Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Benggaul]

I might've bought that years ago. Doesn't work anymore. It's a personality cult, full of crazy people who dream of an authoritarian state.

Yeah, I was willing to forgive many people who voted for Trump in 2016. That doesn't hold anymore for people who, after 4 years of watching the most deranged jackass in the White House wreck shit and hurt people, voted for him again in 2020. People that are still with him after all of the obvious awful shit he pulled aren't poor saps suckered in by a con. They're equally as awful.

[cubby]

New top leadership in GOP
"Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives elected Trump-backed Stefanik to their leadership after ousting Cheney for criticizing Trump's continued false claims of election fraud."

My favorite:

'We are unified in working with President Trump'

-Stefanik

Not "former". What a fucking shit show.

[DarkTZeratul]

Yeah, I was willing to forgive many people who voted for Trump in 2016. That doesn't hold anymore for people who, after 4 years of watching the most deranged jackass in the White House wreck shit and hurt people, voted for him again in 2020. People that are still with him after all of the obvious awful shit he pulled aren't poor saps suckered in by a con. They're equally as awful.

Oh, I'm not saying they're not awful. I'm saying they're also a perfect example of what happens when you tell a lie enough times, people start to believe you and act on that belief.

[Benggaul]

Oh, I'm not saying they're not awful. I'm saying they're also a perfect example of what happens when you tell a lie enough times, people start to believe you and act on that belief.

Yeaaaaah except a lot of those people aren't as dumb as people like to say they are. Many of them for sure are dumber than a bag of hammers, but a sizeable portion of them don't actually believe Trump's lies but go along with everything Trump says because, as we've said here so many times before, he's "hurting the right people" and they're evil, awful fuckers who like that.

[Kellhound]

But its not the feds its the state of new york right?

Also one state can deny extradition, especially in florida thanks to their specific laws.

NJ has the same law, but they won't do anything about it

New York itself has been in a lot of fights over trying to get criminals brought to NY to stand trial.

Federal law trumps state law, and federal law covers the extradition of criminals between states. FL could say no, NY would take it to the SCOTUS, and FL would lose. Now, if FL put him in jail, they could deny extradition for the duration.

[Breccia]

What a fucking shit show.

She's a sellout whore. I would say that to her face, but she never comes to her own district anymore.

- - - Updated - - -

Once again, it's time to play Guess the Speaker!

Everyone is so tired of watching Karl Rove on Fox News. He has played the game for decades, but all he and his buddies want to do is take your money and run.”

He’s totally ineffective and does not represent the MAGA Movement in any way, shape, or form. He called me on the evening of November 3rd, Election Night, to congratulate me on my ‘great win.’ When it was revealed the election was rigged and stolen, he flew the coop.

"It's Trump. Duh."

Correct. Trump, now publicly bashing someone else for fundraising and then just keeping the money for himself, because nobody's a hypocrite like Trump is a hypocrite, is probably stil sore Rove blamed Trump for the GOP losing Georgia. Further hypocrisy is that Trump has called Rove, one of the big Republican names of the last 50 years, a RINO.

[Zan15]

Federal law trumps state law, and federal law covers the extradition of criminals between states. FL could say no, NY would take it to the SCOTUS, and FL would lose. Now, if FL put him in jail, they could deny extradition for the duration.

well no one said their denial would last forever. Also the feds are not going to send commando's into florida to pick up trump.

[Breccia]

The call has already started for the House to censure those of its own members who defend the murderous insurrection as typical tourist stuff.

Incidentally, I'd say "it will be interesting to see who votes to keep sympathists to cop-killing traitors to the country, but expel Cheney" but as we all know, the "vote" to expel Cheney was not kept on any record. Hey, has the RNC moved on Gaetz yet?

(checks news)

Not yet.

- - - Updated - - -

The Senate is a safer place to speak up than the House, apparently. Mitt Romney uses the term "insurrection" in public.

