The Trump Presidency – 2016

[QuikSand]

I got around to listening to the NYT Magazine piece on the state of the intelligence community, especially w.r.t. Russian interference in Us elections and... it’s quite an experience to do so. I’m just grinding my teeth at this point.

bars

Hearing the play by play is just a brutal illustration of the things that arise from such an awful person gaining this kind of station. It’s...I don’t know the right word...heartbreaking? No, more like the patriotic version of that. I’m at a loss. It’s an awful feeling.

It’s also dispiriting to know, with virtual certainty, that the continued reporting of such things wil have no effect on such a substantial share of Americans, at this point. They wouldn’t read a “fake news” source, wouldn’t trust the reporting if they did, and would blame the President's rivals for the smear. It’s testament the Bannon’s fundamentally cynical strategy that you can win in American politics mainly by just conning the stupid, hateful, and gullible...that this isn’t just a fringe, it’s a workable, viable coalition.

I shudder at the direction this could all take us. And I wince every time the opposition party makes decisions that I fear lessen the chance of defeating this awful person through the proper democratic channels. I’m mortified that this election is within spitting distance of being a toss up. Good heavens, America, wake up from this, please.

[Ksyrup]

It's hard for me to understand some decent, otherwise rational people I know who simply see this as "politics as usual" back-and-forth between the parties and downplay, discount or rebut a lot of what Trump has done to fundamentally attack the basis of our democracy, as if they were defending policy decisions of any other president. These are smart people. I just don't get it.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It's hard for me to understand some decent, otherwise rational people I know who simply see this as "politics as usual" back-and-forth between the parties and downplay, discount or rebut a lot of what Trump has done to fundamentally attack the basis of our democracy, as if they were defending policy decisions of any other president. These are smart people. I just don't get it.

I am in the same boat. This is something I can't comprehend.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It's hard for me to understand some decent, otherwise rational people I know who simply see this as "politics as usual" back-and-forth between the parties and downplay, discount or rebut a lot of what Trump has done to fundamentally attack the basis of our democracy, as if they were defending policy decisions of any other president. These are smart people. I just don't get it.

+100

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

+100

Yes me too It just shocks me.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It's hard for me to understand some decent, otherwise rational people I know who simply see this as "politics as usual" back-and-forth between the parties and downplay, discount or rebut a lot of what Trump has done to fundamentally attack the basis of our democracy, as if they were defending policy decisions of any other president. These are smart people. I just don't get it.

Exactly and many are people I've known my whole life. To tell the truth I find it depressing to think about

[JPhillips]

Trump claims he's just about to drop prescription prices, "50, 60, and even 70 percent."

lol I missed the spelling. He actually tweeted "per cent."

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Trump claims he's just about to drop prescription prices, "50, 60, and even 70 percent."

He's one of the best people at selling things that aren't real.

[Drake]

They're too worried about cannibals, pedophiles, and non-citizens infiltrating the presidency (and now the vice presidency) to be bothered with things like Russian interference.

Right up until a Democrat hosts a state dinner with a formerly-communist Eastern bloc leader, and then they'll be blowing their brains out about treason.

[Ben E Lou]

Bannon arrested in online fund raising scheme.

BREAKING: Steve Bannon indicted by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. https://t.co/kdrUxk2XiK

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 20, 2020

[Butter]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Trump claims he's just about to drop prescription prices, "50, 60, and even 70 percent."

lol I missed the spelling. He actually tweeted "per cent."

So, like GoodRx?

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Bannon arrested in online fund raising scheme.

BREAKING: Steve Bannon indicted by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. https://t.co/kdrUxk2XiK

— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 20, 2020

Can you imagine the dirty he has on Trump if he wants to roll over and make a deal?

[ISiddiqui]

The Build the Wall crowdfunding scheme. Which seemed like a scam the entire time - it's amazing they got so many to buy in.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Can you imagine the dirty he has on Trump if he wants to roll over and make a deal?

Trump barely knew Steve Bannon. Maybe Bannon got coffee for him once or something?

