Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Breccia]

Does this mean Texas is in play or we're they safe districts? Will budget needed for battleground states instead need to be used for defense?

I believe we've already seen that the GOP is throwing money at Texas, scared they'll lose it.

The GOP is correct.

Texas has taken a beating during Trump's tenure. They took a hurricane, which isn't great. They also do a lot of agribusiness, that's in trouble. They have an underappreciated manufacturing base, that's in trouble. They do a lot of business with Mexico, that's being directly threatened. And of course, mass shootings. Plural.

The GOP needs to play defense on Texas, not necessarily to protect Trump, but to protect its House and Senate seats. There's every reason to believe Democratic candidates will simply say "So, who made more money total in 2019 than 2017? What, nobody? Well, shit! Sounds like you guys need more than paper towels thrown at you!"

Also, it's time again for Guess the Speaker!

Our country will have more presidents. But principles, well, we get just one crack at those. For those who want to put America first, it is critically important at this moment in the life of our country that we all, here and now, do just that. Trust me when I say that you can go elsewhere for a job. But you cannot go elsewhere for a soul.

In light of the GOP losing two members today (Collins and Thornberry), I thought it fair to quote Flake who also resigned rather than remain an active Republican.

[Skroe]

you should move your text beside your sig before a mod sees it, you're breaking height requirement

(1) The forum has a built in height-requirement checker. If you try to make your sig to big, it alerts you.

(2) Reported for back seat moderation, which is against forum rules.

[zenkai]

(1) The forum has a built in height-requirement checker. If you try to make your sig to big, it alerts you.

(2) Reported for back seat moderation, which is against forum rules.

I wasn't trying to backseat mod, I was trying to help you, sorry for being nice.

[Skroe]

Also I invite anyone who wants to join #TeamImpeachTheMF to throw the graphic in their sig (see my sig for the image link). Little bit of Team Building / Team Unity as we head into the real fucking show.

[Machismo]

I gave you two possible scenarios which would contradict your assumption. Believe what you want to believe...disregard the rest.

So, he's not lying, he's just incompetent and senile?

I mean...keep going.

[Skroe]

I wasn't trying to backseat mod, I was trying to help you, sorry for being nice.

I think its best if you just don't talk to me zenkai. I have a very poor opinion of you. Good day.

[cubby]

Does this mean Texas is in play or we're they safe districts? Will budget needed for battleground states instead need to be used for defense?

Thornberry got 80% of the vote in 2018 - I think they are safe. Just odd that so many are retiring - this is the 6th from TX alone. I think the number is over 20 now.

- - - Updated - - -

Trump's approval rating was barely treading water in Texas last I saw. And that was before all this shit hit the fan.

Jesus-tap-dancing-Christ could Texas go blue in 2020? That would be awesome!

[Breccia]

Trump's approval rating was barely treading water in Texas last I saw. And that was before all this shit hit the fan.

You saw correctly. Bla-BLAM!



Texas has been in the news because, well, obviously there's a lot of GOP there, and they're a big state. But proportionately, they're losing more than most. If I remember correctly, bitchslap me if I'm wrong, Thornberry is the 5th Texan to announce spending more time with his family rather than run in the next election. They have 38. So --

"Ha hah, 538!"

Indeed. But that's 13%. Losing 13% of anything hurts. That's a B+ all the way down to a C, octopus to septapus, or "By the way, Neptune's not a planet either".

Again, the GOP is likely going to circle the wagons (yee-haw!) and probably succeed. But at cost. The GOP's money is finite, and every dollar spent to keep Texas is a dollar not spent in, say, Ohio, Pennsylvania or, heh, Florida.

[nonameelf]

Thornberry got 80% of the vote in 2018 - I think they are safe. Just odd that so many are retiring - this is the 6th from TX alone. I think the number is over 20 now.

It makes sense. They're in a spot where they either have to defend Trump or they'll get voted out.

So they take the cowards way out.

[cubby]

Just to hammer home the point that the NRA is corrupt, a Senate report that just came out labeled them as a "foreign asset" to Russia. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/76487...report-reveals

And that's the Senate, with GOP members as committee chairs.

[bladeXcrasher]

I don't see Texas going blue or even purple in 2020, we have too crazy a system that favors Republicans still. I wouldn't expect Texas to be a swing state for a few another 10+ years at a minimum.

[Templar 331]

She needs to stay scarce during the impeachment, but it's sure nice to have her take a dump on a bunch of paranoid crazies before the fun commences.

I don't know, I kind of want her sitting in the front row while the Senate vote on Impeachment with either a shit eating grin or a cocky smirk on her face.

Just to give the conspiracy nutters something to twitch about.

[bladeXcrasher]

And that's the Senate, with GOP members as committee chairs.

But it was just a Democrat report, easy for Republicans to handwaved as partisan.

[DocSavageFan]

I know you think this is all a joke right now. But that's part for the course. You haven't taken anything Trump has done seriously, no matter how damaging to the country.

