U.S. Politics megathread (merged)

[Unknown user]

3 minutes ago, RobboM said:

“If you owe your bank a hundred pounds, you have a problem. But if you owe a million, it has.” John Maynard Keynes

As corrupt as Trump and organisation is it is incredible to me that the bankers and auditors have so little liability and will have pocketed huge fees, salaries and (topically here in UK) bankers bonuses on completing such an incompetent job.

 

Same rule applies with mortgages.

 

If you're behind on your rent you have a problem, if you're behind on your mortgage, your bank has a problem.

 

Well the banks are going to have plenty of problems soon.

We should have jailed them like Iceland.

[RobboM]

3 minutes ago, Smithee said:

 

Same rule applies with mortgages.

 

If you're behind on your rent you have a problem, if you're behind on your mortgage, your bank has a problem.

 

Well the banks are going to have plenty of problems soon.

We should have jailed them like Iceland.

Yup. Now there's a supermarket that knows how to deal with those ****ers 😁

[Watt-Zeefuik]

The company set up to run Trump's traveling sideshow is struggling to pay its bills.

 

Quote

A company that organized a lucrative series of post-White House paid speeches for former president Donald Trump is now struggling to pay vendors, investors and employees, angering Trump allies who supported the effort.

 

The American Freedom Tour, which struck a multimillion-dollar deal with Trump after he left office, has lost two top executives and canceled events in a number of locations as it has failed to pay its bills, according to people familiar with the activities and documents obtained by The Washington Post. Its founder and owner, who has a history of bankruptcy filings, recently sought bankruptcy protection again.

 

The group has promised events in a number of locales but canceled them before they began and appears to be banking on a large event at Mar-a-Lago in December to turn its financial position around.

 

With speakers, affiliates and investors all clamoring for their money, one of the people involved who did get paid was Trump, people close to the former president say. Some Trump advisers have warned against doing future events, though Trump has expressed interest.

 

It’s not clear what that means for the tour’s advertised upcoming black-tie gala at Mar-a-Lago, with tickets starting at $10,000 a couple to spend time with Trump. The event includes a poolside reception and a formal ballroom dinner. Dinner and a photo with Trump costs $40,000, and a private library meeting with Trump is so pricey that it’s only listed as: “INQUIRE BELOW.” The company declined to say how much Trump is being paid for the event.

 

[JFK-1]

3 hours ago, Led Tasso said:

The company set up to run Trump's traveling sideshow is struggling to pay its bills.

 

 

 

Who in the world would pay good money to listen to Trump talk utter drivel? Okay so he's an ex President and on a personal level if I had the chance to watch an ex President speak and take questions I would think that may be interesting. Any ex President but Trump.

 

Even GW Bush who is hardly a sterling intellect either but I would still expect him to speak in a rational manner and offer accurate information/anecdotes on specific events of his tenure. Does anybody think that would be likely with Trump?

 

Who by this time doesn't know that every time Trump opens his mouth what spews forth is a stream of not just lies but implausible lies iced with massive exaggeration. I could do it for him, probably many of us could.

 

Everything I ever did would be the greatest in history, my speech would be the greatest ever, until my next speech. Trump is a comedy sketch not a speaker.

[Watt-Zeefuik]

15 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

 

Who in the world would pay good money to listen to Trump talk utter drivel? Okay so he's an ex President and on a personal level if I had the chance to watch an ex President speak and take questions I would think that may be interesting. Any ex President but Trump.

 

Even GW Bush who is hardly a sterling intellect either but I would still expect him to speak in a rational manner and offer accurate information/anecdotes on specific events of his tenure. Does anybody think that would be likely with Trump?

 

Who by this time doesn't know that every time Trump opens his mouth what spews forth is a stream of not just lies but implausible lies iced with massive exaggeration. I could do it for him, probably many of us could.

 

Everything I ever did would be the greatest in history, my speech would be the greatest ever, until my next speech. Trump is a comedy sketch not a speaker.

