U.S. Politics megathread (merged)

[jake]

On 29/09/2018 at 11:43, Justin Z said:

 

Ehm

 

How precisely would justices get to be on the Supreme Court if not put there by a political process? By vote!?

 

Elected judges are an absolute nightmare, because--surprise--they're necessarily political. They do things on the bench to get reelected instead of being fair and impartial, the exact things judges are supposed to be.

 

The confirmation process didn't used to be partisan, which is the problem, even though it has always been political. Lifetime appointments means insulation from politics, even if the process to reach them is a political one. States which vote in their judges are the basketcases, so if you think it's bad now, you'd only multiply the issue tenfold by making this a popularity contest.

When did this partisan problem start ?

[Bridge of Djoum]

On 28/09/2018 at 03:02, alfajambo said:

 

I respectively disagree with almost your entire content.

Ford’s testimony was a train wreck.

On the other hand, Kavanaugh’s testimony has blown the allegations out of the water.

It seems that there is no end to Trump derangement syndrome.

What low ball scheme or act will surface next in this war remains to be seen.

 

Top trolling, kiddo.

[Justin Z]

2 hours ago, jake said:

When did this partisan problem start ?

 

It started with Ted Kennedy objecting to Robert Bork's nomination with his "Robert Bork's America" speech made during the confirmation hearings. His heart was in the right place, and if he'd kept his objection to Bork's ultrapartisan hackery in defence of Richard Nixon, he'd have been, in my view, well within his rights in calling on others to vote against Bork. But he went much further than that, and where he went further, he did so wildly inappropriately.

[Don Dan]

2 hours ago, Scnorthedinburgh said:

No they did not say they were at the party, they could not remember any party.

So they could not contradict or for that matter confirm anything about the issue.

But the reps still say it does and you like many buy it.

 

You are right.

 “All of Ford's named witnesses of the party, both male and female, have now denied any recollection of attending such a party.”

That makes Fords accusations look much weaker. 

 

 

[Sharpie]

North Korea not commiting to complete denuclearization, until they are sure they trust Trump, and sanctions are removed. So Trumps continuous statement at his campaign rallies that all is well because no new testing has taken place and no rockets are flying about is because of his Statesmanship. Wake up you dipshat, its not happening because they have all they need for the time being.  I dare you to have a Truth or Consequences game with Kavanaugh.

[Justin Z]

It's actually striking when you take a look at all the "little things" Kavanaugh has flat out lied under oath about, just in these hearings. Here's a great catch of one. No need for this, but he casually tried to get away with it, and for what? To make himself look a tiny bit better?

He's an out-and-out, compulsive liar.

 

 

[Sharpie]

10 minutes ago, Dannie Boy said:

 

You are right.

 “All of Ford's named witnesses of the party, both male and female, have now denied any recollection of attending such a party.”

That makes Fords accusations look much weaker. 

 

 

 

So if we accept that despite being a bad drunk,he is actually as he frequently stated a very intelligent man, would that make him the type of person who would at a party say, my buddy and I are going to take a fifteen year old girl to a bedroom and we are going have sex with her, whether she wants to or not, why don't you all come up to the room and watch this despicable act, which is criminal in so many ways.  This we must all remember was thirty six years ago, I can remember quite clearly things I eye witnessed then, I can also remember hearing of incidents and realised I was really close to the locus, but have no memory of whether I was in that exact location or just close. One must accept that the evidence of an actual party to the complaint such as Doctor Ford who was there and Kavanaugh who swears he was not must be respected, however, one witness was complimented by all regarding her credibility, even Trump, whilst many feel Kavanaugh has been seen by many as devious and untruthful about what appear to be witness substantiated opinions about his drinking, his excessive drinking, and of course his explanations of his entries in his year book. These I again opine that they make him ineligible for his position, and his emotional, angry, conspiracy theorised defence complete the circle and make him totally incapable of carrying out the high respossiblities of a Supreme Court Judge, his past legal decision

 and opinions are also too much those which are dangerous at this time because they are so much what Trump wants and needs in the Supreme Court.

