U.S. Politics megathread (merged)

[SpruceBringsteen]

18 minutes ago, Ulysses said:

While all you lot are taking the piss, shit seems to be about to get real.

 

Serious rumours around tonight that Mike Pence is being transported to a golf course in case he has to take on the duties of the President.

 

I wish I was taking the piss tbf. I moved here in 2017 thinking it wouldn't be that bad, and in 2020 I genuinely wonder if I'll be able to bring my wife back to Scotland as a refugee.

[J.T.F.Robertson]

31 minutes ago, Ulysses said:

While all you lot are taking the piss, shit seems to be about to get real.

 

Serious rumours around tonight that Mike Pence is being transported to a golf course in case he has to take on the duties of the President.

 

"Four" more.

 

[JFK-1]

10 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

 

Very strange thing to do.  Let's hope for a positive outcome: maybe his hair will fall out!

 

I think most of it already did years ago.

[JFK-1]

2 hours ago, Cruyff said:

I guy of Trumps age and nick would be very ill if they had covid and symptoms. 

 

Very possibly still to come.

 

Quote

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus

 

Didn't Boris end up on a ventilator 9 days after diagnosis?

[Governor Tarkin]

6 hours ago, SpruceBringsteen said:

 

I wish I was taking the piss tbf. I moved here in 2017 thinking it wouldn't be that bad, and in 2020 I genuinely wonder if I'll be able to bring my wife back to Scotland as a refugee.

 

It's probably @Justin Z's best hope of getting back over here too tbf.

 

12 hours ago, Justin Z said:

Almost as funny as this:

 

12 hours ago, manaliveits105 said:

Get well soon son of the Hebrides 

 

 

I quite liked that one tbh. Harmless and inoffensive. The type of gentle troll that's inkeeping with the spirit of the Christian Sabbath. Now don't tell me I don't know what ****ing day it is.

[Dawnrazor]

58 minutes ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

It's probably @Justin Z's best hope of getting back over here too tbf.

🤣🤣

[Seymour M Hersh]

12 hours ago, crunchy frog said:

 

Seems to have done the job. Who'd have thunk it. 

[Seymour M Hersh]

8 hours ago, Ulysses said:

While all you lot are taking the piss, shit seems to be about to get real.

 

Serious rumours around tonight that Mike Pence is being transported to a golf course in case he has to take on the duties of the President.

 

Where's niblick when you need him? 

[Sawdust Caesar]

15 hours ago, Boof said:

 

Is the 'storm' referenced in the April Doby tweet any connection to Ms Daniels?

 

I think Biden missed a trick at the debate the other night. When it all went to shit Biden should have turned to the moderator and said 'Chris, you've let this debate descend into a right stormy affair.' And then turn to the camera and give a cheeky wink. Melania's coupon would have been tripping her more than usual.

[Weakened Offender]

[Dawnrazor]

[Eldar Hadzimehmedovic]

He's improving. 

 

[JFK-1]

Evolving into a normal adult human being improvement? Doubtful. As for the virus the Democrats are worried he may die. They feel if he were replaced by a normal human being their prospects may dip. That's how useless he is. His opponents who hate him want him to come through.

[The Real Maroonblood]

3 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

Evolving into a normal adult human being improvement? Doubtful. As for the virus the Democrats are worried he may die. They feel if he were replaced by a normal human being their prospects may dip. That's how useless he is. His opponents who hate him want him to come through.

You’re probably right.

[JackLadd]

Nobody gets discharged from hospital in three days after needing oxygen and steroids. Could be this has been a scam to make him look like superman. 

[The Real Maroonblood]

1 minute ago, JackLadd said:

Nobody gets discharged from hospital in three days after needing oxygen and steroids. Could be this has been a scam to make him look like superman. 

The thing is he would stoop that low.

[Boof]

4 minutes ago, JackLadd said:

Nobody gets discharged from hospital in three days after needing oxygen and steroids. Could be this has been a scam to make him look like superman. 

 

His bone spurs didn't make him that infallible...

[Justin Z]

8 hours ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

It's probably @Justin Z's best hope of getting back over here too tbf.