 

Part of the way he built his campaign for 2016 was that he put on a good show. The bits about low flow toilets and such that we love to parody were really comedy bits playing to a base that didn't like government regulations, particularly environmental ones. It's not a matter of hearing him put forth coherent ideas or give a great speech, it's that his whole schtick is spectacle and offering himself up as an outlet for moderately wealthy white people's grievances. It's why he used to regularly get crowds of 10-15k.

 

Now he's getting 3-5k if he's lucky. He still does the schtick, but while it's still his MAGA banner they're flocking to, his fans seem like they might be getting tired of his act.

[JFK-1]

1 minute ago, Led Tasso said:

He still does the schtick, but while it's still his MAGA banner they're flocking to, his fans seem like they might be getting tired of his act.

 

I like Billy Connolly, have even occasionally liked him telling the same story, but he actually is funny so he can get away with that. But he doesn't repeat the same jokes over and over because funny as he is that would quickly become dull.

 

I'm guessing the witless hordes who follow Trump don't care about that and it's not what they're following him for anyway. It's his enabling of veiled racism, vigilantism etc. they're into. And in the current circumstances I suspect Trump will have to be very careful about what he says.

 

They're building cases against him all day every day and everything the idiot says will go into some investigation or other. I hope Trump does talk and keeps on talking. I believe he truly is mentally deranged in a manner that even if he knew talking could see him killed he just couldn't stop himself.

 

And when Trump talks in response to a question it's not some thought out in minute detail answer, it's simply whatever load of shite just this moment popped into his head and will come spewing forth in an incoherent stream.

 

Because it has no thought behind it he quickly runs out of steam because Trump talks in one liners then has to pad it out with something. He doesn't know what so just lets the shit continue spewing forth till he says something incriminating.

 

Trump has prepared his own cell, it has to be the most in the open and well detailed string of major crimes in history. People are tired of the jokes, and Trump is now truly deflated and not up to being the clown any longer.

 

His clown act was always directed at somebody else, or something else but now brutal realty has come into his life for the first time ever. Try the clown act on a judge, we already saw what happened when Judge Dearie masterfully mocked that joke.

 

I think Trump will become even more unhinged and we're all going to see it happen. He's going to be in and out of court rooms for the rest of his life.

[JFK-1]

22 minutes ago, Led Tasso said:

 

Part of the way he built his campaign for 2016 was that he put on a good show. The bits about low flow toilets and such that we love to parody were really comedy bits playing to a base that didn't like government regulations, particularly environmental ones. It's not a matter of hearing him put forth coherent ideas or give a great speech, it's that his whole schtick is spectacle and offering himself up as an outlet for moderately wealthy white people's grievances. It's why he used to regularly get crowds of 10-15k.

 

Now he's getting 3-5k if he's lucky. He still does the schtick, but while it's still his MAGA banner they're flocking to, his fans seem like they might be getting tired of his act.

 

Incidentally is hurricane Ian coming your way?

[Watt-Zeefuik]

20 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

 

Incidentally is hurricane Ian coming your way?

Yep. I have two jobs at the moment but one of them (the one I've had for a while/am moving away from) is hurricane data processing for emergency managers, so needless to say it's been a busy week. But we may get some tropical storm force winds tomorrow.

 

Which for us will be basically a moderately bad thunderstorm and a lot of rain. The main track of the storm is west of us so we very likely won't get what's left of the eye. Just a lot of water and probably some downed trees. Absolutely nothing compared to what Fort Meyers got.

[JFK-1]

4 minutes ago, Led Tasso said:

Yep. I have two jobs at the moment but one of them (the one I've had for a while/am moving away from) is hurricane data processing for emergency managers, so needless to say it's been a busy week. But we may get some tropical storm force winds tomorrow.

 

Which for us will be basically a moderately bad thunderstorm and a lot of rain. The main track of the storm is west of us so we very likely won't get what's left of the eye. Just a lot of water and probably some downed trees. Absolutely nothing compared to what Fort Meyers got.

