Trump to Russians: Firing Comey eased "great pressure because of Russia"

[Cthulhu 2020]

@Skroe I feel we're getting a better outcome by Trump making a national embarrassment of himself and getting himself impeached. If Hillary had won the election, that wouldn't have put the alt-reich in their place, it would have emboldened and empowered them even more than they already were.

If you've noticed, Democrats in power only throws gasoline on their fire, causing more moderates to sympathize because they "don't feel at home in their country" or "they feel the country is going in the wrong direction". But we always seem to go back to the theme of "feels before reals".

No, a complete embarrassment of Trump is FAR better than beating him, it's going to send most of the alt-reich back into the holes they crawled out of - at least for awhile. At least until the next time we need to reassure that our democracy's checks and balances work.

[fengosa]

@Skroe I feel we're getting a better outcome by Trump making a national embarrassment of himself and getting himself impeached. If Hillary had won the election, that wouldn't have put the alt-reich in their place, it would have emboldened and empowered them even more than they already were.

If you've noticed, Democrats in power only throws gasoline on their fire, causing more moderates to sympathize because they "don't feel at home in their country" or "they feel the country is going in the wrong direction". But we always seem to go back to the theme of "feels before reals".

No, a complete embarrassment of Trump is FAR better than beating him, it's going to send most of the alt-reich back into the holes they crawled out of - at least for awhile. At least until the next time we need to reassure that our democracy's checks and balances work.

I was thinking the same thing. This is almost a blessing in disguise. There Republican party still has a long way to go to right the ship but hopefully they become a more moderate party after this.

[Skroe]

@Skroe I feel we're getting a better outcome by Trump making a national embarrassment of himself and getting himself impeached. If Hillary had won the election, that wouldn't have put the alt-reich in their place, it would have emboldened and empowered them even more than they already were.

If you've noticed, Democrats in power only throws gasoline on their fire, causing more moderates to sympathize because they "don't feel at home in their country" or "they feel the country is going in the wrong direction". But we always seem to go back to the theme of "feels before reals".

No, a complete embarrassment of Trump is FAR better than beating him, it's going to send most of the alt-reich back into the holes they crawled out of - at least for awhile. At least until the next time we need to reassure that our democracy's checks and balances work.

That remains to be seen. Had Hillary won, we'd be in the midst of a full scale Republican Civil War. Trump's narrow victory narrowly spared the party that... but we saw with Trumpcare 1.0, and now with how Trumpcare 2.0 is DoA in the Senate, that the fissures in the Republican Party are still there. And they will erupt in full view on day. That intra-party civil war is inevitable because the coalition is inherently unstable.

It's true that a Hillary victory likely would have delayed this country's reckoning with the alt-reich. So in perhaps that alone, Trump is a service.

But in every other metric I can think of, this is a disaster. It is going to take a decade to recover our reputation just from the 2016 election, never mind what is to come with removing Trump. American democracy will have a bad reputation through 2030. Our soft power from the political perspective, is basically zilch, while China actively starts to export theirs.

And on top of that electing Trump, coupled with the sidelining of most of the most experienced hands in US foreign and security policy, has left this country woefully unprotected from the foreign crisises to come. I've spoken of the "Gauntlet". This is it:

- ISIS and North Korea now
- The end of the Iran deal 7 years from now.
- Political and Economic decline in Russia, leading to a crisis in Eurasia over the next 10-15 years
- China's growing military and economic might, including the building of the new silk road, leading to a major confrontation in the next 20 years.

And zigg-zagging through all this is climate change causing crises, the spread of increasingly sophisticated weapons by non-state actors, the spread of ballistic missile and cyberwarfare technology, and destabilization of fragile countries on nearly every continent.

Clinton was an ideal candidate to repair the mis-management Obama laid in preparing us for this. Trump is wholly incapable of that.

The next 30 years are going to be the most trying from a foreign policy perspective way since perhaps just after World War II. And the US has lost so many advantages it once enjoyed to be able to face that.

We're not remotely ready to run the guantlet unscathed as a country. Our power starts at home, and from an economic and political angle, it's a mess. And even if we, in some miracle, run that gauntlet, what do we win? We're exactly where we were in 2000, pre-9/11. We're essentially fighting to not lose. I don't know if we can win. I think we could... but we have to play smart.

Maybe Trump does us a favor now in sparing us more overlapping difficulty when we're in the middle of the gauntlet, rather than the start of it, but that's a terrible risk.

[Sephronz]

Okay, just wanting to make sure of something. Couldn't Trump calling Comey a 'Nut Job' be considered Slander or Defamation of Character.

I mean, there is only so much of 'limited capacity' that someone can be is there?

For those who dont know legalese, it is a polite way of saying that someone is thicker than 2 fence posts to put it bluntly

[Varvara Spiros Gelashvili]

It's just 4d chest guise.