[Maple Leaf]

58 minutes ago, bobsharp said:

North Korea not commiting to complete denuclearization, until they are sure they trust Trump, and sanctions are removed. So Trumps continuous statement at his campaign rallies that all is well because no new testing has taken place and no rockets are flying about is because of his Statesmanship. Wake up you dipshat, its not happening because they have all they need for the time being.  I dare you to have a Truth or Consequences game with Kavanaugh.

 

It looks like Kim has taken over from Melania.

 

“He wrote me beautiful letters,” Trump said of Kim Saturday during a rally in Wheeling, West Virginia. “And they’re great letters. We fell in love.”

[peter_hmfc]

4 hours ago, Barack said:

Nice to see Kanye...sorry, it's just YE, now...my apologies...going bat-shit Trump mental, on Saturday Night Live.

 

Ranting away, & they cut him off at the end credits.

 

 

Trump for 2020. Ye, for VP. 

 

Is that before or after Kanye West essentially called for slavery to be re-instated?

[Mark M]

5 hours ago, Barack said:

Nice to see Kanye...sorry, it's just YE, now...my apologies...going bat-shit Trump mental, on Saturday Night Live.

 

Ranting away, & they cut him off at the end credits.

 

 

Trump for 2020. Ye, for VP. 

 

What were they thinking? Its like CNN trying to cut off Thomas Sowell or Clarence Thomas as they begin to opine on Trump's record . Hence they know better than to have their  black, intellectual superiors anywhere near. It simply doesn't match with the script so we just can't have that. Make the media a Limousine Liberal safe space again. 

[Eldar Hadzimehmedovic]

Who is this guy? ?

 

Are we sure the Moscow basements haven't hit JKB now?

[Ulysses]

1 hour ago, Eldar Hadzimehmedovic said:

Who is this guy? ?

 

Are we sure the Moscow basements haven't hit JKB now?

 

 

It's like someone mined Dog Whistler International, fed a selection of what it found into a word salad generator and then threw the results into the Shed. 

[Justin Z]

14 hours ago, Barack said:

Dull ****er probably thinks Amistad is a computer from the 80's.

 

Captain America kens.

 

[redjambo]

11 hours ago, Ulysses said:

 

 

It's like someone mined Dog Whistler International, fed a selection of what it found into a word salad generator and then threw the results into the Shed. 

 

I would just like to know, out of pure interest, if folk like that actually choose boards like JKB or whether it is chosen for them as an assignment.

[Maple Leaf]

Well, he's delivered on his promise to replace NAFTA. 

[Mark M]

Nafta is another of his promises. Jerusalem being the most remamrkable. And you will likely see some movement on the wall before 2020. Re Nafta, Trudeau has apparently surrendered intellectual property rights for some bizarre reason.

 

People can say what they like about the cartoon character which he either is (likely) or inhabits but he regularly makes his targets play to his tune. See China, Germany, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell etc.

 

And I'm no troll. I just loathe cosy consensus. God bless you all. 

Edited October 1, 2018 by Mark M

[Sidelight]

On ‎28‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 14:17, Craig Gordons Gloves said:

I see the republican strategy is to say that they accept the she was assaulted but not by Kavanaugh, thereby not getting into the hot water of attacking a victim but that Brett is also a good boy. 

 

Alfa - what did you see/hear that makes you form the opinion that her testimony was a train wreck and his blew all allegations out the water? I saw things very differently, i saw a composed and intelligent woman who didn't need to expose herself to this answer questions in an honest and calm manner, i also saw a judge lose his temper on various occasions and rant about various things.  He was also helped by some very partisan senators including the last one who led him down the path of denying everything in front of god etc.  I don't believe him, i believe her. What should happen is that the nomination should be delayed until a proper investigation has been carried out to either give him the opportunity to be exonerated and take a seat in the court free from these claims or for evidence to show that he is guilty.  