McConnell is too smart to start ejecting people for refusing to follow Trump. The Democrats' hold on the House is one thing, but the Senate is too close for comfort for either party. Cagey veteran McConnell knows votes are more important than blindly following Trump right now. Expect him to deflect and deflect and deflect as he watches his party wither and rot.

[Benggaul]

Friday's report:

39,095 new cases, about 10k fewer than last Friday. A strong end to the week.

Top 5:

Fuck Florida.
Washington: 2,372 new cases; 13 deaths
New York: 2,360 new cases; 32 deaths
Texas: 2,303 new cases; 67 deaths
Michigan: 2,102 new cases; 32 deaths

I think this is Washington's first time ever in the top 5 (outside of the initial outbreak in the beginning of last year--remember that far back?), though it's largely due to their having a smallish wave the past few weeks and therefore their numbers had risen to meet the falling numbers of the normal denizens of the top 5. Today's total is their third highest since the end of April but it is also the product of a reporting system that often has corrections leading to spikes in their numbers. Their positivity is below 5% and they have just over a 50% vaccination rate, so I'm not expecting anything major at this point. Florida, by contrast, has a positivity rate over 6% (that we know of) and a vaccination rate of about 45%, so they'll continue being Florida for a while.

733 deaths is a little under last Friday's number and brings the total to 599,314. We'll be passing 600k by Monday at the latest, though as I posted a week or so ago the actual death total (in the US) is likely closer to 1 million. Texas topped the list today.

Related news:

Fauci: COVID-19 vaccine could lead to 'breakthrough' in HIV fight--These aren't just empty words, Fauci has spent a good portion of his lifetime in AIDS/HIV research. One of the few positives that might come from this nightmare.

They didn't want a COVID vaccine. Now they've changed their minds.--Keeping the positive news going, reluctance to get the vaccine is dropping a bit more as time goes on.

Stay safe, folks.

[Breccia]

the actual death total (in the US) is likely closer to 1 million.

Regardless of the administration, this number should be a lot lower. Data point of one, but a guildie of mine is nearly in tears because her conspiracy-theorist anti-vaxxer anti-masker sister is in the hospital about to die from this. It doesn't matter whether Biden or Trump is in charge, when someone decides they want to just make things worse for themselves and others, hurting or killing innocent people and sometimes themselves.

At this point, the problem are the people who continue to spread harmful misinformation about the lethal outbreak. Trump's done a lot of stupid, lethal shit, but at least right now he's basically silent on the issue (and I've pointed out how he downplayed and mismanaged this plenty while he was in charge). Anyone continuing to spread falsehoods and lies that inspire people to injure or kill themselves or others out of fear, hatred, or ignorance, needs to be publicly shamed and silenced. Looking at you, Twitter and FB.

[Poopymonster]

Regardless of the administration, this number should be a lot lower. Data point of one, but a guildie of mine is nearly in tears because her conspiracy-theorist anti-vaxxer anti-masker sister is in the hospital about to die from this. It doesn't matter whether Biden or Trump is in charge, when someone decides they want to just make things worse for themselves and others, hurting or killing innocent people and sometimes themselves.

At this point, the problem are the people who continue to spread harmful misinformation about the lethal outbreak. Trump's done a lot of stupid, lethal shit, but at least right now he's basically silent on the issue (and I've pointed out how he downplayed and mismanaged this plenty while he was in charge). Anyone continuing to spread falsehoods and lies that inspire people to injure or kill themselves or others out of fear, hatred, or ignorance, needs to be publicly shamed and silenced. Looking at you, Twitter and FB.

He mostly silent because he has no major social media to spew his vitriol on.

[Demolitia]

He mostly silent because he has no major social media to spew his vitriol on.

Thank god for this. Not looking forward to his morning dump tweets if he is potus again.

[Kaleredar]

Regardless of the administration, this number should be a lot lower. Data point of one, but a guildie of mine is nearly in tears because her conspiracy-theorist anti-vaxxer anti-masker sister is in the hospital about to die from this. It doesn't matter whether Biden or Trump is in charge, when someone decides they want to just make things worse for themselves and others, hurting or killing innocent people and sometimes themselves.