 

Experienced a hurricane once when I was around 7 years old and a hurricane came blowing over central Scotland. It came at night and carried on until into the next morning and this was catastrophic. For just one thing at that time everybody had steel rubbish bins kept outside.

 

At least one for every home sitting right out there in the open and these things were airborne. In fact a lot more than that was and this is shattering alongside the noise. It's something like a thunderous never ending train passing over you.

 

The scene the next day when it was eventually safe to come out was like a bomb site. Chimneys had been blown over and bricks had been airborne as well as roofs etc. It's pretty much like an intense air raid without the explosives. 

[JFK-1]

US President Joe Biden says Hurricane Ian could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history

Speaking at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency he says early reports suggest substantial loss of life

[Maple Leaf]

1 hour ago, JFK-1 said:

US President Joe Biden says Hurricane Ian could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history

Speaking at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency he says early reports suggest substantial loss of life

 

While all this is happening, Ron DeSantis is probably planning his next busload of immigrants to Marsha's Vineyard.  Gotta keep your priorities straight.

[ri Alban]

19 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

While all this is happening, Ron DeSantis is probably planning his next busload of immigrants to Marsha's Vineyard.  Gotta keep your priorities straight.

Should he not be arrested for that. It must be illegal.

[JFK-1]

42 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

While all this is happening, Ron DeSantis is probably planning his next busload of immigrants to Marsha's Vineyard.  Gotta keep your priorities straight.

 

I think more should have been evacuated. Now very large numbers are trapped by flooding and we don't know how many are already dead in there. Aside from everything else there are alligators and snakes in the floodwater.

[JFK-1]

On 22/09/2022 at 22:34, Maple Leaf said:

 

I posted a while back that if Clarence Thomas had a single molecule of integrity in his brain he would resign from the SCOTUS because of his wife's outrageous, outspoken and undeniable bias.  But he hasn't, so he won't.

 

He's one of the reasons that the SCOTUS has a dismal rating among the American public.

 

A closer look at the January 6 committee deposing Ginni Thomas, the spouse of a sitting Supreme Court justice.

 

 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

7 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

I think more should have been evacuated. Now very large numbers are trapped by flooding and we don't know how many are already dead in there. Aside from everything else there are alligators and snakes in the floodwater.

 

Wash my mouth out with soap, but DeSantis hasn't been bad during this one. You don't get to be governor of Florida by taking hurricanes lightly. They called the evacuations. Some people just didn't leave.

 

It also didn't help that they thought it was going to hit Tampa and St. Pete, but veered south.

 

The problem with these major hurricanes is that residents there will have been through dozens of minor hurricanes or non-direct hits. Same with Katrina, residents of New Orleans thought they knew hurricanes and knew how to ride them out.

 

The storm surge on this one was a whole different level though. Feet of water sweeping through the Ft. Meyers area a couple of miles inland. 8-9 feet in some places. People can have lived their whole lives and been through 50 hurricane seasons and never storm surge like this.

[JFK-1]

2 minutes ago, Led Tasso said:

 

Wash my mouth out with soap, but DeSantis hasn't been bad during this one. You don't get to be governor of Florida by taking hurricanes lightly. They called the evacuations. Some people just didn't leave.

 

It also didn't help that they thought it was going to hit Tampa and St. Pete, but veered south.

 

The problem with these major hurricanes is that residents there will have been through dozens of minor hurricanes or non-direct hits. Same with Katrina, residents of New Orleans thought they knew hurricanes and knew how to ride them out.

 

The storm surge on this one was a whole different level though. Feet of water sweeping through the Ft. Meyers area a couple of miles inland. 8-9 feet in some places. People can have lived their whole lives and been through 50 hurricane seasons and never storm surge like this.

 

I remember reading a story years ago about a hurricane bearing down on Florida and as you say residents who thought they had seen it all before declined to leave. And one group of multiple households decided to throw a 'storm party'

 

So that's what they did, somewhat more than a dozen of them or so eating and drinking and listening to music. Only one survived the party, storm surge killed the rest.