Perhaps train-wreck was a poor choice of verb. Derailed may have been more appropriate, to describe the inconsistences within.

Kavanaugh, is accused of ‘ungentlemanly’ behaviour at some party 40 years ago. However the accuser who clearly remembers having exactly one beer, cannot remember location, dates or transport arrangements on that day. Witnesses, Ford alleged where there, deny her testimony. The hearing was delayed because she said she was afraid to fly. But in reality she is an experienced flyer. Etc.

 

 

 

[Ulysses]

8 hours ago, Barack said:

 

A unique posting style.

 

Yes, but regrettably the search function is a lot more awkward to use than in the previous software version.

 

 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

On 29/09/2018 at 16:37, JackLadd said:

It is an odd country the U.S; despite being founded on classical and enlightened French Western principals it is also a patriarchal society that Islam would approve of. They treat woman like second class citizens but the political partisanship runs so deep that a lot of woman go along with it. Weird place. Kavanaugh would be past tense anywhere else. 

 

We're patriarchal precisely because we're based on "classical and enlightened French Western principals." The 17th and 18th century Western Europe were patriarchal as all get-out. We got a lot of good things out of those principles but we also got a ****ton of patriarchal nonsense.

 

On 30/09/2018 at 11:56, Justin Z said:

 

It started with Ted Kennedy objecting to Robert Bork's nomination with his "Robert Bork's America" speech made during the confirmation hearings. His heart was in the right place, and if he'd kept his objection to Bork's ultrapartisan hackery in defence of Richard Nixon, he'd have been, in my view, well within his rights in calling on others to vote against Bork. But he went much further than that, and where he went further, he did so wildly inappropriately.

 

Bork's nomination was politicization in itself. Most post-war nominations had been consensus judges with uncontroversial pasts. Bork, like much of Reagan's policies, was a fork in the eye to every Democrat, an intensely partisan firebreather who (like Kavanaugh) had no business being a judge much less a SCOTUS Justice. and Kennedy finally decided he'd had enough. Did he go to far? I dunno, but Bork would have been an utter disaster on the court, and instead we got Justice Kennedy, who was known as a compromiser.

 

1 hour ago, Mark M said:

Nafta is another of his promises. Jerusalem being the most remamrkable. And you will likely see some movement on the wall before 2020. Re Nafta, Trudeau has apparently surrendered intellectual property rights for some bizarre reason.

 

People can say what they like about the cartoon character which he either is (likely) or inhabits but he regularly makes his targets play to his tune. See China, Germany, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell etc.

 

And I'm no troll. I just loathe cosy consensus. God bless you all. 

 

Yes, Trump got rid of NAFTA by changing its name! Hurray for him! Okay, seriously, I'll give credit to the old malicious fraud that on this one he managed to not do too badly. He did some good by US dairy farmers (I'm not sure it's good policy for the continent but it's good for US farmers, which is his job). Most of the rest were good, sound updates to basic trade policy.

 

But the basic blueprint of NAFTA and the era of liberalized trade that it kicked off is very much alive and well and intact. If NAFTA were a house then Trump re-did the bathroom, opened up a couple of rooms, re-did the siding, added a new roof, then declared to everyone that he'd built a brand new house unlike anything anyone had built before. So, well-done on the re-do, but of course he can't just leave it at that.

[Ulysses]

45 minutes ago, Barack said:

Your 'defence' of Kavanaugh, demeans you. And all sexual assault victims.

 

Morality is skin deep.

[Mark M]

30 minutes ago, Ugly American said:

 

We're patriarchal precisely because we're based on "classical and enlightened French Western principals." The 17th and 18th century Western Europe were patriarchal as all get-out. We got a lot of good things out of those principles but we also got a ****ton of patriarchal nonsense.

