Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Edge-]

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/...LPy-t9gs8jHqGk

Nadler: After it was determined that the adult was being deported, was the child supposed to be returned to the parent before the deportation, or the parent is suddenly in some foreign country and the child is here?

Hastings: It’s probably a better question for HHS.

Nadler: Who did the deportation?

Hastings: We would do the deportation.

Nadler: You would do the deportation while the child was in a different city in the United States.

Hastings: We don’t do the reunifications is my point, sir.

Nadler: So you would do the deportation before the reunification without any knowledge of whether the parents are being reunified?

Hastings: Yes.

Nadler: So, in other words, you’re kidnapping the child.

Hastings: We’re not kidnapping the child. We follow the guidelines that are out.

Nadler: Deporting a parent without their child is literal kidnapping.

Nadler is on-point. And the fact that Democrats haven't been hammering this point home since shortly after it was discovered following the policy shift pains me to no end. This should have been a talking point hammered home on every news channel and outlet that would be willing to talk to any Democratic member of Congress or official.

But they've already long-since missed the boat with this, so there's yet another giant angle to attack Trump on that they've watched slowly sail into the distance while not even trying to grab the rope to stop it.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Not interested in your talking point. If you really want to know why Trump wanted to fire Coats, there are numerous articles for you to read on just about any political website of your choosing. Have at it.

He wanted to fire Coats because Coats isnt a Yes Man

[Edge-]

He wanted to fire Coats because Coats isnt a Yes Man

The reshaping of the leadership of our national security wing is one of the most severe national security threats to the US.

And nobody is saying shit about it. Media are largely silent because it's a big, complex story that requires more than surfing Twitter and shitting out a hundred words about yet another stupid Trump tweet that doesn't matter. And fewer and fewer journalists seem to have the chops for serious investigative work than they once did, on top of smaller and smaller staffs of proper journalists given the current media environment. Democrats in Congress are silent because they're busy investigating dozens of things, have limited bandwidth for official oversight, and fucking suck at influencing or controlling the media narrative.

It's fucking terrifying. Hell, we didn't have a Senate approved Secretary of Defense for over half a god-damned year.

[Xeones]

The reshaping of the leadership of our national security wing is one of the most severe national security threats to the US.

And nobody is saying shit about it. Media are largely silent because it's a big, complex story that requires more than surfing Twitter and shitting out a hundred words about yet another stupid Trump tweet that doesn't matter. And fewer and fewer journalists seem to have the chops for serious investigative work than they once did, on top of smaller and smaller staffs of proper journalists given the current media environment. Democrats in Congress are silent because they're busy investigating dozens of things, have limited bandwidth for official oversight, and fucking suck at influencing or controlling the media narrative.

It's fucking terrifying. Hell, we didn't have a Senate approved Secretary of Defense for over half a god-damned year.

Actually MSNBC has been running stories on it on a loop. They've been talking about how he wasn't a yes man (though definitely not a good man) and mentioning how his replacement did his audition by going on fox to say he wanted to investigate the Obama administration.

Edit: just realized you're talking about the wider defense situation. Yea it gets mentioned sparingly but it's difficult to explain to general populace just how much harm he is doing.

[Machismo]

The reshaping of the leadership of our national security wing is one of the most severe national security threats to the US.

And nobody is saying shit about it. Media are largely silent because it's a big, complex story that requires more than surfing Twitter and shitting out a hundred words about yet another stupid Trump tweet that doesn't matter. And fewer and fewer journalists seem to have the chops for serious investigative work than they once did, on top of smaller and smaller staffs of proper journalists given the current media environment. Democrats in Congress are silent because they're busy investigating dozens of things, have limited bandwidth for official oversight, and fucking suck at influencing or controlling the media narrative.

It's fucking terrifying. Hell, we didn't have a Senate approved Secretary of Defense for over half a god-damned year.

NPR has done multiple stories on it, and they are slamming the decision.

Honestly, it's a terrible decision, and one more way trump is completely screwing over this country.

[Edge-]

Actually MSNBC has been running stories on it on a loop. They've been talking about how he wasn't a yes man (though definitely not a good man) and mentioning how his replacement did his audition by going on fox to say he wanted to investigate the Obama administration.

Now that Coats is out, maybe it'll get 5 seconds in the light. But this is a longer running, broader story that, like with the Republican remaking of the Federal judiciary with conservative activist judges, poses serious longterm challenges to the US that will long, long outlast the Trump presidency.

And do you know who's talking about the judicial packing? Outside of the odd story when an especially terrible nominee pops up (the administration is getting slightly better at remembering to vett candidates now), nobody is saying a fucking thing about it.