[JPhillips]

Might this have been why Barr was trying so hard to control who was the US Attorney for SDNY?

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Trump barely knew Steve Bannon. Maybe Bannon got coffee for him once or something?

Gold.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Trump barely knew Steve Bannon. Maybe Bannon got coffee for him once or something?

lol

[JPhillips]

This is quite a list of names.

Kris Kobach is the general counsel of the Build the Wall PAC that Steve Bannon was just arrested for being involved in as chairman. The advisory board includes Erik Prince, former CO congressman Tom Tancredo, Sheriff Dave Clarke and former pitcher Curt Schilling.

— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) August 20, 2020

[Lathum]

Nothing would make me happier than seeing Curt Schilling do the perp walk

[albionmoonlight]

I'd like to be there for the conversation between Shilling and his lawyers when they explain to him that putting some ketchup on his sock probably won't work to get sympathy in front of the jury.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Nothing would make me happier than seeing Sheriff Clarke do the perp walk

Fixed

[Kodos]

I'm ashamed to admit that I ever rooted for a team Curt Schilling was on.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I'm ashamed to admit that I ever rooted for a team Curt Schilling was on.

You're not the only one.

[Ksyrup]

Bannon was arrested by Postal Service agents.

[spleen1015]

What if I told you the POTUS was going to have them switch the tires on the cars in his motorcade because the company that makes them doesn't like him....

The crazy never ends....

[Thomkal]

Only the best people...

[Ksyrup]

The car his campaign sponsors for NASCAR has Goodyear tires.

[Ben E Lou]

I know someone personally who gave to this nonsense. I'm having a hard time feeling sympathy for anyone who gave their money to be stewarded by the likes of Steve Bannon and Sheriff Clarke.

[Lathum]

Between this and the NRA its a wonder people have any money left to give to the Trump campaign.

[JPhillips]

And the Trump campaign is the biggest groft of them all. Parscale didn't buy all his toys with the money from his past jobs.

[kingfc22]

Looks like one of these clowns bought a boat with the ill gotten money: http://twitter.com/evanchill/status/1296466677870231562

Also, just how good is it that the USPS made this arrest. Lol

[Ksyrup]

I wonder if he was in the boat parade!

[JPhillips]

And the lead grifter took part in a July 4th boat parade for Trump.

[albionmoonlight]

"Clinton Foundation" is trending on Twitter.

Half of the Russian economy is people being paid to post bothsides shit on social media to protect Trump.

[Ksyrup]

On the indictment of former aide Steve Bannon, Pres Trump says he feels very badly about it, but hasn't been dealing with Bannon for a very long period of time. The Pres says he doesn't know anything about the fundraising project in the matter and he didn't like it.

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 20, 2020

Kris Kobach in a January 2019 interview connected the border wall fundraising scheme to Trump: "I talked with the president, and the 'We Build the Wall Effort’' came up. The president said 'the project has my blessing, and you can tell the media that.'" https://t.co/iUFv5sdg4f

— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) August 20, 2020

[JPhillips]

Don Jr. liked the grift

Here's Donald Trump Jr.'s testimonial on the We Build The Wall Website. pic.twitter.com/oXnD1gCIzn

— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) August 20, 2020

[kingfc22]

Those are clearly just examples of Democrats hacking the website.

[albionmoonlight]

Bannon was arrested at sea by the Post Office?

2020, you magnificent bastard, you've managed to surprise me again.

[RainMaker]

Now we see why Barr fired that AG.

[albionmoonlight]

Also, it is kind of funny that most of the people who worked on the Trump campaign clearly didn't expect him to win and were just along to grift off the top and expect to get away with it b/c of the norm against prosecuting your opponents.

Trump's voters are happy he won. The GOP members of Congress, governors, etc. are happy that he won.

But the actual guys who worked on the campaign wanted a The Producers-like scenario where the campaign failed miserably and they slipped out the back door on November 4th holding bags with big dollar signs written on them.

Winning fucked all of that up.

