Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Bodakane]

So this is a mixed bag.

1) It's not Trump's money. WinRed was getting money for Trump's campaign, the RNC, and of course themselves.

2) Trump's been caught WinRed-handed taking interest-free loans before. So far, he's basically gotten away with it. The "loan" of defrauding the rabid fanbase and then refunding some of it is probably legal. Simply put, there's a difference between one person changing their mind 3 months later, and a million people all doing it at once. But laws are typically written on a per-case basis. Without doing any research, I suspect that there is no need for a political campaign to refund interest on a single donation, therrfore, no law requires them to do it a million times, either.

Add this to the long list of scummy things Trump does, and therefore now Republicans do, that are dishonest, immoral, unethical, and/or generally scummy. But not illegal.

Yet.

So when the FEC or whoever watchdogs Trump's campaign's finances, and they've had issues before, this fraud-based interest-free loan probably will get past. A damaging lawsuit would change things, but I believe most such lawsuits would be dismissed with "we refunded most of their money, plus here's the contract they signed".

- - - Updated - - -

In any other timeline, if the US President sanctioned a pizza shop, they might think it was a joke.

Not in this timeline so much.

There are three take-aways that leap to mind.

1) Hah hah, Trump is incompetent.

2) But really, this was his very last day -- and Trump loved putting tariffs and sanctions on people. We'd seen our share of "oh, he'll grow into the role" but it was his last day, that time had passed. For all his "only I can fix it" he went the entire length of his tenure, and was still making rookie mistakes at the end.

THIS is the true take-away from Trump's legacy. Fraud? Theft? Grabbing by the pussy? These all speak to Trump the carbon-based life form. Accusing someone running at 2 slice and a soda for $5 lunch deal as working with Venezuela's dictotor? This is the kind of thing only Trump's WH could do.

3) The last one is minor, kind of. Venezuela was basiclaly the only dictatorship Trump didn't try to side with. In fact, he threatened to bomb the shit out of them. He didn't, probably because he was held back by what was left of the "ringers" the classic Republicans put on his team.

But in the end, despite all his bluster and blowhard about being a big tough guy, what was Trump's dipolmatic legacy?

Some tariffs. Some sanctions. Laughing and clapping his hands for a French parade. A trade war that failed so hard it made the trade gap wider than Trump's fat ass. Pushing other diplomats out of the way to stand in the front of the picture. Trying to bring Russia back to G7. Being laughed out of the UN.

He wasn't just more of the same. He was "start with more of the same, then take away the parts that work or are respected, and do what's left".

Ineffective. Incompetent. IMPOTUS. A sad clown, the laughingstock of the world.

BRB. Ordering a small with green and red bell peppers.

EDIT: Saving a slice for @Bodakane who (a) brought this story to my attention and (b) has a name that sounds like a Star Wars inspired dessert.

They should have booked a press conference at the Four Seasons for this one.....

[Breccia]

Trump, upset at cancel culture, demands his followers use cancel culture.

- - - Updated - - -

So remember how Trump and his alllies, such as DeSantis, led the charge to roll back environmental regulations? Good times...good times...

DeSantis declares state of emergency for three Florida counties, including evacuation orders, due to a possible spill of...

(checks news)

No, that can't be right.

(re-checks news)

A reservoir filled with salt, waste, and radioactive water.

The water meets water quality standards for marine waters with the exception of pH, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and total ammonia nitrogen.

With the exception? "This cake is perfectly healthy, except for the lard, arsenic and glass shards"?

So, this is an incoming tide of shit water mixed with phosphoric acid and radiation. Made from artificial shit.

Wow. Imagine the conversations that bit of news caused. "No, climate change is a hoax started by the Chinese, everyone knows that! Oh sorry, I have to flee the county now, Fallout 76 is moving to my neighborhood"

[Benggaul]

Saturday's report:

66,154 new cases, about 2k fewer than last Saturday, but holiday weekend rules are definitely applying. 10 states did not bother reporting at all and other states--like Texas--are very underreported.