It's not a sexy story, it's a hard sell for clicks and eyeballs. And it requires a ton of work given how expansive the topics it covers is. It's much easier and cheaper to follow the rest of the media with hot-takes at the latest inane outburst or racist tirade for a few days before moving on to the next topic.

You remember those kids the government was kidnapping? Yeah, still happening. They're still being abused. But that story's already starting to lose its appeal without a constant flow of new kids dying or government reports about the squalid conditions.

NPR has done multiple stories on it, and they are slamming the decision.

Honestly, it's a terrible decision, and one more way trump is completely screwing over this country.

As I said above, now they are. It's largely been a non-topic until now, and it won't be a topic by next week. Hell, it probably won't even be a hot-topic by tomorrow anymore. We'll get some days covering his replacement (you know, the guy who was behind the theory that Strozk and Page joking about "beefcake putin calendars" for their secret club was real) and the shitshow he is, but we'll move on to the next racist tweet Trump sends out or the next woman with credible allegations that Trump sexually assaulted her, to which he'll deny because she's not hot enough for that. And the cycle will continue.

In other news - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trum...ry?id=64634140

When candidate Donald Trump prepared to give a major energy speech during the 2016 campaign, one of his closest advisers provided a pre-speech review to senior United Arab Emirates officials, an unorthodox move that caught the attention of federal investigators, according to emails and text messages uncovered by a House Oversight Committee investigation.

“The Trump Administration has virtually obliterated the lines normally separating government policy making from corporate and foreign interests,” according to a report overseen by House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, who commissioned the investigation into back channel business dealings between certain Trump aides and Middle Eastern countries.

Two weeks before Trump was scheduled to deliver the energy policy speech, Thomas Barrack, a California investment tycoon with extensive contacts in the Middle East and who later helped oversee Trump’s inauguration, provided a former business associate inside the United Arab Emirates with an advance copy of the candidate’s planned remarks. The associate then told Barrack he shared them with UAE and Saudi government officials, after which Barrack arranged for language requested by the UAE officials to be added to the speech with the help of Trump’s campaign manager at the time, Paul Manafort.

So...America First...just not all the times, sometimes Saudi Arabia first.

[Machismo]

Now that Coats is out, maybe it'll get 5 seconds in the light. But this is a longer running, broader story that, like with the Republican remaking of the Federal judiciary with conservative activist judges, poses serious longterm challenges to the US that will long, long outlast the Trump presidency.

And do you know who's talking about the judicial packing? Outside of the odd story when an especially terrible nominee pops up (the administration is getting slightly better at remembering to vett candidates now), nobody is saying a fucking thing about it.

It's not a sexy story, it's a hard sell for clicks and eyeballs. And it requires a ton of work given how expansive the topics it covers is. It's much easier and cheaper to follow the rest of the media with hot-takes at the latest inane outburst or racist tirade for a few days before moving on to the next topic.

You remember those kids the government was kidnapping? Yeah, still happening. They're still being abused. But that story's already starting to lose its appeal without a constant flow of new kids dying or government reports about the squalid conditions.



As I said above, now they are. It's largely been a non-topic until now, and it won't be a topic by next week. Hell, it probably won't even be a hot-topic by tomorrow anymore. We'll get some days covering his replacement (you know, the guy who was behind the theory that Strozk and Page joking about "beefcake putin calendars" for their secret club was real) and the shitshow he is, but we'll move on to the next racist tweet Trump sends out or the next woman with credible allegations that Trump sexually assaulted her, to which he'll deny because she's not hot enough for that. And the cycle will continue.

In other news - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trum...ry?id=64634140



So...America First...just not all the times, sometimes Saudi Arabia first.

Here's the thing, nobody is going to change their minds at this point. People who hate Trump have unlimited ammunition to show why he's a terrible President, and a terrible human being. As for his supporters, they made it clear long ago that they don't care about anything, so long as Trump is doing it, they are fine with it. That's why I have chosen to stop considering them to be rational people with any sense of morality or principles. They have demonstrated that such things do not matter, they just want to "piss off the libs."

I have ended friendships over it. I have decided to stop talking to family over it. I'm sure I will eliminate more people from my life. There is a very good chance I never actually have a normal relationship with my mother, and I have come to accept it. I have decided that it's not personal, it's simply a choice to not have a close relationship with anyone who still supports him.

[Somewhatconcerned]

Imagine if Obama had called some city in Alabama or Mississippi a rat hole, infested, etc.

LOL

What he meant was...