It's all been one big joke to you.

This is serious and it's going to end really poorly for your side.

If Trump is impeached and removed, then my side wins.
If Trump is impeached and the vote fails in the Senate, Republicans will be forced to make politically damaging votes, and my side still wins, as Donald Trump - likely facing a handful of Republican votes against him minimum - goes into 2020 severely damaged.

And EVEN if he gets re-elected, my side still wins. Because the nature of this scandal - in communications with another President - has rendered him untouchable in one of the main avenues of Presidential power - foreign relations. There is not a leader in the world now who will seek out Trump, lest he start ranting to them about this in a call, or asking for another favor. They'll all be recording their calls to protect themselves if they absolutely have to have one. He is permanently damaged goods. Other leaders were already waiting him out. This will make the few that aren't already more likely to do so.

We've broken the power of this President. Permanently. The question is, are you smart enough to see that or not and embrace the wisdom of President Pence.

Since Adam Schiff thinks it's a joke...I might as well too. Every circus needs a clown I guess.

[Nurasu]

I don't see Texas going blue or even purple in 2020, we have too crazy a system that favors Republicans still. I wouldn't expect Texas to be a swing state for a few another 10+ years at a minimum.

It'll be within the next few election cycles, imo. Even through Rick Scott, Texas provided a lot of benefits to latino communities and families that Abbott has slashed. Latinos in Texas vote far more conservatively than latinos in other states, but that's changing fast under this governor and this president, and there's no sign that Republicans are going to do anything other than double down on their new policies.

[shimerra]

Since Adam Schiff thinks it's a joke...I might as well too. Every circus needs a clown I guess.

Given your usual post quality don't kill yourself working all that overtime. You should consider going pro.

[Skroe]

Since Adam Schiff thinks it's a joke...I might as well too. Every circus needs a clown I guess.

Yeah okay.

I mean we're at the point Donald Trump clearly used his office to betray his country's interests and advance his own, and you're still not taking it seriously.

Given that the basis of Trump's support is White Supremacy, I just need to say, you must REALLY hate blacks and latinos. Because good lord. Donald Trump sells us out - big time national security issue - and you still defend him.

Like holy fuck, what does this that motherfucker have to do?

[Edge-]

And that's the Senate, with GOP members as committee chairs.

It's a report from Democratic members, not the full committee.

[cubby]

It's a report from Democratic members, not the full committee.

Gotcha (also not sure why it got posted twice in here - weird). Color me embarrassed.

[kaelleria]

LOL

Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry’s Origins

WASHINGTON — President Trump pushed the Australian prime minister during a recent telephone call to help Attorney General William P. Barr gather information for a Justice Department inquiry that Mr. Trump hopes will discredit the Mueller investigation, according to two American officials with knowledge of the call.

The White House restricted access to the call’s transcript to a small group of the president’s aides, one of the officials said, an unusual decision that is similar to the handling of a July call with the Ukrainian president that is at the heart of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump. Like that call, the discussion with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia shows the extent to which Mr. Trump sees the attorney general as a critical partner in his goal to show that the Mueller investigation had corrupt and partisan origins, and the extent that Mr. Trump sees the Justice Department inquiry as a potential way to gain leverage over America’s closest allies.


And like the call with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the discussion with Mr. Morrison shows the president using high-level diplomacy to advance his personal political interests.

President Trump initiated the discussion in recent weeks with Mr. Morrison explicitly for the purpose of requesting Australia’s help in the Justice Department review of the Russia investigation, according to the two people with knowledge of the discussion. Mr. Barr requested that Mr. Trump speak to Mr. Morrison, one of the people said. It came only weeks after Mr. Trump seemed to make military aid to Ukraine contingent on Mr. Zelensky doing him the “favor” of helping Mr. Barr with his work.

A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for the Australian prime minister.

In making the request, Mr. Trump was in effect asking the Australian government to investigate itself. The F.B.I.’s counterintelligence investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election began after Australian officials told the bureau that the Russian government had made overtures to the Trump campaign about releasing political damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

Australian officials shared that information after its top official in Britain met in London in May 2016 with George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser who told the Australian about the Russian dirt on Mrs. Clinton.

Mr. Papadopoulos also said that he had heard that the Russians had “thousands” of Mrs. Clinton’s emails from Joseph Mifsud, an academic. Mr. Mifsud, who was last seen working as a visiting professor in Rome, has disappeared. Trump allies, like the president’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, have put forth an unsubstantiated claim that Western intelligence agencies planted Mr. Mifsud to trap Mr. Papadopoulos.

Mr. Barr flew to Italy last week and met with Italian government officials on Friday. The Justice Department spokeswoman would not say whether he discussed the election inquiry in those meetings, but former Justice Department officials said that Mr. Barr would need to ask foreign countries for cooperation in turning over documents pertaining to the 2016 election.

Trump is super fucked