The Trump Presidency – 2016

[NobodyHere]

Mandatory vasectomy at age 50? Alabama lawmaker proposes response to abortion ban

First of all, horrible messaging by democrats.

Second, the age should be 13. I think I speak for everyone in the nation in saying that Alabamians shouldn't procreate.

[ISiddiqui]

It's actually pretty hilarious.. especially after Ted Cruz rose to the bait!

[Lathum]

I can't imagine anyone NOT wanting a vasectomy. Best money I ever spent.

[NobodyHere]

Trump Commutes Corruption Sentence of Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois

The swamp must be dry now right?

[Scoobz0202]

Just warming people up before he commutes Stone, Manafort, and Flynn.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Trump Commutes Corruption Sentence of Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois

The swamp must be dry now right?

Wait I thought he wanted to send a strong message to people about corruption...

[RainMaker]

People seem to think the Blagojevich was backroom political corruption. Don't forget that he extorted a Children's Hospital. A CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL.

There is a good place in hell for him.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Just warming people up before he commutes Stone, Manafort, and Flynn.

Stone and Flynn are in the works. He's interfered with the Stone case to the point where the judge concedes and gives him a light sentence (unlikely) or it's just a gross injustice and he's left with no choice but to pardon or commute.

Flynn's case is under investigation by Barr, so we can expect some "inconsistencies" to be discovered and he'll be commuted.

Manafort is going to be more difficult since he's now facing state charges, but Barr already blocked his transfer to Rikers while awaiting trial on those charges.

[RainMaker]

A part of me thinks he'll be smart enough to wait till after the election to pardon Stone and Flynn. But I don't think he cares.

He also pardoned Kerik and Milken. If you want a good book that talks about Milken, read Den of Thieves.

[RainMaker]

If you're wondering why Milken got the pardon, it's because his good friend Nelson Peltz (and former business associate) held a fundraiser for Trump the other day. So basically the fundraiser paid for the pardon.

[Flasch186]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Just warming people up before he commutes Stone, Manafort, and Flynn.

bingo

a frog is best boiled slowly.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Wait I thought he wanted to send a strong message to people about corruption...

I think he has done so very clearly

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I think he has done so very clearly

I want to both laugh and cry at this one, Quik. Well done.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

But those charges stick much harder on a guy that literally is a socialist and has a long history of praising socialist. It is going to more than scare Boomers. There are people that will vote for a Democrat, but won't vote for Bernie.

Social Democrat is what European countries have, not the same as socialism ... comrade

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Cut a deal and get out. It's not our war.

Out of interest - which forces were fighting there before the US invaded Afghanistan then? ... in what way is it not the US's war ...

[PilotMan]

We used to get headlines about American coming out of the WH, now all we get are stories about how awesome fuckhead is. Here's today's narcissist of the day headline:


Public Credits Trump More Than Obama for Booming Economy



Followed by this tantalizing statistic:


“A solid majority” of Americans, 61 percent, gave President Trump credit for the improving economy. A full 10 percent fewer said former President Obama deserves credit."


How's that work again?

[panerd]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

We used to get headlines about American coming out of the WH, now all we get are stories about how awesome fuckhead is. Here's today's narcissist of the day headline:


Public Credits Trump More Than Obama for Booming Economy



Followed by this tantalizing statistic:


“A solid majority” of Americans, 61 percent, gave President Trump credit for the improving economy. A full 10 percent fewer said former President Obama deserves credit."


How's that work again?

I personally don't think the president is the cause of great times or necessarily poor times either but not sure how you would find it confusing that some would credit Trump for a stock market growth from about 18500 to almost 30000. Is this the whole economy? Of course not. Is this maybe due to Obama? Yes probably. But how do you find it shocking that some would call a 4 year growth of close to 60% a positive? Sometimes I really think some of this board doesn't realize that it's not just Trump and the Rockefellers and the Bloombergs of the world who are making gains with this market growth.

[thesloppy]

I think you missed the joke. He's 'confused' about the WH trying to attribute 61% and 51% to Obama. It's hard to believe that someone who can't add to 100 is responsible for fixing the nation's economy.