[JFK-1]

14 minutes ago, Led Tasso said:

People can have lived their whole lives and been through 50 hurricane seasons and never storm surge like this.

 

And incidentally I think given the evidence of recent years, that the scientists have been predicting for many years before now, that storms would become more intense and more frequent is beginning to happen.

 

Severe weather event records are being broken pretty much annually. This could in future potentially happen every year. 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

FWIW the outer rain bands have arrived this morning. It's about 12C and winds are blowing about 10-20mph.

 

It's what in the Hebredes you'd call "Tuesday."

 

We will probably get stronger winds this evening when the remnant of the eye goes through.

[DarthVodka]

12 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

US President Joe Biden says Hurricane Ian could be the deadliest hurricane in Florida's history

Speaking at the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency he says early reports suggest substantial loss of life

I was in Naples and fort myers/sanibel on holiday and left 1 week before the storm hit and seeing the utter destruction that has happened in that area is very sad.  
 

Sanibel is totally cut off as the bridge is down and I think it was basically underwater. Captiva can hardly be a half mile wide at some points.

 

they were watching that storm for about a week while I was there on the tv, it wasn’t very big then it just turned into the hulk overnight, crazy stuff. 

 

When we were watching the news the other night the wife said ‘ah there will be gators in that water’, I tried to play it down and told her it was sea water, gators don’t live there. She bought it I think and obviously never thought about all the lakes and rivers that’s spill over onto that too. She didn’t even think about snakes.  Cant scare her too much into never wanting to return !

 

 

[JFK-1]

7 hours ago, DarthVodka said:

I was in Naples and fort myers/sanibel on holiday and left 1 week before the storm hit and seeing the utter destruction that has happened in that area is very sad.  
 

Sanibel is totally cut off as the bridge is down and I think it was basically underwater. Captiva can hardly be a half mile wide at some points.

 

they were watching that storm for about a week while I was there on the tv, it wasn’t very big then it just turned into the hulk overnight, crazy stuff. 

 

When we were watching the news the other night the wife said ‘ah there will be gators in that water’, I tried to play it down and told her it was sea water, gators don’t live there. She bought it I think and obviously never thought about all the lakes and rivers that’s spill over onto that too. She didn’t even think about snakes.  Cant scare her too much into never wanting to return !

 

 

 

The water is well populated with gators and snakes which could make just wading out of there difficult. I'm guessing there's going to have to be many rescues by boat and helicopter. The elderly wont be able to get out of that even when the water level goes down.

[J.T.F.Robertson]

 

DeSantis says it's a 500 year event, like all that's happening, not anymore it isn't. 

[JFK-1]

Trump is finished on so many fronts, there is no way out. Journalists who have now read all 220 pages of the Letitia James indictment say it's so long because she has been anticipating every last pile of crap he will try to say, and closing it off.

 

And that's just the tax case.

 

‘He faces jail time one way or another.’ Legal experts say Trump’s ‘telepathy defense’ can't win

 

 

 

 

[JFK-1]

The irony, this is pretty much what Fox etc. have been fixated on since day one claiming Biden is demented. Now even the right wing is apparently beginning to concede that they need to take a closer look at the orange one.

 

Who is currently looking to get a matching suit. Put him in an orange jumpsuit he will be invisible. And that's fine by me.

 

Dementia Scare as Trump Falls Apart at Latest Rally

 

Donald Trump's latest rally in Wilmington, North Carolina was so outrageous, even right wing Drudge Report raised questions about dementia.

 

 

 

 

[JFK-1]

There's a new poll indicating that 87% of Americans believe that Trump should be treated the same as anyone else by the law, 13% think he should get special exemptions as an ex President.

 

94% of dems say treat him the same as everybody else, 87% of indies say the same, and a whopping 80% of GOP voters say the same.

 

You know I think there is more likely to be rioting if Trump isn't indicted than if he is. And when he is, the predominate reaction across the nation will be rejoicing. All sane people want this curse gone.

[JFK-1]

The head of the national archives says there are still documents unaccounted for.

