Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Kiri]

Oh i understand that the China and Russia are moving to take up more space on the world stage if it is available to them. I get exactly what they want to do and i have an idea on how they will expand their power and influence outside of the belt and road, this would be one of those things they would do to gain that leverage. The point i am making is that those nations will need to pony up more and more and not rely so heavily due to the unstable nature of our political landscape.

I even understand that alot of the responsibility is assumed by the US due to the global standard of the USD and until recently that all trade deals have the approval of the US. But that only works in a world in which the US is fine at home, we are looking at a very odd time in American politics given the general levels of employment and wage growth which will push forward the Trumps / Sanders to push the narrative ( Which is far harder now due to the speed of communications via the internet ). When the US is sick at home they have to pick up the slack or years of not investing for themselves to combat the domestic side of things that is why i have been very strongly on the side of fixing the general populaces ails first and then correcting the international standing.

Telling people who are struggling to send their children off to die or fight for a nation that refuses them basic things that they see others get due to a reduced military budget is not going to win the hearts nor the minds. I understand why, you understand why but getting the majority of the populace to understand is a whole new problem.

I agree with you and many more on this forum about the problems with the current administration but i have this feeling the time before the Iraq war is never going to come around again ( Also i am 19 beers down so excuse some stupidity )

But that's just because a lot of average people are pretty shortsighted, to be honest. The international standing and internal health of a country are quite interwoven at this point in time, many just refuse to accept that and think they can go back to isolationist policies of 20th century. The US' international standing is what gives them favourable trade deals, access to markets and a great deal of stability - all of which serve to increase living standards at home.

That isn't to say that all adventourism or interventionism is beneficial. As always, it depends on how it is handled. There have been some serious screw-ups, in my opinion, wrt the ME. But South Korea of all places? That's not sending sons to die for their country, to be honest. US has been there for decades without incident, protecting a rather cozy country as a deterrent, not by actively fighting. In contrast, things might get worse for the US if it drives allies towards its enemies, to the point where people do need to be sent to die.

[Draco-Onis]

Oh i understand that the China and Russia are moving to take up more space on the world stage if it is available to them. I get exactly what they want to do and i have an idea on how they will expand their power and influence outside of the belt and road, this would be one of those things they would do to gain that leverage. The point i am making is that those nations will need to pony up more and more and not rely so heavily due to the unstable nature of our political landscape.

I even understand that alot of the responsibility is assumed by the US due to the global standard of the USD and until recently that all trade deals have the approval of the US. But that only works in a world in which the US is fine at home, we are looking at a very odd time in American politics given the general levels of employment and wage growth which will push forward the Trumps / Sanders to push the narrative ( Which is far harder now due to the speed of communications via the internet ). When the US is sick at home they have to pick up the slack or years of not investing for themselves to combat the domestic side of things that is why i have been very strongly on the side of fixing the general populaces ails first and then correcting the international standing.

Telling people who are struggling to send their children off to die or fight for a nation that refuses them basic things that they see others get due to a reduced military budget is not going to win the hearts nor the minds. I understand why, you understand why but getting the majority of the populace to understand is a whole new problem.

I agree with you and many more on this forum about the problems with the current administration but i have this feeling the time before the Iraq war is never going to come around again ( Also i am 19 beers down so excuse some stupidity )

If democrats had any balls they would simply use videos of North Korean propaganda showing them literally blowing up the United States to get the point. The average person doesn't care but they are also very stupid democrats have been horrible at messaging and propaganda unlike the right. I look at what is going on in the primary and can't help face palm but to be fair a lot of democrats are pretty much republicans these days.

[Breccia]

Cohen - sentenced

Wow. To make me look like less of an idiot, I will make the lame excuse of "technically, Cohen was convicted of lying when he said he wasn't a foreign agent". But, damn, I can't believe I missed that one.

[Paranoid Android]

King tweeted photos of Alex Soros (George Soros' son), claiming they were "strong clues" to the whistleblower's identity. https://t.co/lh5KdxH5q6

Shocking that white supremacist and overall piece of crap, Steve King tweeted a crazy conspiracy of George Soros' son is whistleblower.

Of course Alex Soros doesn't work for the government and obviously no access to the call.

So king is pushing that Jews are trying to attack or in their words betray or start a coup.

[Breccia]

House Ethics Committee refers Florida Man Rep. Spano to the DoJ on charges of campaign finance violations.

Specifically, since Spano's friends could only donate $2,700 each, they instead loaned him $180,000 and Spano paid his own campaign $180,000.

- - - Updated - - -

So, let's talk about American farmers.

Dean Foods, the largest dairy company in the U.S., filed for bankruptcy this week.

"Huh. That name sounds familiar."

