the medical trenches, Trump's daily White House briefings commonly start with a shower of self-congratulation.

 

After Trump has spoken, Mike Pence, his loyal deputy, usually delivers a paean of praise to the president in that Pyongyang-on-the-Potomac style he has perfected over the past three years. Trump's narcissistic hunger for adoration seems impossible to sate. Instead of a wartime president, he has sounded at times like a sun king.

 

Then there is the xenophobia that has always been the sine qua non of his political business model - repeatedly he describes the disease as the "Chinese virus". Just as he scapegoated China and Mexican immigrants for decimating America's industrial heartland ahead of the 2016 presidential election, he is blaming Beijing for the coronavirus outbreak in an attempt to win re-election.

 

His attempt at economic stewardship has been more convincing than his mastery of public health. A lesson from financial shocks of the past, most notably the meltdown in 2008, is to "go big" early on.

 

That he has tried to do. But here, as well, there are shades of his showman self. He seems to have rounded on the initial figure of a trillion dollars for the stimulus package because it sounds like such a gargantuan number - a fiscal eighth wonder of the world.

 

Trump, in common with all populists and demagogues, favours simple solutions to complex problems. He closed America's border to those who had travelled to China, a sensible move in hindsight. However, the Coronavirus outbreak has required the kind of multi-pronged approach and long-term thinking that seems beyond him.

 

This has always been a presidency of the here and now. It is not well equipped to deal with a public health and economic emergency that will dominate the rest of his presidency, whether he only gets to spend the next 10 months in the White House or another five years.

 

The Trump presidency has so often been about creating favourable optics even in the absence of real progress - his nuclear summitry with the North Korean despot Kim Jong-un offers a case in point. But the tricks of an illusionist, or the marketing skills of the sloganeer, do not work here.

 

This is a national emergency, as countless others have pointed out, that can't be tweeted, nicknamed or hyped away. The facts are inescapable: the soaring numbers of the dead.

 

FULL ARTICLE

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@JFK-1 That BBC article is damning, and should leave people asking why anyone would vote for such a man to be President.  The harsh reality, however, is that almost no-one in the USA reads the BBC nor gives a rat's ass for BBC opinions.

 

Fox News is the leading cable news network in the USA, with viewership that far exceeds either CNN or MSNBC.  And Fox News should rename itself Trump News.

 

Throughout the COVID crisis, Fox News has been singing the praises of how Trump has handled America's response.  According to them, he's been decisive, fast acting, and showing wonderful leadership qualities. Their praise is utter bullshit, and flies in the face of the facts, but facts don't matter ... getting Trump re-elected is all that counts.  

 

And the re-election message will be that Trump's fast action and wonderful leadership qualities saved thousands of American lives. No POTUS in US history could have done a better job than Trump will be the Fox News message. And tens of millions of American voters will buy the message.

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11 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

@JFK-1 That BBC article is damning, and should leave people asking why anyone would vote for such a man to be President.  The harsh reality, however, is that almost no-one in the USA reads the BBC nor gives a rat's ass for BBC opinions.

 

Fox News is the leading cable news network in the USA, with viewership that far exceeds either CNN or MSNBC.  And Fox News should rename itself Trump News.

 

Throughout the COVID crisis, Fox News has been singing the praises of how Trump has handled America's response.  According to them, he's been decisive, fast acting, and showing wonderful leadership qualities. Their praise is utter bullshit, and flies in the face of the facts, but facts don't matter ... getting Trump re-elected is all that counts.  

 

And the re-election message will be that Trump's fast action and wonderful leadership qualities saved thousands of American lives. No POTUS in US history could have done a better job than Trump will be the Fox News message. And tens of millions of American voters will buy the message.

 

It's not going to be so easy to lie and bluster their way out of this one as the dead pile up. Apparently Trump doesn't want to take the advice of Italy who are on the front line so to speak. Italy has stated that the only way to deal with this is complete lock down. That's advice coming from bitter experience.

Trump doesn't want to do that and the reason he doesn't want to is economic. And a thought occurred to me regarding that. I have a feeling this psycho is ready to put millions of lives on the line not even for the sake of the national economy. Worse than that.

It's been widely reported in recent times that his own businesses have been in dire straits even prior to the pandemic. A lock down now with all the economic chaos it brings could be the death knell for his personal businesses.