 

 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

I mentioned previously that former University of Georgia football star Hershel Walker was running for Senate in Georgia. (and that this is a bit like having Bomber Brown run for First Minister, but anyway.)

 

On top of the reveal that he has significantly more kids with more women than he'd previously admitted, a former girlfriend has now come forward saying that he pressured her to have an abortion, and not only that, she has the medical bill for the expenses that he paid and a "get well" card he sent her in the hospital. This for a man who's advocated a total ban on abortion with no exceptions.

 

Oh, and on top of that, his adult son has accused Walker of not only ignoring his children his whole life, but also of threatening them and terrorizing them so much that his mother had to move several times to hide from him.

 

Having reviewed all of this, the GOP powerbrokers have taken a few days and . . . decided that's all totally fine, carry on.

[Maple Leaf]

10 hours ago, Led Tasso said:

I mentioned previously that former University of Georgia football star Hershel Walker was running for Senate in Georgia. (and that this is a bit like having Bomber Brown run for First Minister, but anyway.)

 

On top of the reveal that he has significantly more kids with more women than he'd previously admitted, a former girlfriend has now come forward saying that he pressured her to have an abortion, and not only that, she has the medical bill for the expenses that he paid and a "get well" card he sent her in the hospital. This for a man who's advocated a total ban on abortion with no exceptions.

 

Oh, and on top of that, his adult son has accused Walker of not only ignoring his children his whole life, but also of threatening them and terrorizing them so much that his mother had to move several times to hide from him.

 

Having reviewed all of this, the GOP powerbrokers have taken a few days and . . . decided that's all totally fine, carry on.

 

In addition, he's a man of questionable intelligence.  He believes that America's clean air is stolen by China and replaced by Chinese bad air.

[Watt-Zeefuik]

21 minutes ago, Maple Leaf said:

 

In addition, he's a man of questionable intelligence.  He believes that America's clean air is stolen by China and replaced by Chinese bad air.

As I said, Bomber Brown for First Minister. To be fair to him, the number of knocks he took on the head playing football means you really can't rule out CTE for his behavior and cognitive function. But that's no reason to try to make him a Senator.

[ri Alban]

14 hours ago, Led Tasso said:

I mentioned previously that former University of Georgia football star Hershel Walker was running for Senate in Georgia. (and that this is a bit like having Bomber Brown run for First Minister, but anyway.)

 

On top of the reveal that he has significantly more kids with more women than he'd previously admitted, a former girlfriend has now come forward saying that he pressured her to have an abortion, and not only that, she has the medical bill for the expenses that he paid and a "get well" card he sent her in the hospital. This for a man who's advocated a total ban on abortion with no exceptions.

 

Oh, and on top of that, his adult son has accused Walker of not only ignoring his children his whole life, but also of threatening them and terrorizing them so much that his mother had to move several times to hide from him.

 

Having reviewed all of this, the GOP powerbrokers have taken a few days and . . . decided that's all totally fine, carry on.

It's the concussions, man. The concussions.

[BlueRiver]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2022/oct/05/joe-biden-caught-swearing-on-hot-mic-video
 

😂quite enjoyed the above. 

[ri Alban]

3 hours ago, BlueRiver said:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2022/oct/05/joe-biden-caught-swearing-on-hot-mic-video
 

😂quite enjoyed the above. 

I seen it this morning. "No-one fecks with a Biden" You tell them Joe.

Edited October 6, 2022 by ri Alban

[Ulysses]

[JFK-1]

I have a feeling Trump may be indicted in the documents case before this month is out. And if/when that happens he's going to try to incite another mob.

 

I'm also thinking there's a distinct possibility we still haven't seen the worst of Trump.

[Ulysses]

19 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

I'm also thinking there's a distinct possibility we still haven't seen the worst of Trump.

 

Even if Trump drops dead overnight we haven't seen the worst of him.  But we will.

[Unknown user]

I wouldn't be surprised if Putin revealed he invaded Ukraine because of knowledge gleaned from top secret documents handed to him personally by Trump.