 

 

Bork's nomination was politicization in itself. Most post-war nominations had been consensus judges with uncontroversial pasts. Bork, like much of Reagan's policies, was a fork in the eye to every Democrat, an intensely partisan firebreather who (like Kavanaugh) had no business being a judge much less a SCOTUS Justice. and Kennedy finally decided he'd had enough. Did he go to far? I dunno, but Bork would have been an utter disaster on the court, and instead we got Justice Kennedy, who was known as a compromiser.

 

 

Yes, Trump got rid of NAFTA by changing its name! Hurray for him! Okay, seriously, I'll give credit to the old malicious fraud that on this one he managed to not do too badly. He did some good by US dairy farmers (I'm not sure it's good policy for the continent but it's good for US farmers, which is his job). Most of the rest were good, sound updates to basic trade policy.

 

But the basic blueprint of NAFTA and the era of liberalized trade that it kicked off is very much alive and well and intact. If NAFTA were a house then Trump re-did the bathroom, opened up a couple of rooms, re-did the siding, added a new roof, then declared to everyone that he'd built a brand new house unlike anything anyone had built before. So, well-done on the re-do, but of course he can't just leave it at that.

 

I'm with u on most of the Nafta stuff I think. Leveling the playing field with China Mexico et al seems all a short term distraction to the tsunami of automisation as far as I can see. I don't know why so few Dems touch on this ,especially in the rust belt. Maybe it's cos it is much more difficult to think or sell solutions than it is is to simply reopen coal mines. 

 

More broadly, having too much downtime or distraction windows with a screen at out finger tips has already caused this age of anxiety. I wonder what comes next.  

[Craig Gordons Gloves]

1 hour ago, Barack said:

Not sure you understand the concept of this particular phobia. Well, actually you probably do. More in keeping with previous posts, I guess. I'm also sure you've read up on the trauma that sexual assault victims go through, and the manner in which it effects memory, at the time, and over the course of their lives.

 

Suffice to say, the image being portrayed of her, as some kind of screaming female B.A. Baracus, is far from the truth. I know of at least 1 or 2 posters on here for example, who have varying fears of flying. But, like Dr. Ford, have to get over it for work purposes, however they can.

 

Your 'defence' of Kavanaugh, demeans you. And all sexual assault victims.

 

You can include me in that, hate flying but have to do it regularly. 

 

 

[Mark M]

10 hours ago, Justin Z said:

 

Captain America kens.

 

Gimme Mark Wahlberg any day. At least he is grateful for his luck as a fellow limited cardboard actor. He also knows that 50% of those that this schmuck denigrates with his big words help pay for his time spent playing pretend in blue tights.

 

Kanye can at least play the crazy genius card. 

[JackLadd]

I am blissfully ignorant of West and his selfie ho. 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

2 hours ago, Mark M said:

 

I'm with u on most of the Nafta stuff I think. Leveling the playing field with China Mexico et al seems all a short term distraction to the tsunami of automisation as far as I can see. I don't know why so few Dems touch on this ,especially in the rust belt. Maybe it's cos it is much more difficult to think or sell solutions than it is is to simply reopen coal mines. 

 

More broadly, having too much downtime or distraction windows with a screen at out finger tips has already caused this age of anxiety. I wonder what comes next.  

 

I think good trade policy makes for bad politics unfortunately. "Free trade" was a sham but the best outcomes are ridiculous amounts of fine print and hammered out deals through diplomacy. 

 

What the rust belt and Dems both need are unions, but  as a party we forgot that for a couple decades.

[Watt-Zeefuik]

Also, this painstakingly documented article gets into how we can say for certain that Kavenaugh lied under oath.  It's only one of many but the simplest one is that he insists that he never drank illegally.because the drinking age was 18. This is a truly silly and totally unnecessary lie because unless he's lied about his birthday, the drinking age in Maryland was raised to 21 while Kavenaugh was still 17. It would have been literally impossible for him to legally drink in Maryland at the age of 18.

