Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[s_bushido]

I still haven't actually got a clear idea of what republicans think Hunter Biden might have even done, like what's the supposed scandle?

As far as I know, they think it contains evidence that Joe used his political positions to get his son money and power. You know...the shit Trump spent his entire administration doing with his family.

But I could be wrong. Maybe it's something to do with the supposed corruption with that Ukraine? inspector something or other.

[postman1782]

I still haven't actually got a clear idea of what republicans think Hunter Biden might have even done, like what's the supposed scandle?

They think he did something illegal with Burisma, even though the Trump children have done magnitudes more illegal things, and they just ignored it. And apparently they think those illegal things are directly tied to Joe Biden, even though there is no evidence of it. Their whole claim, relies 10000000% on the fake laptop that can't be confirmed. The laptop that the computer shop owner said had nothing on it when he had it, the laptop that Steve Bannon admitted on recording that they added shit to.

[Fugus]

They think he did something illegal with Burisma, even though the Trump children have done magnitudes more illegal things, and they just ignored it. And apparently they think those illegal things are directly tied to Joe Biden, even though there is no evidence of it. Their whole claim, relies 10000000% on the fake laptop that can't be confirmed. The laptop that the computer shop owner said had nothing on it when he had it, the laptop that Steve Bannon admitted on recording that they added shit to.

The thing is even that is a lie to anyone in leadership and really anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together who have bothered actually looking into it, double standard aside, even Trumps own FBI headed by a Trump lackey and protector even said it was nothing.

Edit: Didn't Bannon admitted to adding stuff to it after they got it.

[postman1782]

The thing is even that is a lie to anyone in leadership and really anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together who have bothered actually looking into it, double standard aside, even Trumps own FBI headed by a Trump lackey and protector even said it was nothing.

Edit: Didn't Bannon admitted to adding stuff to it after they got it.

Yep, that was the last thing I said in the post.

[Fugus]

Yep, that was the last thing I said in the post.

Understood, this should be enough to get him with MAJOR charges against him and force him to apologize and admit in public that the laptop wasn't true.

Would be like if I came out and fabricated evidence of someone being a pedophile and released it with the express intent to defame and slander you, I could face real charges for those and potentially life altering fines in proportion to the damage it caused.

The moment the start the investigations into Hunter Biden they have announced, they need to indict this man and make a spectacle over it that surpasses their "Investigation" to the point their entire premise on it was based on a lie. Kills a good part of their lie and their thunder with the people and makes the investigations more apparent for the shams they are and hurts them for doing it.

[postman1782]

Understood, this should be enough to get him with MAJOR charges against him and force him to apologize and admit in public that the laptop wasn't true.

Would be like if I came out and fabricated evidence of someone being a pedophile and released it with the express intent to defame and slander you, I could face real charges for those and potentially life altering fines in proportion to the damage it caused.

The moment the start the investigations into Hunter Biden they have announced, they need to indict this man and make a spectacle over it that surpasses their "Investigation" to the point their entire premise on it was based on a lie. Kills a good part of their lie and their thunder with the people and makes the investigations more apparent for the shams they are and hurts them for doing it.

Yes, tampering with evidence is a crime. Even if there was no crime committed, tampering with the evidence one way or another is a crime.

[SoulForge]

The laptop story is a pointless waste of time. The laptop itself has passed through so many hands that its tainted and would be inadmissible in a court of law.

[Captain N]

The laptop story is a pointless waste of time. The laptop itself has passed through so many hands that its tainted and would be inadmissible in a court of law.

Doesn't matter. Just like Benghazi this is just something to whip the morons into a frenzy. It doesn't need to have any consequences as long as they're acting like it does.

[Fugus]

Doesn't matter. Just like Benghazi this is just something to whip the morons into a frenzy. It doesn't need to have any consequences as long as they're acting like it does.

At which point we give it consequences, once the laptop has been proven in a court of law to be fake and with planted evidence, arrest those in the Congress who repeat it in the hearings for lying and slander.

[Kaleredar]

Doesn't matter. Just like Benghazi this is just something to whip the morons into a frenzy. It doesn't need to have any consequences as long as they're acting like it does.

They tried the laptop back in 2020. Got them nowhere. Then it flared up again a few months ago. Nothing.

They've spent a lot of effort trying to conjure up some dirt on someone that isn't actually Joe Biden, and it's gotten them nothing. Without legally actionable... actions, nobody is going to care. The narrative is so completely muddled at this point that nobody actually remembers what's supposedly on the laptop. Is it a sex tape? Is it nefarious Biden links to Ukraine? Is it illegal pornography?

That's in stark contrast to Benghazi which, while equally bullshit, was a rather clear narrative attack from the GOP: that Hillary Clinton caused Americans to die. The attack was levied at the (then) presidential candidate, not a familial relation of theirs, and what supposedly happened wasn't some shifting, nebulous story about some sort of bad documents or video evidence or something that was supposedly contained on some laptop somewhere that was found after the fact.