They were fined millions years ago for stealing workers' wages.

"No, that's not it."

Um...they told a bunch of farmers in PA in March 2018 that because of Trump's tariffs, they were buying less milk, and gave them all 90 day's notice?

"No, that's not it either."

Two months later, they also fired 100 people in Indiana?

"Still not it."

And six other states?

"It wasn't about firing people. It was something about money."

Um...they spent millions on lobbying to get full-fat sweetened milk back in school lunches?

"No..."

The insider trading case from 2017?

"No..."

Um...they have a long history of lying, cheating, and stealing, and now they're cheating their shareholders and fleeing with what's left of their money?

"Yes, that's it, that's it exactly."

The damage or possible loss of Dean Foods will hurt a lot of American dairy farmers. Apparently, smaller farms basically make exclusive contracts with who gets their stuff, and Dean Foods was huge and had a lot of it. This will leave the farmers whose contracts suddenly expire with an even harder time getting their product to market, in a situation where (again) Trump's tariffs have made it harder to sell. You'd think selling high-fat milk in schools would help, but, with Trump directly cutting school lunch programs and also SNAP benefits the effect is probably minimal or lost.

I mentioned PA milk farmers above. Trump won Erie County, PA by fewer voters than I have students. His tariffs cost a lot of them. I wonder if they're tired of winning yet?

[Kryctos]

To no ones surprised stone was found guilty minutes ago

[Breccia]

So, how's it going, North Korea?

If the U.S. still seeks a sinister aim of appeasing us in a bid to pass the time limit — the end of this year — with ease as it did during the DPRK-U.S. working-level negotiations in Sweden early in October, we have no willingness to have such negotiations

Well, shit! Nevermind! When are the Nobel Prize nominations due, again?

[Skroe]

So, how's it going, North Korea?

If the U.S. still seeks a sinister aim of appeasing us in a bid to pass the time limit — the end of this year — with ease as it did during the DPRK-U.S. working-level negotiations in Sweden early in October, we have no willingness to have such negotiations

Well, shit! Nevermind! When are the Nobel Prize nominations due, again?

Remember when Trump getting a Nobel Prize was a serious object of discussion by our local Trumphadi contingent?

Hilarious times.

[Breccia]

Did we cover this? Sorry I haven't checked.

Federal prosecutors investigating Giuliani's gas industry links in Ukraine

Federal prosecutors are probing whether President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was situated to profit from a Ukrainian natural gas company pushed by two of his associates, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing people familiar.

The now-indicted associates — Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — pushed plans for a Poland-to-Ukraine pipeline to transport U.S. natural gas and said the pipeline was supported by the Trump administration, people briefed on the meetings told the Journal.

Parnas and Fruman told Ukrainian officials that Giuliani was a partner on the project, which was being done by their company Global Energy Producers (GEP), one person reportedly said. Another told the Journal that Parnas and Fruman thought of Giuliani as a possible investor for their firm, but that the pipeline pitch was exaggerated.

[Tenlo]

Kinda off topic here but other than the guy sea lioning the other day have the typical defenders of orange shown up in the thread? Strange how absent they seem...

[Kryctos]

Kinda off topic here but other than the guy sea lioning the other day have the typical defenders of orange shown up in the thread? Strange how absent they seem...

Dont worry after the senate fails to convit they will be all over the place chhering for total exoneration.

[Tenlo]

Dont worry after the senate fails to convit they will be all over the place chhering for total exoneration.

Well yea the fact most of us know that's the outcome doesn't matter. It's just funny how cowardly they all are when shit is going bad for them like these hearings.

[Benggaul]

Well yea the fact most of us know that's the outcome doesn't matter. It's just funny how cowardly they all are when shit is going bad for them like these hearings.

As I wrote in the other thread, several were banned already from the typical offenses. Expect it to get stupid again in here once those expire.

I have to imagine at least one or two of Trump's supporters are just yelling "For fuck's sake stop TWEETING!" at their monitors/phones by now, though.

Edit: Typo.

[Breccia]

Trump is not having a good day in court.

1) He's begging a judge not to let the House see his taxes (he might have just accepted NYState will get them regardless)

2) Reports that Jared Kushner in his role as Middle East peace planner is leading the charge to seize private land for the Wall are already in trouble. Apparently there's something called the Declaration of Taking Act, which can be used in emergencies. Fair enough, I suppose, except last month a federal judge ruled that Trump broke the law in declaring the National Emergency Lol in the first place, so, that route's also blocked.

3) Democrats move to block DHS nominees based on, oddly enough, what we just talked about: the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Trump has left acting role so long, he now has legal issues filling them.

4) Roger Stone.

That's one day.

[Bodakane]

Trump is not having a good day in court.