Horrors of war notwithstanding, it would be an amazing twist, especially if found to be not true, but only after he'd passed.

[JFK-1]

16 minutes ago, Smithee said:

I wouldn't be surprised if Putin revealed he invaded Ukraine because of knowledge gleaned from top secret documents handed to him personally by Trump.

Horrors of war notwithstanding, it would be an amazing twist, especially if found to be not true, but only after he'd passed.

 

Nothing would surprise me about Trump, but it would surprise me if Putin revealed it.

 

Maybe Putin only invaded  Ukraine to help out his old comrade Trump, a man who has never had anything but praise for him. I just started a conspiracy theory. 😉

[JFK-1]

A closer look at the GOP rallying behind several pro-Trump Senate candidates whose campaigns have been engulfed in scandal as Trump himself continues to face more legal scrutiny over the stolen classified documents he stashed away at Mar-a-Lago.

 

 

 

[JFK-1]

Sources tell NBC News the DOJ doesn’t believe Donald Trump has handed over all of the classified documents in his possession.

 

Former prosecutor Glenn Kirschner joins Katie Phang to discuss why he says Donald Trump is a classified documents terrorist.

 

 

 

[JFK-1]

What Else Is There At 'Other Properties Trump Owns?’: Former CIA Director On DOJ Fears

 

 

 

[Mikey1874]

New video from the Capitol with Nancy Pelosi.

 

 

[Mikey1874]

New footage must have been released because there are few videos getting posted. 

 

 

[Mikey1874]

Other stuff happening with Trump. Subpoenaed to appear before the Jan 6th Committee.

[Mikey1874]

Longer video

 

 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

His hand-packed Supreme Court also refused to back up his toady hand-picked judge. Gave a single sentence refusal.

[Watt-Zeefuik]

Honestly I didn't think there would be that much to drop today, I thought it would be more of a summary.

 

But good goddamn. This is two days earlier, Trump's post-election inner circle of crazies saying he's going to "unexpectedly" call for them to march to the capital.

 

This is the first time I've seen something that made me say, "yeah, that's enough to convict him for J6."

 

 

Edited October 13, 2022 by Led Tasso

[JFK-1]

Capitol riot inquiry orders Trump to testify

 

The US congressional committee investigating last year's Capitol riot has issued a legal summons for former President Donald Trump to testify.

 

"He is required to answer for his actions," said Representative Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat.

 

If Mr Trump does not comply with the subpoena, he could face criminal charges and ultimately imprisonment.

 

FULL ARTICLE https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63251303

[JFK-1]

They really don't do irony.

 

Quote

Meanwhile a spokesman for the former president reacted on Twitter, calling Democrats “bitter, power hungry & desperate”.

 

I don't use many emojis, but for this. 🤣

[JFK-1]

I'm 100% certain Trump is going to be indicted probably in more than one case. From there it then has to be considered that the case they have on him is already overwhelming and we don't even know all of it yet. Thus it would be illogical to expect anything other than a conviction. After that I have no idea what they will do with Trump.

But in the meantime this total idiot who should never have been remembered as anything but a crook, conman and TV host, could go down in history as the buffoon who brought down a nation.

 

he GOP has been flirting with extremism for decades, now they have gone full blown and McConnell has no intention of trying to stop it.

They have no manifesto, no policy, other than legislative armageddon in any way they can engineer it. It's turning out these upcoming elections may in some ways be just as crucial as the one that ousted Trump. He's still running through proxies like the doctor Oz guy, another TV host.

I know the majority of the population, presumably all democrats and a lot of republicans too want to get out of this madness. If they turn out to vote the Trump faction can be defeated. I think there are almost 200 of these election denying Trump acolytes running. A gallery of weirdos.

 

But no matter the outcome, even if the GOP were somehow purged of the extremism and went back to just being ****s, led by Pelosi say, we still wont be free of the after effects of this orange curse for at least the next decade. Probably more. 

[JFK-1]

 

[Unknown user]

3 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

 

Mr Smithee?

**** aye