 

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/09/how-we-know-kavanaugh-is-lying

[ri Alban]

9 hours ago, Maple Leaf said:

Well, he's delivered on his promise to replace NAFTA. 

A name change with a bit of dairy.

[ri Alban]

5 hours ago, Mark M said:

 

I'm with u on most of the Nafta stuff I think. Leveling the playing field with China Mexico et al seems all a short term distraction to the tsunami of automisation as far as I can see. I don't know why so few Dems touch on this ,especially in the rust belt. Maybe it's cos it is much more difficult to think or sell solutions than it is is to simply reopen coal mines. 

 

More broadly, having too much downtime or distraction windows with a screen at out finger tips has already caused this age of anxiety. I wonder what comes next.  

Guantanamo is his final destination. 

[Justin Z]

 

The irony of anyone who supports Trump telling anyone else that they are the one with "Trump Derangement Syndrome".

[Sidelight]

11 hours ago, Barack said:

Not sure you understand the concept of this particular phobia. Well, actually you probably do. More in keeping with previous posts, I guess. I'm also sure you've read up on the trauma that sexual assault victims go through, and the manner in which it effects memory, at the time, and over the course of their lives.

 

Suffice to say, the image being portrayed of her, as some kind of screaming female B.A. Baracus, is far from the truth. I know of at least 1 or 2 posters on here for example, who have varying fears of flying. But, like Dr. Ford, have to get over it for work purposes, however they can.

 

Your 'defence' of Kavanaugh, demeans you. And all sexual assault victims.

Don’t be silly.

How can a person be found guilty of a crime if no evidence exists to substantiate the allegations?

 

[The Real Maroonblood]

11 hours ago, Barack said:

Not sure you understand the concept of this particular phobia. Well, actually you probably do. More in keeping with previous posts, I guess. I'm also sure you've read up on the trauma that sexual assault victims go through, and the manner in which it effects memory, at the time, and over the course of their lives.

 

Suffice to say, the image being portrayed of her, as some kind of screaming female B.A. Baracus, is far from the truth. I know of at least 1 or 2 posters on here for example, who have varying fears of flying. But, like Dr. Ford, have to get over it for work purposes, however they can.

 

Your 'defence' of Kavanaugh, demeans you. And all sexual assault victims.

Very good post.

[JackLadd]

This FBI investigation is already a sham. Not speaking to new witnesses or looking into the incriminating texts between Kavanaugh and his old buddies pre Dr Ford coming forward. Trump is one corrupt mofo. 

[Sharpie]

5 hours ago, alfajambo said:

Don’t be silly.

How can a person be found guilty of a crime if no evidence exists to substantiate the allegations?

 

 

 

 

Has someone been found guilty of a crime, certainly not Kavanaugh. He has beeen subjected to a hearing because of an allegation that he physicall/y sexually ssaulted a teenage girl in his teenage years. The hearing is not to prove guilt or innocence it is to establish his Kavanaughs ability and appopriateness to be appointed a Judge in the United States Supreme Court. It is suggested that as a young man he was a belligerent drinker, drank heavily, and was seen by some to have passed out.  He denies these allegations, and paints a vastly different character and personality.

The recently divulgence of a police report where he was a participant in a disturbance in a pub  when he threw a glass of beer in a mans face, and a companion assaulted the same man with a beer glass causing a cut to an ear, might in the eyes of some cause them to suspect he was in fact a belligerent drinker.

I have heard one person who may have been questioning why a fifteen year old girl was partying with seventeen/eighteen year old boys, a relevant question, but would it justify being asaulted. Investigating sexual assault is no stranger to me. I have pulled a rapist off a woman whilst the act was being committed, I have attended homes where parents have suspected something wrong with their daughter, to find that after their questioning she had been indecently assa ulted as it was referred to in those days, it is a traumatic experience for a female young or old, even in its mildest form.

