Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Paranoid Android]

If you all heard a loud thumping sound, that sound was Trump throwing Brian Kemp under a bus.

Trump is saying he disagrees with Kemps decision to rush Georgia reopening even though Georgia doesn't meet any of the guidelines Trump had put out for reopening but he won't stop Kemp, either.

Someone probably explained to Trump that he would get blamed for the deaths to COVID-19 coming in Georgia since he has been the one most vocally pushing a rush to reopen the country and if there is one thing Trump hates, it's accepting responsibility for his actions.

Classic Trump. When a cult member does something for the glorious leader and then Trump makes that person look like an idiot.

Also remember Trump called for certain states to be 'liberated'. So once again shows he is a piece of dog crap.

[D Luniz]

Huh...so Brian Harrison, the guy that HHS Secretary Alex Azar tapped to lead the day-to-day response to the coronavirus pandemic. Want to know what he did before working for Azar at HHS?

He bred labradoodles.

It's no surprise HHS is a fucking disaster right now when they're picking dog breeders to be in charge of a national response to a global pandemic. Maybe they could have found someone with like, experience in public health or crisis management or anything remotely applicable. I'm not sure what skills one learns when breeding labradoodles.

wasn't Bush's FEMA guy during Katrina a horse show judge?

[alexw]

If you all heard a loud thumping sound, that sound was Trump throwing Brian Kemp under a bus.

Trump is saying he disagrees with Kemps decision to rush Georgia reopening even though Georgia doesn't meet any of the guidelines Trump had put out for reopening but he won't stop Kemp, either.

Someone probably explained to Trump that he would get blamed for the deaths to COVID-19 coming in Georgia since he has been the one most vocally pushing a rush to reopen the country and if there is one thing Trump hates, it's accepting responsibility for his actions.

I think Trump is just trying to scapegoat. So he criticizes and tells governors they should open up so he can blame them for the economic damage when they don't, rather than actually wanting them to reopen their states.

[Breccia]

I think Trump is just trying to scapegoat.

He does that alot, despite claiming "total authority".

Trump requires conspiracy theories and invisible enemies so that a man who inherited billions, fires or refuses to pay people who work for him, pays himself and lets his investors go bankrupt, and is the only one who can fix it is somehow the trodden-upon underdog.

Leaders make results. Losers make excuses.

[alexw]

That's not going to help the economy recover. If anything it will make a 2nd wave much worse and it will impact the US in june-july, making the prospect of an economic recovery by novermber of this year pretty much impossible (i mean, it was impossible by this point, but still).

Yeah what he is suggesting is absolutely nuts. The infection rate needs to be driven right down, and a co-ordinated national system of test, track, and trace needs to be implemented BEFORE the lock-downs are lifted. Otherwise the caseload and deathrate is just going to explode.

[Zaydin]

I think Trump is just trying to scapegoat. So he criticizes and tells governors they should open up so he can blame them for the economic damage when they don't, rather than actually wanting them to reopen their states.

Like I said, someone probably explained to Trump that he would get the blame for all the deaths coming in Georgia due to COVID-19 thanks to his rhetoric and he's trying to get out in front of it and do damage control he can use to shield himself when this blows up in Kemps face.

[Kaleredar]

Like I said, someone probably explained to Trump that he would get the blame for all the deaths coming in Georgia due to COVID-19 thanks to his rhetoric and he's trying to get out in front of it and do damage control he can use to shield himself when this blows up in Kemps face.

I also think he proposed the immigration ban just so that it could be struck down and then, when covid cases inevitably undergo a resurgence under his policies, he can blame the immigrants and the democrats for blocking him.

[Breccia]

It says 45,063

Now it says 46,769. At least the new deaths are back under 2,000 again.

[Omega10]

I also think he proposed the immigration ban just so that it could be struck down and then, when covid cases inevitably undergo a resurgence under his policies, he can blame the immigrants and the democrats for blocking him.

Sounds like a solid political plan to me.

Unfortunately, that was not meant as sarcasm. It is exactly the type of activity that wins elections in the US.

[Xarkan]

Now it says 46,769. At least the new deaths are back under 2,000 again.

Hmm the other site seems to have the US at 47 659 and above 2k (2341) for that GMT day (edit: 47 681 and 22 more if we took today as well)

[Polyxo]

Air is a fluid so . . . couldn't you describe a crashing plane as "sinking"?

#showerthoughts

Are birds just air swimming?

[Breccia]

Rather than rely on the feds, he thinks states should be able to go through bankruptcy.

When Trump said he would run the country like his businesses, y'all thought that was a good thing.

I found this ranking of state + local government debt. New York is first, but Kentucky is a close second. In fact, I don't see any obvious pattern like "all y'all owe more than dem der yankees" or the like. California and Louisiana are damn near tied in the middle, for example, so this isn't a move that will end up really helping one party.

McConnell would have to pass a law to allow this. None such exists. The existing Chapter 9 law simply does not list states as possible applicants. Which means he'd have to get bipartisan support. That said, cities can go bankrupt. NYC might have this option, if they need it.

Now, if a state goes bankrupt, I imagine it would be like anyone else going bankrupt. This could easily mean the forced sale of assets. What do states own?

Roads. Bridges. Schools. Public land. The DMV.

These are things that could be forcibly put into private hands. It's possible that the failure of Infrastructure Weeks I-V would work out in industry's benefit: they could just wait for the state to go bankrupt, and then buy the roads outright for cheap. They could also do to schools what Texas does for abortion clinics: leave a small number of public schools and privatize others. If you don't like paying to send your child to the school 2 miles away, you might have to send them fifty miles away. And I'm guessing moving the DMV's duties, like registration and inspection, to private hands isn't going to help the waiting line or price.