[Truhan]

Okay, just wanting to make sure of something. Couldn't Trump calling Comey a 'Nut Job' be considered Slander or Defamation of Character.

I mean, there is only so much of 'limited capacity' that someone can be is there?

For those who dont know legalese, it is a polite way of saying that someone is thicker than 2 fence posts to put it bluntly

Nah, that would require accusing him of doing something illicit. For example, I could call you a "bullshitter", but if I call you "a conman who has scammed people out of money" I would be in the shit. You wouldn't get much money out of me though, trust me. It would also have to be more public than a private conversation, like on television or in an interview.

It's just 4d chest guise.

Nice reference to boobs. Lewd, but I approve.

[Mormolyce]

I bet it's totally Jared Kushner by the way.

Ding ding.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/wo...-a7745916.html

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How stupid do you have to be to say half the things he says on record.

Serious talk: a level of stupid that I actually cannot believe exists outside of Saturday morning cartoon villains from the 1980s.

[CostinR]

That remains to be seen. Had Hillary won, we'd be in the midst of a full scale Republican Civil War.

Had Hillary won you'd be in the middle of a budget crisis, debt ceiling crisis, and the Republicans in the Senate would drag out every single of Hillary's appointments until the bitter end and if they still had a Senate majority with President Clinton...well... McCain, yes McCain the maverick, publicly floated the idea of Republicans not confirming a 9th Supreme Court Justice since he like most Republicans were convinced Hillary would win.

Some of that stuff is playing out right now, but although the conservatives will growl like crazy the debt ceiling will be increased on time and the budget will pass on time: Paul Ryan needs it this year for his Tax Reform.

[Mormolyce]

@Skroe I feel we're getting a better outcome by Trump making a national embarrassment of himself and getting himself impeached. If Hillary had won the election, that wouldn't have put the alt-reich in their place, it would have emboldened and empowered them even more than they already were.

I think I said way back in October that this was actually the best possible outcome for the Democrats in the long run.

I also said it was a great opportunity to get the shitheels out in the open where the virus would denature on contact with oxygen. I'm actually amazed how close to reality that prediction is turning out.

[Macaquerie]

Had Hillary won you'd be in the middle of a budget crisis, debt ceiling crisis, and the Republicans in the Senate would drag out every single of Hillary's appointments until the bitter end and if they still had a Senate majority with President Clinton...well... McCain, yes McCain the maverick, publicly floated the idea of Republicans not confirming a 9th Supreme Court Justice since he like most Republicans were convinced Hillary would win.

Some of that stuff is playing out right now, but although the conservatives will growl like crazy the debt ceiling will be increased on time and the budget will pass on time: Paul Ryan needs it this year for his Tax Reform.

So...pretty much exactly what we had for eight years under Obama. I mean, we're used to that shit already, so bring it on. Either way the GOP gets massacred in the midterms and we have a Democratic president in 2020. The next four years are just a blip in the grand scheme of things.

[CostinR]

So...pretty much exactly what we had for eight years under Obama. I mean, we're used to that shit already, so bring it on. Either way the GOP gets massacred in the midterms and we have a Democratic president in 2020. The next four years are just a blip in the grand scheme of things.

Worse then Obama, far worse.

As for the GOP getting massacred in the Mid Terms under a democrat...the Republicans WON every midterm election under Obama.

[Lenonis]

Had Hillary won you'd be in the middle of a budget crisis, debt ceiling crisis

Well that's blatantly untrue given how DC budgeting cycles work.

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Worse then Obama, far worse.

As for the GOP getting massacred in the Mid Terms under a democrat...the Republicans WON every midterm election under Obama.

Because the party in power always takes a hit in the midterms.

You really don't understand how any of this works do you?

[Bullettime]

Worse then Obama, far worse.

As for the GOP getting massacred in the Mid Terms under a democrat...the Republicans WON every midterm election under Obama.

American partisan politics. There's always heavy backlash against the "in power" party in mid terms. Always.

[DeadmanWalking]

He is not stupid. He is a billionaire!

He became a billionaire early in life and has been stupid since. His business has been run by tax men and investors ever since, he has an office full of people whose job it is to use his money to make him more money and all he has to do is sit back and sign paperwork. When he says he doesn't pay much taxes because he is smart he is only smart enough to spend some money to get a really good tax man to do it for him and then sign on the dotted line.

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I just don't understand what went wrong, gulible people elect a corrupt business man with very few morals and he doesn't make a good president? This boggles the mind! I mean he said all the right stuff, Grab em by the pussy, I was never found guilty of racial profiling tennants, I like to walk into the dressing room when models and beauty queens are getting undressed because I am the owner and I am inspecting, I would never sexually assalt her, have you seen her? She doesn't look like a president, have you seen her face (Carly Fiorina). He isn't a war hero, people think he's a war hero because he got captured, I like war heroes that don't get captured. They are rapists and murderers, and some, I assume are good people...