And from that knowledge I derive the sneaking suspicion that this evil ******* would be willing to sacrifice countless lives for his own personal reasons.

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8 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

 

It's not going to be so easy to lie and bluster their way out of this one as the dead pile up. Apparently Trump doesn't want to take the advice of Italy who are on the front line so to speak. Italy has stated that the only way to deal with this is complete lock down. That's advice coming from bitter experience.

Trump doesn't want to do that and the reason he doesn't want to is economic. And a thought occurred to me regarding that. I have a feeling this psycho is ready to put millions of lives on the line not even for the sake of the national economy. Worse than that.

It's been widely reported in recent times that his own businesses have been in dire straits even prior to the pandemic. A lock down now with all the economic chaos it brings could be the death knell for his personal businesses.

And from that knowledge I derive the sneaking suspicion that this evil ******* would be willing to sacrifice countless lives for his own personal reasons.

 

I agree with all of that. But Goebbels Fox News will be going into overdrive.

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7 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

I agree with all of that. But Goebbels Fox News will be going into overdrive.

 

The expert opinion is that without a widespread lock down lasting perhaps months probably 60% of the US population are likely to become infected. Perhaps more but let's call it 60%.

US population 2018 was estimated be 327 million. So 60% of that is 196.2 million. If 2% of that number were to die which is actually a relatively low percentage judging from the figures coming out of the currently hardest hit areas such as Italy then they would be looking at around 4 million dead.

Let's see Fox bluster that away.

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3 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

The expert opinion is that without a widespread lock down lasting perhaps months probably 60% of the US population are likely to become infected. Perhaps more but let's call it 60%.

US population 2018 was estimated be 327 million. So 60% of that is 196.2 million. If 2% of that number were to die which is actually a relatively low percentage judging from the figures coming out of the currently hardest hit areas such as Italy then they would be looking at around 4 million dead.

Let's see Fox bluster that away.

They won't, as they'll be I'll, if they really believe Trump, that is.

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I P Knightley

His reason for setting a timeline of Easter to 'reopen the country'?

 

Ignoring medical advice (or ignoring the question about whether he took medical advice or who suggested Easter), "I just thought it was a beautiful time". And he's urging Americans to pack out the churches.

 

There are no words.

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The Real Maroonblood
11 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

His reason for setting a timeline of Easter to 'reopen the country'?

 

Ignoring medical advice (or ignoring the question about whether he took medical advice or who suggested Easter), "I just thought it was a beautiful time". And he's urging Americans to pack out the churches.

 

There are no words.

To say he’s unhinged would be kind.

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11 minutes ago, I P Knightley said:

His reason for setting a timeline of Easter to 'reopen the country'?

 

Ignoring medical advice (or ignoring the question about whether he took medical advice or who suggested Easter), "I just thought it was a beautiful time". And he's urging Americans to pack out the churches.

 

There are no words.

 

Telling people to pack the churches is irresponsible beyond words.  It also flies in the face of the teachings of Jesus.  Trump needs to read the Sermon on the Mount, and what Jesus had to say about hypocrisy.

 

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites
are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and
in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.

 

 

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The enormity of this event has probably turned a contained narcissistic superclown into a dangerous and increasingly desperate narcissistic unguided missile in superclown's shoes.     Hopefully there is the real world,   shadowy machinery in place to pull the plug on him before he does something heroic with the military might he has.

Edited by Victorian
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The Real Maroonblood
1 hour ago, Justin Z said:

 

If there has ever been anything that could demonstrate how feckless and redundant the Democratic Party is, it's this single statistic.

This.

Like the Labour Party in the UK.

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So the President has ordered troops to the Canadian border, the first time this has happened in history, to the worlds only border that has never been guarded by military. His explanation went into a ramble about Canada dumping steel into the US, for which he had applied tariffs' it was Chinese steel and had lost the US billions. He neglected to say an agreement had been reached some time ago, and there was no problem now. It was also claimed that it was to protect US from illegal aliens coming across the border into the states. Aye right people are going to leave Canada to go into the worlds worst affected codo 19 country. He also is in danger of contravening a US law, Posse Comatosis, which restricts American military enforcing or acting in any way by doing duties that are conducted by civilian law enforcement within a 30 mile distance from the border.  You would have to be mentally ill to make sense out of anything the man says or does.