Top 5:

Michigan: 9,292 new cases; 65 deaths
New York: 7,893 new cases; 87 deaths
Fuck Florida.
Pennsylvania: 5,327 new cases; 36 deaths
New Jersey: 4,445 new cases; 17 deaths

New England cases continue to rise slowly and Michigan is still exploding, taking the top spot for the first time (ever?) and pushing New York to second. The site I usually use to reference positivity rates is currently a bit borked, so I can't get the normal accuracy I do, but eyeballing a few other sources tells me that Michigan is definitely top of the pile and Florida is climbing fast (currently at #6). Texas seems to have given up trying to report accurately at all--again most likely so that Abbott can try to blame Biden and "OMG OPEN BORDER DEMS" for the inevitable spikes they'll experience there later.

807 deaths is slightly lower than last Saturday and brings the total to 568,513. Numbers will be off for the next few days at least, however, and I think the actual number (including the 10 states that didn't report at all) probably brings the number slightly higher. I still believe the overall trend is dropping, though.

Related news:

Canada's 3rd wave of COVID-19 is 'killing faster and younger' and fueled by new variants--Not US news, per se, but a portent of things to come if we lose the race against the new variants. Speaking of which...

First confirmed case of Indian coronavirus variant in U.S. found in California--This variant hasn't been studied enough yet to find out how much of a danger it is, but ANY variant is likely to be at the very least problematic in the fight against the virus.

Stay safe, folks.

[Breccia]

By the way, here's the list of companies Trump asked his rabid fanbase to cancel culture, because they engaged in cancel culture which is bad:

It is finally time for Republicans and Conservatives to fight back— we have more people than they do— by far! Boycott Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, JPMorgan Chase, ViacomCBS, Citigroup, Cisco, UPS and Merck. Don’t go back to their products until they relent. We can play a better game than them,

Well, let's count 'em down.

1) I was kidding about the airport.

2) Are people supposed to cut up their credit cards?

3) Is Trump asking his fans to ditch Coke? Arguably the most popular drink on the planet?

4) Also, Coke and CBS...is Disney next? Does Trump's fat ass think he can go toe-to-bone-spur with the Mouse?

5) And of course, there's the lack of self-awareness (or blatant lie) of "we have more people than they do" from the man who lost the popular vote, twice, called "rigged" each time, had an investigation each time, and was the proven loser each time.

I'm sure Trump will welcome this approach when these companies, and anyone else for that matter, call a boycott on Trump's companies as well. I wonder if Mar-a-Lago hs a deal with Coke?

[gondrin]

By the way, here's the list of companies Trump asked his rabid fanbase to cancel culture, because they engaged in cancel culture which is bad:



Well, let's count 'em down.

1) I was kidding about the airport.

2) Are people supposed to cut up their credit cards?

3) Is Trump asking his fans to ditch Coke? Arguably the most popular drink on the planet?

4) Also, Coke and CBS...is Disney next? Does Trump's fat ass think he can go toe-to-bone-spur with the Mouse?

5) And of course, there's the lack of self-awareness (or blatant lie) of "we have more people than they do" from the man who lost the popular vote, twice, called "rigged" each time, had an investigation each time, and was the proven loser each time.

I'm sure Trump will welcome this approach when these companies, and anyone else for that matter, call a boycott on Trump's companies as well. I wonder if Mar-a-Lago hs a deal with Coke?

Well, Trump did have a Diet Coke button installed in the White House. I'm pretty sure his boycott will last as long his attention span during an intelligence briefing without a picture book to look at. The funny thing about Coke is that most of the restaurants have them as their soda choice. The only ones that have Pepsi generally are Yum Brands with a few exceptions here and there.

[bladeXcrasher]

By the way, here's the list of companies Trump asked his rabid fanbase to cancel culture, because they engaged in cancel culture which is bad:



Well, let's count 'em down.

1) I was kidding about the airport.

2) Are people supposed to cut up their credit cards?

3) Is Trump asking his fans to ditch Coke? Arguably the most popular drink on the planet?

4) Also, Coke and CBS...is Disney next? Does Trump's fat ass think he can go toe-to-bone-spur with the Mouse?

5) And of course, there's the lack of self-awareness (or blatant lie) of "we have more people than they do" from the man who lost the popular vote, twice, called "rigged" each time, had an investigation each time, and was the proven loser each time.