All the right stuff, where were the signs that he was a moron and incompetant at running a nation?

[Skroe]

Had Hillary won you'd be in the middle of a budget crisis, debt ceiling crisis, and the Republicans in the Senate would drag out every single of Hillary's appointments until the bitter end and if they still had a Senate majority with President Clinton...well... McCain, yes McCain the maverick, publicly floated the idea of Republicans not confirming a 9th Supreme Court Justice since he like most Republicans were convinced Hillary would win.

Some of that stuff is playing out right now, but although the conservatives will growl like crazy the debt ceiling will be increased on time and the budget will pass on time: Paul Ryan needs it this year for his Tax Reform.

First of all, I'm positively in stitches that a foreigner is so concerned about my tax dollars. How about this, foreigner. You mind your own goddamn business when it comes to my money. We can talk national policy as it matters to you and the world. Money? Tax Reform? Fuck that shit. Get out. Too far. You mind Romanian roads. The IRS is our business.

Secondly, there is already the mother of all debt fiscal cliffs coming in the fall anyway... and you know what? Democrats shot take hostages. And not be afraid to shoot the hostage. Their price from Republicans must be an independent commission.

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Because the party in power always takes a hit in the midterms.

You really don't understand how any of this works do you?

Costin? Time and again he has shown he absolutely does not. He has absolutely no conception how fickle American voters are.

[CostinR]

First of all, I'm positively in stitches that a foreigner is so concerned about my tax dollars. How about this, foreigner. You mind your own goddamn business when it comes to my money. We can talk national policy as it matters to you and the world. Money? Tax Reform? Fuck that shit. Get out.

Because your tax reform, budgets and debt ceiling battles have very significant bearing on the rest of the world. So I'll talk about what I damned well please as long as it concerns me.

Costin? Time and again he has shown he absolutely does not. He has absolutely no conception how fickle American voters are.

I absolutely do have a good conception of that. I also have a good knowledge of history and the only time the Republican party has lost a mid-term election in the last 20+ years since their victory in 1994 has been in 2006.

Every other mid-term election they have won. In 2002 under Bush they gained seat in the House and the Senate Majority.

[BrerBear]

ve a good knowledge of history and the only time the Republican party has lost a mid-term election in the last 20+ years since their victory in 1994 has been in 2006.

Every other mid-term election they have won. In 2002 under Bush they gained seat in the House and the Senate Majority.

Why stop at that weird 20 year mark? There's only been two Republican midterms in the last 20 years: 2002 and 2006.

2002 was an outlier due to the September 11 attacks the year before.

Republicans lost seats in midterms in 1990, 1986, 1982, and 1974 when they had the presidency.

[Skroe]

Because your tax reform, budgets and debt ceiling battles have very significant bearing on the rest of the world. So I'll talk about what I damned well please as long as it concerns me.

Hahahahhaa. How has the rest of the world significantly changed between the Bush tax cut era of about 10 years ago, and the Obama/Congress tax cut plan of a few years back that we're living in today? Despite the fact that taxes went up.

Really. Let me know if you wanna do my taxes next year.

[CostinR]

Why stop at that weird 20 year mark? There's only been two Republican midterms in the last 20 years: 2002 and 2006.

2002 was an outlier due to the September 11 attacks the year before.

Republicans lost seats in midterms in 1990, 1986, 1982, and 1974 when they had the presidency.

Mainly because 1994 was the first time the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives since 1952. Control they only lost for a period of 4 years in 2006-2010.

Hahahahhaa. How has the rest of the world significantly changed between the Bush tax cut era of about 10 years ago, and the Obama/Congress tax cut plan of a few years back that we're living in today? Despite the fact that taxes went up.

Paul Ryan isn't interested in doing a Bush tax cut. Trump is but don't let him know he's following the footsteps of a Republican president he spent months eviscerating on the campaign trail.

Instead Paul Ryan's tax reform plan is going to be one of the most significant changes since 1986...and that will have significant implications for the world economy. The Border Adjustment Tax he wants to do is significant enough on it's own.

That's why there will be a budget on time and debt ceiling increase: Paul Ryan has vowed he'll do tax reform this year...for that he needs a budget passed so he can reconciliation.

[BrerBear]

Mainly because 1994 was the first time the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives since 1952. Control they only lost for a period of 4 years in 2006-2010.

Utterly irrelevant. They still lost seats even when they weren't in control.
Macaquerie's point, which seems completely lost on you, is that the party of the President loses an average of 30 seats during the midterms. And trends point to this one being an even larger loss than usual.