Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Omega10]

In 1930 the British empire was at its height, it stretched around the globe and America was the the British what China is to America, a growing power but still insignificant to the empire, in 20 years Britain was a broken nation, if I asked some one in 1930 if Britain loosing its empire to America was possible, most would laugh at the idea of some backwater nation surplanting Britain.....and then it happend.

Whilst America turned it eye inwards China has grown, not just economically but mostly influentialy, Chinese power plants power Europe, Chinese owned ports now dot a line from Europe to China, half of Australia is in there ownership and Chinese troops are stationed at many of those ports.

Half of Africa bows to Chinese investment, there hook's are well embedded in South America, Greece who sold a port to China and takes its money vetoed the EUs annual reports into Chinese human rights violations.

China already has more global influance than the USA. All that remains is to convert that into economic and military domination.

This isn't me being happy about that, this is me just pointing it out, you can check each of those things if you want, its all true.

America is at a crucial point, that will define the next 100 years of global power, this next election in America is THE most important election in the world in the last 100 years, if America fails to look outward and check china's growing influance, China will start to strangle America economically in the comming decades and it will be too late for America to do anything about it.

Mark my words well.

The US calls these countries "Shithole Countries". OK it was Trump, but he still IS the President of the US, and thus speaks for the country. And it's not like there was a lot of push back against this comment.

Meanwhile, China invests lots of money and effort into building these areas up. For a price, of course. But it's better than being dismissed and disrespected and called a shit hole country.

[Breccia]

My surprise was more over how it is obviouspy damaging to Trump and that they showed it in the break of one of his face Fox shows.

FOX News is many things, but I think historically they've been more Reagan than Trump.

[Felya]

Thats a very BOOMER choice of words you just used.

It might not be an FINANCIAL investment, but a TIME investment into his hobby.

You are right... there are psychological pay offs... but, after writing a hella long post on it... it’s off topic. The disagreement is spent vs invested... it’s semantics...

[Felya]

I've been looking at this post for several minutes, trying to think of any meaningful way the average American is better off than when they were 4 years ago, but still coming up empty.

If anyone has anything that is a net positive for the average Joe, lemme know.

It’s why Trump is running as if his presidency stopped before covid. As if the shit he did, didn’t lead directly to this issue and then double down it. He would rather people think demon spunk is a cure for COVID, than run on his actual record. Based on recent attacks on Biden, what is Trump even running on? Person, woman, man, TV? That he can tell the difference between a lion and an elephant? That we are the lowest in the world?

[Benggaul]

Better!

I also typed that as I'm installing Skyrim <again>.

On this playthrough. I'm going to roleplay as a witch, who is kink-positive and into worker's rights.

Watch out Jarls... my tagline is, "Dragon Shout if you're horny for communism!"

Mmhmm, been installing mods, have we? Experimenting with "jiggle-physics"? "Special" armor sets? I know how people keep Skyrim interesting 10 years later...

[Breccia]

Every cloud has its silver lining. Texas Gov. Hey Abbott is requesting that every Texan get the flu shot as early as possible[/url], very likely due to yesterday's prediction of COVID-19 deaths and flu deaths forming a Venn Diagram of Suck when there aren't enough hospital beds for both.

[Hilhen7]

Still, Otott said he won't mandate masks.


"Wearing a mask is a personal choice and there is no practical way to enforce a mandate to wear them," Otott wrote. "What we will do is continue to strongly encourage all students and staff to wear masks."


somehow this fucking school can mandate that all kids wear pants....wear shirts.....not run around naked.....but mask....naaaahhh

Waiting for Florida to lift their public indecency laws....

[Breccia]

Just to make sure I'm not mistaken, the flu shot won't be available for another few weeks right?

I think so? I've typically seen the signs up near the beginning of September, so, it can't be that far off.

We've talked plenty about the dangers of hospitals running out of beds. The flu hospitalizes plenty of people -- hundreds of thousands a year. Every bed used by a flu patient isn't a bed for a coronavirus patient and vice versa. I get the shot every year anyhow -- I teach, I think it would be unprofessional if I didn't -- but hopefully a significant portion of anti-vaxxers or just "I don't want to" crowd looks at how many people can die in just a few months to a disease with no vaccine, and say "I'll take a vaccine when it's available please".