[Maple Leaf]

10 hours ago, ri Alban said:

A name change with a bit of dairy.

 

Correct.  Tweaking of some terms and conditions and more access to the Canadian dairy market, plus a name change.

 

But it allows him to claim a win, especially with American dairy farmers.

[Sidelight]

5 hours ago, bobsharp said:

 

Has someone been found guilty of a crime, certainly not Kavanaugh. He has beeen subjected to a hearing because of an allegation that he physicall/y sexually ssaulted a teenage girl in his teenage years. The hearing is not to prove guilt or innocence it is to establish his Kavanaughs ability and appopriateness to be appointed a Judge in the United States Supreme Court. It is suggested that as a young man he was a belligerent drinker, drank heavily, and was seen by some to have passed out.  He denies these allegations, and paints a vastly different character and personality.

The recently divulgence of a police report where he was a participant in a disturbance in a pub  when he threw a glass of beer in a mans face, and a companion assaulted the same man with a beer glass causing a cut to an ear, might in the eyes of some cause them to suspect he was in fact a belligerent drinker.

I have heard one person who may have been questioning why a fifteen year old girl was partying with seventeen/eighteen year old boys, a relevant question, but would it justify being asaulted. Investigating sexual assault is no stranger to me. I have pulled a rapist off a woman whilst the act was being committed, I have attended homes where parents have suspected something wrong with their daughter, to find that after their questioning she had been indecently assa ulted as it was referred to in those days, it is a traumatic experience for a female young or old, even in its mildest form.

 

 

[Sharpie]

24 minutes ago, alfajambo said:

 

 

 

Yes I saw Ms Mitchells report, what she in fact said was that based on the evidence she saw and heard no reasonable prosecuor would prefer charges. She however questioned Dr Ford quite extensively to the extent she could in a five minutes on five minutes off scenario, commented herself during the proceedings that she found it a strange way to do an examination. She also did not get the opportunity to question Kavanaugh for the same amount of time  as numerous Republican committee members done their own questioning.  Mitch McConnel today commented on the Democrats paying and selecting a lawyer for Dr Ford, did they not do the same thing with Ms Mitchell in an unprecedented nomination strategy.

Somehow I must have missed your response to my earlier question about your views  On Roe v Wade which I believe Kavanaugh shares amongst other things with the president. Kavanaugh also has strong views against proceedings against a sitting president although I believe he was active in the case against Bill Clinton.

[Sharpie]

In an earlier post I stated that Kavanaugh threw beer from a glass into another mans face, this was what the first report I heard stated, it has since been corrected ro read threw ice at the man. This has now caused another question to arise, his friend who first mentioned this incident also considered that the glass and ice were consistent with those used for mixed alcoholic drinks. Kavanaugh has never mentioned or been asked if he did use other forms of alcohol than beer.

Edited October 2, 2018 by bobsharp

[ri Alban]

12 hours ago, alfajambo said:

Don’t be silly.

How can a person be found guilty of a crime if no evidence exists to substantiate the allegations?

 

 

 

Have you been drinking on an empty head again. 

[The Real Maroonblood]

10 minutes ago, ri Alban said:

Have you been drinking on an empty head again. 

[Sharpie]

New York Times reporting very suspicious income tax activities by Trump with money he received from his parents , and may even be fraud. A very comprehensive story to be told. Some suspicion this may be part of the reason he has been so obstructive in releasing his tax information. Also story that he told Cohen in February to get any stories about Stormy Daniels blocked from publication. This was before his statements denying any involvement he had with Stormy.

It was actually very funny to watch him on the White House lawn suggesting that if Kavanaugh was found to have lied to a Senate hearing he would consider that grounds to withdraw his nomination. Trump taking action against someone lieing, that is worth the Golden Globe for comedy this year.

I don't care what criticism people have against American people and the Country, no person or

country deserves a leader and scandal ridden country like this has been.