At this point, the problem are the people who continue to spread harmful misinformation about the lethal outbreak. Trump's done a lot of stupid, lethal shit, but at least right now he's basically silent on the issue (and I've pointed out how he downplayed and mismanaged this plenty while he was in charge). Anyone continuing to spread falsehoods and lies that inspire people to injure or kill themselves or others out of fear, hatred, or ignorance, needs to be publicly shamed and silenced. Looking at you, Twitter and FB.

I think trump basically caused the political rift about Covid in the US. It’s clear that he has tremendous sway in what people do and believe among the right wing, and it’s also clear he had neither the capacity nor the care to deal with Covid as an existential threat that would ruin the illusion that he was somehow leading the country well were he to ever admit it existed.

If trump had told people to socially distance, asked them to wear their maga masks and accurately described the threat Covid posed I’ve no doubt far fewer Americans would be dead because of it right now. Potentially hundreds of thousands fewer.

[Benggaul]

Regardless of the administration, this number should be a lot lower...

The administration matters, because the Trump administration is the one that made this political ensuring that a portion of the population will forever be stubbornly, willfully ignorant. The Biden administration has done all they can to increase vaccination production and distribution along with getting the facts out there.

Also, the vast, vast majority of that 1 million is a direct result of Trump's lack of action, direction and leadership. It's not a coincidence that we're almost to pre-Summer outbreak levels now (for the most part....Michigan fucked up bad and Florida will forever be Florida). I'm not one of those who thinks Biden can do no wrong, but he and his crew have turned this around very well considering what they were up against and there was every indication we would be heading for another major wave otherwise.

[starlord]

anti vaxxers were a problem long before trump. he just made it "mainstream".
almost every new mother i know is refusing to vaccinate their kids.

[Benggaul]

anti vaxxers were a problem long before trump. he just made it "mainstream".
almost every new mother i know is refusing to vaccinate their kids.

He exacerbated it. He and his party also politicized simple measures like wearing masks. Had more responsible people been in charge last year the death toll would not be as bad as it is. Instead, "one guy coming in from China" has resulted in nearly 600k confirmed deaths and likely closer to a million due to underreporting ("excess deaths"). Whether or not Trump had any influence on "anti-vaxxers" is irrelevant given the bulk of those deaths happened before a vaccine was available.

[starlord]

He exacerbated it. He and his party also politicized simple measures like wearing masks. Had more responsible people been in charge last year the death toll would not be as bad as it is. Instead, "one guy coming in from China" has resulted in nearly 600k confirmed deaths and likely closer to a million due to underreporting ("excess deaths"). Whether or not Trump had any influence on "anti-vaxxers" is irrelevant given the bulk of those deaths happened before a vaccine was available.

sure, but anti vaxx, anti science sentiment is pretty prevalent among non trump supporters as well.

just saying its a larger problem than trump.

[Nastard]

Trump QQ’d hard on his blog about the election again. He’s crying that suppression polls are why he lost. You know, the suppression that caused him to get more votes than in 2016.

But his numbers would have been tremendous without that suppression! He would have easily gotten 350 million votes. That's right, you heard me, MORE than than the entire population of America. Trump is so great that 20 million people would have spontaneously formed out of the atoms floating in the air just so they could vote for him.

[Breccia]

He’s crying that suppression polls are why he lost.

Wait, he admitted he lost fairly?

[Kaleredar]

sure, but anti vaxx, anti science sentiment is pretty prevalent among non trump supporters as well.

Is it? You're going to have to quantify "pretty prevalent."

just saying its a larger problem than trump.

It may be, but Trump legitimized it in a way, from the highest office in the land and with the entirety of half of America's political system backing whatever he said, that positioned millions of people to protest, and continue to protest, even the most simple measures.

With any other president, those anti-vaxxer science deniers would have been an easy roll of the eyes for anyone to ignore. But with Trump, saying that people should socially distance and wear a mask, as per physician recommendation the world over, is suddenly a "political stance." Because Trump made it one.