 

 

 

8 hours ago, Governor Tarkin said:

I quite liked that one tbh. Harmless and inoffensive. The type of gentle troll that's inkeeping with the spirit of the Christian Sabbath. Now don't tell me I don't know what ****ing day it is.

 

I've got a four alarmer going, my brother-in-law's birthday was yesterday and there was much to drink. So thanks for the reminder, I may not have remembered otherwise

[Justin Z]

1 minute ago, Barack said:

His "doctor" saying he wanted to be upbeat and "didn't want his words to steer the illness."

 

Now, I'm fairly sure studies will prove, that COVID-19 doesn't watch the news when its not killing & infecting people.

 

What this meant to me was, they're shit scared of his psychology. They don't want to bear the thought of what he might do if he felt humiliated by everyone knowing how sick he was. What an utter riddy.

[JFK-1]

10 minutes ago, JackLadd said:

Nobody gets discharged from hospital in three days after needing oxygen and steroids. Could be this has been a scam to make him look like superman. 

 

"Trump was given supplemental oxygen on Friday, and is now being treated with dexamethasone, a steroid given for serious Covid-19 infections"

Emphasis on "serious" cases. He's ****ed up. That appears clear. And it has a tendency to worsen at the end of the first week.

[JFK-1]

1 minute ago, Barack said:

Interesting choice of steroid they've given him, today.

 

Don't think he's on death's door. But I can't see him blowing up balloons for Barron's birthday party anytime soon either. Think his lungs have taken a right kicking here.

 

Dexamethasone is a type of corticosteroid medication. It is used in the treatment of many conditions, including chronic obstructive lung disease.

[JFK-1]

1 minute ago, Barack said:

Yeah, I'd only seen your post after I'd sent mine to Justin, sorry.

 

Lungs, scarred. Probably mild form of Pneumonia. Wants to get back to work does he...? Carry on, I say. The osteopath knows best after all.

 

Mark Meadows seems to know differently.

 

Another description of the drug.
 

Quote

It's only suitable for people who are already in hospital and receiving oxygen or mechanical ventilation - the most unwell.
 

The drug does not work on people with milder symptoms, because suppressing their immune system at this point would not be helpful.

 

[JFK-1]

1 minute ago, Barack said:

Think Conley's career as Presidential doctor might come to an end in the near future.

 

Man's an absolute Giuliani.

 

He didn't describe it like that. The BBC did.

[Sharpie]

Watched MSNBC this morning, the various guests including some doctors feel neither the doctors or the White House are telling the truth about the situation. Thats why I have no use for liars,  Trump is in a realm of his own as such, but as it does it permeates throughout all connected with the liar, as they don't want to be the contradictor or seen as breaking away from the team, often to the detriment of those they are supposed to serve.

[JFK-1]

Just now, Sharpie said:

Watched MSNBC this morning, the various guests including some doctors feel neither the doctors or the White House are telling the truth about the situation. Thats why I have no use for liars,  Trump is in a realm of his own as such, but as it does it permeates throughout all connected with the liar, as they don't want to be the contradictor or seen as breaking away from the team, often to the detriment of those they are supposed to serve.

 

Quote from an Atlantic article.
 

Quote

If his own doctor can’t share an honest account of the president’s need for supplemental oxygen, he loses the credibility to offer reassurance in a more dire scenario. People may rightly assume the situation is worse than they’re being told.

 

[Justin Z]

On 03/10/2020 at 01:17, Cade said:

 

Any vote NOT for Biden is a vote FOR Trump.

 

Choosing not to vote is also a vote for Trump.

That's why he's resorting to intimidation and suppression.

 

So if bad orange man dies what reason is left to vote for Biden?

 

If you say "well then it will be he's not Pence" you're still not getting it.

[JFK-1]

Just now, Justin Z said:

 

So if bad orange man dies what reason is left to vote for Biden?

 

I have a sneaking suspicion the top Republicans would prefer him to die.

[DETTY29]

I suppose his death will be the only way we will know whether the cocktail of drugs have had any side affects.

 

(Want him to live and end his days in the pokey)

Edited October 4, 2020 by DETTY29

[Justin Z]

3 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

I have a sneaking suspicion the top Republicans would prefer him to die.