[Pendulous]

I think you give way to much credit to “journalism” to begin with. If anything, the rise of internet blogging and alternative media has clearly demonstrated how utterly ridiculous the profession and study are to begin with. No one needs a degree or an endorsement from a major corporation-backed network to be influential to public opinion anymore, and that’s probably really upsetting for the people who used to mostly benefit from that arrangement. You might even see them clutching their pearls and talking about the good ol’ days that weren’t so good for everyone else. It must really suck to not be able to unilaterally control the narrative anymore, huh?

Journalism isn't about public opinion. It's about reporting facts. Blame these "pizzagate" conspiracy nutjobs for making you think anything differently. You know, these 4chan idiots who literally pull shit out of their asses and then Trump believes and then screams from the mountaintops.

That's also why journalism is a real thing. because these "internet bloggers" aren't getting into places where they CAN find these facts. They're just people who are loud.

[The Butt Witch]

Here's the thing, nobody is going to change their minds at this point. People who hate Trump have unlimited ammunition to show why he's a terrible President, and a terrible human being. As for his supporters, they made it clear long ago that they don't care about anything, so long as Trump is doing it, they are fine with it. That's why I have chosen to stop considering them to be rational people with any sense of morality or principles. They have demonstrated that such things do not matter, they just want to "piss off the libs."

I have ended friendships over it. I have decided to stop talking to family over it. I'm sure I will eliminate more people from my life. There is a very good chance I never actually have a normal relationship with my mother, and I have come to accept it. I have decided that it's not personal, it's simply a choice to not have a close relationship with anyone who still supports him.

Wow, dude, seek help. Honestly.

On the other hand, it's fucking hilarious how triggered you are over fucking politics, and how you allow Trump to destroy you without him even knowing you exist.

But really, get a fucking grip on REALITY. Because you may do something really stupid when Trump wins in 2020.

[Xeones]

Journalism isn't about public opinion. It's about reporting facts. Blame these "pizzagate" conspiracy nutjobs for making you think anything differently. You know, these 4chan idiots who literally pull shit out of their asses and then Trump believes and then screams from the mountaintops.

That's also why journalism is a real thing. because these "internet bloggers" aren't getting into places where they CAN find these facts. They're just people who are loud.

But they don't trust anonymous sources. Even though it has been established that journalists know what they are doing, they can point to an isolated incident about feeding ducks or something to insult all media.

[Dontrike]

Wow, dude, seek help. Honestly.

On the other hand, it's fucking hilarious how triggered you are over fucking politics, and how you allow Trump to destroy you without him even knowing you exist.

But really, get a fucking grip on REALITY. Because you may do something really stupid when Trump wins in 2020.

When Trump is reelected the really stupid thing already happened.

[Machismo]

Wow, dude, seek help. Honestly.

On the other hand, it's fucking hilarious how triggered you are over fucking politics, and how you allow Trump to destroy you without him even knowing you exist.

But really, get a fucking grip on REALITY. Because you may do something really stupid when Trump wins in 2020.

Can you point to where I'm wrong, Trumpster?

What would it take for you to stop being a Trumpster? (This is the part where you try and say you totally don't even like the guy).

I chose to not be friends with racists and people who support them.

- - - Updated - - -

I think you give way to much credit to “journalism” to begin with. If anything, the rise of internet blogging and alternative media has clearly demonstrated how utterly ridiculous the profession and study are to begin with. No one needs a degree or an endorsement from a major corporation-backed network to be influential to public opinion anymore, and that’s probably really upsetting for the people who used to mostly benefit from that arrangement. You might even see them clutching their pearls and talking about the good ol’ days that weren’t so good for everyone else. It must really suck to not be able to unilaterally control the narrative anymore, huh?

The real problem is all the people getting their news from blogs, as that's not actually journalism. This is the public choosing to be ignorant and misinformed. The same goes for all the dolts who watch Fox news after 4PM.

[Paranoid Android]

NEW - Trump's pick for intelligence director misrepresented his role in a major anti-terrorism financing case, which he has repeatedly described as among his key national security credentials https://t.co/bsS63En16d via @ABC

https://twitter.com/alex_mallin/stat...525458946?s=19

Haha! This administration is such a joke. A majority of Trump's picks have been unqualified and down right a joke. Trump once again picks someone who kisses ass but does nothing else.

At least in recent history no other administration has been this inept.

[Dontrike]

TIL that journalism in't about public opinion, LMAO. Yup, all the news does is report sterilized facts and they do it for the good of the public, no profit or power is at play. They have NO agenda whatsoever. /s

Sorry, you must realize how ridiculous you sound. You can keep that lie alive in your mind all you want, but people aren't buying it.

Sorry that reality has a liberal bias, Sulla, we'll get right on fixing that. Let's go watch some Alex Jones and fix this whole reality thing.