 

 

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J.T.F.Robertson
14 hours ago, Dummy Dikes said:

So the President has ordered troops to the Canadian border, the first time this has happened in history, to the worlds only border that has never been guarded by military. His explanation went into a ramble about Canada dumping steel into the US, for which he had applied tariffs' it was Chinese steel and had lost the US billions. He neglected to say an agreement had been reached some time ago, and there was no problem now. It was also claimed that it was to protect US from illegal aliens coming across the border into the states. Aye right people are going to leave Canada to go into the worlds worst affected codo 19 country. He also is in danger of contravening a US law, Posse Comatosis, which restricts American military enforcing or acting in any way by doing duties that are conducted by civilian law enforcement within a 30 mile distance from the border.  You would have to be mentally ill to make sense out of anything the man says or does.

 

 

 

CNN "ticker" reading he has a 52% approval rating re his handling of the COVID crisis, so go figure. Seems no matter how incompetent and irrational the buffoon is he can do no wrong in some eyes.

Where you located, btw?

 

 

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1 hour ago, J.T.F.Robertson said:

 

CNN "ticker" reading he has a 52% approval rating re his handling of the COVID crisis, so go figure. Seems no matter how incompetent and irrational the buffoon is he can do no wrong in some eyes.

Where you located, btw?

 

 

 

Same place Jim,idle hands played around with the name change thingy and ended up with this for 183 days, just got a new Apple iMac computer and have no freaking idea how to use bit.The mouse is no wheel and I toucj

h it and the screen goes big or just goes. At least

even with an alias I can still slam Trumpy.

 

Sandstone is just the same full of old folk except no we are all finally #1 in something even if its first to go in a virus.

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Conservative outlet Fox Business has fired primetime television programme host Trish Regan after she claimed earlier this month the coronavirus crisis was a Democratic ploy to impeach President Trump.Regan's show was suspended after she said the "Coronavirus Impeachment Scam" was intended to create "mass hysteria" and "demonise and destroy the president".The network said it wished Regan well in a statement to the Daily Beast on Friday. Regan said she enjoyed her time with Fox and would focus on her family "during these troubled times".

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The Real Maroonblood
26 minutes ago, milky_26 said:

Conservative outlet Fox Business has fired primetime television programme host Trish Regan after she claimed earlier this month the coronavirus crisis was a Democratic ploy to impeach President Trump.Regan's show was suspended after she said the "Coronavirus Impeachment Scam" was intended to create "mass hysteria" and "demonise and destroy the president".The network said it wished Regan well in a statement to the Daily Beast on Friday. Regan said she enjoyed her time with Fox and would focus on her family "during these troubled times".

Ffs.

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annushorribilis III

From Twitter tonight - 

 

"[Trump is] so attentive to the scientific literature & the details & the data. I think his ability to analyze & integrate data that comes out of his long history in business has really been a real benefit” -- this is shocking, hackish stuff from Dr. Birx.

 

 

Birx is one of the unthinking, unblinking experts that appears with Trump at every press conference. 

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jambostuart

It wouldn't surprise me if his thinking was basically, the economy comes first? Let elderly die so we don't have to care for them, easing the strain on that beautiful economy and allowing us to go back to work again?

 

Scary thing is I bet there's a few in agreement with the above

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8 minutes ago, jambostuart said:

It wouldn't surprise me if his thinking was basically, the economy comes first? Let elderly die so we don't have to care for them, easing the strain on that beautiful economy and allowing us to go back to work again?

 

Scary thing is I bet there's a few in agreement with the above

This is a country where there are people who have the attitude that a sick person without insurance should be left to die. I don't doubt for a second there are folk who couldn't give a shit about the number of dead if it meant they didn't lose a penny. 

Edited by Normthebarman
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Horatio Caine
14 minutes ago, jambostuart said:

It wouldn't surprise me if his thinking was basically, the economy comes first? Let elderly die so we don't have to care for them, easing the strain on that beautiful economy and allowing us to go back to work again?

 

Scary thing is I bet there's a few in agreement with the above

Trump needs to remember that he himself is one of `the elderly`.  Arse.