 

Absolutely. For the exact same reason top Democrats don't.

[JFK-1]

1 minute ago, Justin Z said:

 

Absolutely. For the exact same reason top Democrats don't.

 

The irony. Wonder if Trump has any comprehension his own side would like to see him dead while the opposition don't.

[JFK-1]

2 minutes ago, DETTY29 said:

(Want him to live and end his days in the pokey)

 

Me too, wouldn't be shedding a tear if he had a horrific battle to survive though. And not just to see him suffer. To try to get through to the idiots out there that this is serious shit.

[JFK-1]

BBC now reporting that Trump may be discharged tomorrow. Bizarre. If they do discharge I'm betting it's at his insistence. And that he wants what will in effect be an entire medical team and an ICU set up in the White House. 

[Beni]

Like everyone else who enters Trump's orbit, his medical team have discovered that they have to commit their allegiances not to the truth, America, or even the Hippocratic oath, but to Trump. 

It's a shame that they've come out of this looking like a bunch of of liars, but that's showbiz.

[Justin Z]

You know, he's right. We really should tone it down a bit.

 

[Francis Albert]

2 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

BBC now reporting that Trump may be discharged tomorrow. Bizarre. If they do discharge I'm betting it's at his insistence. And that he wants what will in effect be an entire medical team and an ICU set up in the White House. 

I think they already have that in the White House.

[Tazio]

8 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

I think they already have that in the White House.

Probably in the bunker he’s so keen on. 

[Sharpie]

Trump is a despicable individual. He has downplayed the Virus from the start, he is now even downplaying his own personal attack by the virus by having those around him lie. I can never understand the willingness of it seems all to go along with him. Even men like the distinguished General Kelly lived with it and on disconnect has said nothing negative about him. I suspect most of us have had a boss we disrespect at some time but in the interest of the other employees I know in my own case by attitude, respectful but critical comment one can provide some influence by letting the offender know you are not fooling everyone, and there are others just like me. Instead we have a Senate full of yes men, even the leader of said. Lindsey Graham is struggling for reelection, and it is suggested in reports it is because of his support for Trump, what has Trump got that earns this. It is not ability, it is not truth, it is not character, it is not a background of success, and certainly not loyalty either to staff, allies, wives, so what the hell is it, because I like to think I am somewhat perceptive but I see nothing.

[JackLadd]

So he's been given last line drug therapies but he's licked it and nothing to see. Something isn't adding up here.

[The Real Maroonblood]

13 minutes ago, JackLadd said:

So he's been given last line drug therapies but he's licked it and nothing to see. Something isn't adding up here.

His life’s a soap opera.

[Jambo no 1]

https://apple.news/AABKAwvQ5SP-QZYMmnDyHLw
 

What a man What a hero! 😳

[J.T.F.Robertson]

2 hours ago, fancy a brew said:

Like everyone else who enters Trump's orbit, his medical team have discovered that they have to commit their allegiances not to the truth, America, or even the Hippocratic oath, but to Trump. 

It's a shame that they've come out of this looking like a bunch of of liars, but that's showbiz.

 

A top summary.

 

[Justin Z]

[Sharpie]

So happy for you Donald, too bad though you hadn't listened and got all this useful knowledge about Covid before over 200,000 people  died.

 

[Kalamazoo Jambo]

19 minutes ago, Barack said:

 

 

 

Marketing 101. Keeps the base happy. **** me.

Putting the lives of Secret Service staff at risk. That SUV will almost certainly be hermetically sealed.

[Riddley Walker]

31 minutes ago, Barack said:

 

 

 

****ing Mary.

 

What a cant.

 

😂😂😂 Wtf is this. This is like an SNL sketch.

[Riddley Walker]

This is some proper dictator-style shit.

[JFK-1]

The current shenanigans are an attempt to paint Trump as superhuman, doing perfectly well. Business as usual.

Hardly surprising when aside from a fight with the virus Trump and his entire family are in a battle to stay out of jail.
 