[PilotMan]

1. I agree that mostly Presidents don't have as great an effect on the economy as they get credit, nor blame for.



2. If congress had given Obama the keys to a trillion dollar a year stimulus plan I'm pretty sure he'd have had the same result, or better in the market.


3. They didn't and couldn't even stomach the what 280bn dollar one he wanted, and instead forced cuts on everything, because the deficit.


4. Now we have fuck all for the deficit, way, way, way underperforming returns back to the federal coffers, and no care, nor concern for it.



5. So let's not pretend that it's an apples to apples comparison between them. Nobody is saying it's not positive, but I'm saying the cost of it now, doesn't seem to matter at all. In fact, the cost of it is more meaningless now, than ever before.



6. Personally, I'm doing good. I'm in a good field, pays well, has good security in a good market, but that doesn't mean that I'm happy with the fact that CEO pay has jumped, while minimum wage stays low, and people cannot make a living full time. Like I've said all along. It's really easy to make money, when you have money. Like really easy. You can take risks, invest, and play opportunities that others can't. All the rest can do is pay for bread and milk. No investments, no opportunities to advance, no way you can afford to lose any of it.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Out of interest - which forces were fighting there before the US invaded Afghanistan then? ... in what way is it not the US's war ...

Taliban and the Northern Alliance. Or I guess Taliban and everyone else.

Either way, we lost, time to move on.

[Vegas Vic]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Taliban and the Northern Alliance.

Correct.

The Northern Alliance led the resistance against the Taliban, and was led by Ahmad Shah Massoud. In the spring of 2001, Massoud addressed the European Parliament in Belgium, and warned the members that his intelligence agents had gained limited knowledge about a large-scale terrorist attack on U.S. soil being imminent. As a prelude to the 9/11 attack on the United States, Osama bin Laden ordered Massoud's assassination to help his Taliban protectors and ensure he would have their co-operation in Afghanistan. Two of Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda operatives, masquerading as reporters, assassinated Massoud on 9/9/2001, just two days before the attack on the United States.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Social Democrat is what European countries have, not the same as socialism ... comrade

I know the difference, and you know the difference. Even most of the Republicans that pretends not to know the difference, do. The vast majority of the American electorate sadly doesn't.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Out of interest - which forces were fighting there before the US invaded Afghanistan then? ... in what way is it not the US's war ...

It was definitely the US's war initially. AQ attacked us, AQ was being sheltered by the Taliban so we attacked.

It's still our war in the sense we broke it and now we have to buy it. But after 2 decades of trying to support a pseudo democracy with a frenemy, it's time to pick up our toys and go play somewhere else while doing our best during the "transition" (whatever that looks like).

[Thomkal]

Roger Stone about to be sentenced unless there is some delay from his lawyers that is..

[JPhillips]

After we killed bin Laden we should have claimed victory and left. There was never going to be a better time.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Roger Stone about to be sentenced unless there is some delay from his lawyers that is..

Judge said he lied in his testimony in court and to the House. Said she was not swayed by Trump's tweets (but said they were inappropriate), Barr's attempt to interfere nor the far left call for a longer sentence. Said the original prosecution guidelines for 7-9 years was too long and would not have followed then anyway. Sentenced him to 40 months.

[Lathum]

He will be pardoned Nov 7th

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Lathum

He will be pardoned Nov 7th

If not sooner whenever he needs a distraction.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Judge said he lied in his testimony in court and to the House. Said she was not swayed by Trump's tweets (but said they were inappropriate), Barr's attempt to interfere nor the far left call for a longer sentence. Said the original prosecution guidelines for 7-9 years was too long and would not have followed then anyway. Sentenced him to 40 months.

He also gets to stay out on bond while appealing so unlikely he'll ever spend a day in prison for this. America!