I'm sure Trump will welcome this approach when these companies, and anyone else for that matter, call a boycott on Trump's companies as well. I wonder if Mar-a-Lago hs a deal with Coke?

They already are "waiting on the word" from Trump. Like you saud, for a group that rails against "cancel culture" they sure do like doing it, but the sheeple only act when told, lol.

[Bodakane]

Saturday's report:

66,154 new cases, about 2k fewer than last Saturday, but holiday weekend rules are definitely applying. 10 states did not bother reporting at all and other states--like Texas--are very underreported.

Top 5:

Michigan: 9,292 new cases; 65 deaths
New York: 7,893 new cases; 87 deaths
Fuck Florida.
Pennsylvania: 5,327 new cases; 36 deaths
New Jersey: 4,445 new cases; 17 deaths

New England cases continue to rise slowly and Michigan is still exploding, taking the top spot for the first time (ever?) and pushing New York to second. The site I usually use to reference positivity rates is currently a bit borked, so I can't get the normal accuracy I do, but eyeballing a few other sources tells me that Michigan is definitely top of the pile and Florida is climbing fast (currently at #6). Texas seems to have given up trying to report accurately at all--again most likely so that Abbott can try to blame Biden and "OMG OPEN BORDER DEMS" for the inevitable spikes they'll experience there later.

807 deaths is slightly lower than last Saturday and brings the total to 568,513. Numbers will be off for the next few days at least, however, and I think the actual number (including the 10 states that didn't report at all) probably brings the number slightly higher. I still believe the overall trend is dropping, though.

Related news:

Canada's 3rd wave of COVID-19 is 'killing faster and younger' and fueled by new variants--Not US news, per se, but a portent of things to come if we lose the race against the new variants. Speaking of which...

First confirmed case of Indian coronavirus variant in U.S. found in California--This variant hasn't been studied enough yet to find out how much of a danger it is, but ANY variant is likely to be at the very least problematic in the fight against the virus.

Stay safe, folks.

Are any of these variants shown to be resistant to the vaccines?

[Benggaul]

Are any of these variants shown to be resistant to the vaccines?

Studies are ongoing for most of the ones found so far, but trials in Africa have shown lower vaccine efficacy due to the African variant. But the consensus is that the more people vaccinated regardless the better since even a lower efficacy is better than no protection at all and is likely to lessen symptoms in the case the virus is contracted. The goal now is to get ahead of the variants as the virus continues to mutate by getting as many people vaccinated as possible.

[Breccia]

Chris Wallace flat-out says Republicans have lost credibility on the national deficit/debt. Like, exact words.

[Bodakane]

Studies are ongoing for most of the ones found so far, but trials in Africa have shown lower vaccine efficacy due to the African variant. But the consensus is that the more people vaccinated regardless the better since even a lower efficacy is better than no protection at all and is likely to lessen symptoms in the case the virus is contracted. The goal now is to get ahead of the variants as the virus continues to mutate by getting as many people vaccinated as possible.

Getting my second shot in 2 weeks.

Where I live, in podunk Florida, every 15 minute slot was available at the local pharmacies, because this is full on Trump country. Literally, you could make a same day appointment and choose any 15 minute window you wanted. It technically wasn't my or my wife's official turn to get the vaccine, but since no one else was getting it, we just said fuck it and got it started. Maybe a 1/4 of the people in any location, like a store, wear masks here, so we felt even more justified in getting it early.

[Smitzelplix]

By the way, here's the list of companies Trump asked his rabid fanbase to cancel culture, because they engaged in cancel culture which is bad:



Well, let's count 'em down.

1) I was kidding about the airport.

2) Are people supposed to cut up their credit cards?

3) Is Trump asking his fans to ditch Coke? Arguably the most popular drink on the planet?

4) Also, Coke and CBS...is Disney next? Does Trump's fat ass think he can go toe-to-bone-spur with the Mouse?

5) And of course, there's the lack of self-awareness (or blatant lie) of "we have more people than they do" from the man who lost the popular vote, twice, called "rigged" each time, had an investigation each time, and was the proven loser each time.

I'm sure Trump will welcome this approach when these companies, and anyone else for that matter, call a boycott on Trump's companies as well. I wonder if Mar-a-Lago hs a deal with Coke?