[Nymrohd]

So far the entire affair just humanizes Joe Biden, making him look like a decent father who is trying to do what is best for his son who has run into trouble without ever overstepping lines or doing anything illegal. It just makes him look sympathetic.

[Gorsameth]

The laptop story is a pointless waste of time. The laptop itself has passed through so many hands that its tainted and would be inadmissible in a court of law.

its funny that you think this is about the court of law.

The GOP beat Hillary by slinging buckets of mud at her, none of it stuck but by the end ignorant voters went "with so much investigating I guess there must be something wrong with her, better vote for the moronic misogynist orange Orangutan.

It worked before and they are going to do it again, just spend 2 years throwing shit at Biden. None of it will stick but some ignorant voters will think "with so much investigating I guess there must be something wrong with him".

[Paranoid Android]

Reporter: "Most fentanyl comes across the border from people who are US citizens, not immigrants."

MTG: "What's your proof? Because that's not what we've been shown by border patrol."

Reporter: "From the CATO Institute"

MTG: "We're not taking the CATO Institute seriously."

Read my signature by Isaac Asimov.

What can you do? People actually fact check these people and they are like "Eff it!". We have a good one here on MMO who when you give link sources and facts the response is "That's like your opinion" then say crap grabbed from the sky with no source claiming their opinion has weight. This the mtg and the Republican Party and idk how to fight ignorance.

Cato Institute replied. Not a fan of Cato but facts are facts.

No,
RepMTG
, we are not the Border Patrol, but we do have the data

90% of fentanyl from Mexico was seized at legal entry points or interior checkpoints, not illegal crossing routes

~0.02% of those arrested by Border Patrol possessed any fentanyl at all

[Draco-Onis]

So far the entire affair just humanizes Joe Biden, making him look like a decent father who is trying to do what is best for his son who has run into trouble without ever overstepping lines or doing anything illegal. It just makes him look sympathetic.

I don't think right wing media gets that they go around making fun of him trying to get his son help for his drug addiction. I swear even a bad Saturday morning cartoon villain would think this is not a good plan especially in a country with an opioid epidemic.

[Edge-]

https://www.complex.com/music/donald...l-options-stop

The estate for Issac Hayes has threatened Donald Trump with legal action after he launched his 2024 presidential campaign with one of the late musician’s songs.

In a pair of tweets, the estate of the iconic singer-songwriter and actor condemned the Trump campaign’s usage of the 1966 Sam & Dave song “Hold On I’m Coming,” which Hayes co-wrote with David Porter.

“Once again, the estate and family of Isaac Hayes DID NOT approve the use of ‘Hold On I’m Coming’ by Sam and Dave by Donald Trump at his 2024 Presidential announcement tonight,” the official account for Hayes tweeted. “We are exploring multiple legal options to stop this unauthorized use.”

Trump can't stop stealing others music and using it without their approval.

[Breccia]

Trump can't stop stealing others music and using it without their approval.

It really feels like he has no treason stop. Reason! Reason to stop. Simply put, he has big rally, plays a bunch of songs without the writer's permission, they object, he just moves on to steal someone else's songs.

At this point, he's done this enough times to establish a pattern. Everyone he's stolen from should band up and class action sue. I don't believe I've seen any successful results from any artists so far, but collectively they might have a shot. Especially when a giant connect-the-dots of his routine violations of copyright law is held up in front of a jury with, what, ten instances by now?

[Edge-]

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/18/gop-...-campaign.html

GOP megadonors Robert and Rebekah Mercer have no current plans to help former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign for the White House, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Mercers, a father and daughter who were one of Trump’s major benefactors during his first run for president in 2016, are distancing themselves from the ex-president’s third White House bid and cutting back their overall campaign fundraising, these people said. The people who spoke to CNBC did so on the condition of anonymity to talk about private conversations.

This is pretty big if true, as the Mercers spent a LOT of money boosting Trump the last few elections. Like, a lot. They're the people funding Breitbart, as a reminder.

Also - https://www.theguardian.com/media/20...wont-play-ball

Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers don’t do subtlety when it comes to political attacks.

Over the last week, readers of his US titles have been informed that Donald Trump is “Trumpty Dumpty”, the “biggest loser” in Republican politics, and the man who meant the “red wave” never crested in the US midterm elections.

The New York Post marked Trump’s latest bid for election with something more damning: outright mockery.

Under the headline: “Florida Man makes announcement,” the formerly pro-Trump newspaper directed readers to a story deep inside the newspaper on page 28.

“With just 720 days to go before the next election, a Florida retiree made the surprise announcement Tuesday night that he was running for president,” said the deadpan news report.

The tabloid’s print edition has a dwindling readership but the former US president is still said to be a regular reader – which means it probably hurt when they mocked his Mar-a-Lago home – raided by the FBI in August – as a “classified documents library”.