[GrantDawg]

Trump fires an acting DNI and replaced with a crony because the DNI dared to report to Congress that the Russians are trying to interfere with the 2020 election in Trump's favor. Trump loves firing people for doing their job and being honest. I am so glad he learned his lesson from the impeachment

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Trump fires an acting DNI and replaced with a crony because the DNI dared to report to Congress that the Russians are trying to interfere with the 2020 election in Trump's favor. Trump loves firing people for doing their job and being honest. I am so glad he learned his lesson from the impeachment

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

And so glad the Dems are keeping their promise to continue holding Trump accountable. Trump's going to steal the election while the Dems argue over what type of socialist is the good type.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Trump fires an acting DNI and replaced with a crony because the DNI dared to report to Congress that the Russians are trying to interfere with the 2020 election in Trump's favor. Trump loves firing people for doing their job and being honest. I am so glad he learned his lesson from the impeachment

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Definitely has all the signs of a rage firing. Grenell isn't close to qualified enough to bother nominating for the position so he's yet another person in an acting role, but this seems to be temporary enough that they're not pulling him from his ambassador job in Berlin (where the Germans have apparently been considering asking him to leave).

[PilotMan]

I always wondered how demagogues were allowed to keep doing all the crazy shit they end up doing. Like why don't the people just stop taking them seriously and laugh when we hear about the crazy propagandist exploits of their leaders, but now I know. I wish I didn't, but I do and it's still rather unreal.

[JPhillips]

This is quite a list when you see it all in one place. All of this is since Trump was acquitted by the Senate.

2. Trump fired Ambassador to the EU Gordan Sondland, who provided damaging testimony in the impeachment inquiry.

3. Trump fired Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, who provided damaging testimony in the impeachment inquiry.

4. Trump called on Vindman to be investigated by the Pentagon.

5. Trump attacked his former Chief of Staff, John Kelly, for defending Vindman, saying Kelly had a "legal obligation" to "keep his mouth shut."

6. Trump ordered the removal of John C. Rood, a Pentagon official who told Congress that he had cleared the release of military aid to Ukraine. (Trump withheld it anyway.)

7. Trump called the Justice Department's sentencing recommendation for his longtime political adviser, Roger Stone, "horrible and very unfair."

8. Trump cheered Attorney General Bill Barr when he intervened in the Stone case to withdraw the sentencing recommendation. Four prosecutors on the case resigned in protest.

9. Trump attacked the judge presiding over Stone's case, Amy Berman Jackson, as biased, falsely accusing her of placing his former campaign manager Paul Manafort in solitary confinement.

10. Trump withdrew the nomination of Jessie Liu, who oversaw the Stone prosecution, to a top Treasury department position.

11. Trump asserted he has the legal right to order Barr to intervene in any criminal case.

12. Trump's Attorney General, William Barr, assigned an outside prosecutor to review the case against Michael Flynn, Trump's former National Security Adviser who pled guilty to lying to investigators. (Barr is also reviewing other "politically sensitive" cases.)

13. Trump commuted the sentence former Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat. (Blagojevich appeared on Trump's reality show and wrote an op-ed for a conservative publication opposing impeachment.)

14. Trump pardoned Michael Milken who was sentenced to 10 years for securities fraud. Milken is a personal friend of Trump's Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin.

15. Trump pardoned Bernie Kerik, who served three years in jail for tax fraud. Kerik frequently defends Trump on Fox News.

16. Trump granted clemency to Paul Pogue, who was convicted of tax evasion. Pogue is a major donor to Trump's campaign and the GOP.

17. Trump pardoned David Safavian, who was convicted of obstructing the investigation of corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

18. Trump commuted the sentence of Judith Negron, who was convicted of a $205 million Medicare fraud scheme and money laundering.

19. Trump diverted $3.8 billion in military funding to build the wall he said Mexico would pay for.

[PilotMan]

Need to add that he attacked the foreman (woman) of the jury that found Stone guilty, called her credibility into question (basically said she was a never trumper out to get him) and said that Stone had been treated very unfairly.


And where the hell is #1 on that list?

[JPhillips]

No 1 was just a line about the timeframe.

[JPhillips]

dola

Just saw a depressing possibility(luckily quite a longshot).

Dem wins by a few million votes.
269-269 electoral college tie.
Dems retain majority in the House,
But, GOP has a majority of states.
So, a minority of GOP House Reps elect Trump as President.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

269-269 electoral college tie.