[Kalamazoo Jambo]

Trump just mocked Christine Blasey Ford at his latest rally, after calling her ‘very credible’ last week. Not sure I’ve mentioned it on here before, but Trump is a terrible person.

[Kalamazoo Jambo]

2 hours ago, bobsharp said:

New York Times reporting very suspicious income tax activities by Trump with money he received from his parents , and may even be fraud. A very comprehensive story to be told.

 

Finally, there seems to be actual definitive proof that Trump lied about how much funding he received from his Dad (the amount appears to be in the hundreds of millions, and not the one million loan that he has falsely claimed). And of course tax scams played a major part in his wealth acquisition. Statute of limitations means no criminal charges but taxing authorities could still go after the money I believe.

 

 

[Sharpie]

10 minutes ago, Kalamazoo Jambo said:

 

Finally, there seems to be actual definitive proof that Trump lied about how much funding he received from his Dad (the amount appears to be in the hundreds of millions, and not the one million loan that he has falsely claimed). And of course tax scams played a major part in his wealth acquisition. Statute of limitations means no criminal charges but taxing authorities could still go after the money I believe.

 

 

 

Listened to some of the moves on CNN, may not be correct in my understanding, but, apparently the father gave the actual land some of his buildings were built on to his c hildren.  The children then charged him rent for the use of the land, which he claimed on his income tax. There was also some system where the kids owned a store, they sold cleaning fluids to the father at a high profit, that cost was then used by the father to justify overcharging tenants in rent controlled buildings, those rents being above the mandated rent. It seeems the mega rich use these schemes all the time, but the IRS neither have the manpower or the desire to do anything about it. Trump is a user of angles, he is a stranger to the truth, and much as one hates to admit it he is good at using the system to his profitable benefit. He is also going to use Kavanaugh to protect him in his presidency, hence the strong support he offers to another stranger from the truth, who believes he has the right of privilege. I have said before on numerous occasions that I do not readily use the word hate, but I do when I am describing a person telling obvious lies, and Trump falls well into my self right to give myself permission to use the word when commenting on Donald Trump.

[J.T.F.Robertson]

12 minutes ago, Kalamazoo Jambo said:

 

Finally, there seems to be actual definitive proof that Trump lied about how much funding he received from his Dad (the amount appears to be in the hundreds of millions, and not the one million loan that he has falsely claimed). And of course tax scams played a major part in his wealth acquisition. Statute of limitations means no criminal charges but taxing authorities could still go after the money I believe.

 

 

 

Well blow me down, who'd have ever thunk it, it was actually "daddy" set him up on his way to "self -madedom". 

The crook got to where he is by thieving, still no tax returns and I for one would  never have suspected he was "at it".  Yet the moronic faithful still worship at the shrine.

 

There are none so blind, etc., etc,.

 

[Justin Z]

1 hour ago, Barack said:

Just read the Times' piece. Quite a lot of detailed financial information to process, this early.

 

Interesting. But, rich people hiding their wealth to get even richer...for once, I'll pass on Trump. 

 

Should the Senate &/or the House fall to Democrats, and they push through a motion to have Trump's tax returns publicly released, then I might sit up and take notice. 

 

They might pass a non-binding resolution to do that, in either chamber. It won't actually have any legal effect. Kind of like House Republicans calling votes to repeal Obamacare every f***ing day during your presidency.

 

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by Justin Z

[Justin Z]

Taken from a friend on Facebook. It could've been written with the intent to post it here, apposite as it is, so, I thought it'd be appropriate to reproduce it here.

 

Quote

You gotta love when the same people who insist Obama was a Kenyan Muslim terrorist with no birth certificate and was also the anti-christ who never did anything for the economy except **** everything up also claim the Left hate everything Trump does no matter if it's good or not.

 

Are we just going to miss the irony here?

 

The progress under the Obama administration is literally quantifiable. It's not only quantifiable but of late is literally hijacked and credited to the Trump administration rather than admit that Obama accomplished anything whatsoever.