[Ksyrup]

Don Jr issued a statement distancing himself from the Bannon thing, but Twitter is doing its thing. One of my favorites:

Get your Don Jr "Triggered" Autographed Book with a $75 Donation or more to We Build The Wall - https://t.co/Y5T7PBC0Ch

— Derk12 (@IcallBSonU2) January 13, 2020

[JPhillips]

Whatever the shorthand is for I'm laughing so hard that I fall and roll off of a cliff and fall into the ocean while still laughing and then a shark eats me.

JUST IN: Trump asks Supreme Court to let him block critics on Twitter https://t.co/IRkmI7oSz4 pic.twitter.com/YPS9yJeGKM

— The Hill (@thehill) August 20, 2020

[BYU 14]

i know it is a common thread among bullies, but I have never seen anyone who dishes out so much and is such a weakling when it comes to taking it.

[molson]

Looks like you can't donate anymore at the "webuildthewall" website, but you still can support the cause in the shop. If anyone in your life needs a set of two silver President Trump collector's Coins, or an El Paso border wall steel credit card bottle opener.

Also, Trump lobbied for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to award a billion-dollar contract to the company with the Webuildthewall contract. If that kind of thing matters.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by molson

Ranked voting option I'm going:

1. Biden
2. Cult of Pedophiles and Cannibals
3. Trump
4. Jo Jorgensen

I have thought about this at least a half dozen times today, laughing under my breath each time. Bravo.

#TeamJoeOrTheCultIfNecessary

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by molson

If that kind of thing matters.

Literally nothing matters

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

Literally nothing matters

We can try to rationalize what's going on all we want (I know I'm guilty of it), but voting right now can simply come down to how much you hate libtards. Nothing Trump does matters. Nothing Biden does matters. Nothing anyone does at this point matters.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Bannon was arrested at sea by the Post Office?

2020, you magnificent bastard, you've managed to surprise me again.

Now can they arrest DeJoy for tampering with the mail?

SI

[sterlingice]

You know that whole "start fresh and let the past bygones be bygones" part of each new administration? Screw that this time.

If he wins, among Biden's first 100 days priorities, I want him to direct his DoJ, the FBI, and local DAs to do criminal probes into all the illegal shit this administration did. Don't publicize it or even prosecute it for a year or so, until the heavy lifting of new policy stuff gets done. But don't forget to do it - make sure it's being worked on. Not because of some sort of pettiness or vindictiveness. Not because they're all on an enemies list and to try and consolidate Democratic power. But because these people need to go to jail for doing illegal shit. There need to be consequences for all of this so that the next time someone wants to do this, they have to think there might be jail time at the end of it. And these practiced assholes don't need to be floating around in the job pool for the next prospective fascist to scoop right up and go right back to destroying our democracy.

I know this has like a 1 in 100 chance of happening but can I at least hope for it?

SI

[whomario]

Now blaming California again for basically having Wildfires because they didn't do what he told them (sth about "cleaning the floors" of forrests).

Also:

USPS Headquarters Tells Managers Not to Reconnect Mail Sorting Machines, Emails Show - VICE

Shortly after USPS Postmaster General Louis DeJoy issued a public statement saying he wanted to "avoid even the appearance" that any of his policies would slow down election mail, USPS instructed all maintenance managers around the country not to reconnect or reinstall any mail sorting machines they had already disconnected, according to emails obtained by Motherboard.

And why this goes beyond the election or rather how their egomania has a massive spillover effect. Talk about collateral damage.


USPS: Dead animals, rotting food, and chaos amid cutbacks - Los Angeles Times

Packages piled up, blocking the aisles and the heavy sorting machinery. Boxes of steaks, fruit and other perishables rotted. Rats dashed across the floor. At one point, Scantlebury said, the “whole building was filled with gnats.”

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/08/19/...-patients.html

"The situation is fluid but it's clear from our customer service team that an usually high number of patients are receiving their medication far later than expected — and in some cases, not receiving it at all. These delays are troubling for everyone, but for patients who rely on medication to live, it's especially dangerous," said Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi, co-founder and lead pharmacist for Honeybee Health, which delivers generic medications via USPS.