[Themius]

Trump said we're taking in billions in tariffs from China. He literally still does not know how tariffs work...

[Dontrike]

Trump said we're taking in billions in tariffs from China. He literally still does not know how tariffs work...

Greatest dealmaker of our generation right there. Who needs facts and knowledge when you can ignore it and have your zealots scream the same stupid bullshit.

Tariffs are now ice cream!

[Belize]

https://twitter.com/alex_mallin/stat...525458946?s=19

Haha! This administration is such a joke. A majority of Trump's picks have been unqualified and down right a joke. Trump once again picks someone who kisses ass but does nothing else.

At least in recent history no other administration has been this inept.

The sad part is that he'll be rubberstamped anyways.

[Breccia]

Bla bla bla GOP member bla bla bla won't run again bla bla bla spending time with his family bla bla bla sinking ship.

Whoops looks like I missed a few. It wasn't one Republican announcing this last week. It was three.

For more, this TheHill article:

Three House Republicans said last week they would not seek another term next year, catching party strategists off guard. Those announcements came earlier than in a typical election cycle, when members who are ready to hang up their voting cards usually wait until after the August recess or after the Christmas break.

Republicans in Congress strategizing to win back the House say the rush to the exits reflects the depressing reality of life in the minority and a pessimistic view of the GOP’s chances of regaining the majority.

“We are in the minority. That is never much fun in the House,” said one senior Republican member of Congress, who asked for anonymity to provide a candid assessment. “The odds are against us retaking the majority.”

Transitioning from the all-powerful majority to the back-bench minority can refocus one’s outlook on public service, said Tom Davis, a former Virginia congressman who ran the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

“Moving from the majority to the minority changes your mindset about why am I here, am I getting things done,” Davis said. “It’s a very frustrating life for some of these members right now. There’s been no pay raise for 11 years. You’ve got to maintain two households.”

By the way, quick aside here: AWW. POOR BABIES. NO PAY RAISE BOO HOO. The federal minimum wage was last raised in 2009 you fucking hypocrites.

“Serving in the era of Trump has few rewards. He has made an already hostile political environment worse. Every day there is some indefensible tweet or comment to defend or explain. It is exhausting and often embarrassing,” the member of Congress said.

Yep, gonna interrupt on that one, too. TOO FUCKING BAD. You knew who he was when you backed him. Now you get to choke on his bullshit.

Even if Republicans were to win back the majority, “our edge would be narrow which means we would live under the tyranny of the Freedom Caucus. Frankly I wonder if this conference is capable of governing.”

Last time I promise. THIS IS EQUALLY YOUR FAULT. You CHOSE to cater to the Freedom Caucus, because without them, you wouldn't have even 50%. Now you have to live with that. Thoughts and prayers, bitches.

Republican strategists say they are bracing for a new wave of exits after members check in with their families over the August recess. Two dozen Republicans won their reelection bids in 2018 by fewer than 5 percentage points; another 25 won by fewer than 10 points.

“There are going to be a lot more [retirements] to come,” said one consultant who works for House Republicans. “Between people finding themselves having to actually work hard for the first time in their long, lazy careers and members who came in in the majority and now hate life in the minority, it's just getting started.”

Two of the members who announced their retirements last week — Reps. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.) and Martha Roby (R-Ala.) — represent deep-red districts where their successor will almost certainly be chosen in the Republican primary.

But a third, Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas), holds a seat that is likely to be competitive. Olson won election to his final term by just 5 percentage points in 2018, and Democrats have signaled that districts like his, in the rapidly growing Houston suburbs, are their prime targets.

Six Republicans have now said they will not seek reelection next year. Two more, Reps. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) and Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), are running for a different office.

Bold-redded for emphasis. We've been saying for a while Trump was killing the Republican Party. We're seeing it happen now. Spoiled little whiny babies go home and cry when things get difficult. Winners go home and fuck the prom queen.

[Independent voter]

TIL that journalism in't about public opinion, LMAO. Yup, all the news does is report sterilized facts and they do it for the good of the public, no profit or power is at play. They have NO agenda whatsoever. /s

Sorry, you must realize how ridiculous you sound. You can keep that lie alive in your mind all you want, but people aren't buying it.

We shouldn't paint all journalists with the same broad brush. Sure most journalists vote democrat, but a few of them really, really try to be as unbiased as possible.

A good test is this last set of tweets by trump. If a journalist called them "racist" then that journalist is hopelessly biased. They might not think they are but they are.

If the journalist said something like, "Trumps tweets, which many have called racist", then you know you've found a journalist who strives to remove all bias from his reporting.