Trump ran as an anti-vaxxer. He only changed his mind when there was a measles outbreak under his watch. Hopefully this is yet another issue the GOP is joining the rest of the 21st century on.

[Breccia]

I don't know who/what Northern Starr Strategies is. I probably would not even have read this article if I didn't think "North Star Games" maker of the fantastic Wits and Wagers. However, the author of this OP ED suggests an interesting strategy that, well, seems to fit what McConnell is already doing.

Watching Republicans walk themselves off a proverbial cliff is stunning and stupefying, all at the same time. It is stunning because of the inability of Republicans in Congress to appreciate the long-term ramifications of their short-term victories. It’s stupefying because of the demographic shifts that are transforming the Republican Party into a purely regional party that could go the way of the Whigs. There is clearly no long-term plan from Republicans in Congress, other than to distract away from the scandals and dismiss the barrage of criticisms coming from inside their political house.

The lore of Donald Trump may be that of a political survivor, one who broke every rule imaginable while managing to avoid removal. But to a majority of voters, he is also an uninformed, unprepared, and unsteady political actor in the midst of a historic crisis. Republicans in Congress are finally beginning to say publicly what many have said privately to me for years, “He’s a sinking ship that is going to take the whole crew down if we don’t do something about it.”

Yet Republicans continue to do nothing about it. Symbolic gestures like putting on masks despite the President's erratic messaging or pushing back on his calls to delay an election few people think he can win sprout up periodically. But the political courage, or even self-serving outcry, that many expected in the wake of consistently bad polling has failed to surface in any substantial fashion.

Instead, after record unemployment numbers, historically grotesque death totals, and the type of erratic and unpresidential behavior reserved for Saturday morning cartoon characters, Republicans in Congress have stunningly and stupefyingly decided to stick with the president. A decision that voters will not forget or forgive. Make no mistake about it, voters are angry. Almost 160,000 families will be without a brother, a sister, a mother, a father, or a friend this Labor Day. As a result of the White House’s failed leadership regarding the coronavirus, an estimated 200,000 families will set one less plate at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. An absolutely avoidable tragedy, with irreversible consequences.

While the White House would like Congressional Republicans to believe otherwise, this is not the 2016 election. As Five Thirty Eight recently pointed out, “Clinton’s lead over Trump still wasn’t as large as Biden’s is now.” There is no magic rabbit or mysterious elixir for Trump to pull out of his oversized suit and change his political fortune. The President of the United States and the party he calls home are headed towards an overwhelming and decisive defeat. So much so, that Republican operatives have enlisted the help of a celebrity in the midst of a mental breakdown to siphon away votes from former Vice President Joe Biden.

Rather than publicly admit that they overplayed their hand and allowed Trump’s cultish personality to grab hold of the party, Republicans would rather use gross diversionary tactics that are only destined to further turn off suburban women and minority voters. The very people who put control over the House of Representatives into the hands of the Democratic Party.

The 2018 midterms were not an outlier, but rather a warning message to the party of Lincoln. The country is not better off than it was in 2016. It is much worse. Racial divisions are deepening, our economy is cratering, and faith in institutions is at an all time high. If the president wanted America to resemble Russia, he certainly succeeded in his mission. For the life of me, I can’t understand why Republicans in Congress have continued to go along, especially in the Senate where elections occur every six years.

Bolded for recent relevant discussion. Bolded and orange for a topic we've been talking about for years now, but most recently, because of what McConnell said a few days ago.

Incidentally, the same author had recently said (misquoted) Trump, the great dealmaker, is failing to make a deal on coronavirus relief.

Whether you agree with the author or not (I don't), it is important to note the Party of Trump has already made its choice. The RNC already blocked anyone from running against Trump, he'll accept the nomination (illegally?) from the White House since not even Florida wants his shit, and he routinely purges and attacks any who dare disagree with him. I don't believe any Republican can run successfully in 2020, without supporting Trump, and I welcome any sign I'm wrong.