I wonder how many of Trump's supporters are going to give up drinking Coke, but still end up drinking other Coca-Cola products without realizing it.

[Poopymonster]

I wonder how many of Trump's supporters are going to give up drinking Coke, but still end up drinking other Coca-Cola products without realizing it.

Will the Trump boys stop snorting coke is the real question.

[Breccia]

I wonder how many of Trump's supporters are going to give up drinking Coke, but still end up drinking other Coca-Cola products without realizing it.

I mean...they own Miniute Maid. And, well, Florida.

[cubby]

I wonder how many of Trump's supporters are going to give up drinking Coke, but still end up drinking other Coca-Cola products without realizing it.

They aren't even going to be able to give up Coke or Diet Coke. Look at their deposed Dipshit-in-Chief - fucker had a Diet Coke button on the Resolute Desk. Class with a capital "K" doesn't dissolve itself with simple and irrational misplaced cancel culture.

[pathora44]

Getting my second shot in 2 weeks.

Where I live, in podunk Florida, every 15 minute slot was available at the local pharmacies, because this is full on Trump country. Literally, you could make a same day appointment and choose any 15 minute window you wanted. It technically wasn't my or my wife's official turn to get the vaccine, but since no one else was getting it, we just said fuck it and got it started. Maybe a 1/4 of the people in any location, like a store, wear masks here, so we felt even more justified in getting it early.

Ya, I live around Boise, Idaho and a lot of the people I work with at Home Depot are saying they will never get the vaccine, same people who rattle on about shit they saw on Fox News or something they read on Facebook in the break room, and I see at best 50% of the customers have masks on with maybe 50-60% of them wearing them properly.

[Breccia]

DeSantis went on 60 Minutes for some reason announcing a partnership in which Florida would work with Publix markets to distribute the vaccine.

"So Poblux must cover the entire state pretty well, then?"

Um...



"That's kind of a lot of blank spots, especially in the panhandle. And in the center.

Yeah, 60 Minutes also intereviewed a Florida state rep pointing out that where there were the fewest Publix was also where there were the fewest cars. Meaning people would be looking at mass trainsit for two hours.

"Surely DeSantis talked to city and county leaders before making this decision."

Uh...(flips through notes)...DeSantis claims he did, local officials claim he didn't.

"Why did he decide Publix?"

Well, 60 Minutes seemed to insinuate it's because Publix donated to DeSantis' campaign.

"Well surely that was in the midst of the 2020 campaign."

I mean, that makes sense. Except for the part where DeSantis didn't run in 2020. He was elected in 2018 and runs again in 2022.

"But--"

Also the donation was a few weeks ago. Not 2020.

"What did DeSantis say, when 60 Minutes presented these facts?"

He said "Fake News".

"He does know that pretty much confirms that's the truth, right?"

[PhaelixWW]

DeSantis went on 60 Minutes for some reason announcing a partnership in which Florida would work with Publix markets to distribute the vaccine.

"So Poblux must cover the entire state pretty well, then?"

Um...



"That's kind of a lot of blank spots, especially in the panhandle. And in the center.

I mean, devil's advocate...

[Breccia]

devil's advocate

So are you saying there's about a dozen counties with no Publix and by proxy no vaccine distribution centers?

[PhaelixWW]

So are you saying there's about a dozen counties with no Publix and by proxy no vaccine distribution centers?

Hey, I said "devil's advocate". I'm not defending the move. I don't know why why anyone should have exclusive distribution rights for an entire state.

But I think it's important to point out that some 99% of the state's population lives in those areas. I'm not trying to suggest that the goal shouldn't be 100%, however, just that your characterization was just a little bit misleading.

The worse thing is that it's apparently a pay-for-play, and that there's not at least a second option for those small towns and unincorporated areas.

[Breccia]

The worse thing is that it's apparently a pay-for-play

It absolutely is. He was called on it, and he just handwaved it. DeSantis should be terrified about his odds in 2022 considering Trump didn't win FL by all that much, DeSantis is not Trump, and DeSantis basically watched his voters die of COVID while eating popcorn. He probably figures he needs all the money he can get to somehow convince the voters he hasn't killed yet that it's somehow someone else's fault.