Quote

 

How the White House is trying to convince America that Trump’s illness isn’t a big deal

On Saturday evening, President Trump’s personal Twitter account was updated with a video message. Trump has been at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center since Friday after contracting the novel coronavirus, but the video was pointed in its intent: The president is nonetheless doing well, well enough to offer up a bit of politicking and assurances he’s confident in his recovery.

In case that point was somehow lost on observers, campaign aides like Jason Miller made it more explicitly.
 

The tacit message of the tweet: Even the virus can’t keep this guy down.

But Miller’s presentation of what’s shown is obviously questionable. For one thing, while he boasts that Trump didn’t need a teleprompter, the president can be seen looking down at the sheet of paper in front of him, almost certainly to consult notes about what he plans to say.

This is not a big deal, of course, and, technically, it doesn’t conflict with Miller’s representation that no teleprompter was used. But that Miller pointedly uses this as a point of contrast with former vice president Joe Biden, Trump’s opponent in the coming election, is ironic.

After all, Trump’s campaign has repeatedly criticized Biden’s use of written notes or alleged he was referring to notes as he gave public comments.

Then there is Miller’s claim that this was “one take” — meaning it is presented as Trump offered it, without editing. Shortly after the video was published, a number of professional video editors noted this probably wasn’t true; that, after Trump mentions the use of therapeutics, he appears to begin to cough — but not complete the cough.

You can see it in the animation here. About halfway through, his shoulders hunch. You’ll also notice that when the animation loops, the position of the cabinets behind him shifts, despite this apparently being shot from a mounted camera. In other words, the camera was probably moved.



Those shifts are evidence to experts of the use of Adobe Premiere’s “fluid morph” tool, a nifty bit of software that allows video producers to hide cuts.

There are a number of examples on YouTube of the tool at work, such as this one. If you watch that video, you will notice the effect is most noticeable in the background, where the position of elements (particularly at upper left) suddenly changes.

This video wasn’t released simply as a matter of course. It followed reports earlier in the day that Trump had been in more dire condition on Friday than the White House at first let on.

The New York Times reports the revelation that Trump had been more ill than was originally suggested “infuriated” the president, prompting him to first encourage his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani to pass a message about his vitality to the New York Post and, later, to make a similar point publicly himself.

In other words, Trump himself wanted to show the world how healthy he was, something that wouldn’t be aided by an on-camera cough. (His doctors have publicly acknowledged Trump has been experiencing a cough, a common symptom of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.)

Trump’s team also released photos of him apparently working from the presidential facility at Walter Reed. In one, he’s seen in the same room and outfit as in the released video. In a second image, he’s in another room, sitting at a conference table without a jacket and with numerous folders and papers in front of him. (The latter photo is here.)

Here, too, there is a bit of sleight of hand at play. The photos give the impression Trump was working for an extended period, that these photos capture various moments over the course of the day.

The Associated Press has both photos on its website and includes the metadata about when the photos were captured. The one showing Trump wearing his jacket was created at 5:25 p.m. Saturday. The one without a jacket was created at 5:35 p.m. In other words, they were created 10 minutes apart.

Those times themselves may not be precisely accurate, given they rely on the camera’s internal clock, which could be off or out of date. But that the photos appear to have been taken in close temporal proximity and probably at the end of the day suggests they were more likely to be the result of a photo shoot than a spontaneous effort to document a president unencumbered by illness.

Trump and his doctor have been frank in admitting the disease he has contracted often runs an unpredictable course and his condition over the short term is of concern. At the same time, he and his campaign want to present the president as largely unaffected by the virus and on the brink of being back to normal.

To do so, it seems, they engaged in a bit of trickery, both traditional and digital. We’d been warned so often in the months leading up to the election about “deep fakes” showing Trump or Biden engaged in some inauthentic behavior.

We should also remember Trump’s campaign itself has often shared misleading or altered digital media.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/04/how-white-house-is-trying-convince-america-that-trumps-illness-isnt-big-deal/

 

 

[Ray Gin]

50 minutes ago, Barack said:

 

 

[JFK-1]

Also being speculated by the Washington Post that what's going down here is an attempt by Trump not to pass on even temporary power. Such as Boris Johnson did when he was laid low with the virus. 

Or precipitate a situation where they might legally take power from him.

[JFK-1]