Kicking Trump out of the party is like locking down communities. Yes, things suck for a while, nobody's questioning that. But yes, you also start to recover faster. The Party of Trump has already chosen not to do that. The author might want otherwise, but that's not going to happen by November. If there are icebergs in the water around the sinking ship, trying to swim to safety is a death sentence. The Party of Trump will just have to eat each other until who's left fits in the lifeboats.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm waiting for some anti-vaxxer to end up with the flu and covid at the same time.

I'm no medical expert, but that seems unlikely, but not highly unlikely. The flu knocks you on your ass quickly, but COVID-19 does not, and any disease is more likely to hurt/kill someone already weakened. Having the flu during the incubation time of the coronavirus sounds like it would significantly lower your chances of surviving both.

Bright side? Masks stop flu germs from spreading as much as corona viruses. Maybe this flu season will be light?

- - - Updated - - -

DC court rules 7-2 on McGahn subpoena that, yes, the House can enforce it.

The Constitution charges Congress with certain responsibilities, including to legislate, to conduct oversight of the federal government, and, when necessary, to impeach and remove a President or other Executive Branch official from office. Possession of relevant information is an essential precondition to the effective discharge of all of those duties.

I'm going to ask @cubby about this just-released developing story, totally putting him on the spot because I'm an asshole, and ask "does that mean other House subpoenas are therefore also enforceable?"

Also, while Team Trump could try to appeal the decision...do they really want to? If McGahn were to testify, say, today, unless he says something like "Trump ground up the original Constitution and snorted it off a hooker's tits" the Party of Trump can try to distract from it in a few months. But anything McGahn says, say, during the debates will not be avoidable.

[Swnem]

This brutal anti-Trump ad just aired during Fox & Friends.

Surprised they let it air, honestly.

I like how they captured Trump's gesticulations. Was very much in character.

[eschatological]

Cuomo opening up NY schools. Once again we see if NY can be the test case for doing shit properly in this backwards ass country.

Some highlights: schools have to have a remote learning plan, Dept of Health can shut down the school if infections spike, social distancing and masks will be required.

A concern of mine: no standardized protocol for testing statewide. I believe it has to be part of each district's submitted plan (which is subject to DoH approval), but idk. Cuomo basically admitted daily testing would be really, really hard to do for every school child in NY.

[Adam Jensen]

The President's unpredictable behavior led advisers to hesitate to give him military options because they feared he could start a war

When Trump ordered Quassaim Soulimani's death, that was the result of advisors giving him options. They said, we can do "A, B, or C, but we also have this extreme option, which is probably not a good idea, where we kill the bastard."

And look which option Trump took.

And look how Iran responded.

I'm not surprised, at all, that generals hold back on giving Trump information. I am surprised that Republicans have become so fucking cultish that they can't admit that they backed a complete idiot and find some other conservative to rally around.

- - - Updated - - -

Better!

I also typed that as I'm installing Skyrim <again>.

I reinstalled the Mass Effect Trilogy . . . I feel like I'll be in the middle of yet another playthrough before the week is out.

I've also had Skyrim on the mind.

[Katchii]

I'm waiting for some anti-vaxxer to end up with the flu and covid at the same time.

According to an anti-vaxxer, COVID is just the flu, so how how could they have both?

/s

With that said, if they DID get both they'd probably die, which would be a net positive IMO. That's just natural selection right there.

[PhaelixWW]

A shame we arent doing anything at all to reverse the fall.

China has 4x the population of the US. They have much, much more room for improvement to begin with. It's not remotely fair to completely label the closing gap as "the US falling".

But check back in November; we'll hopefully be doing something then.

[Milchshake]

Cuomo opening up NY schools. Once again we see if NY can be the test case for doing shit properly in this backwards ass country.

Some highlights: schools have to have a remote learning plan, Dept of Health can shut down the school if infections spike, social distancing and masks will be required.

A concern of mine: no standardized protocol for testing statewide. I believe it has to be part of each district's submitted plan (which is subject to DoH approval), but idk. Cuomo basically admitted daily testing would be really, really hard to do for every school child in NY.

I'd say it's a mistake by Cuomo. But in character for him.