A state that goes bankrupt will also have much harder time getting loans when needed. Meaning the next disaster, as McConnell has said there's no help coming, could just wipe it out. Then comes another hurricane.

Then there are pension plans. Bankruptcy is all about deciding which debts you don't have to pay anymore. This is bad news for government employees either on, or expecting, a government pension. A debt they're owed.

But the big one is, once states are subject to the same bankruptcy rules as everyone else, it's likely they'll take steps to avoid that if possible. And the way you owe less is to spend less. Meaning states would look to cut services.

Like unemployment. Which brings us full circle, because states are already running out of this.

There's a "too big to fail" argument in here somewhere, but it's not the same. A company isn't bound by things like elections. If, say, Ford or GM just decides they want to close up shop, they can. People depend on state governments for things like police and firemen. The (state) Constitution is a contract.

Do we really want the government run like one of Trump's businesses? Do you really want to pay taxes, and when it's your turn to collect services, not get them?

Think about that when the drive to work has a $4.00 toll and the charter school you were looking at suddenly costs $15,000 a year.

[pathora44]

When Trump said he would run the country like his businesses, y'all thought that was a good thing.

I found this ranking of state + local government debt. New York is first, but Kentucky is a close second. In fact, I don't see any obvious pattern like "all y'all owe more than dem der yankees" or the like. California and Louisiana are damn near tied in the middle, for example, so this isn't a move that will end up really helping one party.

McConnell would have to pass a law to allow this. None such exists. The existing Chapter 9 law simply does not list states as possible applicants. Which means he'd have to get bipartisan support. That said, cities can go bankrupt. NYC might have this option, if they need it.

Now, if a state goes bankrupt, I imagine it would be like anyone else going bankrupt. This could easily mean the forced sale of assets. What do states own?

Roads. Bridges. Schools. Public land. The DMV.

These are things that could be forcibly put into private hands. It's possible that the failure of Infrastructure Weeks I-V would work out in industry's benefit: they could just wait for the state to go bankrupt, and then buy the roads outright for cheap. They could also do to schools what Texas does for abortion clinics: leave a small number of public schools and privatize others. If you don't like paying to send your child to the school 2 miles away, you might have to send them fifty miles away. And I'm guessing moving the DMV's duties, like registration and inspection, to private hands isn't going to help the waiting line or price.

A state that goes bankrupt will also have much harder time getting loans when needed. Meaning the next disaster, as McConnell has said there's no help coming, could just wipe it out. Then comes another hurricane.

Then there are pension plans. Bankruptcy is all about deciding which debts you don't have to pay anymore. This is bad news for government employees either on, or expecting, a government pension. A debt they're owed.

But the big one is, once states are subject to the same bankruptcy rules as everyone else, it's likely they'll take steps to avoid that if possible. And the way you owe less is to spend less. Meaning states would look to cut services.

Like unemployment. Which brings us full circle, because states are already running out of this.

There's a "too big to fail" argument in here somewhere, but it's not the same. A company isn't bound by things like elections. If, say, Ford or GM just decides they want to close up shop, they can. People depend on state governments for things like police and firemen. The (state) Constitution is a contract.

Do we really want the government run like one of Trump's businesses? Do you really want to pay taxes, and when it's your turn to collect services, not get them?

Think about that when the drive to work has a $4.00 toll and the charter school you were looking at suddenly costs $15,000 a year.

Sounds like the GOP's wettest of wet dreams every single fucking thing owned by corporations.

[Trifle]

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-w...bruary-autopsy

Until the new revelations, the first COVID-19 death had been identified as a man in his 50s in Washington state who died Feb. 29.

The two people died at home on Feb. 6 and Feb. 17, making them the earliest-known victims of the coronavirus in the United States, the Santa Clara County public health department confirmed in a statement on Tuesday

Official numbers on Feb 10 were 10 cases with 0 deaths, so yeah in a surprise to no one early numbers were woefully inaccurate.

[Benggaul]

Now it says 46,769. At least the new deaths are back under 2,000 again.

I know you're using a different source, but https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ is currently saying 47,681 with 2341 deaths on the 22nd. Either JH updated just before a slew of new death reports came through or they're a tad behind. I WISH their numbers were more accurate.

[Breccia]

[QUOTE=Benggaul;52283623] Either JH updated just before a slew of new death reports came through or they're a tad behind. /QUOTE]

Yeah, they've always been behind. This seems further behind than normal.

[Edge-]

wasn't Bush's FEMA guy during Katrina a horse show judge?

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/9325977/ns...ualifications/

An ARABIAN Horse Show Judge, thank you very much.

Jesus bloody christ. I know cronyism and shit always goes on, but like...is this level of cronyism unique to Republicans? Because while I know Obama (Democrats) followed the long tradition of appointing major donors as ambassadors to countries that they might have never even heard of before, this is a whole other level of "they gave what job to who?"

[Xyonai]

Sounds like the GOP's wettest of wet dreams every single fucking thing owned by corporations.

Short term, I think the declaration is more about putting pressure on states who don't want to just throw open the doors and open everything back up again and get everything going along with Trump's narrative.

[Omega10]

Short term, I think the declaration is more about putting pressure on states who don't want to just throw open the doors and open everything back up again and get everything going along with Trump's narrative.

Except for Georgia, for some reason. Apparently Georgia is opening their doors too soon while others are not. I have no idea why Georgia is being singled out. Did Kemp inadvertently say something that Trump could interpret as not completely submissive and subservient to him?

[Benggaul]

Jesus. When is this guy starting his campaign and how do I donate? I don't recommend actually WATCHING the video because the amount of spit flying is bound to make you cringe a bit, but give it a listen in the background, at least.