IIRC (too lazy to look up to confirm) I think there's a semi-legit path here-- Dems flip PA and MI (polls support this as viable right now), and manage to swing one of the district votes in Nebraska (who breaks up their EC voters) to go blue (less likely, but not unthinkable). And there you go.

[larrymcg421]

I just looked at the state delegations list and, yep, the GOP has majorities in exactly 26 states. Whoever wrote that tiebreak rule is a moron. why even have it go to the House if you're going to give every state equal votes like in the Senate?

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

No 1 was just a line about the timeframe.

Your one got eaten by my earlier two.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

And so glad the Dems are keeping their promise to continue holding Trump accountable. Trump's going to steal the election while the Dems argue over what type of socialist is the good type.

What can they do? They already impeached the guy.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

What can they do? They already impeached the guy.

Armed rebellion I guess?

[RainMaker]

Tea Party sure shut the fuck up fast after Trump got elected.

IF OUR FORMALLY TARGETED FARMERS NEED ADDITIONAL AID UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE TRADE DEALS WITH CHINA, MEXICO, CANADA AND OTHERS FULLY KICK IN, THAT AID WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, PAID FOR OUT OF THE MASSIVE TARIFF MONEY COMING INTO THE USA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 21, 2020

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

What can they do? They already impeached the guy.

My understanding is that the constitution still permits investigations by House committees.

Dems are also allowed to provide coordinated statements to media outlets.

They can also talk about Trump's corruption while 20 million people are watching a debate full of Dems.

They aren't helpless, and every crime ignored is a crime excused.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

dola

Just saw a depressing possibility(luckily quite a longshot).

Dem wins by a few million votes.
269-269 electoral college tie.
Dems retain majority in the House,
But, GOP has a majority of states.
So, a minority of GOP House Reps elect Trump as President.

I'm not sure, but I think it's the incoming House that votes, not the outgoing. So if Dems retained the majority, they could, in theory, also gain a majority of state delegations.

That said, they probably didn't have as good a day as THAT if the EC is split.

[JPhillips]

The National Security Advisor said today that there's no evidence that Russia is supporting Trump but that it isn't surprising that Russia is supporting Sanders.

The whole national security apparatus now works for the Trump campaign.

[Lathum]

pic.twitter.com/N7ZfXp9YfN

— Denz (@kryptnaught) February 24, 2020

[cuervo72]

Philly should establish its own index called the Dow Jawns.

[Edward64]

I've read that Trump got a great welcome in India and I'm sure that is part of the Modi-Trump nationalism commonality. It's good that Trump is thinking strategically and strengthening ties with India.

At one time it was predicted that China and India would have a greater GDP than the US. China obviously has done a better job and it makes sense to me to team up with India to blunt China however possible.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/25/trum...relations.html

The rivalry between the U.S. and China is playing out in India, where American President Donald Trump will be wrapping up his state visit to the South Asian country.

Experts said that Trump’s first state visit to India signifies the growing strength of the relations between Washington and New Delhi, amid China’s rising clout in South Asia. As part of his two-day visit which began on Monday, Trump was in New Delhi and Ahmedabad, the largest city in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
:
:
“India is choosing — even as it puts trade barriers — to buy more from the United States in those sectors where the government of India makes the buys,” said Rossow, referring to state purchases in gas and defense sectors as examples.
:
:
Although Washington has been trying to engage India for sometime regarding closer security ties, New Delhi has been slow to respond till recently, said Rossow, pointing out that China is “playing a more active role across South Asia and the India Ocean region.” The Chinese navy has also been an active operator in the Indian Ocean region, and has sent submarines to the region, he added.

And India is beginning to feel the heat as Beijing has not only built up strong relations with Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Maldives, but China’s economy and military are also bigger than India, he said.

The underlying reasons for the security partnership between the U.S. and India are beginning to appear more complementary now, said Rossow.

[PilotMan]

It's rather ironic that the WH is complaining about the media spreading fear over the CV. Live by the sword, die by the sword.