All it takes is for one case to wreck everything. My company (Seattle) was doing great, no cases. But some geniuses from corporate (Chattanooga) insisted on visiting. Well one of them just tested positive. So the 30+ people that met with them have all been sent home to quarantine for 2 weeks.
Great...
Corporate has also been insisting a V shaped recovery is coming!

I reinstalled the Mass Effect Trilogy . . . I feel like I'll be in the middle of yet another playthrough before the week is out.

I've also had Skyrim on the mind.

There's so many great mods that really redeem ME3.

[zealo]

I'd say it's a mistake by Cuomo. But in character for him.

All it takes is for one case to wreck everything. My company (Seattle) was doing great, no cases. But some geniuses from corporate (Chattanooga) insisted on visiting. Well one of them just tested positive. So the 30+ people that met with them have all been sent home to quarantine for 2 weeks.
Great...
Corporate has also been insisting a V shaped recovery is coming!



There's so many great mods that really redeem ME3.

Most of ME3 isn't that bad tbh even without mods, it's just the last 20 minutes or so that stinks, and well, if you know it's coming already the disappointment factor is nowhere near as pronounced as the first time through.

[Breccia]

Cuomo opening up NY schools.

For regions in Phase Four, that stay non-spiking, submit plans to the state for approval, have lots of physical room in the classrooms (limited number of students), and most importantly if the school district insists on it.

New York locked down and had strict restrictions, which based on @Benggaul 's numbers, seem to be stable and basically paying off. It's a big difference between NYState in April and now, just like it's a big difference between Florida in April and now.

Even FOX News had difficulty finding problems with this.

I happen to live in a county tucked up against a lake and the Canadian border, one of the safest in the country by number but at the most risk of it spreading rapidly if it were given the chance. I imagine NYC has a dramatically different and more difficult choice to make.

[cubby]

DC court rules 7-2 on McGahn subpoena that, yes, the House can enforce it.

The Constitution charges Congress with certain responsibilities, including to legislate, to conduct oversight of the federal government, and, when necessary, to impeach and remove a President or other Executive Branch official from office. Possession of relevant information is an essential precondition to the effective discharge of all of those duties.

I'm going to ask @cubby about this just-released developing story, totally putting him on the spot because I'm an asshole, and ask "does that mean other House subpoenas are therefore also enforceable?"

Also, while Team Trump could try to appeal the decision...do they really want to? If McGahn were to testify, say, today, unless he says something like "Trump ground up the original Constitution and snorted it off a hooker's tits" the Party of Trump can try to distract from it in a few months. But anything McGahn says, say, during the debates will not be avoidable.

The D.C. Appellate ruling combined with the SCOTUS ruling tells us that many, if not most, Congressional subpoenas are enforceable. Congress' constitutional charge of investigating the other branches is sacrosanct, and barring an unusually high burden on the Executive offices, their subpoenas are enforceable. The courts have been relatively clear on this - SCOTUS sending back down the Congressional subpoena part of the tax case was interesting, but they merely asked the lower court for a little more scrutiny before allowing. The D.C. Appellate court took that into account - I would be SCOTUS denies cert for this case, and the ruling stands.

But who fucking cares?

The Trump administration doesn't care about SCOTUS rulings or court opinions - if Trump doesn't like the ruling, he ignores it, essentially and unequivocally breaking the law, in every sense of the meaning. So Congress can subpoena McGahn and whomever else they want, but no one is going to show up, because the rule of law means nothing to a man who was told by the Department of Justice that he is above the law.

And the enforcement options are few and limited. Congress technically has the authority to arrest/detain, but that is a Pandoras Box no one wants to open.

[Monster Hunter]

The US calls these countries "Shithole Countries". OK it was Trump, but he still IS the President of the US, and thus speaks for the country. And it's not like there was a lot of push back against this comment.

Meanwhile, China invests lots of money and effort into building these areas up. For a price, of course. But it's better than being dismissed and disrespected and called a shit hole country.

Not arguing that, but if ur a us citizen or some one opposed to what China is doing in those camps it's not good news that China is replacing the US as the global major influance.

[Breccia]

But who fucking cares?

The same court, apparently. Also 7-2 they allowed the House to sue Trump over misappropriating funds for the Wall.

So that's two strikes in rapid succession.