1) He's begging a judge not to let the House see his taxes (he might have just accepted NYState will get them regardless)

2) Reports that Jared Kushner in his role as Middle East peace planner is leading the charge to seize private land for the Wall are already in trouble. Apparently there's something called the Declaration of Taking Act, which can be used in emergencies. Fair enough, I suppose, except last month a federal judge ruled that Trump broke the law in declaring the National Emergency Lol in the first place, so, that route's also blocked.

3) Democrats move to block DHS nominees based on, oddly enough, what we just talked about: the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. Trump has left acting role so long, he now has legal issues filling them.

4) Roger Stone.

That's one day.

5) Standing ovation the witness got in his impeachment hearings.

[Masark]

The damage or possible loss of Dean Foods will hurt a lot of American dairy farmers.

Long term, this might end up being a good thing for them. There's apparently talk of a potential sale of the company's assets to Dairy Farmers of America, a farmer-owned cooperative. And cooperative business models are something I'm in favour of just on general principles.

[ringpriest]

As I wrote in the other thread, several were banned already from the typical offenses. Expect it to get stupid again in here once those expire.

I have to imagine at least one or two of Trump's supporters are just yelling "For fuck's sake stop TWEETING!" at their monitors/phones bu now, though.

You mean, Ken Starr like saying, “The president was not advised by counsel in deciding to do this tweet. Extraordinarily poor judgment… Obviously this was quite injurious," on Faux News? (I do love a well-curated twitter feed.)

[Bodakane]

House Ethics Committee refers Florida Man Rep. Spano to the DoJ on charges of campaign finance violations.

Specifically, since Spano's friends could only donate $2,700 each, they instead loaned him $180,000 and Spano paid his own campaign $180,000.

- - - Updated - - -

So, let's talk about American farmers.

Dean Foods, the largest dairy company in the U.S., filed for bankruptcy this week.

"Huh. That name sounds familiar."

They were fined millions years ago for stealing workers' wages.

"No, that's not it."

Um...they told a bunch of farmers in PA in March 2018 that because of Trump's tariffs, they were buying less milk, and gave them all 90 day's notice?

"No, that's not it either."

Two months later, they also fired 100 people in Indiana?

"Still not it."

And six other states?

"It wasn't about firing people. It was something about money."

Um...they spent millions on lobbying to get full-fat sweetened milk back in school lunches?

"No..."

The insider trading case from 2017?

"No..."

Um...they have a long history of lying, cheating, and stealing, and now they're cheating their shareholders and fleeing with what's left of their money?

"Yes, that's it, that's it exactly."

The damage or possible loss of Dean Foods will hurt a lot of American dairy farmers. Apparently, smaller farms basically make exclusive contracts with who gets their stuff, and Dean Foods was huge and had a lot of it. This will leave the farmers whose contracts suddenly expire with an even harder time getting their product to market, in a situation where (again) Trump's tariffs have made it harder to sell. You'd think selling high-fat milk in schools would help, but, with Trump directly cutting school lunch programs and also SNAP benefits the effect is probably minimal or lost.

I mentioned PA milk farmers above. Trump won Erie County, PA by fewer voters than I have students. His tariffs cost a lot of them. I wonder if they're tired of winning yet?

Personally I hope all dairy farms go out of business. It is a terribly heinous and awful industry.

[Thekri]

So, Trump is desperate for some sort of distraction to get his bases attention again, so what did he find?

Trump grants clemency to 2 Army officers accused of war crimes, restores rank to Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher

Oh. This again. The amount of damage this amoral national disgrace of a President is doing to the Military cannot be over exaggerated. Trump is making it very clear that killing brown people is ok, no matter what the military justice system says about it. This sort of crap endangers every one of our Soldiers overseas, by making it clear to the people of those countries that our Soldiers are bound by absolutely no rules or laws under this President.

This outrages me in an incredibly deeply personal way. I spent a significant part of my life keeping a bunch of angry and confused young men from devolving into murderous criminals in these environments, and I only succeeded because the Military does a good job of giving us a legal structure that holds us accountable for our actions during these deployments. Trump is undermining the very principles of military justice and law of war for fleeting cheers at his pep rallies.

This right here is why we need President Pence right now. He is still a horrible person, but he isn't going to be unraveling the fabric of American power and decency on a whim.

[zealo]

Remember when Trump getting a Nobel Prize was a serious object of discussion by our local Trumphadi contingent?

Hilarious times.

That whole thing was never about anything else but "one-upping" Obama, a president the rest of the world actually largely held respect for. Obama got one, and thus Trump should too, according to them.

It's as much of a joke now as it was back then. There's no shortage of more deserving candidates than a man at who's direction the US is separating immigrant children from their parents, and keeping them in large camps under poor conditions.