 

Maybe instead of making up excuses about how the Left will never agree that Trump did something right we can start listing the things that Trump is doing right, instead. You know, argue from a place of sourceable fact instead of whining about people being mean.

I'd certainly like to know these great things Trump is doing. I see an agriculture bailout as a direct result of trade tariffs installed by the Trump administration. I see this administration riding the gdp growth of the last administration that just now, two years later saw a single quarter spike in improvement. Do I think that's great? Superficially, sure. Do I believe it will last? I'll need more convincing. I'm gonna hold off on shaking Trump's hand for gdp growth until I see actual overall gdp growth. Like when Obama took a 2.5% gdp decline and turned it into a 7 year straight 2% gdp growth that has not altered under Trump. I see the EPA eroding environmental standards. I see the people in charge of education pumping public school money into private schools. I see religious encroachment into law. I see the President pissing off the international community. Not in a "shaking things up" kind of way. More like the same way a woman divorces her husband because he goes out of his way to piss her off and **** with her everyday. Except his friends are telling him, "haha good job you're really shaking things up" by irrelevantly pissing her off for no good reason.

 

When and if you find something fantastic this administration has done let's compare that to the high number of criminal indictments being issued with the people he chose to lead the country. We'll stack that up to a President who gives no ****s about making himself look like a complete moron with just a twitter account. Let's have an honest conversation about the good that has been done and then put that on a figurative scale and stack up the disasters and see which one wins out.

 

The good vs the bad aside, here's my real beef with this. I plainly see the bullshit the Left has pulled. And as a member of the Left I have spared zero punches in calling the rest out. When is the Right going to start holding themselves accountable for their own bullshit the way those of us on the Left do? When are you going to hold conservative media outlets accountable for misinformation the way I hold liberal outlets accountable? When are you going to apply the same standard of ridicule for the Left to your own side when you have overt corruption right in your face?

 

[Justin Z]

5 minutes ago, Barack said:

The Ways & Means Comittee, Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee, can request that at any time, & could share the returns with their committee members in closed session, as I understand it. Then, if one of the committee's thinks releasing the returns to the House or Senate, would further a legitimate committee purpose and be in the public interest, they can do that, too, I believe. 

 

Without Trump's consent.

 

It may happen, it may not. It's just one of a considerable amount of things, that the GOP & the President, have on their minds during the next 30+ days before the elections.

 

They can request it. Is an executive branch under Trump going to honour that request? Doubt it.

 

You're pretty much right on in principle of course. I'd be surprised if it happened in practice.

[Jambo-Jimbo]

7 hours ago, Kalamazoo Jambo said:

Trump just mocked Christine Blasey Ford at his latest rally, after calling her ‘very credible’ last week. Not sure I’ve mentioned it on here before, but Trump is a terrible person.

 

The only shock is that it took him so long to do it, but once again none of us should be surprised at this because put Trump in front of an audience and he'll play to that audience and say anything to keep their adulation of him going.

 

After Trump's mocking of a disabled person this mocking of an alleged victim of sexual abuse is par for the course with Trump, what people should be concerned at is the amount of people in the audience including women who clapped, cheered, hollered and hence agreed with his mocking of an alleged sexual abuse victim, truely disgusting individuals imo, but then again as it has been shown time and time again Trump does have some of the lowest forms of humans as his supporters who seem to have some very dubious morals. 

[JackLadd]

More disgusting behaviour from Trump in the same night we learn of his crime families $500m tax fraud. Winter is coming for this cretin. 

[Francis Albert]

If only 1% of the effort to find ways to overthrow the elected President of the United States had been devoted to finding and getting behind credible candidates (Republican and Democratic) to stand against him in 2020 (not much more than a year before that campaign begins) we would be closer to and surer of a return to sanity.

 

But what have we got so far. Oprah Winfrey?