Yet while the newspaper editorials have led to suggestions that Murdoch has completed a clean break with the former US president, this misses the more positive reaction on Murdoch’s Fox News television channel.

“Murdoch has very little control over his most important outlet, which is Fox,” said Michael Wolff, the media commentator who has written three books on Trump.

“Let’s assume Murdoch was giving a message to the Post … he can’t do that at Fox. And Fox is the all-important thing.”

Additional reporting on the Murdoch/Trump relationship. This seems to back earlier reports that Murdoch was abandoning Trump, though it doesn't seem to explicitly support the bit that Murdoch threatened to back Democrats over Trump.

However the Fox angle is interesting since the network isn't sure if they want to abandon Trump or not. Most of their hosts have been walking away from Trump, a loser, following the 2022 midterms except you still have folks like Hannity and Carlson giving Trump their full throated support.

[Breccia]

However the Fox angle is interesting since the network isn't sure if they want to abandon Trump or not. Most of their hosts have been walking away from Trump, a loser, following the 2022 midterms except you still have folks like Hannity and Carlson giving Trump their full throated support.

It's going to be a tough fight between those groups. Can't wait to hear about the blow-by-blow.

The Mercers are hardly the first big donors to flee the Trump camp. Now, as I've posted recently, Trump has a PAC with about $100 million in it that he collected to help other people, and then just kept it for himself. I see no reason why he wouldn't use that stolen money on his own campaign. How long would that last?

(checks 2020, it bounces)

Oh...almost nothing. Trump spent about 2 billion dollars in 2020. So having $100 million won't last more than a few months, tops, of heavy campaigning. Right now doesn't count -- nobody but he is running, there's no reason to spend heavily yet.

Now we also know Trump's campaign borrowed heavily, including $40 million in the last month of the 2020 election alone. I'm just going to state without evidence that he hasn't paid it back. Just kidding. My evidence is that he's Donald Trump. Trump had to refund 2020 money he took in and didn't spend, again, probably because he was planning on keeping it and got caught.

In other words, Trump doesn't want to spend his own money. Old news, I know, but in this context this is important.

Trump has already burned a lot of bridges: the donors leaving are the raging fires, but the "contribute every month" checkbox are the embers. You forgot he did that, didn't you? Well, the people who had that happen to him sure didn't. And even if Trump's 2020 campaign didn't default on its loans, and once again I state without citing or researching that he did because he's Trump, the fact that his campaign got caught doing all sorts of shady shit, his low ratings, his lack of backing, and the fact that he's Donald Trump are going to make loans harder to do.

Well...sort of. Remember how Trump loaned himself money at prime plus five percent, and collected the interest? He can still do that, of course, and steal from his own campaign. But with far less money coming in, he won't be stealing as much...and his campaign will have even less to work with. He'll have smaller donors, as before, but fewer of them. Based on that NPR article above, it seems about one-third of the donations to Trump came from large donors. Between them all leaving and his remaining die-hard cultists already having given more than they planned, Trump is probably looking at 2024 being 50% 2020.

And no, he both can't, and won't, make up the gap himself. For all his talk about self-funding, he lied every time.

I don't know if Trump is going to try to steal that 50% = 1 billion dollars for his upcoming loans or other, well, fraud, but I do know it won't be enough to win him an election without RNC support. Which...he doesn't have.

[Poopymonster]

So far the entire affair just humanizes Joe Biden, making him look like a decent father who is trying to do what is best for his son who has run into trouble without ever overstepping lines or doing anything illegal. It just makes him look sympathetic.

To the Reich wing media, it's weakness.

[Paranoid Android]

Pretty sure I just heard Garland say that Trump's decision to announce his 2024 candidacy fed into the DOJ's decision to punt it to a Special Counsel.

To all those who claimed on this site that the DOJ wouldn't let Trump's cynical move affect their behavior... you were wrong.

I'm getting mixed messages here so far.

The "this is not looking good" pessimist view above that Garland is kicking the can down the road. Another tweet by Don Winslow I was going to post that this will delay up to 2 years now. This is all big speculation, but recent experience of our one special counsel had not been great. Much different circumstances by which Mueller passed and AG Barr did a massive cover up.

I'm just really scared that our elite political class and being "rich" also will let Trump shed this off enough until election. My big take is enough time for him to at least get the Republican nomination. Then it's over. The heat of "you can't target a person running for President" will be too much.

Yes, this is me concluding the worst of the worst scenario right now.

Don't know whether to laugh or cry as I hear Garland insisting how *independent* and *impartial* his pick for Special Counsel, Jack Smith, will be.

THE RIGHT DOES NOT CARE!

They are not good-faith actors!

Apppeasing them does not work

So just read this, I really hat Garland. This feckless dude is really trying to dodge a bullet here. As stated the political hacks don't care about an Independent. Look at Mueller.