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jambostuart
3 minutes ago, Normthebarman said:

This is a country where there are people who have the attitude that a sick person without insurance should be left to die. I don't doubt for a second there are folk who couldn't give a shit about the number of dead if it meant they didn't lose a penny. 

 

Very true. Land of dreams and home of the brave. 

 

Thing is, I do a lot of Festival work and the majority of people I work with are American performers who are all amazing lovely people. It's a crazy collective of people though, for sure with ideas over guns and healthcare that are unfathomable to think of in the UK.

 

 

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Trump thinks he's done a superb incredible job. maybe his rabid base think so but anybody sane can see he's his own disaster zone and is a big reason the outbreak is so virulent there. 

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21 minutes ago, JackLadd said:

Trump thinks he's done a superb incredible job. maybe his rabid base think so but anybody sane can see he's his own disaster zone and is a big reason the outbreak is so virulent there. 

Totally correct.... 

All those Republicans, other than Romney have bought into his neo Nazi feaces....

Now every country is closing borders... Will be interesting to see how his "border wall " works out...

 

Wish he had no Scots blood...... **** of first order...

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6 hours ago, J.T.F.Robertson said:

 

CNN "ticker" reading he has a 52% approval rating re his handling of the COVID crisis, so go figure. Seems no matter how incompetent and irrational the buffoon is he can do no wrong in some eyes.

Where you located, btw?

 

 

 

60% according to Fox. (Gallup poll)

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8 hours ago, jambostuart said:

It wouldn't surprise me if his thinking was basically, the economy comes first? Let elderly die so we don't have to care for them, easing the strain on that beautiful economy and allowing us to go back to work again?

 

Scary thing is I bet there's a few in agreement with the above

I read something in the American press that there is a thinking along the lines of sending  the older ones out to work to keep the economy going till they eventually catch  it, come home and die.

 

If Jimmy Carter at 95 is still building houses......

Edited by DETTY29
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Unknown user
9 hours ago, JackLadd said:

Trump thinks he's done a superb incredible job. maybe his rabid base think so but anybody sane can see he's his own disaster zone and is a big reason the outbreak is so virulent there. 

 

He could fart into a watering can and millions would cheer him on.

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Joey J J Jr Shabadoo
10 hours ago, Normthebarman said:

This is a country where there are people who have the attitude that a sick person without insurance should be left to die. I don't doubt for a second there are folk who couldn't give a shit about the number of dead if it meant they didn't lose a penny. 

Sounds about right, it's full of Christian hypocrites.

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12 hours ago, hueyview said:

Totally correct.... 

All those Republicans, other than Romney have bought into his neo Nazi feaces....

Now every country is closing borders... Will be interesting to see how his "border wall " works out...

 

Wish he had no Scots blood...... **** of first order...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52053656

 

Mexican protesters have shut a US southern border crossing amid fears that untested American travellers will spread coronavirus.

Edited by Lovecraft
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13 hours ago, graygo said:

 

60% according to Fox. (Gallup poll)

 

I think what we're seeing is a normal phenomenon when America is under any kind of attack ... the population rallies around the President.

 

George Bush was unpopular on September 10, 2001, with a rating under 50%.  Two days later, after the 9/11 attacks, his approval rating was around 83%.

 

Any impartial observer would say that Trump has not handled the present crisis well.  He has consistently downplayed its seriousness, for one thing. But he's the only President the Americans have, and they desperately want him to succeed. 

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14 hours ago, hueyview said:

 

 

Wish he had no Scots blood...... **** of first order...

 

 

Mary Anne MacLeod, fcks sake hen. 

Edited by JackLadd
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24 minutes ago, JackLadd said:

 

 

Mary Anne MacLeod, fcks sake hen. 

Sorry if the part of my post was not clear...  I just feel sorry a son of a Scots mum can come over as so mean/selfish. I try to see the good in folk, but its bloody hard with some.     :(

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Toxteth O'Grady
16 hours ago, jambostuart said:

It wouldn't surprise me if his thinking was basically, the economy comes first? Let elderly die so we don't have to care for them, easing the strain on that beautiful economy and allowing us to go back to work again?

 

Scary thing is I bet there's a few in agreement with the above

I think that is exactly the way he thinks - Its all about the money.

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  • Kalamazoo Jambo changed the title to U.S. Politics megathread (title updated)
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